Crop health: Management of barley pests & diseases (Islay)

There are 8, soon to be 10, working distilleries on the Isle of Islay and are major contributors to Scotland’s Food & Drink industry. Spring barley is therefore an important crop for local growers and helps maintain the viability of farm businesses and the local economy.

This meeting will update growers about pest and disease management and the best practices for maintaining crop health while minimalising environmental risk. Growers will also be reminded about Greening & cross-compliance requirements.

The meeting will include a plant health presentation, followed by a visit to a malting to hear about distillery grain quality requirements. Knowledge of this will help ensure grain is grown to the requirement and so aid farm production efficiency. This will be followed by visits to fields on 2 different farms so as to examine crops and discuss management and share recent experience of crop issues and solutions.

Speaker:

• Professor Fiona Burnett, SRUC

Topic:

• Crop health – Spring barley

Event organiser – Trevor Polley