Other Crops

BASF recently revealed interim results of a five-year project designed to improve soil health and increase carbon storage, keeping land in production while ensuring there’s a home for wildlife and biodiversity.

The Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) has launched a new podcast targeted at the UK’s pea and bean sector.

Dairy farmers have an opportunity this year to clamp decent tonnages of quality maize silage, which could be a useful buffer with uncertain milk prices. But it will be crucial to avoid the top three most common harvest pitfalls.

A two-year feasibility study led by crop research organisation NIAB is set to explore the potential for domestic chickpea production, which could further reduce fertiliser reliance in the UK arable sector.

Adding clover and herbs to the mix when reseeding not only reduces the need for bought-in fertiliser, but also provides grassland swards with a boost in dry matter yield, trials by ProCam’s Field Options division have shown.

A new Innovative Farmers field lab is looking into the commercial viability of growing flax for linen production in Scotland while demonstrating the environmental benefits of growing the crop as part of regenerative rotations.

A University of Warwick research project is looking to see haricot beans, otherwise known as the classic baked bean, grown on a commercial scale in the UK to reduce food miles, improve soil structure, and extend farm rotations with a short-season, nitrogen-fixing crop desired by British growers.

The annual event of the UK pea industry returns for its eighth year between 3rd-9th of July 2023 to celebrate hard-working farmers who produce two billion portions of peas each year and to educate consumers about the versatile nutritional benefits of the crop.

With 2023 spring declarations underway, the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has published payment rates for farmed saved seed and the latest list of eligible varieties, including advice on blends, cover crops and what farmers should do in the event of a failed crop.

To support knowledge transfer and benchmarking achieved through the yield enhancement network (YEN) initiative run by ADAS and PGRO, LS Plant Breeding Ltd (LSPB) has extended its sponsorship of the Bean YEN for a fifth year and added sponsorship of the Pea YEN in 2023.

By cleaning grass seed on-farm using JK Machinery’s JCM VibroMAX vibrating sieve cleaner, Andrew Stovin from N M Stovin Farms has significantly increased crop value and bottom line while meeting the cleaning standards of his grass seed merchants.

Established bean crops have been hit with an increased chocolate spot risk this season due to cool and wet conditions throughout March, with downy mildew also threatening new leaf growth and later emerging spring beans, Syngenta technical manager Simon Jackson warned.