Arable Farming articles from August 2002

Arable Farming archives from August 2002

Dalgety Group confident it will return to profit in year 2003.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... Dalgety Group, the country's biggest supplier of arable and grassland farm inputs and marketer of grain and oilseeds, has told customers and suppliers it will return to profit in the next financial year following a restructuring which has cut...

Survey reveals widespread weed resistance.(farm herbicides)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... Farmers across the UK perceive that over twenty weed species are now showing resistance to a range of different herbicides, according to a survey conducted by the National Farm Research Unit (NFRU). The survey confirms black-grass as being...

Schemes cause rodent control requirements confusion.(farming)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Cheshire-based rodenticide specialist Sorex reports a marked increase in enquiries from farmers seeking to meet specifications set by assurance schemes as they prepare grain stores for harvest. The problem appears lie with the...

Diet deficient wheat.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... Research has revealed that selenium (Se) levels in British bread-making wheats are 10 to 50 fold lower than in their American or Canadian counterparts. Bread made from such wheat will not help consumers meet selenium intake levels recommended...

Bright business ideas.(cereal growers awards)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... Cereal growers are asked to look out for businesses with bright ideas that may qualify for an Enterprise Award from HGCA. The 2003 scheme opens on September 9th with the aim of boosting the cereal market by providing funding to develop new...

Pest beater.(nematode control on beans)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... NIAB has introduced the Quality Bean Seed Certificate, a new voluntary scheme to control the transmission of stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci) on bean seed. Stephen Flack, NIAB's pulse seed certification specialist said: "This pest has...

Potato clause caution.(rental farm land)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Potato growers should beware of good husbandry clauses before entering into new short-term rental agreements, warns agrochemical manufacturer Dow AgroSciences. Inclusion of specific clauses into farm business tenancies (FBT) are becoming...

FWAG's final three.(farm conservation awards)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... The three farms that have been awarded prizes in this year's FWAG Silver Lapwing Award for farm conservation are: Balliefurth Farm at Grantown-on-Spey, Cairngorms; Hopkins Farm, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton; and Ballington Manor Farm at Wylye,...

Weed beet increase.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... An aerial survey of the beet crop conducted by Broom's Barn on behalf of British Sugar has revealed that many crops have serious infestations of weed beet. Broom's Barn's Dr Keith Jaggard says these patches are very dense and large in too many...

Storm brewing over barley fields.(farm economics)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Golden fields of malting barley could soon be a rare sight in the East Anglian countryside unless farmers get a fairer deal, a Norfolk farmer has warned. Teddy Maufe of Branthill Farm near Wells says moves out of barley production are...

Return Surefill containers.(Syngenta)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... "Bring out your dead," urges Sue Lightfoot of Nemathorin manufacturer, Syngenta. Ms Lightfoot reminds growers to return their Surefill containers, so that they can be re-used next season. "The new containers proved extremely popular,...

Seed solution to market requirements?(potato research)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... British Potato Council-funded research underway at Cambridge University Farm is seeking to better understand the relationship between seed stock provenance and number of stems produced by seed tubers. Teresa Rush reports. The origin of...

Potential to cut back on aphicide inputs?(potato virus)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... Results from a British Potato Council-funded study into strategies for minimising virus infection in potato crops have placed a question mark over the need for the level of aphicide spraying undertaken in some seed crops. The study has also...

New independent variety testing programme at NIAB.(National Institute of Agricultural Biology)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... A new BPC-funded potato IVT programme got underway at NIAB earlier this year. NIAB is collaborating with the Scottish Agricultural College and Sutton Bridge Experimental Unit to assess the agronomic and quality characters of 37 first...

Cultivation influence on soil mineral N.(nitrogen)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... The relatively shallow cultivations used to establish potato crops doubles the mineralisation rate of nitrogen in soil, BPC-funded research has shown. The research was carried out at Cambridge University Farm as part of the first year of a...

New disease ratings in potato variety handbook.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 17, 2002... Ratings for skin spot, silver scurf, black dot and black scurf are included in the latest potato variety handbook following development of new tests for each of the diseases. The most striking differences between varieties have been for...

Get smart with desiccation.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Potato growers could achieve significant savings in potato desiccation costs, and help reduce their overall use of pesticides, if they adopt some of the new ideas in sequential treatments, according to potato agronomist Simon Bowen of Sutton...

