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With sugar beet returns so uncertain, there should be one guiding principle for growers deciding their variety shopping list this summer: Higher output. Paying a little extra for seed of [...]

WINTER WHEAT Variety Yield rating Breeder/ Profile (Recommended (% of agent List status) treated control) GROUP 1 -- BREADMAKING Hereward (UK) 92 RAGT Seeds Steady milling demand is prolonging the [...]

IT'S A TURNING point: there's no longer any price penalty for choosing rhizomania-tolerant varieties for 2006. That's good news, because with 153 more farms discovered with infected land last year [...]

Winter wheat BANG. That's the sound of the yield barrier breaking. Newcomer Glasgow (Saaten Union) lived up to expectations in trials this summer, and now appears on the HGCA 2005 [...]

NEW wheats and barleys--warts and all. That's what visitors to Cereals 2005 want to see--and at the HGCA variety lines, the new contenders for a place on the Recommended List [...]

UK poultry producers can't be blamed for viewing the arrival of Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) legislation with a sinking heart. The prospect of more red tape and what [...]

When RSPB research biologist Tony Morris says farmland birds can be attracted back to commercial fields, without jeopardising profit, he's speaking from experience. The birds are definitely back on the [...]

* Mark Ireland IRELANDS' FARMS must embrace the wide picture of environmental obligations, market requirements, relationship with the public and the direction of political change, Mark Ireland says. But he [...]

THESE days, supermarket buyers will not tolerate even a few tell-tale holes in potato tubers. But the demand for slug-susceptible varieties such as Maris Piper remains high, so the pressure [...]

UNDER the new Assured Produce standards for 2005, potato growers are being 'strongly recommended' to adopt thresholds or other recognised prediction systems, to avoid application of routine preventative pesticide applications. [...]

MOST growers know that soil compaction will reduce potato yield and quality. But what they may not appreciate is that allowing their land to become compacted could also breach the [...]

IF MONEY were no object, then no question about it, sprayers would be going through the crop as soon as it turned yellow to defend against sclerotinia and alternaria, using [...]

DON'T panic. There's only one potentially unfamiliar issue within the cross compliance pyramid of options, and that's the Soil Management Plan, says Dr Alastair Leake, head of the Allerton Project [...]

HOW can arable growers add value to commodity crops? Moving up the food chain isn't that easy, if your farm income is powered by wheat, rape and beans. No one [...]

IN TWENTY years, I've never seen such a difficult autumn for rape establishment,' says TAG agronomist David Parish. Based in the Beds/Cambs/Northants area where heavy boulder clay predominates, winter rape [...]

You may know where the drains are on your poultry unit. But where does the water go to from there? If you're not sure, then it's time to find out, [...]

A NEW market opportunity is opening up for agriculture. It's expanding, it enjoys government support, it has healthy long term prospects and it has the approval of the public. And, [...]

WANT TO know how the rape market might shape up over the next few years? Then wise up on the latest nutritional scare in the USA, because what's happening now [...]

Discusses the strategy used by farmer Robert Caudwell at his Whitehouse Farm in Lincs, England, to comply with the agricultural waste regulations in Great Britain to be enforced in 2005. Difficulties that farmers will face if they continue to use a farm pit after the regulations are applied; Actions taken by Caudwell to recycle waste materials; Policy of the Environment Agency in Great Britain regarding hazardous waste.

Focuses on the pesticide handling practices on the farm of Jim Reeve in Long Itchington, Rugby, England. Effect of the improved pesticide handling practices on water pollution; Information on the sprayer filling system of Reeve; Regulation on the disposal of sprayer washings.

The article focuses on the developments in agriculture in Great Britain since 1977. Farmer Meurig Raymond states that profitability in agriculture at present depends on market focus, specifically with the dairy industry. It states that technology allowed farmers to produce greater volumes of safe and high quality food on less land and with reduced labor for a growing population. Farm manager Philip Wynn comments on the prevalence of red tape in the industry.

