Innovation and collaboration will be the focus of this year’s British Pig & Poultry Fair – helping producers secure a low carbon future. New technologies and advice on disease management and alternative proteins will also be among the topics at the two-day event, which takes place on 15-16 May... Read more
Livestock producers have one month left to apply for equipment grants to improve animal health and welfare on their farms. The expanded Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grant scheme offers funding towards a broad range of commonly used pieces of equipment and technology. The Animal Health & Welfare section... Read more
Fodder beet could offer livestock farmers a cost-effective energy source this year – but growing it will require careful management following an especially wet winter. “Fodder beet is a crop that requires investment and attention to detail,” says Ryhs Owen, of agronomy specialists ProCam. “However, done right, it can... Read more
New fertiliser technologies that match nutrient supply more closely to plant requirements through the growing season can increase potato yields – and improve tuber and skin quality. Controlled release fertiliser (CRF) technology can increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and reduce the carbon footprint of production while polysulphate-based potash fertilisers... Read more
Sugar beet growers should target a yield of at least 80t/ha to ensure the crop pulls its weight during the 2024/25 season, say experts. Prospects for sugar beet this season and recommendations for herbicide programmes were discussed by agronomists and other arable advisors during a webinar hosted by crop... Read more
Potato growers can manage the increasing incidence of blight resistance with effective fungicide mixing strategies, say experts. Speaking at the Potato Science Live events this spring, Syngenta technical manager Andy Cunningham said a mandipropamid mixing strategy was helping growers in Denmark to control resistant blight. Incidents of blight strain... Read more
Early applications of foliar nutrition could be key to helping sugar beet crops establish following the wet winter. With slumped soils causing havoc for seedbed creation, early foliar nutrition help crops grow past their most vulnerable 12-leaf stage for aphid-borne virus transmission, says ProCam agronomist Ian Jackson. “It’s important that sugar beet achieves full... Read more
Tributes to sugar beet expert Simon Bowen
Arable 02/04/2024
Industry leaders and growers have paid tribute to sugar beet expert Simon Bowen, who died unexpectedly last month. Mr Bowen, 62, was head of knowledge exchange at the British Beet Research Organisation. He passed away following a suspected heart attack while walking his dog on 10 March. In a... Read more
Sugar beet growers face another high-pressure year for virus yellows with aphids flying into new crops as they emerge. Aphids will be flying two to three weeks earlier in England compared to the historical average, according to the Rothamsted Insect Survey aphid forecast for 2024, which was issued on... Read more
Grain market volatility continues to be driven by increasingly unpredictable weather and conflict, delegates at the Farmacy conference were told. Global wheat stocks were the tightest for nine years, said independent consultant James Bolesworth of CRM Agri. The impact of weather variations in key production areas would have an... Read more
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