Arable News

The 2025 harvest has been one of the most challenging in recent memory, with significant variability in yields noticed across the country, within regions, and even between neighbouring farms, AHDB reports.  

With drought continuing to affect large areas of the UK, maize growers are closely monitoring crop development to determine optimal harvest timing. Some of them have already started harvesting.

Pea bruchid has been found in a UK-grown commercial pea crop for the first time, the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) has confirmed.

While most Brits are travelling to Spain for their summer holidays, some supermarket fruit and veg staples have travelled up to eight times farther — from as far away as Kenya.

With the UK harvest being one of the earliest ever, many growers are already looking ahead to the new season and preparing for drilling of winter cereals. While this earlier drilling may help spread the workload, it significantly raises the risk of Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV), warns Ruth Stanley of Sumitomo Chemical. 

As this year’s sugar beet harvest approaches, British Sugar has announced the campaign start dates for each of its four factories. 

Terrafarmer is testing biological inputs across Welsh farms for a more resilient future through farmer-led research into soil health and input reduction.  

While harvesting progress has been strong – outpacing five-year averages – the combination of lower yields for many growers and falling grain prices throughout the year points to significant financial challenges for arable farms, the latest AHDB harvest report has found.

Selecting sugar beet varieties is becoming more important as the number of specialist traits increases. The British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO) explains more.

Pesticide resistance continues to challenge arable production, with diminishing efficacy against key pest species. 

James Hutton Limited, the commercial wing of The James Hutton Institute, has confirmed plans to open a lab capable of analysing anaerobic digestate, a useful soil improver.

One of the two UK bioethanol plants, Vivergo, has ceased production after discussions with the government failed to reach a solution that would allow it to continue operating.