•Cropchat Variety Views - May 2012: Up and coming spring sown varieties for the future
There are 14 new spring barley Candidate varieties, 11 of which have some malting potential and three feed types. This is a very large number of new varieties in a crop which is not as widely grown as it once was and so it is doubtful that many of... •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - May 2012
To close my comments on the rugby scene for the spring season I must make a positive comment on the appointment of Stuart Lancaster as the new England manager. Well done RFU, the right decision, a good decision and a popular one •Points to Ponder - May 2012
I see that the University of Reading reports that the lack of rainfall over the past year means that we would need over 400mm to get us back to normal levels by August - that's more than twice what we would normally get over the period April to Ju... •Cropchat Variety Views - April 2012: A promising crop of future varieties?
Every year those varieties showing most promise when completing National List (NL) trials are put forward as candidates for the HGCA Recommended Lists (RL) of cereals and oilseeds •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - April 2012
All of you who are rugby buffs would guess that I would start my Putterings on this subject following the wonderful win over the French in Paris,and get another win against Ireland at Twickenham last weekend. England demolishing the Irish scrum wa... •Points to Ponder - April 2012
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is rarely out of the headlines these days and I suggest that emotional news reporting leaves most people with a complete misunderstanding of the real situation •Cropchat Variety Views - March 2012: A bright future for pulses?
The PGRO, in conjunction with Syngenta, has just concluded a series of meetings around the country extolling the virtues of growing pulse crops, such as peas and beans. Attendance has been excellent, suggesting that there's still plenty of interes... •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - March 2012
It's significantly different from the norm to be starting in March by talking about a water shortage, but that's the current situation •Points to Ponder - March 2012
I get the impression from reading last month's report from RPA chief Mark Grimshaw, that he and his department ended 2011 in high spirits having achieved a record breaking December 2011, continuing the drive to get all-important Single Payment S... •Cropchat Variety Views - February 2012: Newly recommended 2012 spring-sown crop varieties
In the January issue we looked at the newly recommended varieties of autumn-sown crops; this month we'll take a look at spring-sown crops and see which varieties might merit your attention in the coming years •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - February 2012
January always seems to be very much a nothing month for trading. There is little activity from farmers - many of them enjoying the back end of the shooting season or sitting in the office, planning •Points to Ponder - February 2012
Were you surprised to read the CPRE's (Campaign to Protect Rural England) new survey which found that four out of five adults (84 per cent) believe that farmers have a responsibility to look after the landscape and wildlife for future generations •Cropchat Variety Views - January 2012: The new HGCA Cereal and OSR Recommended Lists for 2012/3
The new HGCA Cereal and Oilseed Recommended lists for 2012/3 were announced at the end of November. Eighteen new varieties have been added, and some of the older ones have been removed •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - January 2012
As I start my January article a week earlier than usual so that you good readers can have a copy by Christmas, the morning news is full of Prime Minister Cameron opting out of the new EU 27 agreement on managing the euro •Points to Ponder - January 2012
There can be very few readers of this column who would have been surprised by the attempt of MPs to call for a vote to leave the EU via a referendum. Each day newspapers are full of items outlining instances of the outrageous waste of taxpayers' m... •Cropchat Variety Views - December 2011: Variety choice - how does it work for you?
