Rising demand from the livestock sector, growing bedding requirements, expanding biomass markets and tighter overall supply have pushed straw values to levels that are now impossible for growers to ignore.

“Profitable and sustainable farming is increasingly about making every hectare work harder,” says Heather Oldfield of Limagrain. “When straw values are contributing a substantial proportion of a crop’s income, growers need information that looks beyond grain yield tables.”

The numbers tell their own story. At the start of 2026, wheat straw was trading at £66 per big Hesston bale, roughly 500kg. AHDB‘s more recent figures put big square barley straw at £86 ex-farm on average, with big square wheat straw ranging from £70 to £92 ex-farm depending on region.

In some areas, straw income is now running close to grain income on a per-hectare basis.

Nowhere is that clearer than at Grasby House Farm, where a rotation of sugar beet, potatoes, winter barley and spring barley sits alongside a straw trade that’s become central to the business.

Grown for seed, the farm’s barley crop does more than one job: alongside the seed contract, its straw goes to Cherry Valley, at sites in Walesby and Buslingthorpe, where it’s used for housing ducks.

Cherry Valley — now under Chinese ownership — pays well for straw, but it’s fussy about what it buys. “Quality has to be consistent, which means variety choice matters as much for straw length and brightness as it does for grain performance and yield,” explains George Thompson.

“This year, the farm brought in around 15 bales/ha, within its usual target range of 12 to 20 bales — worth roughly £247/ha in additional income on top of the seed crop itself.”

Putting varieties to the test

George carries out his own trials on the farm, and this year ran a comparison of two similar four-hectare fields, one drilled with a six-row hybrid barley, the other with Limagrain’s winter barley, LG Caravelle.

“LG Caravelle produced significantly more straw than the hybrid, and the quality gap was just as noticeable — the hybrid’s straw simply didn’t match what came off the Caravelle. So we are justified in our decision to grow the variety for our straw business.”

LG Caravelle produced a significant amount of straw in George’s comparison trials.

Agronomy on the farm is built around flexibility rather than a fixed calendar. Winter barley drilling isn’t rushed; last year it ran as late as the third week of October, once the preceding potato crop had finally come off the ground.

Cultivations alternate between plough and press, or a one pass stubble cultivation with a DTX depending on conditions, with a combination drill doing the sowing and nutrition applied according to soil testing.

Getting the crop right in the field is only half the job, though. Straw has to be stored properly too — kept on pallets, rodent-free, and, with growing concern over bird flu, now sheeted and covered in transit before it’s delivered to Cherry Valley as required, using a forklift.

“Straw is my all-year-round bread and butter,” says George. “But that does mean it has to be stored well but the extra value to the crop from the straw is well worth the effort.”

Not every grower treats straw as a product to sell, however. For Ryan MacCormack, manager at Dennington Estates in Suffolk, the value of straw is seen as part of the whole farming system, not as a standalone commodity to be maximised in isolation – but is an important contributor to the overall value of the crop.

“It is all about the full output off each hectare — every part of the crop has a value,” he says. “This may well be through the SFI contribution, the whole grain, and also the straw value, be that chopped or baled.”

Ryan believes that straw is an important contributor to the overall value of the crop.

Variety choice, he explains, is weighed across all those outputs together — grain quantity and quality, straw quality, and ultimately the total tonnage coming off the field.

With straw prices around £42 a tonne in the row in mid-August — sold rowed up rather than baled — Ryan points to the wider cost picture behind that decision.

“The greatest value for us comes from the grain, and then we would look at the straw — but it’s all part of the financial equation.”

That equation has to be balanced against costs and expected output, and also where the crop sits in the wider rotation, he points out.

“I look at where in the rotation the crop fits, what it’s following, how it’s going to be cultivated, and whether it’s going to be chopped or baled – all of which have associated costs.”

“Leaving straw in the row rather than baling it can save on additional combine costs. Chopping it, meanwhile, brings its own trade-offs: it can push up cultivation costs for the following crop and increase slug pressure, so in some situations, removing the straw altogether is the more cost-effective route.”

Despite a challenging season and yields coming in at 10-12% below last year, Essex grower Richard Carr of Lawling Hall Farm near the coastal town of Maldon, says that Crusoe winter wheat has once again delivered a reliable performance, averaging 8.9 t/ha.

Mr Carr is a big fan of the variety – ever since its launch onto the AHDB Recommended List 14 years ago, he has continued to grow Crusoe almost every year since, at his 220-ha farm.

Harvested between 13^th and 19^th July, his Crusoe crop is part of what has been described as one of the farm’s earliest harvests, since 1976. Drilled around 10^th October last year, Crusoe established well and continued to look strong throughout the season.

Farming in an already naturally low-rainfall area, Mr Carr chose Crusoe for its consistency, premium milling market and ability to deliver good protein levels: “I went for Crusoe due to its premium market, consistent performance and high protein content,” he says.

