We have seen an increase in IF for 2016 at 1.291 compared with 1.103 for 2015. The number of articles published continues on an upward trend at 206, also with an increase in the number of citations at 266 which is the second highest during the last 10 years. These positive data are also reflected in an increase in the number of papers submitted which, at mid-December 2017, reached over 600.

We and many other journals are facing both opportunities and challenges in the digital era, not least in the rapid increase in the social sharing of content to further our academic knowledge. Sharing is a necessary and important part of the research, and we want to support authors and readers to share content as responsibly as possible. Our public position can be found here: http://www.cambridge.org/core/services/open-access-policies/social-sharing

Our new sharing service, Cambridge Core Share, will allow anyone who has the right to view the full text of a journal article – be they authors, institutional subscribers or otherwise – to generate a URL link easily and quickly that can be shared publicly, including on social sharing sites. Anyone clicking on the link will be taken immediately to a read-only copy of the final published version of the article. Using this tool, Cambridge Core Share will enable people to share the published version of journal articles and we will be able to record usage of the shared articles, which is not possible with the sharing of PDFs as presently practised.

After a number of years of distinguished service and never-ending support to the Journal, Jim France, John Rooke and Rodney Edmondson have relinquished their positions on the Editorial Board. We are indebted to their excellent contribution to the Journal in recent years and wish them well for the future.

We also would like to give a warm welcome to Bhagirath Chauhan, Xiuliang Jin, Diego Rubiales, Vivek Kuttappan, Gonzalo Hervas, Luis Silva and Aduli Malau-Aduli who have joined us and now provide the Editorial Board with an ever-increasing geographical spread across the globe.

As always, we are indebted to our Editorial Board members and the many international reviewers who assist the Board by conducting detailed peer reviews. Without these willing volunteers, our task would be impossible and the continued success of the journal owes a lot to them. A list of those who have reviewed manuscripts for the Journal in 2017 is available from Cambridge Core as a supplementary file for this Editorial.

We look forward to another successful year in 2018 where we can continue to build upon the reputation that the Journal of Agricultural Science (Cambridge) has achieved over the last 110+ years.