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The article offers tips for installation of renewable energy projects by those who have already invested in renewable energy in farms in Great Britain. Tips include views of Stephen Temple of Copys Green Farm in Norkfolk on installing a combined heat and power anaerobic digester, Jonathan Sharp of Tewitt Hall Farm in Yorkshire on installing 50 kilo watt (kW) Endurance E-3120 wind turbine and Robert Ramsay of Mains of Kinblethmont farm in Arbroath on installing Earthfire batch biomass boilers.

The article features several farmers who are finalists for the 2011 Green Energy Farmer of the Year award. Dumfries, Scotland-based Neil Gourlay focuses on his strategy of energy and environmental sustainability to farm beef and sheep at his 2,256 hectares (ha) (4,800 acre) farm. The other featured farmers are Peter Barfoot of Sefter Farm in West Sussex, England and John Gilliland of Northern Ireland.

The article provides information on alternative cropping that would boost great yields, according to Strutt & Parker's Mark Hall. Miscanthus is suited to traditional maize-growing areas. Harvesting is usually in autumn by mowing/ swathing and baling or in bulk by forage harvesters. Yields are low in the first two years and may not be worth harvesting. Its main end uses are for industrial applications and use as a dietary supplement in animals. Planting and yields of borage and sunflower are also discussed. INSET: CEREALS VIEW.

The article reports on the effect of rust on the autumn plantings of Robigus and Alchemy wheat varieties in 2007. It is predicted that the disease could result to a 5-10% decline in plantings of both varieties. Tim Hirst of Grainfarmers estimated that Robigus will drop its market share from around 14% in 2007 to 8-10% for the 2008 harvest while only 1 to 2% drop for Alchemy.

The article provides information on cultivating and marketing pharmaceutical corps. Some of the pharmaceutical crops include borage, sweet quinoa and hemp. Farms should take into account the fact that the total volume of plant products required in specialist markets is small compared with traditional crops. Pharmaceutical companies prefer crops that are free from contaminants.

The article presents an interview with contractor and grower James Reid about direct drilling in crop establishment. He says that establishment costs were reduced since they shift from full plough-based system to direct drilling. He mentions that establishing through the method makes establishing wheat crop much easier. According to him, the method is effective on nearly every soil type.

The article discusses several aspects of improving wheat establishment and yields in Great Britain. It mentions compaction or drainage issues needs to be identified and corrected before drilling to avoid compromising root growth and tillering capacity; and early-sown crops generally emerge faster with sufficient soil moisture. It also mentions about the importance of nitrogen, potassium and manganese, phosphorus for wheat growth.

The article discusses the six key areas for farmers to focus on when benchmarking arable performance as outlined by Alex Smith, rural business advisor at Sentry Farming Ltd. These areas include seed, fertiliser and sprays, total fungicide cost on a tonnage basis, and labour and machinery costs. Also included are enterprising, data trends and input balance.

The article discusses the importance for farmers and landowners in Great Britain to be carefully assess their situation when planning to install energy storage systems on their land.

The article reports that upfront fees for electricity grid applications in Great Britain will be launched in 2018 as part of efforts to prevent speculative connection requests.

The article discusses companies looking to acquire land for battery storage grids, the reason for the decrease in the price of lithium-ion batteries, and the delay caused in upgrading grid infrastructure.

The article reports penalties imposed on electricity users exceeding import capacity. Topics include the changes applied to people who signed under the wholesale electricity supply and commercial retail agreement, upgradation of electricity transformers post-expansion of enterprises, and electricity bill presenting details on import capacity. Comments from energy engineer of Strutt & Parker Kieran Crowe are presented.

The article reports on the availability of grants for energy storage and distribution and mentions that grants does not include the actual heat source such as biomass boilersthe use of digestate.

The article discusses how farmers are being urged to carefully check the small print of power purchase agreements (PPAs) for hidden costs or other restrictive contractual terms.

The article focuses on the withdrawal of crop-based biofuels by 2030 announced European Union's environment committee (ENVI). Topics include ongoing review of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) which will affect renewable energy support by EU after 2020; views of National Farmers' Union combinable crops adviser Tori Morgan on the British exports of rapeseed to Europe for biodiesel production; and uncertainty in support for photovoltaics from Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The article focuses on the withdrawal of crop-based biofuels by 2030 announced European Union's environment committee (ENVI). Topics include ongoing review of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) which will affect renewable energy support by EU after 2020; views of National Farmers' Union combinable crops adviser Tori Morgan on the British exports of rapeseed to Europe for biodiesel production; and building of Anesco's Clayhill facility as first solar farm to be without government subsidies.

