Growing Kent & Medway has awarded a share of over £1.6M to 13 businesses to fund projects that will sustainably transform the horticultural and plant-based food and drink supply chain.

Growers are being reminded to review farm insurance policies amid a much-improved crop for top fruit this season, alongside an expected increase in value.

A new collaboration between the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) and the University of Worcester is looking at how grape growers might be able to make green wine – in terms of its environmental impact, that is.

2023 brought a dull July with low light levels, high rainfall and low temperatures, so this year’s grape harvest will almost certainly be a low-sugar and late one. This will increase the risk of fungal diseases such as downy mildew and grey mould, which can be difficult to manage. Two of Hutchinsons’ senior agronomists, viticulture lead Chris Cooper and horticultural agronomist Rob Saunders, review the options open to growers to manage these challenging pathogens.

Wineries, on a day-to-day basis, are focused on their core purpose for being in business: making an exceptional bottle of wine. To this end, they have all the best systems needed already in place. They have an excellent approach to vineyard management, a sound selection process for raw materials and modern production management systems for producing that good bottle of wine. However, what happens once the wine is made and bottled?

With the UK’s climate shifting towards more extreme weather, growing blackcurrants is becoming increasingly challenging for sixth-generation farmer Nick Overy, whose family has been producing the crop under contract with Ribena for 30 years.

Within wineries there are numerous health and safety hazards that require careful management to protect staff and minimise the risk of injury. Following the recent tragic death of Italian winemaker Marco Bettolini, who was overcome by toxic fumes while attempting to rescue a colleague, Fruit & Vine spoke to Defined Wine CEO Henry Sugden who offered some advice.

Brother-and-sister team, Catherine and James Scarff are fourth-generation farmers, who have successfully diversified part of their arable acreage into a successful vineyard with a stunning tasting room; and they have even bigger ideas for the future.

Ian Evans, co-owner of Copdock Hall Vineyard in Ipswich, spoke at the recent Autumn Farming Conference to share the highs and lows of running a boutique vineyard and wedding venue.

British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL), the UK top fruit grower association, has named Aldi as its 2023 apple retailer of the year.

Vineyards have been confirmed as being in the top two of the fastest-growing agricultural crop sectors in England, according to recent statistics reported within Defra’s Agricultural and Horticultural Survey.

The #GetFairAboutFarming campaign has seen over 60,000 people sign a petition to the government, but campaigners say the silence from major supermarkets has been “deafening”.