Arable Farming articles from February 2004

Arable Farming archives from February 2004

Phoma suspected? Send a sample.
February 16, 2004... The last of this season's DuPont/Arable Farming oilseed rape disease survey envelopes has been sent to you with this issue of Arable Farming. There's still a window of opportunity to achieve cost-effective disease control - the late...

Farmers Guardian launches Eastern Counties edition.
February 16, 2004... On February 20 Arable Farming readers in the counties of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex will receive their first edition of Farmers Guardian Eastern Counties - a weekly regional edition of agriculture's leading...

Rare cereal pest warning.
February 16, 2004... Cereal ground beetle larvae have been identified in winter wheat crops in Wiltshire, says ADAS. The larvae cause extensive shredding of leaves and shoots and drag plant material down into burrows in the soil where they live. Attacks...

Obsolete pesticides deadline.
February 16, 2004... Pesticide users are urged to check stores for unapproved products as the Obsolete Pesticide Disposal Campaign - part of the Voluntary Initiative, to help farmers and growers dispose of obsolete stocks of pesticides safely, is nearing its final...

Bogged down biofuels.
February 16, 2004... Government's response to the Efra (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) committee report on biofuels is disappointing, says NFU, commenting that not adopting Efra's main recommendations undermines any chance of the UK meeting, or getting close...

Dutch support.
February 16, 2004... The future of the protectant fungicide mancozeb looks secure for the next few years after the Dutch authorities extended its registration until the end of 2008. "Following the green light of approval in the Netherlands for the 2003 season...

Herbicide approval is deferred.
February 16, 2004... Bayer CropScience's new cereal fungicide products based on prothioconazole have failed to gain PSD approval in time for the 2004 season. PSD has stated that more data is required in order to finalise its regulatory assessment. Bayer says...

Potatoes in the public eye.
February 16, 2004... Hot on the heels of National Doughnut Week(!), National Chip Week takes place from February 16-22. Organised by the British Potato Council, a number of events are planned with the aim of encouraging the nation to love chips - made from UK...

Wise-up on water regs.
February 16, 2004... The UK Irrigation Association is organising a conference to explore the implications of new water legislation, including rules governing abstraction. Delegates will hear from the head of water resources of the Environment Agency, and have...

Better success with Chinook.
February 16, 2004... Seed treatment Chinook has gained approval for use on spring oilseed rape for control of flea beetle damage. Manufacturer Bayer says Chinook eases management and aids establishment by protecting crops at their most vulnerable prior to...

Site sale.
February 16, 2004... AGCO has completed the sale of its Banner Lane site in Coventry to developers Persimmon plc. But the company will lease back its offices at Banner Lane while progressing with plans for alternative premises as its European HQ in the...

Mildew option.
February 16, 2004... Flexity from BASF is a new fungicide for control of powdery mildew. It contains the new active ingredient metrafenone, which is said to provide protectant, curative and anti-sporulant activity at all critical stages of the mildew life cycle....

Arable income up.
February 16, 2004... Total net income from farming rose by an estimated 28% for the year ending Feb 2004, according to figures released by Defra. The rise is mainly due to a substantial increase in the fortunes of the arable sector, according to the NFU, which...

Tractor share.
February 16, 2004... Figures just released for the share of the 2002 UK tractor market, totalling 14,761 units, are as follows: CNH (New Holland and Case IH) 28.3%, John Deere 27.8%, AGCO (MF and Fendt) over 19%. NB: Data delayed by one year. Copyright:...

Smith's Soapbox: An Inspector Calls.
February 16, 2004... So the question we ask ourselves is: "are the latest MTR reforms of the CAP going to make our lives simpler?" The buzz word is decoupling. We are to become decoupled from subsidies and recoupled with the market. From now on we focus on the...

Smith's Soapbox: Landing larks.
February 16, 2004... We've all done it. Me more than most. Get to the end of the drag suspecting the drill hopper is low on seed but still risk just one more drag back down to the seed trailer. When you eventually lift the hopper lid its "damn and blast" as you...

SPRING WEED CONTROL: Winter-time weed legacy.
February 16, 2004... Winter cereal crops are emerging from the winter in reasonably clean condition, reports James Gibson. Most winter cereal crops were sprayed with herbicide last autumn. And, although some of it went on a bit late as a result of adverse...

Resistance threat as spray armoury declines.
February 16, 2004... A leading weed scientist is warning that herbicide-resistant wild oats are set to become an increasing problem as agrochemical control options diminish. Teresa Rush reports. Scientists first discovered resistant wild oats in the UK in 1993....

Wild oats biting back.
February 16, 2004... Black-grass and ryegrass are important. But with so much attention focused on controlling them, growers could leave themselves open to a resurgence in wild oat problems. That's the warning from Banks-Cargill technical manager Bob Mills,...

