Arable News

With around 50% of all newly sown leys in the UK now thought to contain clover, growers are being reminded that a key tool for the successful establishment of clover leys is available once more.

The supply of winter bean seed for this autumn’s drilling campaign has been secured after the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) made a successful request for a derogation on behalf of its member businesses in the certified seed sector.

National potato supplier Branston has appointed a new general manager for its pioneering protein extraction facility, in preparation for full scale production and commercialisation of potato protein in early 2024.

Numbers of aphid vectors that transmit barley yellow dwarf virus are significantly higher than this time last year and are building rapidly, increasing the chances of an epidemic of the disease if mild weather continues.

Farmers and growers can continue to buy and use seeds treated with EU-approved pesticides for another 3.5 years under temporary measures introduced by the government.

With only a few weeks to go before the announcement of the new Recommended List (RL), new Group 3 Soft wheat Candidate variety Bamford continues to generate very high levels of interest from across the UK seed sector.

Late drilling of winter wheat has become an increasingly common practice across UK arable farms for controlling black-grass, for second wheats and crops that are being sown after sugar beet and potatoes, and requires careful management to ensure maximum yields can be met.

Having 1,400ha of cereal crops spread across 40 miles posed certain challenges for Suffolk farmer John Collen. He managed to save valuable hours of driving and employee management time using the convenient hyper-local weather app from Cordulus Farm that empowers his decision making. 

In early September, Farmers Guide visited Shotley Peninsula farmer Geoffrey Mayhew in Suffolk as he began lifting some early crop for this year’s sugar beet campaign.

British hemp growers Hugh Wrangham and Alistair McLeod used post-harvest equipment from McArthur Agriculture to overcome challenges with drying, cleaning and dehulling the hemp seed.

After a difficult end to this year’s growing season, now is the time for farmers to consider how best to prepare for life after the 2023 harvest. Key to that is being able to analyse and understand your farm data so you can make informed decisions and the best choices for your farm business.

As the sun rose on a hot September morning, the Bury St Edmunds British Sugar factory was busy at work. A constant stream of lorries, carrying the very first harvested sugar beet deliveries of the season, piled the sugar beet high across the open courtyard, witnessed by Farmers Guide.