Reminiscing on the variety’s introduction to the market back in 2012, Mr Carr says that for him, Crusoe proved a natural successor to Hereward, which was beginning to show its age. Crusoe now sits as the farm’s main milling wheat, while LG Beowulf is grown on his farm further north.

Crusoe established well despite the early harvest.

Disease pressure was relatively low, with brown rust present but easily managed through the farm’s established approach. Overall, Crusoe stayed clean and required no significant management changes.

Looking ahead, Mr Carr plans to stick with a similar approach, although the increasingly frequent dry springs could prompt earlier nitrogen applications. In addition, observations from neighbouring farms suggest there may be benefits to getting fertiliser on earlier, when conditions allow.

With the crop marketed through local merchants Dengie Crops and North Herts Farmers, as well as going into local mills, Crusoe continues to have a clear role within his rotation.

“Crusoe looked good all season,” comments Mr Carr, adding that the crop “drilled and established well, similar to others on the farm.”

With 8.9 t/ha achieved, despite the incredibly testing season for most of the UK farming industry this year, Crusoe has unsurprisingly secured another place in next year’s rotation.

This season’s prolonged dry weather may have taken its toll on winter barley yields, but for Lincolnshire farmer, George Thompson of Grasby House Farm, LG Caravelle has still earned its place in the rotation.

Harvested from mid-July, yields ranged from 5.6 t/ha on the poorest fields, to just over 8 t/ha on the best. While below the 10 t/ha achieved in better seasons, George says that the crop stood up well, given the conditions.

“Looking at my barley crops at the beginning of April, they looked marvellous,” he says. “I was hoping for close to 10 tonnes per hectare at harvest, then the drought set in. We had less than one millimetre of rain in June and July, which caused the crops to lose tillers and, in turn, yield.”

George has been impressed with both the yield and straw quality of LG Caravelle.

Despite the challenging season, George has no hesitation about growing LG Caravelle again.

“Definitely,” he says. “I tried a competitor variety previously on two 10-acre fields, and LG Caravelle combined a tank load more – four tonnes more in fact. LG Caravelle was better quality too, with better straw.”

Recommended by both the LG contracts team and George’s agronomist, LG Caravelle has consistently impressed in both independent trials and on-farm. For George, who supplies straw commercially, producing a clean, high-quality straw crop is just as important as grain yield, with straw returning £346/ha this year.

Disease pressure remained low throughout the season, allowing the crop to perform well with a simple, need-based fungicide programme. Looking ahead, he plans to apply nitrogen slightly earlier in dry springs, while continuing to favour later October drilling, after seeing his best grain samples come from crops drilled later in the month.

LG Caravelle has once again demonstrated reliable performance for George, even when the weather had other ideas.

Winter Wheat has been a key part of the rotation at DM Sharp in Lincolnshire for several years, following root crops and providing the added benefit of helping with blackgrass. One variety in particular, LG Challenger, has delivered consistently high yields over the past two seasons despite the challenging growing conditions. 

Ben has been impressed by the performance of LG Challenger

Ben Sharp farms over 800 acres of arable land, investing heavily in rented land, meaning variety choice can have a significant impact on the business’s profitability. Having been impressed with LG Challenger’s performance last season, Ben retained some seed for this year’s rotation. 

Harvested in July, the crop delivered yields of 8.5-9.0t/ha, a strong return given the early Harvest date and the challenges caused by this summer’s drought. However, it wasn’t just the yield that impressed him.

 “The ears were fresh and clean, compared to other varieties which looked a bit browner and had smaller ears. The grain size was good, nice and even, with excellent all-round consistency. It’s a good variety that was easy to manage and didn’t struggle with disease.”

After two years of growing LG Challenger, Ben plans to make the variety his only wheat variety next season.

“I rent a lot of land, so the crop needed to deliver to pay the rent.” says Ben. “Based on its performance last year, I was confident that it would deliver high yields when I drilled it. Due to its consistent performance, LG Challenger will make up my entire wheat area next year. It’s chalk and cheese compared with other varieties.

“My livelihood depends on growing crops that perform, and this variety has certainly paid the bills.” 

Winter wheat plays an important role in Jeff Bush’s rotation, providing a reliable and consistent crop.  Jeff was looking for a variety that combined strong disease resistance with a high yield, and having been impressed with its performance in trials, he selected LG Defiance. 

With most of the farm’s grain marketed for feed, reliable and consistent crops are vital to Jeff’s farm. LG Defiance’s strong disease package and clean appearance in trial plots were among the first characteristics that caught his attention, giving him confidence ahead of drilling. 

At harvest, LG Defiance delivered yields of more than 10.25 t/ha, producing what Jeff describes as one of the best crops he has seen in recent years. However, it was not just the yield that stood out. 

“The cleanliness of the crop was what first impressed me. The trial results showed very little difference between treated and untreated plots because of its yellow rust and all-round disease resistance.”

The variety has also provided an important alternative within the farm’s wheat portfolio. While Jeff usually grows two or three varieties to spread risk, LG Defiance has quickly established itself as a key part of the rotation. 

