Arable Farming articles from December 2006

Arable Farming archives from December 2006

Comment: A final farewell.
December 18, 2006... It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that this will be the final edition of Arable Farming magazine. A `strategic review' of its agricultural portfolio has meant that AF's parent company has decided not to publish the magazine...

CROP COMMENT: NFU explains why farming does matter.
December 18, 2006... A campaign to explain why farming is becoming more, not less, important to 21st century Britain has been launched by the NFU. Entitled "Why Farming Matters", and built around a major report of that name, it is intended to de-bunk the notion...

CROP COMMENT: Row erupts over GM spuds.
December 18, 2006... A row has broken out between the NFU and the British Potato Council over its public opposition to the recently-approved trials of genetically modified potatoes in the UK. Defra secretary of state David Miliband gave the widely expected...

Oat RL offerings bring distinct differences in yield and quality.
December 18, 2006... Winter oat varieties Brochan and Tardis join the Recommended List for 2007/08 offering distinct differences in yield and quality. Tardis has a treated yield two per cent above previous list topper SW Dalguise, with a rating of 103. It is...

Cereal antibiotic discovered.
December 18, 2006... Scientists from the Norwich Research Park (NRP) have discovered an antibiotic-producing enzyme in oats that could be used to protect cereal crops from fungal diseases like take-all in the future. Take-all is estimated to affect half the...

ARABLE BRIEF: Cost reduction through assurance?
December 18, 2006... Farm assurance schemes could be used to reduce the costs of impending pollution control regulations on poultry farmers. Food and farming minister Lord Rooker has invited NFU Director General Richard Macdonald to look at the new Integrated...

ARABLE BRIEF: United on the up.
December 18, 2006... In its latest annual accounts, the farmer co-operative United Oilseeds Marketing that specialises in oilseeds marketing and seed supplies, reported a pre-tax surplus of #849,000 on sales of #21.6 million. This compares with #348,000 on a #17.9...

ARABLE BRIEF: Oil-for-food inquiry.
December 18, 2006... Australia's inquiry into the scandal surrounding AWB's sales to Iraq under the UN Oil-For-Food programme ended recently with a recommendation that prosecutions be considered and a promise from the Prime Minister that he'll look how Australia...

ARABLE BRIEF: No complacency over drought.
December 18, 2006... There is no room for complacency about the potential risk of drought next year. That was the message from the Environment Agency at a recent water industry meeting organised by Defra to discuss the short and long- term challenges for the...

Wheat varieties moving groups.
December 18, 2006... The UK flour millers' association has announced winter wheat varieties Solstice and Mascot are moving to nabim Group 1. Nabim indicated in April that a review would take place this autumn. One of the criteria for inclusion in Group 1 is...

Smith's Soapbox...Moving on - looking back.
December 18, 2006... Guy Smith, a Nuffield Scholar, can be faxed on 01255 822050 or email: gsmith2692@aol.com Farming opinion from Essex-based Guy Smith If the rumours are true, this is my last article in Arable Farming. Hopefully someone might give me a...

Talking Arable: Arthur Hill.
December 18, 2006... Having just gone through a year of a catastrophic ankle injury, my Land Rover being pinched by some b*stard who thought he could make better use of it than me - and the RPA not completing my payments (and not replying to my last critical...

Talking Arable: DAVID FELCE.
December 18, 2006... Dear Mr Claus, As you know, our Government is committed to tackling the causes of climate change and it has come to our attention that you are the registered owner of one SLEIGH (Single Load Energy Inefficient Goods Haulier). The engine...

Talking Arable: Ambrose Fowler.
December 18, 2006... Sadly, you will have read that Arable Farming is to cease, as will my ramblings which started nearly seven years ago. It is fascinating to look back over this period and see how much has changed with our business and indeed throughout the whole...

Talking Arable: Kit Papworth.
December 18, 2006... We finished harvesting potatoes on the November 1 with both yield and quality better than we might have feared after this summer's weather. On the 2nd I went to Cambridge for the regional NFU conference. I am normally ambivalent about the NFU...

