Arable Farming articles from August 2005

Arable Farming archives from August 2005

Take-all levels high across RL 2nd cereal trials.
August 15, 2005... Take-all reached damaging levels at 9 out of the 10 HGCA Recommended List second cereal trial sites this season, according to the first-ever monitoring of the disease in these trials. What is more, the only site to show less than moderate...

New guidance to prevent peach-potato aphid resistance.
August 15, 2005... New guidelines for preventing and managing insecticide resistance in the peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) have been published. The guidelines, published by the Insecticide Resistance Action Group (IRAG), are based on research funded by...

Seed houses in merger.
August 15, 2005... Seed breeding companies Nickerson UK and Advanta UK have announced the formation of a single company which, with this season's crop plantings in mind, will account for 43 per cent of the UK winter wheat market. The plans to merge follow the...

Phoma countdown start.
August 15, 2005... The countdown to phoma infection started on August 1. From that date 20 rain splash events on stem cankers in oilseed rape trash from this year's harvest is likely to trigger infective phoma ascospore release. Wet soils after heavy rain will...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Bullion: `reduced cost control'.
August 15, 2005... Bullion, a new flupyrsulfuron product based on SX technology, has been registered for use this year with recommendations in winter wheat, and as a pre-emergence herbicide for controlling black-grass in winter barley. Manufacturer DuPont...

ARABLE BRIEFS: RL results.
August 15, 2005... Up-to-date results of HGCA Recommended List cereals and oilseeds trials are now available on the HGCA website. The harvest results service allows progress of the trials to be monitored on a daily basis, providing information on variety...

ARABLE BRIEFS: TAG MD leaves.
August 15, 2005... Dr Mike Carver, managing director of The Arable Group, has decided to leave the company. Dr Carver developed ARC (Arable Research Centres) from the original Cotswold Cereal Centre where he became director in 1984. Two years ago, when ARC...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Treating grain in the store.
August 15, 2005... With recent regulatory changes and the withdrawal of active ingredients and formulations causing confusion over the use of chemicals in the grainstore, HGCA's new Topic Sheet (no.86); `The role of chemicals in integrated grain storage' aims to...

GAEC requires ragwort control.
August 15, 2005... This year is a bad one for ragwort - a weed poisonous to grazing animals. It is also a prolific seed producer - one plant can release over 120,000 wind borne seeds. "With more land going into environmental management this autumn, growers...

ARABLE BRIEFS: HGCA conference date.
August 15, 2005... Book now for a special `early bird' discounted rate for this year's HGCA Market Outlook Conference, to be held on Wednesday 5 October at the Mermaid Conference Centre in London. Conference topics include: * Global market outlook -...

Smith's Soapbox: An inspector called.
August 15, 2005... One can speculate as to what might be the opening line to a phone call one would like least like to hear: "Your wife's found out and gone straight round to see her solicitor", or "Is that pall of smoke anything to do with your combine?" come to...

Smith's Soapbox: Effing weather.
August 15, 2005... This summer I have managed to reinforce the moaning farmer stereotype in the local pubs. Throughout June I was moaning about the lack of rain. Then when it started to rain with a vengeance in late July, people would greet me with cries of: "I...

Smith's Soapbox: Prejudice.
August 15, 2005... I note Her Majesty's Government went to the trouble of pushing IACS payments under the noses of journalists for the second time last month. I am not one of those who publicly object to such disclosure. This only makes us appear embarrassed and...

FUTURE OF FARMING: UK Farming: A Grim future?
August 15, 2005... In an article written for The Grocer magazine, Richard Clarke takes a look at the state of agriculture in this country and asks if the industry will survive the pressures that are forcing many farmers off the land. If abundant food can be...

FUTURE OF FARMING: WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF BRITISH FARMERS SURVIVING?
August 15, 2005... FARMING `DOCTOR' STEVE WEBSTER DELIVERS HIS VERDICT ARABLE Diagnosis It's a challenging time for the UK's arable farmers, who are being freed from the shackles of production subsidy. Well-established communication and information...

SOIL MANAGEMENT: Soil isn't soil without organic matter.
August 15, 2005... Are you confident that you are managing your soils in a sustainable manner? With soil management now specified as a key requirement of the management of land in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) that farmers must follow to...

ENVIRONMENT: MAKING THE MOST OF ELS - Land of milk and honey.
August 15, 2005... In the second of our monthly ELS Options management guides, experienced Rural Development Service (RDS) adviser, Geoff Howe and Wiltshire- based, Masstock Arable Group agronomist, Jim Hynes of Cleanacres look into the practicalities and...

AUTUMN ESTABLISHMENT: Keeping a marginal eye on slugs.
August 15, 2005... Hundreds of miles of margins will be established this autumn, but may prove a haven for slugs. Successful establishment means balancing crop management with care for the environment. Managed slug control in the `new crops' of field margins...

