Written by Steve Holloway from Soil First Farming Soil microbes are tiny, often invisible to the naked eye. Organisms that play a crucial role in maintaining soil health and enhancing crop productivity. These microscopic creatures are responsible for numerous functions, including nutrient cycling, decomposition, and the suppression of plant diseases. They also contribute to soil …
Written by Mike Abram When prices of nitrogen rocketed ahead of last season, and supply looked anything but assured for a time, there was an understandable interest and move towards alternative sources of nitrogen fertiliser. One of those was foliar nitrogen with plenty of growers either trialling or increasing its use. Foliar feeding, particularly of …
How to make foliar nutrient applications more consistent Read More »
Atwood et al, 2022 The paper discusses the importance of soil health in crop protection research and development. The authors argue that soil health should be given greater attention in crop protection research as healthy soils can lead to healthier crops and better yields. It highlights the challenges faced by farmers in maintaining soil health, …
Soil Health: New Opportunities to Innovate in Crop Protection Research and Development Read More »
Written by Robert Patten B.Eng. MBA from Plantworks and Smart Rotations We can define regenerative agriculture in many ways, indeed many have, but for the sake of a grounded definition let us agree it begins with a focus on the soil being an asset and not a commodity. This is a good start, as assets …
Carbon is a hot topic at the moment. Whether it’s transitioning to net zero for the UK or supply chains, opportunities to access carbon markets, or comparing the environmental credentials of different products, you can’t get away from the fact that we are all having to get to grips with new terminology and metrics. Farming …
Steve Holloway puts the case for biology and foliar KSM – potassium solubilising microbes – for a more natural supply of phosphate and a way of reducing the fertiliser bill. For a generation, farmers have taken their most valuable resource for granted, often considering it to be simple dirt. The focus has been on force-feeding …
About a year ago a whole new side of TFF was born – we called is Resources. The main part of the site, is know by most for it’s farmer-to-farmer content, but the new section was designed specifically for formal knowledge. Papers, trials, articles published from the wider industry to give farmers the formal and …
The latest Cereals Agri-Outlook takes stock of the current situation and looks forward to what we might expect in the coming months, for supply availability, trade and demand. The volumes below are estimates at the time of writing. Production Wheat supply on the global market remains constrained, from the lasting impact of extreme weather trimming …
With extreme diversity locked into yellow rust and brown rust populations, the latest UKCPVS event (1 March 2023) examined how highly adaptable pathogens affect UK wheat and barley varieties. With a focus on wheat, Jason Pole, who leads AHDB’s crop disease communications, provides an overview of some of the key developments. Rust diversity Cereal rusts …
Rust in peace: pathogens versus cereal varieties Read More »
This analysis examines export opportunities for UK producers, both ones that exist currently and those that may emerge over the coming decade. Pinpointing the opportunities The expansion of the middle classes in emerging markets across the globe is strengthening the demand for protein and imported foods. And globally the British brand is well-regarded, being associated …
