Catch up on the latest agronomy at Agrovista’s Yorkshire trials site

Arable farmers across the North East and East Midlands will be able to catch up with some impressive and innovative agronomy developments this summer at Agrovista’s AgX regional trials site at Balne, near Goole.

The tour begins with a comprehensive winter wheat variety demonstration which features 22 varieties, including popular Recommended List stalwarts, several newcomers and some promising candidates, including those within Agrovista’s extensive portfolio.

Trials site manager Chris Dickinson says: “The mix of old and new will enable visitors to compare and contrast pretty much any combination of varieties they may be planning to grow as well as several others that they won’t have even thought about.”

At the second stop, three different cover crop mixtures will be on display along with various drills and a subsoiled area, to act as a backdrop for a discussion on soil health, featuring Agrovista’s head of soil health Chris Martin and independent soil and cultivations expert Philip Wright.

Good soil health is key to making the most of increasingly expensive plant nutrients, which leads nicely into the next section of the trial, cost-effective nitrogen management. This includes work on foliar-applied controlled release nitrogen fertilisers that enhance nitrogen utilisation whilst reducing the crop’s environmental footprint.

Following this, visitors can assess the performance of several wheat fungicide programmes. These compare the efficacy of commercial programmes as well as those containing new chemistry about to enter the market.

“We will also be looking at various bioscience products to help keep plants in the best health to underpin our crop protection programmes,” says Chris. “This initiative should provide plenty of valuable take-home messages for growers looking to optimise their disease control programmes.”

Members of Agrovista’s precision farming team will also be on hand to talk through the integration of precision farming into a farming business and how growers can benefit from the added value this technology offers, ensuring they achieve the best financial margin for each field.

In addition, Agrovista Rural Consultancy’s experienced business consultants will be available to discuss opportunities for environmental schemes in consideration of the current market and navigating the transitional period, to help farm businesses to maximise opportunities and improve efficiency.

“We are delighted to be able to invite everyone back to our regional trials after a two-year absence due to Covid,” says Chris. “We would also like to extend a special thanks to our host farmer, Woodwards (Balne) Limited, for providing such an excellent venue.”

The site is at Lockgate Farm, Little Common Lane, Selby, North Yorkshire DN14 0FJ (what3words: bearable.lots.veal). The open day takes place on 1 July at 12.30-5.00pm. The first tour starts at 1pm, the last tour at 3.30pm.

All growers, whether they are Agrovista customers or not, are welcome to attend but are requested to book in advance at www.agrovista.co.uk/agx-balne-registration