Arable Farming articles from December 2004

Arable Farming archives from December 2004

Oat project for turkey tucker.
December 20, 2004... A research project is under way with the aims of improving oat varieties in order to enhance the role oats can play in the diet of Christmas turkeys. The five-year Oatlink project brings together partners from the turkey industry, the oat...

No damage from GM rape and beet.
December 20, 2004... An independent report has been published that shows genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops in a farming rotation offer economic benefits to farmers, with no detrimental impact on biodiversity or farming methods. The BRIGHT...

30 YEARS OF PROGRESS.
December 20, 2004... A winning combination: John Morgan pictured in front of a Simba Horsch CO4 drill at the Royal Smithfield Show last week. Mr Morgan, who farms 600 acres out of Grange Farm, Cassop in County Durham with his wife and two sons, won the prize of...

Haulage hike.
December 20, 2004... Haulage costs have risen, on average, by 6.5% on last year - 42 pence per tonne of grain - according to the HGCA's Haulage Survey. A 10-mile journey has risen from #3.92 per tonne in 2003 to #4.05 per tonne in 2004 - a rise of 3.4%, and the...

Scholarship.
December 20, 2004... Congratulations to Arable Farming deputy editor, Alison Lea, who has been awarded a scholarship by the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust, and has already departed on a fact-finding mission that will take her to three continents before...

Watch for problems in the crop store.
December 20, 2004... Concern is growing over deteriorating cereal and rape crops in farm stores. Many crops have not been fully dried following this year's unusually wet harvest and Grainfarmers report an increased incidence of mouldy and pest-infested grain. ...

Stay on target.
December 20, 2004... The Government has confirmed in its pre-budget statement that it continues to believe that, if fully implemented, the VI is the most effective way of reducing the environmental pollution associated with pesticides. But it warned that it...

Lenticel breakdown.
December 20, 2004... Potato experts at Cambridge-based NIAB are warning growers to watch out for a rise in lenticel breakdown, which can occur in wetter harvesting conditions. It will develop rapidly among affected potatoes in storage but will not spread to other...

SOLA talks for minor crops.
December 20, 2004... The Horticultural Development Council (HDC) is co-ordinating a consultation to try to ensure that growers can continue to use pesticides under SOLAs, on minor crops, once the current arrangement, called the Long Term Arrangements for the...

Smith's Soapbox: Window shopping with double-vision.
December 20, 2004... It was good to see so many farmers at Smithfield taking an interest in what the machinery boys have got in their shop window at the moment. Even so, I would not readily swap places with anyone who needs a full order book of machinery sales this...

MACHINERY/EVENT: A way to combine the cost.
December 20, 2004... Three neighbouring arable farmers in Essex have found a way to remove the second most common source of stress at harvest time - the fear of a major combine breakdown - they now share costs and manpower by hiring a combine. Graeme Kirk talks to...

Fixing the harvest bill.
December 20, 2004... Stephen Allen started Agricultural Plant Hire Ltd (APH) in 1974 when he spotted a gap in the market for supplying affordable combines to arable units. The gap between cereal and machinery prices had grown so fast that many farms could no...

Roll out the Recommended List.
December 20, 2004... The herald of the festive season, the new Recommended List, has arrived. Which of the varieties that have been in trials now blazes in the firmament? Alison Lea introduces the new stars. Nineteen new cereal and rape varieties have been...

WHEAT: Branding UK wheat abroad.
December 20, 2004... HGCA has listened to what overseas buyers want when they buy UK wheat. Alison Lea reports on new brands that they can recognise and trust. Strong brand identity sells. In recognition of this key marketing tool, the HGCA's British Cereal...

MALTING BARLEY: Malting market distinctions.
December 20, 2004... The malting barley market is actually several markets with very different requirements. Alison Lea explains some of the varying needs of distillers and brewers. The Institute and Guild of Brewing (IoB) has recently changed its approval...

TARGET ON ESTABLISHMENT: Cross compliance unravelled.
December 20, 2004... Over the forthcoming months highlights of a new book - `Target on Establishment', will be printed on the pages of Arable Farming. Here, we kick off with the first chapter entitled: Cross Compliance and Soil Management Issues, written by Mark...

Making the case for malting barley.
December 20, 2004... Spring barley can bring you more benefits than maybe you realised. Alison Lea reports. Gross margins are a useful guide, but they don't give you the full picture to appreciate the value of a crop in the rotation. And this is certainly true...

Understanding N:K Interactions.
December 20, 2004... Kemira GrowHow Arable Agronomist Allison Grundy considers the interactions between N and K. Nitrogen (N) is only used efficiently by a crop when there are sufficient supplies of potash (K). This need for both nutrients to be in balance is...