The article provides a forecast on the effects of climate change on agriculture in Great Britain. The weather is expected to get warmer and more humid by 2050. It predicts that the yields of potatoes could increase by 10%, but it would need more water and nitrogen. It expects that the water supply will be insufficient at a time when crops will require more irrigation.

The article focuses on the earnings of several agricultural workers in Great Britain. A pig farmer can earn from £18,000 to 26,000 a year. Arable farmers can earn about £100 per hectares of owned land. With bonuses and experience, an agricultural machinery salesman can earn £35,000 to 40,000 a year.

Profiles the finalists for the Terra Arable Farmer of the Year award in England in 2005. Vision of Mark Ireland for his Irelands' Farms in Lincolnshire; Principle of arable production employed by Patrick Levinge of Sparsholt Manor Farms in Oxfordshire; Farming philosophy of Mike Pilgrim of Lower Wingbury Farm in Bedfordshire.

Focuses on the actions taken by farmer David Webber together with Richard Smith and Nick Maye of the British Environment Agency to address the soil erosion problem in his farm in Devon, England. Factors that led to soil erosion; Information on the practices which could help keep soil in place; Sign of soil compaction.

This article discusses the Big Barn initiative launched by Anthony Davison in Bedforshire, England which aims to promote local food by helping producers and consumers find each other. The initiative is promoted through a website, and those who subscribe for a minimal monthly fee receive benefits including publicity in the consumer newsletter, the ability to update details and be searched by customers by item, web links to the producer's site, links from other food sites, and more space for a detailed description on BigBarn.

The article reports on various issues related to the future of farming in Great Britain. British agriculture could benefit from the combination of rising energy price and increased world energy demand. Opinion is split as to whether rape biodiesel, and ethanol from wheat or sugar beet, can compete with energy from biomass crops such as miscanthus and willow.

Discusses the impact of the application of the isoproturon (IPU) herbicide on water utilities in Great Britain. Estimated cost of removing pesticides from water; Recommended measures to reduce IPU pollution publicised by the Voluntary Initiative, a programme which aims to limit the impact of pesticides on the environment launched in 2001; Strategies to reduce IPU leaching risk.

Provides tips on handling pesticides and hazardous agricultural chemicals. Description of the pesticide storage room at Midloe Grange Farm in England owned by David Felce; Importance of regular maintenance checks in preventing substance spillage; Need for an emergency spillage plan.

Predicts the performance of spring seed in Great Britain. Factors that will influence the savings that growers can achieve from spring seed; Disadvantages of uncleaned seed; Advice to spring malt barley growers. INSET: Scots growers' disease threat warning.

The article presents an interview with Caroline Drummond, CEO of LEAF, about the sustainable future of the agriculture sector in Great Britain. She cites the impact of retail trends on agriculture. She stresses the advantages of home-grown food. She emphasizes the influence of the Fair Trade initiative on consumer-buying choices.

This section lists some of the crops that could rise in popularity in Great Britain now that the single payment scheme offers growers more flexibility with rotational choices. World prices have come back since then on the back of high production in Canada and the U.S., but linseed leader Premium Crops is offering five-year contracts at £ 170 per ton for 2006. Biodiesel contracts are available for spring or winter oilseed rape varieties as long as they are double-low types.

Presents an outlook for cereal breeding in Great Britain. Effects of the mergers of cereal breeding companies on the number of British owned firms; Advantages of British breeders over other farmers; Role of size and access to developing technologies in the success of plant breeding.

Focuses on the strategies employed by Andrew Critchlow, a farmer from Peak District, England, to meet the cross-compliance standards of the British Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Details of Critchlow's concerns over the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone regulations; Significance of reducing the number of sheep bought in autumn 2004; Importance of keeping good records of manure and fertiliser applications.

Provides information on the advantage of Optic spring malting barley variety when growing for an open market. Factors that contributed to the loss in yields in Scotland; Advantage over other spring barleys; Tips to avoid problems when selecting a variety .