Recent BTV-3 outbreaks in the UK, transmitted by biting midges spread from mainland Europe, has prompted Defra to permit use of three BTV-3 vaccines.
But how concerned are UK farmers about bluetongue?
This is the perfect question for our National Farm Research Unit Farmer Panel
We asked our panel of dairy, beef and sheep farmers across the UK how concerned they were, and if they'd use a vaccine for bluetongue.
The Results
14% of UK dairy farmers were concerned about bluetongue and 22% would use a vaccine.
Just 10% of beef farmers across the UK are concerned about bluetongue, however 22% would still use a vaccine.
11% of UK sheep farmers expressed concern about bluetongue and 23% would use a vaccine.
The National Farm Research Unit Poll for July was on Winter Wheat buying factors
We asked 281 UK Winter Wheat growers
What affects your decision when selecting Winter Wheat varieties?
Would you grow Hybrid Winter Wheat?
Winter Hybrid Wheat
Would our farmers use Hybrid Wheat?
Hybrid Arable crop seed has been a key part of the UK Farming landscape for sometime, enabling farmers and growers to make informed decisions on whether the benefits of Home Saving seed outweigh the Agronomic benefits of Hybrid seed.
Winter Hybrid Barley has been the principle hybrid cereal crop in the UK for the past decade or so. Syngenta’s breakthrough in producing a reliable, reproduceable method of seed production has enabled them to launch a succession of popular varieties into the 6-row feed barley market, initially starting with “Colossus”, although arguably the big breakthrough variety was “Volume”, debuting on the Recommended list back in 2009/10.
Recently other players have entered the Hybrid Winter Barley market and Hybrid Rye has had good success, albeit in a modest market.
Since these developments, Hybrid Wheat has been a discussion point amongst the UK Agricultural community. When? What? How? Who? Are often asked, but few people in the industry have asked farmers if they would use Hybrid Wheat, or indeed, what is most important for farmers when choosing a Winter Wheat variety.
What we found
Yield and disease resistance are strong decision criteria
Unsurprisingly, “Yield” at (29%) and “Disease resistance” (26%) with strong influence on; output, input costs and ease of management, were the most mentioned metrics. However, “recommended by advisor” (12%) featured strongly. As did “experience” (6%), which suggests that farmers are more likely to make the decision over variety selection than crop protection inputs.
Analysing farmer feedback according to farm size shows additional insights, with growers of less than 100Ha of Wheat having increasing concerns over seed availability. This would suggest that units of over 100Ha of Wheat have more choice and are less concerned with “missing out” on popular varieties.
Growers with more than 100Ha Wheat
What affects your decision when selecting Winter Wheat varieties?
More than one answer allowed
Number of farmers - All = 104
Yield is king within this group, although Disease resistance still important
Advisor and personal experience also strong factors
Growers with less than 100Ha Wheat
What affects your decision when selecting Winter Wheat varieties?
More than one answer allowed
Number of farmers - All = 177
Yield slightly less important to this group of growers
“Availability” appears more of a concern for growers with less than 100Ha
Total Sample
What affects your decision when selecting Winter Wheat varieties?
More than one answer allowed
Number of farmers - All = 281
Yield and disease resistance were key metrics
Advisor recommendation also scored highly
Total Sample
Would you grow Hybrid Wheat?
Number of farmers - All = 281
Regional Breakdown
Would you grow Hybrid Wheat?
Number of farmers - All = 281
Region | Would grow Hybrid Wheat | Number of farmers |
North West | 80% | 5 |
Wales | 63% | 8 |
East Midlands | 52% | 33 |
North East | 50% | 10 |
Northern Ireland | 50% | 4 |
Yorkshire & Humber | 50% | 46 |
South East | 46% | 24 |
Scotland | 45% | 29 |
South West | 43% | 37 |
West Midlands | 40% | 45 |
Eastern | 33% | 40 |
Eastern Area least keen on Hybrid Wheat in contrast to their East Midlands neighbours where over half are interested
In January 2024 we launched our social media pages across Instagram and Facebook. Our focus for this was to show a little more about what we do here at the NFRU while maintaining the feel of a community which we hold so proudly.
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Each quarter we would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our fantastic team of interviewers. This quarter our interviewer spotlight is on Andrea
Andrea has worked for the NFRU for 14 years. Andrea says:
“I enjoy working at the NFRU because talking to farmers is very unique and is different everyday…. The most valuable information I have learnt from respondents is that it’s [farming] not just a job it’s a way of life.”
Andrea enjoys working on a variety of studies.
“What I Iike most about the agricultural industry is the huge amount of knowledge out there i.e. it could be scientific, crop related, machinery, livestock and medicine - the list is endless.”
Andrea’s hobbies are reading, crafts, cooking and learning the keyboard.
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Farmers participating in our on-going research studies can gain valuable BASIS and NRoSO points. Simply give your BASIS number to our interviewer when they call to update your record. To claim your NRoSO points please log onto the website and enter code NO471443f
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