Crops

Growing higher value crops such as sugar beet and hemp could create opportunities for new entrant farmers an Arable Scotland webinar heard.

Covid-19 has seen a spike in labour costs of up to 15 per cent leaving British growers in an ‘unsustainable’ situation, a new report has revealed.

Studies at James Hutton Institute are looking at how integrating broad-leaf weeds into arable fields could enhance biodiversity without robbing yield.

In times of crisis and disruption, it turns out the British public does not turn towards falafel or hummus as comfort food, but rather red meat and pizza to get it through lockdown.

Arable Scotland will take place in a virtual format today, organised and hosted by the James Hutton Institute, AHDB, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Farm Advisory Service.

A new tool, SeedGerm - based on machine learning-driven image analysis – is able to test seed samples to ensure a certain germination rate is met in a low-cost, high-throughput and semi-automated way.

A spread to watch as we head into new crop will be the imported maize price compared with domestic feed wheat delivered to feed mills.

French insect-based animal feed and fertiliser company Ynsect has just gained approval for its natural insect fertiliser YnFrass from ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety.

Farm owners and managers have been urged to help shape a new education programme, which will aim to develop homegrown talent for the agricultural industry.

Horticulture chiefs have warned growers will face a steep increase in costs as they struggle to retain and attract workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.