CropProductionJuly2025

OSR NEW SEASON

The continued evolution of phoma

WEED CONTROL

Is it possible to take a zero-tolerance approach?

FENDT e107 Is there a place for this electric tractor on your farm?

POTATOES

Why everyone should care about PCN

Boots on the ground

With a host of shows, events and open days to choose from, we dust o our comfortable shoes to join you at some of the industry’s biggest days out.

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‘Foresight is your most valuable tool’

POINT OF VIEW

As the focus shifts from the end of this season to the strategic decisions which will shape the next, it’s time to look at the ‘bigger picture’. While weather, wheat prices, and input costs are out of control, careful planning of cropping and budgeting gives greater control over risk and profit. Setting a clear and realistic budget puts you in a better position to act quickly and decisively come autumn. Whether that means securing inputs at a favourable price, locking in forward contracts for wheat, or reassessing break crop choices, foresight is your most valuable tool. It’s tempting to look at gross margins as the single biggest factor when choosing what to plant, but chasing this can sometimes obscure more complex realities. For example, while oilseed rape indicates stronger gross margins than beans, establishment risks and pests threaten profitability. Beans, while less lucrative on paper,

support weed control, mitigate risk, and reduce nitrogen needs.

Plans should remain flexible. If conditions are unsuitable for winter crops, switch to spring crops; a lower-margin spring crop often outperforms a poorly established winter crop. So rather than question ‘which crop earns the most?’ ask ‘what delivers the best return within my system?’ That small shift in thinking can change everything.

The biggest anxiety facing growers is uncertainty, such as weather events, fertiliser prices and global politics affecting grain trade. Yet proactive planning can help to mitigate these risks.

Choose break crops that complement your drilling and harvesting windows, not ones that create bottlenecks. A compromised crop drilled too late or harvested in poor conditions rarely reaches yield potential. A 10% increase in wheat yield, achieved through better establishment, can reduce the cost of production by £13/t.

Volatility in global fertiliser markets driven by geopolitical events makes it vital to budget for input costs.

Explore crops like pulses that require lower nitrogen, providing a natural hedge against price spikes.

Then, with November 2026 wheat currently at £192/t, there’s a window of opportunity to secure forward contracts and protect your bottom line. If you’re growing a premium crop, line up your buyer before the seed goes in the ground.

And while variable costs like seed, fertiliser, and sprays tend to get the most attention, fixed costs can be the hidden iceberg beneath the financial surface. While higher wheat yields improve financial output, a lower level of fixed costs will make the greatest difference to performance per hectare. This is an area where more scrutiny is sorely needed.

By Will Foyle Farm management consultant, Hutchinsons

Share your views on our new look

Earlier this year we re-launched CPM with a new identity and as such, want to know what you think.

From an updated logo to new page layouts, we scruitinised all aspects of CPM with reader experience front of mind.

To share your views, head to smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ CPMsurvey25 or scan the QR code with your mobile device. To say thank you, we’ll select a random participant to receive £100 of Amazon vouchers.

CROP PRODUCTION MAGAZINE CPM

The bacillus-manganese seed treatment which promises to level up crop establishment P.25

July 2025

OPINION

5 Point of View

Show season

Highlights from some of the industry's flagship summer events.

Boots on the ground

In the guest spot this month is Hutchinsons’ Will Foyle.

10 Soapbox

Guy Smith talks tents in fields.

55 Nature Natters

blackgrass strategies should continually adapt.

22 Common Ground

Martin Lines discusses the impact of a dry spring.

76 Talking Taties

A field update from Yorkshire farmer, Andrew Wilson.

85 Last Word

CPM ’s editor Janine Adamson explores learning to forgive.

AGRONOMY

11 OSR new season

Findings from research investigating phoma stem canker which indicate the pathogen continues to mutate.

14 Yellow rust

Taking a deeper dive into what’s behind the unusual observations in yellow rust this season.

19 Integrated weed control

We visit Hutchinsons’ grassweed demo site to understand why

Is it possible to exercise a zero tolerance approach to weed control? We find out in BASF’s Common Ground.

25 Seed treatments

What could be better than a bacillusbased seed treatment? Bacillus plus manganese, say experts.

VARIETIES

34 Insider’s View: Wheat

Offering a cluster of benefits, could Sparkler’s brilliance create a fizz among the soft Group 4 offering?

36 Insider’s View: Barley

Taking a closer look at what makes Senova’s Kitty stand out among the raft of new winter barley varieties.

40 NPZ open day

We travel to the breeder’s HQ to learn about its latest offerings including a new genetic resistance trait.

Sharing what the NFU Sugar board’s new chair, Kit Papworth, has to say P.80

ROTATIONS

45 Cover crops

How cover crops are reshaping farm resilience and profitability for one regenerative Berkshire grower.

48 Future funding

Looking at private funding as an opportunity to reshape the financial landscape for farming businesses.

Milika Buurman explains why Sparkler is set to be a gem of a wheat P.34

TECHNOLOGY

52 Fendt e107

Could battery-electric power be practical for smaller, alternativelyfuelled tractors on arable farms?

EVENTS

56 Groundswell report

With no sign of waning in popularity, we head to Groundswell to see what this year’s festival has to offer.

60 Green Farm Collective

Highlights from the event including research aiming to provide evidence about the impact of regen farming.

63 Cereals Event report

The sun was shining and punters smiling, could this year prove a welcomed U-turn for Cereals?

RURAL

66 Book review

In the first of a new series, Tim Parton scrutinises learnings gleaned from The Profitable Farm.

MACHINERY

67 Cultivation equipment & ploughs

Improvements in implements can help to create the ideal seedbed; we look at some of the new releases.

72 Balers

The reasons behind why one Cheshire farming business has adopted two new large square balers.

ROOTS

77 Potatoes

Why experts are encouraging all in the industry to gen up on PCN – the microscopic yet pernicious pest.

80 Sugar beet

We speak to newly appointed NFU Sugar board chair, Kit Papworth, for his take on the beet industry.

CROP PRODUCTION MAGAZINE CPM

CPM is managed by a driven team responsible for delivering the sharpest insight and most relevant information.

Editor

Janine Adamson

Sub editor

Rachael Harper

Technical arable journalist

Melanie Jenkins

Writers

Mike Abram, Charlotte Cunningham, Rob Jones, Martin Lines, Martin Rickatson, Mike Saull, Guy Smith, Andrew Wilson

Design

Rob Terry

Production manager

Kerry Orriss

Commercial director

Angus McKirdy

Managing director

Fiona Mercer

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Tel: (01743) 369707 E-mail: angus@cpm-magazine.co.uk

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About Crop Production Magazine

Crop Production Magazine is the leading specialist journal for UK arable farmers and agronomists.

Crop Production Magazine is published ten times a year and is available free of charge to qualifying farmers and farm managers in the UK. This is the criteria for a free subscription.

Call 01743 369707 or email angus@cpm-magazine.co.uk and we’ll put you on the list

The magazine operates within a controlled circulation with a readership including farm managers, agronomists, machinery dealers and other arable supply industry professionals.

CPM is also distributed to agricultural universities, colleges and research institutes, examined by some of the leading researchers in their field as well as the next generation of crop specialists.

Above all, the magazine is read by UK farm business owners – decision makers. Articles are mostly in-depth and analytical, exploring the issues behind a current

problem while aiming to present new ways of thinking.

The magazine doesn’t seek to prescribe solutions, rather inspire, stimulate and inform.

CPM is proud to represent some of the most experienced agronomic, technical and machinery journalists, many of whom have received British Guild of Agricultural Journalist awards for their contributions.

The team works closely with companies that support CPM to gather inside knowledge on the technical issues that affect farmers and the wider food chain. Although small, CPM is managed by a driven team, responsible for delivering the sharpest insight and most relevant information across both print and digital formats.

Weed out uncertainty.

Together we nurture stronger results.

To prevent black grass in wheat, Rachel Banks, Bayer Technical Manager, recommends using a tight herbicide sequence. Begin with a stale seedbed utilising Roundup® and cultural controls such as cultivations and later drilling. Once drilled, apply a metribuzin co-form (Alternator® Met, Octavian® Met, Cadou® Met) with Proclus® at the true pre-em. timing within 48 hours after drilling. Then come back 7–10 days later with a follow up containing alternative modes of action.

Alternator® Met contains metribuzin, ufenacet and di ufenican. Cadou® Met contains ufenacet, di ufenican and metribuzin. Octavian®

One suspects crowds of folk have been occasionally gathering in farmed fields for as long as there have been farmed fields. In times past, the causes of such al fresco occasions could be manifold – from fayres and markets to religious festivals or political rallies. In 1535, Henry VIII famously gathered his retinue in a sheep meadow for a spot of jousting and wrestling with the King of France. Today, this dual use of farmed fields seems largely confined to pop concerts, car

Smith's SOAPBOX

Timeless charm of the tented field

boot sales and agricultural shows. Of course most agricultural shows now have their own dedicated showgrounds rather than having to convert a grazed pasture into a tented village. But this is quite a recent change in the history of our shows, most of which have their origins in Victorian times. Until the Second World War the norm was for them to peripatetically move site every year. Even the Royal Show had no permanent home before the 1950s, instead, it would pop up in a different place in a different county every year. Today this tradition of the shifting show ground is more or less gone, but there are still a few to be found that pitch up on what is for eleven months

of the year a grazed field. I’m proud to say this includes my own show – the Tendring Show – held annually in 8ha of mown hay meadow at Lawford Park in north east Essex.

Of course, while the ‘tented village’ that leaves little trace after the event has its own charm, it’s not without its challenges. The lack of decent roadways and buildings renders it perilously vulnerable to bad weather, then of course, there’s that most crucial lack of facility due to no dedicated sewage system.

As a small boy, I can remember the gentlemen’s toilets at my local show were simply a small marquee containing absolutely nothing. The regret here was you hadn’t bought your wellies. Whether the ladies were similarly scant I don’t know, although I suspect I’d have heard if that was the case.

As for the gents, they underwent ground breaking advancement in the 1960s with the addition of a sloping open trough with a hole in the ground at one end into which the processed outgoings of the beer tent would find their final destination. As a small boy, whose lack of height meant I had to relieve myself at the lowest part of the trough, I found myself rather disturbingly

close to this aforesaid hole full of its foul smelling effluent.

But today the Tendring Show has put such crude amenities long behind itself with porta loos that would befit Royalty. With a crowd exceeding 20,000, it’s become a substantial event attracting a huge number of non-farming folk.

Aware of this we put on events in the grand ring that tell a ‘field-to-fork’ story where we remind urban show-goers that much of their food on their meal tables can be traced back to the fields they drive past as motorised onlookers. It’s called ‘farming on the move’ and the adjoining photo gives a full flavour of what we’re about.

So here’s wishing you a good show season – one of the most precious parts of our farming lives. ●

YOUR CORRESPONDENT

Guy Smith grows 500ha of combinable crops on the north east Essex coast, namely St. Osyth Marsh –officially the driest spot in the British Isles. Despite spurious claims from others that their farms are actually drier, he points out that his farm is in the Guinness Book of Records, whereas others aren’t. End of.

@essexpeasant

The Tendring show has come a long way.

WITH GUY SMITH

OSR new season AGRONOMY

Phoma’s evolutionary journey

Research investigating phoma stem canker in oilseed rape indicates the pathogen continues to mutate, posing a potential threat to the e cacy of fungicides particularly azoles. CPM investigates what this could mean for growers.

By Janine Adamson

The fungal species which cause phoma leaf spot and stem canker in oilseed rape are undergoing an evolutionary journey according to scientists, however, they’re taking two very different routes in their quest to become less sensitive to chemical controls.

Phoma, a disease which damages brassica crops including OSR, is caused by two related pathogens: Plenodomus lingam and P. biglobosus. Conventionally, azole-based chemistry has been a go-to solution for combatting incidences of phoma across Europe.

The target of azoles is the CYP51 protein – an enzyme required for biosynthesis of sterols which are required for fungal cell membrane integrity.

However, as well as decreased azole sensitivity already having emerged in Australian and eastern European P. lingam populations, as reported last year, the problem has now spread to western European populations too.

Rothamsted Research’s Dr Kevin King is leading research into the topic and says resistance to fungicides can

occur in two main ways: mutation in the target gene itself, in this case CYP51, or by its over-expression.

“During a study based on in vitro sensitivity testing, we found decreased sensitivity in many modern European populations of P. lingam, caused by over-expression of CYP51. While this was worrying, on balance, it was unlikely to cause a control failure.

“Equally, at the time, there was no evidence to suggest sensitivity shifts to azoles in P. biglobosus – the genetic sequence identified as responsible for the change in P. lingam was absent in the P. biglobosus isolates,” he explains.

But fast forward a year and the situation has changed significantly, highlights Kevin. In new research published in the journal Pest Management Science, he and other scientists have confirmed decreased azole sensitivity in P. biglobosus.

However, there is an important difference. Unlike in P. lingam, the azole sensitivity shifts in P. biglobosus have been linked to a single mutation within CYP51 – representing the first

“Two ‘sibling’ pathogen species have taken very di erent evolutionary routes to overcoming chemistry.”

DR KEVIN KING

report of target site resistance to azole fungicides in a phoma pathogen.

“So P. biglobosus has also now become less sensitive to azoles, but it’s been caused by a different evolutionary mechanism – a mutation within the gene itself. In essence, two ‘sibling’ pathogen species which co-exist in the field have taken very different evolutionary routes to overcoming the chemistry,” he explains.

The CYP51 mutation found in P biglobosus is linked to a 7-fold decrease in sensitivity to the azoles tested, and to date, has been confirmed in Polish and UK populations. Kevin believes this could in part help to explain recent findings of P. biglobosus becoming an increasingly

Rate of change

Rothamsted Research’s Dr Kevin King says the latest findings show how pathogens are undergoing an evolutionary journey and seem to be changing very rapidly.

important phoma stem canker pathogen in Europe.

Further surveys are now required to monitor the distribution and extent of the new mutation in European P. biglobosus populations and whether such mutations may also now be emerging in P. lingam.

“On their own, each individual mechanism – overexpression or mutation – is unlikely to lead to a disease control failure, although it is a worrying step in the wrong direction,” raises Kevin. “A bigger concern would be if either of the species were to develop both of the mechanisms in tandem.”

He believes the results indicate the importance of understanding pathogen biology. “If one species is less sensitive to a fungicide, it could lead to selection in the field.

“Equally, this work shows how pathogens are undergoing an evolutionary journey and seem to be changing very rapidly. For years it was stable, but now we’re finding new things all of the time,” he comments.

He’s keen to not scaremonger growers, instead stressing that there shouldn’t be an immediate disease management failure. “It’s more an indicator of what

Growing optimism

Findings

from a long-running benchmarking study reveal why last autumn proved one of the best starts in years for

An increase in the popularity of earlier drilling is among the standout findings of this year’s Bayer DEKALB OSR benchmarking study.

The work also confirms a decline in cabbage stem flea beetle pressure to the lowest level in the past six years, with more than half of those surveyed reporting little or no autumn challenge from the pest.

This year’s study collected responses from 170 growers and agronomists, responsible for around 17,500ha across the UK’s main OSR-producing regions.

In a reversal of the recent trend to drill in late August, a much larger proportion of growers planted their current crop before the end of the first week in August, with more than half of crops being planted before 20 August, and just a quarter in the traditional late August slot.

Participants also revealed average soil moisture conditions at sowing were near ideal at 4.7 on a scale

oilseed rape

of 1-10 (0 = completely dry, 10 = waterlogged). In fact, the majority of growers saw very reasonable soil moisture conditions (68% scoring between 4 and 6), with only 6% reporting very dry and 1% very wet ground.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the generally low CSFB pressure and reasonable moisture conditions, the average establishment score (where 0 = complete failure, 10 = perfect establishment) was significantly better than the previous season. At 7.4 it was one of the highest scores recorded in the six-year series.

“Just over 10% of growers scored their establishment at less than 5.0 whereas almost 60% rated their original drillings at 8.0 or more, and 10% rated them a perfect 10,” explains Bayer technical manager, Ellie Borthwick-North.

“Underlining last autumn’s good establishment experience, more than 60% of growers didn’t have to redrill and barely 3% re-drilled half or more of their plantings.”

could happen in the future.

“Chemistry has a valuable role to play in integrated pest management and is a key tool in the system. That’s why monitoring pathogen trends plus observing the principles of good product stewardship such as mixing or alternating modes of action, is critical in protecting the current chemistry for as long as possible.”

And while some may perceive phoma as a less critical threat at the moment than the likes of cabbage stem flea beetle, Kevin reminds that in OSR, pressure is often cyclical. “One year it could be an insect pest, the

Survey results

Underlining last autumn’s good establishment experience, more than 60% of growers surveyed didn’t have to redrill and barely 3% redrilled half or more of their plantings, explains Bayer’s Ellie Borthwick-North.

Given the importance of CSFB to crop performance, the majority of growers surveyed monitor the pest in the autumn. In addition to field walking and the use of regional reports, around 30% are also using some form of yellow trap, such as the MagicTrap.

“As well as deciding whether, where and when to employ insecticides, growers find this monitoring valuable for a wide range of other crop management purposes – from planting decision-making to spring

next a fungal pathogen; the situation ebbs and flows.

“Currently, focus is firmly on how to manage CSFB, but phoma is a European and global-wide problem, that in itself should indicate its importance.”

Despite this, the research looking at phoma sensitivity shifts has largely been undertaken as a labour of love, with minimal funding, points out Kevin. “Yet the work undertaken by Rothamsted is benefiting UK growers and beyond. However, it’s essential that the UK continues to play an integral role in research, providing meaningful, independent data.” l

crop management and future OSR growing,” adds Ellie. Analysis of crop success by variety type responses reveals that, as in previous years, mainstream 00 hybrids continue to outperform pure lines, with better establishment, lower CSFB larval levels and slightly higher early spring GAIs, in particular.

According to Ellie, even under the generally better conditions of the current season, the relative weakness of pure lines in dealing with external challenges is reflected in the difference in proportions of plantings being taken to harvest.

“The performance advantage of hybrids is even greater where autumn CSFB pressures were more than marginal, (scores of 3 or more on the 0-10 scale) with the hybrids suffering noticeably less than pure lines.”

The survey results also provide an insight into grower sentiment around the future of the crop. At 37%, the proportion of growers intending to reduce their winter OSR area in 2025/26 is the lowest in the past three years, with 63% intending to plant at least as much of the crop in the coming season as they have this year.

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Forcing a fungicide re-think

A new strain of yellow rust has ripped through crops from Scotland to East Anglia but this time, fungicide e cacy isn’t in question. CPM investigates what’s behind the shift.

By Andrew Watts

News that Yr15, the gene discovered in the 1980s that confers broad-spectrum resistance to a genetically diverse group of yellow rust isolates, has been overcome is causing concern and alarm among researchers and agronomists.

Testing of yellow rust isolates collected from infected plants has revealed that the new strain is indeed of UK or European origin, and belongs to the so-called ‘red group’ that’s dominated UK populations in recent years.

Outside of the UK it’s been confirmed in northern France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Denmark and Sweden, although it’s unclear

“It’s clear that not applying a T0, especially in regions and varieties known to be a risk, is no longer a sustainable course of action.”

DR KOSTYA KANYUKA

spanning six continents, only a single case from 2002 had shown this virulence. When it first emerged, however, is unclear. Niab began receiving samples for analysis from previously resistant

whether it developed in Great Britain or continental Europe, specifically.

Paul Gosling, AHDB senior crop production specialist, says work led by Niab in collaboration with the John Innes Centre (JIC) in Norwich and the Global Rust Reference Centre (GRRC) in Denmark, is what’s confirmed the strain is of European origin. “This makes the situation distinct from 2011 when a group of races known as ‘Warrior’ arrived in Europe and the UK from the near-Himalayan region of Asia.”

Virulence toward Yr15 is extremely rare – the GRRC reports that of the thousands of yellow rust samples it’s received from more than 50 countries

Sourced from Europe

AHDB’s Paul Gosling says collaborative work has confirmed the new strain is of European origin.

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AGRONOMY Yellow rust

varieties in November 2024, although it was several months before there were sufficient data to conclude that this was a new strain with the capacity to overcome the Yr15 gene.

“We’ve looked back at the data from AHDB trials in 2024 and there’s nothing to indicate that it was present at low levels,” adds Paul.

The exact number of varieties carrying the Yr15 gene is unknown, with testing so far focussing on those with disease resistance scores of 8 or 9 but that are showing extreme levels of yellow rust infection.

Three of these varieties, Champion, LG Typhoon and KWS Dawsum, are also some of the most popular grown in the UK – collectively these are estimated to account for upwards of 30% of the wheat area in 2025, thus highlighting the significance of this development.

For all of its potency, however, it doesn’t necessarily spell the end of these varieties, suggests Niab’s head of plant pathology, Dr Kostya Kanyuka. “Yr15 gave efficient resistance to yellow rust at the seedling stage, but this is no longer the case. Fortunately, where crops received a suitable fungicide at T0, it

Varietal nuances

Niab’s Dr Kostya Kanyuka says it’s clear that not all varieties, including those known to carry the Yr15 gene, are as badly affected as Champion, Dawsum or Typhoon.

appears to have been well controlled.”

REVISED RATINGS

As part of a plan to give growers and advisers the information required to make informed management decisions, the AHDB is preparing to issue revised disease scores for all varieties based on assessments made at sites where this strain of the disease was prevalent. The data is being

processed now, and Paul is hopeful that it’ll be published by mid-August.

“It’s perhaps too late to inform variety selection for this autumn, but in combination with other work by Niab and JIC, it should help growers and agronomists to plan accordingly for next season,” he says.

The variety testing undertaken by Niab has since expanded to include all Recommended List and candidate

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varieties, and several controls. The intention is to identify how frequent Yr15 is amongst current varieties, so to understand the scale of the issue.

Of the 36 varieties tested so far, 12 have been found to carry the Yr15 gene. “It’s clear that not all varieties, including those we know to carry the Yr15 gene, are as badly affected as Champion, Dawsum or Typhoon,” comments Kostya. “This suggests the presence of additional minor genes(s) which have an influence on a variety’s resistance capabilities.”

Some of those lesser affected varieties carrying Yr15 may also carry so-called adult plant resistance gene(s) (APR), which tend to become active only once the plant moves from vegetive growth to flowering, typically at stem extension.

APRs and minor genes don’t provide complete resistance, but rather partial resistance, or reduced susceptibility. Unfortunately, the most badly affected varieties, such as Champion, Dawsum and Typhoon, don’t appear to carry these additional genes for extra protection.

Niab’s testing has so far focussed on establishing the virulence of the latest strain rather than describing any characteristic features such as aggressiveness, latent period or functioning temperature range. These are questions for future studies, adds Kostya.

“We used standard conditions and symptoms appeared on our panel varieties at roughly the same time, and while manifestations were no quicker to appear on Yr15 varieties, the symptoms were more severe than might have otherwise been expected,” he says.

This is perhaps its defining characteristic – on varieties that pose the Yr15 gene, it develops more quickly than those with diverse forms of resistance, but this distinction is unlikely to be sufficient to affect crop protection programmes, believes Kostya.

“It is clear, however, that not applying a T0, especially in those regions and varieties known to be a risk, is no longer a sustainable course of action.”

FUNGICIDE SPEND

With some growers opting to save on a T0 spray, this could partly explain the popularity of Champion, Dawsum and Typhoon, he suggests. “These varieties were resistant for many years and missing a T0, which is of far less significance to performance than either the T1 or T2 spray, represented a low-risk opportunity to save on fungicide costs.”

For Niab agronomist and head of

agronomy services, Dr Mark Fletcher, watching the disease develop during the winter and spring this current season has proven highly informative. He says there are now clear differences in the extent to which varieties are affected, while it appears restricted to the North and East.

“It’s most definitely not a typical strain, but until we have more understanding and experience, it’s best being watched carefully. Champion seems to be more affected than Dawsum, while Typhoon, which appeared to be the worst affected variety in the early spring, is now suffering less than either Champion or Dawsum,” he explains.

Such observations are of little value this season he admits, but could be invaluable for future years. “A

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Yellow rust infection

A suspected Yr15 -virulent yellow rust on a susceptible variety in April 2025.

Photo: Niab.

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Decision making conundrum

It’s not a shortage of effective fungicides that poses a crop protection dilemma, rather the difficulty in deciding the optimum programme to deliver the protection required, explains Niab’s Dr Mark Fletcher.

considerable number of the seed crops in production for sowing this autumn and most likely next year are varieties susceptible to the new Yr15 -virulent race,” points out Mark.

Add to this the increased risk facing successive wheats and the trend towards reduced tillage systems, and the disease burden next season may well be even greater.

