News - Arable

Industry representatives have welcomed Government’s inclusion of ‘food producers’ on its critical workers list to help negate the impacts of COVID-19 on labour.

Excess moisture in the US Midwest may delay sowings in some of the early-sown states, although the main sowing period is still a few weeks away, which may allow fields to dry.

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

Agricultural distribution and supply companies are working to minimise disruption to the logistics of getting products to farms, which could come about due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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

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

After the exceptionally wet autumn and winter, many farmers will be assessing their options for spring cropping after winter drilling was abandoned.

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

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