Arable Farming articles from July 2005

Arable Farming archives from July 2005

Establish a harvest `pecking order'.
July 11, 2005... Leading up to the 2005 harvest, a wheat breeder is encouraging growers to decide combining priorities based on variety traits and end use. "The different characteristics and potential value of varieties means that, where a number of...

Designed for large-scale.
July 11, 2005... Designed for large-scale farmers and contractors, Claas' Xerion 3300 system vehicle was pictured recently in Germany carrying Lemken's Solitair 10, 6m seed drill. Lemken says that the complete unit weighs in at 22.5 tonnes when the drill's...

`More professional' farm pesticide use.
July 11, 2005... An independent survey has revealed significant improvements and increased professionalism in the use of pesticides across the UK. The survey, conducted by the Central Science Laboratory and funded by the Crop Protection Association and...

Climate change - new opportunities for farming.
July 11, 2005... A report on the impact of climate change on crop production and management describes a positive picture for the future, particularly for northern Europe and northern regions of North America in the period up to 2020 and beyond. Higher...

New topic sheets on slugs.
July 11, 2005... Growers can assess the risk of slug damage and get the latest guidance on effective slug control by using two decisions trees available on HGCA's new topic sheets. "The aim is to devise a rational risk assessment system for the integrated...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Guide on field margins.
July 11, 2005... A new HGCA publication 'Field Margins - guidelines for ELS in England' is designed to help growers choose the best options for their farms, and balance practical issues with maximising environmental benefit. "SPS requires all applicants to...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Two more get IOB approval.
July 11, 2005... Two new malting varieties, Westminster and Oxbridge, from Nickerson have achieved provisional approval from the Institute of Brewing (IoB). Both are spring varieties, and both achieved Provisional Approval 1 for distilling use. ...

HGCA helps you focus on the market.
July 11, 2005... Choosing the right crop for the right market and targeting the right price, is the aim behind the new HGCA Farm Income Monitor. It allows the user to monitor the relationship of current and forward market prices on farm profitability for today...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Inclusion for Mancozeb.
July 11, 2005... Mancozeb, the protectant fungicide for use in potatoes, cereals, rape and a wide range of other crops, has received a positive listing for Annex 1 under the EU agrochemical registration Directive (91/414)). "This decision for its inclusion...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Introducing Epona.
July 11, 2005... The Advisory Committee on Pesticides has granted approval for BASF's new systemic seed treatment for first wheat crops. The fluquinconazole+prochloraz seed treatment, which will be marketed as Epona, targets the key disease concerns...

Smith's Soapbox: Dust to dust.
July 11, 2005... We are in the grip of the worst drought I can remember. Farming the driest spot in the British Isles I am used to low rainfall but when one gets less than a third of the our meagre average then things are serious. "A dripping June keeps things...

Smith's Soapbox: Speed dating.
July 11, 2005... It was good to see Cereals attended well again. The 20,802 was only a few hundred down on the record crowd the previous year. It would be interesting to know what percentage of UK arable farming is represented at the event. It must be quite...

CROSS-COMPLIANCE: Don't cross swords over compliance.
July 11, 2005... Important elements of cross compliance can easily be overlooked. Alison Lea reports. Along with the new Single Payment Scheme comes a whole new set of conditions, which by registering for the new subsidy system, farmers have agreed to. ...

CROSS-COMPLIANCE: Clarifying compliance.
July 11, 2005... Farm walks to introduce cross-compliance are being held around the country. Alison Lea attended one and picks out some points of clarification. Seeing double on set-aside There are now two types of set-aside. The first, with which...

ELS IN ACTION.
July 11, 2005... You've decided roughly what Entry Level Stewardship Options you're going for. You're working out how best to make the ELS points add-up. Or you're still making-up your mind whether to join the scheme and when. Whatever stage you've reached...

ELS Options: MAKING THE MOST OF ELS.
July 11, 2005... Planning Your ELS Options Geoff Howe and Nigel Francis have no doubt that Entry Level Stewardship has something for everyone. Indeed, their experience with the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and ELS pilots on which the available Arable...

