KWS are offering a 50:50 oilseed rape risk mitigation scheme in which growers will only pay half of their seed costs if the crop fails to establish in autumn 2020, according to the latest announcement from the firm.

KWS are offering a 50:50 oilseed rape risk mitigation scheme in which growers will only pay half of their seed costs if the crop fails to establish in autumn 2020, according to the latest announcement from the firm.

The scheme builds on KWS’ oilseed establishment partnership (OEP) launched last year and is designed to give farmers the confidence to continue growing the crop, says  OSR manager Julie Goult.

“It’s a statement of our belief in KWS varieties and also the increasing knowledge building up on how to give oilseed rape crops the best possible start.

“Nobody is negating the very real problems many growers face in parts of the country but equally we know there are a significant number of farmers out there that recognise OSR is still the best break crop option they have.

“We want to give these growers as much support as we can and work through the distributor trade to provide them with access to the most cost-effective genetics and the latest knowledge on crop establishment.”

The partnership will be available nationwide through a network of 12 merchants and seed suppliers with different variety options, she explains.

“Essentially, growers will pay 50% of their OSR costs up front and the second half of the payment will be waived if their crop does not establish.

“In effect, we are sharing the risk of growing the crop by going halves with growers in recognition of the challenging issues we all face around the continuing production of OSR in the UK.

“But we have all learned a lot in recent years about management factors such as drilling date, seedbed preparation and soil moisture content and the role they play in getting OSR away safely in the autumn, so there is hope.

“OEP is our way of encouraging people to not lose faith in the crop, keep learning about how to grow it successfully with regard to their own farming situation and share expertise around this.”

Farmers signing up for the scheme will also have access to the KWS OEP knowledge network featuring email updates and other advice.