Soil Health

For some crops, like maize, sugar beet and field brassica, the risk of wet soil at harvest and the resultant damage is ever present… But should we accept the risk and resign ourselves to rectifying as required, or think about building resilience into soils to better cope with the risk? Hutchinsons technical manager Dick Neale discusses.

An aftermarket on-board tyre inflation system is helping one of the UK’s largest vegetable and salad producers protect vulnerable black fen soils. David Williams reports.

What will your farm look like in five, 10 or even 30 years, and what actions can you take now to create that new future?

Cultivation measures need to evolve in-line with the increasing move towards regenerative agricultural practices, according to independent soil and cultivations consultant Philip Wright.

Use disease risk forecasts to plan appropriate and timely spray programmes for oilseed rape crops this autumn, is the advice of Dr David Ellerton – technical director with Hutchinsons.

AHDB and BBSRC are partnering to invest £500,000 in UK agriculture to help the industry transition to more sustainable practices, and ultimately net zero carbon by 2040.

TerraMap Carbon offers a groundbreaking way of measuring soil carbon without actually having to break ground! So says Andrew Pitts, host farmer of the Helix National Helix Farm of farm business JW Pitts & Sons located at Mears Ashby and Whiston in Northamptonshire.

The term ‘regenerative agriculture’ has become the latest buzz phrase to sweep through farming. But what actually is it?

While ryegrass is reportedly becoming more of a problem, there’s no doubt black-grass is still the biggest weed challenge. But with so much talk about reduced tillage and a depleted chemical toolbox, are growers managing to control it and can it ever be beaten altogether? Rachel Hicks spoke to two farmers in different locations to find out their approach.

Conservation agriculture crop establishment techniques can deliver up to 18 per cent uplift in growers’ net profits, whilst also providing significant enhancement of key environmental and ecological measures, according to the latest findings of the Syngenta Sustainable Farming Initiative.

With the phasing out of metaldehyde and a wet season farmers may need to update their programme to stay ahead of slugs. According to the latest tests ferric phosphate must be key player in ICM programmes.

Experts are urging growers not to overlook the value of cover crops as they plan their rotations for the new season ahead.