No one can attend or probably even watch the replays of all the Groundswell Sessions. That’s what Mike Abram’s new Substack newsletter The Regenerative Farmer is promising to help with, but first Mike explains why he started the newsletter Change is coming. “It’s made farming exciting again.” Over and over that’s the phrase I’m hearing […]
The Groundswell Sessions Read More »
By Ben Foster, RHIZA Product Manager Rotations are changing, and farm management systems need to change with them to help farmers manage their data effectively. According to the latest DEFRA figures on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions uptake, there are 32,200 active SFI agreements, taking 3.4% of England’s utilised agricultural area out of food
New Updates for Agrii’s Contour Platform Help Manage SFI Changes to Rotations Read More »
Jason Pole, AHDB Technical Content Manager, explains how knowing what makes the ergot pathogen tick can help target management to reduce disease pressure, limit crop infection and keep clean grain clean. Ergot (Claviceps purpurea) grows in and replaces grain with its own fungal tissues, which eventually form a hard, purple-black sclerotium (with a white interior) known
The four weaknesses of ergot Read More »
Written by James Warne from Soil First Farming Some of you may be aware that Steve has taken a small step back from running Soil First Farming in recent years. I have been left to steer the ship and try to keep the business true to its original aims. More recently, Paul has joined us,
An Inversion Conversion? Read More »
Based on a paper by Dr Gareth Thomas et al., Rothamsted Research, University of Exeter and University of Warwick — adapted for Direct Driller readers Across the UK, farmers are dealing with one of the most stubborn and costly fungal problems in modern agriculture: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. This soilborne disease causes white mould and stem rot
The Fungus That Fights Back: Harnessing Soil Biology to Tackle Crop Disease Read More »
From the Field to Westminster: A Year That Changed Farming It’s been about 18 months since my last contribution to Direct Driller, and during that time, a lot has changed — both on my farm and in British agriculture. I’ve always tried to be open and honest in these pieces. They’re not polished PR, not
Farmer Focus – Clive Bailye Read More »
By Donna Harvey-Bailye For as long as I can remember, I’ve been happiest with soil under my nails and a design plan in my head. Gardening has always been my creative outlet; a place where I can paint with plants, sculpt with texture and choreograph the seasons. My large farmhouse garden in Staffordshire has long
When Farming Meets Gardening: How Regeneration Took Root in My Garden Read More »
By Dan Crummett from No-Till farmer USA Takeaways Big changes are under way in the soil testing industry as digital technology demonstrates the importance of viewing farm fields as a living system — requiring more than a yearly grocery list of plant nutrients. No-tillers and strip-tillers take soil biology seriously and many of them are looking beyond
How Soil Testing is Evolving into ‘Predictive Agronomy’ Read More »
Adapted for Direct Driller readers based on a paper by Dr Stephen Pearce from Rothamsted Research and the Czech Institute of Experimental Botany If there’s one crop that keeps British farming grounded, it’s wheat. From milling and feed markets to exports, it sits at the centre of most arable rotations. Yet after decades of breeding
Unlocking the Genes Behind Wheat Growth and Grain Size Read More »
THE NEED TO CONTROL COSTS Below-average yields and low prices this harvest underline the importance of maximising efficiency across every aspect of crop production, emphasises Jeff Claydon, Suffolk arable farmer and inventor of the Claydon Opti-Till® direct seeding system. August 2025 In the article I wrote last August I mentioned that after an exceedingly difficult
Challenging Season Highlights Read More »
