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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

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…

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…

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Case studies

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

How agriculture policies affect our Arable Insights farmers

Uncertainty still reigns over Scotland and Northern Ireland’s future agricultural policy, while English farmers are now able to apply for Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) income, albeit having had their Basic…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

How a large-scale regen system is working at Dyson Farming

Implementing regenerative agriculture principles across 14,000ha is a central component of Dyson Farming’s long-term circular farming model, as it produces high-quality food with minimal environmental impact. The plan has been…

ROTATIONS

Arable farmers outline their rotations for 2023-24

While the final word on the current season will become apparent after the combine has finished, some conclusions can already be drawn, and plans begin to be formalised. What might…

ARABLE

How a hybrid regenerative system works on Bucks Monitor Farm

A hybrid regenerative system has been put in place at Dollars Grove Farm in North Crawley, as the business takes the steps required to secure its sustainable future and build…

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Insights

WHEAT

Tips on growing profitable second wheats

Farmers on decent wheat-growing land should consider adding second wheats to the rotation, as few other crops are as profitable. Although margins are tighter due to higher input costs –…

BLACKGRASS

Why blackgrass-beating wheat rotations appear profitable

Profitable September-sown winter wheat crops can be grown long-term on land with a history of serious blackgrass infestation, according to the latest results from Agrovista’s Lamport AgX trials. Work at…

ARABLE

Three key spring cropping options in the North

The area of spring cropping in 2023 is likely to be down on previous years given favourable conditions for autumn drilling, but it remains an important option for many farms…

OTHER CROPS

Are perennial grain crops close to being an alternative?

Perennial grain crops –those you only plant once before harvesting multiple times – would potentially deliver many favourable on-farm attributes – not least savings in seed and fuel costs, reduced…

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News

ARABLE

Trial sees 9.7t/ha yield from zero-input bean-oat bicrop

A crop of oats grown with no inputs apart from seed and a companion crop of winter beans has produced an exceptional yield in a Northamptonshire trial. Bicropping is gaining…

ROTATIONS

How farmers can benefit from new rotation planning tool

The launch of a new farm rotation planning tool is set to benefit users by costing out a range of potential cropping and machinery scenarios. The Business Performance module developed…

ARABLE

Cereals 2022: OSR area predicted to bounce back by 17%

Oilseed rape plantings are set to bounce back by 17% this autumn, according to a survey of growers. This is on the back of the best crop survival and conditions…

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.…

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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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