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²ÝÁñÉçÇø who selected an early maturing maize variety this year will be reflecting on a timely harvest and looking forward to high feed quality from their 2020 crop.

NFU has published a harvest survey of 283 farmers showing that wheat yields and winter barley yields were down 18 per cent from 2019, spring barley yields down six per cent and oilseed rape yields down 15 per cent.

The EU Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF) has voted not to renew approval for active substance, mancozeb, a fungicide widely used in control of potato late blight and alternaria.

The UK’s farmland is abundant with insects; some are pests, but many will help to protect and promote crops. Alice Dyer finds out how growers can encourage more natural predators into their fields.

Progress with drilling is variable across the country, tending to be more complete the further north you go. However, wet conditions in some areas are raising concerns over a second consecutive autumn of delayed drilling.

Spring barley production is estimated to have increased from 4.5mt (2019) to an estimated 6.3mt in 2020, however, quality issues may leave malting markets, tight.

A number of factors including Covid-19, the US elections and a La Nina weather event would drive global grain markets

AHDB’s light leaf spot preliminary forecast shows that the disease risk to winter oilseed rape (OSR) ranks among the lowest recorded in recent years.

Unsettled weather has resulted in some winter wheat crops now being drilled later than initially planned. This means some important adjustments to autumn agronomy may be needed

In stark contrast to last year’s crop, sufficient moisture in August has meant early-sown oilseed rape crops have grown through the ‘danger period’.