The Crop It Like It's Hot Podcast: Recent Episodes
Arable Farming & CropTec Show
Our Crop It Like It’s Hot podcast gives growers access to the most recent developments and opinions from industry experts and farmers using a method appropriate to the present circumstances.
Hosted by Alice Dyer, journalist by day, farmer by night. Whether you’re thinking of trying a new system, concerned about crop protection or you just want to know what’s going on in your neighbour’s fields, we’re going to cover it all over the next few months.
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The Crop It Like It's Hot podcast has had a slight rebrand, and moved to a new location
Still hosted by Ash Ellwood, we will still have the same great content, same great guests and released on the last Friday of the month
We are now the Farmers Guardian Arable Podcast, and can be found on the Farmers Guardian Podcast channel
Please subscribe on your favourite platform to make sure you don't miss out on the next episode
The latest Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions have arrived, bringing fresh opportunities for farmers, but also plenty of questions.
In this episode, we sit down with Megan Whatty, Hutchinsons environmental specialist, to unpack the latest developments, explore what has changed, and discuss what the new actions could mean for farm businesses across the country.
With funding levels lower than many in the industry had hoped, we take an honest look at where the real opportunities lie, which actions may offer the greatest value, and what farmers should consider as they plan for the future.
Whether you're already participating in environmental schemes or are considering your options for the first time, this episode provides valuable insights to help you make informed decisions for your business.
Speakers
Ash Ellwood - Farmers Guardian head of arable
Megan Whatty - Hutchinsons environmental specialist
For years, many growers questioned whether oilseed rape still had a future in UK arable rotations. Pressure from cabbage stem flea beetle, difficult establishment seasons and rising input costs pushed confidence in the crop to some of its lowest levels in decades.
But after two stronger seasons, sentiment is beginning to shift.
So why is oilseed rape making a comeback on some farms? What are successful growers doing differently? And can OSR once again become a reliable and profitable break crop in modern arable rotations?
In this episode, we’re joined by Nigel Padbury from Premium Crops and Dorset farm manager Tom Baker to discuss the latest thinking around OSR establishment, varietal choice, cabbage stem flea beetle management, crop nutrition and rotational strategy.
Join us for our second arable special where Farmers Guardian head of arable, Ash Ellwood, visits Duchy of Cornwall's Focus Farmers, Heather and Paul Gorringe. Together, they explore the Gorringes' journey from a conventionally plough-based system to a biologically focused, regenerative system - and lessons they are learning along the way through the Focus Farmer programme.
The Duchy of Cornwall’s regenerative ambitions are brought to life through its seven ‘Focus Farms’, each representing a different landscape and farming system across the estate. The initiative is designed to fast-track progress towards net zero while building a more nature-rich farming future, by trialling innovative practices and technologies.
At Lower Blakemere Farm, the Gorringes are putting these ideas into action - experimenting with biological inputs, composting systems, nutrient-rich brews, and adapting small-scale regenerative principles for large-scale arable production.
From Stabiliser cattle and mini trucks to bokashi composting, this episode is packed with practical insights and ideas for every kind of farmer.
Find out more:
https://www.lowerblakemerefarm.co.uk
https://www.ukminitrucks.co.uk
https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk
Thousands of tonnes of perfectly good arable produce never leave the farm gate, due to spoilage, market gluts, or shifting contracts. But what actually happens to that surplus? In this episode, head of arable Ash Ellwood visits a re-distribution site in Merseyside to dig into the true scale of on-farm waste and follow the journey of surplus produce beyond the field.
Discover how FareShare and The Felix Project are turning overlooked harvests into vital food supplies for nearly 8,000 charities and why understanding where your crop goes next could reshape how you see value, waste, and opportunity in your rotation.
To get in touch with FareShare and The Felix Project, head to:
https://thefelixproject.org/ or https://fareshare.org.uk/fareshareandfelix/
If you were asked for your top piece of farming advice for a new entrant or a Young Farmer - what would you tell them?
We chat with farmers from across the country for their pieces of advice and learnings from the ground.
We also chat with Dick Neale, technical manager at Hutchinsons, to find out what growers should be considering ahead of getting the drill out this spring time, common mistakes he has seen and his practical advice to start the spring season as strong as possible.
