Celebrating ‘yields against the odds’ was central to ADAS’ annual YEN conference and award presentation, which took place this week.

The key role of nutrition in helping to navigate the new normal of climate challenges was also highlighted, with the theme of the conference being the quest for nutritional excellence.

2024 Harvest

Professor Roger Sylvester-Bradley, director and founder of the YEN (Yield Enhancement Network), commented that last season probably won’t be remembered fondly by most growers. “It’s a real testament to the best cereal, pulse and oilseed growers involved in YEN that so many have managed to achieve very good yields in 2024 despite the difficult conditions.”

He added that the bank of yield data collected during the past 12 years of YEN shows consistent farm-to-farm differences and explains how the best growers do so well. “Excellence in crop nutrition is evident in farms that measure the nutrients they harvest, as well as their yields – ‘measure to manage’ should be every grower’s maxim.

“If challenging years like 2024 are to become our new normal, we must figure out how to adjust and adapt what we’re doing. All the farmers involved in YEN understand that farming is a continual learning process – without taking an objective look at our performance, we can’t hope to move forward.”

According to Roger, by benchmarking against peers, the farmers in YEN are identifying the challenges that others can’t see. “This is particularly true when it comes to crop nutrition where, by measuring harvested nutrients, YEN data repeatedly identifies differences between farms that would otherwise remain unseen and unknown.”

Harvest analysis

ADAS’ Dr Sarah Kendall added that YEN’s discovery of harvest analysis can transform crop nutrition management. “Our work in YEN has gone on to enable the formation of a European wide thematic network called ‘NUTRI-CHECK NET’ which is now promoting YEN’s ‘measure to manage’ approach to crop nutrition all across Europe.

“We also plan on working in closer collaboration with the North American YENs in 2025 which should enable UK farms to compare with and learn from their counterparts overseas.”  

YEN award winners

Awards from Harvest 2024 are as follows:  

Cereal

Cereal yield  

  • GOLD: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire,          15.6 t/ha 
  • SILVER: David Passmore of Oxfordshire,    13.1 t/ha 

% of Potential cereal yield  

  • GOLD: Annabel Hamilton of Berwickshire, 82% of 14.7 t/ha 
  • SILVER: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire,       71% of 22.0 t/ha 

Yield in cereal trials  

  • GOLD: Freddie Grant of Essex, Sponsored by Hutchinsons           14.4 t/ha 

% of potential yield in cereal trials 

  • GOLD: Freddie Grant of Essex, Sponsored by Hutchinsons           71% of 17.6 t/ha 

Regional awards  

For the highest cereal yield  

  • Scotland: Annabel Hamilton of Berwickshire,         12.0 t/ha 
  • East Midlands: Dyson Farming of Lincolnshire,      12.6 t/ha 
  • East Anglia: Matt Fuller of Bedfordshire, Sponsored by Hutchinsons      9.6 t/ha 
  • South East: Richard Budd of Kent, Sponsored by BASF     12.1 t/ha 
  • Outside UK: Peter Rostgaard of Denmark,12.2 t/ha 

For the highest % of potential cereal yield                

  • Scotland: Annabel Hamilton of Berwickshire,         82% of 12.0 t/ha 
  • East Midlands: Dyson Farming of Lincolnshire, Independent entry           66% of 10.8 t/ha 
  • East Anglia: Matt Fuller of Bedfordshire, Sponsored by Hutchinsons      58% of 11.7 t/ha 
  • South East: Richard Budd of Kent, Sponsored by BASF     56% of 12.1 t/ha 
  • Outside UK: Rainer Leidik of Estonia,            57% of 10.1 t/ha 

Oats

Oat yield

  • GOLD: Mark Popplewell of Lincolnshire,     11.46 t/ha 

% of potential oat yield  

  • GOLD: Simon Budden of Hampshire,           64% of 13.5 t/ha 

Barley

Winter barley yield  

  • GOLD: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire,          14.6 t/ha 

% of potential winter barley yield 

  • GOLD: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire,          66% of 22.0 t/ha 

Spring barley yield  

  • GOLD: Tim Lamyman of Lincolnshire,          12.9 t/ha 

% of potential spring barley yield  

  • GOLD: Simon Budden of Hampshire,           78% of 14.3 t/ha 

Oilseed 

Oilseed yield (gross output)  

  • GOLD: Richard Budd of Kent, Sponsored byYARA         7.6 t/ha 
  • SILVER: Lars Riis of Søgaard,             6.4 t/ha 

% of potential oilseed yield  

  • GOLD: Richard Budd of Kent, Sponsored by YARA               55% of 13.7 t/ha 
  • SILVER: Lars Riis of Søgaard,             51% of 12.6 t/ha 

Pea 

Pea quality  

  • GOLD: Martin Stuffins of Thorney     

Pea yield stability  

  • GOLD: David Passmore of Oxfordshire        9% deviation from an average yield of 4.4 t/ha 

Bean

Winter bean yield stability  

  • GOLD: Robert Wright of Suffolk        13% deviation from an average yield of 5.2 t/ha 

Spring bean yield stability  

  • GOLD: Guy Wakeham of Cambridgeshire     7% deviation from an average yield of 5.0 t/ha 

YEN also seeks to celebrate innovators through its YEN Innovator of the year award which was presented to David Fuller-Shapcott. David was commended for his innovative ideas and use of data and trials, for enhancing yield, nutrient management and crop sustainability.