Arable Farming

New systems need to be developed that measure the use of integrated pest management (IPM) to evidence decisions being made on farm that do not involve the use of chemicals.

Defra Secretary George Eustice has been criticised at NFU conference this week for failing to provide clarity on whether the number of seasonal visas on offer will be drastically increased.

Farming organisations from across the UK have asked for an urgent relaxation of the three crop rule.

The maximum residue limits (MRLs) for chlorpyrifos-methyl, the soon to be withdrawn active used to treat grain stores, have been reduced to 0.01mg/kg for all grains.

The advent of robots is set to revolutionise how farmers grow crops and could be a game changer for the public’s perception of farming.

The vision of only applying plant protection products to crops where they are needed may be some way off, but the use of variable rate application technology in fungicides is evolving.

A few drier interludes in late January and early February allowed us to get a bit more wheat drilled into our lighter land, along with much needed fertilisation and spraying. If we are lucky, we may end up with 40% of our planned winter wheat acreage.

Nutritionally, digestate provides crops with organic manure and a combination of readily available nutrients, but it is not without its challenges.