SilliamWhale
Member
It depends on how much you're prepared to spend - NIAB do good courses on all the basics, plus look on their sister site Artis for practical courses (present circumstances excepted) but they do cost, about £200 a pop.
If you don't want to spend so much, try using farming journals like Crop Production Magazine and Farmers Weekly and its Arable pages. They often have articles throughout the year detailing how arable farmers tackle problems, and can include detailed articles on spray products and rates. Studying these over the years has helped me a huge amount with the choice and rate of use of chemicals, and I cut out and keep an archive of helpful articles as a reference for problems in the future.
Probably others who use agronomists etc will laugh at my efforts, but it's intersting how much you can glean from a careful sceptical reading of magazines etc.
And don't forget field events that happen throughout the year, held by chemical companies, NIAB, ADAS, and local groups: they can be very useful for cornering an expert and getting on-the-spot guidance.
Not so much online but that's my road to knowledge.
I do the same. Farming notebook.
Ive learned so much here too.
How to make my own Siltra
Better timing for wild oats
I always listen properly to Johnathan Blake when we does his fungicide review of the year and I listen properly when Fromebridge says something here as he will have collective knowledge.