“It gave us another strong option and put us in good stead,” he explains. “It stood very well throughout the season and performed exactly as we wanted it to.” 

Although the farm grows a considerable area of second wheat, Jeff chose to position LG Defiance in the first wheat slot, where he felt it offered a stronger package than other varieties. 

Following LG Defiance’s performance in a very difficult season, Jeff has no hesitation in growing the variety again. 

“We looked at a lot of trial sites and LG Defiance stood out as a strong variety. We didn’t see a better option. It fitted well with the way we farm, and we were able to save money on more expensive chemical products because we simply didn’t need them. It was easy to manage and delivered exactly what we were looking for.”

The value of varietal tolerance to Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) has been clear to see in trials and on-farm this season, following impressive results from the new two-row winter barley, LG Catapult.

The variety yielded close to the conventional two-row feed varieties LG Capitol and LG Caravelle in the latest AHDB harvest results, coming in at 105% of the control varieties in provisional data published in late July. The figures also show LG Catapult to be the highest yielding variety in fungicide-untreated trials at 116%.

“Although more results are still to come in, it’s clear that LG Catapult has done really well, in what has been another challenging season,” Limagrain Field Seeds arable technical manager, Ron Granger, says.

The variety’s BYDV tolerance is likely to be a significant contributory factor behind the strong performance, as the mild, wet winter of 2025/26 led to increased aphid activity, with more reports of BYDV in wheat and barley crops around the country this spring, he says.

Ron Granger says BYDV tolerance proved its value this season, helping LG Catapult maintain strong yield performance under high virus pressure.

“Issues were thought to be quite regionalised, with the southeast and west generally being the main high-pressure areas, but seeing these results, one can conclude that the pressure was higher than we thought, and possibly went unrecognised in the majority of crops grown across the UK.

“I think people underestimate the impact that BYDV can have, as you only need a small amount of virus to pull yields down,” he adds. “When you have a high pressure year for BYDV, such as 2026, the value of tolerance in a variety like LG Catapult really comes to the fore.”

Standing out from the crowd

Indeed, LG Catapult’s BYDV tolerance has been a key reason for growing the variety for Lincolnshire farmer Ben Bateman, of the 2,400 ha (6,000-acre) B Bush & Sons Ltd, near Boston.

The farm grew 130 ha of LG Catapult this season, 25 ha for seed and the remainder as a commercial crop, with pleasing results. “We tried a small area last year and could see the variety stood out as having something special,” he says.

“This year, the main block of 92 ha was near Lincoln, where we noticed that most of the other barley crops grown nearby seemed to have BYDV in the spring, whereas the LG Catapult didn’t appear to have any. That was despite no insecticides being used across any of that area, as we’re in the SFI no insecticide option.

“In this region, we used to get cold, dry winters that would kill aphids off, but that doesn’t seem to happen anymore, with mild and wet conditions increasingly becoming the norm,” he continues. “That means aphids – and the associated virus risk – are becoming a bigger threat, so if we can grow a variety that has tolerance, with no yield penalty, it’s a no-brainer. It’s another tool we can use to help de-risk the business, while reducing our environmental impact.”

Lincolnshire farmer Ben Bateman has seen first-hand the benefits of BYDV-tolerant winter barley on farm.

The farm’s main commercial crop was sown at the end of September/ first week in October, as a second cereal after wheat on average Grade 3 land, and yielded 8.6 t/ha (3.5 t/acre) this harvest, with a good grain sample. That was a decent result for that land given the lack of rainfall, Mr Bateman says.

“If we’d have grown a second wheat there instead, it would have probably died off prematurely and not produced a very high specific weight given the conditions. But, because winter barley is naturally that bit earlier maturing, it didn’t seem to be as badly affected by the lack of rain.

“With spring barley becoming more risky in dry springs, it makes sense for us to go for a high-yielding winter barley instead, especially if there’s a local demand for it nearby, as we have here.”

The farm also grew a small area (14 ha) of RL Candidate BYDV-tolerant variety, LG Caprice, which Mr Bateman was similarly impressed with after yields nudged 10 t/ha (more than 4 t/acre).

Given the performance of BYDV tolerant varieties on the farm this year, Mr Bateman sees the value of this genetic trait and plans to continue growing BYDV tolerant varieties next season.

Mr Granger says LG Catapult’s performance is proof that BYDV tolerance can be introduced into new two-row varieties, with no yield penalty, which combined with good agronomics, strong all-round disease resistance, and a good specific weight, makes it a solid option for growers this coming autumn.

He suggests BYDV tolerance could soon become a standard feature of all UK winter barley varieties, as it is in France, where it is fully endorsed as a valuable genetic tool for securing final yield potential on-farm.

“For BYDV tolerant varieties to be successful, they have to be commercially viable and competitive with the leading two and six row varieties presently in the market; LG Catapult does that, and has the right attributes to make real inroads into the winter barley sector.”