SPRING WEED CONTROL: Dry autumn prompts brome alert.
February 16, 2004... Brome problems are set to mushroom this year if wheat growers are not very careful indeed, leading agronomists warn. One of the driest autumns on record meant limited stale seedbed opportunities, poor quality ploughing and slow, variable wheat...

Cleavers control: Wait or go?
February 16, 2004... Cleavers, set to be a problem this season, could be a weed of the past by 2008. Cleavers could be removed from arable rotations within four years using a simple control programme, maintains Dow AgroSciences. "Per plant, cleavers are three...

DISEASE CONTROL: No room for manoeuvre on azole dose.
February 16, 2004... There will be room for manoeuvre on strobilurin dose rates this spring - but not so triazoles. That's according to Bayer CropScience's Dr Alison Daniels, who reckons that pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin are the most `flexible' strobilurins...

DISEASE CONTROL: Fungicide bolster against the resistance threat.
February 16, 2004... A new combination fungicide may take some pressure off wheat growers forced by the spread of strobilurin resistance to move to three-way mixes to safeguard both this season's crops and the alternative chemistry. The launch of a new...

DISEASE CONTROL: Discord on best approach?
February 16, 2004... Evidence continues to emerge of discord between agrochemical manufacturers and scientists on fungicide resistance management. According to one leading manufacturer scientists are basing their strobilurin resistance conclusions on limited...

DISEASE CONTROL: Caution needed in resistance debate.
February 16, 2004... Strobilurin manufacturer Bayer CropScience is calling for caution in the debate on fungicide resistance. Speaking at an active ingredient management seminar at the Central Science Laboratory in York, Dr Karl-Heinz Kuck of Bayer...

DISEASE CONTROL: New FRAG guidelines.
February 16, 2004... The cross-industry Fungicide Resistance Action Group (FRAG UK) has issued guidelines for Septoria tritici resistance management in cereals for 2004. The new guidelines include information on mixtures, exposure time, dose rates and...

DISEASE CONTROL: Wheat yield loss risk.
February 16, 2004... Wheat growers risk significant yield losses if they abandon strobilurin fungicides this season, says BASF. While strobilurins can no longer be relied on for control of Septoria tritici, when mixed with a robust triazole partner they...

DISEASE CONTROL: Strob resistance no surprise.
February 16, 2004... The onset of plant disease resistance to strobilurins should not have been a surprise, says one of the world's leading experts. Strobilurins were themselves developed from fungi resistant to... strobilurins. "The mushrooms producing the...

DISEASE CONTROL: Recommendations.
February 16, 2004... Syngenta recommends growers base their fungicide strategy for first wheats on using a triazole plus Bravo at the T1 (GS32) stage, adding Unix (cyprodinil) for eyespot control as necessary. The strobilurins should normally be held back until T2...

DISEASE CONTROL: Levels escalate.
February 16, 2004... Syngenta's global fungicide resistance expert Professor Ulrich Gisi estimates that Septoria tritici's resistance to the strobilurin family of fungicides escalated from 31% in England at the beginning of last year to 71% of samples checked. ...

ALTERNATIVE CROPS: And now for something completely different.
February 16, 2004... Alison Lea looks at some novel spring crops that have keen customers. In future, crops for bread and beer may be grown alongside crops for skin creams, car panels and plastic production on every farm. The total hectarage of niche crops...

CONTRACTOR: Environment opportunities.
February 16, 2004... New agri-environment schemes brought about by CAP reforms will bring opportunities for farmers and contractors according to speakers at The Farmers Conservation Group (TFCG) winter conference in Peterborough. Clemmie Perowne reports. "EU...

CONTRACTOR: Justify that combine purchase.
February 16, 2004... Anyone thinking of replacing a combine before next season needs to take a long, hard look at the costs involved. There may be still a few tempting out-of-season deals on offer but, if the figures don't add up, then buying a new or even a...

CONTRACTOR: Skin cleansing for spuds.
February 16, 2004... A contractor applying Amistar in-the-furrow during potato planting is helping growers to counter the incidences of soil-born diseases. Herefordshire potato growers are being driven ever further west in the quest for virgin land. A build up...

CONTRACTOR: New cultivators at Danish show.
February 16, 2004... Overum is looking to revive interest in front-mounted ploughs with the launch of a new version at last month's Agromek machinery show in Denmark. Other show highlights include a new cultivator from Kongskilde, and a patented disc stone...

Spring barley: Protecting barley profitability.
February 16, 2004... Barley growers must get the basics right, but take new research on board, finds Alison Lea. Protecting profit from barley in an era of reduced malting premiums means pulling out the stops to get the best from the crop, in terms of both...

SUGAR BEET: Too much fertiliser adding to costs.
February 16, 2004... Sugar beet growers are putting too much fertiliser on their crops, growers at the meeting were warned. Patrick Jarvis of British Sugar said that survey information suggests that beet growers are applying 10 to 15kg/ha of nitrogen,...

