Book onto our Demo Days!

Suffolk Summer Demo Day – Thursday 4th June 2026

Staffordshire Summer Demo Day – Monday 22nd June 2026

Limagrain Field Seeds is taking variety trials beyond the plot with the launch of a new UK farmer-led Demonstration Farm network.

The initiative is designed to give growers a clearer, more practical view of how varieties perform in real farming systems, moving away from purely small-plot data and into field-scale reality. Instead of relying solely on trial sites and headline figures, the network will showcase Limagrain genetics under the pressures that shape day-to-day farm decisions, including soil type, rotation, cultivation and input strategy.

Nicolle Hamilton, marketing director at Limagrain, says the aim is to give growers a different perspective. “We want to offer growers a more meaningful way of looking at our varieties, through a farmer lens,” she says. “That means taking them out of controlled conditions and putting them into real farming systems, managed by farmers making commercial decisions every day. While she stresses that formal trials and the AHDB Recommended List remain important benchmarks, she says they do not always reflect the realities of commercial farming.

“This is not about replacing trials, it’s about adding another layer,” she says. “Farmers want to know how varieties establish, how they cope with different soils and how they perform under lower inputs or after cover crops. That is where this approach adds value.”

“It’s about working with farmers, listening to them and learning from them.”

Heather Oldfield, Limagrain cereals product manager, says the strength of the network lies in its farmer-led approach. “This is about genuine collaboration,” she says. She adds the focus is not on identifying a single standout variety, but on understanding where different genetics fit. “There is no perfect variety,” she says.

“Success comes from putting the right variety in the right place. What works on one farm may not work on another. These Demo Farms help us show those differences in a way that is much more relevant to growers.”

The Farmers

The first two farms in the network are based in Suffolk and Staffordshire, offering two contrasting systems. Ryan McCormack hosts the East Anglian site at Dennington Hall Farms, while Rob Atkin farms over in Staffordshire. Together, they provide a broad snapshot of how varieties perform across different soils, climates and management approaches.

Ryan McCormack is testing Limagrain varieties in systems that include reduced tillage, cover crops, and livestock to understand what works best under these conditions

At Dennington Hall Farms, Ryan McCormack is running a highly integrated system combining arable, livestock and environmental management. The farm operates a 12-year rotation and places strong emphasis on soil health, with cover cropping, minimal cultivation and livestock grazing all playing a role. “I’m farming for margin, but also for my soils,” he says. “That means I need varieties that can cope with reduced tillage, cover crops and lower inputs. The only way to understand that is to test them in those conditions.” His trials include comparing multiple varieties under different establishment systems within the same field, giving a clear view of how genetics respond to management.

In contrast, Rob Atkin’s Staffordshire farm operates across a wide range of soil types, from heavy clay to high-organic-matter silt. The mixed farm includes combinable crops alongside beef and sheep, with a growing focus on soil health and cost control. “I still need yield to pay the bills,” he says. “But I want varieties that work on farm, not just in perfect plots. I want to know how they perform under pressure.” For Mr Atkin, the value of the network lies in its honesty. “It’s about seeing what works, what doesn’t and why, that’s far more useful than just looking at figures.”

Rob Atkin believes that seeing varieties in real situations helps him make better decisions

To help growers follow crops through the season, Limagrain Field Seeds is supporting the Demo Farm initiative with on‑farm demonstration days. These demonstration days offer the opportunity to see varieties in the field, discuss results with farmers and Limagrain experts, and gain practical insight into real‑world performance.

Welcome to your LG Conservation & Gamecover Crops Brochure

Download the new guide now!

In this catalogue, you’ll find a comprehensive range of mixtures designed for soil health and nutrient management, such as herbal leys and legume fallows, crops for integrated pest management,
such as flower rich margins and companion crops, crops for farmland wildlife, such as winter bird food mixtures, and crops for field margins and buffer strips.

We hope you find this brochure a valuable resource, as you identify the options and crops that best suit your business needs. If you’d like further guidance, our team is always available to help you choose mixtures that will work best for your farm.

Take a look at our Essential Guide to Conservation & Gamecover Crops today.