• LG Catapult

  – New 2-row winter barley
  – Combines BYDV tolerance with high yield potential
  – One of the highest untreated yields on the Recommended List (90%)
  – Strong all-round disease resistance (especially brown rust and mildew)
  – Good specific weight (70.7 kg/hl) and straw strength
  – Consistent performance, even in seasons without BYDV
  – Relatively early maturity (similar to LG Caravelle)
  – Suits a range of soil types, but prefers heavier soils

The hard Group 4 variety, LG Beowulf, has been a stand-out performer of harvest 2026 so far at Dennington Hall Farms, a 1,600 ha regenerative farming business in East Suffolk.

Despite the exceptionally hot, dry spring and summer, the 100 ha block of LG Beowulf, all grown as a second wheat, averaged 9.5 t/ha, with some areas achieving nearer 10.5 t/ha over the weighbridge, according to farm manager, Ryan McCormack. Specific weight was also very good, at 80-82 kg/hl.

“It looked well through the season, but we were never expecting to get record-breaking yields given the weather. The high temperatures we saw during flowering (33-35 C) had a massive impact, as did the drought, which made many crops drop a few tillers.

“So to have 100 ha of LG Beowulf average 9.5 t/ha and some areas do a tonne more than that, it is definitely a variety that has stood out for us this year.”

Limagrain’s arable technical manager, Ron Granger, says LG Beowulf has consistently demonstrated good performance over multiple seasons and variable growing conditions, retaining both yield and specific weight, even when the weather is more challenging.

“The big, bold grain can add weight to a crop which is especially important with the changeable seasons we’ve been experiencing,” he notes.

“LG Beowulf combines most of the desirable traits that farmers are looking for in a hard feed wheat, including high yield potential, stiff straw, good septoria resistance, excellent grain quality and OWBM resistance.”

Ron Granger highlights the consistent performance and grower appeal of LG Beowulf.

A key strength is its flexibility to perform across all UK regions and soil types, from light to heavy land, sowing timings (early, normal, or late), and rotational positions – it is equally suited to first, second or continuous wheat situations, he says.

While LG Beowulf, like many commercial varieties, is now susceptible to the newer yellow rust strain Yr15, careful monitoring and timely fungicide use will allow it to continue to perform at its best, he adds.

This season, Mr McCormack says his fungicide and fertiliser spend has been lower across the board, largely due to the dry weather, which allowed him to use more cost-effective chemistry to manage yellow rust risk at T0 and T1, and make further savings on later treatments.

“Altogether we spent around £94/ha on fungicides across the wheats,” he says. “In terms of fertiliser, most received around 170 kg N/ha in total, front-loaded towards the beginning of the season in anticipation of conditions turning dry, with 40 kg N/ha applied towards the end of May.”

Overall, with harvest around half-way through at the time of writing, the farm’s average yield across all winter wheats is 8.6 t/ha, which is around 10% down on normal due to the weather, Mr McCormack says.

“However, with a relatively low spend on inputs, if we can achieve somewhere closer to a 9 t/ha average across the 700 ha of wheat, I’ll be very pleased.”

Ryan McCormack has been impressed with the performance of LG Varieties throughout Harvest 2026.

This coming autumn, Mr McCormack plans to grow LG Beowulf again, alongside LG Rebellion, LG Defiance, and LG Lotus.

“It’s the first year we’ve grown LG Lotus, and we only had a small 10 ha area, which was part of the Defra-funded ADOPT trial, Roots of Change (ROC), but it averaged 10.23 t/ha, which I was again very pleased with.”

Likewise, his Crusoe, also part of the ADOPT trial, performed well too, coming in above the farm’s average at 9.5 t/ha.

Elsewhere, Mr McCormack is pleased with how his LG Defiance and LG Rebellion have performed in the farm’s low-input regenerative system, which involved direct drilling both varieties into a summer catch crop, and tailoring nitrogen and other inputs based on crop sampling through the season.

The LG Defiance averaged just above the farm’s overall average, while LG Rebellion was slightly below, however given the reduced inputs on these crops, their gross margin came in at a healthy £1,250/ha.

Find out more about LG varieties for the coming autumn at https://lgseeds.co.uk/.

Rob Atkin, Atkin Farms, Staffordshire

“Highest yielding variety on farm – second year in a row!”

The combines are rolling, and LG Rebellion is once again proving why it’s a firm favourite at Atkin Farms, Staffordshire.

Chosen by Rob Atkin for the second consecutive season thanks to its outstanding yield potential and robust disease resistance, LG Rebellion has delivered an impressive 16% above the farm’s five-year average yield.

Direct drilled with a HORSCH Avatar on 26th September, it’s had the following inputs:

Fungicide spend: £89/ha
Nitrogen: 180kg N/ha
Sulphur: 80kg/ha

Total Average Yield: 9.17t/ha
Spec weight: 79kg/hl

Compared to the East of the country, this part of the West Midlands has received adequate rainfall, but three intense heatwaves. LG Rebellion has looked strong from establishment through to harvest. With plentiful straw and another standout yield performance, it’s no surprise Rob plans to grow the variety again next season.

