Arable News

With thousands of farmers across the country battling floods after Storm Dennis and unable to get onto their land to plant crops, farming organisations from across the UK have asked for an urgent relaxation of the three crop rule.

For a growing number of farmers, spring oilseed rape seed (SOSR) is being bought, being seen as a viable option because it provides a break crop option and it isn’t susceptible to Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle (CSFB). 

Hutchinsons has unveiled a new range of tailor-made cover crop mixes that includes options which could help improve the structure and health of land left fallow this spring.

At a recent meeting of the NAAC Post Harvest Treatment Group, contractors and self-applicators endorsed the AHDB/Industry position that the last date for application of CIPC will be 31st July 2020, meaning that NO applications will be made to the 2020 crop.

For growers considering their spring cropping in the context of a difficult autumn followed by a wet spring, combining peas top the table of gross margins and are a top choice for the right grower on the right land.

Significant populations of grassweeds, including ryegrass and brome, threaten winter wheat yields this year after farmers struggled to implement robust herbicide programmes in the autumn.

Tickets are now on sale for Cereals 2020, with early bird prices of just £15 and group discounts available.

Climate variability has already played a key part this season – from mid-September to the end of the year exceptional rainfall brought the misery of floods and a virtual complete halt to winter wheat drilling for many.

In a normal season, spring weed control is a case of mopping up odd weeds that have come through a hefty autumn stack of residual herbicides. But 2019 wasn’t a normal year, with the autumn cereals that did get planted often receiving less residual herbicides than usual, and what was applied has been under deluge from the winter rain, making it vital that growers have an effective weed control plan for early spring.

Farmers growing winter oilseed rape will have a new broad-leaf weed herbicide at their disposal this spring in the form of Korvetto from Corteva Agriscience.

Crop production specialists Hutchinsons are offering growers the opportunity to defer payment on seed purchased before 31 March 2020 for leading oilseed rape varieties LG Aurelia and Acacia.

Sowing green manure seed mix on uncropped arable headlands, left where growers just managed to muddle in landwork in the autumn, could help to restore soil structure and build fertility, and play an important role as an ecological asset.