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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why genetics must be central to late blight management

Late blight resistant varieties must be an active component of potato crop management regimes, rather than a “just-in-case” safety net. That is the view of Dan Milbourne, who is leading…

SOILS

Seismic technology to help map UK’s true soil quality

Researchers in the UK are claiming a breakthrough in soil science, using mini sensors to send ultra-high frequency waves into the earth to collect data on soil depth, moisture and…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: More land needed to maximise machinery use

November has been a typically slow month. We lifted more sugar beet when conditions allowed, and store lambs continued to arrive on our farms to graze cover crops. The machinery…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

New crop nutrition product combines amino acid and phosphate

A new crop nutrition product that combines arginine - nature’s most nitrogen-rich amino acid - with phosphate, aims to create stronger root systems and more consistent yields. Global agtech company…

COVER CROPS

Trials reveal best ways to maximise cover crop benefits

Opting for a chemical method cover crop destruction and at a later timing are key to getting the most out of cover crops, according to a series of three trials.…

VARIETY SELECTION

3 winter barleys join slimmed-down AHDB Recommended List

Three new winter barley varieties have been added to a shorter AHDB Recommended List for 2026-27, with nine varieties removed. More than a quarter of the recommended varieties now come…

VARIETY SELECTION

'Compromised' winter wheat varieties join latest RL

Some highly controversial decisions have seen eight new winter wheats added to the AHDB Recommended List 2026-27, several of which are being referred to as “Marmite choices”. After yellow rust…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Soils looking healthier than farmer sentiment

It is so nice to finally have some frost to slow the crops down. Wheats had been flying along and were getting too far advanced from my point of view.…

VARIETY SELECTION

6 new winter OSR varieties added to 2026-27 Recommended List

Six new winter oilseed rape varieties have been added to the 2026-27 Recommended List (RL), with some significant steps forward in yield and disease resistance. The new recommendations bring a…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Huge linseed demand fuels high spring contract offers

A £600/t spring linseed contract for the 2026 harvest has been launched in response to rising demand across food, feed and industrial markets. The updated contract from Premium Crops provides…

VARIETY SELECTION

11 new pulse varieties join PGRO Descriptive List

A total of 11 new pea and bean varieties have been added to the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) Descriptive List for next year. The latest additions include seven…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Herbicide trial reveals shows blackgrass control

All land work and spraying is now complete until February, leaving hedgetrimming and general estate maintenance as the remaining tasks for the season. Both wheat and oilseed rape crops are…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Farmers reminded to prepare for rat poison rule changes

Farmers will need to show proof of training and certification in order to purchase and administer professional rodenticides from 1 January 2026. The campaign for responsible rodenticide use (CRRU) has…

Arable news

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Crumpets made from 100% British regen wheat launched

Crumpets made from 100% British regeneratively farmed wheat are the latest product launch from regen food and farming business Wildfarmed. The launch marks the brand’s first expansion from bread into…

CROP SELECTION

Gene editing clears final hurdle in Parliament

A new regulatory framework, which allows the commercial cultivation of gene-edited crops in England, has cleared its final hurdle in Parliament and comes into force from today (13 November). The…

POTATOES

UK potato tech firm acquires sprout control specialist

Yorkshire based potato company Produce Investments has announced the acquisition of Biofresh Safestore, an established leader in sprout suppression. Expanding a growing technology portfolio, Produce Investments hopes the acquisition will…

HARVEST

Scottish growers record bumper crop for 2025 harvest

Total cereals production surpassed 3.2m tonnes in Scotland this year, according to provisional figures published by the Scottish government. This represents an increase of 8% year on year and puts…

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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why genetics must be central to late blight management

Late blight resistant varieties must be an active component of potato crop management regimes, rather than a “just-in-case” safety net. That is the view of Dan Milbourne, who is leading…

COVER CROPS

Trials reveal best ways to maximise cover crop benefits

Opting for a chemical method cover crop destruction and at a later timing are key to getting the most out of cover crops, according to a series of three trials.…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How to tackle the increasing problem of Italian ryegrass

Good crop rotations and cultivations are two critical factors in controlling troublesome Italian ryegrass in arable crops, in tandem with a good residual herbicide regime. These two cultural control methods,…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How heritage rye is used to produce regen premium whisky

A startup firm is delving into English whisky making, which is a relatively rare concept, and its core product is rarer still – rye whisky. Fielden regen whisky has a…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Biostimulants show wheat yield promise under low N use

Results from a three-year independent study revealed the use of biological products had a greater impact on winter wheat yield and margin where a lower nitrogen rate was applied. Efforts…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why variety and drill date are key to yield and disease

Growers looking to reduce fungicide use and reliance on synthetic chemistry are advised to start by focusing on two key decisions: variety choice and drilling date. While there is growing…

VARIETY SELECTION

Why wheat variety blends will prove their worth in 2026

Next year could be the season where wheat variety blends prove their worth, bringing benefits with blackgrass control and for managing the new race of yellow rust. Speaking to farmers,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How next-gen satellites take guesswork out of N management

The science behind optimum nitrogen rates is well established, yet in practice, most crops are still either over- or under-fed. While several precision tools and sensors aim to solve the…

POTATOES

How Cotswold potato grower produces high-quality seed

Specialist seed potato growers outside of well-known production areas in Scotland and Yorkshire are few and far between, but in many ways that’s what gives Jason Brain’s business its edge.…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How a farmer is planning weed control without flufenacet