See LG Rebellion in action at harvest over on our socials!

For more on LG Rebellion or any of our other winter wheat and winter barley varieties – as well as all our leading OSR varieties, download the 2026 Arable Guide!

Crusoe still delivers after 14 years!

When a variety stays on the Recommended List for well over a decade and continues to perform on farm and in the mill, you know it’s doing something right.

At Dennington Hall Farms, Crusoe has once again proved why it’s one of the UK’s most trusted Group 1 wheats:

9.5t/ha yield
13.8% protein
350 Hagberg
83kg/hl specific weight
3.8t/ha straw yield

Grown as a second wheat it was direct drilled on 16th October into a summer catch crop, alongside 40kg/ha of Tundra winter beans to help provide an additional nitrogen boost. Just 170kg/ha liquid nitrogen was applied in three splits.

Despite the season’s challenges, the crop stayed clean throughout the year, with a total fungicide spend of only £95/ha.

With its strong agronomic performance, excellent milling quality and the valuable Group 1 premium, Crusoe is set to deliver one of the best financial returns on the farm to date this season.

It’s no surprise that Crusoe will be back in the rotation in 2027!

Want to read more on this great variety? Crusoe stands the test of time – LG Seeds

To help growers follow crop performance through the season, Limagrain Field Seeds launched its inaugural Demo Farm initiative this year, hosting on-farm demonstration days across the country.

The aim was straightforward: to give growers the chance to see varieties performing in the field, discuss results directly with farmers and Limagrain experts, and gain practical, real-world insight beyond what trial plot data alone can offer.

One of these demo farms is hosted by Rob Atkin at Field Farm, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. Rob has been involved in practical farm trials for many years, including work on variable rate technology and environmental initiatives aimed at improving soil health and reducing water pollution.

He has been integrating cover crops and livestock into his system, while maintaining a strong focus on economic performance.

“I still need yield to pay the bills, so yield is important,” he says. “But I want varieties that work in real farm conditions, not just in perfect plots. I want to know how they perform under pressure and whether they genuinely fit into my system.”

Field Farm operates across a wide range of soil types, from heavy clay through to high-organic-matter silt. It’s a mixed operation, combining arable cropping with beef and sheep enterprises, with a growing focus on soil health and cost control across the business.

Trials established at Field Farm this year include a field-scale comparison of establishment techniques in wheat and barley, alongside winter wheat, spring barley and oilseed rape variety trials. On one of the hottest days of the summer, under clear blue skies, visitors to the open day were guided through the latest cereal and oilseed rape variety trials. Limagrain’s newly recommended winter bean, LG Arctic, was also on trial, alongside a range of early maturing maize varieties.

Varieties discussed on the day ranged from those narrowly missing out on Recommended List inclusion, to new candidates progressing through trials, to recently listed varieties now available to growers. The overarching theme was consistency of yield across different seasons and drilling situations, alongside strong disease resistance profiles.

Find out more about our oilseed rape varieties here.

Yellow Rust

Yellow rust in wheat was the key issue leading discussions at the wheat plots. Ron Granger, arable technical manager for the breeder, urged growers not to discount any variety simply because of revisions to its yellow rust rating, especially where other favourable characteristics remained unchanged.

“Take LG Typhoon, for example — yes, you have to watch yellow rust more closely given the Yr15 changes, but it’s still got fantastic Septoria resistance, has the agronomics to suit wider-row direct drilling situations, and is still a true early drilling variety.”

He went on to suggest early rust control was vital, especially where juvenile plant resistance is not available in a variety. However, he pointed out that some varieties had held off yellow rust better later in the season, once adult resistance kicked in post growth stage 37.

“The speed of early rust development in different varieties is something that should be looked at more closely by the industry, as it’s evident this season that some varieties surprised us with how late rust developed in them compared with previous years. We still have a lot to learn, and our pathologist is certainly being kept busy this season.”

Maize in the Rotation

As part of the Demo Farm trial, a series of plots comparing maize varieties has been set up at the Staffordshire site. The site forms part of a wider network of farm trials Limagrain is running this year across the north, as the crop continues to grow in importance on more northerly farms. Yield and quality assessments will be taken pre-harvest to better understand how these varieties perform on more challenging sites.

After struggling with oilseed rape establishment a few years ago, Rob introduced maize into the rotation. “We are a marginal site here for maize, so we are looking for very early/ultra-early maturing varieties. This suits the rotation, as it gives us a good entry for a following crop of wheat. Growing ultra-early varieties also gives us some flexibility to drill a little later, should we need to. It’s also a useful break crop to help clean up weeds.”

LG’s ultra-early variety Flashmob fits this bill well and is used by Rob in his beef finishing ration, as well as being grown for a neighbouring dairy farm — a useful outlet for their slurry and a way of freeing up land.

“As long as the crop pays for itself and covers its costs, we are happy, and it has done this so far.”