“There’ll be a large green bridge to support inoculum carry-over. Assuming it survives the winter and that conditions favour it again next spring, we must be prepared.”

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Conditions are certainly trending towards greater disease pressure, he believes. This is because winters are becoming milder and summers generally wetter, albeit 2025 bucks this trend. Add in a greater focus among growers on crops which have historically been the most profitable, such as winter wheat, plus a preference for direct drilling, and the risk that strains virulent on Yr15 pose is only likely to increase.

The rapid emergence and spread of this strain may have caught growers and agronomists off-

guard, adds Mark, but the dry conditions through spring meant there were sufficient spray days available to get on top of it.

“If spray timings were well-timed then crops stayed clean, but you only had to be slightly late, especially with Champion, to have issues. It could be recovered, but at a cost,” he says.

“Solatenol or other chemistry with strong activity against yellow rust such as prothioconazole will do well. Our work at Morley investigating T1 choices other than tebuconazole suggests there are several alternatives that perform well.

“We have the material to protect crops but given the economic pressures facing growers, the challenge is to make a judgement that proves to be correct,” concludes Mark. ● 

“The focus, however, will continue to be septoria so we’re looking at products or combinations of products that deliver broad-spectrum control,” explains Mark.

It’s not a shortage of effective fungicides that poses a crop protection dilemma, rather the difficulty in deciding the optimum programme to deliver the protection required, he suggests.

Integrated weed control AGRONOMY

Fresh approaches to shifting blackgrass threat

Blackgrass control strategies should change and adapt if growers are to keep on top of this constantly evolving threat, say experts. CPM visits Hutchinsons’ Cambourne grassweed demonstration site to learn more.

By Rob Jones

When it comes to weed control, important changes observed at South Sea Farm – home to Hutchinsons’ blackgrass demonstration site – are protracted germination, and populations dominated by fewer but more aggressively tillering plants.

According to technical manager, Dick Neale, this is representative of many other farms across the country, therefore it could be time for growers to refine their grassweed management approaches accordingly.

In the case of South Sea Farm in Cambourne, a range of approaches are now being taken. “It’s about questioning and scrutinising everything that may, or may not, have an impact on blackgrass,” says Dick.

“In many cases, we’re optimising simple factors, from cultivations, cropping, variety choice, and seed rates, to drill type, sowing date, and placed nutrition to increase crop competition. There’s no single answer.”

Mapping blackgrass populations and identifying potential causes is key to targeting control strategies and technology can help, suggests Dick. At South Sea Farm, field populations have been mapped in Omnia and then

overlaid against Terramap soil analysis.

Soils specialist, Jade Prince, explains that properties such as the silt:clay ratio, plant available water, organic matter content, and organic carbon:clay ratio are all useful indicators to highlight where the heaviest, wettest, soils are, and therefore where blackgrass is likely to thrive.

Other factors such as the calcium:magnesium ratio also provide a good indication of soil ‘tightness’ and workability. “Here we have high magnesium content soils, so we’ve used gypsum to address the issue – gypsum allows magnesium to flush lower into the soil so the seedbed becomes more friable.”

Poor drainage has been identified as the main cause of many blackgrass issues at Cambourne, meaning a concerted effort to repair existing drains and mole plough problem areas, points out head of farm business consultancy, Will Foyle.

“Poor drainage not only increases waterlogging and creates conditions for blackgrass to thrive, but it also reduces crop establishment and growth, and compromises the ability to travel on land at the optimum time for cultivations, drilling, or herbicide applications.”

“It’s about questioning and scrutinising everything that may, or may not, have an impact on blackgrass.”

DICK NEALE

A cost benefit analysis of growing spring barley with and without good drainage has indicated the case for rectifying problems (see table). This analysis is based on yields from a crop of Planet spring barley grown at the site in 2024, where drainage problems were evident on parts of the field during the exceptionally wet spring.

“Such conditions won’t occur every year but are becoming more frequent. Yields were broadly representative of spring barley grown elsewhere on the farm that year, with poorer areas averaging just under 4t/ha and better land just over 7t/ha,” notes Will.

“Drainage is something we can’t

Blackgrass risk indicators

Soils specialist, Jade Prince, explains that properties such as the silt:clay ratio, plant available water and organic matter content are all useful indicators to identify the heaviest, wettest soils.

AGRONOMY Integrated weed control

Drainage problem

Poor drainage has been identified as the cause of many of the blackgrass issues at the Cambourne site, points out Hutchinsons’, Will Foyle.

Drainage cost (£/ha) – assumes an average cost of £3000/ha, borrowed at 4.5% over 10 years

* Adjusted net margin assumes additional inversion cultivation cost of £60/ha to address extra seed return without drainage, and a herbicide saving of £40/ha where drainage has been improved and seed return is lower.

neglect as it offers one of the greatest returns on investment. In this scenario, we were effectively £422/ha better

off by investing in drainage – getting better crops, reducing blackgrass and returning more money to the business.”

As for protracted germination, one trial at Cambourne has illustrated the patterns now being seen, where plots were sprayed off with glyphosate every two weeks during the autumn and subsequent blackgrass emergence recorded.

“After every glyphosate application there was further germination right through to the end of November,” says Dick. “They weren’t big numbers – 16 plants/m2 at the 26 Nov assessment – but they did keep coming.”

Like many farms, stale seedbeds have been used successfully for the past 8-10 years, largely exhausting the late-September/early October blackgrass population, he adds.

“Therefore we aren’t seeing the same performance from stale seedbeds anymore. Blackgrass numbers are down by a factor of 10 compared with what we used to see at our old Brampton site. Instead of 400-600 plants/m2, we’re now dealing with 40-60/m2. However, their ability to tiller is strong with some producing more than 40 tillers per plant.”

Dick adds that because of the lower blackgrass pressure, there’s an argument for drilling slightly earlier to help to create a more competitive crop. “It’s something we’re looking at in the trials, as well as other ways to maximise crop competition.”

In terms of herbicide programmes, the shift to more protracted germination has had significant consequences.

According to ADAS’ John Cussans, this means well-timed sequences offer more effective control compared with large stacks of residual chemistry.

Not only has this been was evident during a herbicide trial at the site, but mirrors results elsewhere, suggests John.

Don’t give weeds an easy ride at harvest

After a relatively successful season for weed control, growers are urged to keep up the good work, especially as combines roll

From a weed control standpoint, harvest is all about making it as difficult as possible for the weed seed to survive and then flourish in the next crop, highlights Bayer’s Jamie Oakley. “The smaller the seed-bank, the smaller the potential population which gives more flexibility around crop choice, drilling date and the autumn herbicide programme.”

He says firstly, machine hygiene and blowing down harvest equipment between fields should limit the spread of seed. “Take particular care in any fields with known resistance problems. Obviously you won’t remove every seed from large pieces of machinery, so it’s about tipping the balance in your favour.”

Jamie points out that another factor to look out for is compaction caused by harvest machinery, especially if it’s wet during combining. “Poor crop establishment and waterlogging caused by compaction is always an invitation to weeds like blackgrass.”

For fields going into cereals, he suggests working out the best approach to cultivation, stale seedbeds and drilling. “Consider what will reduce the weed seedbank and help crop establishment; there’s no one-size-fits-all template here. Even on the same farm there are variations in weed pressure, spectrum and resistance status on top of differences in soil type.

“With conditions currently hot and dry, cultivation soon after harvest is unlikely to aid weed control because

“We’ve seen across a lot of different trials, that a herbicide sequence is more robust and gives the highest level of blackgrass control compared with putting everything in the tank pre-emergence.

“Even with our best products, we still find they’re better used in a sequence rather than as a single product at a single timing. But, we must maintain tight sequences, which for a September/ October drilled wheat, might start with a pre-em straight after drilling, followed by a second application 5-10 days later.

“As soon as that second application is delayed too long, control can really drop, so you have to be able to make it work,” he stresses. l

there won’t be enough moisture to encourage a chit. In these situations, leave seed on the surface to suffer the effects of UV light and predation.

“Patience is important, wait for rainfall and soil moisture before cultivating then spray with Roundup (glyphosate) later,” he suggests.

Jamie admits that waiting might be easier said than done if it remains dry into September. “Know the weed status of each field to prioritise control. The same goes for drilling – generally

the worst fields are best left until last to reduce weed germination in the crop. But however it turns out, herbicides will be crucial this autumn.”

According to Jamie, Proclus (aclonifen) should cope well with drier conditions and is a good option at pre-emergence. “Applied in partnership with a metribuzin co-form like Alternator Met, Cadou Met or Octavian Met (all metribuzin+ flufenacet+ diflufenican) for higher weed pressure, or with Liberator (flufenacet+ diflufenican) in other situations,” he concludes.

The complete package with Septoria protection built in!

Taking a zero tolerance approach to grassweeds

With autumn 2023 still fresh in minds and harvest likely to fall earlier this year, delaying drilling may prove hard for many, placing additional pressure on herbicide programmes and weed control approaches. CPM hosts this month’s Common Ground discussion to explore further.

By Janine Adamson

Conditions during the past few seasons have been extreme – from the waterlogged autumn of 2023 to the prolonged drought this spring – thus having a profound impact on cropping plans and management approaches. Among the most notable of consequences has been compromised grassweed control, with some growers

finding themselves set back around five years. In certain instances this has meant a return to the plough, whereas in others a solution has been found by exploring new chemistry. Regardless of the tactics deployed, there’s a common theme: taking a zero tolerance view on grassweeds. To discuss this approach further, CPM brings together Doncaster-

“Blackgrass can escalate rather quickly but take years to get back on-track.”

based farmer, Nigel Durdy; Niab’s regional agronomist for the west, Poppy de Pass; and BASF agronomy manager, Jenny Deakin.

BASIS-qualified Nigel manages 1100ha Ninevah Farm in partnership with his brother Adrian. The farm has a wide range of soil types from blow-away sand to peat, loams and boulder clay. Winter wheat, winter rye, spring barley, vining peas and SFI forms an average cropping rotation.

INTEGRATED WEED CONTROL

To set the scene, Nigel shared that while he believes the farm is in a good position in terms of grassweed pressure now, that’s not always been the case. “If I look back 8-10 years ago, we were really struggling with

JENNY DEAKIN

Spring cropping

After a blackgrass infested crop of winter wheat, Nigel Durdy opted for spring barley which provided a strong start in cleaning that particular field up.

blackgrass and losing yield as a result.

“Our cropping was based on winter wheat plus oilseed rape as a break crop, with little spring cropping. Things have changed in many ways since, but one of the key aspects is we’ve adjusted our rotation.”

He explained that as such, the farm hasn’t grown OSR for at least four years, making a shift towards spring cropping, primarily spring barley.

“After a blackgrass infested crop of winter wheat, we opted for spring barley which provided a strong start in cleaning that particular field up; that’s been the strategy since.

“Then as an alternative break crop we’ve gone quite strongly into SFI, so when we drill this autumn, we’ll follow that with a summer fallow which should have a positive effect on our blackgrass count. We then add appropriate chemistry such as pre- and post-ems as required, although our cultural methods are definitely helping.”

Poppy added that she’s noted ploughing starting to creep back into more rotations, albeit quietly. “Perhaps some don’t want to talk about it but it’s definitely happening – using the plough to rectify grassweed problems as part of the wider system, rather than dismissed as not required anymore.”

Common Ground AGRONOMY

ZERO TOLERANCE

Reflecting on the importance of effective grassweed control, Poppy said 2023/24 proved a sage reminder due to the increased incidences of ergot. “A lot of blackgrass came through in thinner crops and open canopies, there was then a knock-on effect of ergot. Growers are still cleaning ergot out of crops even at this point now as grain goes out of the shed.

“So from that point of view, zero tolerance is at the forefront to avoid a repeat of that scenario, therefore reducing that weed burden in the seedbank has to be done.

“Looking at crops this year, I’ve found my first ergot in barley, which I’m of course disappointed about. However, it’s brought it to the front of my attention when planning for next year.”

She highlighted that not only do grassweeds impact yield, but they can also waste valuable inputs. “For example, fertiliser that will actually end up feeding a blackgrass crop. All those little things add up and are taking away from your final margin.”

Jenny added that even where pressure is low and rogueable, the seed return can soon multiply. “If we take one plant which perhaps on average has 10 heads – if that was to shed seeds into next year, that will quickly multiply to perhaps 1000 weed seeds. It can escalate rather quickly but take years to get back on-track.

“It may be tempting to take a risk with fewer cultural controls or a lesseffective herbicide programme. In these cases though, we’ve seen many live to regret it when a much higher weed count rears its head in the spring.”

THIS AUTUMN

With the poor autumn conditions of 2023 still relatively fresh in minds, and the prospect of an upcoming early harvest following an arid spring, Jenny said she anticipates some growers may chance drilling in September this season.

“When we lose flufenacet we’ll require other products to rely on.”

“That’s going to be a significant risk because there won’t be the opportunity to achieve adequate stale seedbeds and a good weed seed chit. Planting in September, you may achieve the first flush – which is often the most successful – but that’s still leaning hard on chemistry.”

In response, Poppy explained that she’s trying to keep options flexible for her growers when planning for the upcoming season. “Either way, it’s key to know which blocks of land are lower pressure and harder to drill in wet conditions so you can focus on those first if necessary, and then follow with areas which are more likely to establish successfully later in the season.

“Equally, seed rates are a key measure in combatting blackgrass – are your current rates right or should we push higher to increase crop competition?

“From an agronomist’s point of view, we aim for October drilling onwards to reduce blackgrass pressure, but at the same time, we don’t want crop establishment failure when it’s no longer sensible or possible to travel due to conditions. It’s a compromise of all of those factors and trying to achieve the optimum,” she said.

Poppy highlighted that when comparing fields drilled in September 2024 with those planted in the first week of November, the difference in blackgrass control should prove a good reminder of the importance of drilling date. “The majority of what we’ve looked at this year has been November drilled onwards so it’s been fairly clean, but there are a few early drilled reminders out there, even when input spend has been high.”

Seed return risk

BASF’s Jenny Deakin highlighted that even where weed pressure is low and rogueable, the seed return can soon multiply.



AGRONOMY Common Ground

Weed control options

While it’s taken a year or two for farmers to get to know Luximo, it’s helpful to have another solid building block in the armoury, pointed out Niab’s Poppy de Pass.

LUXIMO

Moving onto herbicide options, Jenny pointed out that for many, Luximo (cinmethylin) has become the main building block at pre-emergence in a herbicide programme. “It’s delivered high levels of control and been well received, but there are wider aspects to consider in order to achieve those good results and ensure crop safety.

“Factors such as ensuring correct drilling depth, and a good consolidation by rolling – admittedly that’s been difficult the past few seasons due to conditions.

“BASF trials show Luximo consistently provides an uplift in control. It does a lot of the heavy lifting in a programme, so it’s important everything is done to maximise its performance.”

She added that, while it provides the most value as the first product on the ground, as confirmed last autumn, the flexibility of Luximo’s label has proven useful. “In my region there was a small drilling window in September but then there wasn’t an opportunity until November; having that flexibility to go post-em was helpful.

“But, it’s still not going to be a silver bullet if you’re drilling in September. Yes, it will be effective, but it’s not

going to fully control all grassweeds present in the seedbank.”

Jenny highlighted the uncertainty surrounding flufenacet. “In the past, growers have relied on flufenacet being a solid mode of action and useful as a top-up for weed control. It’s now up in the air therefore it could be valuable to use the transition period to get used to Luximo and where it fits within herbicide programmes.”

In agreement, Poppy said using contact herbicides in the spring in a bid to control established blackgrass, is often hit and miss. “So the more we can do in the autumn, generally, the better.

“It’s taken a year or two for farmers to get to know Luximo, considering they’ve been using it during some very testing conditions, but it’s very helpful to have another solid building block in the armoury. Equally, due to its effectiveness, it must be used with care when conditions are diminishing.”

Providing a farmer’s perspective, Nigel believes it’s been a gamechanger. “We wanted something new, something extra, and when we lose flufenacet we’ll require other products to rely on.

“Equally, I agree that it has to be used properly to be fully efficacious – including attention to detail during application and adequate moisture in the seedbed. But used correctly, it should do the job meaning you have a chance of achieving a fairly clean wheat crop.

“We’ve always managed to apply it in reasonable conditions with the seed depth good enough for it not to show any adverse effect. It’s a good product.” l

Contact herbicides

Using contact herbicides in the spring to control established blackgrass can often be hit and miss.

BASF’s Common Ground is a community united by shared vision – a brighter future for farming. Working together to tackle the challenges growers face while celebrating the opportunities that arise, the initiative brings together people and businesses with diverse farming philosophies to share their perspectives.

By exploring key topics such as resilient crop production, achieving balance, and preparing for tomorrow’s demands, it highlights the power of collective insight. In coming together to openly discuss and face challenges as one, Common Ground can discover what truly works and help shape the future of UK agriculture.

CPM would like to thank BASF for sponsoring this feature and for its support in making the connections to the experts and insights required to make it possible.

Seed treatments AGRONOMY

Boosting establishment, surging yield

“This is a unique formulation which delivers a symbiotic result.”

ROBERT HAWKIN

Pitched as the next generation of seed treatment, Surge is promising to make waves in crop establishment by combining bacillus bacteria with a key micronutrient. CPM takes a closer look.

By Janine Adamson and Rob Jones

While it’s not the first bacillusbased seed treatment to come to the UK market, by combining the bacteria with manganese, it’s hoped new product Surge will prove a step up when it comes to boosting crop establishment and early plant development.

That’s according to Robert Hawkin, director of Fielder, the plant nutrition company behind the innovation. He says Surge is not only novel, but the ‘next generation’ of seed treatment.

“Combining bacillus with key micronutrient manganese offers a symbiotic relationship that’s yet to be explored as a seed treatment, until now,” states Robert. “The purpose is to enhance germination and early seedling growth while meeting the demand for sustainable, soil-health boosting products.”

RIGOROUS R&D

Taking a look at Surge in greater detail, the product began life around five years ago and has been undergoing rigorous testing in the UK since. Contributing to the seed treatment’s design has been Crop Intellect’s Dr Apostolos Papadopoulos, an expert in bacillus.

“Surge seed treatment incorporates bacillus-based bacteria as a biological component designed to support early crop establishment and overall plant health. Bacillus species are naturally occurring, spore-forming bacteria that colonise the root surface on germination and form a symbiotic relationship with the plant,” he explains.

Apostolos adds that in Surge, bacillus supports crop development in various ways: by promoting early root development for better access to water and nutrients; enhancing

nutrient availability, particularly phosphorus, through solubilisation processes; and supporting plant resilience to stress conditions by improving root-soil interaction and stimulating natural defence pathways.

“It contributes to more uniform emergence, improved vigour, and

Product viability

Because the bacillus in Surge forms robust spores, it remains viable on the seed for extended periods to ensure it’s effective at the point of sowing, explains Dr Apostolos Papadopoulos.

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 potentially more stable yields, especially under suboptimal growing conditions.”

When compared with similar products currently available in the UK market, Surge should stand out, argues Apostolos. “Unlike many off-the-shelf microbial seed treatments, which are often developed and tested under different agronomic or climatic conditions, Surge’s bacillus material has been trialled in the regions where it’s applied, ensuring it delivers measurable benefits in local soil types, cereal varieties, and farming systems.”

A further differentiator is that the bacillus in Surge has been evaluated for both physical and chemical compatibility with common seed treatments including fungicides and micronutrient coatings. “Because the bacillus forms robust spores, it remains viable on the seed for extended periods to ensure it’s effective at the point of sowing – a common weakness in many other biological formulations,” suggests Apostolos.

In fact, the shelf-life of the product is around 12-months with no pre-mixing involved prior to it going through a seed dresser.

Innovative solution

According to Fielder’s Robert Hawkin, Surge is not only novel, but the ‘next generation’ of seed treatment.

chlorophyll and lignin.

“As such, trials indicate that when assessed against a comparable competitor product, Surge offers a 7% yield uplift. If we compare with an untreated crop, this quite literally surges to a 20% yield improvement,” he comments.

“Surge’s bacillus material has been trialled in the regions where it’s applied, ensuring it delivers measurable benefits in local soil types, cereal varieties, and farming systems.”

But it’s the combination of bacillus with manganese which makes Surge a true innovation, highlights Robert. “This is a unique formulation which delivers a symbiotic result; it’s widely recognised that manganese is critical during crop establishment. Manganese activates the enzymes involved in photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, and the production of essential compounds such as

In terms of application, Surge can be used across a range of crops including cereals, legumes, oilseed rape, maize and grass. Robert believes aside from tangible crop benefits, because the product solubilises phosphorus in the soil and fixes nitrogen, it should also align with growers who are seeking to reduce their environmental impact.

SUSTAINABILITY GAINS

Apostolos agrees: “The use of bacillus aligns with regenerative agriculture and sustainability goals because it enhances biological processes in the soil while reducing dependency on synthetic inputs. This makes bacillusbased products valuable tools for both productivity and sustainability,” he adds. Scarborough-based

RANCONA® i-MIX

Micro-emulsion fungicide seed treatment

• Protects against seed and soil-borne diseases inwheat and barley.

• Reduces ergot germination.

• Controls loose smut.

• Unique micro-emulsion formulation for low dust and asafer working environment.

AGRONOMY Seed treatments

Lack of rain highlights rooting risks

Exceptionally dry weather experienced in many areas recently may have amplified the impact of take-all and other issues that compromise crop rooting

The past few months have been challenging for many growers and while some have fared better than others, crops with compromised root systems have inevitably struggled. This highlights the importance of improving resilience to an increasingly unpredictable climate, says Hampshire Arable Systems agronomist, Steve Cook.

“Every root has to be working at its maximum in such conditions. If you don’t have the root mass in the first place, it could exacerbate the impact on final yield of issues such as poor seedbed quality or diseases like take-all.”

Northamptonshire-based Indigro agronomist, Damian McAuley, agrees and adds that while takeall incidence may not be higher than usual this year, the situation could have been very different.

He explains wet and warm conditions in autumn, winter, and spring favour the accumulation of

Increasing incidences

inoculum in the soil, potentially making it worse the following year. “If we think back to the 2023/24 season, we had a wet and relatively warm winter followed by a very wet spring which would have favoured take-all build-up and caused higher pressure going into this season, especially as winter 2024/25 was quite warm and wet.

“The situation probably isn’t as bad as it could have been though due to the delay in drilling following rain last September and October.”

This extended the gap between crops and allowed more time for take-all to decline naturally, resulting in lower levels. “Take-all is a building pathogen; it’ll rise when you’re growing a take-all building crop such as winter wheat, and drop when you grow a break.

“It’ll also decline between crops, so the longer the interval between harvesting the previous crop and sowing the next, the more take-all levels will reduce in the field,” explains Damian.

WEATHER ISSUES

However, despite the enforced delayed drilling, he says some limited areas of take-all did start appearing during May, and the symptoms – and potential yield loss – in affected crops are likely to be exacerbated by a lack of rain.

“Take-all is a root-limiting disease. If you already have a limited root system because of take-all, anything else that might hinder rooting such as poor nutrition, drainage problems, soil structure issues, or lack of water, could exacerbate the situation. It’s not that take-all gets worse in dry conditions, it’s that symptoms become more extreme.”

The key to effective crop establishment and mitigating the impact of take-all in any season, is to build strong root mass early in the crop’s life, continues Steve. This includes understanding what’s going on in the soil and rectifying issues which could restrict rooting such as poor drainage or compaction, before drilling.

Risk factors

Agronomist Damian McAuley reminds that if a crop already has a limited root system because of take-all, anything else that might hinder rooting could exacerbate the situation.

The availability of nutrients, particularly phosphate and potash, within the rooting zone of young seedlings also has a significant impact, while pH is another consideration as takeall severity typically increases in more alkaline soils, notes Damien. He also highlights the importance of building soil biology.

“Healthy soil biology, including a good mycorrhizal fungi population, doesn’t leave much room for other fungi such as the take-all pathogen. If you build a diverse rotation with cover crops and a biologically active soil, you’ll have other antagonistic organisms in the soil which can predate and outcompete take-all too.”

He reminds that burying the takeall pathogen with deep ploughing, for example, will move inoculum out of the germination zone and help crop establishment, but crop roots will eventually grow down to where the fungus is. “Fungal mycelium can spread more easily in loose, puffy seedbeds, so consolidate well after drilling,” he adds.

Cereal volunteers and some

Jamie Gemmill has observed more take-all in second wheats this season at his 280ha family farm in north Essex.

grassweeds – notably couch and barren brome – can carry take-all inoculum, potentially providing a ‘green bridge’ from one crop to the next. Then, where cover or catch crops are being used Damien says to select mixes carefully to ensure they don’t contain cereal or grass species that host take-all.

