ICMthumbs-up

19 June 1998

ICMthumbs-up

INTEGRATED crop management can make more money than conventional crop husbandry, according to the third year results of a five-year study by Andersons and TSB for the Linking the Environment and Farming (LEAF) project.

Profits last year were 20% higher on a Cotswolds study farm following ICM principles than the best average of neighbouring farms following conventional practice.

"No single thing makes the difference – it is a cumulative effect of greater attention to detail, to fine-tune crop management just that little bit more than usual," says LEAF co-ordinator Caroline Drummond.

Greater staff involvement, more use of crop records to guide management decisions and regular maintenance of equipment also help.