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Know How / Rotations

Advice for growers on building the best crop rotation plan to keep disease, pest and weed pressure down, while maximising return on cereals, oilseed rape, beans, sugar beet and potatoes. Find out how other farmers are managing the switch to spring cropping to get on top of blackgrass.

Advice and tips

ROTATIONS

SFI 2026 options that support resilience on farm

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2026 window is set to re-open on the 22 September, which will be a welcome relief for many farmers and growers. After the repeated heatwaves…

ARABLE

How arable farmers can turn things around this spring

It may feel like doom and gloom at present, as any rare dry days are predictably followed by another spell of rain – a cycle that has limited field work…

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,…

BLACKGRASS

10 learnings from more than 21 years of blackgrass trials

More than two decades of work at Agrii’s Stow Longa site have shown how blackgrass can be successfully managed with plots getting as low as zero ears/sq m on a…

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Case studies

SOILS

Estate reveals award-winning approach to arable and nature

Frampton Court Estate in Gloucestershire won this year’s prestigious Silver Lapwing Award for delivering a diversity of habitats alongside an integrated farming system. Peter Clifford, who took over the business…

ARABLE

Changes Arable Insights farmers are making for next season

Defra’s recently published Farming Roadmap hasn’t created any immediate impetus for change on our Arable Insights farmer panel’s farms, indeed most of the panel in the week following publication hadn’t…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Relay cropping: What it is and how it might work in the UK

Relay cropping, where a grower plants a second crop into a field before the first crop is harvested, has gained niche popularity in the US as an alternative to double-cropping…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Caithness farmer grows over 10t/ha spring oat crop

Growing crops on the far north coast of mainland Scotland can be a challenge, with heavy rain and gusty winds often limiting establishment. But this didn’t stop Caithness farmer John…

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Insights

BARLEY

Trial shows beans can cut carbon footprint of spring barley

Research shows that adding beans into cereal rotations can reduce fertiliser use, lower environmental impacts and, in most years, increase the yield of the barley crop that follows. Scientists analysed…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Early harvest creates ample time for yield data analysis

An earlier-than-usual harvest has given farmers a valuable opportunity to make the most of their combine yield data, before autumn drilling gets under way. Industry advisers are encouraging growers to…

ROTATIONS

Cereals 2026: Benefits of OSR and linseed in the rotation

While many see it as a choice between oilseed rape or winter linseed, one expert argues there is much to be gained by growing both within a rotation. Nigel Padbury,…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why spring linseed could be a strong option in 2026 rotations

With demand for UK-grown linseed continuing to remain high against a backdrop of depressed markets and uncertainty surrounding many other spring crops, spring linseed could be the solution for many…

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News

ROTATIONS

Free crop rotation planning tool launched for farmers

A new free-to-use crop rotation planning tool is designed to help growers weigh up the financial and environmental benefits of different crop rotation options. Based on data from hundreds of…

ARABLE

Smallest barley area in 11 years as wheat rises, says Defra

Harvest 2025 saw the smallest barley area in England for 11 years and the first increase in wheat since 2022, according to Defra’s latest statistics. There was also a sharp…

ARABLE

Cereals 2024: UK wheat area set for big bounce back in autumn

Winter wheat drilling is forecast to recover strongly this autumn, with the area set to be up by as much as 30% as growers are tempted to sow early after…

OTHER CROPS

Hemp growing made simpler with changes to licensing rules

Changes to hemp licensing rules are set to make it easier for farmers to plan their rotations, thereby making it a more viable break crop on UK farms. Hemp is…

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Video

POTATOES

Video: Potato planting races ahead in rejigged farm rotation

Potato planting was racing ahead in south Somerset this month, after farm manager Ollie Blackburn rejigged his crop rotation to improve soil fertility and structure for his spuds. He hopes…

ARABLE

Video: Hertfordshire grower introduces livestock to rotation

One grower's experiences of introducing livestock into the rotation of a Hertfordshire arable farm have been discussed in a new video from AHDB Cereal and Oilseeds. Royston Monitor Farm host Jo…

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