SEED TREATMENTS

While such cultural measures are fundamental to establishing strong roots and managing take-all risk, they can be supported with targeted seed treatment use where appropriate. This is particularly true where growers have to drill cereals early.

“In second or third wheats in areas with a history of take-all infection, protecting the crop against primary infection is vital to ensure healthy roots in the spring,” says Certis Belchim’s Leanne Fowler.

She highlights that Latitude (silthiofam) is the only seed treatment option with take-all control on the label and can give growers the flexibility to sow crops up to two weeks earlier than would be ideal from a take-all perspective, and still achieve the same yield. Indeed, long-term trials indicate a consistent yield response of 0.55 t/ha in second wheats grown under moderate takeall risk, says Leanne.

“Once Latitude-treated seed is in contact with the soil, it moves from the seed to form a zone of protection in the soil around it, to help protect developing roots from infection. Maintaining root health also allows plants to make better use of spring-applied nitrogen, which has financial and environmental benefits.”

Jamie Gemmill has observed more take-all in second wheats this season at his 280ha family farm in north Essex. “Take-

all is very seasonal and we’ve seen minor issues before – particularly when it’s been a dry end to the season – but it’s never been a major problem. This year, we’ve seen more patches show up and from fairly early in the season.

“I first noticed some areas didn’t look quite right when going through with the first nitrogen dressing at the end of February,” explains Jamie.

He believes the problem land, which accounts for around 5-15% of three fields of Palladium second wheat, could have been exacerbated by poor seedbed quality last autumn. Soils had been ploughed and pressed after harvest but heavy rain in September delayed drilling and forced him to switch from a disc to tine drill. “It left the seedbed cloddy and puffy and because of the wet conditions, we couldn’t consolidate afterwards.

“We did manage to roll in the spring, but the damage had been done by then. The root mass wasn’t there in affected areas so crops didn’t respond to fertiliser as well as in other parts of the field.”

Jamie raises that he’d normally aim to achieve 9-10 t/ha from second wheats. “I think we’ll be lucky to get half of that on the patches affected by drought and take-all this year.”

Looking ahead to the coming autumn, he hopes conditions will allow for good quality seedbeds to be created, with a plan to treat all wheat seed with Latitude.

“Late drilling isn’t really an option for us on the heavy Hanslope series chalky boulder clay. We usually aim to start drilling relatively early, around 25 September, and in a good year we’ll be done by early October.”

AGRONOMY Seed treatments

Enhanced rooting

During the dry conditions this spring, John Stonehouse says Surge delivered a significant uplift in crop rooting.

mixed farmer John Stonehouse has been trialling Surge on his farm for the past two years. This season, he’s undertaken a series of field-scale trials on a crop of spring barley, comparing treated and untreated plus with and without different foliar applications. He says during the dry conditions this spring, the seed treatment has delivered a significant uplift in crop rooting. “I believe roots are the building blocks of a crop so prioritising their

Trial results

Untreated barley roots (left) compared with those treated with Surge seed treatment (right).

development is therefore a key driver for me. When we dug individual plants to assess the root mass this spring, those treated with Surge were apparent – I’d say around 30-40% more rooting.”

Prior to his trials with Surge, John hadn’t used bacillus-based products before, although he’s long been an advocate of Fielder’s phosphite biostimulant seed treatment, Kick-Off. He says he’s been converted. “Having seen the results, I’m happy to say it works.

“Equally, for those using Surge in a commercial scenario rather than trials, I believe there could be the potential to make adjustments to subsequent fungicide programmes. With a healthier plant from the off, it’s more likely to ward off disease naturally,” highlights John. Using his own on-farm seed dresser, he says Surge was easy to apply. In fact, John believes the formulation is better than other seed treatment products currently on the market. ●

Insider’s View: Wheat VARIETIES

Creating a sparkle in the North

Commended for its significantly improved distilling quality and potential alcohol yield per tonne, candidate variety Sparkler is catching attention. CPM investigates why this wheat could prove a gem for northern growers.

By Janine Adamson

With its good tillering ability, significantly improved distilling quality and high septoria resistance, could Sparkler’s brilliance create a fizz among the soft Group 4 offering?

According to breeder Elsoms, offering a step up in key traits such as disease resistance, a notably high alcohol yield, plus the wider attributes growers have come to expect from a modern variety, means Sparkler has the potential to become a treasured gem in the North.

Currently a candidate variety set to gain a spot on the Recommended List in November this year, Sparkler ticks all of the boxes required for a robust feed or distilling wheat, says Elsoms’ head of wheat breeding, Milika Buurman.

“Not only is Sparkler proving to deliver

exceptional yields in the North, but this is accompanied by a significantly improved alcohol yield per tonne, compared with similar varieties in soft Group 4.

“While in the past, popular varieties for distilling have had high gross output but perhaps lacked alcohol yield, Sparkler has broken through this barrier. Therefore we hope growers will perceive it as a high yielding option with a guaranteed end market, whether that’s feed or distilling,” she explains.

FOSTERING FAMILIARITY

Recognising grower preference for their tried and tested varieties, Milika says Sparkler has been bred from Graham-Skyscraper parentage so it should offer a level of familiarity.

“Farmers in the North have extensive

“Sparkler’s promised alcohol yield is what makes the variety an exciting prospect.”

DON PETERS

experience in growing these varieties, and while Sparkler is created to outperform its parents, we hope that might provide some added assurance regarding its potential.” Disease-wise, the jewel in Sparkler’s

Alcohol yield boost

Not only is Sparkler proving to deliver exceptional yields in the North, but it’s accompanied by significantly improved alcohol yield per tonne, says Elsoms’ Milika Buurman.

VARIETIES Insider’s View: Wheat

Top tillering

According to Don Peters of McCreath Simpson & Prentice, during early trial assessments, Sparkler presented above average tillering.

crown is septoria resistance, which although yet to be formally scored, trials suggest is on a par with the leading RL varieties. “Importantly, we’ve seen consistently low levels of septoria infection in Sparkler throughout the breeding process. On a personal level, having seen its development from initial cross through to impending launch, it’s satisfying that septoria resistance is one of its stand-out traits.

“As for yellow rust resistance, which has come under high levels of scrutiny of late, we have no concerns –the level of resistance in Sparkler doesn’t seem to have changed from last season,” stresses Milika.

having seen Sparkler in Agrii trials at Saltash in Cornwall this year, its septoria resistance is what caught his eye. “In my region (Devon and Somerset), a robust septoria score is a must.

“The untreated plots especially look good and reasonably clean. It’ll be interesting to see how Sparkler performs in a year with greater disease pressure such as last season, to put that resistance package to the test.”

According to Milika, there should be no issues regarding lodging risk either, with Sparkler holding its own both with and without PGR.

DRILLING DATES

Looking at drilling window, she explains that this has been calculated based on Sparkler’s development speed and tillering ability, although will depend on regional risk. “In the North, growers could drill from 15 September; then in the South, we advise from the beginning of October onwards.

“But overall, due to its growth habit and high tillering capacity, Sparkler makes for a good late driller. This is particularly useful for growers who are planting a first wheat after harvesting sugar beet or potatoes, for example.

“Conversely, its early-drilled septoria ratings are still good – it’s flexible and can take an earlier drilling slot if necessary,” comments Milika.

“Due to its growth habit and high tillering capacity, Sparkler makes for a good late driller.”

However, she admits that as per many wheat varieties, there’s been a tradeoff – in this case, brown rust resistance. “Sparkler was put to the test last season where we saw unprecedented levels of the disease in many varieties. So while brown rust resistance isn’t its forte, it meets the minimum standard required. “In addition, chemical control for brown rust remains effective and the disease is less of a concern in general, in particular, in those areas where growers aim for the distilling markets in the northern region.”

Although the variety is primarily being pitched for those in the North, it performs well across the wider UK too. Agrii agronomist, Andrew Farley, says

Don Peters, seed specialist for McCreath Simpson & Prentice, the agricultural merchanting division of Simpsons Malt, says Sparkler is currently being evaluated as part of the company’s dedicated distilling wheat trial in Angus. Drilled on 5 October, he says the variety was quick out of the blocks and established well. “It was also noticeably fast to get going in the spring, launching into vigorous growth.”

One aspect Don noted in particular, was that during early assessments, Sparkler presented above average tillering – one or two more tillers than all of the other varieties in the trial. “We experienced significant fluctuations in temperature in Scotland this spring, meaning there will have been an impact on the physiology of the wheat plants.

“As such, there may have been lost tillers. However, with Sparkler having a higher baseline to begin with, this offers some insurance in those

types of scenarios,” he points out.

All varieties being trialled by McCreath Simpson & Prentice are evaluated both untreated and with the addition of the standard RL fungicide protocol. Don says while septoria pressure this year in Scotland has been low, Sparkler has remained clean throughout plus indicated a low susceptibility to mildew.

“There has been some yellow rust in the untreated Sparkler plot, but this was controlled well by appropriate fungicides. All-in-all, it appears to offer a good, robust disease resistance profile.”

In terms of the variety’s position in the market, Don agrees with Elsoms. “Spirit extract potential has plateaued for the past 20 years or so, so Sparkler’s promised alcohol yield is what makes the variety an exciting prospect.

“Distilling is a significant proportion of our business, so this is an important factor for growers in the North. Now it’s a case of waiting for the numbers post-harvest to truly confirm that.”

And if this does come to fruition, there’s the potential to offset sustainability concerns, highlights Elsoms’ Toby Reich. “Particularly in the distilling market – Sparkler is efficient due to its high alcohol output, achieving more from less,” he says.

To conclude, Toby has an assured message: “We’re confident Sparkler will achieve its place on the RL. We aim for it to re-ignite the soft Group 4 market segment, just as Bamford has reinvigorated Group 3.” ●

Assured confidence

Toby Reich is confident Sparkler will achieve its place on the Recommended List.

9 resistance rating for yellow and brown rust

Easy to grow, robust, resilient and

Balancing up the yield lag

Ascertaining the true value of varietal resistance to BYDV

When a new trait is introduced into a variety, it invariably comes with an initial yield penalty. For example, rhizomania resistance in sugar beet and TuYV resistance in oilseed rape.

Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) resistance in cereals is no different, with current varieties possessing the trait behind their Group peers in AHDB Recommended List trial yields. But, until yields can be equalised, outside of an RL trial, what’s the value of the trait in a real-world situation?

A look back at orange wheat blossom midge resistance is instructive, suggests Andrew Creasy, RAGT arable technical manager. He says Welford was first with that trait in 2004, but just three years later, Oakley was recommended with the trait as the highest yielding variety on the RL.

While overcoming the yield lag with BYDV resistance might not be quite that quick, RAGT has already identified a candidate variety with the trait plus a yield of 102% of controls.

with a further four having a natural infection of BYDV, the BYDV-resistant variety RGT Goldfinch outperformed its RL yield performance by 7%, while yield was reduced by an average of 3% in the susceptible varieties.

In these trials, three new candidate varieties with BYDV resistance, all hard feed wheats, yielded on a par with the top-performing varieties on the RL.

Compensating a little on yield can be worthwhile, believes Matford Arable agronomist Neil Potts, who advises growers in the BYDV hot spot across Devon and Cornwall.

“Researchers estimate it can rob up to 50% of yield, but I’ve seen crops in this part of the world where yield loss is 100%. It kills the crop if infected badly.”

He believes the BYDV trait works.

“You could consider a fungicide spend on Goldfinch of £60-80/ha rather than up to £120-140/ha.”

“In situations where growers can struggle to spray during the autumn and winter, for example on soils that can be difficult to travel, then paying a little bit of a price on yield is well worth it to avoid BYDV.”

“Our wheat breeders have every confidence that we’ve gone through the yield pain with initial material, and it’ll improve quickly,” states Andrew.

Where BYDV is present, the yield gap can quickly disappear – across 11 RAGT trials, seven inoculated

On farm, it’s margin that counts more than overall yield, says Northamptonshire grower Andrew Pitts. He grew a 40ha seed crop of RGT Goldfinch last season which was direct drilled at the end of September after peas. This yielded 10.1t/ha and crucially achieved full milling wheat specification

Moving on up

RAGT’s Andrew Creasey says the breeder has every confidence that it’s gone through the yield pain with initial BYDV-resistant material, and it’ll improve quickly.

of 13.1 to 13.7% protein, 76kg/hl specific weight and a Hagberg of 350.

That yield surpassed expectations he adds, but achieving a full milling wheat specification is ultimately what helps to drive acceptable gross margins. “If we’d sold that in the autumn, it would have been worth around £240/t and a gross output approaching £2400/ha. That’s an excellent output,” comments Andrew Pitts.

In addition, RGT Goldfinch’s wider agronomic characteristics could help to make it a cheaper variety to grow. “It’s an astonishingly clean variety. We had one 36m tramline where we didn’t apply any fungicide to see what it looked like and the combine data showed no yield differences compared with where it had a full fungicide programme.

“You wouldn’t do that commercially, but you could consider a fungicide spend on Goldfinch of £60-80/ha rather than up to £120-140/ ha,” highlights Andrew Pitts.

Adding that saving to a potential payment of £45/ ha for growers signed up to an SFI contract, including the no insecticide option, it totals to around a £90/ha saving once the additional cost for the BYDV trait is taken into account.

“That’s 0.5t/ha of yield at no risk, so you have

to look at it in the round. It makes for a very low risk variety commercially, which has a place.”

It also fits systems where the aim is to grow insecticide-free crops as much as possible. In Andrew Pitts’ case, the only crops grown that regularly require an insecticide are winter barley and peas. “We want an insecticide-free farm; the environment is very important to us so if we can choose to grow something that doesn’t require insecticide and the gross margin adds up, we will.”

Minimising the use of insecticides has led to higher counts of beneficial insects on the farm, he points out. “By not using insecticides, we’re increasing natural predators and therefore reducing insect pressure further.”

But with climate change likely to bring warmer and wetter winters, reducing the number of frosts to kill over-wintering aphids, BYDV pressure is expected to increase, he predicts.

“It’s likely to become more prevalent so using BYDV-resistant varieties as part of an integrated pest management approach will likely become mainstream, in the same way that growing orange wheat blossom midgeresistant varieties has,” concludes Andrew Pitts.

Hybrid 6 Row Winter Barley - Feed INYS

ƒ Highest yielding winter barley on the 2025/26 Recommended List

ƒ High stable yields across a number of seasons

ƒ Very low brackling and lodging

Inys is the rst 6-row hybrid from KWS and was added to the 2025/26 Recommended List as the highest yielding winter barley. Inys is a step up in yield from all current hybrid barley varieties, and also has a very good all-round disease pro le and a great agronomic package, with excellent straw strength and very low brackling.

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VARIETIES Insider’s View: Barley Standing out from the crowd

“The variety’s whole package means it o ers growers something that’s a bit di erent.”

HUGH HARLEY

In a year where growers are spoilt for choice with the number of new winter feed barley varieties available, it takes a combination of strong characteristics to stand out. CPM takes a closer look at what makes Senova’s Kitty worth considering.

By Melanie Jenkins

The sheer volume of changes made to AHDB’s winter barley Recommended List for the 2025/26 season is unlikely to have gone unnoticed, but among the new material is a variety that’s combined characteristics are making it stand out from the crowd.

As Frontier’s Dr Kirsty Richard highlights, there have been quite a few changes to the winter barley line-up. “Nearly 60% of the varieties on the list are new for drilling this autumn, and although KWS Tardis and LG Caravelle are still the mainstays, the number of new additions means it could look quite confusing at first glance.”

But despite this, one variety in particular has stood out to Kirsty: Senova’s Kitty. “The area of winter barley planted has fallen in line with the lack of oilseed rape plantings, and for growers looking at planting it again, they want to find something that’s sturdy and resilient. “It’s no good selecting solely on a standout yield if a variety has agronomic issues, so what I like about Kitty is that

it has a great combination of yield, specific weight and standing ability. It’s varieties with this combination that tend to gain popularity and stay on the market for some time.”

Senova’s Hugh Harley also believes that Kitty stands out amid the raft of new varieties on the RL. “The variety’s whole package means it offers growers something that’s a bit different. Some of the new material is better suited to certain areas but Kitty is very strong in the North and has a good performance in the East and West.”

SOLID PERFORMER

While Kitty isn’t the highest yielding variety on the RL, it’s still one of the top performers, achieving only two percentage points below top UK yielder KWS Valencis at 104%, says Kirsty. “In reality, it should do very well on farm and when selecting a variety from the RL, it’s important to not just look at the left-hand corner, but at combined traits.”

Wynnstay’s Joe Wood points out that the industry has moved past the period

where out-and-out yield is the main focus and instead is prioritising the best suited varieties. “What Wynnstay likes about Kitty is that it offers something more than just yield, which’ll appeal to our livestock and mixed farmers.”

Where Kitty does sit highest on the RL is for its specific weight, achieving 72.7kg/ha, highlights Kirsty. “It’s the standout variety in this respect, demonstrating a good bold grain.”

And this characteristic was one of the first things that stood out to Joe too. “The variety has the highest specific

Turning heads

According to Senova’s Hugh Harley, Kitty caused a buzz among merchants last year and a lot of multiplication grade seed went out.

spec

has the highest specific weight on AHDB’s Recommended List, achieving 72.7kg/ha.

weight we’ve ever seen. It has a plump grain that means there are less losses which is beneficial for many of our farmers who are rolling their own grain.

“When I saw it in the field for the first time last year the ear was noticeable right away because it was large and full with plenty of seed on it – it was at this point we decided it would be a good variety for our growers.”

STEM STIFFNESS

Also notable is Kitty’s stem stiffness – with twin resistance scores of 8 against lodging – it's one of only a few two-row feed varieties to match Tardis in this respect, says Kirsty. “But Kitty has lower levels of brackling too, at just 3.2% on the RL.”

And while conditions this year mean stem stiffness might not be top of everyone’s concerns, she points out that the security of Kitty’s lodging scores

shouldn’t be overlooked.

“It’s something that stands out for me and I’d suggest looking into the variety because it offers the most complete package on the RL of yield, specific weight and stem stiffness.”

Hugh agrees, noting that having the combined highest stranding scores and lowest brackling level on the RL gives growers confidence that the crop will remain standing and allow them to achieve the crop’s full potential.

As for where Kitty is best suited to being grown, Kirsty points out that it performs well across regions and on different soil types. “Although the data is currently limited, the indication is that it’ll perform well on light land.”

A Valerie cross, Kitty has inherited the dual barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) resistance genes – rym4 and rym5 – against strains 1 and 2, she adds. “While

THE WINTER WARRIOR.

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Top

Kitty

VARIETIES Insider's View: Barley

Dual BaYMV resistance

A Valerie cross, Kitty has inherited the dual barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) resistance genes – rym4 and rym5 –against strains 1 and 2, says Frontier’s Dr Kirsty Richards.

we’re accustomed to having strain 1 in the UK, strain 2 has recently come from the Continent. As a soil-borne virus, we’re going to require more varietal resistance to help protect against it.”

And while this is a useful trait to have, Joe suggests it might not catch most growers’ attention. “The disease isn’t a focus for a lot of people but what’s key to consider is that it can sit in the soil for 20 years. Once it’s disturbed by machinery, it can become a significant issue, so having both strains of resistance is useful and could become standard in time.”

Aside from BaYMV resistance, Kirsty observes that Kitty is consistently strong across its disease resistance package, with a score of 7 against rhynchosporium a particularly attractive feature.

However, scoring a 5 for brown rust means Kitty is weaker against this disease than other varieties. Despite this, Hugh points out that last year

From seed to feed

Kitty is proving worthy of becoming a staple feed variety for one Scottish grower

Kitty is working to prove its North region AHDB RL score at Cuthill Towers Farm in Kinross-shire, central Scotland, where seed grower David Lawrie has been suitably impressed with the variety.

Running a dairy farm of 280 pedigree Ayrshire and Red Holstein cows in partnership with his parents Susan and Arthur and brother James, he’s grown Kitty for the past two seasons for nearby Alexander Harley Seeds. “We’ve grown winter barley seed for Harleys since my grandfather bought the farm and are still doing it now.”

Although grass is the predominant crop on the farm, consisting of around 100ha, because the cows are housed year-round, they also grow winter wheat and barley, spring barley for wholecrop and beans for the youngstock.

The farm was the first in the UK to grow a commercial seed crop of Kitty, with around 11ha planted for Harvest 2024. The land is often prepared with a plough and then seed is drilled using a combination drill.

“Because we grow so much grass which is only down for four years at a time, we always have good clean ground for our seed crops to go into,” explains David. “We use the slurry from the cows on our land and that allows

us to achieve good results and plant different varieties across a smaller area than others perhaps can.”

Nitrogen is applied in winter or early spring, and if the conditions are right, the crop is top dressed with slurry in spring which is then followed by an application of a compound fertiliser.

David says Kitty has been a clean crop on farm and he hasn’t noticed much disease. “I grow Tardis alongside it and you could really see a visible difference when they were side-by-side last year, with Kitty visibly cleaner.”

David implements standard weed control and fungicide programmes, but PGRs are often the most important factor because of the slurry that’s applied, he adds. “Our biggest issue can be flat crops, but despite the volume we had from Kitty it stood really well.”

Kitty’s maturity was no issue for David, who combined it at the end of July into early August. “This works fine for us because where we’re based, harvest usually starts at the end of July and we may well not be harvesting beans, wheat and spring barley until the end of September.”

The crop is then taken straight from the combine to Harleys where it’s dried and cleaned. “It came off the field averaging 16.5-17%

was an exceptionally bad year for the disease and so the variety was under high-stress conditions compared with years where it’s less of an issue.

“I expect to see the variety perform even better in years where brown rust isn’t so prevalent. It’s also a disease that’s more easily managed than some of the others, but growers are advised to keep on top of it.”

With an untreated yield of 81%, Kitty doesn’t score as highly as some other varieties, but Hugh believes this is down to the difficult brown rust season it experienced. “I think this is probably what’s impacted Kitty’s untreated yield score and I’m hopeful that this year we’ll see it do better in trials where different disease pressures are higher.”

While slightly later to mature than some of the other varieties on the RL at +2 compared with the control KWS Orwell, Kirsty highlights that it’s hard

Proving its worth

The crop of Kitty at Cuthill Towers Farm came off the field averaging 16.5-17% moisture and yielded 11.1t/ha, which is around 1t/ha more than other barleys on the farm.

moisture and yielded 11.1t/ha, which is around 1t/ha more than what we’ve achieved with other barleys.”

While David had planned to grow Kitty for feed this season, the ground went to maize instead. However, he’s grown another seed crop of the variety and plans to plant it for feed this coming autumn. “I’ve grown Tardis again this year as well, but it doesn’t compare with Kitty now,” he comments.

“Winter barley is an expensive crop for us to grow, but it helps to spread the season out, works well with our grass set-up and provides a strong yield as well as a good quantity of straw which is valuable for us as livestock farmers,” he concludes.

to know how the summer will pan out, so having a spread of maturity across any crop can be useful.

According to Hugh, Senova doesn’t perceive the variety as late in its maturity. “Our seed grower last year also grew Tardis and he went from cutting this straight into Kitty, so don’t be put off by the maturity rating.”

When it comes to market interest, he points out that there was a buzz among merchants about Kitty last year. “The variety really stood out to them and we saw a lot of multiplication grade seed go out. It’s now available nationwide and I expect to see it take a decent amount of market share – especially in the West where there are mixed farms that’ll want to grow barley for feed.”

Joe sees Kitty initially taking over from Valerie among Wynnstay growers. “I think it could also take market share from Tardis despite the higher yielders on the RL.

Kitty at a glance

Widespread appeal

Wynnstay’s Joe Wood anticipates Kitty will appeal to growers looking for a robust variety and believes it has the potential to take a large share of the market.

It’s best suited to growers looking for a more robust variety and I think there’s potential for it to take a large share of the market.” l

The only BYDV resistant barley variety –breaking through barriers.

Reclaiming rapeseed

Despite a challenging few years for the crop, innovation in oilseed rape breeding continues to evolve. CPM travelled to NPZ HQ in Cambridgeshire to learn more about its latest o erings and how to get the best from the break crop.

By Charlotte Cunningham

It goes without saying that oilseed rape has experienced a challenging few years, with stagnating yields, shrinking acreage, and increasing pressure from climate and pests leaving many growers at a crossroads regarding whether or not to continue with the break crop. Indeed, the numbers are sobering: from more than 700,000ha of OSR a decade ago, the UK now grows just 240,000ha. Average yields have also fallen dramatically during the past five years alone, placing the UK at

the bottom of European rankings.

