Farming with wide row spacing marks a clear break with conventional cultivation methods. Crops are more loosely spaced, receive more light and air, and at the same time, the challenges of weed control and nutrient supply shift significantly in favour of active management by the farmer. When properly adjusted, from sowing technology to variety selection, this system can stabilise or even improve yield and quality, but misjudgements quickly lead to patchy crops, lower yields and highly fluctuating quality parameters. Weed control needs to be rethought because more open soil surface means higher weed pressure. The interaction between herbicides and mechanical methods must be adapted. Undersown crops play a central role here, using the additional space in the wide rows to cover the soil, limit erosion, retain water in the system, promote crumb structure and create habitat for beneficial organisms. At the same time, they must not compete with the main crop for light, water or nutrients, otherwise problems will arise in terms of yield, stability and harvestability. ‘Wide-row farming’ thus stands for future-oriented, climate-adapted and resource-saving production systems, but requires a high level of attention, continuous crop monitoring and a willingness to fundamentally rethink familiar routines in crop production