Talking Arable: David Pearson.
December 18, 2006... Somehow things will never be quite the same again. I know I cursed a lot when the deadline approached and I had been too idle to put pen to paper but after 27 years of contributions Arable Farming has become part of the furniture. It hardly...

Talking Arable: Guy Lee.
December 18, 2006... My association with Arable Farming began in May 1987 when I wrote `tongue in cheek' to the Editor enquiring why `Talking Arable' had no organic representation. Being a subscription-free magazine funded entirely from advertising revenue the bulk...

Potato storage: Eyeing up residue levels in the store.
December 18, 2006... In the build up to the BPC's Potato Storage conference in January next year, John Parry speaks to specialist potato adviser David Hudson on the management of sprout suppressant residues prior to new MRL legislation being introduced in April....

Renewables: Profit from biofuel while you can.
December 18, 2006... There's plenty of hype in the biofuel sector and not all of the developments we hear about will get off the ground. But, says Philip Wynn, we may as well benefit where we can while the interest and opportunities exist. Perhaps the most...

New developments: Keeping a lookout behind.
December 18, 2006... Austrian plough maker Pottinger is looking to develop a camera and computer system that automatically alters tractor and machine settings to ensure the highest quality of work for a number of soil engaging implements. Steven Vale has the...

Recommended List: Big yields on offer from RL newcomers.
December 18, 2006... There is pretty much something for everyone amongst the twenty-two new varieties that join the HGCA cereals and oilseeds Recommended Lists for 2007/08. High yield is a prominent factor. Teresa Rush reports. Five winter wheat varieties have...

Global Report: Harvest hits home.
December 18, 2006... Well, harvest is in full swing if that is the correct terminology. The truck is parked in the paddock and John is harvesting on his own and has to empty into the truck three times a day. It is a one-man operation. The country out west was...

DIRECT DRILLING: Conserving agriculture through `total soil coverage'.
December 18, 2006... Worcestershire farmer and direct drill guru Jim Bullock travelled to France to look at the concept of `total soil cover' - a system, he discovers, that has green credentials and goes hand-in-hand with successful direct drilling while also...

Continental column: Farm incomes down.
December 18, 2006... Lower product prices and rising fuel costs are blamed for the drop in Danish incomes for 2005. Figures just released by a Danish government- run statistics bureau reveal average incomes of just #9,000 for a 200- hectare arable farm, well down...

Continental column: Wild potato genes.
December 18, 2006... The use of genes from a wild potato variety has led to the development of mildew resistant potato material in Sweden. The GMO material is the result of work by Plant Science Sweden, which describes it as a fantastic result and a major...

Continental column: High wheat and barley prices.
December 18, 2006... Wheat and feed barley prices currently commanding 25%-30% higher prices than they did a year ago is likely to be welcome news to the German arable sector. So too is the fact that malting barley prices have risen to as high as #125/t! The...

Continental column: Onion production halved.
December 18, 2006... Hungary's onion production has almost halved during the past 10 years. That is the message from Eurostat, which has just released figures that show that the area dropped by a further 210 hectares this year to 2690 hectares. Equivalent to a...

Continental column: EU sugar production down 13%.
December 18, 2006... News from Brussels suggests that the 25 EU member states will produce 19,015 million tonnes of sugar during the 2006/2007 campaign. If confirmed then this points to a drop of 13% when compared with the 21,847 million tonnes produced a year ago....

Farming in Poland: Expansion plans in the East.
December 18, 2006... Many Poles might have been sceptical about joining the EU but one Polish farm is positive about the future. In the second of our features looking at farming in Poland, Steven Vale visits a 300-hectare arable/pig unit to talk about the future of...

LAMMA: Is your grain meter made to measure?
December 18, 2006... Visit the Martin Lishman stand at January's LAMMA event and growers will have the opportunity to get expert advice on all aspects of grain storage and moisture meter use. John Parry gets the details on a new HGCA project focusing on the...

Machinery: New options for potato kit.
December 18, 2006... New machines featured prominently at Grimme's recent Technica event. Held at the company's German manufacturing location, Steven Vale was one of 5,000 visitors. Grimme's planter line up now includes a belt-type version. Known as the GL 40...