PGRO

The Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) was launched in 2012 to support and energise on-farm learning-by-sharing and thus to enhance farming progress.

Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Arable Cropping Systems (NCS) is a four-year £5.9M ambitious research programme involving 200 UK farms and 18 partners. The project is funded by the Defra Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK. The consortium of UK companies, research institutes and farmer networks, led by PGRO, aims to bring about a reduction of 1.5Mt CO₂e per annum or 54% of the maximum potential for UK Agriculture. This will be achieved by increasing pulse and legume cropping in arable rotations to 20% across the UK (currently 5%). In addition, 50% of imported soya meal used in livestock rations will be replaced with home-grown feeds.  Both of these ambitious aims will be steered by science and proven by real farm enterprises, with significant benefits for both crop and livestock productivity, including cost savings of over £1bn/yr.

Farmers taking part in and getting paid for on-farm trials as part of the NCS Project.

The IPMNET (Integrated Pest Management Network) initiative aims to improve the practical understanding and application of IPM (for pests, weeds and diseases) for farmers,  and inform policy design promoting IPM strategies. 

As part of the NCS Pulse PEP project we've created an experiment that will allow the value of beans to the following wheat crop to be quantified, and also to see the effect of polyhalite on both beans and wheat, this year and next.

Roger Sylvester-Bradley      Tuesday 31st January 2023   It’s news across the world – the biggest wheat crop ever grown, yielding 18 tonnes of grain per hectare! This is fantastic, and laudable in all respects, but it’s no accident.    

The IPM Network pilot year kick-off meeting was held in February 2024. We were joined by a range of stakeholders to share IPM experiences, and tap into the expertise of speakers and demonstrate the value of networks for knowledge exchange.  

Understanding how to drive performance of pea crops, by sharing measurements, experiences and ideas

PGRO have conducted trials testing a range of biostimulants on spring beans, vining peas and combining peas in seasons from 2018 to 2021.

Following the TRUE and LegValue EU projects this LinkedIn group with over 100 members continues to share resources for those interested in legume crops,

Create IPM plans for your farm

ANSWERS is an initiative led by NPZ with partners Yara, PGRO and the University of Lincoln, working with farmers and funded by Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme in partnership with UKRI. The project aims to resolve the gaps in knowledge about field bean nutrition by: Creating new research to develop practical nutrition plans to enhance nodule activity and nitrogen fixation, productivity, yield stability, protein content and climate resilience. Developing new selection methods to accelerate UK-grown field beans. Demonstrating profitable and sustainable net zero UK plant protein production supply chains.

Understanding and improving bean yields by sharing measures and ideas  

YEN      Friday 3rd January 2023   Russ McKenzie awarded YEN's Innovator of the Year in 2022 at the 10th Anniversary YEN Conference.

Sarah Clarke      Friday 3rd January 2023   Excellent grain quality as well as high yields were celebrated at the YEN 10th Anniversary Conference, with the Milling Quality Awards sponsored by UK Flour Millers. All UK Group 1 milling wheat entries were eligible for this competition, a total of 20 for 2022.

Though peas and beans have long been a trusted part of cropping rotations, it is perhaps only recently that the scope and value of their potential is being realised.

Welcome to the new PGRO Pulse Descriptive Lists for 2024.

Join us for the third (and final) Cheltenham Monitor Farm meeting of Winter 2023/24. 

Perhaps due to lower cropping area, resources for fundamental research of peas in the UK has lagged behind that of the major crops. This means that whilst we have fantastic agronomy guides from PGRO, some of the things we take for granted for the major crops such as crop development growth benchmarks don’t exist for pulses. In 2016 an enthusiastic group of growers and industry sponsors, steered by ADAS and PGRO, stepped in to help bridge this gap for combining peas with a participatory network approach.

Farmers working with scientists to achieve the best from pulse crops and reduce their carbon emissions.

Welcome to the new PGRO Pulse Descriptive Lists for 2023. 

The bean YEN (Yield Enhancement Network) was started in 2019 as a partnership between ADAS and PGRO, and a group of enthusiastic growers and the support of sponsors including key developmental finding from NPZ UK (formerly known as LSPB). Perhaps due to lower cropping area, resources for fundamental research of beans in the UK has lagged behind that of the major crops. This means that whilst we have fantastic agronomy guides from PGRO, some of the things we take for granted for the major crops such as crop development growth benchmarks don’t exist for pulses. The bean YEN exists to help bridge this gap and connect growers, industry and research in a participatory network approach to help enhance yields on farm. 

Pea moth is one of the most damaging pea pests in this country and in Europe.

Vining peas are vulnerable to poor soil conditions and soil borne pathogens. Cover crops can be used to improve soil structure and health.

The management of bean seed fly has been causing considerable concern for growers over the last few years.

To grow pulses successfully growers and their advisors need access to sound information and expert agronomic advice.

PGRO Chief Executive Roger Vickers talks us through one of PGRO's intercropping trial plots.

This landmark conference (January 22, 2025) will explore innovative strategies to increase pulse production and use in livestock diets. Register HERE

An update from the Allerton Project at the end of year one of our bi-cropping trial 

Today we’re going to be talking with Lucy Cottingham, Agrii UK digital agronomy development manager, Steve Portas agronomist and Northern technical advisor and Josh Murphy, RHIZA product manager.  Agriculture is a very significant emitter of CO2 and today we are going to be talking about an innovative project called Nitrogen Climate Smart, which aims to bring about a reduction of 1.5mt of CO2 emissions per annum. The aim is to increase pulse and legume crops in arable cropping to 20%, the benefits of which to both arable and livestock enterprises could lead to cost savings over £1m per year. Let’s learn more about this innovative project and what it could mean for your farm business.

n this episode, Ben Pike speaks to Tom Allen-Stevens, the founder of BOFIN, about the latest updates of the NCS Project. Ben also speaks to one of the project's Pulse Pioneers, Will Oliver, about his experience being a part of the NCS Project.

The main PGRO variety evaluation trial will be open for tours. PGRO staff will be on site to provide explanations of the trialling process, variety descriptions, and the latest applied research as well as thoughts and advise on crop agronomy.

Pea growers have a new, free resource at their fingertips, thanks to a collaboration between ADAS, BASF, and the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO).

Come join PGRO and Scottish Agronomy near Kirkaldy for an exciting morning of looking at 4 different bean varieties, one of which is a spring type, planted in the autumn. This is your opportunity to view how beans perform in the region and bring questions on general bean agronomics. This project & field lab has been funded through Innovative Farmers.

Come join PGRO and Scottish Agronomy in North Berwick for an exciting morning of looking at 4 different bean varieties, one of which is a spring type, planted in the autumn. This is your opportunity to view how beans perform in the region and bring questions on general bean agronomics. This project & field lab has been funded through Innovative Farmers.

This webinar presents practical, technical insights from Year 1 of the Scotland Bean Variety Trial, with a focus on crop performance under Scottish conditions. Aimed at farmers and agronomists, the session will explore establishment, variety responses, seasonal challenges, and yield outcomes, linking trial data to on-farm decision making.

PGRO, Thornhaugh, Peterborough

Using beans to rebuild rotational performance after stewardship.

Can home-grown faba beans substitute soya in the broiler ration?

How is broiler performance affected when soya is partially replaced by faba beans?