Inside the Pod

In this episode of Inside the Pod, host Ben Pike sits down with pulses trader James Ormerod from Bunge UK to unpack the current dynamics shaping the UK pulse market. James offers a trader's view of supply and demand, exploring how policy, global competition, and shifting domestic priorities are influencing bean and pea prices.UK bean production has halved in recent years, falling from around 800,000 tonnes to nearer 400,000 tonnes. James attributes much of this decline to SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive) payments, which have encouraged growers to take land out of production for guaranteed returns. Although Defra's latest figures suggest a slight recovery in area, the long-term trend remains downward — a concern for both traders and processors.James also discusses how competing protein sources such as soya and rapeseed meal are setting a tough benchmark for beans in feed markets, while export demand has weakened. Still, there are bright spots: the UK's fish feed sector and poultry market continue to provide strong outlets, and the nation's reputation for producing high-quality feed beans remains solid.Despite short-term uncertainty, James remains hopeful that renewed policy focus on homegrown protein and sustainable cropping could help pulses reclaim their place in British agriculture — vital for food security, soil health, and reducing reliance on imported soya.For more information read the latest PGRO Pulse Market Update for September/October 2025 (pgro.org). Pea Bruchid is still a hot topic at the moment, and PGRO is still urging growers to remain vigilant and report any signs of infestation. For more information about Pea Bruchid you can listen to this episode of Inside the Pod featuring Dr Becky Howard at https://open.spotify.com/episode/7pTmSTMK7oldn4cg6ISL7e?si=B2VjTE0XQEq5IgvTxEJWsg

In this episode of Inside the Pod from the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO), host Ben Pike is joined by Dr. Becky Howard from PGRO and Joe Martin from Corteva Agriscience to discuss responsible use of propyzamide, the active ingredient in Kerb® and Kerb® Flo, a key herbicide for grassweed control in winter beans.Becky and Joe explain why propyzamide remains a crucial tool for managing resistant blackgrass and other grass and broadleaf weeds, thanks to its unique mode of action and effectiveness in cooler, moist soils. However, they also stress that increasing environmental scrutiny, particularly around water contamination risks, means good stewardship is essential to keep this vital active available.The conversation covers best practice for application timing (typically late October to December), field selection, and measures to reduce runoff, such as avoiding waterlogged soils, minimizing compaction, and maintaining buffer zones near watercourses. Joe highlights Corteva's stewardship initiatives, including collaboration with water companies and grower support through the Kerb Weather Data app and online CPD training resources.Listeners are encouraged to visit corteva.co.uk/propyzamide for stewardship advice and weather guidance to ensure safe and effective use of propyzamide this drilling season.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Emily Scaife speaks to John McArthur, Managing Director at McArthur BDC, about his involvement in the NCS Project.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Ben Pike speaks to Dr Becky Howard about the recent confirmation of the presence of pea bruchid in a UK-grown commercial pea crop for the first time.Ben and Becky discuss what to look out for, how to prevent infestation, and what to do should pea bruchid be found in your crop.For more information about the recent pea bruchid discovery, you can read the recent press release at https://www.pgro.org/first-occurrence-of-pea-bruchid-in-uk-commercial-crop-confirmed/For more details on the life cycle of the pea bruchid, read pages 8 and 9 of the Summer 2023 edition of The Pulse Magazine at https://www.pgro.org/downloads/summer-Pulse-2023.pdfAn assessment of risk to UK pea production was produced by PGRO for the HDC Factsheet, which can be read at https://www.pgro.org/downloads/PeabruchidanassessmentofrisktoUKpeaproduction.pdf

In this extended episode of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster and Emily Scaife speak to PGRO's experts from the 2025 Pulse Open Day, discussing the various crops, projects and trials on show including the NCS Project, the Descriptive List, Lentils, Lupins, and more.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster and Emily Scaife speak to Simon Jackson, Field Technical Manager at Syngenta, about the company's work in developing biostimulants for the pulse market.