Soil management - some practical advice.
December 20, 2004... Alison Lea gleans some practical tips on caring for soils, and gets a draft timetable for the introduction of new regulation. Soil erosion is moving up the political agenda as many environmental problems in watercourses are associated with...

Soil management plans - what's coming?
December 20, 2004... Soil management plans (SMPs) are to be introduced in 2005, and will be designed to help farmers look at their soils, identify high erosion- risk areas and take action. What farmers will be required to do is still taking shape. Farming...

Growers should focus on variable costs.
December 20, 2004... A FWAG seminar entitled 'Business and Environmental Planning' focused on the impact of MTR on growers' businesses. Alison Lea reports. The mid-term review may not have such a significant financial impact as many fear, according to Grant...

Letter: Use of elemental sulphur.(Letter to the Editor)
December 20, 2004... I am writing in response to your advertorial, published recently, and written by Allison Grundy of Kemira-Growhow, in her advice column on the use of elemental sulphur. The information published, we would challenge as factually incorrect....

CONTRACTOR: High ground clearance tractors.
December 20, 2004... Landini took the opportunity to launch the Powerfarm tractors, which are also offered with equal-size wheels for specialist applications where high ground clearance is required. The conventional tractor is offered in five models with 59hp...

CONTRACTOR: More pulling power.
December 20, 2004... Terex has fitted Tier II engines to both the T200 and T250 articulated pivot steer telehandlers, with a revised cooling system. The radiator is now split into three separate sections for the engine, transmission and hydraulics and uses air...

CONTRACTOR: Improved visibility.
December 20, 2004... Italian telehandler manufacturer Dieci has introduced a new cab on its 103hp to 128hp range. Distributor Alan Milne says that the one piece windscreen that does away with a cab cross member improves visibility along the loaders lift path. ...

CONTRACTOR: McHale F550 stand-alone baler.
December 20, 2004... By using the experience gained from its combined wrapper baler, McHale has developed the F550 stand alone baler. According to John Biggins of the Irish manufacturer, this was mainly brought about by customer feedback, but it was not as...

CONTRACTOR: Berthoud sprayer with new features.
December 20, 2004... Available in 1,000 or 1,200 litre capacities, Berthoud's latest mounted sprayer has departed from traditional sprayer lines and incorporates a central boom-lift system that operates through the middle of the tank itself. The Elyte range...

CONTRACTOR: Roller cultivator from Twose.
December 20, 2004... Twose introduced a new roller cultivator with a working width of 6.3m and offered with a range of plain and breaker rings. The outer wing sections of the roller fold forward using a ram positioned on the lengthy drawbar to rotate the...

CONTRACTOR: Hydraulic-folding rollers available from Quivogne.
December 20, 2004... Suffolk-based Quivogne launched a set of hydraulic-folding rolls at the event - available in 5.3, 6.3 and 8.3m widths. Imported directly from France, the Rollmot's three-section rolls fold laterally (not vertically) at the same time, which...

CONTRACTOR: Reversible plough to complete range.
December 20, 2004... To fill the gap between its 100 Series and 140 Series ploughs, British manufacturer Dowdeswell Engineering launched the 110 Series fully- mounted range of ploughs for use in-the-furrow. Available in four-, five- and six-furrow versions in...

CONTRACTOR: Two new large area toppers.
December 20, 2004... Bomford is introducing two large area toppers with working widths of 4.6m and 6m. The Tri-Wing has a minimum requirement of 80hp to power the three blade carriers, each fitted with two updraft blades that rotate at up to 88m per second. ...

CONTRACTOR - Italian showcase: McCormick CVT tractor.
December 20, 2004... McCormick's first CVT tractor was without doubt the major tractor surprise of the show. What's more, whilst it might be made in Doncaster, the fact that it was premiered at EIMA, confirms the importance of the Italian market for Argo. ...

MIN-TILL: Practice makes perfect.
December 20, 2004... Establishment matters Independent tillage and soil husbandry consultant Steve Townsend provides practical min-till observations and advice from the specialist field-scale trial site he runs with Oxfordshire grower Duncan Jack, and...

MIN-TILL: Question Time.
December 20, 2004... Wouldn't I be better off ploughing every now and then with minimum tillage ? The idea of `rotational ploughing' certainly seems to have found favour with a number of growers of late. Essentially, it involves introducing the plough into...

Toys for the boys.
December 20, 2004... You tear off the wrapping paper, can't to wait a second longer to get your hands on the shiny new kit you have been hankering after for months. But will it live up to its promises? Or will it end up gathering dust? Our Talking Arable columnists...