As growers continue to face increasing agronomic and environmental pressures, the value of cover and companion cropping is clearer than ever. These practices not only support sustainable farming systems but also deliver real performance benefits across the rotation – improving soil health, nutrient efficiency, and pest management.

Establishing a cover crop over the winter months helps minimise nutrient leaching and erosion, whilst also benefitting soil structure and biology. Companion cropping offers a strategic way to enhance crop resilience and field performance. They can act as a trap crop for pests, help suppress weeds, protect soils and increase nutrient efficiency, as well as provide improved habitat for wildlife.

There are various options for SFI-eligible crops for integrated pest management CIPM3 – companion crops on arable and horticultural land, worth £55/ha for those already accepted into the scheme, such as;

• Clover understories
• Cereal with Crimson/Berseem clover
• Oilseed with Berseem clover/Fenugreek
• Trap crops to divert pest activity
• Undersown maize
• Cereals undersown with grass

Companion cropping with Oilseeds
Companion plants are sown alongside a primary crop to improve its agronomic behaviour. Some of the benefits of growing a legume-based companion crop with oilseed rape are:

• Improve the oilseed rape yield
• To ensure an improved Nitrogen supply in late winter by combining it with selected N fixing legumes (typically, 30-40 units of N/ha after destruction)
• Help reduce weed competition
• To help improve soil aeration in the top 20cm of the soil
• Insect attack rate is consistently lower in the presence of a companion crop, especially in Autumn, where egg-laying activity is disrupted
• Sensitivity to diseases specific to oilseed rape, such as sclerotinia and club root, does not increase when companion crops are used

As with any crops, fields containing high weed pressure are not suitable for companion cropping, as the combination of weeds and companion crop will inhibit the oilseed plants.
Vetch and berseem clovers are easy to drill and will create rapid soil coverage and good Autumn plant development, maximising biomass potential. They can produce excellent Nitrogen replenishment for the oilseed rape plants after crop destruction. Fenugreek may offer some repellence against insect pests.

When should I sow/terminate?
The best companion crops are sown in August; the earlier the better as to increase frost sensitivity of the companion crop and to get the crop to the most advanced stage. Some companion crops can be drilled 2 weeks earlier, allowing drilling of the oilseed rape seed into a standing companion crop. In a typical winter, the companion crop should be killed by winter frosts.

SFI Mixture Options

• Multispecies Cover Crop
• • Fast-growing short term cover crop mixture, for sowing in Spring or Summer
  • Produces high levels of organic matter
  • Includes a range of species with differing rooting depths to benefit soil structure
  • Good canopy to protect the soil surface and minimise soil run-off
  • Includes; White Mustard, Buckwheat, Common Vetch, Crimson Clover

• Sow at 20kg/ha, April-Aug Suitable for SOH2, SOH3
•  
•  

Lift N Fix

• • 80% Humbolt Forage Rye – fast-growing, lifts and holds Nitrogen preventing leaching, forms dense cover
  • 20% Vetch – fixes Nitrogen ready for the subsequent crop
  • Helps penetrate compacted soils and provides excellent weed smothering properties
  • Perfect for sowing after cereals

Sow at 70-80kg/ha, Sept-Oct Suitable for CSAM3, SOH4

This article is featured in the June 2025 edition of GatePost.  Click here to read the full edition.

The introduction of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in 2023 has led to a significant increase in farmland being sown, with crops designed to benefit wildlife, particularly farmland birds and pollinators.

Whilst the key SFI actions have remained unchanged in their core aims since their introduction, there are some changes to be aware of, as well as some new actions introduced as part of the SFI 24 expanded offer, which may need to be considered when looking to sow this year.

AHL1/CAHL1

Pollen and nectar flower mix
The primary aims of sowing a pollen and nectar mixture are to provide a food source for beneficial pollinators and to encourage natural pest predators. Selecting a mix that includes legumes such as red clover, birdsfoot trefoil and sainfoin will also fix atmospheric nitrogen, increasing fertility for the following crop. The inclusion of species such as phacelia, with its very fibrous root system, will help with soil conditioning.

Growers with later agreements (with code CAHL1) need to be aware that the rules around when to carry out the action have been modified, to rule out the possibility of sowing in spring and entering into an autumn sown crop in the same year. The mix must now be maintained “until the end of the second summer after sowing” to ensure the aims are met.