WINTER CROPPING: What to grow this winter?
July 11, 2005... ProCam Group recently held field days at NIAB, Cambridge where growers had a double opportunity to tour plots and hear experts' views on prospects for whatever they decide to grow. Alison Lea reports. Whilst for many, the most profitable...

WINTER CROPPING: Oilseed rape.
July 11, 2005... There are 39 varieties of OSR in NIABs plots, but NIAB OSR expert Simon Kightley boiled them down to "six that really matter for now". Of the first four that joined the 2004/05 List, Lioness topped all on gross output. Not on seed yield though,...

WINTER CROPPING: Winter wheat varieties.
July 11, 2005... With prices still low, it's all about looking for a premium, but this autumn, there are still only three choices for growers aiming to supply the Group 1 market, said independent consultant Richard Fenwick,. "It's now neck and neck between...

COMMENT: No slow boats in China.
July 11, 2005... Arable Farming columnist John Kerr witnesses China's rapid development first hand on a recent visit with a farming delegation. Perhaps I had not done enough reading up on China before I joined the Farmers Club mission to visit this vast...

CROP MANAGEMENT: Harvest hope.
July 11, 2005... Harvest is always a stressful time for milling wheat producers, but by managing crops carefully and deciding their order of priority for the combine, worries can be eased, writes Edward Long. With low cereal prices every penny counts, so...

WEED CONTROL: Don't land yourself with resistance.
July 11, 2005... If growers don't adopt a better strategy to prevent resistance, they could lose weed control herbicides sooner than they think. Alison Lea reports. A more diligent approach is needed by many farmers to ensure longevity of herbicide...

Expert Guide: Slugs.
July 11, 2005... Most arable crops are at their greatest vulnerability to slug damage at emergence. However, potatoes and certain field vegetables are most vulnerable to damage close to harvest. In this first of three excerpts from Bayer CropScience's new...

Talking Arable with our Shropshire-based farmer Arthur Hill.
July 11, 2005... At last we have had some decent showers to help the crops to fulfil their potential. The scenes at Glastonbury of people floating on airbeds in their tents did not happen, thankfully, at Much Wenlock, but 25ml in 7 hours did a very welcome job....

MACHINES: Drill cultivator.
July 11, 2005... Designed for working with the company's existing seed drill ranges - Saphir and Solitair - the Heliodor cultivator works direct into broken ground and allows Lemken's seeders to operate as cultivator drills. Available mounted (rigid) - 3...

MACHINES: `Hybrid' plough offers the best of both.
July 11, 2005... Neither fully mounted, nor semi-mounted - but somewhere in between - is how Lemken describes its latest range of ploughs. Named Tansanit, the new 'hybrid' plough will be available in versions from 5 to 7 furrows and there is a choice between...

MACHINES: Broader range of kit for growers.
July 11, 2005... In a departure from its traditional manufacturing base of cultivators, drills and ploughs, Lemken announced the purchase of little known German sprayer company, Jacoby. The company said that it would enable it to supply growers with a broader...

Talking Arable.
July 11, 2005... From our North Norfolk-based farmer Kit Papworth of L. F. Papworth Ltd, Lower Farm, Tuttington, Norwich. By the time you read this, some of you will have started harvest, but with only 12 hectares of winter barley, we will bide our time...

PLOUGHS: Five-furrow plough - the popular choice.
July 11, 2005... Sales of new ploughs increased by around 5% last year. That is the message from the AEA, which suggests that British farms buy somewhere in the region of 1,000 new ploughs a year. As average tractor size continues to rise, it will come of...

MACHINES: Sprayer choice in UK is set to increase.
July 11, 2005... Sprayer choice in the UK is set to grow now that French outfit Caruelle - part of the Exel Group that also manufactures Berthoud and Tecnoma sprayers - has landed on UK shores. "The Caruelle range has key features that no other sprayer...

MACHINES: Chassis-levelling system for improved stability.
July 11, 2005... French maker Matrot has introduced a chassis-levelling system for its Maestria self-propelled sprayer that is claimed to remain effective on slopes of up to 20 degrees. In the same way that hill-sider type combines operate, the Stabilis...

