UK: Sunflowers could represent opportunity for growers

Published 2024년 4월 5일

Tridge summary

Grainseed is advocating for the cultivation of sunflowers this season as an alternative to traditional crops like wheat, barley, and oilseed rape, which have been negatively affected by wet conditions. Sunflowers are gaining popularity due to their ease of cultivation, low costs, and adaptability to climate change, which is broadening their suitable growing regions. Edward Stanford from Grainseed recommends the Es Bella variety for its early maturity, high yield, strong standing ability, and resistance to diseases. Moreover, aligning with practices from the Sustainable Farming Incentive, such as refraining from using insecticides, can enhance the crop's value, making sunflowers an increasingly attractive option for growers.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Grainseed is urging growers to consider sunflowers this season, following the decline in the cropped area of wheat, barley and oilseed rape due to the wet conditions. Edward Stanford, sunflower expert for the firm, said: “Sunflowers are a straight-forward crop to grow with few inputs (variable cost is just £276/hectare) and being drilled from 10th April onwards allows growers a little more time to consider their options. We also know that with climate change and increasing temperatures, the suitable geographic area has already expanded well northwards.” The variety Es Bella, sold by United Oilseeds, is the best-selling variety of sunflowers in the UK and Edward believes that the market for the crop will flourish in the next five years. United Oilseeds released the table below, calculating the gross margins of spring cropping options for growers. Edward added that some actions under the Sustainable Farming Incentive could add value to the crop, ...

Source: UKFarmbusiness