Signs of Spring are everywhere, and while work in the world of agriculture never stops, this month we will see efforts ramp up – from the drilling, or sowing, of the sugar beet to fertilising and crop spraying. At a local level, we may still only be seeing the seeds of regenerative agriculture taking hold, …
Agriculture has landed at an interesting turning point – where do we go now? Read More »
o match our Eco range of seed drills, our Mounted Tine Drill (MTD) range has been upgraded to include a split tank option, allowing for simultaneous sowing of two different seeds or products. The narrow double coulters place the two products, one beneath the other, behind the 12mm wide tungsten tipped tines as they penetrate the soil. The 1500-liter hopper, divided evenly, integrates two Accord seed metering units (one of which is a heavier duty Fertiliser metering unit) managed through an RDS Isocan control system.
As I write this in the third week of March, I can reflect on challenging times both behind and ahead. On the heavy Hanslope-Denchworth series clays of the Allerton Project, we are yet to get so far even as to have terminated our cover crops, let alone apply any spring inputs to those autumn-sown crops which have survived the onslaught of one of the wettest winters on record – though we judge that only some 35% of our winter wheat area is even salvageable. Even were the incessant rains to cease today, we are likely looking at planting our wheat, beans, oats and barley well into the middle of April, significantly compromising potential.
Each session will have a main guest speaker who will speak for roughly 20 minutes followed by a 20 minute panelquestion and answer session. The panel will consist of a farmer, an agronomist, a person from the trade and the host. 9:30 – 10:30What SFI options are you claiming? SAM1, HRW3, AHL1, AHL2, AB1, AB8 …
During an unrelentingly wet February, the only ray of sunshine was the arrival of our Red Sussex calves. It’s always amazing to watch mother and baby choreograph an apparently impossible dance in which a sodden, half blind wobbly legged newborn finds the source of its milk. About a month before calving, we moved them up above the flood, onto one of our four sandier fields where the ground has remained relatively firm underfoot. On the lower clays that make up most of the farm, it’s a different story.Â
The impact of rising CO2 levels on the nutritional quality of crops Written by Louis Gray, UWE & Dr William Stiles, Aberystwyth University. Take home messages:• Increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are expected to change the nutritional composition of plants, and plant growth patterns• Certain existing crops may start to perform less well, …
In the picturesque countryside of Herefordshire, a farmer is singing the praises of a British drill manufacturer that has revolutionised his farming practices. Meet Adam Lewis, the forward-thinking farmer at the forefront of sustainable agricultural change. An AHDB monitor farm and an advocate for regenerative agriculture, Adam is also a Mzuri Ambassador supporting growers with their transition to single pass crop establishment through his own real-world experiences.
In the realm of agricultural machinery, where innovation meets tradition, Moore Unidrill stands tall as a pioneer in direct drilling technology. This year marks the golden anniversary of the company’s groundbreaking invention, the Original and Still the Best Direct Seed Drill, and to commemorate this milestone, Moore Unidrill has unveiled the All-New Grain & Fert Hopper Unidrill, a testament to five decades of relentless dedication to perfecting direct drilling.
Rachel Thorman and Anne Bhogal, ADAS Cover crops are grown primarily to ‘protect or improve’ soils between periods of regular crop production. Whilst the benefits of cover crops for erosion control and reduced overwinter nitrate leaching losses are well established, the legacy effect for subsequent crops in the rotation is unclear. Of particular relevance is …
Written by Rothamsted Root structures and genetics give the weed an advantage over wheat and explain field patches. Black-grass thrives on heavy land, particularly where drainage is poor. Now a new study has shown that this problematic weed uses specific adaptations to flourish even when soil is totally saturated for up to three weeks. The data …
Getting to the Roots of Black-Grass’s Waterlogging Tolerance Read More »