MACHINES: High specification from Knight.
July 11, 2005... Knight Farm Machinery reckons to have packed considerable specification onto its latest high capacity EUA trailed sprayer. Available in 2,800- and 3,800-litre tank capacities and with triple-fold booms up to 40m wide, the EUA model gets a...

MACHINES: Merlin 3000 litre sprayer from Phoenix is a `Gem'.
July 11, 2005... If the colour is not a give-away to sprayer aficionados, then the design might well be. The Merlin trailed sprayer range from Digby, Lincolnshire-based Phoenix Sprayers is essentially a Gem machine - formerly Case - but with subtle revisions...

MACHINES: Variable ride settings for operator comfort.
July 11, 2005... Adjustable suspension to enhance ride comfort is a feature of the latest SAM SLc dual-ride sprayers from Sands. The system gives the operator control over the active hydraulic suspension, allowing a softer setting for in-field use and...

MACHINES: Tool carrier and cultivator.
July 11, 2005... Vogel and Noot had a new tool-carrying frame and cultivator in action. The #4,500 Terra Lift can be used to carry the firm's 3m to 6m wide tine or disc cultivators once the bolted on headstock has been removed. The model on show was fitted...

MACHINES: Tilling tines on Rabe press.
July 11, 2005... Rabe has revised its front-packer line up with the FUPA-KE which can be fitted with either 700mm or 900mm diameter rings with the version on display having the latter. The two rows of tines can be bolted to the packer's frame and the working...

MACHINES: Trio-T cultivator.
July 11, 2005... Due to customer demand Yorkshire firm SUMO has introduced the Trio T - a trailed version of its tine and disc cultivator machine with a rear linkage for carrying a combination drill. Available in 3m, 3.5m and 4.0m working widths the...

GRAIN STORAGE: Getting the store in order.
July 11, 2005... Although built originally for crop storage and ventilation, many on- floor grain stores become home to a multitude of other items when there is no crop in residence. With combines being readied for the season, Michael Bird provides a checklist...

SWEET TALK.
July 11, 2005... The events at the end of last month highlight the volatility of the current sugar reform process. A highly detailed `leak' reported at the Cereals event has been followed by a brief official announcement that broadly follows the same lines but...

NFU study to gauge rising energy costs.
July 25, 2005... The NFU has launched a study into the impact of spiralling energy costs on the agricultural and horticultural industries. The aim is not only to highlight how the increases will affect farmers and growers but also to show some of the measures...

Partnerships to aid farmers with new water regulations.
July 25, 2005... The NFU is to work in partnership with Water UK and the Environment Agency to help farmers comply with new water regulations. The EU Water Framework Directive sets ambitious targets for the quality of all of the UK's water environments,...

Growers sharpen their attitudes.
July 25, 2005... More than 80% of those questioned admitted to a resistance problem in some form and black-grass topped the poll, with 70% of respondents citing it as the most important target. "What's evident is that growers are now much more candid about...

UK optimism about OSR.
July 25, 2005... UK growers appear to be optimistic about the future of oilseed rape on their farms, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of BASF. In the survey 45% of farmers interviewed in England and Scotland said that they would be growing the...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Seed bags are `non-hazardous'.
July 25, 2005... Used seed bags have been classified as a non-hazardous waste, following extensive lobbying by the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC). The Environment Agency has concluded that waste seed is non-hazardous and therefore its...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Pest control.
July 25, 2005... A new systemic insecticide for control of aphids, wheat bulb fly larvae, midges, leaf miners, and other insect pests, in a variety of agricultural and horticultural crops including cereals, is available from Headland Agrochemicals. Danadim...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Registrations fall by 11.5%.
July 25, 2005... UK Tractor registrations (over 40 hp) fell 11.5% in the first six months of the year, says the Agricultural Engineers' Association (AEA). The year to date total for the first six months of 2004 stood at 8,109 units compared with 7,177 for the...

Scottish OSR trials highlight importance of resistance.
July 25, 2005... Select the right oilseed rape variety and you could cut fungicide costs. That's the premise currently under investigation by the SAC. According to Aberdeen-based oilseed rape specialist, Elaine Booth, varieties with high resistance ratings...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Early mosaic infections more damaging.
July 25, 2005... Early infections of beet mosaic virus (BtMV) are more damaging in yield terms than later infections, studies at Broom's Barn have revealed. In artificially-inoculated trials conducted during 2003 and 2004, early season (May) infections...

