Arable: Growing the Crop
Find information relating to crop varieties, plant protection, IPM and compliance
Latest News: Summer
NVZ Rules Refresher
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones have been a feature of farming life in the more intensively farmed parts of Scotland for more than 20 years. Click this download for a practical guide…
Select by an area of interest
Purchasing Farm Software – What to Consider
March 23, 2023Farm 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 >
Crop Disease Management: Winter & Spring Barley
March 2, 2023Welcome 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 >Crop Disease Management – Winter Wheat
February 15, 2023Welcome 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 >
Technology to Improve Business Performance and Resilience – Arable
February 10, 2023In 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 >
Profiting from Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – Alistair Hodge, Whitsome Farm
November 17, 2022In the sixth of our Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we visit Alistair Hodge, Whitsome Farm who has adopted the principles of minimum tillage....
Read more >Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – Hew Hunter, Broachrigg Farm
November 8, 2022In 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 – Neil White, Greenknowe Farm
October 28, 2022In the fourth of our Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we visit Neil White, Greenknowe Farm who has moved to a strip till system....
Read more >
Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – John Davidson, Penicuik Estate
October 11, 2022In case study 1 of our Profiting from Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we hear about John’s move to strip tillage where he farms...
Read more >
Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – Introduction
October 11, 2022During 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 >
How to Get Started with Digital Crop Records
August 17, 2022Many computer based crop records programs exist and the functionality makes it easier to keep all the data in one place and increase the ease...
Read more >
Arable Scotland Attendees Debate Global Challenges
July 31, 2022With crops rapidly ripening off and harvest accelerating towards growers it might have been natural for attendees at the Arable Scotland event on the 5th July...
Read more >
An Arable Scotland Wrap-Up
July 29, 2022Scotland’s premier arable event, Arable Scotland, was hailed as a huge success. Held at Balruddery Farm, near Dundee, the event showcased the latest research and...
Read more >
Crop Health Updates – June 2022
July 1, 2022The weather has been pretty variable across the country and so in some areas it has been tricky to get sprays on to spring barley....
Read more >
Scottish Recommended Lists for Cereals 2022/23
July 1, 2022The Scottish cereals lists include varieties of spring and winter barley, wheat and oats that are of most agronomic and commercial value to Scottish growers...
Read more >
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Assessment Plans Handout
July 1, 2022Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the holistic approach to pest management which aims to maximise profitability and productivity whilst minimising the negative impacts of production...
Read more >
CropCast – Gross Margins and Crop Trials
June 22, 2022Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, Tiffany Mactaggart will be joined by a range...
Read more >
Ramularia and Spring Barley Risk in 2022
June 15, 2022Spring barleys look well in the main, although very rapid growth in the last few weeks has left some look a little stressed and with...
Read more >
CropCast – Disease Control for Spring Barley
May 19, 2022Welcome 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 >CropCast – Winter Crop Disease Management for 2022
April 28, 2022Welcome to Cropcast, bringing you all the on crops and soils. Each month, SAC Consulting advisor, Tiffany Mactaggart will be joined by a range of...
Read more >
Keeping a lid on winter wheat disease risks
April 20, 2022Winter wheat crops are commonly more advanced than usual this season, as a consequence of early drilling and benign winter conditions. The flag leaf is...
Read more >Disease Planning Starts Early
February 28, 2022Planning out a disease management strategy in cereal crops needs to start earlier than usual this season. Programmes can be adjusted as the season goes...
Read more >
Integrated Pest Management – Top Tips from High Scoring Farms
February 28, 2022The IPM planning tool for Scottish growers is starting to give useful insights about what high scoring farms do and where they get their information....
Read more >
Making pesticide use more sustainable: Sprayer maintenance
December 11, 2021Ben Bryant, Precision Farming Manager, Chafer Machinery Ltd, goes through a crop sprayer from top to bottom, identifying the key areas for operators to monitor...
Read more >
Pesticide Information Note: How to conduct a LERAP
December 10, 2021Local Environmental Risk Assessment for Pesticides (LERAP) allow sprayer operators to reduce the buffer zones shown on some product labels. Reading the label is key...
