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UK Yield Enhancement Network farmer shares lessons learned

A third-generation farmer from the United Kingdom says focusing on soil health and increased management has doubled his wheat yields.

Mark Stubbs tells Brownfield he credits his country’s Yield Enhancement Network, or YEN, for the results.

“It is 80 percent of weather factor and maybe 20 percent farm factor, so that 20 percent is important, but if you are not getting the correct 80 percent weather then you can’t always get the top yields,” he shares.

Farmers in the UK and Europe can enroll in several crop-specific YENs to network and share data with other growers to improve farm performance.

“I started to incorporate cover crops into things to try and improve my soil health, and then we introduced manure and cover crops,” he explains. “My organic matters have increased from zero to one to now 10 percent.”

Stubb has been a key supporter in the expansion of the Great Lakes YEN, which has been modeling the work of the UK program with farmers across the region and in Ontario.  

He says he enjoys connecting with farmers and learning from others about management decisions that increase yields.

Brownfield interviewed Stubb following the Michigan Wheat Program’s annual meeting, where he was a featured guest.