Integrated Farming

The IPM-Net Knowledge Exchange Network recently held a kick-off meeting at Nottingham Trent University Brackenhurst Campus.     The IPM NET Kick-off brought together a mixture of farmers, advisors, scientists and industry representatives to talk about the opportunities and challenges of developing an IPM knowledge exchange network.

This guidance provides instructions on how to gather IPMNET in-field observation data. By collecting observations in a consistent way, you will be able to make meaningful comparisons within and between fields across the IPM network.   Download the guidance at the bottom of this page to find out more!                          Please click here to share pest and disease information about your field(s).

Our PulsePEP trial will evaluate the novel method of bi-cropping spring peas, spring oats and spring beans in a rotation, looking at the impact on available nitrogen (N) in the following crop.  It will also evaluate the environmental benefits of including pulses in a rotation, by measuring greenhouse gas emissions, particularly nitrous oxide (N2O), over the course of the experiment. 

AHDB Guide from 2021 incorporating WRAG guidelines. Weed control is vital for high yields of good-quality crops and to prevent the spread of pests and diseases, e.g. ergot. Yet with fewer active ingredients, a need to protect water and manage herbicide resistance, the weed challenge must be managed across the rotation.

We are establishing a network of farms to share knowledge and data on the application and impact of IPM strategies with the aim to better understand the effectiveness of IPM approaches on farm yield and profitability, and support sustainable, productive systems with no pesticide inputs wasted. We’ve had some initial funding from Defra to design the network, and now we are moving into a pilot phase.   

Using the predatory mite Typhlodromus pyri can be a successful biological control solution for these sucking pests.

Docks are perennial weeds that compete with forages of nutritional importance for livestock production.

Open Farm Sun­day, 9th June 2024 is farm­ing’s annu­al open day giv­ing vis­i­tors the oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn more about farm­ing and the coun­try­side, and farm­ers the chance to talk about what they’re so proud of: British food and farming!

Healthy soils are important for the future of crop production in Europe and healthy crop rotations are a pre-requisite to maintain, improve or restore soil health. Nematodes and soil-borne pathogens are causing a threat to soil health. The decision support tools developed by the EU thematic network Best4Soil help the sustainable control of these threats.

The IPMWORKS e-learning modules have been prepared based on successful experiences within the project network, including technical aspects of IPM strategies, farm performance or co-innovation and method for farm hub coaching, targeting both farmers and advisers.

"An essential guide offering practical tips and approaches for farmers to adopt as they look for better and more sustainable ways to protect their crops."

A Practical Manual

A series of case study booklets compiled through the IPM Works project.

This manual provides an in-depth review of the applications of crop rotation-including improving soil quality and health, and managing pests, diseases, and weeds.

These documents are designed for use by growers and agronomists in Europe to inform them on smart technologies and methodologies available to them for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions in open-field and greenhouse systems.

Beef cattle in the arable rotation has many benefits to both beef and arable producers. But what are the costs and margins involved?

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a holistic whole-farm approach to help mitigate the likelihood of pest, weed and disease pressure in a farming system. (Agricology)

This 16-page bulletin helps producers—and the educators who work with them—use ecological principles to design farm-wide approaches to control pests.

This new, practical manual with expert guidance, outlines six simple steps to identifying, assessing, and managing ash dieback.

Several diseases affect oilseed rape. However, it is possible to suppress the risk of economic damage by combining non-chemical and chemical approaches.

This guide for fresh produce growers explains how you can increase crop utilisation and profitability through measuring food waste in five simple steps.

Intercropping, sometimes known as polycropping, is the practice of growing two or more plant species simultaneously in the same field. 

In the context of ever-growing demand for food and associated concerns regarding the environmental impacts of high-input agricultural systems, there is growing interest in mixed farm enterprises to deliver greater sustainability compared with mono-enterprise production systems. 

Published in 1999, this report forms part of the work associated with the Integrated Farming systems (IFS) project (1992-1998). The aim of the study was to determine whether there is any difference between the riskiness of IFS and conventional systems in terms of spring spraying opportunities and its effects on production and the environment.. Herbicides were chosen as the 'role model'. The study looks at spraying opportunities and requirements at IFS sites (Hampshire, Cambridgeshire x 2, Herefordshire, Yorkshire and Midlothian. It seeks to apply the rotations to 2 different sized farms of 200 and 350 hectares and finally looks at the risk implications of each situation.