This year’s trials cover a range of early and ultra-early maize varieties to assess performance under Field Farm’s conditions. “As well as commercial and near-commercial varieties, there are also some new coded lines for evaluation,” explains Richard Camplin, forage technical manager for Limagrain.

The plots were drilled after autumn stubble turnips, which sheep had grazed off. “We went in with a subsoiler before drilling, as it had been a bit wet and the sheep probably stayed on a bit longer than needed, so there was some compaction. The crop got 15t/ha of muck and 150kg/ha of nitrogen later on — and after struggling through a cold, wet June, is now knee high and starting to fill out,” says Rob.

PANEL: Cultivations Trial — Direct Drilling vs Shallow Cultivation

For Rob Atkin, one of the most interesting aspects of the trials was comparing cultivation methods and their effect on establishment and crop quality heading towards harvest.

“We started our min-till journey on the farm in 2003, moved into shallow cultivations, and now direct drill in the main,” Rob explains. “We were interested to see how the same variety — in this instance LG Defiance — grown in the same field, would look when direct drilled versus established after shallow cultivations.”

Wheat trial
“Initially, the wheat established in shallow-cultivated soil performed better, showing more early vigour than the direct-drilled crop,” says Rob. “However, this reversed through spring: the direct-drilled wheat tillered more strongly — likely because it had needed to work harder to establish its roots early on, leaving it better founded once the dry spring set in. By comparison, the shallow-cultivated wheat looked thinner. However, heading towards harvest, it’s now hard to tell the two apart. Harvest will tell the true story.”

Spring barley trial
A similar comparison was run in a field of spring barley, using new Limagrain variety LG Aquarius. The barley was drilled into a field that had previously been cover-cropped and grazed by sheep, leaving some soil compaction. Results followed a similar pattern to the wheat: “The cultivated crop established better initially, as it didn’t have to work through the compaction left by the sheep. However, the direct-drilled barley now looks stronger and hasn’t ‘shot’ in the way the cultivated crop has — again likely because its roots were forced to work harder and go deeper during spring, helping it hold up better through the summer heat. As with the wheat, harvest will reveal the full picture.”

Why it matters
Even small yield differences between the two systems are worth taking seriously, believes Mr Atkin. “A gain of just 0.2t/ha across a whole field can be enough to justify adapting cultivation strategy.” Rob acknowledges every year brings different weather and soil conditions, but the broader trend has been towards wetter winters and drier springs, as seen again this year.

A farm in Suffolk recently opened its doors to growers from across East Anglia to show how varieties perform in real-world situations and help inform decisions about what to grow next season.

The 1,600 ha Dennington Hall Farms is one of Limagrain UK’s demonstration farms, that is trialling a range of new and existing cereal and oilseed varieties across a range of scenarios within a productive, commercial, regenerative farming setting.

Trials this year include a field-scale comparison of 13 LG winter wheat varieties across three different establishment techniques, plus the latest spring barley and oilseed rape varieties, and other trials examining how cover crops impact nutrient use efficiency in following cereals.

“When making varietal decisions, it is always useful to visit farms to see how varieties perform in different situations, soil types, rotational positions, cultivation techniques, and input regimes,” farm manager, Ryan McCormack said.

“With the LG demo farm, we’ve done exactly this, so that we, and other farmers, can see how crops are performing and make our own informed decisions, rather than relying on a manicured Recommended List. It’s all about picking the right variety for the right place.

“It’s also about understanding how resilient varieties are to our changing climate and disease pressures, as well as how much they might cost us to grow.”

Winter wheat focus

While Dennington Hall Farms has a diverse 12-year rotation, winter wheat remains the cornerstone, and is a key part of the LG trials, which include new varieties such as LG Defiance and LG Challenger, RL candidates, and established names, such as Crusoe.

All 13 varieties in this year’s trial have been established across three different cultivation systems within the same field, including direct drilling, minimum tillage, and plough-based approaches.

Limagrain Cereal crops on trial at Dennington Hall Farms

Anecdotal evidence from earlier this season suggested that establishment of all varieties was generally not as good in the plough-based system, possibly because soil had dried out more with the extra disturbance last autumn, Mr McCormack said. However, numbers of volunteers appeared to be lower where ground was ploughed.

By June, there was little observable difference between cultivation techniques, but all plots will be taken to harvest to see if there are any notable differences in yield.

Tackling yellow rust

Given the changes to Yr15 resistance over the past year, yellow rust has moved up the agenda for many growers when choosing varieties, yet Mr McCormack showed it was possible to stay on top of the disease with a relatively low input approach, provided growers got in early to prevent rust getting established.

For him, that meant using tebuconazole at T0, followed by cost-effective fungicides at T1, T2 and T3 where necessary.

Limagrain’s arable technical manager, Ron Granger, agreed that early rust control was vital, especially where juvenile plant resistance is not available in a variety. However, he pointed out that some varieties had held off yellow rust better later in the season once adult resistance kicked in post growth stage 37.

