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Well, 2021 keeps dishing out the surprises to us and as the country eases itself out of lockdown, winter crops refuse to follow suit and have shown little signs of progression this last two weeks. Can we blame them for thinking we are still in the firm grips of winter?

Despite the loss of chlorothalonil (CTL), growers still have effective options for controlling chocolate spot, one of two dominant diseases in beans. Capable of completely defoliating crops and causing yield losses of 50% or more, it is a potentially margin-sapping disease.

Grass crops are able to bend the rules of evolution by borrowing genes from their neighbours, giving them a competitive advantage, a new study has revealed.Ìý

Skilled staff are vital to farm business success, but training does not have to mean endless expensive courses for employers to fund. Jez Fredenburgh speaks to a training consultancy specialist to find out what options are out there to benefit both parties.

It seems over recent months that good news policy announcements for our sector have been few and far between, so it was welcoming to hear the recent Government decision confirming the roll out of E10 petrol this year.

Small Robot company (SRC) has announced its Tom monitoring robot is now delivered to commercial specification and entering service on UK farms.

The exceptionally dry April has significantly reduced soil moisture levels and with only limited rain forecast, growers may have to intervene to mitigate potential crop stress during the crucial canopy-building stage.

Peatlands are identified as holding the largest carbon stores of all habitats in a report published by Natural England

For crops already in the ground, dry soils and low temperatures are hindering growth, however, it is too early to say whether there will be longer term consequences.