Changes to Government policy dominate our headlines, from the APR reform to our 'Save Our Family Farms Campaign' looking to support farmers through changes to IHT. It can feel like our farming industry is constantly reacting to policy.
In this podcast, we discuss how a vision that George Freeman, Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk, has put to the Government, setting out how smarter regulation, investment in innovation, and technologies such as precision breeding could unlock higher yields, improved resilience, and new opportunities for arable producers.
2025: the one where it didn't rain for months, we lost a major yellow rust resistance gene, SFI's were abruptly halted, and UK tractor sales tanked.
It has been a challenging year, but where there is challenge, there comes opportunity for change.
Join Ash, Toby and Jane as they chat all things arable, policy and machinery - while uncovering positives among the negatives as we round up 2025 in our final arable podcast offering.
Speakers:
Ash Ellwood - head of arable
Toby Whatley - head of machinery and farm technology
Jane Thynne - head of news and business
This month, Farmers Guardian headed to Agri-TechE's REAP Conference in Peterborough and caught up with some speakers, industry professionals and researchers to find out what the key takeaway messages were from the conference, what research and innovations are on the way into the industry and what technology is currently being utilised on farms.
Speakers
Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-Tech
Dr David George, researcher at Newcastle University
Todd Jex, agronomist and Agri-TechE Ambassador
Ali Capper, hops and apple grower at Stock Farm and chair of British Apples and Pears
Dr Nadia Radzman, biologist at The Sainsbury Laboratory at Cambridge University
Louise Penn, farmer, agronomist and Agri-TechE Ambassador
Penelope Bossom, managing Partner at Overbury Enterprises
Ryan McCormack, farm manager at Dennington Hall Farms
Join podcast host, Ash Ellwood, as she visits a family arable farm based in Leicestershire, which has recently diversified its farming business by creating its own fresh oat drink.
The diversification is led by founder and family member Miles, who has not only found a market for his farm-grown oats but also created an opportunity to return to the family farm, after completing university and working in London.
We learn about the whole 'grain-to-glass' process, how the oats are grown and marketed, and also get their top tips for growers looking to incorporate new ideas on their own farms.
In this episode, join Ash Ellwood as she chats with three industry experts all things grass-weed control.
Take a deep dive into the recent dry summer and its impacts on weed pressures and seedbanks, as well as the availability of new and existing chemistry. Learn how growers can balance their herbicide timing and spending to minimise resistance on farm, and discover top tips for minimising resistance.
With mostly dry weather continuing into autumn so far, we also discuss the risks and rewards associated with drilling early, as well as what growers can do to manage grass weeds in an early-drilled crop.
Speakers
John Cussans - Weed science principle consultant - ADAS
Dr Will Smith - Technical lead - Gowan Crop Protection
Mark Hemmant - Technical manager - Agrovista
In this months podcast join Ash Ellwood, head of arable, as she chats with Paul Gosling, AHDB’s Senior manager for the Recommended Lists (RL), as they discuss the process for varieties to become recommended, what happens during the trials and how best to utilise the list information.
We also chat with Clare Leaman, cereal variety specialist at Niab about what resources are available to aid variety choice and some key factors to consider on farm.
This episode delves into the complexities of plant breeding as we visit DSV's breeding centre in Oxfordshire and discuss how a new variety is bred and the steps required to bring it to market. Join Ash Ellwood as she takes a tour of the facility while chatting with DSV's wheat breeder, Dr Matthew Kerton. Also, our brand-new addition to the podcast features five growers from around the country sharing their favourite meals to have in the field during harvest time, ranging from pheasant to prawn toast!
In our exciting re-launch episode, we chat with Hutchinson's head of environmental services, Georgina Whalley, who gives us an update on the recently scrapped Sustainable Farming Incentive funding and an insight into the latest spending budget. We then head to NIAB's soil hole, where chief executive, Prof Mario Caccamo, discusses the importance of independent variety selection.
With changing legislation and environmental pressures, plant breeding programs are crucial for future developments. Dr Alex Doering, managing director of DSV UK, talks us through the OSR breeding programs and what exciting new traits are on offer.