AHL2/CAHL2

Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land

Winter bird food has proved incredibly popular with around 70,000 Ha being entered into the action so far. The aims are to provide food for birds, especially in late autumn and winter, encourage flowering plants in the summer to benefit insects and pollinators, and to support an integrated pest management approach.

For newer agreements (with code CAHL2), changes have been made to the rules to further clarify when the mixture can be sown and how long it needs to be maintained for. Spring sown mixtures should be maintained until the end of February the following year. However, mixtures sown after the end of June must be maintained for two consecutive winters, effectively making it an 18-month option. Growers looking for something autumn sown may now want to look towards the Bumblebird action.

AHW1

Bumblebird mix

Bumblebird is a new action introduced as part of the expanded SFI24 offer but is very similar to the Countryside Stewardship option of the same name. Worth £747/Ha, Bumblebird pays less than the winter bird food action, but it has a useful place in the rotation as it can be sown up until early Autumn, to be maintained until the end of summer the following year. As the name suggests, the aim of the action is to provide food for both farmland birds and beneficial insects and pollinators.

For further information about crops to meet the aims of the Sustainable Farming Incentive, please download a copy of the LG Essential Guide to Conservation and Gamecover Crops

Many growers are now getting to grips with the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), and whilst most actions requiring a seed purchase are likely to be sown in the spring, many of the more profitable actions can also fit an autumn sowing window.

The four actions below are likely to feature in most agreements:

AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land

AHL2 has proved to be a hugely popular action this spring, as growers have looked to make the most of the attractive payment rate (£853/Ha) and later sowing period. This action can also be autumn sown, but there are more considerations at this timing, to ensure the terms of the agreement are met. The primary aim of the action is to produce a supply of small seeds from late autumn until late winter. It may be tempting to establish a mixture this autumn, with the view to following with a spring crop next year, but an autumn sown mixture of any species is highly unlikely to produce sufficient seed in such a short time and so will not achieve this aim. Any mix sown at this time effectively needs to last 18 months, with flowering plants in the summer of 2025 that produce seed in the winter of 2025/26.

We have two mixtures well suited to autumn sowing. Magnet and Bumblebird. Magnet is an economical mix based around winter triticale and linseed, with flowering brassicas and phacelia.

Bumblebird offers more benefits with a greater range of seed-bearing species and the inclusion of legumes such as red clover, crimson clover and vetch, which will also fix nitrogen for the subsequent crop.

IPM2: Flower-rich grass margins, blocks or in-field strips

Although not quite the highest paying option, at £798/Ha, IPM2 has the potential to offer the highest net margin of any options suited to autumn drilling. The action is rotational but to maximise profitability and to ensure the aims are properly met, the chosen seed mix should ideally be down for the full three years of the agreement. Our Flower-rich margin mixture includes 15 native, UK produced wildflower species, combined with 7 species of slow growing amenity grasses, chosen to give the wildflowers the greatest chance of successful establishment.

AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix

AHL1 is another action with an attractive payment rate of £739/Ha.

Our Bee mix is the product to choose to meet the aims of producing areas of flowering plants from late spring and during the summer months. As well as providing food for pollinators and encouraging natural pest predators, this mix has high levels of nitrogen fixing legumes and phacelia, which is a great soil conditioner. The possible drawback of this action is that opportunities to manage any potential problem weeds are limited. Growers hoping to reduce blackgrass populations for example, will likely find the rules on grazing and cutting too restrictive to successfully manage the weed.

NUM3: Legume fallow

NUM3 has a slightly lower payment rate than the others mentioned here, at £593/Ha, but it has some key benefits that potentially make up for the lower rate. Unlike AHL2, IPM2 and AHL1, where the maximum area entered into the actions is restricted to 25% of the farm, there is no area limit with NUM3. There is also greater freedom to cut the mix, to help prevent blackgrass from seeding, making this action preferable to AHL1 in high blackgrass situations.

