Written by Jack Hind from Indigro In today’s arable farming environment, everyone is feeling the financial squeeze. Reduced yields, lower commodity prices, higher input costs, no BPS and uncertainty over government support all have an impact on one thing – margin. When the pie is getting smaller, but pressure continues to rise, how can we […]
Written by Joe Stanley, Head of Sustainable Farming A year ago I wrote in these pages about the relatively neglected state of interest in land drainage in recent decades and the increasingly degraded nature of much of our field drainage network. My hope at the time was to initiate a research project at the Allerton
Groundbreaking Field Drainage project gets underway at the Allerton Project Read More »
With lacklustre world commodity prices squeezing profitability the situation in farming today parallels that in 2002 when Jeff Claydon was forced to reduce production costs or see his family’s arable enterprise in Suffolk go out of business. The crop establishment system he invented then has ensured that the Claydon farm has made a profit every
With history repeating itself now is the time to ‘Think Change’ Read More »
Jan 2026 The start of a new year, full of hope and expectation! I always try to stay upbeat and hopeful as that is far better than just moping around the yard, moaning! Yes, we have a lot against us at present but looking at the black side does not do our mental health any
Farmer Focus: Tim Parton Read More »
Written by Kurtis Scarboro from Elsom Seeds As a Crop Manager working for the UK’s largest Independent seed breeder – Elsoms Seeds, I’m delighted that, following the success of Elsoms Group 3 wheat Bamford, we are now able to announce another exciting new Soft wheat, Sparkler, to the 2026/27 Recommended List (RL). Prior to the
New winter wheat variety aims to continue market resurgence in UK Soft wheat production Read More »
Jan 2025 Holding the line in a year that kept moving the goalposts There’s a moment every autumn, somewhere between the last grain lorry rumbling out of the yard on its way to central storage and the first drill making its opening pass, when I catch myself believing the new season might just play ball.
Farmer Focus: Heather Oldfield Read More »
How variable rate nitrogen applications can help offset upcoming fertiliser taxation The new carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) tax, which is expected to add £50-£75 per tonne to nitrogen prices, is less than a year away. But it is likely to be felt this year, since the EU implemented its CBAM tax, which accounts for
Agronomist in Focus – Ben Foster Read More »
Jason Pole, AHDB Technical Content Manager, explains how innovative trials aim to pinpoint elusive crop characteristics to help farmers reduce input use. Every year, efforts are renewed in the quest to grow profitable crops. The fundamental ways to achieve this are well-understood but there is always scope for improvement, which includes turning towards genetics even
Generating lower-input variety data Read More »
Another two examples of ‘What you might have missed at Groundswell’ from Mike Abram’s Groundswell Sessions series on his Regenerative Farmer Substack newsletter. The Groundswell Sessions: Ozempic v Organic This kind of session is why I’m doing this Substack series. It’s not one I would likely attend, but is extremely interesting and is what makes
Groundswell Sessions Read More »
Written by Mark Hatton For the last 19 years, I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to call Yorkshire home. Across the broad sweep of the Yorkshire Wolds, the upland fringes of the Pennines and the deep, fertile soils of the Vale of York, farming has always been shaped by both landscape and necessity.
Yorkshire – The quiet farming revolution. Read More »
