Reflections on the arable market going into 2025 – Dominic Spurrier – Commercial Manager

Following the extremely difficult autumn of 2023, we had hoped for a better 24, unfortunately it was not to be. British farmers are practiced at preparing for all eventualities, which is handy when the only consistent currently is change! Who knows what autumn 2025 will hold? In terms of crop choice, I am confident that the Limagrain portfolio has varieties to stand up to it!

On the back of an 11.1 million tonne wheat crop last harvest, this year’s AHDB Early Bird Survey surprisingly came in at only 1.6 million hectares, in recent times the average has been closer to 1.8. The Early Bird Survey shows further declination in winter barley, from the very small crop area planted in 2023. The decline in oil seed rape hectarage is marked, in terms of both production and area we are approaching a fifty-year low.

We know spring cropping can be seen as a get out of jail card for arable farmers, but is there a mindset change happening? Will this impact cropping choices and varietal selection next autumn?

Last year’s growing season did not offer a very clear picture on performance of individual cereal varieties. Disease was prevalent, crops went in late and were stressed from the go. The story is clearer when comparing varieties across consecutive growing seasons.

The varieties that have demonstrated consistent resilience both in trial and on farm across the previous 3 to 4 years are the ones that I would be choosing to drill again this Autumn.  Consider LG Beowulf or LG Typhoon if you are looking for wheat, with LG Caravelle and LG Capitol great contenders for barley.

With oilseed rape the story is slightly different, though weather has of course played a significant part, it is the flea beetle that is having the greatest impact. Limagrain has listened to the concerns of growers, and through our skilled UK based breeding programme, we are actively selecting varieties that show a resilience to flea beetle, that alongside solid IPM strategy will work to mitigate the devastating crop loss experienced in previous years.