AUTUMN ESTABLISHMENT: Establishment key to OSR success.
August 15, 2005... The Single Farm Payment has forced a fundamental re-think of many aspects of arable production - not least the role of oilseed rape in the rotation. Local conditions in some parts of the country may convince a number of growers the crop is not...

AUTUMN ESTABLISHMENT: Staying in the shallows?
August 15, 2005... The traditional plough is still seen as a key implement during the busy autumn establishment schedule on many arable farms. However, it is thought that its relatively slow and costly operation could soon tempt some growers in the direction of a...

AUTUMN ESTABLISHMENT: Seed treatment solution for slug threat.
August 15, 2005... Seed treatments are playing an increasing role in slug control. Teresa Rush reports. Cereal growers are increasingly making use of the slug deterrent effect of insecticidal seed treatments to protect establishing crops, and the trend looks...

AUTUMN WEED CONTROL: Lay weed control foundations early.
August 15, 2005... Pre- or early post-emergence herbicide treatments will be crucial to the success of the new season's herbicide programmes. Teresa Rush reports. Weed control programmes tend inevitably to be influenced by the preceding season. What, in...

`Back to front' approach provides no way forward.
August 15, 2005... Concerns are being voiced about the shift that is taking place in herbicide strategies for black-grass control. Teresa Rush reports. Do not adopt a `back to front' approach to grass weed control this autumn. At best, you might end up...

Talking Arable with our Cambridgeshire grower David Felce.
August 15, 2005... July 27, 2005 Harvest began here at Midloe on July 20, with the Lioness rape. The crop had not been swathed or dessicated, so should not really have been ready this early, but temperatures in the mid-eighties the week before and a dodgy...

POTATOES: Patience and planning for compaction-free potatoes.
August 15, 2005... Soil compaction is a more serious issue in potato production than many growers realise, concludes new research reviews commissioned by the British Potato Council. Joanna Baker picks out key points for growers from the reports, entitled `Soil...

POTATO BRUISING: Harvester set up key to curbing customer complaints.
August 15, 2005... Timely advice on minimising losses from bruising was also a focus at BPC's recent field day. Harvesting potatoes with the minimum damage possible, by using the correct harvester settings, is key to quality. That was the message from Kate...

PESTS: Cool, dry conditions kept WOBM at bay.
August 15, 2005... Teresa Rush assesses wheat orange blossom midge attack this year, and looks at the level of risk to the 2006 crop. The season was less favourable for wheat orange blossom midge (WOBM) than in 2004 with cold dry weather in May delaying and...

NEMATICIDES: Enhanced degradation - field threat or lab anomaly?
August 15, 2005... The possibility of more rapid than expected breakdown of nematicides following successive treatments over a number of years is attracting attention amongst scientists and agronomists. Teresa Rush reports. Results from recent research...

WEED CONTROL: Focus on seedbed for effective grass weed control.
August 15, 2005... An average 12% increase in pre-emergence spraying against grass weeds - year on year for the last five years - is highlighting the importance of cultivations and seedbed preparation prior to spraying for effective weed control, says BASF. ...

Expert Guide: Slugs.
August 15, 2005... In the third and final extract from Bayer Cropscience's new expert guide to slug control, Dr Richard Meredith and Dr Bill Lankford, of Bayer CropScience offer advice on making the best use of methiocarb slug baits. Methiocarb slug baits...

SCOTTISH BARLEY: Consider brewing option as well as distilling.
August 15, 2005... If you're a Scottish spring barley grower concentrating only on distilling you could be missing out on a big market - as visitors to a recent Scottish variety open day hosted by New Farm Crops heard. Think Scotland and think of the warming...

Ramularia resolved?
August 15, 2005... Ramularia and physiological leaf spotting may have eaten into barley growers' pockets over recent seasons. But could a new feed spring variety that's been tested by SAC have the problem licked? "The potential penalties of leaf spotting are...

COMBINES: Keeping on track at harvest.
August 15, 2005... Claas UK says that 55% of orders for its Lexion 560 and 580 combine models now specify the `Terra Trac' tracked option, instead of traditional wheeled versions. John Parry finds out why contractors and farmers alike are specifying this option...

SUGAR BEET HARVESTERS: Uncertain future slows beet harvester sector.
August 15, 2005... New six-row tanker-type sugar beet harvester developments are thin on the ground this season. This is due to plummeting sales of such machines across Europe and lack of confidence in the sector. Steven Vale looks at the depressed market and...

Talking Arable with our North Lincolnshire farmer Ambrose Fowler.
August 15, 2005... July 31, 2005 I have been selected to write for the mid-harvest slot and, luckily, we have about managed to achieve that position. My mid-term review will be a lot more straightforward to report on than the other review we have all been...