As someone who has a keen interest in the organic sector of agriculture, I was pleased to see the ‘horsegate’ scandal come to the forefront of the public’s attention earlier this year. This made consumers not only across the UK but the whole of Europe focus on their food and the long chains associated with its production. Although the UK organic market has still shown an annual decline of 1.5% (2012), recent figures from Kantar Worldpanel show... 

For plant breeders this time of year draws many analogies, an expectant father waiting outside the delivery ward, a sixth former waiting for their A level results or a batsman in the nervous nineties ! After 10 years of crossing, selecting, and nurturing it is all down to a handful of trial results to decide the fate of our babies, will they get that extra 1% of yield, what will that standing power rating be, it all goes round and round until the... 

At least in some respects, anyway!   This time last year we were looking at potentially the biggest planting of OSR seed in UK history, now we are looking at many planning a return to rotations involving more winter barley and more spring cropping, and therefore a reduction in OSR plantings. (the grain price doesn’t help either!)Wheat will probably stand still.   I’m sure everyone recalls the terrible establishment conditions of 2012,...