Mike Abram
@mikeabram.bsky.social
Freelance agricultural journalist. Winner of multiple IFAJ Star prizes, and 2020 & 2023 Guild of Ag Journalists Arable award. Likes a bit of sport.
Last for now another new article for Direct Driller: a visit with Dr Elaine Ingham and her team looking to unlock soil potential. A lot of compost talk! directdriller.com/unlocking-th...
Unlocking the power of soils
Three practical days featuring US soil biology researcher Dr Elaine Ingham about unlocking the power of soil were run by Soil Ecology Laboratory last November. Direct Driller visited the one held i…
directdriller.com
March 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Last for now another new article for Direct Driller: a visit with Dr Elaine Ingham and her team looking to unlock soil potential. A lot of compost talk! directdriller.com/unlocking-th...
Also new in Direct Driller from same World AgriTech Innovation Summit in San Francisco a deeper dive into gene editing potential. Some exciting possibilities discussed: directdriller.com/new-genomic-...
New genomic technologies flex their potential
Billions are being invested in gene editing globally, but what innovations will that investment deliver? Tech Farmer visited the World AgriTech Innovation Summit to gain a global perspective on wha…
directdriller.com
March 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Also new in Direct Driller from same World AgriTech Innovation Summit in San Francisco a deeper dive into gene editing potential. Some exciting possibilities discussed: directdriller.com/new-genomic-...
New article for Direct Driller about latest agtech innovations, although the info is from the World AgriTech Innovation Summit in San Francisco last March! directdriller.com/first-look-i...
First look: Innovations that might be on your farm
Around 2,500 delegates attended the World AgriTech Innovation Summit in San Francisco in March. Mike Abram went along to hear about some new exciting innovations. If you’re the CEO or founder of an…
directdriller.com
March 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM
New article for Direct Driller about latest agtech innovations, although the info is from the World AgriTech Innovation Summit in San Francisco last March! directdriller.com/first-look-i...
New article for @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social: latest in the series with 8 arable growers from around the country, this one taking a deeper dive into their tried and trusted tactics for improving soil health, plus some new thinking. www.fwi.co.uk/arable/land-...
How Arable Insights farmer panel are unlocking soil improvements - Farmers Weekly
Managing soils to improve physical structure and chemical and biological activity has become a key trend on arable farms this decade. Each of this
www.fwi.co.uk
March 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM
New article for @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social: latest in the series with 8 arable growers from around the country, this one taking a deeper dive into their tried and trusted tactics for improving soil health, plus some new thinking. www.fwi.co.uk/arable/land-...
New-ish in @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social: How the marketing leading farm management / crop recording system from Telus is changing. Will it be enough to ward off the challenges from some of the new kids on the block though? www.fwi.co.uk/arable/crop-...
How the market-leading farm management system is changing - Farmers Weekly
New-look, cloud-based digital farm management software incorporating the best elements of the well-known market-leading Gatekeeper and Muddy Boots crop
www.fwi.co.uk
March 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM
New-ish in @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social: How the marketing leading farm management / crop recording system from Telus is changing. Will it be enough to ward off the challenges from some of the new kids on the block though? www.fwi.co.uk/arable/crop-...
New-ish article in @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social: Good news for sugar beet growers in that virus yellows risk seems lower this season. From BBRO BeetTech25 event in February.
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar...
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar...
Weather helps reduce beet virus yellows risk - Farmers Weekly
Virus yellows risk in sugar beet is reducing following cold weather in January and early February, according to the British Beet Research Organisation’s
www.fwi.co.uk
March 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM
New-ish article in @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social: Good news for sugar beet growers in that virus yellows risk seems lower this season. From BBRO BeetTech25 event in February.
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar...
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar...
Also in CPM magazine in February: Researchers trying to do the (almost?) impossible and create cereal crops that provide their own nutrition. (Print version also has panel on whether free-living bacteria can supply nitrogen). www.cpm-magazine.co.uk/varieties/im...
Impossible dream: Self- fertilising cereal crops?
Is it possible to create cereal crops that provide their own nutrition? In a bid to find out, CPM talks to researchers...
www.cpm-magazine.co.uk
February 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Also in CPM magazine in February: Researchers trying to do the (almost?) impossible and create cereal crops that provide their own nutrition. (Print version also has panel on whether free-living bacteria can supply nitrogen). www.cpm-magazine.co.uk/varieties/im...
First CPM magazine articles of the year in the February issue. This one a report from the excellent CUPGRA conference in December (minus a side panel on seed supply headaches in the print version!). www.cpm-magazine.co.uk/roots/cupgra...
CUPGRA: Pricing position strength for potato growers
Optimism towards price negotiations, the role of innovative technology, & new tools for technical challenges at the CUPGRA potato conference.
www.cpm-magazine.co.uk
February 17, 2025 at 12:55 PM
First CPM magazine articles of the year in the February issue. This one a report from the excellent CUPGRA conference in December (minus a side panel on seed supply headaches in the print version!). www.cpm-magazine.co.uk/roots/cupgra...
Missed this new article from earlier in the week: Did you know you can yield map root crops as well as combinable ones?
Ben Burgess fitting and incorporating
Greentronics system on beet (and potato) harvesters.
@farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social www.fwi.co.uk/arable/harve...
Ben Burgess fitting and incorporating
Greentronics system on beet (and potato) harvesters.
@farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social www.fwi.co.uk/arable/harve...
How new technology enables yield mapping for root crops - Farmers Weekly
In-field yield mapping of root crops, such as sugar beet and potatoes, is tricky compared with grain crops, not least because of the added complication of
www.fwi.co.uk
February 14, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Missed this new article from earlier in the week: Did you know you can yield map root crops as well as combinable ones?