The article offers information on the withdrawal of crop-based biofuels by 2030 announced European Union's environment committee (ENVI). Topics discussed include ongoing review of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) which will affect renewable energy support by EU after 2020; proposed caps or a complete phase-out of crop-derived biofuels; and views of National Farmers' Union combinable crops adviser Tori Morgan on the British exports of rapeseed to Europe for biodiesel production.

The article offers information the energy storage machines introduced by RedT, a provider of energy storage solutions, using a liquid vanadium electrolyte to store electricity. It states that the technology is ideal for long-term storage and helps balance the supply-and-demand concept related to wind or solar generation. Remarks from company's chief executive Scott McGregor about the issue, are discussed.

The article focuses on the opportunities offered by energy revolution in farming. It discusses the turn of agriculture into renewable energy such as electricity on their farming process such as heating and transport. It cites the challenges posed by intermittent electricity generation in balancing of grids that leads to the growth of demand-side response (DSR). Also discussed is how DSR providers can earn high revenues from entering contracts with National Grid and reduced energy consumption.

The article mentions a report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of Great Britain on the increase in the number of sheep and it includes the possible effects on the prices, the cause of the growth, and the future ramifications due to Brexit on the same.

The article reports on the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in Great Britain in 2017.

The article reports that the demand for woodchip is expected to increase with increase in biomass plants in 2018.

The article offers suggestions on growing oilseed rape and provides tips on managing soil disturbance and cloddy seed-beds.

The article outlines some tips on how maximise anaerobic digestion (AD) plant performance dealing on topics such as the seasonal factors that influence the type and quality of feedstocks available. It mentions that careful planning and monitoring is needed to ensure the right mix of AD. It notes that gas quality is a big issue for operators of combined heat and power plants.

The article presents advisory information for farmers in Great Britain in leasing out their land for the construction of generator and battery-based grid-balancing systems, so as to maximize the capacity of their land. It discusses how they should undertake feasibility studies on the land before, and the various technical differences between the two major grid-balancing systems.

The article reports on several straw-fired power stations in Great Britain. Topics mention including the plans to build a straw pelleting plants, several straw-fired power stations using whole bales remains operational and important role of biomass in reducing the use of energy and decarbonising of energy sector.

The article offers suggestions for buying unmanned aerial vehicles which are very useful in agriculture. Jack Wrangham from mapping and spraying firm Drone AG, recommends buying a ready-to-go integrated system as it will save time. It mentions three types of drones which include multirotor, fixed wings and hybrids. It presents views of Chris Eglington, co-founder of drone spraying company Crop Angel, on multicopters and equipment of drone aircraft.

The article reports on consideration of several rural business enterprises with renewable energy schemes for appeal against an increment in business rates. Topics include consideration of the Great Britain's Valuation Office Agency (VOA) for re-evaluation of corporations with energy schemes; exemption of farm buildings from business rate implication as it uses renewable energy sources in agricultural work; and incorporation of strict valuation system by the Scottish Assessor Association (SAA).

The article reports on the plan of government of Scotland to source its electricity, transport and heat consumption through renewable energy sources by 2030. Topics discussed include the total energy consumption in the country from the renewable energy, the consultation meeting for the proposal Scottish Energy Strategy, and the publishing of onshore wind policy.

The article offers the author's insights on the Feed-in Tariffs (Fits) scheme in Great Britain. Topics discussed include farm uptake of anaerobic digestion (AD), restrictions to energy crops that can be utilized by AD plants, and payments for electricity produced from renewables. Comments from Bidwells partner Cath Anthony are also presented.

The article offers information on the 11.3 percent increase in renewable electricity capacity in Great Britain as of September 30, 2016. Topics discussed include need to reduce frequency of cleaning of solar panels, which may be low-maintenance, problems related to inverter failure, checking the warranty of inverter, which is covered by the solar installation company or the inverter manufacturer, and enforcement action on failure to comply with planning requirements.

The article reports on reforms of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme unveiled by the Great Britain Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in December 2016, committing to renewable heating to 2020-21. It is said that farmers planning new projects must understand these changes to ensure new investments maximize funding opportunities.

The article reports on Stephanie Simmonite, a well-known character in British rallying in the 1990s, starting a 100ha farm near Doncaster in Yorkshire, England, with her husband Matt Lee, an engineer. Lee took over the farm he grew up on three years ago when his brother moved to a new farm and started a 1,000-head pig unit.

The article focuses on the investment opportunities for farmers offered by the subdued renewables sector in Great Britain. It is stated that there are still opportunities for farmers to invest although policy uncertainties remain and returns are lower than at the peak of Feed-in Tariffs (Fits) and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) support. It is stated that the best way to improve payback is placing as much bought-in electricity as possible.

