The first meeting of a cross-industry initiative to secure a sustainable future for oilseed rape has attracted dozens of participants. The OSR Reboot campaign – launched by farmer-owned cooperative United Oilseeds earlier this year – brought together 57 professionals from 41 different companies and organisations from all facets of... Read more

Early signs from both commercial and trial crops suggest that early lifted sugar beet is performing well – despite late drilling and above average rainfall. Rain washed away the threat of virus yellows this season, while good summer temperatures in recent weeks have helped the crop to pile on... Read more

• Virus threat expected to be high • No-insecticide crops pay £45/ha • Think before abandoning sprays Growers face a tough decision when it comes to tackling barley yellow dwarf virus in autumn cereal crops. With high aphid pressure forecast, the virus risk is expected to be high. Yet... Read more

New winter wheat variety SY Cheer has been awarded full Group 1 milling status by UK Flour Millers in time for autumn drilling. SY Cheer is the newest of only five Group 1 varieties on the winter wheat Recommended List for 2024/25. Plant breeder Syngenta it could hold strong... Read more

Winter wheat growers are being urged to take steps to avoid the potential downsides of drilling early this autumn. While the temptation to establish crops early is understandable following washout conditions last autumn and winter, being prepared for the added risks is crucial, says ProCam regional technical manager Paul... Read more

Chris Harrold has been promoted to head of crop nutrition at Yara as part of a wider agronomy review within the company’s UK operation. Yara said it was adapting its agronomy advice to improve crop productivity – and do so sustainably – as more growers moved towards a more... Read more

Sugar beet crops look good going into autumn, despite earlier fears of virus yellows, writes Tim Giles, technical manager for SesVanderHave. But it remains important to be vigilant and monitor crops for new vector borne diseases and old adversaries, with more patches of beet cyst nematode observed this year.... Read more

Sugar beet growers will receive a lower price for next season’s crop – but will share in any market upside. Price talks between NFU Sugar and British Sugar concluded with what both sides described as a flexible deal for 2025/26. The deal allows growers to split their tonnage between... Read more

Delays caused by changes to seed import rules threaten to undermine the latest oilseed rape variety trials. Brexit rules mean seed entering the UK since the end of April can now be regarded as high-risk – resulting in delays and inspections at a border control points before it can... Read more