Read more >
Pesticide Information Note: Know Your Nozzles
October 29, 2021Sprayer nozzles play a vital role in ensuring pesticide applications reach the right target at the right rate. Nozzle choice influences: Droplet size and spray...
Read more >
Profitability of Rotations Factsheet
October 11, 2021An ideal rotation should include a balance of different crops. The main aim of a rotation is to provide a profitable sequence that breaks the...
Read more >
Pesticide Information Note: Buffer Zones
August 6, 2021When applying pesticides, Buffer Zones have been used for a number of years to help protect water environments. Their use also helps producers avoid penalties...
Read more >
Cropcast: Sustainable Variety Choices
July 22, 2021Join SRUC’s Prof Fiona Burnett as she talks to Donald Dunbar from SAC Consulting and Dr Steve Hoad from SRUC. In this episode of the...
Read more >
Winter Barley Disease Management Could Be Trickier this Season
May 4, 2021Like other crops, winter barley growth has been slow in the cold, dry weather and only in the more advanced areas like the Black Isle...
Read more >
New Priorities for Wheat Management for 2021
May 4, 2021There are a few really key changes to disease management options in wheat for this year, and layered onto this are of course the vagaries...
Read more >
Cropcast: Winter cereal disease management
April 30, 2021In this episode of Cropcast we’re talking about winter cereal disease management with Prof Fiona Burnett, Peter Lindsay and Dr Neil Havis.
Read more >
Pesticide Information Note: Pesticide containers – cleaning and disposal
April 14, 2021The application of pesticides inevitably results in the production of waste, principally in the form of pesticide containers and packaging. IMPORTANT: You have a duty...
Read more >
Pesticide Information Note: Spray Drift
April 14, 2021Pesticide Information Note: Spray drift Spray drift is a topic that has come under increasing focus as the general public take more interest in pesticides,...
Read more >
Cropcast: Spring Barley Disease
March 31, 2021Cropcast is back! This month we’re exploring spring Barley disease management with Prof Fiona Burnett, Peter Lindsay and Dr Neil Havis.
Read more >
How Do You Measure IPM?
March 31, 2021The whole point of integrated pest management (IPM) is to work holistically with your farm system to manage the pest, weeds and diseases unique to...
Read more >
Best foot forward for spring barleys
March 31, 2021With wet, frozen soils and areas that have been under snow cover for weeks it is hard to imagine spring barley drilling starting any time...
Read more >
Drivers of Early Disease in Winter Wheat
March 5, 2021Winter wheat varietal resistance to Septoria has improved for some newer varieties and the acreage drilled to very weak varieties has dropped. But at this...
Read more >
Winter Agronomy Digital Roadshows 2021: Crop selection and variety performance
February 4, 2021To coincide with the launch of the new SRUC Scottish Cereals list, this presentation will update the top choices for 2021/22. The spring barley list...
Read more >
Arable Scotland: Plant Health Live Stream
July 7, 2020This live stream on plant health addressed the challenges and opportunities of implementing best practice, with contrasting New Zealand and UK experiences on...
Read more >
Webinar: Winter Wheat Trials
July 6, 2020During this series of webinars, we will bring you leading industry experts and give you a virtual tour of SRUC’s Cereal Trial Plots...
Read more >
Webinar: Winter & Spring Barley Trials
July 6, 2020The first of our series of webinars discussing the Winter & Spring Barley Cereal Trials managed by SRUC. During this series of webinars,...
Read more >
Pesticide Handling Areas – What are the pathways of pollution?
March 31, 2020In this video, Gavin Elrick, a Soils & drainage expert, explains the difference between diffuse and point source pollution from pesticides. Pesticide handling areas are...
Read more >
Pesticide Handling Areas – Making sure it’s fit for purpose.
March 31, 2020In 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 >
Harvesting Sprouted Grain
August 26, 2019It looks as if it is going to be an increasingly difficult harvest with reports already of grain beginning to sprout in the ear.
Read more >
Technical note (TN727): Winter Oilseed Rape – Integrated Weed Management
July 18, 2019Summary Pre-emergence herbicides generally give the most cost-effective weed control Early post-emergence is a prudent option if there is a risk the crop will fail...
Read more >
Podcast: Nitrate Vulnerable Zones – Keeping Compliant
April 18, 2019Earlier in the year we held a series of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) awareness events. In this podcast we join Agricultural Consultants Mary-Jane Lawrie and...