However, as NPZ celebrated 20 years of breeding innovation last month, the message was clear – OSR still has a vital role to play in UK arable rotations, especially when backed by robust research, improving genetics, and better guidance for growers.

This is according to the company’s Michael Shuldham, who welcomed growers to a celebratory open day to mark the milestone at NPZ’s HQ in Cambridgeshire. He believes there’s still plenty of opportunity for the crop.

“We have to ask whether we still really know how to grow OSR.”

RENE BRAND

Plenty of potential

Despite a challenging few years for OSR, NPZ’s Michael Shuldham believes there is still plenty of potential for the crop.

Perspective not performance

With yields declining nationally, NPZ’s Rene Brand says the issue isn’t just about performance, it’s about perspective, and suggests the industry should be considering if agronomy needs to be adapted in a changing climate.

The scene was set with a stark yet familiar observation – it’s been dry. Not just here in the UK, but across Europe. This has had significant implications for OSR production across the EU and UK, with a total drilled area of 8.8M hectares – already falling short of anticipated demand.

“This is a positive sign for prices,” says Michael, highlighting a projected harvest of 18.6M tonnes against a consumption requirement of 19.4M tonnes. “That’s a notable deficit, and one that puts UK growers in a strong position.

“As we often say, if the price of OSR is more than twice that of wheat, it’s a good time to consider planting. At the moment, that ratio is sitting at 2.3–2.4 to wheat – so the signal is strong.”

With prices buoyed by the fundamentals, attention turns to where growers can find confidence in the crop and capitalise on this. It comes down to one thing…yield.

However, with yields declining nationally, NPZ’s Rene Brand says the issue isn’t just about performance, it’s about perspective. “We have to ask whether we still really know how to grow OSR. Have we adapted our agronomy to the changing hybrids and climate conditions? Are our trials truly reflective of the questions farmers are facing in the field?”

NPZ open day VARIETIES

The core of Rene’s argument lies in a simple but overlooked truth: while breeding has continued to deliver genetic gains – yield increases of 1 to 1.5% annually – this potential isn’t making it through to farm level.

“Independent trial data confirms that around 66% of yield progress in OSR is directly attributable to breeding,” he points out. “But if that progress is getting lost between the trial plot and the farm gate, we have to ask ourselves why?”

CLIMATE CHANGE

So where do growers go from here?

Rene says climate change is having a more profound yet poorly understood impact on OSR than many realise, especially during autumn establishment. It’s his view that by learning more about this and adapting practices in line with the science could help to unlock some of this yield potential.

“OSR switches from the vegetative to generative phase at around the six-leaf stage, triggered by an accumulated thermal temperature of around 600°C,” he explains. “In the past, that happened slowly. Now, with higher autumn temperatures, that process accelerates – and the reduction of side branches starts before we’ve even had a chance to apply fertiliser.

“Our own temperature data from sites like Cambridge show that accumulated temperatures in autumn

are now reaching 1300-1400°C, compared with the 800-1000°C range that OSR requires for optimal development in the UK. The crop is simply overgrowing before winter which increases its vulnerability.”

Despite this, few growers appear to be adjusting their sowing dates. A survey conducted by CPM last year found most still favour early drilling – even though warmer autumns and faster growing hybrids mean the crop establishes too aggressively.

Rene warns this can lead to excess biomass, increased disease risk, and even reduced winter resilience – especially when compounded by widespread use of vigorous, virusresistant hybrids. “These varieties brought a 10% yield lift when first introduced, but they also grow 10% stronger – so when combined with warm autumns, we’re seeing higher risks of bolting and structural breakdown before winter even arrives.”

To counter this, the NPZ team has been championing late sowing strategies, trialled extensively across the UK and Europe. “At last year’s Cereals Event, we showcased side-by-side comparisons between standard and late sowing. The results were clear – later sowing delivered stronger rooting, better pod set, and more consistent yields, especially with new, healthier genetics.”

These findings have led to broader

Maverick is the current leader on the Recommended List and is the result of more than 10 years of intensive selection work in UK conditions.

Mighty Maverick

A FEELS LIKE

REAL STEP FORWARD” “ IT

trials, incorporating later sowing with other management tactics such as fungicide intensity and the use of seed treatments. One standout is the inclusion of seed-applied biostimulants and treatments like Lumiposa (cyantraniliprole) and Integral Pro (bacillus amyloquefaciens), which have shown promise in improving early vigour and yield stability – particularly when establishment conditions are less than ideal, notes Rene.

“We had plots last autumn that looked so poor we considered terminating the trial. But by spring, the treatments had kicked in and the crop recovered remarkably, proving that late sowing, coupled with the right inputs, has real potential.”

Looking at the new varieties and NPZ has a vast pipeline of innovative options coming through to market. Of note, this includes Maverick – the current leader of the UK Recommended List – a hybrid that encapsulates NPZ’s modern breeding ethos: disease resistance, agronomic strength, and yield stability, says Rene.

“Maverick is the result of an incredibly strong parentage. The mother line – MSL 325 – is one of the strongest on the continent. It comes from DSV; we’re partners on the breeding side, even if we’re competitors in sales,” he laughs.

lodging resistance all come together to form a package Rene says is as complete as any they’ve seen, and it’s already setting the benchmark for what’s next.

Other varieties from NPZ include Turing – an older variety which Rene believes still packs a punch, claiming the fifth spot on the RL with 106% output. Then there’s Murray and Vegas – both early to market with RlmS resistance and moderate verticillium tolerance.

“Vegas particularly shows good oil content and strong spring growth,” adds Rene. “Different architecture, but very comparable in output — both sit at 104% on the RL.”

SHINING FUTURE

But what about the future of breeding at NPZ?

Considering the firm’s current candidates, there’s one in particular which looks like it’s worth its weight in gold… With trial yields of 108% and 110% in the UK and boasting a new genetic resistance against stem canker is Karat – the candidate which looks set to change the game in the fight against phoma.

“Rlm12 represents a new mode of action versus existing genes like Rlm7 or RlmS, which should support more sustainable resistance management,” explains Rene. “We’re seeing resistance levels on par with Maverick and that’s no small feat.”

Paired with the father line – HC 171 – Rene believes Maverick is a ‘game-changer’.

“There’s more than 10 years of intensive selection work in UK conditions behind this variety. It carries turnip yellow virus resistance, stem canker resistance via the Rlm7 and RlmS genes, and strong light leaf spot resistance. That combination is what’s made it successful not just here, but also in markets like Denmark.”

It’s not just about resistance though. Yield potential, oil content and

So what exactly is it? To recap on the deep dive into Rlm12 in the June issue of CPM, Rlm12 is a new resistance against Leptosphaeria maculans, the pathogen behind phoma stem canker, and has been discovered from within NPZ’s elite breeding material.

In terms of how it works, while resistance genes such as Rlm3, Rlm5 and the widely used Rlm7 have formed the bedrock of phoma leaf spot control in OSR for years, their primary

Charles, Lincolnshire

Next-generation resistance

action has been focused on the cotyledon stage –offering protection early on, but with vulnerabilities as the crop matures. “Those genes do a decent job at the front-end managing leaf lesions,” explains Michael. “But over time, we’ve seen these resistances erode especially under sustained pathogen pressure.”

In newer genetics like Rlm12 and RlmS, which are both classified by NPZ as adult plant resistance genes, these work later into the crop’s development, halting the pathogen’s progression from the leaf into the petiole and crucially, preventing stem infection.

“And that’s where it really matters,” stresses Michael. “Stem canker is the real yield thief – it can cause lodging, early senescence, and severely restrict nutrient uptake.”

By interrupting the disease at this later, more

damaging stage, Rlm12 brings a more durable, yield-preserving layer of protection to the table. And when stacked with other resistance traits, its value is even greater – providing growers with a more robust line of defence in the ongoing battle against phoma.

Karat is the first variety to feature Rlm12, stacking it alongside RlmS to both enhance phoma resistance and protect genetic longevity. Of course, no variety can rely on just one trait, but Karat delivers on multiple fronts, states NPZ’s Craig Padley. “Early data suggests strong autumn and spring vigour, and it’s one of the best all-round disease packages currently on the Candidate List.”

Headline characteristics from trials to date include an 8 for light leaf spot resistance, as well as good internal trial performance against verticillium wilt,

ARABLE GUIDE 2025

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Candidate variety Karat is the first to feature Rlm12 – a new generation of resistance against stem canker.

VARIETIES NPZ open day

“It’s also showing promising signs of tolerance to sclerotinia which is a notoriously tricky disease,” says Craig.

“We’re not talking about resistance – there’s no known gene for that. But Karat has shown a good ability to slow the progression of the pathogen, which translates into better stem health overall.”

Karat is up for recommendation this year with NPZ confident in its positioning across the UK – but particularly as a frontrunner in the East and West. “That’s where its combination of stem canker and leaf spot resistances will be most valuable,” explains Craig.

“It’s top of the candidate list in that region. And while we expect it to perform further north too – especially with that LLS resistance – its real home is likely to be further east.”

Perhaps interestingly, Karat is being pushed into markets beyond the UK, with strong performance noted in German trials where it’s also one of the top candidates for recommendation, he adds.

LATER DRILLING

With increasing interest in later sowing windows as explored earlier, Karat has been part of NPZ’s late-sown trials too, and early indications are positive. “It’s looked good so far in that slot,” says Craig. “But as always, we’re waiting on yield data before making any bold claims. This season has been full of surprises so we’re cautiously optimistic.”

So, what’s the takeaway? Karat may be a fresh face, but its credentials suggest a well-rounded, consistent performer with a genuinely novel disease resistance package at its core. “We’ve seen consistency across trial sites this year,” concludes Craig. “It’s ticking the right boxes agronomically and commercially – and we’re expecting some strong results come harvest.”

Although not quite at the same stage of readiness as Karat, NPZ also has several other candidates in the pipeline which look set to offer new and different solutions to OSR growers.

Shrinking hectarage

From more than 700,000ha of OSR a decade ago, the UK now grows just 240,000ha. Average yields have also fallen dramatically during the past five years alone, placing the UK at the bottom of European rankings.

explains Rene. “This hybrid brings a strong improvement in pod shatter tolerance which is a crucial trait as we push for harvest resilience.”

With a yield performance of 106% relative in the latest trial year, 42 stands out not only for its physical robustness but also its suitability to growers seeking yield stability under climatic pressure, he notes.

“We must stop thinking of OSR as a static crop. The environment, the varieties, the threats –they’re all changing.”

Arguably one of the most intriguing lines is a Polish-bred hybrid known simply at present as ‘42’. “What’s exciting here is the genetic contribution from Eastern Europe – particularly the continental climate stress selection,”

Another candidate, developed in collaboration with DSV and known internally as 49, has caught NPZ’s eye for its impressive autumn growth and rapid post-winter regrowth. “It’s particularly strong in terms of early flowering which could be a big win for those looking to spread the flowering window or get ahead of spring pest pressure.”

Similarly, candidate 41 has delivered consistent results in official trials, again delivering a relative yield of 106%. With solid virus resistance, as well as light leaf spot tolerance, it’s a continuation of NPZ’s plant health-

focused breeding direction, adds Rene.

Another promising entry is Dirigent – sharing the same reliable mother line seen in Vegas and Murray, but with an upgraded father line. With trial results of 110% and 107%, it’s on par with Karat in terms of output. And while its disease resistance package is slightly less extensive – featuring virus and phoma resistance via Rlm7, but not light leaf spot – it still brings valuable strength to the portfolio, believes Rene.

As breeders look to the future of UK OSR production, it’s evident that an emphasis on health, harvest resilience, and robust autumn performance will continue to define the varieties that rise to the top.

“We must stop thinking of OSR as a static crop. The environment, the varieties, the threats – they’re all changing. We must evolve our management accordingly, and this means moving away from the default,” concludes Rene.

“The UK OSR sector is under pressure, no doubt. But we believe there’s a path forward. Late sowing, smarter inputs, and making better use of modern genetics – this is how we bridge the gap between potential and reality.” l

Cover crops ROTATIONS

Cropping for sustainability

Ensuring long-term sustainability has become a core focus for many growers during recent years. CPM speaks to one Berkshire farmer about the practical lessons of regenerative agriculture and how cover crops are reshaping farm resilience and profitability.

By Charlotte Cunningham

On the light soils of the BerkshireBuckinghamshire border, Randall Farms is quietly reworking its business to ensure long-term sustainability. Beneath the rolling chalk and gravel terrain lies a story of soil-first agronomy, where regenerative practices – particularly the integration of cover crops –are paying tangible dividends. Farming 350ha of owned and rented land spanning across two sites, Andrew Randall has turned the business from a conventional arable setup into a diverse rural enterprise

where cover crops underpin both productivity and profitability. “If we’re going to grow them, we must do it properly,” he says, reflecting on the farm’s mission statement of optimising the land while enhancing its amenity.

Arguably ahead of the curve, the transition to a more regenerative system began in 2011 when Andrew took the first steps away from a high-input, high-disturbance system. He says this was driven not by fashion, but necessity: improving soil structure, managing erratic rainfall, and maintaining profitability on

“We’re not abandoning commercial farming –we’re making it fit for the future.”

ANDREW RANDALL

Berkshire farmer Andrew Randall began sowing cover crops in 2011 to improve soil function, water retention, and nutrient cycling – long before any financial support was available.

Ahead of the curve

ROTATIONS Cover crops

predominantly sandy clay loam soils. “Our ‘max-till’ approach – plough, power harrow, drill – was complete overkill on this land. We were burning diesel, wearing metal, overworking soils, and creating compaction that made us vulnerable to drought.”

This was only exacerbated by the desire to preserve soil structure and make better use of residual fertility –something which had been in limited supply since the dispersal of the dairy herd which once grazed the fields. “We’d lost the herd by 2002 due to unreliable forage production and with that went the regular manure inputs which were so important for boosting soil organic matter,” explains Andrew, “So, the focus turned to using biology – worms, roots, residues – to do the heavy lifting.”

As part of this, Andrew made the decision to incorporate cover cropping into the rotation, well before support payments made growing them fashionable. “We began sowing them to improve soil function, water retention, and nutrient cycling. There was no financial support under what was then the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, but we were seeing physical differences.

“There was a lot of worm activity in the main areas of our fields so I wanted to capitalise on that by maintaining the channels they make through the soil and retaining existing root structures from previous crops.

“We also worked closely with South East Water who were keen to encourage farm management techniques which help to minimise run-off, prevent soil getting into water courses such as the River Thames, and store rainwater in the soil, but essentially we were doing it off our own back, at our own expense.”

The primary goal of cover crops was to homogenise the upper soil layers and make them easier to manage, which ultimately led to direct drilling and a rethink of what was in the drill shed, notes Andrew. “We experimented with the technique on a small scale for a couple of years by hiring an old Claydon SR (Stone Release) drill to establish trial areas. During that time, we also visited prominent farmers who were direct drilling, including James Dockery in Hampshire who operated tine and disc-type direct drills over several thousand acres, and Tony Reynolds in Lincolnshire, who both

generously shared their wisdom.”

With a wide range of soil types, Andrew felt two drills would be the best option and so a 3m Claydon Hybrid and a second-hand John Deere 750A arrived in 2011. “With such a range of soil types we wanted flexibility. The tinebased Claydon gave us the clearance and strength for heavy trash, while the disc drill was better on clean stubbles.”

Three years later, Andrew progressed to a 4m mounted Claydon Hybrid and upgraded his 3m disc drill to a newer 4m model. Then in 2023, he took advantage of the Rural Payment Agency’s Farming Equipment and Technology (FETF) grants to step up to a new 4m Claydon Evolution direct drill fitted with front discs and a liquid applicator which delivers fertiliser to the front tines.

Today, cover crops are sown on two out of every eight cropping slots – before spring oats and spring beans. “The goal is to keep a living root in the soil for as long as possible; we don’t want bare land baking from July to October. Cover crops capture sunlight, build organic matter, and feed soil biology.”

ADAPTABILITY

Mixtures vary by crop and field objective. Ahead of spring beans, a 50kg/ha mix of 86% oats, 10% vetch, and 4% phacelia costs around £24/ha. Before spring oats, a more diverse 30kg/ha mix of vetch, peas, linseed, buckwheat and sunflower costs around £32/ha. “It’s not the cheapest option,” admits Andrew, “but the biomass production and soil activity make it worthwhile; we’ve trialled enough to know that the value is in doing it properly, not cutting corners.”

“It’s a long-term strategy that demands investment and attention to detail.”

For seed advice, Andrew works closely with Cotswold Seeds. Director Paul Totterdell says the key to successful cover cropping lies in clarity of objective and appropriate species selection.

“Cheap mixes often rely on brassica species – they’re fast-growing but don’t support mycorrhizae. A wellconstructed mix requires deeprooting plants, legumes for nitrogen, and diverse root architectures for the best soil improvement.”

Paul also warns about sowing depth and calibration. “Small seeds like clover and phacelia mustn’t go deeper than 10mm which means

Recipe for success

A well-constructed cover crop mix requires deep-rooting plants, legumes for nitrogen, and diverse root architectures for the best soil improvement, says Cotswold Seeds’ Paul Totterdell.

drills must be capable of accurate metering and shallow placement.”

To improve accuracy, some customers now request mixes supplied in speciesspecific components to be sown from separate hoppers. “It’s more work but it reflects the increased sophistication of farmers like Andrew,” he believes. When it comes to getting cover crops right, if there’s one rule Andrew swears by, it’s timing. “Every day of August growth is worth two in September. That’s why the cover crop drill is always hooked up and ready. As soon as the combine stops, we go.”

This knowledge has come via many different trials carried out on the farm during the years to really dig into exactly what works for them, adds Andrew.

A key learning has been that poor establishment carries a cost, proven in a trial which compared a wellestablished cover crop with a delayed one in the same field. The early-sown crop contained 201kgN/ha of total nitrogen, half of which was available to the following crop. The delayed section contained just 33kgN/ha. Potassium levels showed similar trends.

“That’s your margin right there,” states Andrew. “Delaying drilling by a week or not having the drill ready can mean losing more than 100kg/ ha of available nutrients. When the cost of doing it right is £130/ha,

Commercial data from Premium Crops Winter Linseed Contracts over the last three years shows that:

• The top 50% of growers (average yield 2.48t/ha) achieved a gross output of £1,224.

• The top 25% of growers (average yield 2.82t/ha) achieved a gross output of £1,445. These yields and the new £600/tonne contract price, would result in an additional £250/ha extra gross margin for the top 50% of growers.

Flea Beetle

Cabbage Stem and Flax Flea Beetle do not a ect Winter Linseed crops

ROTATIONS Cover crops

you can’t afford to do it badly.”

The Claydon’s leading tine coulters help maximise that early establishment too, he adds. “They clear trash, lift moisture, and avoid ‘hairpinning’. In dry conditions, they outperform the disc drill hands down.

“Sometimes where we’ve used a disc drill, the cover crops take longer to get going, and in hard, dry conditions the cost of wearing metal is higher. The Claydon’s leading tines sweep through the trash and bring moisture into the seeding zone which promotes rapid establishment.”

While cover crops have proved a success for Andrew, they do come with their challenges – namely slug pressure,

particularly in brassica-heavy mixes. “Mustard attracts slugs, so we were losing crops despite pellets,” recalls Andrew. “As a result, mustard has been dropped from the seed mixes.”

The farm is also participating in BOFIN’s SLIMERS project, looking at the spatial dynamics of slugs and resistance strategies. “Early results suggest slugs are more localised than we think; we may not have to blanket apply pellets. It’s a case of using data to inform practice.”

ECONOMIC VIABILITY

Reflecting on the progress so far and considering what lies ahead, Andrew says Randall Farms’ regenerative journey isn’t about

Seeking winter linseed growers

UK growers are encouraged to take a chance on the crop

UK farmers are being urged to help increase winter linseed production as global demand booms.

This is the message being stressed by Valorex – the French partner of Premium Crops – a company which specialises in pressure cooking oilseeds like linseed to unlock their nutritional value.

It says its confidence in UK production capabilities is backed by the crop’s proven performance in British conditions. “Today we face a key challenge: sourcing more English-grown linseed for our global supply chain,” explains Tiphanie Soulard from Valorex.

“We’re counting on English farmers to grow linseed –it’s a solid opportunity agronomically, economically, and with secure markets for the long-term. UK conditions are particularly well adapted for this crop so we’re looking for more UK farmers to grow specific varieties that meet our nutritional and technical requirements,” she adds.

Valorex founded Bleu-Blanc-Coeur International – a sustainable agricultural movement which strives to transform food production by improving nutritional and environmental quality.

Among its work is substituting traditional animal feeds with nutritionally valuable crops such as linseed. However, as demand for this grows, sourcing enough UK-grown linseed represents a key challenge for the global supply chain, outlines Tiphanie.

At the same time, Premium Crops has responded with record £600/t winter linseed contracts, which the firm believes creates significant opportunities for growers seeking profitable break crops.

Looking at a gross margin analysis, Premium Crops says winter linseed can deliver £915/ha – outperforming other autumn break crops including winter oilseed rape (£809/ ha), winter oats (£708/ha), and winter beans (£622/ha).

“Strong demand for UK linseed has pushed contract values to record highs,” highlights Nigel Padbury. “We're offering farmers a genuine opportunity to maximise their break crop profitability during this exceptional market period.”

He reminds that winter linseed offers compelling

ideology. Rather it’s about building a system that works – economically, biologically, and practically. “We’re still producing high-spec grain for end users within 50 miles. We’re not abandoning commercial farming –we’re making it fit for the future.”

And the results are clear in the field: improved water infiltration, reduced fuel use, stronger crop rooting, and a growing sense of biological balance. Andrew concludes: “Regenerative agriculture isn’t a shortcut, it’s a long-term strategy that demands investment and attention to detail. But it’s a route to profitability that doesn’t depend on inputs we no longer trust or can afford.” l

economic advantages such as oil yields which now rival those of OSR, but without the pest pressure. This is because unlike OSR, winter linseed avoids cabbage stem flea beetle damage which can significantly reduce crop protection requirements and associated costs.

Nigel says the crop’s multiple end-uses span human food, animal feed, and industrial applications, providing market security and opportunities for diversification.

“Lower input requirements for pesticides and fertilisers make winter linseed both a cost-effective and environmentally conscious choice,” he adds.

“As a break crop, it delivers genuine sustainability benefits by improving soil health through adding nitrogen and organic matter while reducing erosion. The crop integrates seamlessly into cereal rotations and is relatively straightforward to grow and harvest.”

Tiphanie agrees that linseed is a great fit in cropping rotations. “It's non-palatable to pests, and with a sixyear cycle it's been shown to improve the yield of the following cereal crop by up to 10%,” she concludes.

The contract offer detailed above is available for a limited period, therefore interested individuals should contact Premium Crops promptly for more information.

Future funding ROTATIONS

Support that pays o

With government support schemes seemingly going down the metaphorical drainpipe, private funding is emerging as an opportunity that could reshape the financial landscape for farming businesses. But how viable is it in practice and what does it actually involve?

CPM finds out more…

By Charlotte Cunningham

As the future of farming shifts steadily towards more sustainable practices, a fresh source of funding is gaining traction across UK arable businesses – and it’s not coming from government coffers. Private schemes, developed and backed by businesses throughout the food and beverage supply chain, are offering growers a new way to receive payment for both environmental stewardship and improved data transparency.

Frontier Agriculture has been at the forefront of supporting growers through this change. With a clear emphasis on sustainable farming, the company is now helping farmers to tap into funding from the food supply chain itself – think millers, retailers, and food processors, all with their

own environmental targets. “We’ve always worked to support farmers with profitability and risk mitigation,” says Frontier’s Jim Knightbraid.

“But private funding, well, that’s the new frontier – no pun intended.”

OPPORTUNE MOMENT

And it couldn’t come at a more critical time. As SFI changes and the government spending review continue to create uncertainty around public funding, growers are increasingly looking toward alternatives. However, private funding steps in with a slightly different offer: payments not for yields or tonnage, but for practices – those that deliver sustainability benefits, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or support biodiversity. In many cases, these

“Private funding should be viewed as a long-term strategic opportunity to align with the demands of a changing marketplace.”

JIM KNIGHTBRAID

schemes pay on a per-hectare basis, providing an additional income stream that’s not solely tied to market volatility. But Jim stresses that this isn’t ’money for nothing’; the supply chain wants evidence. “This is about creating

A

win-win opportunity

Frontier’s Jim Knightbraid says private funding offers an opportunity to help the supply chain meets its sustainability targets while farmers receive compensation for the good work they’re doing – or planning to do – on farm.