Ben Burgess fitting and incorporating
Greentronics system on beet (and potato) harvesters.
@farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social www.fwi.co.uk/arable/harve...
Ben Burgess fitting and incorporating
Greentronics system on beet (and potato) harvesters.
@farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social www.fwi.co.uk/arable/harve...
New article: Virus yellows risk decreasing for sugar beet growers thanks to cold weather in Jan and early Feb. Report from #BeetTech25 for @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar...
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar...
Weather helps reduce beet virus yellows risk - Farmers Weekly
Virus yellows risk in sugar beet is reducing following cold weather in January and early February, according to the British Beet Research Organisation’s
www.fwi.co.uk
February 14, 2025 at 11:54 AM
New article: Virus yellows risk decreasing for sugar beet growers thanks to cold weather in Jan and early Feb. Report from #BeetTech25 for @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar...
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/sugar...
A look at how our 2024/25 Arable Insights farmer panel are planning nutrition strategies in the coming season. Lots of use of organic amendments, tools and a conversation on how low is too low. @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social www.fwi.co.uk/arable/crop-...
Arable Insights Farmers' strategies to optimise nutrient use - Farmers Weekly
From organic manures to use of technology and various monitoring approaches, all the growers on Farmers Weekly Arable Insights Farmer panel have an eye
www.fwi.co.uk
February 3, 2025 at 10:31 AM
A look at how our 2024/25 Arable Insights farmer panel are planning nutrition strategies in the coming season. Lots of use of organic amendments, tools and a conversation on how low is too low. @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social www.fwi.co.uk/arable/crop-...
Which probably leaves insurance and risk sharing by British Sugar as best short term solution so will be interesting to see if more take up that option next season, or indeed re-opened for this season, etc.
January 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Which probably leaves insurance and risk sharing by British Sugar as best short term solution so will be interesting to see if more take up that option next season, or indeed re-opened for this season, etc.
Help is coming with resistant / more tolerant varieties but currently there are significant yield penalties and they only really protect against one type of virus yellows, I think. There’s a gene editing project which could help in the medium term.
January 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Help is coming with resistant / more tolerant varieties but currently there are significant yield penalties and they only really protect against one type of virus yellows, I think. There’s a gene editing project which could help in the medium term.
The 40% last year were helped mostly by a kind spring (for virus yellows control). Other insecticides will have helped too. But nothing will prevent virus if the weather goes against growers - remember 2020. Nothing much has changed since then.
January 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
The 40% last year were helped mostly by a kind spring (for virus yellows control). Other insecticides will have helped too. But nothing will prevent virus if the weather goes against growers - remember 2020. Nothing much has changed since then.
What alternatives Vicki? As far as I am aware there is currently nothing (chemical, varietal, other) anywhere near as effective at preventing virus yellows apart from cold weather (which I don’t think BS can control)! Agree on price but that’s already set for season, and too late for insurance.
January 23, 2025 at 4:44 PM
What alternatives Vicki? As far as I am aware there is currently nothing (chemical, varietal, other) anywhere near as effective at preventing virus yellows apart from cold weather (which I don’t think BS can control)! Agree on price but that’s already set for season, and too late for insurance.
Enjoyed visiting this well-known long term no-till farmer about why he's turned back to the plough. And it wasn't just for one reason! @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social www.fwi.co.uk/arable/land-...
Why a long-term no-tiller is ploughing again on heavy soils - Farmers Weekly
For more than 20 years, a bare brown field has not been seen on Motts Farm on the Dengie peninsula in Essex, with crops established using zero tillage.
www.fwi.co.uk
January 23, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Enjoyed visiting this well-known long term no-till farmer about why he's turned back to the plough. And it wasn't just for one reason! @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social www.fwi.co.uk/arable/land-...
An important topic given everything happening in farming currently - how to bolster financial resilience. @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social Transition special. www.fwi.co.uk/business/bus...
How to bolster financial resilience on farm - Farmers Weekly
Recent Budget changes, including to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR), have only added to the inherent financial
www.fwi.co.uk
January 23, 2025 at 8:20 AM
An important topic given everything happening in farming currently - how to bolster financial resilience. @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social Transition special. www.fwi.co.uk/business/bus...
Another @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social article from a Soil Ecology Laboratory event featuring @wildkenhill.bsky.social Nick Padwick about how composting is improving soil health and helping power the farm's organic transition. Lots of practical advice about composting!
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/land-...
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/land-...
How composting is helping organic transition on Norfolk farm - Farmers Weekly
Making and using compost to improve soil health has become a central part of the route Ken Hill Farm & Estate is taking to transition to an organic
www.fwi.co.uk
January 17, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Another @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social article from a Soil Ecology Laboratory event featuring @wildkenhill.bsky.social Nick Padwick about how composting is improving soil health and helping power the farm's organic transition. Lots of practical advice about composting!
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/land-...
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/land-...
Enjoyed researching this one on whether soya beans have a future in the UK? The journey started in Belgium on a press trip where it became clear that a lot of research on soy and other pulse crops is happening. Published in @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/other...
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/other...
Do soya bean crops have a future in the UK? - Farmers Weekly
Could soya beans eventually become a break crop of choice for UK growers? Currently, that’s difficult to believe with no more than 200ha grown in the UK
www.fwi.co.uk
January 17, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Enjoyed researching this one on whether soya beans have a future in the UK? The journey started in Belgium on a press trip where it became clear that a lot of research on soy and other pulse crops is happening. Published in @farmersweeklyuk.bsky.social
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/other...
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/other...