Read more >More in FAS Problem Solver
Select by an area of interest
Purchasing Farm Software – What to Consider
March 23, 2023Farm 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 >Crop Disease Management: Winter & Spring Barley
March 2, 2023Welcome 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 >Crop Disease Management – Winter Wheat
February 15, 2023Welcome 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 >Technology to Improve Business Performance and Resilience – Arable
February 10, 2023In 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 >Profiting from Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – Alistair Hodge, Whitsome Farm
November 17, 2022In the sixth of our Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we visit Alistair Hodge, Whitsome Farm who has adopted the principles of minimum tillage....
Read more >Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – Hew Hunter, Broachrigg Farm
November 8, 2022In 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 – Neil White, Greenknowe Farm
October 28, 2022In the fourth of our Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we visit Neil White, Greenknowe Farm who has moved to a strip till system....
Read more >Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – John Davidson, Penicuik Estate
October 11, 2022In case study 1 of our Profiting from Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions series we hear about John’s move to strip tillage where he farms...
Read more >Profiting From Reducing Tillage and Lowering Emissions – Introduction
October 11, 2022During 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 >How to Get Started with Digital Crop Records
August 17, 2022Many computer based crop records programs exist and the functionality makes it easier to keep all the data in one place and increase the ease...
Read more >Arable Scotland Attendees Debate Global Challenges
July 31, 2022With crops rapidly ripening off and harvest accelerating towards growers it might have been natural for attendees at the Arable Scotland event on the 5th July...
Read more >An Arable Scotland Wrap-Up
July 29, 2022Scotland’s premier arable event, Arable Scotland, was hailed as a huge success. Held at Balruddery Farm, near Dundee, the event showcased the latest research and...
Read more >Crop Health Updates – June 2022
July 1, 2022The weather has been pretty variable across the country and so in some areas it has been tricky to get sprays on to spring barley....
Read more >Scottish Recommended Lists for Cereals 2022/23
July 1, 2022The Scottish cereals lists include varieties of spring and winter barley, wheat and oats that are of most agronomic and commercial value to Scottish growers...
Read more >Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Assessment Plans Handout
July 1, 2022Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the holistic approach to pest management which aims to maximise profitability and productivity whilst minimising the negative impacts of production...
Read more >CropCast – Gross Margins and Crop Trials
June 22, 2022Welcome to CropCast, your go to podcast for all the latest information on arable crops. Each month, Tiffany Mactaggart will be joined by a range...
Read more >Ramularia and Spring Barley Risk in 2022
June 15, 2022Spring barleys look well in the main, although very rapid growth in the last few weeks has left some look a little stressed and with...
Read more >CropCast – Disease Control for Spring Barley
May 19, 2022Welcome 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 >CropCast – Winter Crop Disease Management for 2022
April 28, 2022Welcome to Cropcast, bringing you all the on crops and soils. Each month, SAC Consulting advisor, Tiffany Mactaggart will be joined by a range of...
Read more >Keeping a lid on winter wheat disease risks
April 20, 2022Winter wheat crops are commonly more advanced than usual this season, as a consequence of early drilling and benign winter conditions. The flag leaf is...
Read more >Disease Planning Starts Early
February 28, 2022Planning out a disease management strategy in cereal crops needs to start earlier than usual this season. Programmes can be adjusted as the season goes...
Read more >Integrated Pest Management – Top Tips from High Scoring Farms
February 28, 2022The IPM planning tool for Scottish growers is starting to give useful insights about what high scoring farms do and where they get their information....
Read more >Making pesticide use more sustainable: Sprayer maintenance
December 11, 2021Ben Bryant, Precision Farming Manager, Chafer Machinery Ltd, goes through a crop sprayer from top to bottom, identifying the key areas for operators to monitor...
Read more >Pesticide Information Note: How to conduct a LERAP
December 10, 2021Local Environmental Risk Assessment for Pesticides (LERAP) allow sprayer operators to reduce the buffer zones shown on some product labels. Reading the label is key...
Read more >Pesticide Information Note: Know Your Nozzles
October 29, 2021Sprayer nozzles play a vital role in ensuring pesticide applications reach the right target at the right rate. Nozzle choice influences: Droplet size and spray...