ROTATIONS Future funding

De-risking production

Essex farmer Will Waterer says being part of a privately funded sustainability scheme isn’t just about financial reward – it’s a mechanism to de-risk production in an increasingly unpredictable environment.

 win-win opportunities. The supply chain meets its sustainability targets while farmers receive compensation for the good work they’re doing – or planning to do – on farm.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many growers are still getting their heads around this concept. After all, dealing with familiar bodies like the RPA, while not always smooth, has long been part of the job. Private sector schemes? That’s uncharted territory for many.

“It’s a quiet but rapidly growing area,” says Jim, who notes that uptake in the company’s own private sustainability initiatives has more than doubled in the past year. “The appetite is there but confidence is still growing. Right now, only a minority of growers are involved but those numbers are rising fast.”

Looking at the figures, around 47,000ha and 300,000t of crop were enrolled for Harvest 2024 and by 2025, that’s expected to rise to 70,000ha and more than 440,000t. “Even with that growth, demand still outstrips availability,” he adds. “Growers are ready, they just require the opportunities.

“But again, it’s important to stress that this isn’t free money, nor is it a replacement for core farm profitability. Private funding should be viewed as a long-term strategic opportunity to align with the demands of a changing marketplace.”

In terms of where private funding sits

alongside the more familiar governmentstyle schemes, interestingly, Jim believes these two streams can, and should, work in harmony. “Private and public funding are not rivals, they’re complementary. They just incentivise different aspects of sustainable farming.”

Some SFI actions can overlap with private programmes, he suggests. “For example, catch crops or reduced tillage might be rewarded under both, but you have to check compatibility and avoid double-counting.”

So what’s Frontier offering specifically? The business now supports two key programme types:

1.Sustainability data collection contracts

These are the entry-level schemes whereby supply chains are primarily looking to measure the environmental footprint of raw materials. “It’s essentially about helping manufacturers and processors to get a handle on their supply chain’s environmental performance, and that starts with reliable farm-level data,” explains Jim.

In practice, this means growers provide data on how crops are grown – previous rotations, establishment methods, nutrition, biodiversity elements like cover crops. In return, they’re paid for their time with per-hectare payments typically ranging from £40£50/ha. “It’s not just about compliance. Growers receive benchmarking data back, so they can see how they stack up within the supply chain,” he adds.

For Harvest 2025, Frontier expects around 450 growers to receive a collective £1.35M in private funding through these data schemes.

2.Sustainable supply chain programmes

This is the next step – where private companies from the supply chain go beyond measurement to incentivise positive action. “It’s about paying growers to transition to, or continue specific practices,” says Jim. That could mean integrating cover crops, reducing synthetic nitrogen use, or improving soil organic matter.”

payments ranging from £45-£120/ha for Harvest 2025,” he comments.

Perhaps while in principle, this all sounds great, but ask any farmer and they’ll likely pose the same questions: where’s the catch?

What are the risks involved?

“These are fair questions,” admits Jim. “We encourage growers to start by asking themselves what their farm’s strategic direction is because private funding only works if it aligns with where the business is going.”

For instance, if a farm is already moving towards regenerative practices such as low-disturbance tillage or precision applications, private funding may dovetail neatly. But for others, the requirements could be at odds with existing operations. That’s why taking advice is critical, he warns.

STEP-BY-STEP

Frontier has outlined an eightstep approach to navigating future funding, helping growers to assess whether a given scheme is a good fit. “It’s not about chasing every funding opportunity, it’s about making sure it works for you,” says Jim.

There’s also the admin requirement to consider as these schemes require robust data, so detail on establishment, nutrition, biodiversity, and more. “It’s not excessive, nor beyond what farmers are capable of doing,” he reassures. “But we’re talking about half- to a full-day in the farm office and that’s not everyone’s favourite job.”

Record-keeping, therefore, becomes crucial – not just for accessing private funding but for the future of farm compliance overall. “Good records are going to be your passport to everything from SFI to private schemes. If your systems aren’t up to scratch, that’s the first thing to address.”

“Ultimately, this is about securing the future of farming within sustainable food supply chains.”

These programmes are generally linked to physical grain contracts, ensuring alignment with real market demand. “They’re not theoretical, they’re market-driven and offer tangible returns for doing the right thing, with

Among the early adopters of this new model of funding is Essex grower, Will Waterer. Spanning 525ha across a mix of owned, tenanted and contractfarmed land, Will’s business has been immersed in stewardship for more than two decades. But now, he’s beginning to see the financial and agronomic benefits of private sustainability schemes, too.

“We’ve been in stewardship in one form or another for the past 25 years,”

says Will. “Initially it was a way of securing a reliable income – something tangible our bank manager could see when we were buying another farm. But over time, it’s evolved into a fundamental part of how we farm.”

Today, the business runs an HLS agreement, two Countryside Stewardship schemes and an SFI agreement across the whole farm. Cropping includes winter wheat, barley, oilseed rape, beans and a rotating ‘wildcard’ crop – this year being spring linseed, but in the past it’s been everything from kale to cress and vetch seed.

While sustainability isn’t new to Will, what’s changed is how private-sector initiatives are now complementing his existing practices. Most recently, he’s joined Frontier’s Sustainable Supply Chain Programme with pladis – the parent company of McVitie’s, Carr’s Jacob’s, to name a few, which rewards growers for adopting sustainable farming techniques through a tiered, area-based payment system.

“For over a decade, pladis has worked directly with growers to secure our supply of Group 3 biscuit wheat – the key wheat used in its McVitie’s, Jacob’s and Carr’s biscuits and crackers,” says Jennifer Parise, director of procurement and sustainability for pladis UK and Ireland. “Now, the programme will expand to include around 50 growers, producing enough wheat to make all the McVitie’s Original Digestives pladis makes each year.

“This new cohort of farmers will trial an expanded version of pladis’ Back to Farm programme with additional levels of financial support provided to enable farmers to explore more regenerative methods of farming practice.

“Building a sustainable future is a shared responsibility for us all. We know growers are looking at regenerative farming, but it’s a big ask for them to transition without additional support, especially given all the current uncertainties around British farming.

“By expanding our successful Back to Farm programme, we hope that we’ll be able to continue building partnerships with farmers to better understand and help them address the challenges they face, as we all seek to make food production more sustainable.”

For Will, the exciting thing was that he already qualified for the silver tier from what he was already doing. “Next year I think we can nudge into

New era of funding

Private schemes, developed and backed by businesses throughout the food and beverage supply chain, are offering growers a new way to receive payment for both environmental stewardship and improved data transparency.

gold with a few minor tweaks.”

The scheme operates on a pointsbased system, with thresholds for bronze, silver and gold levels. Will currently sits at 32 points – just shy of the 35 needed for gold – and has his eye on a payment uplift for next year if he incorporates one or two more practices. The scheme is currently enrolled on 46ha with the variety Bamford.

SWIFT AND SIMPLE

“The whole thing has been relatively straightforward,” he says. “If you’re already using farm management software most of the evidence is there, it’s just a case of pulling it together –probably half a day in the office at most.”

The sustainability scheme isn’t just about financial reward, though. For Will, it’s a mechanism to de-risk production in an increasingly unpredictable environment, with the payments for sustainable practices helping him to offset the risk of trying new approaches that flexibly matches Will’s approach to managing his soils. “I see it like a bank account,” he adds. “We’ve built up residue and organic matter with our no-till system – or zero-till-ish, I like to call it – and now, in some cases, we’re cashing in a bit by subsoiling or doing tillage when required. It’s about flexibility and managing risk.”

Looking ahead, Will sees great value in peer-to-peer learning, particularly through focus groups or events where likeminded growers can share practical experience of these schemes. “I often find the best insights come over a cup of tea,” he laughs.

“Just chatting to someone who’s tried something and seeing if it might work on your farm – that’s the real value.”

With private sustainability contracts like pladis starting to scale up, Will believes this could be a lifeline for farms already doing the right thing and a blueprint for how farmers can shape their future support. “I’m not about to turn my farming system on its head just to fit a scheme,” he says. “But if what I’m already doing is being rewarded and I can make one or two extra changes that make sense agronomically and financially – well, then it’s time well spent.”

So, is private funding a silver bullet? Not quite, but it’s certainly a key tool in the toolbox. “It’s an opportunity – but it requires commitment,” concludes Jim. “We want growers to go in with their eyes open – understand your business, know your direction and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

“Ultimately, this is about securing the future of farming within sustainable food supply chains. It’s about telling a positive story – one that shows British agriculture is part of the solution, not the problem.” l

Telling the story

CPM would like to thank Frontier Agriculture for kindly sponsoring this article, and for providing privileged access to staff and material used to help put the article together.

TECHNOLOGY Fendt e107 S Vario

Finding a place for electric tractors

Compressed gas fuels such as hydrogen and methane would appear to be the way forward for alternative propulsion in larger arable tractors, but might battery-electric power be more practical for smaller ones? Fendt believes so, and invited CPM to see its first production model.

By Martin Rickatson

Back in 2024, Fendt unveiled a production-ready batteryelectric tractor prototype. Based on the brand’s 200 series speciality models with a narrow build and a compact design, the e100 V was clearly aimed at tractor tasks requiring a light touch and zero emissions. Its target audience was fruit and vineyard producers seeking to meet increasing industry expectations for minimal environmental impact, and to manage tasks with a low power requirement but repetitive nature such as inter-row mowing and tree/vine pruning. That machine became commercially available soon afterwards as the e107 V Vario. At the time, it may have seemed the limit of Fendt’s electrical ambitions would remain there, given the power and weight issues posed by larger battery designs, and the little-disputed limitations these pose in terms of powering larger tractors. Despite this, the tractor finds itself with

a more statuesque sibling – the e100 S – and while this may find more likely homes in situations such as turfcare and indoor horticulture, Fendt believes the machine could find a role in some specialist agricultural applications.

FLEXIBLE USES

The e100 S uses the same battery unit as the e107 V and while the brand acknowledges it’s been designed primarily for the utility, amenity and leisure sectors, it believes in mainstream agriculture, its attributes may attract the likes of those seeking a tractor for ‘position’ rather than draught implements. For example, vegetable growers and farms with their own electrical energy production facilities. Indeed, in line with the fact this could relate to solar panel-derived electricity, Fendt promotes the e107 S as ‘the first tractor to run on vitamin D’.

“We brought in an e107 S Vario earlier this summer for assessment

“We feel this tractor may well have a place on some UK arable farms.”

ED DENNETT

and demonstration, and the tractor will be available to order from this autumn with UK-spec units arriving soon,” explains Fendt’s Ed Dennett.

“Both design and manufacturing take place entirely in-house – like all Fendt tractors, production is at our Marktoberdorf plant in Germany. And while dealer technicians will undertake specific training, the E models will be sold and serviced by the existing Fendt dealer network,” he adds.

Standing 2.16m wide and 2.64m high on standard tyres, the e107 S is comparable in size to the dieselpowered Fendt 200 Vario models, and like larger Fendt tractors is available in Profi and Profi+ specifications.

Charging up

Full charging takes around five hours, and Fendt claims its ready for future developments in DC fast charging with up to 80kW charging power possible via a CCS socket.

At its heart, as with conventional Fendts, is the brand’s Vario stepless transmission – driven by an electric motor powered by the battery pack, and synchronised by Fendt’s established Tractor Management System (TMS) software.

Two driving styles can be controlled via the Vario joystick or the accelerator pedal with the operator setting target speed, leaving TMS to regulate the transmission setting and motor speed for optimised energy consumption.

When the motor comes under load, the load limit control takes over the motor speed and transmission setting. The motor speed is automatically increased when the corresponding power is required during operation, and as soon as the operating conditions allow, the motor speed is reduced back to the minimum required level.

The PTO shafts are also driven directly by the electric motor, eliminating energy loss possibility. Whereas energy recovery technology means that when decelerating or travelling downhill, pressing a recovery switch aids deceleration energy recovery, to extract more from the tractor’s performance

Fendt e107 S Vario TECHNOLOGY

and operating time by utilising energy that’d otherwise be lost. If the tractor is stopped during operation, the motor is automatically switched off when startstop mode is selected to further save battery energy and range/time potential.

DRIVING MODES

Three driving modes are available, allowing the operator to choose between maximum range, performance or additional power over a limited period of time. In Eco, up to 68hp (ECE R85) is available, this figure rising to 75hp in Dynamic and 90hp for short periods in Dynamic+ mode. Maximum torque is 347Nm.

Beneath the hood, the 100 kWh battery provides a 4-7hr operating time under partial load work such as mechanical weed control or planting. More energy-intensive operations such as haulage will reduce the operating time, acknowledges Ed.

“One of the key challenges with creating an efficient battery-powered tractor is ensuring there’s enough cooling capacity to dissipate the heat generated. The primary components on the e107 S are a

Control logic

Fendt has incorporated many of the features of larger combustionengined Fendt tractors into the e107 S control logic.

TECHNOLOGY Fendt e107 S Vario

Fresh tyre design

Fendt and Trelleborg have jointly developed a new tyre – the TM1 Eco Power – especially for the e107 S, with 340/70 R24 units on the front axle and 480/70 R30s at the rear.

transmission oil cooler and water cooler.

“The air is drawn through the condenser to maximise cooling, with reversible fans governed by a control system which allows each cooling circuit to regulate the fan speed individually to minimise energy consumption.”

To recharge the tractor, an automotivestandard CCS2 socket is compatible with standard wall outlets or public charging points. Because many rural areas don’t yet have comprehensive infrastructure with DC fast-charging sockets, the Type 2 plug enables charging via alternating current up to 22 kW.

“Charging is also possible via commonplace industrial 32A sockets in combination with a 22kW mobile charger,” highlights Ed.

“Full charging with this infrastructure takes around five hours, and we’re ready for future developments in DC fast charging with up to 80kW charging power possible via a CCS socket.

“It’s possible to charge from 20% capacity to 80% in around 45 minutes. We’re also offering a mobile 22kW quick-charging cable set with adapters for 16A and 32A. The integrated software enables charging with 11 or 22kW.”

Various auxiliary power consumers are supplied directly from the battery via the tractor’s Power Distribution Unit (PDU) which transfers the energy to the air conditioning compressor, the AC/DC converter which replaces the alternator and the water heater.

Fendt suggests this is a particularly efficient solution to the power demands of these components, as no reactive power is generated and only the energy actually required by the auxiliary consumers is consumed, while no belt drives are required for power transmission.

Farms generating electricity from renewable energy – particularly solar or wind – have the potential to operate an e107 S in a virtually zero CO2 production cycle, suggests Fendt, with its operating concept also significantly reducing the tractor’s running costs.

“With no exhaust gas after-treatment components, engine filters or engine oil, running costs are reduced significantly,” says Phil Mattey, tractor specialist at Fendt.

“And electrical power not only means the tractor is emission-free at work, but also that it’s far quieter than a dieselpowered equivalent, benefiting the operator and those around the work area.

“Despite these benefits, there’s no constraint on factors such as travel performance, with a top speed of 40km/h meaning the tractor is a viable power unit for low-cost, short-distance haulage. Lowest possible speed is 0.02km/h, ideal for vegetable operations,” he adds.

“One of the first farmer customers is based in Norway where his tractor has been used for surface cultivation, bale wrapping and multiple other tasks on a small mixed farm. We see no reason why light operations using many existing trailed implements shouldn’t be perfectly possible with the e107 S.”

Although its bonnet conceals a battery pack rather than an engine, much like its 200 series conventional counterparts the e107 S features a wasp-waist design to allow the wheels to tuck in when turning, with a 4.2m turning radius.

BUTTON CONTROL

Fendt’s ‘intelligent’ all-wheel drive management is push button-controlled with auto disengagement and 100% permanent 4WD functions. Intelligent differential lock management is also button-controlled, including automatic and 100% engagement for safety on slopes.

The tractor is equipped with front axle suspension including roll support with 80mm suspension travel, and antiroll bar to reduce rolling movements. There’s also a levelling control system that ensures ride comfort remains constant regardless of the load.

At the rear, Fendt uses its established HA 75 axle with recirculating pressure lubrication and a 5.3t permissible rear axle load, plus 100% multi-disc differential lock with reinforced brake system designed for a high permissible overall weight. A four-wheel braking system incorporates brake pressure monitoring and majors on a large-dimension wet ring-piston brake with brake booster on the rear axle.

Fendt and Trelleborg have jointly developed a new tyre – the TM1 Eco Power – especially for the e107 S, with 340/70 R24 units on the front axle and 480/70 R30s at the rear. The hybrid road/field tread design and low rolling resistance have been engineered to minimise battery usage on electric tractors, claim the two parties, and the tyre is manufactured from 65% renewable and recycled materials.

Then, the e107 S hydraulic system includes a load-sensing variabledisplacement pump with Power Beyond capability and a maximum flow rate of 113 l/min. In a further plus for the tractor’s environmental credentials, it’s possible to use bio-based oil in its hydraulic system, while separate transmission and hydraulic oil reservoirs mean no mixing of oil and no potential dirt ingress into the transmission.

The tractor can also be equipped with a front linkage in a choice of variants. Base version is a single-acting arrangement, with a double-acting unit with position control as a further option, equipped with a changeover tap for single/ doubled-acting operation. Third choice is a double-acting ‘comfort’ option. Like the rear hitches, all are controlled via the armrest and the 12-inch terminal. Rear linkage lift capacity is 2540kg.

While many things may seem a little smaller and perhaps stranger, those familiar with larger Fendt tractors will find some reassurance in the Fendt e107 S cab which is dominated by the FendtOne armrest and terminal. Like the unit in other Fendts, it’s capable of managing guidance, telemetry and machine control.

Additional features include the ability to set charging timers via a charging management page to ensure the tractor is ready for use at the desired time and the battery is brought up to operating temperature.

“A lot of visitors to our stand at the Royal Highland Show – the e100 S Vario’s UK debut event – expressed surprise that its appearance is one of a ‘proper’ tractor,” comments Ed.

“We believe it offers some significant advantages in certain areas of agriculture and while its list price is approaching £200,000, it offers significant potential savings, while produce buyers in certain sectors are increasingly influential over their farmer suppliers’ carbon footprint.

“For this and for other reasons –including the fact it can be ‘fuelled’ from farm electricity – we feel this tractor may well have a place on some UK arable farms,” he concludes. l

It’s been the sunniest, warmest and driest first half of the year on record, and like many around my way in Cambridgeshire, we’ve harvested our crops around 2-3 weeks earlier than in a ‘normal’ year (whatever ‘normal’ means nowadays…).

Crops love sunshine and where moisture has been available, they look promising. But, any crops growing in fields with poor soil health or structure, or on lighter land, are struggling with the extreme lack of rain. On our farm, we’d had well over double the amount of rain by this time last year.

Taking the east coast train up to Edinburgh recently, I looked out the window at the huge variation in crop condition as the fields whizzed by. Fields that in the winter were scattered with puddles now contain crops in desperate need of moisture. It’s amazing how adjacent fields planted around the same time and with the same crop can look so different.

Soil health is crucial for resilience in light of our changing weather patterns. Those of us who are investing in returning organic matter to the soil, keeping it covered and with living roots for as long as possible, are seeing some benefits during this time of drought.

Nature NATTERS

Beat the heat

Thinking back, not only was there standing water in these fields last winter, but I noticed very little water in the ditches surrounding them – something definitely isn’t working. Whether that’s broken drainage or compacted soil, the water isn’t penetrating the ground meaning that in times of need there’s very little moisture available for the roots to access. If you spade a six-inch hole into the ground, is there any moisture in the soil at the bottom?

Our soil is hot, the air is hot, and this year is one of the windiest I can remember. Finding suitable spraying days has been a challenge so I’m all the more thankful for the beneficial insects that help to keep pests down in the meantime. The wind has also accelerated moisture evaporation from our soils and crops; I’m thankful for my hedgerows acting as a windbreak, slowing the flow of air (and therefore moisture) while providing habitat and forage for pollinators, predatory insects, and birds.

Water management is now critical to our future. We all have to start holding more water in the landscape in times of excess for use in times of drought, which will become increasingly frequent. We don’t want standing water in fields, but rather to slow the flow in our ditches, dykes, and where possible, allow it to soak through the soil to the required depth.

For some, this might

mean storing excess rain in new areas of the farm either by constructing reservoirs or facilitating the flooding of areas that are increasingly being flooded in extreme rain. There’ll be little opportunity for mole draining this season, but with the fields starting to crack, the structure may be improved a little for free.

Ideally, we’d find a balance between keeping our ditches flowing to avoid soil saturation, and allowing more vegetation to develop. This both slows the flow of water away from the farm and cleans the water from sediment and nutrients that’d otherwise leave our fields. If we ensure the water leaving the farm is as clean as possible, we benefit our own land while improving the condition of our watercourses.

Water quality is a major focus for this government and they’ve already been pushing hard on water companies to reduce river pollution. Attention is starting to focus on agriculture, whether that’s excess nitrates in our rivers – and therefore drinking-water reservoirs – or phosphate and soil sediment leaving our fields, which deteriorates the quality of water.

Getting nutrient management plans right, ensuring the soil functions well, and avoiding nutrients leaving the farm will reduce our costs and prevent fines from the Environment Agency. I know of many farmers tackling this issue in creative, low-cost ways –

from allowing reed beds to flourish to planting comfrey swales to filter the water of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nature can do a lot of work for us if we let it.

During the past few years we’ve implemented a programme to clean out old ponds or create new ones in low-lying corners of fields. It not only provides wildlife with a consistent water source throughout the year, but is also an excellent insurance policy for any future fires on our farm, as the fire brigade can access most ponds to drop a pump into if required. In times like these, where my crops have been at the mercy of the blazing sun for months on end, I’m especially grateful for the bushy hedgerows, scruffy ponds, mature trees and healthy soil I’ve nurtured during the past years. No, my farm isn’t as neat and tidy as some, but without them, I might not have had a crop to harvest this year at all. ●

YOUR

Martin Lines is an arable farmer and contractor in South Cambridgeshire with more than 500ha of arable land in his care. His special interest is in farm conservation management and demonstrating that farmers can profitably produce food in harmony with nature and the environment. He’s also chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network UK. @LinesMartin martin.lines@nffn.org.uk.

WITH MARTIN LINES

Knowledge exchange of the highest order

Groundswell has long been renowned for attracting high calibre speakers to its bill, but this year the guest list accelerated the event to a whole new ‘royal’ level. CPM took to the session tents to absorb the expertise.

By Janine Adamson and Melanie Jenkins

Even before the mysterious special guest at this year’s Groundwell festival was unveiled, the line up, while perhaps quite hefty, was already impressive in its own right. For one, it included multiple appearances from legendary pioneer of regenerative farming, Gabe Brown. But even so, a surprise was waiting among the glamping tents and

knowledge-thirsty farmers – none other than His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Coining himself ‘the warm-up act’ for Gabe, Prince William addressed attendees with rousing commentary which highlighted the importance of the regen movement.

And while this isn’t the first time he’s popped up at the show – having also walked the festival’s fields in

“Regenerative farming o ers a hopeful path forward, a way of working with nature not against it.”

HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES

Shifting perspectives Gabe Brown challenged the Groundswell audience to change the way that they see things.

Weed control focus

Various sessions tackled the topic of weed management

In the aptly named ‘Don’t let weeds take the lead’, some of industry’s renowned experts voiced their thoughts during a breakout session at the AHDB stand.

Opening up the discussion, ADAS’ John Cussans said when it comes to weed management, it all starts with the concept of the weed seed-bank, and that three factors are critical to understanding this better. “In a conventional arable field, only around 5-10% of the weed individuals are present as seedlings at any one time; the other 90-95% are seeds in the seed-bank.

“So just understanding that often you’re looking at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to managing weeds in the field, is really important.”

The second point he made was that weed seed-banks aren’t heterogenous – they have vertical structures which come about as an interaction between cultivation approach and the history of weed seed shed.

“At AHDB’s Strategic Farm East there’s one field with only 5% of the target weed (Italian ryegrass) present in the surface layer of the seed-bank. Whereas in another, which is currently in an SFI scheme, 95% of the target weed is present in the surface layer.

“Understanding that vertical structure should drive your cultivation choices – there are times when doing nothing is the very best approach for managing the weed seed-bank, but there are other times when doing a lot is better,” he explained.

The third factor John highlighted is that not all weed individuals in the seed-bank are necessarily the target problem in the field. “For example, at Strategic Farm East, Italian ryegrass is the only weed visible in the field in the crops being managed, yet in the seed-bank, there are more than 20 weed species.

“Rather than the seed-bank itself,

Groundswell report EVENTS

Don’t let weeds take the lead

The importance of understanding the weed seed-bank was explored on the AHDB stand.

the problem is dominance of the aggressive weed, and a lack of evenness and diversity,” he explained.

