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Know How / Market opportunities

In a competitive market for arable crops, keep on top of where the market opportunities lie. Find out which grain and oilseed rape contracts offer a premium, how future changes to subsidies may affect grain markets and how other farmers have switched varieties to find new markets.

Advice and tips

PULSES

Getting the most from intercropping: Your questions answered

Intercropping is becoming a popular option for arable farmers looking to reduce chemical inputs and enhance yields. Particularly as the Sustainable Farming Incentive pays £55/ha for companion cropping. Despite its…

OTHER CROPS

Round-up of the niche crop options for UK growers

Introducing alternative break crops to an arable rotation can help growers improve soil health, spread market risk and further financial gain. As pesticide actives are lost and resistance fears build,…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Strategy pointers for selling grain in a volatile market

Wheat growers are being urged to calculate their cost of production before selling any grain for harvest 2023, as input costs have risen sharply while wheat prices have drifted lower.…

BARLEY

Advice on growing malting barley to gain from high premiums

Premiums of £55-£60/t for malting barley are being offered this harvest, with the price supported by beer's history of being recession-proof and the post-Covid recovery in beer sales. For these…

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Case studies

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Groundswell 2025: Oxfordshire regen farm works with bakery chain

A loaf of sourdough on sale in Gail’s bakery, and named after the Oxfordshire farm the flour was sourced from, is described by the bakery chain as a celebration of…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

On-farm grain processing adds value and market

Taylors Farm in Lancashire has transformed itself from a traditional beef and arable farm into a regional hub for grain processing services. Over the past five years, the Webster family…

OTHER CROPS

The perennial crop offering a maize alternative for biogas

Maize is wonderful crop to grow for biogas. But imagine an alternative that is cheaper to grow, is a perennial (so doesn’t need drilling each spring) and provides valuable food…

OTHER CROPS

Why East Yorks grower added flax to the rotation

Jonathan Hodgson isn’t averse to growing niche crops at Great Newsome Farm in East Yorkshire, and for the past three years his cropping mix has included a fibre crop that…

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Insights

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…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why biscuit brand is rewarding farmers for regen wheat

Payments for wheat growers moving to more sustainable farming practices are on offer from biscuit and snack maker Pladis, the owner of McVitie’s, as it expands its Back to Farm…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why we could see increased demand for British oats

The provisional UK oat area for the 2025-26 growing season is estimated to be the largest in five years, with a 13% uplift on last year. Oats have become an…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Three premium-earning crops for farmers next season

As the season draws to a close, farmers are looking at options for next season and three break crops offer some money-earning opportunities. Premium Crops is offering attractive premiums for…

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News

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Sustainable soya alternative gathers pace with pea research

A pioneering UK research project has developed new pea varieties with enhanced nutrition, reduced allergens, and no traditional pea flavour – a major step towards creating a home-grown alternative to…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Wildfarmed expands into oats and barley markets

Regenerative supply chain brand Wildfarmed has become a formidable force in the UK, with 150 farmers supplying more than 1,000 retail customers, ranging from micro-bakeries to large food businesses. While…

VARIETY SELECTION

Merchant seeks farmers to grow premium-earning bread wheat

A Lincolnshire merchant is seeking farmers to grow Nelson winter wheat next season, in response to growing demand from millers for the high-protein variety. Farmers can grow it under buyback…

BARLEY

New winter malting barley variety gets full brewing approval

High-yielding winter barley variety Buccaneer has gained full approval for brewing – a welcome addition to what was an otherwise limited approved malting variety list. Buccaneer now joins Craft, Electrum…

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Video

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Video: UK agroforestry system integrates fruit and arable

First-generation tenant farmer Stephen Briggs planted the UK’s largest agroforestry system, integrating fruit trees and arable cropping to boost land productivity. More than a decade after the 4,500 apple trees…

ARABLE

Video: How to grow a cereal crop for seed

Cereal growers with clean weed-free ground could earn themselves a significant premium over the price of feed wheat and barley by growing crops for seed production. Prices of 10-12% over…

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