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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

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…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2021: E-tools to help plan environmental options

Three e-tools to help with the on-farm planning and delivery of environmental schemes were being demonstrated by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) at Cereals 2021. Developed as…

ROTATIONS

8 top tips for designing the right arable rotation

Many farmers are being forced to make changes to their rotations on the back of two wet winters disrupting cropping plans and the key break crop oilseed rape becoming too…

PULSES

Guide to growing a successful spring bean break crop

Spring beans make an excellent break crop, fixing nitrogen and improving soils to provide a helpful entry for subsequent cropping, and successful production rides ultimately on conditions at planting. Drill…

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Case studies

ROTATIONS

Why regen farmer opted for a rotation with no break crops

A wheat/wheat/fallow rotation might not be in the minds of many growers, especially one committed to moving a business towards a more regenerative approach. But assuming this season’s trial is…

ROTATIONS

How one Notts farm’s cropping benefits from a poultry focus

Growing five different crops to save money on expensive bought-in feed for 72,000 layers is helping one farming family reduce its carbon footprint, improve soil health and tackle a blackgrass…

SOILS

Regenerative Agriculture: A Scots farmer's low risk approach

A gradual approach to adopting regenerative agriculture has allowed Scottish grower Jock McFarlane to reduce inputs and minimise his farming business’s exposure to risk. Having started seven years ago by…

ARABLE

Why a climate-positive farm shows value of natural capital

The 1,000ha Cholderton Estate has achieved climate-positive status by capturing more greenhouse gases than it emits, while showing that it is possible to run a profitable farming business in countryside…

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Insights

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How the different spring crop gross margins compare for 2022

Spring sowings are likely to be down this year, due to the favourable autumn drilling conditions. But there will still be plenty of fields going under the drill – and…

SOILS

Why agroforestry is adding value on arable farms

Agroforestry - the growing of trees and crops on the same piece of land – brings diversity and resilience to a farming system, blending food production and public goods provision,…

SOILS

The project tackling flood risk and improving water quality

Yorkshire farmers are working together to improve the health of their soils, in a unique initiative that could play a key role in tackling the flooding risk in Hull and…

ROTATIONS

Why yield mapping is first step in bridging BPS income gap

Change is coming with the loss of basic payment scheme payments forcing arable businesses to look at ways of bridging this income gap, which may involve bold changes like overhauling…

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News

PULSES

Pulses good option for growers as fertiliser prices rocket

The pea and bean area could rise this season due to the sharp jump in nitrogen fertiliser prices and strong demand for these pulse crops in domestic and export markets.…

ROTATIONS

Beef added to AHDB arable rotation cost calculator

A new “mix and match” calculator that considers the cost and margins of introducing a beef herd into an arable rotation has been developed by the AHDB. For growers who…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

NI protein crop scheme gets the green light

Northern Ireland’s government has given the green light to a direct support scheme that will pay arable growers £330/ha to produce protein crops. The Protein Crops Payment Pilot Scheme was…

ROTATIONS

Cereals 2020: Two key crop questions for growers this autumn

Cropping plans will be influenced by the need to get rotations back on track after such a disruptive year, say experts at Cereals LIVE. Minimising the legacy of this year’s…

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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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