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Know How / Barley / Crop management

With ramularia now more difficult to control and other diseases showing signs of fungicide resistance, there is plenty to consider before deciding on how to manage your barley crop. Get the latest advice and thinking on cost-effective barley agronomy, from pest and weed control, to nutrient planning and fungicide/growth regulator use.

Case studies

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ARABLE

Grower improves fungicide use and compaction with helicopter

A helicopter is not the standard piece of farm kit to be stored in a machinery shed, but Canadian grain producer Wade McAllister plans to combine his passion for farming…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How Wold Top Brewery barley grower lowered carbon footprint

The Yorkshire farming family behind the successful Wold Top Brewery and Yorkshire’s first single-malt whisky distillery is using the latest precision mapping technology in its drive towards a low-carbon, sustainable…

BARLEY

New winter barley impresses on disease resistance and yields

Essex grower Andrew Fairley says his crop of the new winter barley Caravelle is the healthiest looking of the five varieties he growing this season, and it is set the…

ARABLE

Soil virus prompts move to resistant winter barley variety

Soil-borne viruses have pushed a light land Somerset farm into growing only one variety of winter barley and one of winter wheat, which are resistant to the yield-damaging mosaic virus,…

BARLEY

Gold-winning winter barley crop smashes yield potential

Mixed farmer David Bell smashed his winter barley yield potential with a 13.4t/ha crop last harvest – 17% greater than the farm’s perceived 11.5t/ha optimum. This won him gold in…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Big brewer offers a premium for regen barley

Ben Taylor is growing spring malting barley for brewer Carlsberg which will earn him a price premium for following regenerative farming practices, such as growing cover crops and establishing a…

Practical advice

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BLACKGRASS

Why blackgrass is so bad in 2023 and what to do about it

Some fields are unsuitable for winter cropping next season because of the surge in blackgrass seed return from the higher number of blackgrass heads in winter wheat crops. And it…

BARLEY

6 steps to growing better spring barley for 2023 season

As the spring barley drilling season gets under way in some early areas, we look at six key points to consider when growing the crop. We speak to arable technical…

SOILS

3 steps to take to reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser

Farmers are seeking ways to cut artificial fertiliser rates as prices skyrocket and one Canadian expert has developed a three-step approach to achieve this. Cropping is currently based on classic…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Inhibitors shown to cut nitrogen use and emissions in barley

Spring malting barley growers could save on valuable nitrogen fertiliser by using nitrification inhibitors to cut costs and fit in with big brewers’ desire to cut their carbon footprint. Growers…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How to narrow the UK yield gap to help improve food security

UK cereal yield potential is calculated to be between 14t/ha and 19t/ha, yet current averages are about 7-9t/ha, which gives considerable scope for improvements, say experts at crop consultant Adas’…

BARLEY

Winter malting variety may help limit swing to spring barleys

Winter malting barley purchases by leading maltsters have fallen sharply over the past few decades and the advent of a new variety is seen as helping to give a more…

Insights

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SOILS

How natural fungi can be encouraged to aid crop production

Mycorrhizal fungi play a valuable role in maximising crop performance, and a team of researchers is on a mission to delve deeper into the world of mycorrhizas to explore how…

CROP MANAGEMENT

4 key lessons from the first AHDB Cereals Strategic Farm

After six years, Brian and Patrick Barker’s Lodge Farm, near Stowmarket in Suffolk, will be finishing its run as the AHDB’s first Strategic Cereal Farm. It was also an AHDB…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

New barley virus strain puts resistant varieties at risk

Winter barley varieties showing symptoms of soil-borne barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV), despite being classed as resistant on the AHDB Recommended List, are being infected by a different strain of…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Why brome is a rising problem when tackling blackgrass

Establishing cover crops on heavy boulder clay and managing brome are two challenges being tackled in a long-term blackgrass trial. Brome forces changes to blackgrass control strategy A brome problem…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Why BYDV-tolerant barley may prove itself in disease hotspots

More than three-quarters of surveyed growers and agronomists say they have suffered yield loss from aphid-spread barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), with the emergence of tolerant winter barley varieties seen…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Should farms sell or chop straw with fertiliser prices high?

The value of straw, whether for power stations or traditional forage and bedding markets remains, buoyant, and many growers will be looking to take advantage of that. However, with high…

ARABLE

Regen farming income blip as market volatility increases

High yields and rocketing commodity prices have created a financial "blip" for regenerative farming systems, with margins falling behind those of conventional farms in such an unusual year. Speaking at…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Largest UK weed survey reveals Italian ryegrass challenge

Results from the UK’s largest survey on Italian ryegrass has shown a complex and variable picture of herbicide resistance in the weed, emphasising the need for growers to test and…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How farmer trial will test Canadian combine weed seed mill

A group of UK farmers is taking part in a ground-breaking research project to test the effectiveness of harvest weed seed control units developed by a Canadian company. This non-chemical…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Analysis: What makes top arable farms more profitable?

AHDB data analysis has revealed the secrets behind the top 25% most profitable arable farms – and while yield is the most important factor, having a good handle on costs…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Why grain analysis now could save on fertiliser next season

Farmers are being advised to get their grain analysed this harvest to help refine next season’s fertiliser decisions, with data showing the average uncertainty equates to £2,000 for an average…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Round-up of firms offering strategic arable advice services

At a time of unprecedented change in the farming industry, there has never been a greater need for impartial advice and direction. Given current uncertainty, strategic agronomy services are increasingly…

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