Know How latest WEED MANAGEMENTAHDB Monitor Farm host sets out plan to tackle blackgrassAndrew Walters, farm manager at Boddington Estates near Cheltenham is the latest to join the AHDB’s Cereals and Oilseeds Monitor Farm network, which he hopes will help tackle an ongoing… ARABLEFarmers Weekly Awards 2022: Arable Adviser of the YearAll three finalists in this year’s Farmers Weekly Arable Adviser of the Year Award are open to sharing their learnings. Each has developed a worthy reputation of being a trusted… FEED AND NUTRITIONHow low-K silage has improved cow health at transitionFeeding low-potassium silage to autumn-calving cows during the transition period has helped a Carmarthenshire dairy farmer cut the incidence of milk fever to 5% from a peak of 20%. Iwan… WHEATHampshire wheat shows high yield despite low proteinHampshire grower Nigel Pond’s winter wheat has produced an impressive 12t/ha-plus yield, although the milling wheat he grows came well short of breadmaking standards and will likely go as feed… RAKES AND MERGERSGrass merger options grow as farmers seek rake alternativeWith the promise of cleaner grass gathering and higher work rates, belt mergers are gaining favour for high-quality silage making. We delve into the details of the different machines available.… SHEEPSheep breeder puts £85K into 7-step hill farm upgradeA sheep-breeding company’s £85,000 investment in a 10-year tenancy on an upland farm gives the hill sector a potential blueprint for gearing up production. Southfield Farm, near Hawick, in the… HARVESTHarvest 2022: Season starts to wrap up for some growersIt has been an exceptional year in terms of early harvests, even as far north as the Scottish Borders. As some growers begin to finish cutting, quality looks reasonable despite… JOB PROFILESFarming careers: Working as a poultry managerEd Wilson, 49, is the manager of a 180,000-bird poultry unit in Lincolnshire that supplies a large processor. He grew up in Malawi and is not from a farming background,… HEALTH AND WELFAREWhy genetics can play bigger role in breeding out lamenessGood husbandry, environment and nutrition all play a part in the fight against dairy cow lameness. But new research has found genetics has a bigger role than was previously thought.… CULTIVATORSLow-disturbance toolbar expands tillage optionsManaging a 1,600ha mainly arable operation with variable soil types and a significant blackgrass burden requires a flexible approach to crop establishment. That’s why Joe White, farm manager at Cannon… DAIRYHow and why to move milk away from the cow efficientlyThere are two elements to achieving good milk flow: promoting good milk let-down from the cow and moving milk from the cow efficiently. Milk let-down can only be capitalised on… POTATOESOffsetting produces UK's first carbon-neutral potatoesMorgan Scale is growing carbon-neutral potatoes in west Wales by using his cover crops and crop rotation to offset greenhouse gas emissions from his spuds and so produce for the… WEED MANAGEMENTWhy the right perennial grass balance is key in AB15 mixesThe first half of August is the key time for drilling AB15 stewardship mixes and failing to balance them sufficiently with perennial grasses may seriously compromise their effectiveness in managing… BUSINESSHow demand for ‘regen beef’ is expanding in niche marketsSignificant premiums are being paid by some butchers, restaurant chains and retailers for regeneratively farmed beef. The sector remains in its infancy, and what exactly is involved in regenerative practices… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONTips to keep farms profitable in face of rising inputsSix experts give their top tips to ensure farm businesses remain profitable in the face of rising input costs and volatile commodity markets See also: How to stress-test your farm business… CULTIVATORSWhy Lincs contractor Rockscape relies on subsoiling toolbarGoing cold turkey with tillage to slash establishment costs and improve long-term soil health comes with an inherent risk to crop yields, so Scunthorpe-based contractor Rockscape opted for a more… BARLEYScottish spring barley undersowing success for Devon expatsMoving farms to begin a new farming journey can be challenging, especially when it's from one corner of the UK to the other. But that's exactly what mixed farmer Tom… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Planning enforcement notice – what now?Whether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Fred Quartermain – Senior associate in Thrings planning department, advises on how… CULTIVATORSChain-linked disc harrows offer speedy stubble managementChain-linked disc cultivators have yet to take off in the UK, but their simplicity, moderate power requirement and ability to incorporate stubbles at high speeds could change that. The versatility… LIVESTOCKFeeding hay as standing crop reduces milk fever on Devon farmA Devon dairy farm that feeds hay as a standing crop to autumn-calving cows during the dry period has a milk fever incidence of just 1%. The Cheriton family introduced… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONHow a food giant and farms are collaborating in supply chainInflationary pressure, changes to agricultural policy and the impacts of climate change make it increasingly important for farm businesses to focus on resilience. Resilience relates to the ability of a… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTHow timothy grass can improve forage yields on high landRising to 430m at its highest point, the land farmed by John and Sarah Yeomans and their family can be a challenging environment for growing grass on the shoulders of… WEED MANAGEMENTWhy brome is a rising problem when tackling blackgrassEstablishing cover crops on heavy boulder clay and managing brome are two challenges being tackled in a long-term blackgrass trial. Brome forces changes to blackgrass control strategy A brome problem… HARVESTHarvest 2022: The 5 top-yielding winter OSR varieties mapThroughout the harvest season, we are updating our handy map with the latest data from the AHDB's 2022 oilseed rape Recommended List harvest results. Use the map below to find… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONHow to stress-test your farm business against high inflationSoaring input costs are putting a severe strain on farm cashflows – but growers and livestock producers can take steps to lessen the impact of rising ag inflation. With little… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: New use for building raises VAT questionsWhether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Andrew Robinson, partner and head of agriculture, Armstrong Watson advises on… ROTATIONSHow first wheats can make a comeback in heavy land rotationsBringing early-drilled first wheats back into a heavy land rotation without compromising the progress made with blackgrass control has been the focus of work carried out at Agrovista’s Project Lamport… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONSurvey: Farms hampered by uncertainty over future incomeMore farmers are striving to secure a sustainable future for their businesses – but say they often lack the information needed to do so. Rising input costs, volatile markets and… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION6 livestock apps to improve business performanceA growing number of smartphone apps are helping livestock farmers improve their business performance – making mundane jobs easier and saving both time and money. Producers are able to keep… AGRICULTURAL TRANSITIONWater company offers funding for regen farming practicesThousands of farmers could benefit from a new funding scheme from water company Severn Trent designed to help growers and livestock producers protect the environment. The Regenerative Pathway package builds… CULTIVATION AND DRILLINGCover crop destruction machinery options comparedHeading out with a set of Cambridge rolls after a heavy frost can be an effective way of bringing cover crop growth to an end, as the time to establish… FEED AND NUTRITION5 expert tips on dairy transition managementGood transition management is critical to the productivity and profitability of a dairy cow. It is also essential for getting the next generation of the milking herd off to the… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Is solar promotion agreement a good idea?Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s experts can help. Miles Thomas of Carter Jonas Rural sets out how an alternative approach to a solar… ASSESSING PERFORMANCE6 ways to improve dairy margins to beat high inputsThe current pace of change in the dairy sector is extremely fast, with milk price increases struggling to keep up with rising fertiliser, feed and energy costs. As such, it… WHEATHow to choose the best winter wheat variety for sustainabilityFive winter wheat varieties – Skyfall, Palladium, Astronomer, Tapestry and Typhoon – have been declared top for sustainability across the five established wheat groups. The agronomy group Agrii has rated… HEALTH AND SAFETYDying to Feed You: Grace suffered multiple broken bonesGrace Addyman suffered multiple broken bones when she was hit by falling bales at her family farm. She tells us what happened on that day, the difficult surgery that followed…