Shimpling Park Farm’s John Pawsey joked that he has the biggest weed seed-bank in the whole tent. “We’ve not used herbicides for 25 years so we obviously have a big weed seed-bank, but it’s understanding how you manage that given the life cycle of different weeds.

“How we do that is we make our rotation as complex as possible, including spring and winter cropping; the whole ethos is not letting one thing dominate.”

John Pawsey pointed out that rather than blackgrass, the farm’s problem weed has been wild oats. “They were rampant and while spending 10 years trying to deal with that problem, I learnt there’s no silver bullet, you have to do everything, centred around rotation design. We then revert to mechanical weeding if necessary.”

Addressing the concept of new technologies for cultural control methods, Gowan’s Dr Will Smith added that while herbicides have been used successfully in the past, there’s a growing opportunity for in-crop weed control techniques to manage populations beyond pre-emergence.

He explained that his PhD research had looked at inter-row hoeing as a

“This is a really interesting future for weed management – we don’t have to focus and rely on one point, we can exercise control throughout the cycle.”

mechanical system to remove weeds including blackgrass. “There are also solutions such as the Zurn Top Cut Collect which allow us to target weeds, collect them from the field and dispose of them in a sustainable way, which we couldn’t do before.

“No longer are we targeting weeds at one or two points in the life cycle, we can target them outside of this including just before and at harvest. This is a really interesting future for weed management – we don’t have to focus and rely on one point, we can exercise control throughout the cycle,” said Will.

Over in The Study Tent, ADAS’ Dr Lynn Tatnell was part of a panel discussing managing perennial weeds in low input systems. She reminded that perennial species multiply by both seed dispersal and vegetative spread (rhizomes and roots).

“Their morphology really is their best attribute – something like a dock is obviously going to be competitive so requires a longterm, multi-faceted strategy.”

Lynn pointed out that one dock plant can produce 60,000 seeds which are viable very quickly and therefore re-germinate quickly. “So preventing docks from seeding is key, to stop that life cycle.

“They’re highly competitive, love moisture and high nutrient levels, whereas their roots can regenerate from very small fragments. An amazing weed, but not great if you’re struggling to control them on your land.”

EVENTS Groundswell report

A royal address

2024 – this was his maiden voyage onto the stage, before spending considerable time meeting and greeting those in attendance. “Last year I was uplifted by the sense of mission, the willingness to share knowledge and the innovation throughout the Groundswell community,” he said.

CRITICAL INPUT

“This is a broad church of actors who shape our landscape, put food on our tables and have a central role in combatting the climate and nature emergencies. Farming is not simply the act of growing food; it’s much bigger than that – it’s the stewardship of the land, the health of our soils, the purity of our water and resilience of our rural society, in harmony with nature.”

He stated that a change in climate system and unpredictable weather patterns are exposing weaknesses in conventional thinking, as are the economic pressures of input costs and volatile markets.

“It’s become clear that we need a different approach; regenerative farming offers a hopeful path forward, a way of working with nature not against it. It’s not a single method or dogma, but a mindset rooted in curiosity, observation, community and growth.”

Prince William stressed that the

“The change can be rapid if we open our eyes and observe.”

industry must work harder to ensure society supports those who are taking ‘bold steps’ toward regenerative practices. “Retailers, food manufacturers and processors have a vital role too in valuing quality and provenance, shortening supply chains, and telling the stories of the food we eat.

“And as consumers, we must re-educate ourselves on what we eat, where it comes from and the true cost of its production. For the farmers here today I offer my respect and encouragement – you are at the heart of this transformation.”

With the crowd suitably ‘warm’, Gabe joined the stage to deliver his keynote presentation entitled ‘What is all this talk about regenerative agriculture?’. A highly prominent figure in the regen world, Gabe is widely commended for his transformation of Brown’s Ranch – a 2025ha farm near Bismarck in North Dakota.

Sharing his story with the audience in the Big Top Tent, Gabe said that despite learning a conventional approach from his father-in-law who ‘loved to till’, he began to question this approach to farming.

This led to Gabe selling all of his tillage equipment to go full force notill. However, after a few challenging years of crop losses due to hail and weather extremes, Gabe said things were looking dire and he had to find a way to get out of debt.

“At the same time I was beginning to see some changes occurring. Before, we’d never had an earthworm in our fields but they were starting to appear, as were pollinators and beneficial insects, and birds. Wildlife was becoming much more abundant and water was starting to infiltrate our soils.

“I remember learning from my fatherin-law that in early spring we’d go out discing because we were trying to dry the fields out so we could get in and seed. But by July we were on our knees praying for rain; it didn’t make sense to me.

“So instead, I was starting to see water infiltrating and my soils were beginning to look like chocolate cake and changing colour – this all occurred during those

HRH The Prince of Wales coined himself the ‘warm up act’ for Gabe Brown (pictured left).

four years. I really began to realise that I’d degraded my ecosystem yet nature was working and we were starting to get help back into the system,” explained Gabe.

He said he wanted to impress on the Groundswell crowd that in regenerative agriculture, it doesn’t take decades to make a difference. “The change can be rapid if we open our eyes and observe. That’s the challenge I want to put forward for you today –change the way you see things.”

SIMPLE STEPS

According to Gabe, as long as there’s some soil, land can be moved down the regenerative path and it’s certainly not difficult. He said during his journey, he’d realised his management had been degrading the soil. “I wasn’t being a good steward of the land.

“It was then that I knew I had to become a student again. Despite several college degrees, not once in those classes had I been taught how soil aggregate is formed or how biology drives the natural nutrient cycle.

“That’s the most difficult thing we have to do to change the production system – farmers can’t implement what they don’t understand.”

Earlier in the day, a panel discussed the land use framework and how it could be used to power change in farming and nature. Featuring Wildfarmed’s Andy Cato, NFU’s Tom Bradshaw and Dustin Benton of Forefront Advisors, it explored what government should be considering when devising policy.

Andy said while data is critical in developing the framework and measuring farm outcomes, the situation goes beyond that. “It’s broadly acceptable to chop down a forest to build a railway line, and broadly unacceptable to buy farmland back to plant a forest; why?

“It’s because we’re asking people to leave cultures, callings and deep-seated traditions. So framing this as a collective sense of mission and purpose – after all no species survives the death of its ecosystem – is really important.”

Tom added that considering culture and heritage is vital. “If you don’t have a community at the heart of those landscapes, what happens over time is you lose the skills and the ability to react and respond.

“We have to put a real value on culture and heritage. This doesn’t mean the landscape can’t change, but making sure people are there at the heart is absolutely essential.” l

Groundswell report EVENTS

Can agriculture be saved?

Addressing a packed out Big Top Tent, Bramble Partners’ Henry Dimbleby explored what can be done to help British agriculture survive and thrive

According to Henry Dimbleby, nature in this country is declining, climate targets are being missed, and the food eaten is the greatest cause of avoidable ill health.

“And yet we have an availability and abundance of food that would have been unimaginable to our grandparents. How do we move away from this miracle that’s also a disaster? Undeniably, most of our food system today isn’t regenerative but a mining practice, so how do we achieve a healthy food system in 20 years’ time?”

In answer to this, the Rt Hon George Eustice highlighted that as a country, it’s important to look at the lessons of the past. “We can fuse lost husbandry with the technology of today. It’ll also require the government to stick to policy that works instead of chopping and changing, because we know it can take 10 years for changes to come to the fore in regen.”

And while he continued to point out that pursuing regen practices in the UK could make farmers more resilient, Justin King, former head of Sainsbury’s, flagged that the current food system is a result of spectacular change. “We have to start change by turning the problem on its head and must remember that by solving one problem, we may cause another.

Ensuring a future

A panel discussed what can be done to help British agriculture survive and thrive.

“There’s an assumption that if we create something new then consumers will embrace it, but the first thing to do is educate. If we can do this, they’ll be better informed and commercial retailers can exploit this.”

Justin admitted that during the past 20 years, the biggest driver for consumers has been convenience rather than choice or even price. “People will pay for convenience because you’re selling time back to the consumer. So although there’s one form of currency to pay with, there are multiple forms of currency to sell under.”

To change consumer habits, Henry suggested the idea of government intervention in the form of carbon taxes and asked whether this could work.

In response, Justin highlighted that what businesses actually require from government is consistency so they can plan and invest for the long-term. “If policy is only going to last

three years and not 20, then you never move anywhere because it’s too dangerous to set off on the journey in case the policy doesn’t exist once you reach that point.”

Turning the focus to profit margins, Henry stressed the power of supermarkets and how farmers are left to take what they’re given.

But according to Justin, supermarkets are an intermediary and often detached from dealing directly with those they buy from. However, he raised that while at Sainsbury’s, he helped to deliver a dairy development group that provided producers with a fixed price over the market value without this extra cost being passed onto consumers.

“The sharing of knowledge among farmers within this ground was the greatest benefit. Fundamentally, it’s against the interest of the retailer to destroy the relationship with its producers, but it’s also not against them to negotiate hard on behalf of consumers.”

Researching regen approaches gaining speed

Practical experience has outstripped research results within the regenerative farming world, but that’s slowly changing. To find out more, CPM joined delegates at the Green Farm Collective Conference.

By Mike Abram

Detailed research trials to provide evidence about the impact of using regenerative farming practices have been relatively few and far between. But, as speakers at the recent Green Farm Collective conference underlined, that’s beginning to change.

Trials such as one conducted by the University of Leeds at its 317ha commercial mixed farm, are starting to provide some research-led evidence of both the benefits and challenges from using regenerative farming principles.

The aim of the trial is to demonstrate and measure the impacts of different strategies commonly used within regenerative farming systems, explained Dr Ruth Wade, a lecturer

in sustainable agriculture and lead for the project at the university.

REPLICATED TRIAL

Seven different farming systems are being compared in replicated plots, including a control using conventional management. Another four systems follow different combinations of the five typically used principles of regenerative agriculture (minimise soil disturbance; maximise crop diversity; keep the soil covered; maintain a living root; integrate livestock), while the final two comparisons have been in a herbal ley for the initial three years of the trial. One of these is due to be integrated back into an arable rotation next season, while the other

“There’ll always be trade-o s when we use di erent farming systems; it’s important we show the true picture for di erent ecosystem services.”

DR RUTH WADE

Research-led evidence

Dr Ruth Wade is leading a project at the University of Leeds which aims to provide some research-led evidence of both the benefits and challenges from using regenerative farming principles.

will remain as a herbal ley long term.

“The first challenge was deciding what’s conventional management as there are many ways you could do that. We narrowed it down to not following any of the five principles of regen ag,” said Ruth.

“For example, when we minimise soil disturbance in our other plots, we plough and power harrow in our conventional plot, and when we keep soil covered in some plots, we leave it bare over winter.”

The simplest of the regen ag plots follows just two of the principles –minimising soil disturbance and keeping the soil covered – after feedback from farmers and advisers suggested growers ‘dipping their toe’ into farming regeneratively would start with these.

Each further treatment then adds another principle, starting with increasing diversity, followed by integrating livestock and then finally keeping a living root in the plot all year round using a clover understory.

Using large 12m by 40m plots means commercial equipment and integrating livestock can be done practically on the site, which has high magnesium, clay loam soils with a pH of 7.7.

She explained a detailed soil survey before the trial started in 2022 gave baseline data to compare against, while each year a large suite of measurements is taken such as water quality from each plot, soil dwelling

invertebrate populations, weed, pest and disease incidence, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon stocks, as well as yields, costs and gross margins.

“We’re very committed to not being focused on one thing,” added Ruth. “There’s always going to be tradeoffs when we change practices or use different farming systems, so it’s important we show the true picture of these for different ecosystem services.”

After a successful winter wheat crop in year one of the trial in 2022/23 that yielded 11.5t/ha with very little difference in systems, last year’s spring barley crop was a completely different story, she pointed out.

“It never stopped raining – we tried to drill our spring barley on a dry day but it was still too wet and it only established in the conventional plot. In the direct drilled regen plots, we had a very tight layer on the soil surface which the barley seedlings couldn’t push through.”

Those plots were successfully redrilled following a small amount of soil disturbance, she said, although yields were reduced especially in the plot with livestock integration.

There were also impacts for both the clover understory, which had to be knocked back with glyphosate for the crop to be redrilled, and the establishment of a following overwinter cover crop after a late spring barley harvest.

Education key to creating demand for regeneratively farmed flour

Educating bakers has been one of the key tasks for creating demand for flour made using regeneratively-farmed milling wheat produced by the Green Farm Collective

The Green Farm Collective has worked with Eurostar Commodities, a family-run ingredient supplier, to supply regeneratively farmed flour for the past two season, with the contract offering around a £20/t premium over milling wheat for growers.

“What we’ve found is education of the baker and end user is key,” explained Michael Kavanagh, one of the four founding farmers of the Green Farm Collective.

“With our lower protein wheat, our standard is for 11.5% protein,

Soil organic carbon

A trend emerging from the trial is that soil organic carbon is increasing in the top 10cm of soil in the regen plots, mainly because of adding farmyard manure, explained Dr Ruth Wade.

“The weather is tricky with these systems,” noted Ruth. “But the clover understory for the second year in a row came into its own compared with drilling a cover crop, because it was already there and covered the plot much earlier.”

The downside of the clover system has been that in the current season’s dry spring, the clover was competing for what moisture was in the soil, she added. “This has led to serious drought conditions for the beans in these plots and they reached wilting point just before rain arrived.”

Preliminary results from the various measurements has shown a loss in carbon stocks from the ploughed plots in the top

but we’ll take it down to 11% - it’s about educating the baker that they can produce what they want to produce to create the demand.

“We’re starting to see that now with feedback that it performs like a high protein flour, which is great for sourdoughs. We’ve also had positive feedback about the flavour of products such as pizzas that are being made with our RISE RE:GEN flour.”

Wheat crops grown for the Green Farm Collective milling wheat contract must meet a set of whole farm standards, which includes using

Boosting uptake

Education of the baker and end user is key, stressed Green Farm Collective founder, Michael Kavanagh.

minimal soil disturbance, a limit of 180kgN/ha of total nitrogen with no more than 45kgN/ha in one application, and no herbicides after GS39 including no pre-harvest glyphosate.

EVENTS Green Farm Collective

10cm, outlined Ruth. “But when we started looking deeper in the soil we found we’d taken soil organic carbon from the top layer and essentially buried it further down the profile. It’ll be interesting to track this.”

In contrast, there’s a trend that soil organic carbon is increasing in the top 10cm of soil in the regen plots, mainly because of adding farmyard manure, she added, with little difference lower down the soil profile.

Measurement of greenhouse gas emissions has found higher levels of nitrous oxide emissions in the regen ag plots than in the conventional system, possibly due to a greater level of microbial activity and / or the integration of legumes.

“This is something we have to understand better, but maybe suggests we can or should apply less fertiliser in regen systems,” she concluded.

University of Reading lecturer, Dr Millie Hood, has also been working with farmers to research the impact of cover cropping on farm. For the project, Millie worked closely with farmers to co-design trials to assess practical changes.

“Co-design comes up with more creative solutions that are usable, while also creating a sense of community between people with shared goals, including farmers and researchers,” she said.

After a series of workshops and meetings with 16 farmers recruited with the help of LEAF, the Showcase project investigates the frost-tolerance of different cover crop species – whether this affects biodiversity ecosystem services, and if it could be used to reduce the amount of glyphosate required to terminate cover crops.

“The theory is that in winter, sensitive species will gradually die off to provide organic matter for decomposers through winter rather than a massive flush at the end. This could improve infiltration as the roots decompose through winter and you may require less glyphosate to remove covers and put less strain on machinery planting the following crop,” she explained.

In the trials, the over-wintered cover crop mixes of four frost-sensitive species, four winter hardy species (see table),

Does Johnson-Su composting improve crop performance?

A trial on Andy Howard’s Kent farm in collaboration with the Kent Wildlife Trust, the Co-Op and Reading University, has found a promising yield increase where Johnson-Su compost was used

Johnson-Su composting is a technique pioneered by US researchers Dr David Johnson and Hui-Chun Su at the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture at New Mexico State University. A static pile, aerobic composting method that takes at least 12 months to make, Kent grower Andy Howard trialled using wood chip, farmyard manure and already mature compost as the base materials.

Once made, it was tested for microbial composition, before being made into an extract using Andrew’s home-made extractor, where water is spun through and around tea bags of compost to put the microbes into a water solution.

“The good thing about Johnson-Su compost is you don’t require tonnes of compost per hectare,” explained Andrew. “It works out around a kilogramme of compost per hectare.”

This was then applied at a water volume of 40 l/ha with 5 l/ha of liquid fish hydrolysate and 5 l/ha of molasses to the seed with the drill.

“The idea of the project was to investigate whether adding compost extract to our seed would allow us to reduce nitrogen fertiliser on the crop,” said Andy. To that end, four different

and a mix of all eight were planted in a tramline experiment following a winter wheat crop. A control strip where no cover crop was planted was also compared.

Despite a dry autumn in 2022 that hindered early establishment, and sharp early frosts that took out species earlier than expected, some interesting results were found, suggested Millie.

In particular, earthworm numbers increased by 53% during cover

rates of nitrogen ranging from zero to 240kgN/ha with and without extract were trialled in tramline scale plots.

“Within the first 10 days I was digging up roots and finding some significant differences so became very excited about what the extract was doing,” he added.

During the rest of the season very little difference between extract and no extract could be seen in the trial, despite the various tests on soil mineral nitrogen, germination and microbial biomass and composition.

“But we did see a yield difference of 0.4t/ha from using the compost extract. I think it might have been because the roots grew away better and gave the foundation to cope with any stress later,” suggested Andy. “It was only one year of trials though,” he stressed.

A second year of trials is now underway, with a second Kent farmer, Andrew Lingham, also involved to bring in a second soil type.

“Instead of four nitrogen rates, this year we have zero nitrogen, 180kgN/ ha, 240kgN/ha and a plot managed by Ben Taylor-Davies (Regen Ben), which is based on sap analysis and soil sensors made by PaulTech.”

cropping and by 66% in the subsequent spring barley crop, while similar increases in spider abundance (26%) were seen in the cover crops.

Firm conclusions about differences between mixes has been harder to make, however. “The frost-sensitive mixes provided by Oakbank did what they were supposed to do and gradually decayed during winter. This reduced plant cover before planting, which could mean lower use of glyphosate, but we found intermediate benefits to spiders and decomposition – more cover meant more spiders and greater decomposition.

“But we didn’t find significant differences between four and eight species in this experiment, which is important for cost,” she concluded. l

Cereals Event EVENTS

Facing challenges head on

An optimistic Cereals Event explored not just the issues and evolving landscape facing UK agriculture, but what farming and the wider industry is doing to meet these challenges. CPM reports.

By Melanie Jenkins

It could be said that agriculture has faced a barrage of on-going challenges in recent years, with extreme weather being the most consistent of these. While the Cereals Event, on 11-12 June, tackled these through its seminar programme, it also looked to provide hope and potential solutions. One of the most recent challenges to come to the fore – the promise of increased defence and health spending from government, leaving less for Defra – saw the opening seminar of this year’s event kick off with a reiteration of the importance of food security and how British farmers are essential.

NFU president, Tom Bradshaw stated the UK is moving in a different direction, but this shouldn’t be to the detriment of domestic food security. “We must accept that the old support schemes have ended – any future money will be earned income; public money for public goods and a contract for services that farming provides to society. I think we should all stop talking

about support because this suggests that it’s propping up farming businesses.”

However, with the potential threat of escalating hostilities and conflict arising in the Middle East and potentially closer to home, Tom highlighted the increasing importance of domestic food security.

“Having a thriving domestic food industry that can’t simply be cut off is a critical part of defence spending. With the government recognising that food security is a critical part of national security in its manifesto, it now has to deliver on that and enable a thriving food system in the UK in this volatile world.”

Farmer Mark Means voiced his concerns that while viably producing homegrown food is one issue, the country also requires working mills and food processing systems. He believes that those purchasing produce should pay a fair price to help keep farm businesses running, because without these, the rest of the UK’s processing industry would also suffer.

Diana Overton, managing director of

“This is a prime example of current public spending – with all its ine ciency –crowding out private investment.”

JEREMY MOODY

Frontier believes it’s important for famers to understand what the retailers are looking for and what the intermediaries demand to meet those requirements.

“There are private funding premiums available for sustainable supply chain contracts that involve farmers making commitments to help those end processors and retailers meet their own obligations and targets, whether these are CO₂ reductions, biodiversity improvements and a whole lot more,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, the CAAV’s Jeremy Moody highlighted the push for the

NFU president, Tom Bradshaw stated the UK is moving towards increased defence spending, but this shouldn’t be to the detriment of domestic food security.

Focus on food security

EVENTS Cereals Event

public to eat more fruit and vegetables. “The feeling is that British agriculture should respond to this by producing more but the gap in the middle is economics. This gap is a world where reward isn’t in line with the increased risk and scale of working capital required for farmers –it’s the same challenge that broadacre cereal farming is facing at the moment.

“Among ministers, landownership is coming to be seen as more of a service to the country where you have some form of obligation and role in delivering for the environment. So we’re having to manage more risk in all of this with extreme weather conditions piling onto the challenges.”

However, he believes the industry will find different routes through this, but it may involve looking at what could make for profitable agriculture in this country. Moving onto inheritance tax, he

stated that what’s currently on the table should be taken as read and what will be legislated for. “Governments do unpick their mistakes but this is a prime example of current public spending –with all its inefficiency – crowding out private investment. It’s something to be concerned about and a challenge we seem unable to convey to ministers, of the impact on small businesses.

“It’s a large tax tail, but we don’t have to let it wag the business dog. Look at where you want to be in 10-15 years’ time to help frame your objectives and consider where the future of the business lies, because this could be different to where the family thinks the capital assets should go.

“We’re turning over stones that most won’t have had to turn over for a generation. But through the ingenuity of the farming and advisory world, between us, we’ll get it sorted

Variety is the spice of life

Breeders highlight new genetics and varieties targeted at overcoming on-farm pressures

The importance of new varieties and the increasing benefit of evolving genetics to improve productivity was highlighted by numerous breeders at this year’s Cereals.

KWS flagged the value of new bread-making wheats with KWS Arnie, the firm’s newly recommended Group 2 variety with UKFM breadmaking approval. “At 106% of control, Arnie yields like a hard Group 4, giving growers the advantage of a quality wheat and strong yields,” said KWS’s Olivia Bacon.

The latest Group 3 variety, KWS Solitair offers full access to the biscuit, distilling and export markets, has OWBM resistance and a high untreated yield, she added.

Highlighting its new variety KWS Inys – which is the firm’s first hybrid barley – KWS’s Kate Cobbold explained it aims to address standing issues previously seen in the crop. “At 109%, it’s the highest yielder on AHDB’s RL. It has shown consistency across the trial years, has the lowest brackling percentage of the recommended hybrids, has a strong untreated yield and very good autumn vigour.”

New from Syngenta is hybrid barley SY Quantock. According to the firm’s Mark Shaw, this is the new SY

Kingsbarn, but with advancements in genetics that provide growers the key benefit of weed suppression alongside yield and all-round disease resistance. “It’s yielded 112% in the West and 109% across the wider country and is suited to all locations and soil types.”

Syngenta’s Ben Urquhart pointed out the strong disease scores and untreated yield. “What gives me confidence in Quantock is its untreated yield of 93%. None of its disease ratings are below a 7, and across both our treated and untreated trials networks in Germany, Denmark and Poland, it’s performing well.”

And while specific weight has been the Achilles heel of hybrid barley, this could now be a thing of the past. “It’s something our breeders have worked to address and the advancements we’ve seen are great,” said Ben. “Achieving 70.44kg/hl, Quantock is producing the same quality as the two-row barley varieties.”

Using genomic prediction, DSV shared how its able to determine how well new wheat varieties should perform in baking tests. Using a single leaf the firm can predict how a loaf will turn out, and can account for the influence of environmental factors on the variety, explained the firm’s Dr Matthew Kerton.

for a lot of people,” he stated.

“Take advice, consider and work your way through this. One of the upsides of the tragedy of the inheritance tax proposals is that it’s forcing a level of discussion on farm about questions which we’ve avoided for a generation. This gives a good tax reason to look at succession, so take advantage of this so you can think ahead and plan for the future.”

While agri-tech won’t solve the inheritance tax issue, one way the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s Harry Langford feels the industry can overcome some of the challenges it faces, is through improvements in efficiency enabled by the adoption of new technology.

“Innovation in agriculture generates efficiency and there’s value for sustainable options via input reduction technologies combined with output optimisation. As well as that, we must

Harnessing technology

Using genomic prediction, DSV can determine how well new wheat varieties should perform in baking tests.

