Arable Farming

Heavy rainfall has put a stop to autumn drilling across many parts of the UK, making many growers nervous of a repeat of last season.

Withdrawal dates for the tuber fungicide treatment, penflufen found in Bayer’s Emesto Prime DS have been announced by the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD).

Niab and the University of Cambridge have announced the opening of their Crop Science Centre, an alliance between the two organisations designed to fast-track technologies to sustainably improve farmers’ yields worldwide.

Oilseed rape growers and agronomists can now calculate the optimum timing to target cabbage stem flea beetle larvae hatch, with the chance to limit stem infestation.

Harvest finished on September 9 which is not too late but with its stop start nature and slow pace we were all pleased to finally finish.

It has been a disappointing start to sugar beet harvest for Lincolnshire grower, Tilly Ireland who began lifting the 280-hectare crop slightly early after the Newark British Sugar factory opened on September 22.

Writing this in mid-September after another harvest is complete, I, like many growers, find myself reflecting on the growing year just passed.

Harvest finished for us on September 11, three days later than last year, which was not a bad result considering where we were approaching the end of August. It was a very stop start affair this year, as it was for most in our part of the country, and it never really felt like we got going.

The loss of potato desiccant diquat, sprout suppressant chlorpropham (CIPC) combined with soil damage from last year has meant that some growers are facing added growing costs of £100/hectare in 2020.

I was in Scotland last week, trying to catch the fish of 10,000 casts or so Ian the gillie told me after I blanked.