The latest Pulse Market Update from the Processors and Growers Research Organisation.

In this extended episode of Inside the Pod, we speak to the PGRO team from their stand at the 2025 Cereals, speaking to Pulse Pioneer Bryony Graham about her involvement in the NCS Project, Erin Matlock gives her top tips to those who are either growing pulses for the first time or getting back to pulses after a long time away, and Roger Vickers and Dr. Chris Judge talk us through the PGRO stand and trial plots on show at Cereals.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Ben Pike and Emily Scaife speak to Tom Astill, Market Development Representative from Bayer, and Dr Becky Howard from PGRO about Bayer's work on crop protection and insecticides for pulse crops, including their newest product, Sivanto Prime.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Ben Pike and Emily Scaife are joined by Iain Ford, Business Development Manager for Agricultural Solutions at BASF to discuss the newly released Pea Growth Guide, helping growers with the best ways to get the best out of their peas.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, we take a look at the latest pulse market update for April 2025.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, we take a look at the latest Pulse Market Update for March 2025, in which the UK's pulse markets have continued to be quiet since the turn of the year, and overall export demand has been much lower since the last harvest.

In this Supply Chain Focus edition of Inside the Pod, we speak to Mark Herriman, Head of Sales and Corporate Operations at PheroSyn, a start-up company spun out of Rothamsted Research supporting a new method of pest control in crops - pheromone-based monitoring, with the aim of reducing pesticide use in agriculture.

In this extended episode of Inside the Pod, we take a look at the From Soya to Sustainability conference held in January by the NCS Project partners.Ben Pike speaks to a variety of speakers and attendees from the conference, including Philip Lymbery from Compassion in World Farming, Gemma Hoskins from Mighty Earth, and Pulse Pioneers John Seed and Rob Waterston, plus more, about the importance of home grown pulses in replacing imported soya and creating a more sustainable food system.

In this extended episode of Inside the Pod, we look at the 2025 Descriptive List for Pulses which was unveiled by PGRO at CropTec 2024.We speak to PGRO Chief Technical Officer Dr Chris Judge who talks us through what's new on the list, as well as representatives from two of the breeders who have varieties on this year's list, Heather Oldfield from Limagrain and Michael Shuldham from NPZ.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Ben Pike takes a look at the highlights from this year's Pea and Bean Conference, run by the British Growers Association, which took place in Lincolnshire earlier this month.It was a full day with speakers such as Simon Conway from Horticulture Crop Protection Ltd, Sam Trevey, the Fresh Produce Technical Manager from Red Tractor, the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network, and Hatch PR, who are behind the Yes Peas campaign, all speaking at the event.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, we speak to Agrii Agronomist Todd Jex who has recently achieved a bean crop yield of over 8-tonnes per hectare on one of his farms, an exciting development that we want to get to the bottom of.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, we take a look at the Pulse Market Update for October 2024, with guest pulse trader Andy Bury from Frontier Agriculture giving his views on the latest market movements.

In this bitesized episode of Inside the Pod, Ben Pike looks at the latest Pulse Market Update for September 2024, looking at the latest market trends and the outlooks for the rest of the year and into next year for pulse crops.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster speaks to PGRO Technical Officer Will Evans who leads PGRO's research on lentils, looking at how viable lentil growth is in the UK and the benefits of growing them.

In this episode of the Inside the Pod, Keith Costello returns to the podcast to give his outlook and advice on the harvesting period for peas, drawing on what he's seen from fields all over the country and over fifty years of knowledge and experience.

In this Supply Chain Focus edition of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster speaks to Anna-Sophie Deetjen, co-founder of Morrow, a company who's venture into a pulse-based coffee is looking to secure the future of coffee and save the environment.

In this Supply Chain Focus edition of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster speaks to Emily Williams, Managing Director of Novo Farina, about their company - the only UK manufacturer with the capabilities to develop extruded, texturised pea protein using only yellow peas.