Finally, we catch up with RAGT's Andrew Creasy and Senova's Hugh Harley, who walk us through a new farm-saved seed royalty collection service and a new Group 4 wheat variety.
The Nuffield Farming Scholarship offers financial support for sustainable farming practices and involves a two-year commitment. Three arable-focused scholars, Jamie, Sam, and Tom, were interviewed in a podcast, where they discussed their projects and the application process. The scholarship provides a travel bursary for research, access to a valuable network, and a community of scholars. Scholars are expected to produce a report and share their insights with relevant audiences. The scholars' projects focus on exploring production efficiency, land use, and the challenges of venture-funded ag tech startups in the UK.
This episode sees Farmers Guardian arable specialist Ash Ellwood discuss how one farmer has introduced sheep into their arable rotation, what role data can play on farm and finds out the latest on the urea legislation changes, all recorded from The CropTec Show in Stoneleigh.
Speakers - Jo Franklin (Arable & sheep farmer), Tom Macbride (Yagro) , Robert and Will Ingham (Glasson Fertilisers)
Being a farmer comes with the privilege of being a custodian of the land, and a love of the countryside and wildlife is why many farmers do what they do. In this episode of Crop It Like It’s Hot, the Arable Farming team speak to three conservationists about how arable farms can become a haven for wildlife. From hedgerow management tips to habitat creation, and encouraging more beneficial insects, there is plenty that growers can do to improve the environmental credentials of their farms.
Many growers might feel like they have taken three steps back in weed control this year, with grass-weeds seemingly doing particularly well. But what can be done this autumn to get back on top of them? In this episode of Crop It Like It’s Hot, the Arable Farming team get the latest from weed control connoisseur, John Cussans.
With all the tools in the box needed to keep on top of emerging weeds, and glyphosate authorisation in the limelight in Europe, we also get an update on what the UK situation is looking like.
John Cussans – NIAB weed biology and management specialist
Mark Buckingham – Corporate engagement lead, Bayer Crop Science
Growers keep being told ‘widen your rotation’, but how do you manage risk with reward when it comes to growing new crops? How long should you give a crop in the rotation before throwing in the towel? And where do you start in deciding what to grow? From alternative pulse markets, to Wildfarmed wheat, to the weird and wonderful, in this latest episode of Crop It Like It’s Hot, we take a look at what other growers are giving a go, and how to measure success when it comes to integrating a new crop into your arable rotation.
Speakers:
Ed Hutley, partner - Ceres Rural
Nick Padwick – Farm manager, Wild Ken Hill
Michael Shuldham, LS Plant Breeding and Pulses UK President
Risk management in agriculture is largely associated with personal safety, however in other industries, the management of risk extends to financial and planning and resource management. In this episode of Crop It Like It's Hot, machinery editor, Toby Whatley sits down to with three farmers with different business models, crops and land assets to hear how they approach risks to their business differently, and how their approach to expenditure, financial planning and crop sales varies.
Speakers
Rob Beaumont - Arable farmer, agronomist and Arable Farming columnist
Adam Lewis - Arable farmer
Alice Dyer - Babyleaf salad grower
As the agricultural industry navigates the loss of the Basic Payment Scheme, in this episode of Crop it Like it's Hot the Arable Farming team takes a look at future funding options available to arable farmers.
From Environmental Land Management to productivity grants, there are plenty of options out there, but do they fit the bill and are they worth taking up?
In this episode, head of farming at Strutt & Parker Jonathan Armitage discusses where he sees key investment opportunities for Defra going forward, what funding we can expect coming later down the line, and why the uptake of ELMs is struggling.
We also speak with associate partner and charted rural surveyor at Barbers Rural, Harriet Jones about the Countryside Stewardship Scheme as it enters its final application window. Ms Jones considers the options that are most suited to arable farmers and how to make the most out of the capital grants.
Will Huck, farm adviser for North West Auctions, speaks about funding innovation in agriculture. Defra’s investment provides funding for both the introduction of robots on farm and the development of future robotics, but how can farmers access it? We also look at resource management with grant funding options for water management and irrigation.
