Agronomy

Farming groups have warned against plans to cut the use of synthetic pesticides by 80 per cent by 2030 and to phase out their use completely by 2035.

The thing about being a columnist for a national publication such as Arable Farming is you cannot hide from what you have written in previous months.

With much of the country working from home and most industry events cancelled, BASIS has taken the decision to relax its CPD requirements for Professional Register members.

The threat posed by potential resistance to key residual herbicide, flufenacet, could bring harvest weed seed management further to the fore in the UK

Farmer-driven, independent trials conducted in northern England are showing some encouraging results when using biopesticides against septoria in winter wheat crops.

Keeping on top of weeds will be particularly important this spring after difficulties with autumn control and a wet, mild winter. But a new herbicide is at hand to help.

While disease pressure may be lower in late-drilled, thinner wheats, difficulties with leaf identification and timings as crops rush through growth stages will make fungicide applications challenging.

A majority of potato businesses are growing cover crops in order to improve soil structure, build organic matter and dry out wet soils, but there could be a benefit to yields too.