Oxfordshire wheat grower Ollie Stobo has been using new autumn herbicide Fundatis to control his “medium” levels of blackgrass and some troublesome broad-leaved weeds. He has trialled FMC’s product across…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How two farmers integrate strategic glyphosate in rotations

Use of glyphosate – the most widely applied herbicide in the UK – has surged over the past three decades. In recent years that increase has been driven by the…

COVER CROPS

Why N cut could be bad for cover crop growth and soil health

Is the drive to cut applied nitrogen fertiliser inadvertently resulting in poorer cover and catch crop growth to the detriment of soil health? Evidence from cover crop trials on farms…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How oxygen and cultivation impact glyphosate breakdown

The breakdown of glyphosate in soils is fundamentally influenced by three key factors: oxygen availability, soil biology and the presence of cultivations. Glyphosate is an effective tool for controlling weeds…

OTHER CROPS

East Sussex farm preserves Britain’s hop-growing heritage

Hops have been grown on Tibbs Farm by LE Wheeler & Sons since 1956, but the farm’s heritage in crop growing stretches back to 1690. Today, brothers Phil and Simon…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

High-fibre milling wheat set to offer growers new market

Commercial crops of premium-earning, high-fibre milling wheats are a step closer after bread made using wheat lines naturally high in soluble dietary fibre passed the taste test. Scientists at Rothamsted…

SOILS

7 organically approved soil amendments to boost cropping

Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving cropping system. Below, are a variety of organically approved soil amendments that can help farmers enhance soil health and productivity. “The ultimate…

Farmer Focus

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FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: More land needed to maximise machinery use

November has been a typically slow month. We lifted more sugar beet when conditions allowed, and store lambs continued to arrive on our farms to graze cover crops. The machinery…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Soils looking healthier than farmer sentiment

It is so nice to finally have some frost to slow the crops down. Wheats had been flying along and were getting too far advanced from my point of view.…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Herbicide trial reveals shows blackgrass control

All land work and spraying is now complete until February, leaving hedgetrimming and general estate maintenance as the remaining tasks for the season. Both wheat and oilseed rape crops are…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Umpteen jobs and a recycled shed

Since it’s now distinctly “back end”, and for a change we’re pretty much worked up, focus here has turned towards winter jobs. Alongside the usual machinery and shed maintenance, we…

Markets

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK arable farms lose £828m because of extreme weather

UK arable farmers are facing an estimated £828m drop in revenues after one of the worst harvests on record. This was driven by prolonged weather volatility across spring and summer…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Grain outlook points to larger UK wheat crop next year

An increased planted area and favourable growing conditions for this year’s wheat crop point towards a potentially larger domestic crop in 2026. At AHDB’s Grain Market Outlook, analysts indicated potential…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Sugar beet growers face increased import competition

Sugar beet growers will face increased competition from imports with the existing tariff-free quota set to be expanded from the start of next year. The government confirmed its plans to…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK wheat markets falter with global supplies set to rise

UK feed wheat futures for May 2026 dropped to a contract low of £171.50/t on 26 November, as a stronger pound made domestic wheat less competitive on global markets. The…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Spring barley area set to fall by 15% in 2026 as wheat rises

Provisional estimates forecast the total UK barley area will fall next year to the lowest levels since 2010, at below 1m hectares. The spring barley area is expected to fall…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK oilseeds area rebounds after best establishment in years

Some confidence has returned to the oilseeds sector as growers report the “best establishment in years” following a favourable planting window for the crop. Grower-owned co-operative United Oilseeds forecasts the…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Redundancies at maltsters raise alarm for barley growers

The Scottish malting barley sector has been hit with fresh challenges over the past month as several maltsters look to scale back operations. Despite higher yields and a bumper barley…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Wheat quality improves in 2025 despite regional challenges

Almost half (47%) of Group 1 milling wheat sampled as part of AHDB’s Cereal Quality Survey met or exceeded the typical Group 1 bread wheat specification for 2025. This represents…

Spot and forward prices (£/t ex-farm)
Each set of prices comes from a single merchant, co-op or broker, and are the latest prices being paid to farmers. Ranges of prices, within one category relate to the distance of the farm from the buyer. Oilseed rape prices are latest spot and forward prices, not contract prices. Ex farm prices vary with the distance from Hull, Liverpool and Erith, crushing factories.

Arable machinery

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TRACTORS

Massey Ferguson adds stepless Dyna-VT to 5S tractor range

Massey Ferguson’s popular 5S tractors are now available with a stepless Dyna-VT transmission as an alternative to the Dyna-4 or Dyna-6 semi-powershifts. This option is offered on all five models…

TRACTORS

On test: Four-cyl Claas Arion 570 proves punchy and nimble

The high-horsepower four-cylinder tractor fraternity gained a new member this year as Claas gingered up its compact Arion to deliver a mighty 180hp and 730Nm of torque. Better still, it…

CEREAL DRILLS

Novag bolsters direct drill range with 7.5m T-ForcePlus

The movers and shakers at Novag have wasted little time in adding another direct drill to the T-ForcePlus portfolio, just six months after being rescued from a financial precipice by…

TRACTORS

More power for facelifted Fendt 1000 Vario tractors

Fendt has lifted the lid on the fourth generation of its flagship 1000 Vario tractors, which are more powerful, cheaper to run and nicer to drive. Four models make up…

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