“The speed of early rust development in different varieties is something that should be looked at more closely by the industry, as it is evident this season that some varieties surprised us on how late rust developed in them compared with previous years. We still have a lot to learn, and our pathologist is certainly being kept busy this season.”

Ron Granger and Heather Oldfield discussing yellow rust resistance at the Limagrain demo farm day at Dennington Hall Farms

Mr Granger urged growers not to discount any variety just because of revisions to its yellow rust rating, especially when other favourable characteristics remained unchanged. “Take LG Typhoon, for example, yes you have to watch yellow rust more closely given the Yr15 changes, but it’s still got fantastic Septoria resistance, has the agronomics to suit wider-row direct drilling situations, and is still a true early drilling variety.”

Spring barley opportunities

Several spring barley varieties were being demonstrated at Dennington Hall Farms, both with and without a preceding cover crop. Varieties included LG Diablo, LG Aquarius, LG Mermaid, and RL dual use candidate, LG Dynamo.

“We’re quite excited about LG Dynamo,” Mr Granger said. “It raises the bar for yield in a dual use variety, and has good disease resistance and specific weight. It’s performing well in England and Scotland, so we’re working closely with end users.”

Likewise, there was strong interest in LG Aquarius, which as a ‘high DP’ (diastatic power) and higher nitrogen (1.75-2%) variety, was ideally suited to distilling for the blended whisky market, according to Gary Mills, seed manager at Scotgrain Agriculture, and Bairds Malt grain coordinator.

Growers enjoying the crop trials tour at the Limagrain demonstration day

“It’s consistently been our top-performing variety in micromalting tests over the past three years,” he said.

“In the past, high DP varieties have often been 10% off the best varieties in terms of yield, which can make some growers more reluctant to grow them, even with a large premium. But LG Aquarius narrows that gap considerably, and still commands a premium.”

Mr Mills said the blended whisky market had not been as badly affected by the recent economic downturn as other distilling sectors, with demand actually increasing. “So, we hope LG Aquarius will be there to help fill a gap in the market.”

Other areas of interest at Dennington Hall Farm:

Oilseed rape – Six LG oilseed rape varieties are being trialed this year, including LG Avenger – the only variety with cabbage stem flea beetle resilience on the AHDB RL, and current holder of the world record yield – LG Adapt, LG Armada, LG Adeline, Magelan and LG Academic.

Wildfarmed wheat five-way blend, including Crusoe and other Group 1 and 2 varieties – 50 ha is in the ground this year to learn how to manage crops under the Wildfarmed criteria, which include the need for a summer catch crop, no insecticides or fungicides, and limits to the amount of fertiliser that can be applied at any one time. “If we can achieve our budget yield of 7 t/ha, the crop could deliver a margin of £1,650/ha. I’d consider increasing the area, but we need to learn how to manage these crops before doing so,” Mr McCormack said.

Oilseed rape varieties on trial at Dennington Hall Farms

Commenting on the work at the LG demo farm, Limagrain’s cereal product manager, Heather Oldfield said: “As breeders, it’s important for us to understand how our varieties perform at scale, so that information can be fed back into the breeding programme to help us make improvements going forward.

“We often do that with the supply chain, such as maltsters or millers, where we get a lot of feedback that helps us develop varieties to supply those markets to the best of our ability. What we don’t always get is the really detailed information back from farms, such as why a variety performs better in certain situations.

“With farm profitability where it is, it’s our job to consider the full picture and see where we can lend a hand to growers by developing varieties that are fit for the future.”

Sustainable nitrogen use

Dennington Hall Farms is one of two farms taking part in the Defra-funded ADOPT trial, Roots of Change (ROC), looking at whether cover crops can help reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser in cereals destined for premium markets, namely Crusoe and LG Lotus winter wheat, plus LG Aquarius and LG Diablo spring malting barley.

Both the wheat and barley fields have been split into four areas, to compare how each variety performs under two cultivation approaches (low disturbance subsoiler or ploughing), with and without a catch/cover crop and bi-cropping with beans.

“We want to better understand the amount and timing of when nitrogen and other nutrients are released by these cover and companion crops,” said NIAB’s project lead, Lydia Smith. “We know there is more immediate mineralisation of nitrogen after ploughing, but generally, there is a better outcome financially from reduced tillage, which is also better for soil health.”

Mr McCormack noted that wheat grown with a bean bi-crop after a summer catch crop generally looked less stressed than the area with no catch/bi-crop during the dry conditions this spring, possibly due to some benefit from extra nitrogen being released once the beans were terminated.

In the spring barley trial, soil assessments also showed improved soil structure and higher worm counts in the cover cropped area compared with no cover crop, Dr Smith noted.

Again, both trials would be taken to harvest, with results published at the end of the project.