We have two mixture options for this action; Legume 2 or Legume 2 grass free. Both contain a similar range of legumes to fix nitrogen, improve soil health and provide food for wildlife and pollinators, but the Legume 2 contains 66% perennial ryegrass. The ryegrass within the mix helps build soil organic matter levels, but is also better able to compete with weed species and will help smother blackgrass, again helping to reduce populations. Both of these mixtures would be suitable if you choose to rotate the action each year, but the benefits to both soil and blackgrass suppression will be greater if the mix is kept down for 2 or 3 years (the duration of the agreement).

The launch of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in 2022 and the subsequent options added in 2023, allows farmers to adopt and maintain sustainable farming practices that will help improve our environment.

You can apply for a 3-year SFI agreement to undertake environmental land management actions that will help you to manage your land in a sustainable way. There are 6 SFI actions to choose from, and some work in conjunction with existing Countryside Stewardship.

As SFI is so comprehensive and detailed, in this edition, we will focus on ‘Integrated Pest Management’.

IPM is focused on:

• – Increasing knowledge and identifying opportunities for integrated pest management
• – Creating habitats for natural crop pest predators
• – Using companion cropping to suppress weeds, reduce diseases and provide protection from crop pests
• – Minimising use of insecticides

If you decide to apply for one of these actions, it should help you with managing crop pests, diseases and weed control, and minimise the use of pesticides – leading to increased biodiversity and improvements to water quality, soil and air quality.

To maximise your sustainable farming options, we have designed seed mixtures that are eligible for IPM actions:

IPM2 – Flower-rich margin seed mixture, containing 80% grasses and 20% native UK wildflowers. Ideal for blocks or in-field strips; the mixture, once established will provide habitat and food for predators and pollinators.

IPM3 – Our Grass and clover mixture can be under sown with cereals and our Maize grass mixture can be used to under sow a maize crop, providing an understory habitat.

We suggest, before you decide which SFI action suits your business, that you check out the application process, rules, and payments at:

Sustainable Farming Incentive guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The campaign to increase numbers of turtle doves in the UK and stave off extinction of this endangered species is benefitting from feed supplies from seed company Limagrain UK.

Donations of small seeds typically turnips and peas and oilseed rape screenings from the company’s seed plant in Norfolk, that would otherwise be wasted, are supporting birds on the independent Turtle Dove Breeding Project. This project, co-ordinated by Trevor Lay of Waveney Wildlife, supplies all the captive bred birds to the Turtle Dove Trust for release purposes.

“We use mostly domestic, fostering Java Doves and we also encourage the Turtle Doves to rear at least one or two broods themselves,” says Trevor.

The breeding project supplies around 500 turtle doves each year, free of charge. The majority to the Turtle Dove Trust, and to other conservationists or release projects.

Trevor puts the seed material on a range of different ground surfaces such as scrubby grass, gravel, different sand types, ballast and granite chippings, so the young birds get used to foraging for all their seeds. “They are then familiar with searching on different terrain when they are released.

“We aim to release over-wintered birds once the oilseed rape and barley harvest is well underway, so the birds have plentiful feed supplies locally and are not tempted to migrate.”

The UK population has declined by almost 90% during the past 40 years. Captive breeding is helping to ensure that this species of dove does not face extinction. But it relies on donations and so we are always delighted when companies and individuals step up to the mark to help the project.

To learn more about the amazing work this charity is doing to help Turtle Dove populations, visit Turtle Dove Trust 

January 2023 saw six new Sustainable Farm Incentive (SFI) standards published, to add to the three existing standards introduced in 2022.

These new standards add a further 19 “actions” that aim to encourage sustainable practices and importantly, increase the number of ways farmers in England can help mitigate the reduction in Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments.

For arable farmers, it’s likely that one of the “actions” with the biggest uptake will be to “Establish and maintain a legume fallow”, as its aims and benefits are virtually identical to the already popular “AB15: Two-year sown legume fallow” option in Countryside Stewardship.

The action pays £593/Ha (the same as AB15) and aims to provide food for pollinators and farmland birds whilst helping to support an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. We know from experience with AB15 that sowing a seed mixture such as LG Legume 2 which meets the required specification, can be a great tool to help reduce blackgrass populations, increase fertility, soil organic matter (SOM) and improve soil structure.

Ensuring these benefits are realised to their full does, however, require the same attention to detail as any other crop.