It's been a marvellous autumn for getting winter crops into the ground - certainly in the east and south of the country where the lack of rain has meant that drilling has continued largely unabated since harvest time •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - December 2011
With European finances and the euro in a major mess, insecurity is rife in all directions including soft commodities. Anyone who can predict what the next twelve months will hold for the volatility of grain prices will be some genius. It would see... •Points to Ponder - December 2011
Are you getting just a little tired of hearing and reading about the World's 7 billion population and how they are going to be fed? And with that in mind, I hear the new proposals for the future of the CAP after 2014 described by farmer and MEP St... •Cropchat Variety Views - November 2011: Harvest review part 2 Spring Crops
Last month we focussed on how winter-sown crops have fared this year. Now we'll take a look at the plight - or otherwise - of the main spring-sown crops •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - November 2011
What can I say about the England rugby team? The team members let themselves and the fans down, both off and on the field and off the field antics were exacerbated by media hype. The RFU is in a shambles and appears to have no solid leadership whi... •Points to Ponder - November 2011
I see the average value of English farmland fell by one percent in the third quarter of the year. This follows a period of strong growth that saw prices hit a new record high •Editor's Update - October 2011
Despite about an inch of rain falling on already sticky land the afternoon before the event, the day was dry and windy and the challenging conditions gave the machinery a good test. Visiting farmers appreciated the strong, demanding conditions, as... •Points to Ponder - October 2011
I don't think there are many of us who are unaware of the predicted growth in world population - seven billion by the end of this year, nine billion by 2030 - or indeed how 'we' are going to feed them. But there's a growing difference of opinion a... •Cropchat Variety Views - September 2011: Harvest review
This year's crops have not all suffered as badly as was forecast. After a peculiar year weather-wise, with a very cold winter, followed by a very dry spring and a fairly wet summer, yield predictions were not good. Many cereal crops were looking t... •Editor's Update - September 2011
Power in Action 2011 takes place this month on 7th September at Denham Estate, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Almost 50 working and static stands will be on site with some of the latest tractors and tillage machinery being put through its paces on... •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - September 2011
Should it be weather or rugby first this month? I think the weather problem has significantly retreated as, apart from occasional days, there has been reasonable opportunity to gather in the harvest. With winter barley behind us in the Eastern Cou... •Points to Ponder - September 2011
As I sat in the doctor's waiting room recently, the fellow sitting next to me said, "Enoch Powell was right, wasn't he?" With images of the London and other riots still clearly in his mind, he wanted to chat to pass the time and thought I was a re... •Cropchat Variety Views - August 2011: Pointers for autumn variety choices
At the time of writing - mid July - harvesting of oilseed rape and winter barley is already under way in many regions. Not a great deal has been achieved, however, because the weather is still fairly unsettled •Editor’s Update - August 2011
Farmers Guide and Suffolk Farm Machinery Club biennial cultivations event is being held this year on September 7th at Denham Estate in Suffolk. The usual wide range of cultivation equipment and tractors will be working on the demonstration plots a... •Points to Ponder - August 2011
Those pitiful pictures of the starving thousands in Kenya and skeletal camels on their last legs, all resulting from a four year drought are stark reminders of the cruelty of nature. But do we humans bear any responsibility? According to staggerin... •Cropchat Variety Views - July 2011: Cereals 2011 variety round-up
Cereals 2011 took place on June 15th and 16th in Lincolnshire and as usual it was a well-run and well attended event, plus the rain managed to hold off until the end of each day •Editor’s Update - July 2011
Visitors to our stand at Cereals 2011 kept us busy all through the two days of the show. Thank you to all our visitors - advertisers, farmer readers to say how much they enjoyed the magazine, farmer readers who wanted to receive a magazine each mo... •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - July 2011
As we moved into June the weather pattern changed to give us April showers across the country and many of the areas that had dropped into drought situations gradually began to top up with significant showers, particularly in the middle of June. Ac... •Points to Ponder - July 2011
On a visit to Montana, USA some years back I went to the area known as Custer’s last stand, Battle of the Little Big Horn. I noted about 20 American Indians dancing around singing in their usual wailing style, drums beating, waving their choppers,... •Cropchat Variety Views - June 2011: Time to think about next year’s seed
It’s already half-way through the year and it’s time to be giving some provisional thoughts to what you are going to grow next year. With grain prices at the levels they currently are and no sign that they are going to fall dramatically, it looks... •Editor’s Update - June 2011
For many years, we have sponsored the Inventive Farmer competition at the Suffolk Show. For the past few years, entries have been low and we wonder why. We’ve asked Suffolk Farm Machinery Club which provides the stewards for the competition and al... •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - June 2011
I closed last month suggesting that you all donned your war paint and Native American Indian costumes and tried rain dancing. Obviously, in the east and south east not enough of you joined in •Points to Ponder - June 2011
From the records, it would appear that 1912 was a most interesting and eventful year - on January 12th Captain Robert Scott reached the South Pole, although none of his party survived the return; on March 1st Suffragettes were smashing windows in... •Cropchat Variety Views - May 2011: Wheat yield or quality?
