Arable News

The Nestlé Wheat Plan, launching today (15th June), is an innovative sustainable farming initiative through which the business is forming partnerships with British wheat farmers to support the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.

BASF has received approval in Great Britain for its new active substance, Luximo, and the product containing this active, Luxinum Plus. This provides a new mode of action against grassweeds and a vital tool for controlling black-grass and Italian ryegrass, Britain’s most challenging arable weeds.

The challenges farmers face on a daily basis are being tackled through a range of game changing agri-tech projects and innovations.

Using pod shatter resistance in oilseed rape to positively manage its harvesting could add as much to the crop’s bottom line as the best disease control this season. What’s more, it need not cost anything more than a little extra care and attention.

Cereals is blazing a trail of innovation this year with lots of new machinery, technology and techniques to help farmers push ahead with their businesses. Organisers offer a round-up of fresh developments to look out for.

Knowing that farm security was about more than just producing high yielding crops, Andrew Ward set about benchmarking every part of his business several seasons ago. Now he and his team of Ruben Sampson and Tom Hyland are going a stage further with a carbon audit with the NFU.

Hutchinsons Helix farms provide a regional ‘test-bed’ for ideas and technologies which are generated through the national Helix programme. Rachel Hicks visited Helix East Anglia in May to discuss the current focuses, including nutrient usage efficiency, wheat blends and endophyte seed treatments.

Openfield is investing heavily in its transport fleet and driver recruitment to improve grain and input deliveries at a time when heavy haulage is under immense pressure.

Corteva Agriscience UK is investigating reported complaints of damage on some sprayer components when the tank mix being applied includes products containing Inatreq active. The main area of concern appears to be centred around diaphragms and nozzle O-rings.

As the T2 spray timing for crops approaches, growers are advised to stay vigilant against yellow rust to maximise yield potential.

Against a back drop of rising input costs, farmers need to look at maximising the output from their grassland by focusing on a few key agronomy management practices, is the advice from Jim Clark, Carlisle-based agronomist with Hutchinsons.

As a farmer, you’d have to have been living under a rock for the past few years not to notice the intense pressure the agricultural industry is coming under to reduce its carbon footprint.