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MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How old grain store became indoor ski slope diversification

A repurposed grain store is being used as a year-round indoor snow sports training centre on a Bedfordshire estate. The new venture sits alongside arable farming and other business activities,…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: A few April showers would be welcome for crops

Spring has well and truly arrived, almost in the blink of an eye. After a very long stretch of wet weather, it has suddenly turned dry, perhaps a little too…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Stressed cereal crops and potato planting

Large variations in temperature, with warm days and cold nights, has slowed crop growth and care is needed not to check crops with fertiliser and fungicide applications. In the East,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How funding is helping farmers with foliar nutrition efficacy

Prolonged conflict in the Middle East is having serious repercussions on fertiliser prices around the world, making Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Pearson’s foliar fertiliser project even more timely. Using home-produced foliar nitrogen,…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: What I've learned about potato production

Potato planting has begun, and I’ve been reflecting on what has worked well over past years. It’s tricky, as we have about 25 weeks from planting to harvest. It’s always…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How grower varies seed rates and N to lift whole-field output

Wiltshire farmer Matt Fry is using variable seed rates and nitrogen to help maximise returns from each hectare of cropping. Farming 1,600ha of different soil types, ranging from heavy clay…

CROP MANAGEMENT

On-farm vining pea trials aim to tackle UK virus losses

A new research project investigating the threat of viruses in UK vining pea crops hopes to provide pea growers with clearer information on when and how to implement control measures.…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: I've never had less confidence in farm's future

Wow, the daily episodes of Celebrity President USA sure are packing several plot twists into each day. We seem to live in a time in which international diplomacy is conducted…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Fungicide gives grower good returns in high septoria year

Chris Baylis is seeing a clear yield benefit in using a relatively new septoria-specific flag leaf fungicide on his winter wheat in high-disease pressure seasons, and is planning to use…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Diesel costs pinch as spring field work begins

The “Tango Tyrant” has thrown British agriculture – and the rest of the world – into turmoil again. Diesel costs are rising as spring field work begins in earnest, and…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Flowering OSR sprays and septoria in wheat

This week is set to see the hottest weather of the year so far, with temperatures into the 20s for some parts of the UK. Oilseed rape is now in…

ARABLE

Gene editing gains momentum with field trials and new approval

Field trials of a gene-edited barley crop designed to improve livestock feed efficiency and cut methane emissions are now under way on farms in England. Developed by scientists at Rothamsted…

POTATOES

How McCain is using a demo farm to reach its regen targets

A farm in Yorkshire is the home of the third global “Farm of the Future” launched by prepared potato product manufacturer McCain, following others in Canada and South Africa. The…

Arable news

ARABLE

Gene editing gains momentum with field trials and new approval

Field trials of a gene-edited barley crop designed to improve livestock feed efficiency and cut methane emissions are now under way on farms in England. Developed by scientists at Rothamsted…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Wireworm threat highlighted in new Scottish potato survey

Latest research findings have revealed a clear picture of the wireworm species present in Scotland. Agriotes obscurus remains the dominant species affecting Scottish potato crops, with the first independently confirmed…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Winter crops in positive condition, AHDB report confirms

The UK wheat crop looks to be much improved this year, with 82% of winter wheat currently classed as in either good or excellent condition, despite wet conditions over winter…

SUGAR BEET

Sugar beet growers remain optimistic despite disease risks

The future of British sugar beet looks positive, with domestic demand for sugar expected to stay firm and technologies such as gene editing offering longer-term opportunities. However, in the short…

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MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How old grain store became indoor ski slope diversification

A repurposed grain store is being used as a year-round indoor snow sports training centre on a Bedfordshire estate. The new venture sits alongside arable farming and other business activities,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How funding is helping farmers with foliar nutrition efficacy

Prolonged conflict in the Middle East is having serious repercussions on fertiliser prices around the world, making Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Pearson’s foliar fertiliser project even more timely. Using home-produced foliar nitrogen,…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How grower varies seed rates and N to lift whole-field output

Wiltshire farmer Matt Fry is using variable seed rates and nitrogen to help maximise returns from each hectare of cropping. Farming 1,600ha of different soil types, ranging from heavy clay…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Fungicide gives grower good returns in high septoria year

Chris Baylis is seeing a clear yield benefit in using a relatively new septoria-specific flag leaf fungicide on his winter wheat in high-disease pressure seasons, and is planning to use…

POTATOES

How McCain is using a demo farm to reach its regen targets

A farm in Yorkshire is the home of the third global “Farm of the Future” launched by prepared potato product manufacturer McCain, following others in Canada and South Africa. The…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Yellow rust wheat threat mounts ahead of T1 fungicide sprays

Winter wheat growers face a heightened challenge of controlling septoria and yellow rust in their crops this season, with both diseases clearly visible in early spring. Farmers Weekly visited North…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

N-fixing bacteria cuts cost and lifts yield for Cambs growers

Cambridgeshire farmers Stephen and Jon Eayrs added a nitrogen-fixing bacterial endophyte to their winter wheat fertiliser programme last season, with promising results to show for it. The father-and-son team wanted…

ARABLE

Arable farm management software: The options and prices

For years, farm management software has been limited mostly to three options, with Gatekeeper and Greenlight Grower Management (GLGM) – also known colloquially as Muddy Boots – by far the…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Why micronutrition is essential for nitrogen use efficiency