Off the back of this programme, DSV has introduced a new bread-making wheat variety, Arlington. “Currently a candidate, the Skyfall x Marsden variety has OWBM resistance, the Pch1 eyespot gene and a strong septoria score. With a low vernalisation requirement, it can be sown late winter into early spring much like Skyfall.”

The firm’s latest oilseed rape offering includes Dompteur, which is top of AHDB’s Candidate List for gross output, said DSV’s Dr Alex Doering. “It has TuYV resistance and a good verticillium rating, plus Rlm7 and RlmS, as well as pod shatter resistance.”

A variety the firm hopes will be recommended this coming autumn is Cognac. “It has a full set of traits with Rlm7 and LepR1 phoma resistance, plus TuYV and a strong verticillium wilt tolerance, good pod shatter resistance and high oil content,” concluded Alex.

remember that farming isn’t easy and there are risks associated with the impact of climate change and extreme weather, as well as soil health and biodiversity decline on farm.”

With this in mind, the Centre surveyed a range of individuals across agri-tech to determine what they perceived as the greatest opportunities for innovation during the next decade, he said. Based on this, it’s set out innovation pipelines, focussing on intelligent agriculture and how sensor and machine learning technology can be advanced with enabling technologies to make them more efficient and reduce power consumption.

“This’ll allow us to collect more data and be proactive and predictive in our scenario planning for bespoke farming systems,” said Harry.

In the biological space, the short-term focus is on what targeted biological controls can be developed to tackle pest and disease threats which can lead to a holistic perspective on microbial and precision breeding approaches to deliver lower input systems.

“For instance, we’re moving onto novel sensing technology such as hyperspectral imagery, electrochemistry or biosensing

technology, to allow the collection of more data. While using machine learning to profile aspects like crop nutrients and disease status in real time, can give the opportunity to ask more detailed questions – not just what can you do, but how and are there multiple options open.”

Early detection is another area the project has focused on. Work undertaken with agri-tech innovator, Fotenix, aims to use low-cost multispectral imaging to detect pre-symptomatic disease in plants. “This could allow farmers to intervene earlier, using IPM or biological solutions and consider how to precision apply to save a significant amount of spray volume,” explained Harry.

“We’re also beginning to enter a scenario that reduces spray volumes while opening the door to other tools such as biological products. For example, work done with biotech company, Bactobio, has looked at using biofungicides to combat septoria,” he added.

There could also be options to use less fertiliser or apply it in a different way, such as using a titanium dioxide catalyst to remove pollution from the air and convert it, using sunlight, to nitrates on the leaf.

This is a concept the UK Agri-Tech

Monetising environmental obligations

The CAAV’s Jeremy Moody believes the industry will find different routes to environmental obligations, but this may involve looking at what could make for profitable agriculture in this country.

Centre has been exploring with Dyson Farming. “We’re trying to understand how far we can push this system and look at if we can integrate it with endophytes and significantly reduce the amount of synthetic nitrogen applied.

“Conventional fertilisation works really well which is the reason why it’s popular,” observed Harry. “This is why we have to be quite sure we have the right technology and associated practice to be able to drive these towards commercialisation,” he concluded. ●

Review author

Tim Parton is a Staffordshirebased farm manager and regenerative farming advocate.

For context, author Chris Clark is a firstgeneration farmer who decided with his then wife-to-be to buy a farm before he turned 50 – quite a plan in agriculture these days. Nevertheless, he achieved that goal aged 49.

He’s joined by coauthor, Brian Scanlon, whose career started in the steel industry before moving into management consulting and banking.

Chris’s company Nethergill Associates is a management consultancy currently based in North Devon. While operating the business in Yorkshire, he implemented a range of sub-businesses while running the farm including bed and breakfast and holiday lets, yet ‘still failed to create a profitable business’.

When downsizing he found the farm became more profitable, which perhaps goes against many modern beliefs. Subsequently, this led Chris to invite his old friend Brian to look at what was going on, culminating in this book.

Other farms in the area had reported similar profit increases from downsizing and the authors wanted to understand why. They say the pivotal moment came when they realised farming has two different forms of energy: sunlight, and industrial in the form of fertilisers and feed concentrates.

While one enhances the power of Mother Nature and costs more effort than financial investment, the other can

BOOK REVIEW

The Profitable Farm

CPM takes a look at the book which promises to guide readers through the nuances of balancing business nature and energy through ‘maximum sustainable output concepts’. By Tim Parton

be an expensive line of input creating high costs. Although this method worked fine while food was subsidised after the second world war, in a modern environment of politics and debt, subsidies may soon be something of the past. As such, this book strives to explain how to make a profitable business which harnesses the power of nature.

Its aim is to guide readers to achieve maximum sustainable output (MSO) which addresses both economic and environmental issues; but is this also a way of moving to a more profitable business?

The book strives to show how this can be realised and why some businesses may fail.

It depicts how cash flow management is an important discipline to have, understanding an at least sixmonth projection of income sales, operational expenses, interest payments, hire purchase/leasing expenses, mortgage payments, tax liabilities and operating balances (=income less expenses). Authors state cash flow management is all about discipline and anticipation, and is essential in today’s world.

Hierarchy of profitability is something the book details in three simple tests. The first comprising sales revenue less variable costs. This is to ascertain if a business is making a positive contribution, with the authors seeing first-hand that 18% of those reviewed don’t cover variable costs;

subsidies being essential.

The second is to assess if a business can make a second positive contribution – the first contribution minus fixed costs. Continued loss at this level will decapitalise the business and could potentially lead to bankruptcy. Perhaps worryingly, this test was failed by 80% of the businesses reviewed, which were propped up by support payments.

The third test, exclusive to farm businesses, is to evaluate whether an enterprise makes a third positive contribution (second contribution plus support payments and other income). The authors state this is the ultimate test, yet 20% still fail at this level.

Authors provide examples of increasing productivity and how to evaluate return on investment for infrastructure such as new land drains or fencing, as well as new mechanical productivity.

There really is something for all businesses in this book regardless of the level they’re operating at. It includes how to analyse results to see what level an investment is impacting the business, or, taking into account chemical productivity in the form of fertilisers and the environmental consequences of such actions. It also reviews biological productivity such as selective breeding.

The book demonstrates the ways which industry uses methodology to evaluate the condition of a business through benchmarking. It talks

to explain how to balance business nature and energy.

about understanding variable costs in the form of productive variable costs which are related to working with nature, and corrective variable costs which are substituting nature.

Both are energy considerations while the book shows clearly the effect they have on breakeven point, which all comes back to the MSO for that farm business. The book also explains biodiversity natural capital (BNG) and how it can deliver a potential income.

This book is for the modern businessperson to take on board methodology to assess the performance of their enterprise for the world into which farming is entering, with the potential of no government help. ●

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: The Profitable Farm

Author: Chris Clark & Brian Scanlon

Release: Spring 2025

Recommended retail price: £25

Available: 5M Books / Amazon

Have a book in mind for CPM to review? Contact editor Janine Adamson for more information: janine. adamson@kelsey.co.uk

The Profitable Farm by Chris Clark and Brian Scanlon Aims

Cultivators and ploughs MACHINERY

Shallow tillage to deep inversion

“Users will benefit from a more coste ective option, increased longevity, and less downtime during the season.”

EDD FANSHAWE

Whether farmers are opting for minimum tillage, deep inversion or somewhere in between, improvements in implements can help create the ideal seedbed. CPM explores some of the new machines on the market.

By Melanie Jenkins

Working soils is no one-sizefits-all undertaking, meaning having the right tool for the job can make operations smoother and help achieve the desired result, which is why manufacturers continue to innovate and develop new machines and implements to improve performance and efficiency.

AMAZONE

To meet increasing demands for ultra-shallow soil tillage, Amazone has developed the TopCut 12000-2T cutting roller combination in a working width of 12m. It consists of up to three consecutive tool segments plus a rear segment that can be equipped with various different tools to suit the customer’s requirements.

The first row can include optional leading tools such as a knife roller, while the second and third row consists of main tools such as a knife roller and/

or the firm’s Minimum TillDisc. The final fourth row rear segment can have a three-row straw harrow or the option of packer rollers without the leading tool.

For those looking for a trailed compact disc harrow, Amazone has also released

Adaptability

Amazone’s TopCut 12000-2T cutting roller combination consists of up to three consecutive tool segments plus a rear segment that can be equipped with different tools to suit requirements.

QUALITY STUBBLE CULTIVATION

OPTIMER independent disc stubble cultivator

• Available from 3 to 12.5m working width

• ‘L’ range offering 2 rows of 510mm discs, with working depths of 3 to 10cm

•‘XL’ range offering 2 rows of 620mm discs, with working depths of 5 to 15cm

New capacity

Bednar’s new Galaxy GE 12300 is a trailed roller designed for large farms.

the Catros+ 6003-2TS Special in a 6m working width. This is designed for shallow soil tillage from a working depth of 5cm and can also be used up to 14cm, to incorporate larger quantities of organic matter with operating speeds of up to 18km/h.

Adding to its mounted cultivator range, the firm has launched the Cenius Ultra in working widths of 3m and 3.5m. The standout feature of the machine is the C-Mix Ultra tine with its automatic overload protection via a hydraulic cylinder. This tine system is designed to offer a high level of reliability and durability, especially under intensive operating conditions.

The release force can be adjusted between 500kg and 800kg to ensure optimum adaptation to differing soil types. The tines can move upwards more quickly on light soils with large stones at the lower release force setting of 500kg. This protects the frame of the mounted cultivator from excessive loads while any stones remain under the surface.

Where there’s compaction, or on heavy clay soils, the pressure can be increased up to 800kg to help ensure a consistent, reliable loosening of the soil.

The lift heights of the individual tines mean that

the machine maintains the desired working depth of up to 35cm, even under the toughest of conditions.

The firm has also introduced the FW 580 flex ring roller, a new packer roller for the Cenio and Cenius mounted cultivators and Catros mounted compact disc harrows. Due to its ring spacing of 200mm and its narrow roller core, the roller, with a total diameter of 580mm, is suitable for a broad range of applications.

As a result of the continuous spring action of the rings, the FW 580 is designed to produce fine soil while ensuring deep reconsolidation and a loose soil surface. An optional spring cleaning system offers additional functionality and prevents the roller from sticking, even in more demanding soil conditions.

BEDNAR

Bednar has expanded its range with a 12.3m version of its Cambridge roller, the Galaxy GE 12300. Like the other two models in the range, it can be optionally equipped with the ALFA DRILL 800 seeding unit. The firm has strengthened the chassis to make it suitable for supporting the five sections of the roller. One of the main advantages of this frame is its compatibility with a Crushbar levelling

bar or seeding unit. In addition, its weight of almost 10t should increase the clod breaking effect of the roller.

As with the other rollers in the range, the cast iron segments are mounted alternately: a smooth segment (diameter 500mm) followed by a toothed segment (diameter 530mm).

HORSCH

Horsch’s new Kredo HD is the next generation of power harrow from the firm which can be operated by tractors up to 300hp – made possible by an 8mm thick hollow profile trough. This hollow profile design reduces the sealing surface to a minimum and the rotor sets are screwed from below. The tine carrier, rotor kit and the shaft, that’s supported by two taper 60mm and 70mm roller bearings, can be dismantled from below.

The Kredo HD is part of the standard specification of the Express KR, Versa KR, Versa SW and Versa SL drills, however, it’s also available without a seed unit to be used for tillage and seedbed preparation. It’s available in 3m, 3.5m, and 4m working widths as rigid models and 4m and 6m folding models. The Kredo HD features the quickchange drag or grip Horsch tines and carbide coating is available. This coating technology should ensure a constant working depth in addition to a long service life. By adapting the operational speed and the rotational speed of the power harrow, the cultivation intensity in the seedbed can be controlled in a targeted way.

The precise adjustment of the working depth of the Kredo HD power harrow is accessible from the outside. A lasered hole and position pattern allows for depth to be easily monitored. The levelling bar can also be adjusted using the universal tool, and in the future will be fitted on the packer roller.

LEMKEN

Lemken’s new Diamant 18 is a semimounted reversible plough designed for large tractors up to 650hp and difficult operating conditions. With 6-8 furrows and a 180mm x 180mm x 12.5mm box section frame, the plough is designed to perform well on dry soils due to its increased weight and updated wheel position.

The new wheel position is designed to result in a lower centre of gravity so the plough is subjected to lower rotational

Next gen

Medium depth, low disturbance subsoiler

STEALTH

Alleviate compaction, minimise soil burst and in turn grass weed germination with HE-VA’s Stealth.

• Working widths of 3m - 6m

• Scalloped, straight, front cutting discs

• Two rows of staggered ‘Hardox’ legs

• Discs and leg depth hydraulically controlled from the tractor seat

• Tungsten hardened cast steel points

• Working depth of up to 300mm (12”)

• Adjustable leg spacing

• Range of seeders and fitting kits available

Designed to satisfy the requirements of no-till and min-till systems, the Stealth is also suitable for use where repair to damaged soil structure is required e.g. headlands, tramlines or other high traffic areas.

Horsch’s new Kredo HD is the next generation of power harrow from the firm which can be operated by tractors up to 300hp.

Shearbolt or Hydraulic Reset

MACHINERY Cultivators and ploughs

forces and there’s less strain on the rear lift. This not only aims to protect the plough components, but also ensures high tipping stability of the tractor/ plough combination and a smooth ride.

The hydraulic steering of the transport wheel automatically adapts the steering angle to the turning manoeuvre and, in combination with the 90° steering angle on the plough headstock, enables the smallest possible turning radius at the headland. The transport wheel can also be actively controlled and manually steered for manoeuvring work.

By introducing the integrated FlexPack furrow press for the Diamant 18 semi-mounted plough, Lemken has extended the range of applications for its ploughing technology, including in dry and stony soils. The 6-8-furrow Diamant 18 single-wheel semi-mounted plough is combined with a directly mounted furrow press as standard.

Running parallel to the plough frame, the FlexPack has been designed to achieve consistent reconsolidation at any working width setting, with no overlaps or unworked areas.

In addition to its own weight, the FlexPack furrow press can be hydraulically pressurised to help adapt it to different soil conditions. It can also be used together with the OptiStone hydraulic overload protection system on the plough, for use in stony conditions. To help avoid stones, each pair of rings is suspended individually from spring steel elements. The firm has also expanded its harrow range with the Rubin 10 compact disc harrows multi-tool.

The semi-mounted Rubin 10 TF is available with working widths of 4-7m with a number of new features. The bar spacing has been increased by 150mm to 1350mm to ensure that the organic matter settles further after the first row of discs, to help improve the cutting and mixing effect of the second row of discs. Two more front tools, a levelling tine section and a leading cutting roller have been introduced.

Lemken has also released a quickchange roller system for the Rubin 10 MR and TF. This allows users to switch between different single and double

rollers quickly and with less effort so that they can optimally adapt the implement to individual requirements.

KUHN

Kuhn has increased its range of entrylevel Performer Select cultivators to offer users a wider choice of versatile and straightforward one-pass machines. The new models are suited to those requiring a simple cultivator, says the firm’s Edd Fanshawe.

“Adding two models to complement the existing 4000 machine will open the range to a greater number of small and medium-sized farmers. The one-pass Performer system allows a versatile approach to cultivations, with discs, legs and a packer roller capable of operating in a wide range of conditions to leave a drill-ready finish.

“The additional Select models retain the same working features as the 1000 range and will appeal to users requiring manual controls and simple operation,” he explains.

The three machines offer mechanical adjustment of levelling discs and

working depth, NSM (spring) rather than NSH (hydraulic) leg protection, and a 600mm HD or Double U roller instead of the 700mm version on the Performer 1000 range. Kuhn’s SH 600 seeding unit is an option for growers establishing cover crops in one pass.

The manufacturer has also launched a redesign of its mid-range Olympic plough points to offer a 30% increase in longevity.

The second-generation Olympic point is now fitted as standard on all Kuhn ploughs from the smallest Master 113 up to the largest Challenger range. They offer increased thickness at the top of the point to extend the lifespan and a bevelled shape to help improve soil penetration. Further to this is an accentuated design to even wear and reduce tractor power consumption. The central section is now protected from extended wear to shield the bolts, making changing points easier.

“The new point retains similar dimensions to the previous version but offers an increased lifespan of 30% at a recommended retail price increase of just 6%,” says Edd. “This means users will benefit from a more cost-effective

Straightforward cultivation

Kuhn has increased its range of entry-level Performer Select cultivators to offer users a wider choice of versatile and straightforward one-pass machines.

option, increased longevity, and less downtime during the season.”

Beyond this, a new optional Durakarb point increases longevity by four times on the new Olympic points, he adds.

These feature tungsten carbide inserts to improve impact resistance and a patented brazing and heat treatment process.

“The working surface of the point is 100% carbide, using brazed insert technology rather than adding the carbide on the working face. This reduces the risk of loss during work and helps to increase protection and longevity,” he adds.

On the firm’s Vari-Leader ploughs, a

new T traction bolt safety feature has been added to offer users a cost-effective option for load protection. This is aimed at growers farming light soils with low stone content. The simple T traction bolt has a share point load of 4700kg and provides an alternative to the nonstop hydraulic system that’s already available on the Vari-Leader range.

The shearing design, as opposed to snapping, prevents broken bolts becoming stuck in the plough framework as they break, allowing users to quickly and easily replace bolts and return to work. ●

E-Services for TopDown and Opus

the Future of Tillage

Learn

Experience precision farming like never before with the introduction of E-Services for TopDown and Opus.

Now these machines can seamlessly utilise prescription maps for automatic, in field machine adjustments.

Alternatively, with a touch of a button the driver can dynamically adjust the working depth or intensity of the discs, tines, levellers or packer while in operation.

MACHINERY Balers

Producing the ideal bale

The requirement for high-density top-quality bales has seen one farming business adopt two new large square balers. CPM discovers not only the di erence these have made but also the savings.

By Melanie Jenkins

With aims to reduce the business’ carbon footprint while trying to maintain high output from livestock, Grosvenor Farms on the Eaton Estate, Cheshire, is adopting new technology to optimise its straw bale production.

Growing 1000ha of cereals including winter wheat, winter barley and spring barley, and 1100ha of maize and grass for forage, for the farm’s 2500 cows, which produce 34M litres of milk for Tesco, the business requires reliable high throughput balers.

Having worked with Kuhn equipment in the past including boom and disc fertiliser spreaders, mowers, tedders and power harrows, switching to Kuhn balers was something arable manager Charlie Steer had confidence in.

After purchasing an SB 1290 iD for the farm in 2023, he added a second to the fleet in 2024. “We were slow on the uptake of high-density balers but it’s the best feature because of the

efficiency increase,” he explains. “We’re now carting fewer loads back to the stores and it means we can fit more bales in the shed while avoiding the cost of having to build new storage.”

Operator Dan James has also been impressed with the balers so far, finding them simple and straightforward to use, connecting seamlessly to the farm’s tractors via ISOBUS. He also likes that if there’s a lump while he’s baling haylage, he can drop the floor and start again without issue.

One of the balers has the optional crop cutter which is useful when producing haylage. “The baler can chop to avoid this at feeding, however, we’re going to try it with straw this year so that it goes through the mixer easier,” says Dan. “It’s easy to use via the ISOBUS and it’s possible to drop the knives out if you don’t want to use them.”

Charlie appreciates the flexibility of running the balers on lower horsepower tractors such as the farm’s 7310R, 6R

“The capacity of the balers really helps to get top quality straw in the short windows we’ve experienced.”

CHARLIE STEER

250s, 6215 or 6195 John Deeres. “We spend a lot of time and resources trying to reduce the carbon footprint of what we produce, so fuel is a key emissions point.”

The TwinPact double plunger has been useful when the balers are functioning at speed, taking a lot of the plunger rock out of the baler and tractor compared with the previous large square balers that Charlie has used.

Dan agrees, noting that the tractors aren’t rocked as much. “It’s smoother now and because of the twin axels, it’s better when we’re travelling across ruts.”

Charlie also likes the moisture metre which helps the farm maintain high-quality straw for its dairies. “We hammer mill a portion of the straw

Consistent confirmation

Grosvenor Farms’ Kuhn SB 1290 balers produce a better confirmation of bale which are squarer and the same length and shape.

MACHINERY Balers

Packing a punchy bale

Producing high density at low horsepower: what makes Kuhn’s SB 1290iD baler stand out

The SB 1290 iD is the flagship model of Kuhn’s large square balers, producing a 120cm by 90cm bale, explains the firm’s Rhodri Jenkins. “Targeted at the higher density market and straw contractors, this baler is also run by farmers targeting a 500-520kg bale.

“One of the main features of the baler, and different to other machines on the market, is the TwinPact plunger,” notes Rhodri. “Opposed to having a single 60t plunger, we’ve split this to provide two 30t loads to the bale, which allows the baler to run on a lower horsepower tractor. The technology provides the same level of density as a single plunger and can run with a minimum of 150hp, whereas a baler with a single plunger requires 300hp plus.”

The TwinPact plunger system also produces a 25% heavier bale

compared with competitor models, claims the firm. “All of our balers have 375cm bale chambers because by lengthening these it increases the friction on the bale to produce a higher density,” explains Rhodri.

Looking at the baler’s running functions, the 460kg flywheel at the front of the machine helps to take the peak load out of the driveline and the back of the tractor at high torque. “It has a 2.3m wide pick up, running on five tine bars with overload clutch protection,” he adds.

The baler has cam clutch protection throughout including on the intake rotor and the pick-up itself, as well as the feeder fork. “The main gear box has both cam clutch and slip clutch protection. Some manufacturers use shear bolts but the cam clutch has the benefit of less downtime and is mostly beneficial for the operators. If

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the cam clutch does go off, reduce the rpm on the PTO until it binds again.”

In between the pick up and the intake rotor is a power feed roller. “The driven crop roller keeps the crop below the central radius of the intake rotor allowing for increased throughput by up to 10% and total capacity by up to 20%,” says Rhodri.

Behind this is the integral rotor system where the intake has side augers directly in line with the intake so a separate line isn’t required, reducing the distance between the pick up and pre chamber, meaning the crop is moved quicker.

ISOBUS compatible, it can be run using Kuhn’s CCI60, CCI800 or CCI1200 terminals as well as through the tractor’s display, he comments. “The machines come with the option of easy flow kits to help stop the crop from getting caught

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Lower horsepower

Kuhn’s SB 1290 iD baler has two plungers providing 30t of pressure each to the bale, which allows the baler to run on a lower horsepower tractor, says the firm’s Rhodri Jenkins.

in the pre-chamber, a humidity measure with ranges of 9-14°C, and an electric bale length monitor in addition to the standard star wheel and mechanical length measures.”

which is included in the TMR for the cows but the rest is used for bedding which means we require good quality straw at the right moisture which isn’t always easy in wetter years,” he says.

“The capacity of the balers helps achieve top quality straw in the short windows we’ve experienced in recent years and getting an even square sided 500kg bale is the target for all crops.

“Quality of the straw is a significant factor, which comes down to timeliness and good, conscientious operators, who consistently monitor bale moisture and weights, which we’re lucky to have on the team.”

Because of the requirement to maintain this high-quality, Dan agrees that the moisture metre is useful, but due to the requirement to produce high quality bedding, they also use probe metres as well. “At night when the dew condenses it gets into the baler which can result in discrepancies with the moisture metre because it’s on the outside of the baler, so double checking with the probe is about reassurance.”

When first using the crop cutter baler for haylage, while moving between fields, it produced a few off-shaped bales. However, as soon as Dan moved to larger areas, bale confirmation became uniform and he hasn’t experienced this since.

Overall, he’s noticed that the

balers produce a better confirmation that are squarer and are the same length and shape. “When we ran the previous balers we’d find variation with some longer and others shorter but they’re now very consistent.”

Looking at the return on investment, Charlie points out that the business tends to run kit for a long time, with the SB 1290 iDs replacing 20- and 12-year-old New Hollands. “But based on the jump in productivity in now producing high-density bales, plus more tonnes carted with fewer journeys, quality improvements and a lower requirement for outdoor stacks, we’re assuming a 4.2-year payback.

“We find that in both carbon and cost reduction per measure of output, be

Smoother performance

The TwinPact double plunger has been useful when the balers are functioning at speed, taking a lot of the plunger rock out of the baler and tractor.

that a tonne of grain or a litre of milk, yield is still king. Having quality straw or hay to include in rations or to bed youngstock might seem like a small point, but lots of small points add up to bigger ones,” concludes Charlie. l

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Is it going to be a back end of sheeting trailers and dragging tow straps around? Who knows; Mother Mature tends to pay her debts at some time or other.

