Industry Intelligence

As harvest continues under warming conditions, safeguarding grain quality becomes increasingly urgent. Timely cooling and moisture control are essential to minimise losses and maintain marketability throughout storage. Read this article for cooling and moisture control recommendations.

Timely cultivation is key to managing weed pressure and improving crop establishment, especially in dry soils. Shallow cultivation can help retain moisture, but overworking the soil risks damaging structure. Experience and field-specific decisions are essential for success. With the dry soils this year, read on to hear more about cultivations this season.

As harvest progresses under warm and dry conditions, straw management is becoming a critical consideration for growers. With shorter crops and reduced straw volumes, nutrient dynamics, particularly potassium (K) behaviour, are shifting in response to the weather. Read more to find out about the potential offtake of potassium this year under dry conditions, the research behind the uptake of potassium in straw, the pros and cons of baling straw and our practical recommendations.

The 2025 harvest has begun earlier than any year since 2006, with initial results showing encouraging yields for wheat and barley, despite regional variability. Protein levels in milling wheats are exceeding expectations, and early data suggests a more favourable season than last year. Read on for full yield ranges and quality insights to start harvest 2025 off.

Our Agronomy Club this month focused on harvest updates from the AHDB and within Ceres, cultivation strategies going into September, seed rates/diseases and home-saved seed, pre-emergence considerations and upcoming grant funding deadlines including notes on CS declarations. The session then allowed for discussions between members on relatable topics and concerns. This is the fourth of a series of monthly Agronomy Clubs, held on the third Thursday of every month for Ceres Research members.

Explore how benchmarking and KPIs can drive continuous improvement in farming. Tim and Louise outline practical methods for assessing financial, physical, and economic performance, highlight tools available through your Ceres Research Membership to facilitate benchmarking, and caution against common pitfalls.

Introducing Fields of the Future, a new podcast for farmers who want to get the most out of their farm businesses and unlock their agricultural potential.  Each episode brings together voices from across the industry – farmers, agronomists, researchers, and innovators – to share independent, science-led insights that matter in the field. Whether you’re looking for...

Our third Agronomy Club focused on early harvest results, straw insights from the dry season including nutrient value losses and how to account for them, chopped straw pros and cons, catch crop and establishment methods, strategic cultivations, hot temperatures and grain storage, and updates on Farming Rules for Water and Capital Grants. The session then allowed for discussions between members on relatable topics and concerns. This is the third of a series of monthly Agronomy Clubs, held on the third Thursday of every month for Ceres Research members.

This interactive dashboard provides a clear and visual comparison of 2025 crop yields across UK farms. It enables members to compare their farm’s average yields against anonymised regional and national datasets for a range of key combinable crops to support informed benchmarking activities. Use this tool to engage in meaningful comparisons, understand yield variability, and drive continuous improvement on-farm.