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster visits the PGRO's Vining Pea Open Day and speaks to Dr Chris Judge about the day and the trials that are being conducted at the site.

In this special episode of Inside the Pod, Ben Pike speaks to a variety of guests who have all had significant involvement in the NCS Project - PGRO CEO Roger Vickers, Dr Becky Howard, BOFIN founder Tom Allen-Stevens, and Michael Carpenter from Kelvin Cave.This episode takes a look back at the NCS Project one year on from its launch, looking at the developments we've seen with the project in the last year, but also looking ahead to the project's future.

In this episode, Emily Scaife speaks to Dr Vincenzo Di Bari, Assistant Professor in Food and Processing at the University of Nottingham, and Cesar Torres, Founder and CEO of The Good Pulse Company, about their alternative protein research exploring using peas to make sustainable plant-based cheese.

In this episode, Ben Pike speaks to Dr. Charlotte White, Senior Research Scientist at ADAS, about the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) and how growers can use the YEN to analyse their crops and get the best yield from them.

In this episode, we speak to pea expert Keith Costello, who looks to the season ahead and advises growers on how to get the best our of their pea crops, speaking from 50 years of experience in the industry.

In this episode, PGRO Data Scientist Leah Howells talks about PGRO's new Vining Pea Tool, a new way to forecast harvest dates and yields of vining pea crops using a combination of historic data, weather data, and powerful machine learning.

In this bitesized episode of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster and Emily Scaife look at the latest issue of The Pulse Magazine, which is available to read either online at pgro.org or physically via an insert in the latest CPM Magazine.

In 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.

In this episode, Ben Pike discusses the latest Pulse Market Update and give the latest updates and advice for planting your crops for 2024.

In this episode, Ben Pike speaks to Stephen Francis, the Managing Director of Fen Peas, with Emily Boswell and Ruby Mortimer from Hatch PR about the Yes Peas! campaign and its mission to encourage more people across the UK to eat frozen peas.

In this episode, Emily Scaife speaks to the founder of BOFIN, Tom Allen-Stevens, and Tom Wilkinson from ADAS about the launch of the PulsePEP and the Farming Forum, as well as Dr Becky Howard from PGRO who gives us the latest updates on the NCS Project.

Dr Chris Judge talks us through the 2024 Descriptive List and all the latest pea and bean varieties that have been added to the expanded list.

Roger Vickers and Stephen Belcher discuss the latest Pulse Market Update and give the latest updates and advice for planting your crops for the new season.

In this episode, Emily Scaife speaks to Oxfordshire-based farmer Ben Adams about his experiences with intercropping and the trials he has been running on his farm.

In this episode, Matt Webster speaks to Rebecca White, Portfolio Manager for Fungicides in Vegetable and Speciality Crop Protection for Syngenta, about the company's role in the pulse industry, it's relationship with pulse producers across the UK, and their goals towards sustainability.

In this episode, Emily Scaife speaks to Liz Bowles, the Chief Executive Officer of Farm Carbon Toolkit, a company who are committed to supporting farmers and organisations to understand and take action on their farm's carbon emissions.

In this episode, host Ben Pike speaks to the CEO of PGRO, Roger Vickers, and the founder of BOFIN, Tom Allen-Stevens, about the Nitrogen Climate Smart Project, what it is and why farmers should get involved. How do we increase the pulse area to reduce carbon emissions and displace soya imports?

In this episode, Matt Webster speaks with PGRO's Principle Technical Officer Stephen Belcher about the PGRO's Intercropping trials, as well as speaking to Dr Becky Howard about Trap Cropping, and Shona Duffy about lentil growth in the UK.

In the podcast's first episode, our host Ben Pike spoke to Dr Chris Judge, PGRO's Senior Technical Officer, at the PGRO's Vining Pea Open Day in June, where he talked us through the various trials that were taking place involving vining peas and the PGRO's Descriptive List.