Today we are going to hear from some of Agrii’s iFarms around the U.K. to find out more about this years headline results and learnings going forward for 2024.

In this podcast, we start with a national overview from Agrii’s seed technical manager John Miles.

Insights from Agrii iFarms and Key Learnings for 2024

What Is the Agrii iFarm Network?

John Miles:
The iFarm network covers areas from North Scotland down to Devon and Cornwall, and all points in between. These national research centres are focal points for regional discussions and allow us to showcase the work we’re doing, including agronomy guidelines, varieties, and more. Visits to these iFarms, particularly in the summertime, stimulate great discussions.

What Did You See Last Year on the iFarms?

John Miles:
Last year, we saw quite a lot of similarity between north and south, which isn’t something that happens often. There were challenges, particularly with disease pressure. Some varieties struggled significantly, while others excelled. From an R&D perspective, high disease pressure is valuable for research, but it’s obviously challenging for our customers.

What Were the Success Stories?

John Miles:
The success stories were largely on a genetic level. Varieties like Fitzroy and Champion, with strong resistance to Septoria, performed very well. We also saw challenges with grain quality, which underlines the importance of making the right variety choice at the start of the season because you never know how the year will play out.

How Did the Season Start for You in Kent?

Neil Harper (Kent iFarm):
We started well, drilling the trial in the first week of October. But surrounding fields were drilled a little earlier, and we saw that more vigorous varieties got out of the ground quickly, while slower varieties struggled a bit. The dry autumn presented challenges, particularly with establishing clean seedbeds, which let a bit more “rubbish” through than anticipated. Vigorous varieties managed to compete better with weeds, while slower ones didn’t fare as well.

How Did the Weather Impact Yields in Kent?

Neil Harper:
The weather was a mix. We had a dry autumn, but February was also quite dry, allowing for applications to go on. Then March hit with wet and cold conditions, which made timing applications more challenging. All these factors meant we didn’t quite hit maximum yield potential. However, our focus was on milling wheat, and while proteins were a bit challenging to achieve due to dry weather at the end of the season, we learned a lot from how different varieties performed.

What Were Your Key Lessons from Last Year in Kent?

Neil Harper:
Keeping things simple is key. Understanding the differences between varieties is crucial. For example, Extase gets out of the blocks quickly, whereas Dawson is slower. Managing drill timings and matching varieties to their characteristics can help spread the workload and improve management across the season.

How Did the Season Start in Banbury?

Sarah Hookway (Banbury iFarm):
We had timely cultivations and managed to drill around the 13th of October. We didn’t face too much blackgrass pressure due to the weather and established the crop well. By late November, the crops looked great, well established before winter set in.

What Happened Next in Banbury?

Sarah Hookway:
We had a very dry February, but our site in Banbury tends to have high Septoria pressure. In March, we saw a significant amount of rainfall—143mm compared to an average of 30mm, which set up the perfect conditions for disease pressure. By April, we had to stretch some timings for applications due to the wet conditions, but we managed to keep things on track.

How Did Different Varieties Perform in Banbury?

Sarah Hookway:
Varieties with higher resistance to Septoria, such as Fitzroy and Champion, performed best. Even varieties like Saki did well, but it required more inputs to reach those yields. The results reinforced the importance of variety choice and applying the right inputs at the right times.

What Are Your Key Takeaways for the Upcoming Season?

Sarah Hookway:
Variety choice is essential. We’re seeing more disease-resistant varieties, but classics like Skyfall and Saki, while rust-prone, are still valuable. Timing is critical, particularly when it comes to fungicide applications. If you miss the window, it’s harder to control diseases later on.

How Did Your Crops Fare in Ludlow?

Ben Burgess (Ludlow iFarm):
It was a wet start. We managed to get crops established by late March, but we saw high levels of Septoria early on, as our site typically experiences due to its location and climate. The high disease pressure required close monitoring and timely inputs.

What Are Your Focus Areas in Ludlow?

Ben Burgess:
Our focus is mainly on feed wheat. We also monitor for Septoria and rust, given our proximity to maize, which can carry these diseases. In addition, we’re seeing more I spot and stem-based diseases, so we’re closely monitoring those as well.

What Are Your Key Recommendations for the Current Season?

Ben Burgess:
Getting the timing right for treatments is crucial, especially in unpredictable weather. It’s also essential to ensure seed rates are appropriate for the time of drilling. Understanding thousand grain weights and seeds per square meter is critical to managing crops effectively.

How Did the Season Go in the North of Scotland?

John Mason (Cromarty iFarm):
We started drilling in September, and the crops established well. But we had a cold January and February, which led to high disease pressure, particularly Septoria and Rhynchosporium in winter barley. Spring barley saw stress from dry weather, followed by wet periods that triggered Ramularia later in the season.

How Did Varieties Perform in Cromarty?

John Mason:
Varieties like Dawson handled the high Septoria pressure well, outperforming others like Skyscraper. We also saw excellent results from tailored nutrition approaches, where we had a tonne per hectare yield increase on average across all varieties when using tissue analysis and targeted nutrition.

What Changes Will You Make for the Next Season?

John Mason:
We plan to make tailored nutrition our farm standard. We’ll also explore how we can further push yields with other treatments like protected nitrogen, particularly in spring barley.

Summary of Key Learnings From the iFarms

John Miles:
Timing is everything. The weather can shift quickly, and that puts pressure on getting timings right, particularly for fertiliser and PGR applications. The key takeaway is not to rest on your laurels—stay adaptable and ready for whatever conditions the season throws your way.

The Harvest 2023 iFarm Results Report is now available

Enclosed in this year’s report, you will find information useful to inform future decisions on variety choice for disease, pest and lodging management.

Also, variety results on our winter and spring cereal and winter oilseed rape trials as well as a special feature on drones in action and variable rate nitrogen with RHIZA.