Haytime here began 14 May, the earliest ever. My thought was that the weather was good, it was starting to go to seed already, and if the season turned catchy we’d be chasing a bulk of rough old grass to get the good stuff. Maybe we’ll get a second cut between harvesting barley and wheat, but it’ll have to rain first.

As I write this, we’re yet to start cutting our barley. We’re plagued by volunteer wheat this year and have some elsewhere to cut that has a surprising amount of secondary growth in the bottom. So for the first time in as long as I can remember, pre-harvest desiccation has been the order of the season.

Twinkle Toes has come into her own for this, having narrower wheels and more clearance than its trailed stablemate (for those wondering, Twinkle Toes is a 29-year-old light self-propelled hydrostatic sprayer that I added to the fleet last winter).

Winter wheat and spring cereals are turning colour faster than I’d like. We committed to a significant dryer upgrade back in winter but for a multitude of reasons, it’s not finished yet. Will we need it? Undoubtedly yes, it’s rare not to dry anything at all here.

The winter barley will likely have to go through

Talking TATIES

Ever optimistic

quickly to wissen up any bits of remaining sap from the aforementioned volunteers – it doesn’t make much financial sense with the feed barley price in the doldrums of £140/t, but neither does a mouldy heap of unsaleable corn, which is more likely given the high temperatures we’re experiencing currently.

You could be forgiven for thinking that ‘the job’s knackered’ at the moment, what with our government’s short-sighted decision on ethanol kicking the base out of the feed wheat market by which other commodities are priced. So what’s the way forward here?

Second wheats have historically been ok, but increasingly they’ve become break even at best. Given grassweed pressure isn’t going away or getting cheaper, spring barley will form a bigger part of our heavy land rotation instead of second wheat, with spring oats following sugar beet instead of spring barley to precede a first wheat on more reliable land.

It’s a gamble for sure, but I think we’ve learned a few lessons of how far to push boundaries over the years and have to at least try to improve our resilience. My cultivation policy is as little as possible but as much as necessary, but sometimes we focus too much on the former and not enough on the latter.

A simple cover of buckwheat, vetch and a little phacelia will protect this land over winter, but will be destroyed early and be sown into a cultivated seedbed rather than be direct drilled, which should improve spring

barley establishment.

Sugar beet is interesting this year. We have some conventional and some Smart beet. The Smart has struggled to get going due to a lack of moisture but is motoring now. Beneficial insects are in abundance, so to maintain their presence to protect the crop from viruscarrying aphids, we’re yet to apply an insecticide. So far at least, they’re managing to keep the crop healthy.

The Futures beet price is currently sub-£20/t which doesn’t bode well for an inspiring contract for next year’s crop, so we may finish up growing less beet and more beans since we have a decent local market for them.

I was fortunate to be invited to attend the Worldwide Mancozeb Summit at Rothamsted Research last month, learning how widely mancozeb is used across crops like bananas, soy beans, grapes, apples and pears, in addition to potatoes.

Mancozeb hasn’t been usable in the EU since 2022 and an increase in cases of blight has been noticed – resistance management has been compromised and productivity reduced as a result. This is a serious situation, and one to which the market may have to adapt. The fate of mancozeb was discussed at a court case in Luxembourg on 1 July, which was reasonably positive, so we await the decision in a few months’ time.

A focus on varietal traits particularly blight susceptibility, and those prone to alternaria, will be ever more necessary because not having mancozeb as a tool obviously increases risk and puts pressure on other active ingredients.

My potato crops at present are holding on well, but boy-

o-boy are the irrigators testing me this time. From pump impellors expiring to split pipes; engine water pumps expiring, dodgy flow switches, stuck chain tensioners that invariably only let go at night resulting in seven hours of water landing on two hours’ worth of land in the lowest part of a field, we’ve had it all this year. It’s hard building infrastructure in lean times, particularly when a chunk of the crop is grown on oneyear cropping licences like a lot are nationwide. At least disease pressure is low.

In between chasing irrigators and spraying this week, we’ve had a change of pig batches and hauled the muck out. We’ve kept B&B pigs for 35 years now, and for all it doesn’t make a fortune, it is constant, low risk and turns straw into muck which keeps our land in decent fettle.

We’ve also said goodbye to two local farming stalwarts, both of whom have been around for all of my life – it’s a timely reminder that nothing lasts forever, and to seize the moment as much as possible.

Here’s to a fruitful, trouble-free and profitable harvest; well, a man must be optimistic!  ●

Andrew Wilson is a fourthgeneration tenant of the Castle Howard Estate in North Yorkshire. He has a strategic approach to direct drilling on his varied soil types and grows a wide variety of crops. He’s passionate about the potato industry and having been utilising cover crops to reduce cultivation and chemical use since 2011, dipped his toe in the water of regenerative potatoes in 2021.

@SpudSlingsby

WITH ANDREW WILSON

Why you should care about PCN

“If we ignore PCN, in 40 years there’ll be no clear land left to grow seed potatoes in Scotland.”

GRAHAM BANNISTER

Just because many in the potato sector are deeply knowledgeable about PCN and the catastrophic damage the microscopic pest can cause, it seems others could be lacking the basics regarding its control and management. CPM finds out why experts are urging the wider industry to pay attention.

By Janine Adamson

As more farmers continue to exit potatoes, leaving just specialist growers and committed individuals to produce the UK’s crop, experts fear the wider industry is turning a blind eye to a problem which in just 40 years, could wipe out most seed potato production in Scotland.

The issue being potato cyst nematode – PCN. While it’s assumed anyone who’s paid a vague interest in the root crop sector should have a basic awareness of nematodes, GB Potatoes’ Graham Bannister believes in reality, it’s a very different picture.

“GB Potatoes recently partnered with CUPGRA and Harper Adams University to update AHDB’s PCN technical guides which had been identified as out of date (see box). During this process it soon became apparent that the pest still isn’t at the forefront of growers’ minds, despite its significance. But the problem isn’t going away, far from it,” he stresses.

“If we ignore PCN, in 40 years there’ll be no clear land left to grow seed potatoes in Scotland – it’s that serious. We are sleep walking into a potential catastrophe.”

Graham believes that those who aren’t directly engaged with PCN don’t necessarily understand how critical it is and what it means to UK agriculture. Whether that’s tractor drivers, contractors, agronomists or even farmers themselves, he wants more individuals to gain basic knowledge in order to combat this pernicious pest.

He also hopes that those who do know, not only ensure their knowledge is up to date and accurate, but will also encourage ‘non-believers’ to get on board. To help address this void in understanding, GB Potatoes and CUPGRA have recently issued a one-page PCN factsheet based on the now updated technical guide.

“With the full technical guide only

available to members of either GB Potatoes or CUPGRA, we were conscious that the wider industry – all involved – have to understand the essential points of PCN and its management and control,” continues Graham.

“We don’t wish to scaremonger, but hope that by producing an easy to print document, the gravity of the situation will become clear.”

But why should more people pay

Wider industry

GB Potatoes’ Graham Bannister believes that those who aren’t directly engaged with PCN don’t necessarily understand how critical it is and what it means to UK agriculture.

ROOTS Potatoes

Updated PCN guide and summary factsheet

Potato growers have a new reference tool to help manage potato cyst nematode pressure

Launched by GB Potatoes and CUPGRA, A guide for managing PCN in Great Britain is a science-based resource aimed at supporting the potato industry in addressing one of its most persistent challenges. Available exclusively to members of GB Potatoes and CUPGRA, the information includes practical, upto-date strategies for managing PCN — specifically Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis. It covers:

● Cultural control methods

● Biological and chemical control options

● Variety selection and resistance management

attention to PCN? A simple answer –because so much of the UK’s potato area is grown on rented land, highlights Graham. “So when that field is returned to cereals and the landlord or contractor cultivates as required, are they fully aware of the PCN risk and the potential of spreading the pest to other areas? “If we take a problem like ryegrass or blackgrass in cereal crops – all involved understand machinery hygiene

● Monitoring and diagnosis practices

● Sustainable farming approaches

The guide has been written by leading nematology experts Dr Matthew Back and Dr Katarzyna Dybal from Harper Adams University.

However, to ensure the most salient points are available to everyone in the industry, plus any interested parties, a free summary factsheet has since been released. This is currently available to download from either the GB Potatoes or CUPGRA websites. Printed copies will also be available at Potatoes in Practice in August and the British Potato Event on 19-20 November.

is of paramount importance. Can we say we’re taking that same diligent approach to PCN?” he queries.

Graham wants improved communication between tenants, landlords and contractors, whereby if a tenant is aware of PCN populations, this is reported accordingly and vice versa. He also believes in some ways, there could be an assumed understanding from experts within the potato sector. “I think

it’s sage to remember that just because you know, doesn’t mean your neighbour does, or a colleague. That itself isn’t an issue, it’s what we do next – we must work together to get the message out.”

Harper Adams University’s Dr Matthew Back co-authored the new technical guide and is a respected expert in nematology. He says the industry is entering a new era with PCN, as the limited pool of nematicides

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continues to decline but promising developments with varietal resistance, crop rotation strategies and garlic-based products are beginning to emerge.

“In the new guide we wanted to capture and summarise new research on PCN and present simple guidelines on using crop protection approaches optimally. It replaces three separate guides that were issued by the AHDB around seven years ago, making it easier for growers to access the information in one place,” he explains.

As explored in the new guide, Matt highlights that the industry has learned PCN can only be managed through integrated practices which occur within the crop and throughout the rotation.

But for him, a critical aspect in achieving effective management and thus control, is variety choice. “Growing susceptible potato varieties on land with low PCN populations – below 10 eggs/g soil – can result in vast increases of the pest – up to 100 fold,” he stresses.

Potato grower and CPM columnist, Andrew Wilson, agrees and adds that the greatest hurdle is arguably variety familiarity with the public. “Everyone’s heard of Maris Piper or King Edward, but they’re old varieties and some of the worst for PCN multiplication.

“There are good alternative options now available which are much more tolerant to PCN and simpler from an agronomic perspective, but they just aren’t recognised by the public. We require another ‘Delia Smith’ moment –she once stated that Maris Piper make the best roast potatoes, sales then rocketed.”

Andrew also believes that both PCN tolerance and resistance information should be more readily available

Integrated management

Dr Matthew Back highlights that the industry has learned PCN can only be managed through integrated practices which occur within the crop and throughout the rotation.

to growers at the point of variety selection. “Often, tolerance to PCN isn’t mentioned by breeders unless it’s a strength of a variety, but this is critical information in order to make balanced decisions and can make a significant difference in the field.”

And as well as exercising good machinery hygiene, he stresses the importance of field hygiene too. “Potato volunteers multiply PCN populations yet are often an easy thing to solve, particularly when wheat is the following crop in the rotation. But where does that responsibility lie?

“This is why it’s critical that non-potato growers have a basic understanding about not just PCN, but all nematode species,” he concludes. l

Potatoes ROOTS

PR power

The potato industry requires another ‘Delia Smith’ moment, says root crop grower, Andrew Wilson.

The new man leading beet pricing discussions

Beet price negotiations are one thing, but the NFU Sugar board chair’s position is much more than just leading those talks, as CPM finds out when meeting Kit Papworth – the new man in the role.

By Mike Abram

About 10 minutes into his conversation with CPM, new NFU Sugar board chair Kit Papworth makes what seems a surprising admission for someone in his position – suggesting he’d be surprised if he ever grew a crop of sugar beet genetically edited to provide resistance against virus yellows.

This candid confession was despite an earlier acknowledgement that virus yellows will remain the biggest threat to sugar beet crops grown in the country for the foreseeable future, including those on his own farm, and that there’s little prospect of future derogations for the neonicotinoid seed treatments that control aphids transmitting the virus.

The reason behind his statement is mostly due to the time it might take to develop such varieties. For context, British Sugar and biotech company Tropic were awarded £660,000 in grant funding from Innovate UK to use Tropic’s Gene Editing induced Gene Silencing (GEiGS) technology platform to make minimal and precise edits in sugar beet to enable the crop to have natural and durable resistance to virus yellows.

But with current timelines suggesting the Tropic project’s aim to confirm virus yellows resistance in GE plants in the laboratory will come to fruition by the end of the decade – plus performance in field trials to take place in the following years – it perhaps puts

“Sugar beet growers, as shown in 2023, are prepared to stand together.”

KIT PAPWORTH

how far this technology is away from commercialisation into perspective.

“Ultimately, virus yellows and other problems in the sugar beet industry will be solved by gene editing, but it’s a lot further out than we hope,” says Kit.

New in position

Norfolk farmer, Kit Papworth, is the newly appointed NFU Sugar board chair.

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ROOTS Sugar beet

There’s also significant work to do regarding public acceptance of sugar produced by such technology, he adds. However, Kit is more hopeful that conventional breeding will make a more immediate impact against virus yellows.

“I think that will be where we make our biggest step changes in the next five years – we already have varieties that are better than others on the Recommended List under virus yellows pressure.”

A Norfolk farmer, Kit jointly manages LF Papworth with his cousin Tim – a contract farming business covering around 1600ha for more than 20 landowners.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given Kit’s new position as NFU Sugar chair, the crop is an important part of a rotation that includes potatoes, winter wheat, spring barley, oilseed rape and environmental stewardship areas. All but one of the contract farms has a sugar beet contract.

“We like to think we’re pretty good at growing the crop. We budget for a yield of 75t/ha, but will spend to achieve more on crops with good potential,” explains Kit.

The business is also part of the White Cross sugar beet harvesting syndicate, alongside two other northeast Norfolk farming businesses which work together to lift, clamp and load, and haul beet throughout the campaign.

Like many, the farm has moved away from winter ploughing ahead of beet to a system establishing beet using minimal cultivations after an overwinter cover crop, which is grazed by a flying flock of sheep.

“We have some very light soil that you can cultivate very easily,” he says. “Whereas some of our stronger land requires two passes, usually with a Sumo Trio to get a rough seedbed, and then a pass with a Lemken Kompaktor.”

Growing cover crops has led to what’s deemed acceptable as a seedbed. “My father would have wanted to see a clean, ploughed surface to drill into. These days it’s quite messy with lots of trash on the surface, but we still have a good seedbed for the seed to grow in.”

Minimising cultivations and growing cover crops fit into the farm’s aim of repairing and rebuilding soils that inevitably are damaged to some extent by growing potatoes, with the farm hosting a BBRO cover crop trial earlier this season.

“I’m a passionate supporter of

Connecting industry

According to Kit Papworth, NFU Sugar’s relationship with British Sugar is just that – a relationship.

BBRO,” highlights Kit, who joins the executive board of BBRO as part of his NFU Sugar chair remit. “There’s so much they can do to get the science down to a detail we can only dream about doing on farm. We can do citizen science trials, but getting BBRO to validate what we do is very important.”

The organisation, along with plant breeders, has played a key role in the yield increases seen within the sugar beet crop, and is crucial in helping to solve future issues, he adds.

Being elected as NFU Sugar chair – succeeding Cambridgeshire farmer Michael Sly – has meant Kit has stepped down from his role as Red Tractor combinable crops and sugar beet sector chair.

“I don’t have the time to do two big jobs. However much anybody will tell you differently, you’re doing something for Red Tractor every day. It touches everything from import standards to liaising with government to talking to the British Retail Consortium – it’s an incredible role,” he explains.

It’s usually in the summer months during contract negotiations with British Sugar that the NFU Sugar board chair becomes most visible, particularly in years when achieving agreement isn’t straight forward. At the time of interview, with discussions

“My priorities are for growers to have the information to understand the market, as well as communicating clearly to them about what’s going on.”

only just beginning with British Sugar, Kit dead batted any suggestion that a low world sugar price could make this year’s contract a difficult negotiation.

“Our relationship with British Sugar is just that – a relationship. It’s like that moment in Love Actually when Hugh Grant says, ‘it covers all manners of things’. We sit down with British Sugar every month and talk; we have to have a good working relationship where British Sugar understands the problems that growers have, while we have to be sympathetic to the issues it has.

“We have to agree, but sometimes we’re going to have a fall out and we should be ready for that; it can be up and down like any relationship.”

The repercussions from the last fall out in 2023 when contract negotiations were, to say the least, difficult, are still ongoing. “It was a challenging negotiation where British Sugar weaponised seed,” recalls Kit.

“British Sugar tried to incentivise growers to sign up to a unilateral offer by telling them they could have the varieties they wanted. We thought that was a real kick in the teeth.”

As a consequence of British Sugar’s actions, the NFU Sugar Board refused to continue the seed model as it was, requiring changes so British Sugar could no longer control the supply of seed.

NFU Sugar is also asking the government to clarify the Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation – a set of rules established by the European Union to govern agricultural

ROOTS Sugar beet

markets – so British Sugar could never go unilaterally to growers again.

A third change resulting from that negotiation is that a timetable is now in place with a price having to be agreed by early July, adds Kit. “If we haven’t agreed a price by then, there’s a system in place that will agree a price.”

Contract negotiations are complicated not least that the contract hopefully agreed this summer will be for the crop planted in March or April 2026 and potentially not harvested until the beginning of 2027. “A lot can happen in the sugar market between now and then,” he comments.

Helping growers to understand how the sugar markets work is a key aim for his time as NFU Sugar board chair. He believes that’s important because the days of a simple one-price beet contract are seemingly over, in favour of giving growers more pricing flexibility through contracts with a proportion of the beet contract exposed to market forces.

CONTRACT RISKS

Last year’s contract, for example, required at least 30% of a grower’s contract tonnage to be placed on one or both market-related contract options (see box). The two market related options worked in different ways and provided different risk profiles.

The lower risk market-linked bonus offered a fixed minimum price with more limited potential for upside, while the futures-linked contract was more sensitive to market movements in both directions, offering greater upside but also unlimited downside.

But with the models not linking to the same market – the market-linked bonus related to the UK/EU sugar market referenced by the sugar price achieved by British Sugar produced from the 2025 crop, while the futures-linked contract relates to the forward price of sugar on the world market – some understanding of sugar markets is crucial for growers to achieve the best outcome.

“Sugar markets are such a complex world with so many facets to the price, but I want growers to have tools that allow them to access the highs but also be slightly insulated from the lows and vagaries of the sugar market,” says Kit.

That seems more important for the coming contract, with, while there are no guarantees with any market, many analysts suggest the world sugar price could rise from its current relatively depressed value.

Pipeline opportunities

As more regulation and pressure on meeting emissions targets increases, schemes which reward nature-friendly approaches could also increase

Sustainable sugar contracts?

A potential avenue for increased returns for beet growers could be through low impact sugar

With customers interested in low impact sugar, there could be an opportunity for them to work with growers who want to produce a more naturefriendly crop, believes Kit Papworth.

An example collaboration has been a Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) project involving Nestlé, where growers were paid for incorporating nitrogen at planting using a Väderstad Tempo-type drill. “That was a successful project, although it isn’t being continued for the coming season,” says Kit.

A challenge is that any sugar produced using nature-friendly or reduced carbon practices can’t be segregated out by British Sugar. “It’s not going to shut a factory for a week and say this is our naturefriendly farming week, so it has to be done on a mass balance basis.

“In other words, if I choose to use those practices on my farm, I’ll still be delivering my beet on the same day as the farmer who ploughed or other more traditional practices. You won’t actually be able to pick the

“My priorities are for growers to have the information to understand the market, as well as communicating clearly to them about what’s going on,” adds Kit.

Talking to growers and understanding their challenges is ultimately the most important part of the job, he stresses. “It’s important we stand together.

sugar individually produced from a farm that’s done the practices.”

As more regulation and pressure on meeting emissions targets increases, such schemes are likely to increase, suggests Kit. “We’ll try and help farmers who want to use those kinds of techniques, while recognising there’ll be some who don’t wish to change in any way, which is fine too.”

Such schemes, so far, are very much the exception to the rule. According to Kit, they’ll only move from being an opportunity for a very small number of farmers to involving enough to move the needle when it becomes much more important for customers.

“At the moment, they’re only playing around the edges. I think we’ve demonstrated we can do it in sugar beet and other crops, but customers are going to have to show that they’re prepared to put their hands in their pockets.

“I’m not seeing a huge number of customers coming to us wanting that, but I’m sure it’ll come as pressure from campaigning groups, government and industry increases.”

One of the weaknesses in UK farming is we’ve not always been prepared to do so, but sugar beet growers, as shown in 2023, are prepared to.

“And thank goodness they did because the strength in this industry is the growers. If we have to fight, we will,” he concludes. ●

Something I was exposed to very early on in life was how to bear an effective grudge, and while I loved him dearly, this was an attribute my grandad John was most skilled at.

Although I’m sure among those who’d had the misfortune of crossing him during his 86 years, there were some whom it was justified, in other cases, I’m not so sure. And the reason why I’m slightly dubious? My grandad once fell out with an individual because of an overdue book loan; the library of John did not take kindly to his agricultural literature going awol.

And rather than ask for said tome back, that was it, done, finito. In fact, it’s become somewhat of a joke: ‘you can always rely on a Heath to bear a life-long grudge…even when it’s as stupid as a missing book’.

He regaled many a tale similar to this when we’d sit musing together on a Sunday afternoon. Regaled being the key word – even he’d started to see the amusing side of the decades-long, most enduring book-gate. Only took the bloke 30-odd years!

I also must stress that while he had his curmudgeonly moments, he was an incredibly kind and generous soul; the epitome of a rural

LASTWORD

Farming forgiveness

eccentric. I guess forgiveness just didn’t come easy for him, for reasons we’ll never be privy to. Gosh I miss him.

But that’s what I’m here to explore this time – forgiveness – because I know firsthand that if you can truly master it, it’s an extremely powerful yet freeing muscle to flex. However, just like self-acceptance, it takes some graft to be able to achieve.

If we’re honest with ourselves, forgiveness isn’t straightforward – at least not the sort that’s deep rooted and authentic. Niggles can often remain and resentment can slowly bubble away, particularly if it’s perceived the individual doesn’t necessarily deserve to be forgiven.

So what’s the secret to absolution? While I’m no therapist, for me, it starts with recognising that pouring precious energy in the guise of hatred into a broken cup is pointless and a waste; the only person it hurts is you. As I’ve previously discussed, preserving my inner peace is paramount, so I simply have to let any anger go.

Furthermore, I believe how people behave towards me reflects them, not me; the decisions they make are theirs, not mine. It’s all beyond my control. It’s also not my given right to attempt to command others, or steer their chosen path. Equally, no one is perfect –humans make mistakes.

Forgiving someone for a wrongdoing isn’t about forgetting or dismissing your own feelings, far from it. It’s about acknowledging the impact it’s had on you, digesting it and the associated pain, and identifying a way to move on in a positive manner. That is all in your control and

where strength comes in.

It’s also important to remember that it’s impossible to rewrite history, what’s done is done. How you react to that incident and move forward has a more significant impact, particularly on your long-term mental wellbeing.

Now, this is important – I believe forgiveness is based on having a conscious level of empathy which supports you in recognising most individuals on the whole aren’t bad people, they just sometimes do bad things. Because underneath the here and now, we all have a common humanity.

Even in my case where that mantra is stretched to the absolute limit, I strive to consider situations from a higher viewpoint. Doing this also helps to remove me from my own head so to speak, which is a rabbit hole of overthinking.

And I’m not talking about forgiving a broken family heirloom or treasured trinket (most of my Beswick animals are under lock and key, actually), it’s big, life-changing stuff.

Trust, on the other hand, remains a laborious work in progress for me. So while in time I certainly have the capacity to forgive, I hugely struggle with the concept of trust. I guess that really is down to the other person to rebuild, should they wish.

I’m unsure what it is about farming and why it can be such a breeding ground for stubbornness and grudgery. It’s incredibly twee, but love does win. The more we can offer that, along with kindness and forgiveness, the more united we stand. ●

YOUR EDITOR

Janine Adamson began her journalistic career writing obituaries for a local newspaper but fast found her stride within agricultural communications. Now, more than 15 years later, she finds herself at the helm of CPM. A proud Staffordshire girl from the Moorlands, Janine takes pride in tackling subjects which although aren’t exclusively farming, affect everyone.

WITH JANINE ADAMSON

Completely unrelated, but I had the chance to grab a few days away from the desk recently and visited Montenegro. What a stunning place, I was blown away.

PERFECT PREPARATION IN ALL CONDITIONS

Disc or tine, shallow and/or deep cultivation, 3m to 12m, high performance cultivators for all conditions: Joker, Terrano, Cruiser, Fortis, Tiger and Finer. To discover more about the wide and versatile range of cultivators, drills and sprayers, speak to your local HORSCH branch. HORSCH.COM

Joker RT

Terrano FX

Terrano MT