Since the most recent reform of the EU sugar regime in 2006, lower beet prices have put the spotlight on the need to maximise output. But with many arable farmers struggling to manage larger areas of land in pursuit of greater economies of scale, it puts ever-more pressure on the sprayer –– especially with our often-unreliable climate.

For that reason, many growers could benefit by reviewing their weed control tactics to ease the logistical pressures, as well as improving the crop’s bottom-line contribution, believes Mike May of Broom’s Barn. He identifies the three baseline weed control programmes as Basic, FAR and Flexible, and believes these are the easiest to define in terms of the target weed growth stage, number of spray applications typically required and product make-up.

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