We praise God for a glorious autumn, a welcome respite for farmers from the difficult weather conditions of recent months. As with many of our industries, farmers are frequently frustrated by regulations, many of which are sensible and beneficial, but some less so. The recent removal of access to certain seed dressings and spray chemicals has seriously reduced the armoury of crop protection available to the agronomist, resulting in reduced yields or fields having to be re-sown. The chemical alternatives to the banned products might actually prove to be more harmful to the environment.