Skip to content

Arable: Feeding the Crop

Find information relating to fertiliser, nutrient budgeting, and organic manures

Select by an area of interest

Technical Note (TN762) Grain Analysis for Cereals

Grain analysis can help improve your understanding of nutrient uptake across your farm, allowing you to make better informed decisions. This Technical Note covers collecting...

Read more >

Purchasing Farm Software – What to Consider

Farm software can be a useful tool to help you stay compliant with regulations, to help keep track of inputs and outputs, and when combined...

Read more >

Technology to Improve Business Performance and Resilience – Arable

In this series of three fact sheets an arable, beef and sheep farmer have been interviewed to find out what key pieces of farm technology...

Read more >

CropCast – Using Nitrogen Efficiently

Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Mactaggart will be joined by...

Read more >

Planning To Grow Cereals 2023

Planning to Grow Cereals 2023 – Webinar A brief update on crop trials from 2022 carried out by Neil Havis and his team of SRUC...

Read more >

Optimise your Nutrient Management with Precision Manure Spreading Technology

The utilisation of precision farming technology is critical for farm businesses looking to cut fertiliser costs. The application of solid and organic manures can reduce...

Read more >

Seaweed

In this water episode of our Natural Capital Series, we discuss seaweed and its wider benefits to the farming community, it’s important ecosystem services and...

Read more >

Forage and Grass Guide

Well planned and managed forage and grassland provides an opportunity to incorporate more resilience into our beef and sheep businesses. By looking at our forage...

Read more >

Crofternomics: Farmyard Manure Versus Bagged Fertiliser

Crofternomics: Comparing Farm Yard Manure with Bagged Fertiliser Input prices escalating mean that we should calculate the value of FYM. This video covers the efficiency,...

Read more >

Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – John Muir, Freelands Farm

In the third of our Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we visit Freelands Farm where John Muir has invested in strip tillage. Click above...

Read more >

Profiting from Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – John McCluskey, Lea Farm

In the second of our Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we visit John McCluskey, Lea Farm who has adopted the principles of minimum tillage....

Read more >

The Highs and Lows of Feeding Rye Cereal

Land area used to grow rye crops has increased due to the growing popularity of anaerobic digesters. As a result, we are a beginning to...

Read more >

Reducing Cereal Energy Costs

For cereal farmers, energy costs can represent a sizeable proportion of the cost of production whether it is in the field, haulage to drying and...

Read more >

Cropcast – Better Use of Manures

Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Mactaggart will be joined by...

Read more >

Reducing The Risk of Combine Fires

With soaring temperatures coinciding with harvest, there is a risk of combine fires. These not only cause extensive disruption at one of the busiest times...

Read more >

Saving Money Feeding a Crop – Nutrient Budgeting

Without nutrient budgeting being addressed then the nutrients available to the crop can become deficient or in excess which can lead to poor crop yields,...

Read more >

Improve Your Soil Fertility

This video covers soil fertility to maximise use of synthetic fertiliser by correcting soil pH, maintaining adequate phosphate (P) and Potassium (K) indices and encouraging...

Read more >

Dealing with Rocketing Fertiliser Prices

Given the recent hike in fertiliser prices, there has never been a more pressing need to investigate your soil’s nutrient status for better targeted use...

Read more >

Stubble Management for Grass Weed Control

There is not a single prescriptive course of action given there are so many farming and cropping systems each with differing objectives and timescales but,...

Read more >

The Role of Biostimulants in IPM

The overriding principle of IPM is to manage the health of a crop holistically, rather than just to focus on individual pests and disease and...

Read more >

Spring Barley – Planning your NPK (webinar)

Fertiliser is often the largest variable cost when growing spring barley with timing and rates critical to achieve optimum yield, market requirements and limit any...

Read more >

Technical note (TN734): Fertiliser recommendations for vegetables, minority arable crops and bulbs

Summary Vegetables and some of the minority crops can have a high value. Production costs are also often high, with fertilisers accounting for a very...

Read more >

Borders Soil & Nutrient Network Farm – Mucks & Magic

-Mucks & Magic – A focus on organic matter, manure & compost Thanks to Kerchesters farm we are delighted to introduce the 2nd of or...

Read more >

Technical note (TN736): Optimising the application of livestock farmyard manures and slurries

Technical Note (TN736): Optimising the application of livestock farmyard manures and slurries Livestock manures applied to agricultural land are valuable sources of organic matter, major...

