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Know How / Establishment

Successful crop establishment is crucial to achieving high yields and controlling costs and ensuring the profitability of your business. See the latest thinking this season on cereals, oilseed rape, potato and sugar beet establishment, drilling and seed-bed preparation.

Case studies

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ARABLE

Olly Harrison sows OSR and cover crop with quadcopter drone

Merseyside arable farmer and agricultural YouTuber Olly Harrison planted a 1ha segment of oilseed rape via aerial application with a quadcopter drone. The P40 XAG drone also broadcast a cover…

ESTABLISHMENT

How strip-till drill offers flexibility in low-cost system

Scottish grower Stuart McNicol is on a mission to build a simple and cost-effective arable system at Castleton Farm on the North Berwick coast. Farming 160ha with just the one…

POTATOES

Wet weather delays potato planting and risks yield loss

Wet weather has pushed potato planting more than two weeks behind schedule for many growers across the UK. We catch up with two farmers to find out how they are…

SUGAR BEET

Video: Sugar beet growers set for April rush to get crop drilled

Sugar beet growers are set to have a busy Easter as better forecast weather will see them trying to catch up on beet drilling, with only 5% of the national…

DRILLING

What Lincs grower learned from spring barley drill demo

Successfully direct-drilling spring barley is a tough challenge on heavy soils and for one Lincolnshire grower, a min-till approach delivers the best returns. However, work continues to find a viable…

ESTABLISHMENT

How one grower tackles late drilling of wheat on heavy soil

De-risking late drilling of wheat is at the heart of Brixworth Farming’s strategy, and catch crops are the key to extending the drilling window on the heavy Northamptonshire soil. Tackling…

Practical advice

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DRILLING

Oats come out top in heavy land direct drilling trial

Oats gave a higher yield and profit margin when direct drilled compared with minimum tillage in an eight-year trial, due largely to the cereal crop showing a very vigorous growth…

POTATOES

Shallower potato cultivation depths recommended in wet season

Potato growers are advised to reduce cultivation depths this season to improve soil condition and work rates, as persistent rain stops play. With the optimum planting window narrowing, independent potato…

ESTABLISHMENT

4 tips for successful potato establishment this spring

Good establishment is critical in potatoes, setting the crop up for optimal yield for the chosen market. Norfolk-based Prime Agriculture potato agronomist Alistair Neill offers some tips on how growers…

BARLEY

6 steps to growing better spring barley for 2023 season

As the spring barley drilling season gets under way in some early areas, we look at six key points to consider when growing the crop. We speak to arable technical…

ESTABLISHMENT

Why field loss is important for seed rate calculations

Calculating the correct seed rate is essential in achieving optimum wheat plant populations and, therefore, must be accounted for each year. Thousand-seed weight (TSW), field losses, soil type and sowing…

OILSEED RAPE

Advice on when to drill next season's oilseed rape crop

Oilseed rape growers are being urged to hold off drilling next season’s crops in this extremely dry summer until there is enough moisture in the soil. Agronomy experts say even…

Insights

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ARABLE

Seed sales show heavy reliance on a limited number of varieties

After a testing season and difficult harvest, growers are sticking to a narrow range of varieties for the new cropping year. Farmers Weekly finds out what’s filling the drills. See…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Survey gives pointers on how to successfully grow OSR

An average 85% of oilseed rape crops are predicted to reach harvest, but some farmers, especially in East Anglia, are feeling the pain. Although the average is down on last…

DRILLING

Direct-drilling: Main findings from major five-year trial

Farming on heavy land in Leicestershire, Joe Stanley was skeptical that reducing cultivations by adopting a direct-drilling system would increase farm profitability and improve the environment. But after seeing the…

COVER CROPS

Trial shows how to establish a good cover crop before harvest

Establishing a good cover crop stand can be difficult, as sowing often coincides with the busy harvest period along with seed-beds being too dry. One solution could be to establish…

OILSEED RAPE

Why OSR growers are optimistic despite high-cost climate

Oilseed rape growers are optimistic about the crop's on-farm performance, despite the higher growing costs and market volatility caused by recent world events. Research carried out by Farmers Weekly in…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Why the right perennial grass balance is key in AB15 mixes

The first half of August is the key time for drilling AB15 stewardship mixes and failing to balance them sufficiently with perennial grasses may seriously compromise their effectiveness in managing…

ESTABLISHMENT

Why sowing in February could up spring oat yield and quality

Planting spring oats as early as February at a reduced seed rate rather than the conventional March drill date could prove beneficial to both crop yield and quality this spring.…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

How a new soil scoring tool picks the best cultivation option

A new crop establishment tool which assesses a range of soil management factors is set to help farmers identify whether a change in cultivation may benefit their soils. There is…

ESTABLISHMENT

Trial looks at veg seed tech to improve OSR establishment

Trials are to be carried out next season on whether primed seed could help oilseed rape growers produce crops that are better able to cope with the adult cabbage stem…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Is there still a need for costly wheat seed treatments?

Cereal growers are increasingly questioning the need for chemical seed treatments as they continue to improve soil health, encourage soil biology and drive down costs. With autumn drilling under way,…