Insecticide restrictions 'will have a catastrophic impact'

Plant science critical to planet under pressure UN experts have called for a transformation of the global economy, based on an ’evergreen revolution’ which will double agricultural produ... Soil and water experts line up for practical event Soil fertility and tillage systems, controlled traffic farming, abstraction licensing issues and improving irrigation efficiency, are some of the prac... RASE launches survey to probe soil levels A nationwide survey of farmers in arable and grassland regions is to be carried out by the Royal Agricultural Society of England as it launches a majo... New tool puts plant hormone under surveillance Charles Darwin was the first to speculate that plants contain hormones. His pioneering research led to the identification of the very first and key pl... Spring barley offers a premium opportunity Farmers with land available for spring sown arable crops obviously have a number of alternatives to consider before making a final decision on their c... Cheshire East confirms investment in farming community While the pressure is on councils to sell off their farms to raise revenue in this time of austerity, one local authority has outlined its commitment ... Blackgrass Spraying in Winter Wheat - Don’t miss the boat! Exceptionally mild weather conditions over late December and early January saw soil temperatures rising to in excess of 10°C in some parts of the UK (... FUW SAYS RESEARCH FARM CLOSURE PLANS ARE MAJOR BLOW Welsh Government plans to sell Pwllpeiran research farm in Ceredigion as separate lots from next autumn was described as a major blow for the Welsh fa... European seed treatment scheme undergoes UK testing A pilot assurance scheme for the seed treatment industry, the European Seed Treatment Assurance scheme (ESTA), has been unveiled in the UK. The move c... PGRO Pulse Crop Bulletin - 02/12/2011 PGRO ANNOUNCES PULSE LEVY FUNDED RECOMMENDED LISTS FOR SPRING PEAS, WINTER BEANS AND SPRING BEANS ... Agriculture part of climate change solution As the world tries to agree on its next steps towards managing climate change in Durban, South Africa, the NFU is working with others in the industry ... Ceredigion Farmers discuss CAP Reform CAP reform will be the subject of discussion at the next meeting of Ceredigion NFU Cymru members set to take place on Wednesday, 7 December 2011. D... Cautious welcome to ruling on watercourse buffer zones NFU Cymru have given a cautious welcome to the recent announcement by Welsh Government that only the minimum standards relating to buffer zones alongs... UK genetics and support win German franchise World class genetics, backed by advanced technical support, has clinched a major franchise contract for UK based JSR Genetics, in the form of a new br... ’2.9m investment ready for land-based businesses A ’2.9 million investment in the skills and professionalism of land-based and environmental businesses has been announced as part of the Employe... EU urged to avoid crop protection ’crunch’ As restrictive new EU pesticide approval rules remove more products from the market than can be developed to replace them, Europe’s farmers risk... AONB decision will stultify farm growth potential NFU Cymru has expressed disappointment at today’s Welsh Government decision to extend the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AON... CLA warns Efra of CAP greening risk CLA President Harry Cotterell gave evidence on the greening of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to the House of Commons’ Environment, Food a... Applications now open to apply more manure to grassland in 2012 Eligible farmers are being reminded that they can ask for permission to apply more manure onto their grassland during 2012. Applications for the ... Automatic milking research for grass based systems A new grassland research project, which is being carried out by the Moorepark Animal and Grassland Innovation Centre in Ireland and supported by Fullw... Growers to discuss herbage seed at Grassland Farmers visiting Grassland & Muck 2011 to review their business options should consider British-bred herbage seed as a viable alternative enterprise, ... Common weed has hidden superpowers A plant that used to be killed as a weed could soon be farmed for essential fatty acids. Innovative research sponsored by Defra shows that Corn Gromwe... Get the spray window just right for effective control of docks in grassland Getting the spray window of the amidosulfuron herbicide Squire Ultra just right is important in order to achieve the desired high level of control of ... How game is your wood A few days dedicated to woodland management in winter can yield huge rewards for game and other wildlife later in the year. To learn the skills neede... Pestwatch - Local risk assessment for Leatherjackets required The focus for Pestwatch moves from Wheat Bulb fly