The article examines how solar panels can provide attractive returns for livestock farmers. Topics mentioned include livestock farmers with large on-site energy demand having the most to gain from solar panels being one of the simplest form of renewable energy generation, how adapting on-farm power use to maximise electricity generated rather than exporting it to the grid can maximise returns, and the potential pitfalls of solar panels.

The article reports on the financial gains from powering grain dryers with biomass fuel rather than oil or gas. Topics discussed are the cost effectiveness of installing a biomass boiler, and the improvement of the feasibility of any biomass system to spread capital cost to allow more income generated via rough the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The case of a Scottish farmer is presented to show how to benefit from a grain drying biomass boiler.

The article discusses the developments in the agriculture sector in Great Britain, particularly on the organic market. Based on the data from the Soil Association, many producers have already returned back to traditional production in order to improve their margins, which declined by 5% in 2012. The opinion of Clinton Devon Farms manager George Perrott on the developments is also cited.

The article discusses the developments in the agriculture sector in Great Britain, particularly on the Renewables Heat Incentive (RHI) implementation. It cites as example the experience of the Wood Advent Farm in Exmoor, Somerset, England, which installed a biomass boiler in 2009. The opinion of farm manager David Brewer on their operation is also cited.

The article features Overbury Farms in Gloucestershire, England. According to Overbury's Jake Freestone, they have been improving soil structure through minimal tillage, organic manures and various cropping measures. He states that 2012 had been too wet for extra traveling on fields, so they chopped straw and did not use the poultry litter. He reveals that they are hoping that not disturbing the soil will give them a 50 percent establishment or 50 plants per square meter.

The article focuses on the availability of many opportunities for the generation of renewable energy by farmers amid cuts. It states that despite of the reduced Feed-in Tariff (FiT) aid, renewable energy schemes still exist. It adds that prices of technological devices, especially for solar arrays, have fallen since the introduction of FiTs.

The article reports on the implications of Great Britain Department of Energy & Climate Change's (DECC) loss in an appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn its ruling that DECC unlawfully decreased solar Feed-in Tariff (FiT) rates. Paul Barwell of Solar Trade Association says that the funds DECC should commit raise concerns on the existing FiT budget. It cites several changes to solar support from April 1, 2012 including tariff rates, energy efficiency, and installation tariff.

The article discusses the projected steady farmgate milk prices in Great Britain in April 2012 despite the commodity market pressure and the decision by Tesco to lessen price for suppliers.

The article focuses on the implication of the reappearance of tuberculosis (TB) at Clinton Devon Farms in England in 2011 after 18 months. According to farm manager George Perrott, there was a 2% increase in the overall replacement rate of the farm as a result of one routine TB test. He adds that the farm will also suffer from the lost milk income from reactor cows. The effort of Perrott to minimise disruption includes fitting testing around their normal routine.

The article reports on the possibility that another 5,000 dairy farmers will exit the British sector by 2020, according to Promar. The company expects the trend to be offset by an increase in output. Andrew Thompson of Promar attributed an increase in milk production in the 2009-2010 period to favourable weather for milk production. He added that the market will benefit from tightening of long-term milk supply and strong competition among buyers.

The article raises the concern of farmers in Great Britain about the retail price war between the main supermarkets in the country. Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed a decline in the rate of Consumer Prices Index annual inflation and overall food prices in October 2011. Tom Hind of the National Farmers Union (NFU) notes the negative impact of squeezed margins on the poultry and horticulture sectors.

The article discusses highlights of the European Food and Farming Partnerships conference held in London, England on November 8, 2011. Topics taken up include expansion plans of Tulip Food Group pork processor, consumer demand for premium pork in supermarkets, and sales of Fairtrade products. Speakers include chief executive Steve Murrells of Tulip, Martyn Jones of Morrisons, and Mike Gidney of the Fairtrade Foundation.

The article reports on the need for British farmers to reassess the economics of planning to install solar panels. It links the proposal to the plans of the government to slash support for the technology from later in 2011. It attributes the cuts to the need to protect the Feed-in Tariff scheme, which faced budgetary pressure. It announces the adoption of the reduced tariffs to all new solar installations that go live on or after December 12, 2011.

The article reports that new support levels for large-scale renewable electricity generation proposed by the British government in 2011 could help increase demand for wood fuels and energy crops cultivated in British farms. According to the author, the banding review of the Renewables Obligation payment rates announced on October 20, 2011 sets out incentives for various technologies such as biomass co-firing and onshore wind power.

The article reports on the opposition of farm consultants to the proposed reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2011. It is suggested that the reforms will unfairly penalize larger, more efficient farming businesses. It also discusses the possibility that businesses will implement structural or operational changes to comply with the proposed rules.