Establishment scheme tips the scales as OSR hangs in the balance
It is the second week in April and Charles and Philip Roberts’ DK Exsteel looks superb in the spring sunshine. After a good start, the farm’s 85 acres of oilseed rape appear to have plenty of potential, the cousins agree. Yet OSR is in the last chance saloon at Riggall’s Farm, following two years of […]
Simplifying seed treatment decisions
David Leaper, Agrii seed treatment technical specialist, explains the considerations that lead to an informed decision when making a seed treatment choice. Seed treatments fulfil a range of requirements, but their primary role is to reduce the incidence of seed-borne disease, such as seedling blights, loose smut and bunt. The UK operates a strict seed […]
Reasons to consider winter beans in your rotation this autumn
Winter beans are an excellent break crop, if you’re looking for alternative options this autumn. It’s no secret that all pulses are hugely beneficial to crop rotations and have excellent environmental benefits both to the soil and pollinators. The most popular pulse options in the UK are winter beans, spring beans or peas. Field beans […]
Beat the harvest rush: establishing cover crops effectively before combining
Fitting cover crop establishment into the busy harvest window can be a major challenge for farmers, often compromising the timing needed for optimal results. Ideally planted from mid-July to mid- August to benefit from the longer days and warmer temperatures, cover crop sowing frequently gets delayed until late August or early September because of harvest […]
AHDB yellow rust watch list endorses value of Agrii advisory list
John Miles, Agrii seed technical manager, tells you what the AHDB’s yellow rust watch list really means Not all wheat is created equal; unfortunately, some are more unequal than others. At the end of February, the AHDB updated its yellow rust watch list. This basic document lists the winter wheat varieties on the Recommended List […]
Don’t be tempted to take shortcuts with herbal leys
Thinking more about the role of SAM3 herbal leys and choosing the best option for your own individual farming set-up could deliver benefits far beyond those resulting from the SFI payment alone. Not all SAM3 herbal leys are the same. Producers choosing the least cost seed simply to tick the SFI box required for the […]
New: sustainable wheat contract
Agrii, in partnership with Viterra and Whitworths, has developed a new sustainable wheat programme for harvest 2025. The programme aims to quantify the emissions associated with growing a wheat crop, with the ambition to reduce emissions per tonne in the future. Farmers on this programme will be rewarded a guaranteed premium of £5/t for inputting […]
Winter wheat preview for 2025
Last year was a particularly challenging time for the plant breeders, with the main foliar diseases of Septoria tritici, yellow rust and brown rust all presenting enormous pressure on crops. Cracks are starting to appear in some mainstream UK varieties, and as ‘parents’, this is evident in the lower disease scores seen in some of […]
Spring barley seed treatments for 2025
Spring barley has traditionally been a key crop for many areas of the UK, but over the last 10 years, it is grown more extensively due to black-grass issues or as a consequence of poor autumn drilling conditions. Malting end-uses continue to attract premiums for brewing and distilling while some farmers grow it for feed […]
Spring barley variety developments
2025 is set to be an important year for Agrii’s long-standing collaborations with two key European barley breeders, Nordic Seeds and Secobra Research. This spring is the culmination of many years of work to identify, test and bring to market those varieties that will lead the market over the next five years or more. Malting […]
