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Know How / Crop management

Managing your crops through the growing season means careful nutrition and fertiliser use for maximum crop yields and keeping a watchful eye on pest, weeds and disease control.

Read expert advice, case studies, and tips on how to achieve the best yields and growth through best-practice crop management techniques, on all crops including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and more niche crops.

Case studies

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CROP MANAGEMENT

Wilts OSR grower reveals lessons from sheep grazing trials

If the timing is right, grazing oilseed rape with sheep in the autumn can improve crop evenness and deliver yield benefits, according to one Wiltshire farmer. At East Farm near…

SOILS

Herts grower shares experience with Johnson-Su bioreactor

A source of protozoa and nematodes, the extract from a US-invented composter is part of one Hertfordshire grower’s five-year plan to improve soil biology and cut costs. Richard Blair, with…

ARABLE

Hants arable farm extends regen approach to two vineyards

The decision to stop pedalling faster without gain and instead change the farming system to one based on regenerative principles was taken more than 20 years ago on a Hampshire…

ARABLE

How an award-winning arable farm combines business and nature

Bedingham Hall Farm near Bungay is maximising its environmental conservation, while remaining committed to profitable food production. It has done this by making full use of the natural features available…

PULSES

Drone applies pod sealant to beans in pioneering UK trial

In the first-ever UK trial, pod sealant has been successfully applied to a winter bean crop using a drone ahead of harvest. Pod sealants are typically applied to crops prior…

OTHER CROPS

Grower ventures into olive oil production despite risks ahead

A 10ha olive grove – thought to be the most northerly of its type in the world – is in its second year growing on a Lincolnshire farm. David Hoyles…

Practical advice

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NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How to make the most of phosphate fertilisers this autumn

As margins squeeze tighter, many growers are looking at inputs and considering where to make cuts, and phosphate may be one area of focus. Tim Kerr, head of nutrition at…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Tips to get ahead of the autumn slug threat

After a hot, dry summer, slugs might not be the first threat to crop establishment that comes to mind, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. Even…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How to avoid weed burdens after land comes out of SFI

Land coming out of some Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options must be managed carefully to avoid unintended weed burdens in following cash crops. For options such as winter bird cover,…

SOILS

4 ways to solve common soil issues on arable farms

Farmers are often swamped with different soil tests, nutrient analysis and data sets that flag up potential limiting factors on farm. After initial observations, how can these results be effectively…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Expert tips for chemical-free thistle and dock control

Mechanical topping just before flowering is one of the best non-chemical methods of controlling major troublesome perennial weeds such as creeping thistles and broad-leaved docks. This pre-flowering period is when…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2025: Top 10 strategies to tackle flea beetle

A list of the top 10 strategies to tackle the critical cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) pest in oilseed rape crops has been released to help reverse the fortunes of…

Insights

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NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Farmers reveal results of biological inputs trial

Two arable farmers were tasked with replacing 25% of their synthetic crop inputs with biological alternatives as part of a sustainable cropping project. We catch up with them to find…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Benefits of adding manganese to seed-beds after dry summer

Farmers are advised to apply manganese in the seed-bed this autumn, as the dry summer may have left soils depleted of the micronutrient. Origin Soil Nutrition agronomist Toby Ward warns…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How herbal leys can benefit the whole system

From herbal leys to hemp crops, the Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping is a four-year £5.9m multi partner project, led by Niab, which is exploring the carbon capture potential…

IRRIGATION

Why reservoirs are key to sustainable water abstraction

The proposed 30% overall reduction in water that can be abstracted for irrigation in East Suffolk could result in losses of up to £2,300m across the supply chain over the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Tips on cutting through the marketing hype for biostimulants

After a season when crops gave up in the summer drought, farmers may be tempted to try a biostimulant to help crops cope better next time. Some products can deliver…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Wheat growers warned of new 'high input' group of varieties

Latest Agrii trials have shown marked drops in yellow rust resistance scores for some of the UK’s most popular winter wheats, rendering some popular varieties as high input wheats. The…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Growers advised to plan integrated yellow rust approach

Wheat growers are being advised to plan integrated yellow rust management strategies following the significant reductions in resistance ratings for some popular varieties. These reductions mean extra focus should be…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How new herbicide aids sustainable weed control in barley

More so than in winter wheat, control of problem weeds in winter barley, such as blackgrass and Italian ryegrass, has been reliant on a narrow group of actives. So, the…

ARABLE

How financial support helps make nature-friendly farming pay

Comprehensive four-year trials across 17 arable farms in southern England have revealed that nature-friendly farming methods can significantly boost biodiversity, beneficial insects and crop yields. But, perhaps as importantly, the…

ARABLE

Can arable farms operate without fossil fuels?

While completing his Nuffield Scholarship, Stuart Oates founded the Fossil Free Farm project, born of his belief that removing fossil fuels from farming is essential for future sustainability. Based at…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Pre-em weed control in wheat - what to consider this season

Consider the target weed spectrum, the weather forecast and the likely cost before finalising pre-emergence herbicide programmes for winter cereals, growers are being advised. There are now 13 active ingredients…

PULSES

How Birds Eye hopes to grow peas for another 60 years

Frozen food company Birds Eye, whose vining pea operations are based in Yorkshire, is going to great lengths to secure the long-term future of local pea growing by developing and…

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