Combination will counter weed threat.(Cultural and chemical)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Cultural and chemical control is the best form of defence against grass weeds this autumn, says BASF. Dominic Kilburn reports. With a 24 per cent increase in the area treated for grass weed control in the years 2001/02 over 1999/00, BASF's...

Ryegrass resistance.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Ryegrass is probably 10 years behind black-grass development in the UK, says Rothamsted Research's Dr Stephen Moss, but an over-dependence of fops and dims chemistry, regardless of whether or not it is used with other herbicides, is storing up...

Weed Wizard.(BASF web site)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... A wizard with weeds: Seen as an aid to growers and advisers for learning response on weed control issues, BASF has launched Weed Wizard on its agriCentre web site: www.agricentre.co.uk. The site includes a background on resistance,...

Slug Awareness Week.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... With Britain heading for its wettest summer for 40 years, the country's slug population is growing to record levels. 2002 is our third consecutive wet summer season providing another highly-conducive environment for slugs, one of the most...

Slug control - the cost benefits.(using slug pellets)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Thinking of shaving the slug pellet bill this season, then think again says Sands Agricultural Services' Les Sykes. "While slim arable margins are forcing growers to reduce inputs wherever possible, cutting back on slug pellets will be false...

Slug pellets - why choose metaldehyde?(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... A survey carried out at this year's Sprays and Sprayers event revealed that of those questioned 77 per cent had used metaldehyde slug pellets in the last year, so clearly there is considerable interest in the active ingredient. But what makes...

Slug trappings.(hardboard's the best material to use)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Best material Traps are an integral part of a good slug control strategy, and selecting the correct material is, apparently, critical to their success. Researchers at the University of Newcastle carried out a study to provide a `which...

The slug life cycle.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Slugs are hermaphrodites, so they're capable of reproducing on their own, although they tend to mate reciprocally. Eggs are laid in batches of between 10 and 70, mainly under the soil surface. The total number of eggs in one laying period can...

Volunteers die young.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Early competition from volunteer cereals is one of the greatest causes of yield loss in oilseed rape - the potential returns from cost effective control are huge. A weed population of just 80 volunteers per m2 can result in 20% yield loss,...

Blotchy leaves but still on track for big yields?(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Mysterious leaf blotching, and speculation that yields will plummet. What's been happening to Xi19? Alison Lea asks the breeder to explain. In its first commercial year Xi19 has caused a minor sensation by developing mysterious blotching...

Enhancing biodiversity with SAFFIE.(Sustainable Arable Farming for an Improved Environment)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... A major project is considering how to bring wildlife right back into the crop. Alison Lea reports. A large proportion of the arable landscape is unlikely to change from wide scale winter cropping, particularly wheat. Fact. It is...

Talking Arable with our Shropshire-based farmer Arthur Hill.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... 4TH AUGUST 2002 Harvesting has started here earlier than normal and, after the heat of the last few days, things are altering very fast. I went down to Fairford last weekend and was amazed how much barley the Cotswold boys had done....

Letter: RSPB `misleading' tactics are a hoot.(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2002... I am sure many others, as did I, thoroughly enjoyed Dr Avery's comedy letter in your 20th July issue. In it he accuses the evil Guy Smith of wickedly writing many 'misleading statements' concerning British birds. Back in April the...

Letter: UK has highly developed IT in ag.(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2002... With reference to your recent article `Farming in the information age' (Arable Farming July 20th). It is refreshing to see a farming publication once again showing interest in precision farming technologies. A few years ago when farming...

Letter: US fails to accept responsibility for world pollution.(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2002... Under Policy (AF 20 July) `More dollars for US farmers' by Robert Gooch, the very interesting and enlightening article states "The OECD looks at all types of support to agriculture in the developed world..." Is it possible to assess whether the...

Talking Arable with our North Lincolnshire-farmer Ambrose Fowler.
August 17, 2002... 31ST JULY 2002 So, the silly season and all that it entails is with us once again. Long dusty days, late nights, oily hands, awns everywhere (and I mean everywhere), stiff necks from looking down at the header and worst of all, nutters in...

Sowing operation not quite `trouble-free'.
August 17, 2002... Despite pipe problems on the 60' seeder our Aussie farmer/columnist Neil Unger, who farms 4300 acres at Cawdor, Parkes in New South Wales, gets his crops in the ground at the right time and in the right place. June 22nd and our shortest...

CULTIVATIONS: Soils under scrutiny.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Alison Lea joins ADAS soil specialist Paddy Johnson to look at soils on a Gloucestershire farm where drainage problems has prompted a completely new approach to soil management. I realised we had a problem when I saw pools of water lying on...

