Arable growers can improve resilience and manage risk more effectively by making greater use of crop and variety choice, says plant breeder KWS. Advances in plant breeding are giving farmers access to stronger genetics and a broader range of cropping options at a time when tight margins and volatile... Read more

A Suffolk farming enterprise has become the latest member of a demonstration farm network for sustainable agriculture. Home Farm Nacton has joined the LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) Demonstration Farm Network – positioning the business as a showcase for integrated farm management and evidence-based decision-making. The designation was announced... Read more

Tight margins and high input costs are set to see some growers leaving winter crops undrilled this autumn. Fertiliser prices remain stubbornly high – making growing some crops unprofitable. It comes amid NFU calls for the government to implement a Fertiliser Resilience Plan to help protect domestic food production... Read more

Seed trials on a Cambridgeshire farm are helping to secure the future of UK leek production, says a major grower. Patrick Allpress has been growing leeks for decades. But recent years have seen him change his approach to help mitigate the impact of climate volatility, rising input costs, fewer... Read more

A new DNA-based soil test designed to detect fusarium basal rot before planting has been launched commercially for UK onion growers. Developed by the University of Warwick’s Crop Centre in partnership with ADAS, the test identifies the soil-borne pathogen which causes the fusarium – offering a potential tool to... Read more

Independent trials suggest organo-mineral fertiliser could increase grain yields and improve soil biology without changing farm operations. An organo-mineral fertiliser developed by SoilWorx has delivered a 27.7% increase in spring barley yields compared with standard mineral nitrogen in independent trials at Rothamsted Research. The trial yielded of 9t/ha using... Read more

Digital agronomy tools including AI-powered disease sensors have increased gross margins by almost £138/ha in winter wheat. Agrii trials at the Revesby Estate in Lincolnshire compared the farm’s conventional agronomy programme against a technology-led system using drone imagery, satellite mapping, disease forecasting and variable-rate applications. The aim was to... Read more

Switching to hybrid rye as an alternative to wheat this autumn could improve cropping security, says a plant breeder. Decent margins and market demand from anaerobic digestion plants has sparked renewed interest in hybrid rye for the coming season, says KWS seed specialist and product manager Rory Hannam. Once... Read more

Bamford has become Britain’s best-selling winter wheat – less than three years after joining the AHDB Recommended List. The achievement marks the first time since Robigus in 2005 that a Group 3 soft wheat has taken the top spot.Bamford accounted for more than 14 per cent of commercial seed... Read more

A UK biostimulants manufacturer is switching to “bag in a box” packaging amid rising plastic costs and pressure to cut farm waste. Orion Future Technologies says the move will reduce plastic use by 63% while lowering transport, storage and recycling costs for growers using its plant nutrition products.  The... Read more