• Farm Facts: Dennington Hall Farms, East Suffolk

  – Family-run 1,600 ha heavy land farm
  – Recently transitioned to a regenerative arable system across 1,200 ha
  – Mainly owned – 100 ha arable on FBT and 200 ha contract farming agreement
  – Commitment to sustainability and stewardship – focus on building soil health
  – 12-year rotation in 12 blocks of 100ha
  – Cropping includes winter wheat (mainly Group 4s for local feed markets), winter and spring barley (for malting), oilseed rape, spring oats, wheat blend trial, Wildfarmed spring wheat blend, beans, mustard, vining peas, sugar beet, cover and catch crops (grazed by a flying flock of sheep brought in over winter)
  – 60 Red Poll suckler cattle

It is 14 years since Group 1 milling wheat Crusoe joined the AHDB Recommended List, which is quite a feat considering the many other varieties that have come and gone over that time.

Crusoe is now the oldest variety on the RL, yet remains popular among end users for its flour quality and baking performance, while its inherently high protein content continues to give growers the confidence to target premium milling wheat markets.

One of those is Essex farmer Richard Carr, who has grown Crusoe almost every year since its launch at his 220 ha (540-acre) farm near the coastal town of Maldon. This year, he has 85 ha of winter wheat in the ground at Lawling Hall Farm, split evenly between Crusoe and Skyfall, alongside a small area of SY Cheer.

“One of our biggest challenges farming in this area is the lack of rainfall, which means we struggle to achieve the really high yields that some new Group 4 varieties promise, despite being on strong wheat-growing ground,” says Mr Carr.

“That’s why we go for milling wheats; if yield is going to be compromised due to lack of rainfall, we’re better off going for a premium market instead.”

And in the 13 years he has been growing Crusoe, the variety has achieved milling specification every time, allowing him to build strong relationships with local buyers. “We need to be over 13% protein, but more often than not it’s nearer to 14% or above, which in some years can earn us a small extra premium on top of the milling price if supplies are tight.”

Switch to min-till

Recent years have seen a move away from plough-based establishment at Lawling Hall Farm, to a minimal tillage approach, although Mr Carr remains flexible, with decisions made on a field-by-field basis.

 “We’ve invested in drainage at the farm, which has made a big difference to soil health, crop uniformity, and has helped us go down the min-till route,” he notes. “It also means we can usually get a head start for early applications of fertiliser and sprays in the spring.”

Indeed, Mr Carr knows that early yellow rust, and later brown rust, is a risk in Crusoe, but says it is relatively easy to manage, providing disease is controlled properly from the outset.

“We typically start by applying a good triazole at T0 to make sure crops are clean going into the main growing season, and maintain this protection with other chemistry at T1, T2, and T3. In high-pressure years, we might need an interim spray to cover the gap between T1 and T2, but decisions really depend on disease pressure and the season.

“We’ve found that if we can keep yellow rust out from the start, then Crusoe is quite good at growing away from it once adult plant resistance kicks in.”

Getting onto ground early is also important for crop nutrition, with Crusoe typically receiving four applications of nitrogen each season, totalling 210-220 kg N/ha. The first is usually applied as urea in late February, followed by the main dose three to four weeks later, with the last ammonium nitrate plus sulphur going on in late April/early May. Crops also receive a foliar nitrogen top-up at cheesy ripe stage, as well as other micronutrients and trace elements throughout the season.

“Magnesium deficiency is one of the main issues, as although soil levels are quite high, they are prone to nutrient lockup, so we monitor crops with tissue testing and address with foliar treatments as necessary.”

Crusoe’s lack of orange wheat blossom midge resistance is something Mr Carr remains aware of, but says he has not needed to treat for the pest in the past five years. “Part of that might be due to the natural cycle of OWBM, or the fact that generally, farmers are now growing more midge resistant varieties.”

Safety in a catchy harvest

Mr Carr says Crusoe generally holds onto its Hagberg well in seasons where harvest gets delayed due to the weather, affording some level of security and flexibility. This can be particularly beneficial considering the farm does not have its own combine, but shares a hired machine with other neighbouring farms.

“Generally, if the weather is unsettled, we’ll prioritise combining the Skyfall first, as Hagbergs tend to drop quicker in that than in Crusoe .

“But one of our biggest stress relievers has been the recent investment in a 20 tonne/hour continuous flow system for cleaning and drying grain, which has made harvest management a lot easier, and is a good insurance policy that means we can cut at 20% moisture if need-be.”

Looking ahead to the coming autumn, Mr Carr plans to continue growing a similar area of Crusoe, but will also try a small area of two other new Group 1 varieties.

“At the moment, I can’t see any reason not to keep growing Crusoe. Any new varieties have got to prove themselves for both yield and quality before I make any significant changes.”

Lawling Hall Farm

• 220 ha farm near the Essex coast
• Predominantly heavy Windsor series clay soils
• Low annual rainfall, averaging 455-510 mm (18-20”) – ranging from 355 mm (14”) in 2025, up to 760 mm (30”)
• Cropping includes winter wheat (all Group 1s), lucerne, naked oats, winter beans and linseed
• Growing Crusoe since 2013
• Min-till establishment system