SUGAR BEET: Localised pest problems.
February 16, 2004... Pests did not present significant problems for most sugar beet growers during 2003, Dr Alan Dewar of Broom's Barn told growers at the meeting. There were few reports of soil pests and eastern region beet crops appeared to bear the brunt of...

British Sugar pledges better communications to growers.
February 16, 2004... British Sugar has admitted that it needs to improve its communications with growers. And the company has pledged to improve its performance with the help of a new internet-based information system. A British Sugar survey of sugar beet...

SUGAR BEET: To pre-em or not?
February 16, 2004... Pre-emergence herbicides for sugar beet have a role to play in certain situations. There are also certain situations in which they should not be used. That was the advice to growers from TAG sugar beet herbicide specialist Martin Lainsbury. ...

SUGAR BEET: Working for growers.
February 16, 2004... The British Beet Research Organisation has identified and is responding to three major challenges facing the sugar industry, chairman John MacLeod told growers at the Ipswich roadshow. The review of the European Union's sugar regime, loss...

TRAINING: Farmers must Speak Out for their industry.
February 16, 2004... Essex farmer Guy Smith has called for more farmers to take up the challenge of helping to promote a positive image of farming to the public, and increase understanding of the industry. Speaking at the LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming)...

Talking Arable with our South Devon-based organic farmer David Pearson.
February 16, 2004... JANUARY 30, 2004 Since I last wrote in October, I eventually managed to sow all our allotted area of winter wheat. The farm became fully organic in mid- November which gave me the start date for autumn sowing so that the crops would...

NVZs might raise yields.
February 16, 2004... Following a spring-applied NPK fertiliser regime and fine-tuning inputs to meet crop needs more precisely has helped one Borders farm improve yields and meet NVZ requirements. Cameron Bell, his brother and two uncles farm at two locations...

The sulphur message is getting through.
February 16, 2004... The results from our Sulphur Survey in the November 18 edition of Arable Farming are very positive. A much higher percentage of those participating said they were using sulphur than the official British Survey of Fertiliser Practice suggests....

POTATOES: Smarten up your storage.
February 16, 2004... Box stacking pattern, lighting, sealing the store, routine monitoring. All sounds a bit basic? The British Potato Council says too many growers are jeopardising quality through poor attention to detail in- store. Alison Lea reports. Do you...

Don't store feed grain beyond November.
February 16, 2004... Unless you engage in forward selling, it's not worth storing feed grain beyond November, according to Carl Atkin of Bidwells Agribusiness Consultants. Speaking at HGCA's Grain Roadshow, Mr Atkin said that, since 1995, in every year but...

Making sure you gain from grain: Get the basics right.
February 16, 2004... Our customers - the brewers, maltsters, millers etc - face pressures in their market place, so farmers must learn to serve them if they want to be favoured suppliers, Andrew Flux of British Cereal Exports (BCE) told roadshow delegates. In...

The truth about mites, mice, moulds and mycotoxins.
February 16, 2004... Which of the following statements are true: * Cooling grain costs a lot of money - so you should just aim to cool to around 15 degrees C. * Drying and cooling should not be continued using 'moist' air (ie on misty autumn evenings). ...

HGCA: Tailor the Recommended List to your farm.
February 16, 2004... Growers will soon be able to see, at the click of the mouse, which varieties on the Recommended List suit their farm situation the best. HGCA is working on RL-Plus, a project that makes the Recommended List interactive. The web and CD-based...

ESTABLISHMENT: Min-till to beet the plough?
February 16, 2004... Most beet is still established using the plough, but recent trials may encourage more growers to try min-till. Alison Lea reports. Min-till was employed to establish around 60% of combinable crops last year, but the figure is still much...

Herriau Turbosem gets tough!
February 16, 2004... The all-pneumatic Herriau precision drill is now available from Standen Reflex as a special, purpose-built model for minimal-tillage sugar beet drilling applications. The Herriau Turbosem TS12-VS features an extra heavy-duty mainframe and...

EU ACCESSION: Conservation challenge for accession countries.
February 16, 2004... Agriculture and conservation are set to clash as ten new countries join the EU this year. Alison Lea reports. In May this year 10 new member states join the EU. Bringing these old European countries - which spent the latter half of the 20th...

Talking Arable with our Borders-based farmer Guy Lee.
February 16, 2004... Things must be improving: I have heard farmers complaining about paying tax. There is no doubt that 2003 was a considerably better harvest in terms of yield and quality than we have had up here for many years. Combine these two factors with...

CROP TALK: Doom and gloom or shine and fine?
February 16, 2004... The strengthening of cereal prices since harvest has lifted some of the doom and gloom, apart from those who sold early and are now delivering at #30 per tonne below the present market price! It is difficult to recall that it was a good price...

CROP TALK: Resistance alert.
February 16, 2004... Resistance of Septoria tritici to strobilurins and a decline in efficacy of triazoles has received much press and meeting coverage. What has received less attention is that quinoxyfen (Fortress) (the mildewicide recommended to be added to...