In this episode, how much rain is enough to start drilling after one of the driest summers in recent memory?

We look at autumn crop establishment as growers weigh up whether to put oilseed rape and other crops into exceptionally dry soils – or wait for more meaningful rainfall.

We assess the prospects for the coming sugar beet harvest after drought, heat and pest pressure take their toll on crops.

And farm leaders call for tougher controls on Brazilian beef and imported eggs as questions mount over whether food coming into Britain meets the same standards expected of UK producers.

Meanwhile, fertiliser suppliers urge growers to start talking about next season’s requirements as geopolitical disruption threatens to disrupt another buying season.

And finally, a police watchdog says firearms licensing in England and Wales is “not fit for purpose”.

What would a new national licensing authority mean for the thousands of farmers and other rural businesses that rely on shotguns and firearms for their work?

This episode is brought to you by KWS – seeding the future since 1856.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction
00:53 – How much rain is enough to drill oilseed rape?
02:24 – How late is too late for oilseed rape?
03:21 – Drilling into exceptionally dry seed-beds
04:01 – Should growers increase seed rates?
05:07 – Has this week’s rain changed anything?
07:14 – Grass, cover crops and an exceptionally early maize harvest
08:21 – What happened to cabbage stem flea beetle?
09:24 – Farmers Weekly Harvest Update with KWS
11:45 – How badly has drought hit sugar beet?
14:02 – Beet armyworm adds to pest pressure
15:01 – Building more resilient sugar beet crops
16:05 – Can plant breeding deliver drought tolerance?
16:52 – What are growers expecting from harvest?
19:29 – A difficult lifting campaign ahead?
20:49 – Calls to stop Brazilian beef imports
21:11 – Imported eggs and the salmonella outbreak
22:53 – Farmers urged to plan fertiliser requirements early
24:17 – Geopolitics puts fertiliser supply chains under pressure
25:01 – But what about farm cash flow?
26:17 – Can the supply chain cope with another late rush?
28:59 – Markets update
29:20 – Firearms licensing ‘not fit for purpose’
30:25 – Farmers’ experience of firearms licensing
31:26 – Would a national firearms authority work better?
32:18 – Closing remarks

Guests

• Jock Willmott – partner and agronomist, Ceres Rural
• Matt Bull – product manager, KWS
• Dr Georgina Barratt – head of crop production, British Beet Research Organisation
• Harriet Trewin – head of fertiliser, Agricultural Industries Confederation
• Lee Freeman – HM inspector of constabulary

Useful links

⁠Ceres Rural
⁠British Beet Research Organisation
⁠Agricultural Industries Confederation
Latest UKHSA salmonella outbreak update
Government firearms licensing guidance

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.

To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -

Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/

Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/

Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/

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