Read more >Profitability of Rotations Factsheet
October 11, 2021An ideal rotation should include a balance of different crops. The main aim of a rotation is to provide a profitable sequence that breaks the...
Read more >Pesticide Information Note: Buffer Zones
August 6, 2021When applying pesticides, Buffer Zones have been used for a number of years to help protect water environments. Their use also helps producers avoid penalties...
Read more >Cropcast: Sustainable Variety Choices
July 22, 2021Join SRUC’s Prof Fiona Burnett as she talks to Donald Dunbar from SAC Consulting and Dr Steve Hoad from SRUC. In this episode of the...
Read more >Winter Barley Disease Management Could Be Trickier this Season
May 4, 2021Like other crops, winter barley growth has been slow in the cold, dry weather and only in the more advanced areas like the Black Isle...
Read more >New Priorities for Wheat Management for 2021
May 4, 2021There are a few really key changes to disease management options in wheat for this year, and layered onto this are of course the vagaries...
Read more >Cropcast: Winter cereal disease management
April 30, 2021In this episode of Cropcast we’re talking about winter cereal disease management with Prof Fiona Burnett, Peter Lindsay and Dr Neil Havis.
Read more >Pesticide Information Note: Pesticide containers – cleaning and disposal
April 14, 2021The application of pesticides inevitably results in the production of waste, principally in the form of pesticide containers and packaging. IMPORTANT: You have a duty...
Read more >Pesticide Information Note: Spray Drift
April 14, 2021Pesticide Information Note: Spray drift Spray drift is a topic that has come under increasing focus as the general public take more interest in pesticides,...
Read more >Cropcast: Spring Barley Disease
March 31, 2021Cropcast is back! This month we’re exploring spring Barley disease management with Prof Fiona Burnett, Peter Lindsay and Dr Neil Havis.
Read more >How Do You Measure IPM?
March 31, 2021The whole point of integrated pest management (IPM) is to work holistically with your farm system to manage the pest, weeds and diseases unique to...
Read more >Best foot forward for spring barleys
March 31, 2021With wet, frozen soils and areas that have been under snow cover for weeks it is hard to imagine spring barley drilling starting any time...
Read more >Drivers of Early Disease in Winter Wheat
March 5, 2021Winter wheat varietal resistance to Septoria has improved for some newer varieties and the acreage drilled to very weak varieties has dropped. But at this...
Read more >Winter Agronomy Digital Roadshows 2021: Crop selection and variety performance
February 4, 2021To coincide with the launch of the new SRUC Scottish Cereals list, this presentation will update the top choices for 2021/22. The spring barley list...
Read more >Arable Scotland: Plant Health Live Stream
July 7, 2020This live stream on plant health addressed the challenges and opportunities of implementing best practice, with contrasting New Zealand and UK experiences on...
Read more >Webinar: Winter Wheat Trials
July 6, 2020During this series of webinars, we will bring you leading industry experts and give you a virtual tour of SRUC’s Cereal Trial Plots...
Read more >Webinar: Winter & Spring Barley Trials
July 6, 2020The first of our series of webinars discussing the Winter & Spring Barley Cereal Trials managed by SRUC. During this series of webinars,...
Read more >Pesticide Handling Areas – What are the pathways of pollution?
March 31, 2020In this video, Gavin Elrick, a Soils & drainage expert, explains the difference between diffuse and point source pollution from pesticides. Pesticide handling areas are...
Read more >Pesticide Handling Areas – Making sure it’s fit for purpose.
March 31, 2020In 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 >Harvesting Sprouted Grain
August 26, 2019It looks as if it is going to be an increasingly difficult harvest with reports already of grain beginning to sprout in the ear.
Read more >Technical note (TN727): Winter Oilseed Rape – Integrated Weed Management
July 18, 2019Summary Pre-emergence herbicides generally give the most cost-effective weed control Early post-emergence is a prudent option if there is a risk the crop will fail...
Read more >Podcast: Nitrate Vulnerable Zones – Keeping Compliant
April 18, 2019Earlier in the year we held a series of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) awareness events. In this podcast we join Agricultural Consultants Mary-Jane Lawrie and...
Read more >