Arable Farming

The NFU has published a Q&A for employers on coronavirus on its website from its specialist advice team.

The Government has announced it will relax the crop diversification requirements known as the three crop rule for farmers for 2020.

Called AutoTrac Vision the new system uses a high resolution front-mounted camera to automatically guide tractors and sprayers down established crop rows.

Gaining key worker status for drivers supplying and distributing flour mills will be important to meeting increased demand for flour driven by ‘panic buying’ during the coronavirus pandemic.

Distributors and agronomists are asking growers to liaise with them over delivery of farm inputs and agronomy services to minimise the risk of infection while continuing to meet crop needs

These are challenging times for all and so I wanted share with you what we are doing here at Arable Farming and the CropTec Show to ensure we keep you informed and up to date in the coming weeks and months as measures to manage the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are implemented.

Demands for ‘assurances’ on whether the number of seasonal visas on offer will be dramatically increased have intensified, as concerns over coronavirus grow.

March 2020 Arable Farming Issue

Hemp, or Cannabis sativa, was widely grown across the UK throughout history and once upon a time it could be found on many farms as a staple crop. But despite its multitude of uses from culinary to construction, it has struggled to gain traction in more recent years.

While most oilseed rape growers are striving to kill cabbage stem flea beetles (CSFB), a programme of rearing their number one pest is going ahead using AHDB funds.