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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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SUGAR BEET

Sugar beet grower upbeat on yield despite dry summer

Cambridgeshire sugar beet grower Guy Wakeham is aiming for an ambitious yield target of 100t/ha – although his crop has to be lifted relatively early, by the end of November. His…

OILSEED RAPE

How drought and pests have challenged our four OSR growers

Very dry soils and persistent cabbage stem flea beetle activity have made oilseed rape establishment more challenging than expected for most of our Oilseed Rape Masters this season. In the…

BLACKGRASS

Fens blackgrass trial back to winter cropping after three years

A fens grower forced into spring cropping by an untenable blackgrass population is set to return to winter cropping this season after tackling his weed problem. Lincolnshire farmer Chris Richardson’s…

BARLEY

Late drilling barley may help control BYDV and blackgrass

Oxfordshire grower Richard Davey is drilling winter barley late without a big yield hit to give him more time to get on top of troublesome blackgrass and try to limit…

OTHER CROPS

Grower's soya crop delivers cost and blackgrass benefits

Kent soya grower Simon Ashworth is pleased with his harvest this season, viewing it as a low-cost crop which will help him prepare for Brexit, control blackgrass and provide a…

OTHER CROPS

Why rye is the ideal second cereal on one Yorkshire farm

Maize tends to be the favoured crop for anaerobic digestion because it offers the highest dry matter yields. However, on the Yorkshire Wolds, hybrid rye is matching it when grown…

Practical advice

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CROP MANAGEMENT

7 ways to use drones to full potential on arable farms

Drones are becoming an essential bit of kit on arable farms, but if you've not yet used them to their full potential, licensed drone pilot and arable farmer Simon Holtom…

BLACKGRASS

How to get residual herbicides right to fight blackgrass

Stale seed-beds and other cultural approaches can go a long way in managing blackgrass, but a robust residual herbicide programme is vital in getting the level of control needed for…

HARVEST AND CROP STORAGE

10 ways to improve potato storage management

Storage is a crucial part of the potato production cycle, helping growers meet the demand for their crops throughout the year, but if carried out poorly it can be economically…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Tips on killing slugs with ferric phosphate pellets

A Shropshire farmer has successfully switched from metaldehyde to ferric phosphate slug pellets without compromising slug control, as he looks to cut the risk of water pollution.  Doug McCowan farms…

ESTABLISHMENT

How to make the most of an early harvest to hit weeds in wheat

An early harvest means farmers can hit grassweeds even harder when establishing wheat, by making greater use of stale seed-beds. This pre-drilling strike against weeds followed by a robust pre-…

ESTABLISHMENT

6 ways to improve wheat establishment and yields

Establishing any crop amid pressures of autumn workloads, variable weather, pest, disease and weed threats is never an exact science. What works on one farm, field or soil type may…

Insights

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CROP MANAGEMENT

Key pesticide approval changes for barley and sugar beet

Pesticide approvals are constantly changing and the latest raft are set to affect farmers growing sugar beet and cereals for brewing and distilling. Highlights include more options for weed control…

ARABLE

7 essential arable farming apps

Whether it's looking up the nitrogen requirements for wheat on chalk or helping with the safe use of drones, there is a constant pipeline of smartphone apps promising to make…

ARABLE

Data reveals how raising crop yields can offset subsidy loss

Any reductions in support payments arising from Brexit can be covered on most UK arable farms by improved crop performance, results from ProCam’s 4Cast service suggest. The higher wheat yields…

VARIETY SELECTION

Three potato varieties show more tolerance to nematodes

Newer potato varieties such as Royal, Lanorma and Iodea are showing useful levels of resistance to the spud industry’s biggest pest problem, potato cyst nematode (PCN). Graham Tomalin, agronomist at…

BLACKGRASS

How an Australian approach could beat blackgrass

A unique research and knowledge transfer initiative is helping Australian grain producers tackle their most damaging agronomic threat – herbicide-resistant weeds. In the UK, each major agrochemical and distribution group…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Three product approvals set to benefit root crop growers

With many crop protection products under threat, it is welcome news that root crop growers are set to benefit from three new potential approvals over the next two years. Farmers…