CULTIVATIONS: Wet harvest? Paddy Johnson's advice on soil management.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Following a wet harvest, it is even more important than usual to plan cultivations carefully. Above all, it means getting out in the field with a spade to examine soil structure. Not just topsoil - get right down to the subsoil. Look for signs...

CULTIVATIONS: Cultivation and variety choice key to establishing OSR.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Selecting an appropriate cultivation system is the key to achieving the most out of oilseed rape, says a Leicestershire farmer, but variety choice plays an important part in the establishment process. Basing oilseed rape establishment...

CULTIVATIONS: Switching systems to reduce fixed costs.(using the Rexius Twin)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Reducing fixed costs and extending the life of existing farm machinery without compromising output, is a strategy one Lincolnshire cereal farmer has adopted to boost economic performance across the whole enterprise. Switching from a power...

CULTIVATIONS: Tungsten tips prolong life of cultivator tines.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Cultivation equipment must be in top working order for vining pea seedbed preparation. Maximising crop performance depends on achieving good establishment. Tom Brooks and his wife June farm about 1200 acres on the Lincolnshire Wolds, so...

CULTIVATIONS: Weeding out the problems.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Ever seen rhododendrons thriving on limestone brash? Or rushes on free- draining land? Or black-grass on light, open soils? I thought not. If you're in a black-grass area you know where you're going to find it. In those wet holes that seem...

CULTIVATIONS: Straight in and up front.(using the Opico ShattaPress for seedbed preparation)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Working down freshly ploughed land with a new front-mounted system has simplified and speeded up seedbed preparation for a Shropshire farmer. Edward Green of Yew Tree Farm, Chorley, Bridgnorth farms 600 acres, two- thirds of which is...

CULTIVATIONS: Rollers with pivot tine option.(Dalbo's hydraulic-folding Cambridge rollers)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Dalbo's 6.3, 7.6 and 8.3m hydraulic-folding Cambridge rollers are now available in Culti-bar format as well as conventional. A choice of three ring weights on the 6.3m and two on the 7.6m and 8.3m models enables the correct weight to be...

CULTIVATIONS: Subsoil and cultivate in one.(from Spaldings)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Spaldings has launched a retro-fit cultivation tool bar to fit its Flatlift subsoiler.The addition of the tool bar when used in conjunction with a spiked packer roller, enables the Flatlift to perform a complete single pass soil conditioning...

CULTIVATIONS: Front-mounted without the weight.(from Flexi-coil)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 17, 2002... A front-mounted cultivator, offering full-width cultivation without the additional weight of full width cast rings or a packer roller, is available from Flexi-coil. The machine comprises two full width rows of depth-adjustable spring...

CULTIVATIONS: Artic' Agritrac takes to the field.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... The first articulated tractor to be fitted with the Stocks' Agritrac system on both axles, has recently started work on an East Anglian farm. Fitted to a pivot steer John Deere 9520, the tracks transmit up to 507hp to the ground while...

Talking Arable with our Suffolk-based farmer John Kerr.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... 2ND AUGUST 2002 Our harvesting group, now part of our over 20-year old sugar beet group and equipped with two combines where seven worked before, is up to schedule so far. Vining pea and potato harvesting continues day and night as...

False economy.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Price pressure is prompting farmers to cut back on agrochemicals, but it's false economy, warns Richard Williamson, farms director for Velcourt in the south west. Farmers have a habit of overdoing things. During the autumn of 2000 almost...

