Menu

Know How / Other crops

There are many minor and niche break crops, such as oats and linseed, which can bring many benefits to a crop rotation. This page aims to help you grow a more profitable break crop.

This is your starting point for identifying which crops to grow, how to grow them and address challenges such as weed and disease control.

Key areas of focus:

  • Choosing the right crop and finding contracts
  • Getting establishment right
  • Meeting market specifications
  • Crop agronomy, such as disease and weed control

Must reads

Case studies

See all

SOILS

How organic matter increase helped farm hit net-zero target

Soil organic matter levels have seen a 1.1% increase at the Lockerley Estate in Hampshire, thanks to a diverse arable rotation, integrating sheep, cover crops, clover leys and organic manures.…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Spelt and rye earn premium spot in Berks organic rotation

Wasing Farm in Berkshire took the bold step into organic farming and is now home to a niche rotation growing spelt, spring rye and oats for the premium milling market.…

PULSES

Beans and oats bicrop helps eliminate fertiliser in Cambs

Growing a simultaneous crop of beans and oats enabled one Cambridgeshire grower to completely eliminate fertiliser, fungicide and herbicide applications as well as increase land use efficiency. Arable farmer David…

AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION

Durham Estate team commits to regenerative agriculture

Raby Estate in County Durham has committed to rolling out regenerative agriculture on its 1,250ha farm and building a legacy for future generations. Farm manager Philip Vickers, one of our…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How award winner grew 9.2t/ha crop of winter oats

Simon Best, Farmers Weekly's Arable Farmer of the Year 2021, believes his focus on crop nutrition, tailoring fertiliser applications according to leaf tests carried out in the growing season, was…

ARABLE

Video: Why cows and trees are part of Essex arable business

George Young is making big changes to his arable business with nature at its heart. Read the full report and watch the videos for more detail on his tree planting…

Practical advice

See all

CROP MANAGEMENT

Winter oats facing high disease could benefit from T0 spray

Winter oat growers could benefit from an earlier spring fungicide than usual as crops face a higher disease pressure, following a relatively mild winter. Mildew, crown rust and septoria have…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

5 cultivation and establishment methods compared

Establishment systems cover varying degrees of soil movement, from relatively little disturbance associated with direct-drilling and min-till through to deep cultivations and complete inversion with the likes of ploughing. Each…

ARABLE

How to establish, manage and rejuvenate hedgerows

Healthy hedges are a lifeline for wildlife, providing food and habitat, including for many of the birds within the Farmland Bird Index as well as for priority mammal species in…

ESTABLISHMENT

How to tackle the spring milling oat challenge

The quest for spring oats to be a consistent, profitable crop that meets millers’ requirements continues after another difficult year for getting the best from the crop. A wide range…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How to maximise spring oats for healthier returns

Farmers could be missing out on additional returns of £100/ha when growing spring oats.  One expert believes this is due to farmers treating the white straw break crop like spring…

SOILS

How to reduce soil compaction and optimise crop yields

Compacted soils can typically yield 10-20% lower than healthy soils, which is why growers could benefit from a range of measures to cut compaction risks and avoid costly yield losses.…

Insights

See all

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Should farms sell or chop straw with fertiliser prices high?

The value of straw, whether for power stations or traditional forage and bedding markets remains, buoyant, and many growers will be looking to take advantage of that. However, with high…

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

4 regen farmers on how they overcome technical challenges

Starting out on a regenerative farming journey can seem daunting because of the potential pitfalls. But who better to ask for some tips than farmers who have already learned how…

VARIETY SELECTION

A guide to the new Recommended List lodging scores

Tweaks to the AHDB Recommended List are helping growers get a better handle on the lodging risk from the different cereal variety options for drilling this autumn. There had been…

VARIETY SELECTION

Why rye variety choice is key for biogas

Rye is becoming increasingly popular as a crop for anaerobic digestion and picking the right variety can help maximise gas yields from this cereal. Agronomist Craig Green at CMG Agronomy,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Can silicon crop sprays benefit growers this season?

Despite silicon being the world’s second most abundant element, making up 25% of the earth's crust, crops can still benefit from its application, which has a vital role in plant…

ARABLE

Soil carbon: Targets and how to store it in arable fields

Farmers have a huge opportunity to help combat climate change by reducing emissions with the adoption of less intensive cultivations, as well as capturing and storing carbon in their fields. …

ARABLE

Phacelia and oil radish most effective cover crop in trial

Growing phacelia or oil radish cover crops in vegetable rotations proved to be the most effective cover option in a trial investigating 26 different species and varieties. Run by Agri-Tech…

ESTABLISHMENT

Why sowing in February could up spring oat yield and quality

Planting spring oats as early as February at a reduced seed rate rather than the conventional March drill date could prove beneficial to both crop yield and quality this spring.…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

5 high-tech advances that could change arable farming

Agritech innovation continues to offer advances in farmer decision making, while also potentially helping solving challenges around labour, climate change and input effectiveness. Farmers Weekly looks at five technologies that…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How new oat variety offers growers spring milling option

The spring oat variety Isabel, from KWS, joined the ADHB Recommended List in 2020, at a time when there was a great deal of interest in the spring oat crop,…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

How the different spring crop gross margins compare for 2022

Spring sowings are likely to be down this year, due to the favourable autumn drilling conditions. But there will still be plenty of fields going under the drill – and…

Video

See all

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: 7 pre-season checks every sprayer should have

Spring is just around the corner and farmers up and down the land are drawing up battle plans about how best to tackle the impending mountain of work. With many…

Video: Farmer demonstrates benefits of mixed cover crops

The advantages of growing winter cover crop soon after harvest have been highlighted at a farm on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border. Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf) demonstration farmer Jake Freestone, from…

ARABLE

Video: Grower undersows with clover to cut fertiliser costs

A regenerative farmer is experimenting with white clover understories to reduce his nitrogen fertiliser bills and provide additional grazing for the ewe flock. The price of natural gas, a key…

ARABLE

Video: Heavy duty drone can cope with changeable UK weather

Farmers are forever being told that in the not-so-distant future drones will become a common crop monitoring tool, but what good is this technology if it cannot withstand the unique…