cultivations

Unless the Ukraine situation gets sorted in the next 6 months, will there be any fertiliser of any sort available next year, at any price? But then 5 t/ha wheat at £300, with much lower direct costs, might not be all that bad.

Seriously considering splitting what nitrogen we have in the shed across 2 seasons. Had planned to go with 140N/ha on both wheat and osr, dropping to 70kg N would insulate us from high N prices in 2023 but potential would drop to 6-7t/ ha I think. Averaged 8.3t in 2021 on 60:40 1st and 2nd...

Now is the time to establish summer cover for soil health 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. Short-duration summer cover crops, such as the new seed mixes available...

Bespoke cover crop solutions to improve soils Leading agronomy firm 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. With many fields in the wettest parts of the UK...

Remedying Soil Problems After a Difficult Harvest With the recent challenging wet weather in many areas of the country, farmers should consider what can be done to make their soils more resilient for the years ahead, says Matthew Hyslop, Hutchinsons agronomist, based in Angus and Perthshire...

Undersowing maize has soil health benefits Hutchinsons trials in Cumbria are showing how a low-cost way of undersowing maize with Italian ryegrass could have significant benefits for soil health. The trials at the firm’s Smalmstown Farm demonstration site near Carlisle, kindly hosted by Mr &...

Potato Grower Increases Worm Numbers with Cover Crops A Shropshire grower is trying to limit the damaging effect of heavy cultivations for potato crops to his light soils through the use of cover crops. He has seen worm numbers increase since introducing the cover crops to his rotation...

New Mapping System A Game Changer What is being described as a “game changing” soil mapping service, is being launched to UK growers. Hutchinsons' TerraMap is said to revolutionise the way in which soil nutrient mapping is currently undertaken in the UK setting a new standard for accuracy in...

â2020, a harvest to forgetâ: Nick Down is making big changes to his operation Harvest 2020 may not have been easy, but we’re ploughing (not literally) ahead with plans for the future at Yattendon Estate. Our 100ha of winter linseed just scraped 2t/ha thanks to the wet autumn and winter...

Spring cereals switch demands herbicide strategy rethink Farmers abandoning winter cereals and switching to spring wheat and barley will need to pay close attention to broadleaf weed control if they are to prevent significantly reduced yields. For many arable farms, fieldwork taking place...

Featured Solution - Data Diagnostic Insights - The Rise of the Digital Farm Five years ago, when people started talking about Digital Farming and Big Data, most were not sure what this was or how it related to field base crop production. Since then, writes Keith Norman, the speed of technical...

NEW COUSINS TOP DISC FOR LAMMA 2020 Cousins Top Disc At Rock Bottom Price Cousins of Emneth Ltd will unveil to farmers the latest addition to their wide range of UK designed and manufactured cultivation equipment at the Lamma Show 2020. The Top Disc is a linkage mounted high speed...

Five for Five for Black-grass For the most effective long-term black-grass control, growers and their advisers need to apply the most effective control tools in five main areas - cultivations, sowing date, crop competition, herbicides and seeding prevention, recommends Dr Stephen Moss. “And...

Unlocking gypsumâs soil health benefits Applying gypsum in liquid form could prove especially beneficial to help relieve soil compaction ahead of the autumn sowing programme. It’s been a tough season for soils. Many fields were drilled in less-than-ideal conditions, often after abandoned...

Cover crops. A practical farm example The need to restore soil health, control blackgrass and reduce exposure to oilseed rape has resulted in a complete rethink over cropping and rotation on a North Yorkshire farm. Twenty years ago half of the land at Stephen Tuer Farms was in grass for dairy...

Fine-tune root crop irrigation to optimise performance As the season remains unpredictable for many, root crop growers are encouraged to fine-tune irrigation programmes by utilising available technologies that optimise performance. Primarily grown on lighter land with limited moisture-holding...

Cover crops improve spring drilling conditions Early season trial results show the benefits that cover crops have on spring drilling conditions and overall soil health. The trial is part of Agrovista’s Project Lamport site – a replicated research project that investigates the impact of...

New service aims to restore farm soils to peak condition Agrovista has launched a comprehensive soil health offer to help growers optimise the productivity and sustainability of their soils, simply named Agrovista Soil Health. Agrovista technical manager Chris Martin says soils face...

Agrovista ramps up soil studies at flagship trials site Agrovista has extended its Project Lamport flagship trials in Northamptonshire with an increasing focus on soil health to help growers overcome blackgrass and grow more profitable cereal crops Project Lamport was set up in 2013 to...

Dry Spring highlights clever drill design The Mzuri system is widely recognised as Europe’s principal one pass strip tillage system, unrivaled in cultivation, reconsolidation and seed placement accuracy. Ben Knight demonstrates why. As Mzuri's farm manager and knowledge exchange officer, I...