Colin Myram's CROP TALK: Slugging it out.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Colin Myram is an East Anglian-based consultant to the agricultural industry, including farmers and suppliers. All who have walked crops during the summer will have been aware of the large numbers of slugs seen high up on cereal crops on...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Meeting the grass weed challenge.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... With the unbelievably different autumns of 2000 and 2001 behind us, what are the main grass weed control challenges facing growers this season? And how should they cope with them given our increasingly unpredictable weather conditions? Edward...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Ryegrass rigours.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Keith Challen is in an unusual position as far as many growers' main grass weed - black-grass - is concerned. Thanks to a determined effort to reduce seed bank numbers through minimum tillage and stale seedbeds, black-grass has been all but...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Nozzle solution to hitting black-grass target.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Optimum herbicide timing for black-grass control in the autumn is the 1 to 2 leaf stage of the weed but this presents a very small target indeed for the sprayer. However, recent developments in nozzle technology have made it easier to hit the...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Plan for weather uncertainty.(climate changes will require new ways to control grass weed)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Grass weeds could come out relatively well from the changing British climate if growers are not very careful indeed, warn weed ecologists at IACR Rothamsted. Dr Peter Lutman and his weed ecology team are using a comprehensive weather model...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Consistency put to the test.(herbicide performance)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Trials databases can provide useful information on the reliability and consistency of herbicide performance over a number of sites and seasons. Teresa Rush reports. Syngenta conducted its 2000/2001 winter wheat black-grass trials programme...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Whole farm approached required.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Grass-weed control requires a whole-farm, programmed approach to be successful, drawing together accurate assessment of weed pressures, use of stale seedbed techniques, pre-emergence herbicides and carefully- planned, post-emergence herbicide...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Practical advice available.(herbicide strategy planning)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Over the past five years DuPont has been conducting herbicide strategy trials on sites with black-grass populations known to have target site and enhanced meta-bolism resistance. "Each series of trials has provided sound practical guidance...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: How far has black-grass spread?(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... No longer confined to the east and south, black-grass is rearing its ugly head further afield. But how far has it spread? And what are agronomists advising for its successful control? I magine waking up one morning to find a new grass weed...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Black-grass in Scotland.(control proving difficult)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... It isn't necessarily common. But it is present south of the Forth. Also, current farming practices favour it. And where present, it's already proving difficult to control. That's how SAC weed and vegetation specialist Dr Ken Davies...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Beware 2000/2002 grass weed legacy.(risk of seed being ploughed up)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Watch out for the legacy of areas of poor grass weed control achieved in 2000/2001 if you are establishing wheat into ploughed ground this autumn. Even if you are following a break crop with little, if any, obvious grass weed problems. ...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Savings from combined pre-em application.(pre-emergence herbicide use)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Combine your pre-emergence cereal herbicide application with drilling, rolling or fertiliser application this autumn and you can save significantly on field operating costs while freeing-up manpower and machinery at the busiest time of the...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: GRASS WEED HERBICIDE APPLICATOR IMPROVES.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Rutland arable farmer Robert Allen of Hill Top Farm, Barrow near Oakham, has addressed the timing and cost of application issue of pre- emergence herbicides by purchasing his own Horstine TMA4 10m applicator, which can be mounted to the back of...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: ADAS trial shows planned drilling benefits.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Delaying wheat drilling and not reducing sowing rates are very effective weapons in the war against black-grass, according to research conducted at ADAS Boxworth on a heavily infested site last season. Indeed, delaying drilling from...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Boosting black-grass control.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... The legacy of autumn 2000 has seen many cereal farmers push drilling date forward, and as a result remove the option of incorporating stale seedbed techniques into grass weed management strategies. Hertfordshire farmer Ian Pigott has...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Cultural control and robust herbicide use.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Ploughing, hand roguing and a mix and match grass weed herbicide strategy has significantly reduced an historical wild oat problem on a Lincolnshire arable farm, and helped confine difficult to control black- grass to small areas within some...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Workload is compromising control.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Tighter cereal drilling and spraying windows could compromise grass weed control strategies this autumn, particularly on larger and expanding farms where workload pressure is already stretched. Buckinghamshire cereal farmer Gus Glazebrook...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Understanding black-grass dormancy.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... A better understanding of autumn black-grass dormancy and germination patterns could go a long way towards improving control of this damaging weed in today's high pressure wheat rotations, believes Dr Stephen Moss of IACR Rothamsted. At the...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Tackling the grass weed threat.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... You ploughed, your seedbed conditions were good and the carefully- planned herbicide programme went on in good time. Yet black-grass was still all too evident in July. What's going on? Teresa Rush asked Monsanto technical manager Colin Stride....

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Counting the costs.(black-grass)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Even with wheat at #55/tonne, growers with black-grass can't afford to cut back on control. That's the message from two independent agronomists advising on farms in the heart of black-grass's main stronghold. "Some weeds you can put up...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: Shifting the burden.(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Increasingly difficult black-grass control in break crops is placing even more emphasis on getting the job right in cereals, believes Richard Palmer of Farm Vision. "The degree of control in winter break crops is getting more and more...

GRASS WEED MANAGEMENT: For the best in black-grass advice.(free guide)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2002... Comprehensive black-grass management advice from leading UK authorities is available to growers this season free of charge in a handy 12-page guide. Back after popular demand, the `Total Approach to Black-grass Control' brings together the...