Arable News

A new report from the Food Foundation reveals that veg box schemes across the UK have doubled the number of boxes sold weekly as a result of coronavirus.

With a record 1 million ha of spring barely planted this year and rain forecast for the beginning of May, growers will be under pressure to control weeds in a narrow window of opportunity, so herbicide formulation could make all the difference.

AHDB has released plans for an extended consumer marketing campaign, and a portal to help put the growers and wholesale buyers of potatoes in touch.

KWS are offering a 50:50 oilseed rape risk mitigation scheme in which growers will only pay half of their seed costs if the crop fails to establish in autumn 2020, the company has announced.

A study examined more than 1,500 existing records and found 16% relating to arable (crop-growing) land showed erosion above “tolerable” levels – meaning rates of soil loss are significantly greater than new soil formation.

OSR is a key ingredient for many products, from rapeseed oil and margarines to mayonnaise to salad dressings, making it a valuable crop for Britain.

Workers who have been furloughed from their jobs due to the Covid-19 lockdown are being urged to help get the harvest in amid ongoing concerns about a labour shortfall, as Eastern European pickers are unable to get to the UK.

More than 680,000 bees are on a unique spring break at the Hadlow Estate in Kent, to help it get the very best from its fruit orchards.

Following a miserable winter and dry beginning to spring, micronutrients will play a vital role in ensuring a resilient spring cereal crop – especially as recent data has shown high rates of deficiency.

The next few weeks are the ideal time to establish a summer cover crop mix on uncropped land requiring improvements to soil structure and health after last winter.

Syngenta BlightCast is now live and running for the 2020 season, to give potato growers and agronomists a clear picture of impending blight pressure and risks – in time to make active application decisions.

UK field trials with the new generation swede variety Triumph have demonstrated its value as a cost effective out-wintering option for livestock farmers.