Author Posts: Farmers Guide

Supporting farm income has been cited as the main reason for offering agricultural contracting services, according to a survey by NFU Mutual.

Scottish sheep farmers are being asked to take part in a survey to establish antibiotic usage in the industry.

A debate on the Agriculture Bill in the House of Lords has seen peers slam the breaks on potential imports of chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef, by voting in favour of a clause that would require food imports to meet domestic standards.

Growers taking advantage of warm soils and good growing conditions to plant extra oilseed rape area, or with later emerging plants, should be aware of increasing cabbage stem flea beetle activity.

Getting OSR growing and away as soon as possible is vital. The emergence phase is the most vulnerable time for an OSR crop, as this is when it will face the most challenges from pests.

Bayer’s SpotCheck initiative, which helps oilseed rape growers identify light leaf spot (LLS) and other diseases in the crop, will re-open to receive leaf samples from October. The previous season saw epidemic-levels of disease so growers are advised to be alert to early signs of LLS and apply fungicides early.

Spring 2020 saw the largest area of spring cereals for many years. Although not as large an increase as in spring barley, oats saw a significant increase this year with the English crop seeing a 26% growth in plantings, according to the AHDB, with most of those appearing in spring.

With the loss of neonicotinoids forcing growers to change the way they tackle pest control in cereals and oilseed rape, pyrethroid insecticides now form the backbone of many aphid and flea beetle control programmes.

Four UK businesses have been cleared to export beef to the US for the first time in 20 years, Defra has confirmed, marking a ‘significant step’ in collective efforts to restart exports.

With last autumn’s wet weather significantly impacting winter cereal crop establishment, many growers will be contemplating bringing this year’s drilling dates forward into late September or early October. ADAMA’s Bill Lankford therefore examines why this strategy goes against all best practice advice for controlling black-grass populations and explains why – alongside weed mapping, rotation planning, cultivation technique and herbicide programmes – delaying drilling is still one of the key tactics for beating black-grass.

NFU leaders have called for greater awareness of new technology available to help farms maximise margins, uphold the UK’s reputation for quality and safe produce, and reduce carbon emissions.

New research led by the University of Exeter and national rural charity The Farming Community Network (FCN) aims to explore how social isolation, loneliness and mental health issues within the farming community are experienced and managed – and how to improve support available.