Many of us have stood mesmerised at agricultural shows watching a robotic display and wondering if they have a place on the farm. Well Sentry Farming have partnered with Autonomous Agri Solutions and BBRO to test the theory in a commercial sugar beet field. We meet those involved to see how things have worked out in the first year of trial.

The crop is now surging ahead with good canopy cover across much of the growing region. With this in mind we look to our fungicide programmes to ensure the canopy remains healthy to optimise yield potential.

As we enter May the first of the aphids are known to be in flight, so as they launch so do we by commencing the aphid survey. This year monitoring is ramped up with 12 special monitoring sites.

In March British Sugar issued a new early lifting beet contract, as a response to the reduction in supply from the 2023 campaign. Dan Green explains the detail behind this initiative.

Sugar beet drills will soon be emerging into the daylight as preparations get under way for the 2023 sugar beet season. Dr Simon Bowen and Stephen Aldis provide a few pointers to getting the crop underway.

Meet Newark growers, Ed and Tom Hammond who have taken a holistic view to growing beet. Ensuring sustainability of the soil through cover crop use and careful management, leading to a reduction of inputs.