to Leatherjackets and starts with a warning of variable risk of this pest in different parts of the ... Lancashire herd lifts yields by 900 litres despite cutting feed inputs A big increase in silage dry matter intakes on a Lancashire dairy farm has lifted milk production by 900 litres a cow and enabled feed costs to be cut... Maximum productivity per acre A Scottish farmer’s investment in better grasses and grassland management has seen him maximise productivity of his 371-acre livestock enterpris... Devon landowners offered free course in grassland management Staff from Devon Wildlife Trust’s (DWT) Working Wetlands project, are planning a free training event this month to help local landowners in the ... Fertiliser prices put grass yields beyond means High fertiliser prices will put adequate 2011 grass yields beyond beef farmers’ means. The National Beef Association has called on fertilise... BCPC weed review emphasises black-grass problem At the recent 47th BCPC Annual Weed Review chaired by Mr David Parish, Agronomist, NIAB TAG, and held at the PGRO, Peterborough, a key focus was new h... Good news potential for woodland owners Following the Spending Review, West Norfolk farmer Edward Brun, who is chairman of Anglia Woodfuels, welcomes the government’s commitment to the... Frost is no reason to let up on grassweed control Despite one or two night frosts, grassweeds are still actively growing and farmers will reap yield benefits from autumn post-emergence treatments, say... Don’t delay weed control, growers urged Growers have been urged to take advantage of the ’best start to weed control for years’ and make full speed ahead with their autumn herbic... Shropshire pastureland to be sold Two productive blocks of Shropshire pastureland are to be sold by public auction next month. Auctioneers Halls are selling 49 acres of land at Arg... Weed control needs action say ADAS In the increasingly tough fight against grass weeds, tackling them early is critical, according to ADAS’ James Clarke. In most instances, ea... Wet weather brings parasite risk Livestock producers are being urged to keep an eye on the weather, because wet conditions are ideal for fluke to thrive and pose real challenges to ca... Hedge funds for banking solution One thousand metres of riverbank are being fenced on waterways which ultimately flow into Bassenthwaite Lake in a bid to stem harmful sediment. Her... Reseeding delays compromise production Many leys that should have been replaced two years ago have ’fallen apart’ this year, leaving some ruminant livestock producers short of f... Farms see wild orchids thrive An array of wild orchid species and a diversity of birds and other wildlife are thriving under a pioneering retailer scheme operating on some of the c... Welsh grassland societies get support Demonstrating the strength of its continued commitment to British agriculture, leading manufacturer of Silotite balewrap and Visqueen silage sheeting ... Cheshire wetlands project grows Wetland habitats in Cheshire have been restored through work carried out as part of a pilot project spearheaded by the UK’s largest shooting org... Farmers voice concerns over chinese lanterns This weekend, a Leicestershire farmer’s prompt action prevented thousands of pounds worth of damage to a field of wheat straw set alight by Chin... Be aware of illegally poisoned wildlife warns CAIP A timely warning for those who enjoy the great outdoors has been issued by The Campaign against Accidental or Illegal Poisoning (CAIP), to look out fo... Shropshire straw in demand Leading Shropshire auctioneers Halls have sold around 4,500 acres of standing straw by auction and privately on behalf of clients in the county this s... Wildflowers win Wilkinson Environmental award Headon, Retford farmer John Ogle has won this year’s Wilkinsons Environment Award for Nottinghamshire. For the tenth year, the Worksop-based... Map grassweed areas now for autumn control The end of June is an ideal time to take stock of your grassweed challenges, says Dow AgroSciences grass weed control specialist Stuart Jackson. "... Aminopyralid reintroduced amid fears of manure problems Aminopyralid herbicides have been re-introduced this year to help grassland farmers deal with difficult to control weeds but with tight controls to pr... Plant breeding is £1bn boost to UK economy Headline findings of a major new economic impact study suggest that the annual contribution of plant breeding exceeds £1 billion in additional value w... Grazing returns to neglected grassland sit Devon Wildlife Trust has this month awarded a capital work grant to a group of local landowners in North Devon. This grant has enabled ponies to graze... SUPERCHARGED GRASSES FOR A GREENER BIOENERGY FUTURE New technology developed by Australian scientists has supercharged photosynthesis – the natural process of plants converting sunlight and carbon dioxi...