Read more >

Pesticide Handling Areas – Making sure it’s fit for purpose.

In this video, we look at three different pesticide handling areas on three different farms within the Aberdeenshire area. Each pesticide handling area different, but...

Read more >

Technical Note (TN731): Nitrogen Recommendations for Cereals, Oilseed Rape and Potatoes

Summary Nitrogen recommendations for cereals and winter oilseed rape include an adjustment for expected yield. Nitrogen recommendations for potatoes take account of length of growing...

Read more >

More in FAS Problem Solver

Select by an area of interest

How to Interpret Your Soil Analysis

This article is produced as a part of the FAS Crops & Soils Bulletin. Subscribe now to receive the full report in your inbox monthly....

Read more >

Soil Carbon Code Update

This article is produced as a part of the FAS Crops & Soils Bulletin. Subscribe now to receive the full report in your inbox monthly....

Read more >

A View From Argentina

In this podcast we hear from Argentinian farmer Allan Cameron. Allan talks to us about farming in Argentina including cropping and beef production. He covers...

Read more >

CropCast – Using Nitrogen Efficiently

Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Mactaggart will be joined by...

Read more >

Arable

This time we are focussing on Arable Natural Capital with John and Louise Seed from Woodend Farming Partnership and Agricultural Consultant Mary-Jane Lawrie, to find...

Read more >

Rural Roundup – 16th November

In this fortnight’s edition we get the latest news from Tiffany MacTaggart, who is joined by Robert Ramsay and George Chalmers to discuss what’s happening...

Read more >

CropCast – Measuring a Healthy Soil

In this episode Tiffany Mactaggart is joined by David Ross, a senior Agricultural consultant from SAC consulting along with Audrey Litterick, director of Earthcare Technical,...

Read more >

Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – Hew Hunter, Broachrigg Farm

In case study 5 of our Profiting from Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we hear about Hew’s move to reduced tillage where he farms...

Read more >

Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – Introduction

During this series of six videos, filmed in Scotland, we look at reduced tillage and reducing farm emissions over six different farms throughout the Lothians...

Read more >

CropCast – Cover Crops & Green Manures

Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, SAC advisor, Tiffany Mactaggart will be joined by...

Read more >

Agribusiness News July 2022: Sector Focus – Soils

Soil Testing: Benefits and Limitations Without a doubt, soil testing has come to the forefront of UK agricultural policy over the past few years.  With...

Read more >

Soil Health – A Route Towards Net Zero for the Scottish Livestock Industry

Farm Stock (Scotland) Limited (FSS) was awarded a KTIF grant on 10/11/2021.  The grant covered a project entitled A Route Towards Net Zero for the...

Read more >

Phosphorus Management and the Relationship Between Differing Soils Capacity to Regulate P Availability for Plant Uptake in Scotland

A novel soil specific approach to P management has allowed better use of soil reserves to reduce P fertiliser by using differing soils capacity to...

Read more >

Evaluating Soil Quality and Testing for Soil Health Status

At grass roots level SAC consultants are noting a growing interest in soil health from farmers and increasing numbers of questions about what SRUC can...

Read more >

Tackling Soil Compaction to Reduce Fertiliser Costs

Dairy farmers across Scotland often rely on fertiliser to ensure that they grow enough grass to meet the needs of their livestock. However, fertiliser prices...

Read more >

Technical Note (TN753): Management of inputs of heavy metals to agricultural soils and crops

Heavy metals in soils may derive from several sources: Geological parent material Industrial processes – emissions to the atmosphere followed by deposition to soils –...

Read more >

Webinar Recording: Making Soil Cultivations Work For You – Thainstone Soil & Nutrient Network

    This webinar is the finale to the series of nutrient network meetings that have been held at Kirkton farm, courtesy of the Campbell...

Read more >

Understanding Nutrient Interactions with Mark Tripney

    Mark Tripney, ISoils Ltd, returned as a guest speaker at the second meeting of the Inverness Soil & Nutrient Network. The topic for...

Read more >

Technical note (TN728): Planning Agricultural Field Drainage

Download TN728 – Planning Agricultural Field Drainage Planning agricultural field drainage requires a detailed investigation to obtain the best results. Depending on the site, there...

Read more >

Soils and tillage podcast: an interview with soil cultivation consultant, Philip Wright

‘The Principles of Soil & Metal Interactions’ was the theme for a soil & tillage event on the Mertoun Estate, near St Boswells.  After the...

Read more >

Something else on your mind?