Understanding how nitrogen is processed inside the plant highlights the crucial role of micronutrition in optimising nitrogen use. Nitrogen assimilation is fundamental to plant development, and depending on the form…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

7 tips to make fertiliser go further this spring

While many farmers have already purchased fertiliser for this season, there will be some who haven’t been able to do that, whether it’s because of storage restrictions, cashflow or other…

ARABLE

3 ways private funding for arable environmental schemes work

As public funding disappears and the future of environmental schemes remains uncertain, growers looking to plug the hole in farm finances are being tempted by private funding initiatives. Farmers want…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Fertiliser buying advice as Iran conflict squeezes supplies

Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US‑Iran conflict has stalled one-third of global urea trade, triggering pressure on UK fertiliser supplies. The situation is fluid and volatile, and…

PULSES

Beans can deliver high yields in Scotland, trial shows

A trial has shown that growing beans in Scotland can successfully deliver high yields, but careful site selection, variety selection and drilling date are key to success. Scottish break crops…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Advice on effective late blight control in potatoes

Alternating fungicides to protect chemistry is key to maintaining effective late blight control in potatoes. Resistance management is a central component of any potato blight programme as aggressive and resistant…

MAIZE

How grain maize earns more profit than wheat for two growers

With yields approaching 10t/ha and gross margins currently exceeding those of wheat, grain maize can be a profitable break crop. However, the crop does have its challenges and requires good…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Advice on key focus areas to ease pressure on arable margins

The outlook for arable businesses in the year ahead is one of tightening margins, rising costs and increasing uncertainty. Farm output is under significant strain, driven primarily by poor commodity…

Farmer Focus

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FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: A few April showers would be welcome for crops

Spring has well and truly arrived, almost in the blink of an eye. After a very long stretch of wet weather, it has suddenly turned dry, perhaps a little too…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: What I've learned about potato production

Potato planting has begun, and I’ve been reflecting on what has worked well over past years. It’s tricky, as we have about 25 weeks from planting to harvest. It’s always…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Why are CSF reports only valid for two years?

The past five weeks have been productive. We have applied all the fertiliser to the winter barley and have one dose left to do on the winter wheat. Digestate spreading…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: I've never had less confidence in farm's future

Wow, the daily episodes of Celebrity President USA sure are packing several plot twists into each day. We seem to live in a time in which international diplomacy is conducted…

Markets

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CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Improved OSR crop offers relief for UK growers

Growers with oilseed rape in the ground are generally faring better than at this time last year, with crops progressing well and farmgate prices remaining relatively supported. More than 80%…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

UK wheat futures fall to £173/t in response to Iran ceasefire

The provisional agreement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz shipping route has weighed on global commodity prices this week.…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Sugar beet growers offered sustainability payments

British Sugar has launched a new voluntary scheme, which will financially incentivise sugar beet growers to reduce carbon emissions on farm. The initiative will offer growers financial rewards for carrying…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Ensus bioethanol plant to reopen with £100m funding deal

Farmers could regain a significant market for feed wheat, as well as a key source of animal feed in the North East, with the Ensus UK bioethanol plant set to…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Sugar markets recover from lows as campaign ends

Global sugar markets have rallied in the past month, with prices hitting a five-month high on 24 March. This marks a strong recovery and a significant shift in the market,…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Wheat flutters around £172/t amid US-Iran talks uncertainty

UK wheat futures have been fluctuating between £170/t and £175/t for the May 2026 contract, as markets react to a rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East. Volatility has presented…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Frontier rolls out digital grain monitoring across sites

Major agronomy and grain trading group Frontier Agriculture is investing in digital grain monitoring to check and regulate crop conditions in stores. The technology was installed at three sites in…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Middle East conflict keeps wheat markets elevated

Global grain markets remain volatile with heightened tensions in the Middle East adding support to prices, despite large supplies globally. Unlike the disruption at the start of the Ukraine war,…

Spot and forward prices (£/t ex-farm)
Each set of prices comes from a single merchant, co-op or broker, and are the latest prices being paid to farmers. Ranges of prices, within one category relate to the distance of the farm from the buyer. Oilseed rape prices are latest spot and forward prices, not contract prices. Ex farm prices vary with the distance from Hull, Liverpool and Erith, crushing factories.

Arable machinery

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GRAIN STORAGE EQUIPMENT

Monitoring equipment options to ease grain store management

Clambering over heaps of grain armed with temperature probes and sampling spears can be a relentless chore for anyone storing crops over time. But there is another way. A raft…

CEREAL DRILLS

Pottinger downsizes Aerosem F seed drill with new 3m toolbar

Dividing the weight of a seed drill by carrying the hopper up front and the coulters out back produces a more balanced and manoeuvrable outfit than when everything is concentrated…

TRACTORS

Mitas creates Granterra tyre for low-speed, high-torque needs

A heavy-duty tyre developed by Mitas is designed for larger tractors, from around the 200hp mark upwards, undertaking heavy cultivation. The Granterra meets the criteria for the industry’s VF category.…

TRACTORS

Nexat wide-span tractor sows 200ha per fill with 28m drill

German manufacturer Nexat and its gantry-style field tractor continue to make headlines as the machine gets new capabilities and early adopters discover its potential. The wide-span vehicle uses a growing…

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