Reducing blackgrass populations is reliant on ensuring that no new seed is shed for the 2-year duration of the mixture. Under both schemes, the mix can be cut for the purpose of controlling blackgrass which in practice will be 2-3 mowings, timed so that the blackgrass has headed and flowered, but not yet produced viable seed. With correct management, the blackgrass seed bank can be expected to reduce by 70-80% per year.

The legumes within the mix will of course fix atmospheric nitrogen, so there’s no need to apply any fertiliser and there should be significant residual nitrogen remaining for the following crop. It is, however, worth thinking further ahead as ideally there should be a 5-year gap before any pulses are grown, to avoid potential foot rot or nematode issues.

Mixture choice is also very important. The legume fallow mixture can be selected with or without grass (perennial ryegrass), with the correct choice coming down to individual circumstances. A mix with grass will more successfully smother both blackgrass and broad-leaved weeds, and is likely to contribute more SOM than without. Mowing the mixture to control blackgrass will also ensure that no ryegrass seed is returned to the soil, but those without blackgrass problems may be best with a no grass mixture, to avoid future problems with weed ryegrass.

Whichever mix is chosen, sowing should happen as soon as possible after harvest – ideally in August, to make the most of warm soil temperatures.

Download the latest edition of LG GatePost here

The agricultural press has been full of articles covering the impact of fertiliser price rises over the last year, with headlines being focussed predominantly on methods of reducing Nitrogen application rates.

What is less well reported is that growers have actually been reducing their use of inorganic fertilisers since the early 1980’s and this change has contributed to the reduction in estimated greenhouse gas emissions from UK agriculture over the last two decades.

The biggest reductions in N use have been seen on grassland farms where fertiliser use has halved. Whilst potentially good news for the environment, this reduction may be limiting profitability as even at the current fertiliser price levels, the cost of Nitrogen applications to grassland can be justified by increased forage yields.

One way of maintaining grassland yields with lower inputs is to ensure that leys include a good proportion of clover.

But DEFRA reports that only 13% of livestock farmers include clovers in all their leys, with 25% not including any clover at all. This seems like a huge, missed opportunity.

A grass sward with a good white clover content can produce as much forage as one receiving 180kg N/Ha. On a 100Ha grassland farm, this is equivalent of 52 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser. Red clover has even more impressive figures and can fix as much as 250kg N/Ha.

Making sure a newly reseeded ley includes clover is more important than ever. Where clover isn’t present, it can be successfully oversown into an existing sward using pelleted Cloverplus. The pellet enables more accurate sowing and most importantly improves establishment.

The advantages for livestock farmers are clear, but clovers (and grass/clover leys) can also improve soil organic matter, earthworm populations and soil structure in arable rotations whilst also leaving residual N for the following crop.

Arable farmers struggling to find a market for a crop of clover (or grass and clover) may be able to take advantage of ELMS/CSS options such as AB15 Two-year legume fallow. Mixtures such as Legume 2, bring all the benefits of clovers whilst also being eligible for CSS payments.

It is clear that improvements have been made across the industry to reduce reliance on inorganic fertilisers but continued environmental legislation and financial pressure mean the subject is unlikely to fall out of the spotlight any time soon.

Clovers can play an important part on any farm looking to optimise nutrient inputs.

The are 3 levels of payment for the Arable and Horticultural standard:

• Introductory level – 70% of land must have a sown green cover or weedy stubble over the winter months (Dec-Feb)
• Intermediate level – 70% of land must have a green cover crop during the winter months, of which 20% must be sown with a multi species cover crop
• Advanced level – details to be announced in 2023

 

The use of green manures, catch and cover crops will help to:

• Enhance the natural health and fertility of our soils
• Contribute to our efforts to reach Net Zero

Fodder radish has deep roots & good biomass

 

There are many species of catch and cover crops to choose from; fodder radishes such as Romesa, have good biomass and are very deep rooting to help compacted soils.

White mustard is another useful cover crop – Severka is fast growing and if sown early, can produce bags of biomass in a short period of time.

Multi species seeds mixtures such as Green Reward are also useful, and contain 7 species to comply with the Intermediate level.

Lift N Fix contains vetch, along with Humbolt winter rye. This mixture is a highly effective nitrogen lifter and provides great cover, which helps suppress weeds before incorporation into the soil.