A new business partnership aims to give farmers in the North-East and Yorkshire access to the latest technological advances in arable and grassland farming.

Farmway's Eastern regional sales manager John Close, left, checks on the growth stage of a crop of Savannah wheat with Nick Mudd, Territorial Manager for Profarma

The alliance is between Farmway, the farmer-owned co-operative in the North, and agronomy specialists Profarma Ltd, with depots in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, and Morpeth, Northumberland.Farmway and Profarma want to ensure new developments can be quickly translated into practice.

As a result of the link-up, all Farmway's members and customers will not only have access to the latest satellite mapping techniques and more than 600 crop protection chemicals, but will also have speedy access to techniques such as satellite mapping of crops.

Farmway's chief executive David Loane said: "This will allow Farmway to provide its members and customers with first-class, unbiased advice on crop protection products to maximise the profits they make on their farms.

"I am confident this new arrangement will give Farmway customers the highest level of technical information, supported by access to the newest technology, to support their farm business in the future."

Although products will continue to be available for collection from local Farmway depots, customers requiring on-farm delivery will be served, on Farmway's behalf, from the nearest Profarma distribution centre.

"Through this arrangement we anticipate providing customers with a much-improved and extremely efficient delivery service. Our target is that all orders placed by 3pm will be delivered on-farm on the next working day," said Mr Loane.

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