For many wheat growers there is often the dilemma - do I go for yield or quality? There is a wide choice of winter wheat varieties that are suitable for both markets but which will give you the most profitability •Editor’s Update - May 2011
Power in Action, which this year is being held at Denham Estate between Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket is booking up fast and judging from the plot reservations we have received so far, you can expect to see a vast range of tillage equipment and tr... •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - May 2011
We are into the third week of April and here in east Suffolk you can see irrigators working in all directions on a wide range of crops. Although there is still reasonable supply at depth to feed winter planted crops, there is a dangerous shortage... •Points to Ponder - May 2011
I note that Jim Paice, when referring to the recent decisions regarding the RPA, described the Rural Payments Agency as, “addressing its daunting legacy of errors in relation to the Single Payments Scheme and ensuring that accurate payments under... •Cropchat Variety Views - April 2011
Every year some of the more promising new varieties completing National List trials are selected as candidates for the HGCA Recommended Lists of cereals and oilseeds •Cropchat Variety Views - March 2011
The PGRO, in conjunction with Syngenta, has been conducting a series of meetings around the country extolling the virtues of growing pulse crops, such a peas and beans. I recently attended one of these meetings in Essex and report on what was said •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - March 2011
Early last month, along with 400 other visitors, I attended the Sentry Farming Conference at Chilford Hall, Linton, Cambridge. The agenda was ably chaired, as on previous occasions, by David Richardson with his usual input of sharp, appropriate an... •Points to Ponder - March 2011
So, Nocton Dairies has given up its struggle to create Europe’s largest super-dairy. The number of objectors reached 64,000 signatures and 14,000 individuals, including high profile personalities such as David Bellamy, Bill Oddie, Andrew Sachs and... •Cropchat Variety Views - February 2011
In the January issue we looked at the newly recommended varieties of autumn sown crops; this month we will take a look at spring sown crops and see which varieties may be worthy of your attention in the coming years •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - February 2011
Apart from Christmas and New Year festivities, it must be primarily the weather that has commanded our attention. Low temperatures, rarely if ever experienced in some parts of the country dominated December 2010 which was the coldest December in 1... •Points to Ponder - February 2011
Are you getting a little tired of hearing and reading daily about Britain's very seriously catastrophic financial problems? Like the snow and ice, you wish it would go away - but, unlike the weather, it will not change with the seasons. Our proble... •Cropchat Variety Views - January 2011
The HGCA recently announced the composition of the new Recommended Lists for cereals and oilseeds for 2011/12 and the PGRO also announced the new Recommended Lists for pulses. Over the course of the next two months we will be looking at the latest... •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - January 2011
The old adage used to be that ammonium nitrate and feed wheat prices would keep pace with one another. The only adage currently is that they are both going up in price! Certainly, 34 percent ammonium nitrate will soon to hit £300t which is virtual... •Points to Ponder - January 2011
As you say goodbye to 2010 you could be wondering what next year has in store for us here in the UK. You may be tempted to search the internet for the `spiritual’ forecasts – frankly I wouldn’t bother, unless you are impressed with predictions o... •Cropchat Variety Views - December 2010
This year's autumn weather was fairly kind and drilling continued largely unhindered. Consequently a large area of winter wheat and winter oilseed rape has gone into the ground and the promise of some very good prices has also boosted the area sown. •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - December 2010
Naturally, in this issue I must start by talking rugby. Two days ago at Twickenham I witnessed the emergence of an England performance the likes of which I have not seen since I was in Sydney at the world cup final in 2003. •Points to Ponder - December 2010
Were you surprised by the results of the OMSCo research into children’s knowledge of wildlife? No, neither was I. The image we have of youngsters perched in front of an internet screen seems to be true. Children’s knowledge of some of Britain’s m... •Cropchat Variety Views - November 2010
Last month we looked at how the winter sown crops had fared this year; this month we take a look at the main spring sown crops to see how they got on. •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - November 2010
As always Mother Nature takes her course and from talking last month about the potential disaster of too much rain, wet soil conditions and projections of a disastrous autumn, October has brought good drilling and harvesting weather and salvation is •Points to Ponder - November 2010
According to Strutt and Parker’s English farmland market third quarter review, Russia’s ban on wheat exports and the mixed reports on global harvests with the consequential effect on wheat prices are mirrored in land prices. But next year’s CAP refor •Grain & Fertiliser Gossip - October 2010
It would appear that the early autumn weather patterns are good and drilling is progressing at a good pace. The only delay appears to be the late opening of sugar factories which may have a knock on effect on drillings after the crop is lifted if the | 
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