An autumn Manganese being applied to our Borders sites today. We have found that this benefits in reducing the risk of yield limiting manganese deficiency on the predominantly light land we deal with on the trials sites. ☀️

The samples from just one harvested trial site being prepared for dispatch. Testing of these samples identifies the quality characteristics for the potential next generation varieties, meaning they should progress quality and marketability for both growers and end users.

And our North winter wheat site in Aberdeenshire. With 4 locations from the Borders, Fife Angus and here in Aberdeenshire locally grown, fully replicated variety trials that give members the information they need to make informed variety decisions 🌱

Like many autumn sown crops, our winter wheat RL & VL site in Angus is off to the perfect start.

As we tackle the persistent issue of Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) in potato crops, our members are continually trying new methods of control as part of an integrated pest management approach. One member has sown an area of circa 1ha with African Nightshade as a trap crop!

Early start to beat the wind at Balgonie, for WW pre-ems. 🌱

Q. What do the trials team do with themselves after harvest? A. Lots! Currently the team are scoring spring barley trials for skinning and screenings; preparing almost 3,500 samples from harvest for dispatch and logging the newly sown trials onto our systems and processing data.

Lovely, even establishment on our Fife winter barley site, 12 days after drilling

Final potato trial out of the ground. 🏁 Lots of samples to analyse over the coming weeks 🥔

Excellent progress with the drilling campaign from the trials team this week. Winter barley, rye, triticale and oats all completed. Pushing hard for the remaining wheat sites with multiple drills in the field while Arlary prepares the next sites for drilling. End is in sight 🌾

Drills back in action this week with another site secured. South winter barley sown, as we look to get into Fife tomorrow.🚜

Great to host the BASF Perfecting Potatoes Together Innovation Tour last month. A great group of forward thinking individuals! 🥔

Great article from Stevie in this weeks Farmers Weekly! 🫘

Big shift at potato harvest in the East Neuk with the team taking yield and sample digs for 112 plots 🥔 ☀️ 🚜

They may have only been in the ground for 11 days but our early winter wheat and linseed trials are off to an absolute flyer ☀️☔️🌾

Our Central WOSR site looking well, coming up for 2 weeks after drilling 🌱

Harvest underway for the potato trials. First site being lifted near St Cyrus with hopefully another two sites coming out the ground this week. Weather permitting 🥔☀️

4 drills making light work of our Central WOSR site. 🌱🚜 Meanwhile the last plots of harvest 2025 are cleared with the spring oilseed rape trial in Fife cut. Not quite our earliest finish ever, but second only to 2003 when everything was cut by the last day of August 🌾☀️🌱

Workday got a little brighter for the team yesterday and maybe, a sign of good fortune 🍀🌈🌾

Great to see that the Farmers Guardian has picked up on Donald's artice! 👍

Mid August drilling has made a massive difference to this year’s cover crop trials. Off to an absolute flyer and should produce a significant biomass before winter.

Great to hear Donald speaking on FARMING TODAY this morning about the early harvest in Scotland. TUNE IN HERE TO LISTEN: podcasts.apple.com/.../farming-.... ... and for more comment from Donald, head to the NEWS page on the Scottish Agronomy website.

Cereal harvest is done! Last plot cut!

It’s not often that the trials kit generates this much dust. The teams sitting on our cabless machinery may be questioning the wisdom of drilling in anticipation of the forecast rain later this week 💨

“After less than a month of harvest & well over 14,000 plots, the last of the cereals plots at Balgonie are harvested. The end is definitely in sight for the trials team, who have made the most of the remarkably kind weather.” 🌞

It’s going to be a late one as the combines move back into the last blocks of spring barley in Fife 🌝

The heat may well be getting to some of the team as they spend a glorious Sunday clearing the last of the wheat and barley plots in the north ☀️🌾😎

Winter wheat being cut in Aberdeenshire at 15/16%, before the team rolls into our Ellon spring barley site. A productive week! 😎

Dust flying in perfect conditions, as the last of the wheat in Perthshire is cut.🌾

While 2 combines cut spring barley in Easter Ross and another 2 start wheat in Perthshire, another team deals with the samples and the data from the plots cut over the preceding days. ☀️🌾☀️

After 20 years with us, today is Laura’s last day. Most of the trials team gathered to say goodbye this morning. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication Laura. You will be missed by all at Scottish Agronomy.

It’s a productive Sunday as the team aim to cut the last 1,500 plots of wheat in Fife in record time. Hard to believe it is only the tenth of August 🤔☀️

Job done at Gateside to get the first of the spring barley trial sites harvested. Wheat and spring barley both underway. Peas finished!!😁

Making a start to wheat harvest under threatening skies 🌾🤔

Very early sown oilseed rape are starting to emerge. Growers are advised to think carefully about the proximity to harvest 2025 OSR fields and the risk of flea beetle migrating from volunteers when the stubble is cultivated.

A field tea for the trials team, as good progress is made at the Fife oilseed rape trial.

As one harvest team clears winter barley in Aberdeenshire, another starts winter oilseed rape harvest in the Borders ☀️

We are delighted to announce that we have appointed Robin Barron to be Scottish Agronomy's Company Secretary. Robin has been involved in the arable sector and Scottish agriculture throughout his career and we are very much looking forward to progressing Scottish Agronomy with him.

Scottish Agronomy continuing to research PCN management on farm in Angus. Does the N rate affect the oil radish’s ability to reduce the PCN population? We have trialled 5 N rates from 0kg/ha up to 60kg/ha to answer this question. Want answers? Join www.scottishagronomy.co.uk

Good discussions at one of our Bean Variety Comparison Sites this morning with PGRO. Trade Agronomists, Seed Merchants, Growers and other interested parties were all in attendance. Some differences between the varieties but combine will be the real judge.

Harvest has begun for the trial sites, with the Borders Winter Barley being harvested to equal our earliest harvest date for the trial plots. 🌾

ARE YOU ORDERING SEED FOR NEXT YEAR? A hot topic of conversation in recent weeks has been the unexpected disease and at least half are showing extreme yellow rust symptoms. If you are still making decisions and haven't spoken to your agronomist yet, get in touch to discuss! #agronomy #croptrials

'EVENTS ON TODAY AND THURSDAY' Interested in growing beans? Register at the link below: Kingdom Farming, near Kirkaldy TODAY Wednesday 16th July - www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../scotland.... Scoughall Farm, North Berwick on Thursday 17th July - www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../scotland.... “

The jury's still out on whether this will be the earliest harvest we can all remember at Scottish Agronomy. If the weather co-operates, Douglas is hoping to start cutting in the Borders on Wednesday 16th this year. When is the earliest harvest you remember? Will this year be earlier still?

studio.youtube.com/video/B0MskA... We recently opened our Scottish Agronomy trials plots at Balgonie in Fife to our farmer members and trade associates to showcase this season’s findings. It was great to see all those who came and thank you (we know it was for more than just the BBQ!).

With slower harvest movement expected, there’s a good chance malting barley will be in storage longer than usual this season. So, hope for the best and plan for the worst. Looking after your grain now will help protect premiums later. #MaltingBarley #Harvest2025

Ladybirds providing IPM in the WOSR controlling Mealy Cabbage Aphids. 🐞

This month we say a fond farewell to our long-standing colleague and Company Secretary, George Lawrie, as he heads off into retirement after 30 yrs and is going to be greatly missed A huge thank you so much George from all of us, without you keeping us right, we would not be the business we are.