Speakers
Head of farming at Strutt & Parker, Jonathan Armitage
Associate partner and rural chartered surveyor at Barbers Rural, Harriet Jones
Farm advisor at NWA professional and property, Will Huck
With the UK seeing long periods of no rainfall almost annually, and changes to abstraction licensing and planning restrictions on water storage threatening to compound the issue, water security in agriculture is a concern many growers should and are taking seriously.
In this episode of Crop it Like it’s Hot, the Arable Farming team delves into the world of water policy, application and economics, to find out: how can we make UK agriculture more water-secure?
Tune in to hear three industry experts share their views on effective water-saving models, whether the Government really wants to safeguard water supply in agriculture, and how irrigation prospects are looking for the season ahead.
Speakers:
· Kelly Hewson-Fisher – NFU national water resources specialist
· Prof Jerry Knox - Professor of agricultural water management at Cranfield University
· Daniel Johns – managing director of Water Resources East
Since the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) was established by ADAS 10 years ago, it has recorded multiple crop world records, droughts, floods and a fertiliser crisis. But all of these events have helped the network to gather important information on how growers can maximise crop production on their land.
In this episode of Crop it Like it’s Hot, ADAS’ Dr Sarah Kendall discusses key learnings from more than 5,000 crop yields that have been recorded, and how detailed crop post-mortems, benchmarking and reporting has seen some farmers exceed the yield potential of their land.
Two top yielding farmers, David Passmore, who won gold for his OSR crop, and Tim Lamyman, who broke both the wheat and barley world record last harvest, tell all about their crop management programmes and they achieved the top yields they did in 2022.
Speakers:
Dr Sarah Kendall - ADAS crop physiologist
Tim Lamyman - Lincolnshire farmer and world record holder
David Passmore - Oxfordshire farmer and YEN winner
Agriculture is both a hard industry to recruit in and a notoriously hard industry to get into if you’re not from a farming background. With the UK facing a cost of living crisis, the prospect of supporting good employees may be daunting, but there are many things farm businesses can be doing to help retain and attract good staff. In this employment-focused podcast, Alice Dyer finds out how to be both a prominent employee and employer, with tips to stand out from the crowd to continuing professional development and training options.
Speakers: Dave Back, labour auditor, DB Compliance.George Mallender, recruitment consultant, MorePeople.Jade Prince, business development manager, Basis.
The integration of cover crops have been a key ingredient for many farmers in improving the health of their soils and their overall farming system.
But they don’t come without their challenges, and ‘getting them to work’ isn’t always as straightforward as it seems.
To find out what we’re doing wrong and how to get more out of them tune into the latest episode of the Crop It Like It’s Hot podcast.
From nutrient lockup to yield penalties and why destruction method, not just timing is key to success, this podcast offers a crash course in all things cover crops from three experienced experts.
Speakers:
Ed Brown, head of agroecology at Hutchinsons.
Richard Barnes, sales manager at Kings Crops.
Angus Gowthorpe, Yorkshire farmer.
More businesses are now looking to offset their environmental footprint, and with new laws on enhancing biodiversity for housing developers, there are some interesting opportunities emerging for land managers to make some extra cash.
But is trading natural capital all it is cracked up to be, or could land owners be tying themselves into long-term contracts to fulfil a fairly new and unknown concept?
Tune in to Crop It Like It’s Hot to hear Arable Farming’s Alice Dyer find out if and how farmers could tap into this potentially profitable market from three experts on the frontline.
Economic and environmental drivers continue to put pressure on availability of crop nutrients. As nitrogen prices remain volatile, in this episode of Crop It Like It’s Hot, Alice Dyer explores what is driving fertiliser markets and what growers can expect for prices going forward
With many growers looking to utilise organic nitrogen sources, Alice gets an update on the latest Farming Rules for Water policy for muck spreading and finds out how one organic and conventional farmer is using clover understoreys to alter his crop nutrition programme.
Regenerative agriculture seems to be the buzzword of the moment, but whether it can or will be the mainstay of food production remains to be seen. In this episode of Crop it Like it’s Hot – regenerative agriculture – fad or the future?, Alice Dyer explores what is fuelling this green revolution in farming.
With an esteemed panel of guests, including a soil scientist and two of the UK’s pioneering farmers of regen ag, listeners can get to grips with the science behind ‘good’ soil biology, get pointers for making changes to their farming systems and take lessons from the organic sector.