Author Posts: Farmers Guide

Following a difficult winter, many growers will be relying on spring crops to deliver farm profits. For those drilling spring oilseed rape, getting the crops established and away quickly will be key to productivity. David McLellan, agronomist at Omya UK, says there are some quick wins growers can take advantage of.

With a lot of uncertainty this spring, a Suffolk sugar beet grower who hasn’t opted for Cruiser-treated seed is nervous about aphids but has confidence in his variety choice.

Routine testing of bull fertility is often overlooked aspect of suckler herd profitability. Beef specialist Sarah Balfour, of SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), says managing and improving herd fertility is a key route to improving cow margins, whilst reducing environmental impact.

A Kuhn sprayer and spreader demonstration day by Malpas Tractors in late March featured the latest mounted and trailed models and precision farming technology.

Farmers Guide director Greg Goulding is one of the few lucky journalists invited to the launch of Clarkson’s Farm Series 3 at Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire today (24th April). Follow along for live updates.

All UK nations except Northern Ireland have seen a fall in the number of sheep and lambs, with Wales seeing the largest drop, likely due to increasing costs.

2024 marks the 60th year of tractor production at the Basildon plant of New Holland. Work started at the height of the 1960s, with the ground broken on the greenfield site of what was then a rural part of the Essex countryside in 1963. Basildon has changed significantly over those 60 years and the tractor plant is now located in the centre of a what has become a large urban conurbation, as a crucial local employer.

An eagerly awaited fungicide product that has delivered substantial yield gains in wheat and barley trials has received authorisation for use in Great Britain, confirms its manufacturer, Syngenta. 

After a wet winter, increased wheel ruts in fields and delayed slurry applications, there is an increased risk of soil and slurry contamination in first-cut grass silage, Volac has warned farmers.

According to the NFU, rural crime in the UK rose by 22.1% last year and cost an estimated £49.5m – crimes including fuel thefts, livestock rustling/worrying, fly-tipping as well as stolen machinery, equipment and vehicles.

The Scottish government has launched a consultation on plans to modernise how cattle are tagged, identified and traced.

The British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO) has announced new and withdrawn varieties on the sugar beet list, bringing it to a total of 22 varieties for 2025.