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Winning is everything?

Sainsbury’s was selling snow shovels at a 25% discount today so I have to assume that winter is over. The rush on the land is accelerating and as always it will be a busy spring season with multiple passes of fertilisers and pesticides in each field. I’m …

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Where are the birdies?

As soon as spring gathers pace the trite rhyme ‘ spring has sprung, the grass is ris, I wonders where the birdies is ?’ comes into my mind (much to the annoyance of our middle daughter Emily). This year it has more relevance because the numbers of birds …

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In science we trust

The Cambridge Science Festival is an amazing event. Over a fortnight there are hundreds of events on all aspects of science. Many of them have very catchy titles and appear extremely interesting and it’s clear that quite a few are aimed at children, …

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Spray drift without wind assistance

We have just spent the weekend in Dorset and yesterday morning our car, like many others, was covered in Saharan dust. It’s no surprise that disease spores can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles if larger dust particles can move with such ease. …

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Grasses; mankind’s best friend?

Earlier this week I was watching TV with our grandchildren. It was a children’s programme on dinosaurs; a subject that captivates our grandson. The presenter said that dinosaurs did not eat grass because they existed before grass existed. This came as a …

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Jumping to conclusions

Recently I’ve started to go to the supermarket with my wife where we’ve developed a systematic approach to the food shop. Initially we visit the wine department and then I go off to the cafeteria for an Americano (which used to be ordinary coffee) whilst …

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Soil back in fashion

Soil seems to be back in fashion. Last week, there was even an hour long programme on it on peak time telly. I didn’t really like the “ cooking does not come tougher than this ” Masterchef-like presentation. This style was also used for recent harvest …

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50 years on

1965 was my first year at university during which I had quite an intensive course on geology. It’s a fascinating subject once you’ve remembered the sequence and dates of the different geological periods. On the course we were told about how our landscapes …

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Ex-ministers have their say

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to a panel discussion at the Crop Protection Association’s Annual Convention between three ex-Defra Under-Secretaries of State for Farming. It was fascinating to hear their comments now that they are largely …

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Losing flexibility

The level of risk management in arable cropping in many parts of Australia is awe-inspiring. Choosing the correct crop to grow and the level of inputs that will be required in relation to current (and future) weather conditions is critical. There are …

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