Farmer wins gold for record-breaking oat yield

A Lincolnshire farmer  who grew a record-breaking crop of spring oats won gold at the 2025 Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) awards.

Mark Popplewell credited his win to precise nutrition and an unusually wet spring. The crop of Merlin yielded 11.46 t/ha – more than double the national average – at Happy Days Farming, Market Rasen.

“The numbers were so high we thought the equipment was faulty,” says Mr Popplewell. “The grain tank was filling faster than even a strong wheat crop.”

It was Mr Popplewell’s first oat harvest. He planted 300ha of Merlin oats in late March after a wet winter. Yields reached up to 14 t/ha in some areas with advanced seed treatment, growth regulators and optimised fertiliser application.

Rotation

“We’ll grow more Merlin in 2025 as it fits well in our rotation,” said Mr Popplewell, who manages 2,000ha of arable land andbed-and-breakfast pigs.

The Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) is an independent knowledge-exchange network. It enables farmers to measure and compare their crop performance on 60 different factors – including agronomy decisions and soil health.

The network – open again to growers in 2025 – encourages members to share ideas, learn from each other, and work together towards better crop yields. The award was presented to Mr Popplewell last month.

Gemma Clarke, managing director of seed merchant Cope, launched Merlin to the UK market in 2021. “Resilient seed varieties are critical as farmers face increasing challenges from climate change and unpredictable weather,” she said.

Accepted by all mills, Merlin oats are valued for their early harvest, low screenings, high disease resistance and strong yield potential. It’s one of only two spring varieties on spring oat contracts.

“It’s an early variety (-2), offers a competitive lodging score of 8, and has a high rating of 7 for mildew. It also has low screenings which is a real bonus to the mills and a good specific weight,” said Ms Clarke.