Arable Farming

With Defra targets of increasing agroforestry to 10 per cent of all arable land by 2050, farmers are concerned about the finances and practicality of this for the farm business

Producers growing cereals for animal feed have been advised to harvest their crops at the earliest opportunity, rather than wait for the moisture to come close to 14 per cent.

Frustration has been the main theme of harvest so far in 2023, with the wet weather causing challenges for farmers up and down the country

As fertiliser prices hit record highs last year, many farmers were forced to rethink their crop nutrition programmes.

Alex and Joanna Wilcox live and farm with their three sons at Hill Farm near Downham Market on the Norfolk County Council Stow Estate. Covering 240 hectares of Fen silty clay loam, they grow winter milling wheat, winter feed barley, spring malting barley, spring beans and sugar beet.

Scientists are using automated wildlife sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) over the next four years to demonstrate the effectiveness of agri-environment and peatland restoration schemes in improving biodiversity

Chief executive of Organic Farmers and Growers singled out ‘20th century farmers' for continued 'impact on environment, soils and human health'

Ben Boothman is an independent agronomist and member of the Arable Advisor Group and the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC), covering Yorkshire and the North East. He is BASIS, FACTS and BETA qualified and studied for a degree in agriculture and crop management at Harper Adams University.

The government is considering voluntary plans for supermarkets to introduce price caps on basic food items such as bread and milk

Farmers must change their mindset and focus on the ‘economics of the farm', or risk an ‘unsustainable and unviable future', a consultant warns