ARABLE BRIEFS: HDRA results.
July 25, 2005... HDRA, the organic organisation, has released the final results from an eight-year study of farms as they converted from conventional to organic vegetable production. Eleven farms took part in the HDRA Conversion to Organic Field Vegetable...

Blame the Government on beet, says Boel.
July 25, 2005... British beet growers could be getting substantially more than #17/tonne after sugar regime reform providing they get the compensation, according to Mariann Fischer Boel. The UK sugar industry is lobbying the Government to demand they get...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Mocap trials.
July 25, 2005... Recent trials with Mocap 10G (ethophos) have demonstrated it can be effective on G.pallida PCN populations, giving similar or better control than current standards when applied at a rate of 100 kg/ha. The high use rate has proved to be...

Smith's Soapbox: Pavlova Farm.
July 25, 2005... Farming opinion from Essex-based Guy Smith As harvest gets underway, the show season comes to a close. This year I have been lucky enough to get invitations to quite a few across the land. The marquees and rings are often much the same but...

POTATO PESTS: Risk and uncertainty pose PCN problems for potato growers.
July 25, 2005... Some of the world's leading experts on PCN gathered at Harper Adams University College in Shropshire recently for an AAB/Bayer CropScience `Advances in potato cyst nematode management' conference. Teresa Rush reports. Lack of field history...

POTATO PESTS: New PCN Directive open to consultation.
July 25, 2005... The draft of the new EU PCN Directive includes a number of significant changes from the original 1969 Directive. These include recognition of Globodera pallida, a modified definition of resistance, a harmonised procedure for determining the...

POTATO PESTS: Shellfish to play role in PCN control.
July 25, 2005... Crushed shellfish could play a role in PCN control, according to scientists from SAC. Chitin, a major constituent of shellfish shells, is also a major component of the cysts of PCN. The addition of crushed shellfish to soil leads to the...

ORGANIC FARMING: Organic seed: Healthy or not?
July 25, 2005... Are seed-borne diseases catching up on organic systems? Alison Lea reports from a meeting organised by the Organic Crops Demonstration Project on results of a major survey. Health testing of organic seed has found no evidence of any...

ORGANIC FARMING: LUPINS: HIGH PROTEIN OPPORTUNITY?
July 25, 2005... Organic livestock must now be fed on certified organic rations, so on- farm demand for high-grade organic protein has increased. Lupins are an excellent high protein feed, providing 35% crude protein, but "there is a long way to go before...

SUGAR BEET: Optimum fungicide timing.
July 25, 2005... Virus yellows, drought and disease control were amongst the topics up for discussion at the annual trials open afternoon at the UK's centre for sugar beet research at Broom's Barn Research Station in Suffolk. Teresa Rush reports. With...

SUGAR BEET: Seed treatment advised for rhizo resistors.
July 25, 2005... Rhizomania-resistant sugar beet varieties should receive an insecticidal seed treatment to limit yield losses associated with combined rhizomania and virus yellows infection. Dr Mark Stevens said that little was known about the impact of...

SUGAR BEET: Beet variety drought stress index planned.
July 25, 2005... Drought remains the major cause of yield losses to sugar beet in the UK, growers visiting the Broom's Barn trials open afternoon were told. Long-term studies underway at the station, in partnership with the British Beet Research Organisation...

VARIETIES: Barker's choice.
July 25, 2005... Alison Lea talks to Barry Barker, national seeds business manager for Dalgety Masstock on varieties for planting this autumn. A further increase in Group 2 wheats, partly at the expense of Group 1s is on the cards for planting this autumn,...

PESTS: Watch out - there's a wireworm about.
July 25, 2005... Watch out - wireworms could be on the increase. And if you're unlucky enough to have them in cereals, a seed treatment is about your only chemical option for control. "There's no doubt wireworms are becoming more of a problem," says ADAS...

Distributor trials highlight potential of new seed treatments.
July 25, 2005... Masstock Group seed treatment trials have revealed significantly better establishment among winter wheat crops treated with the new Bayer CropScience seed treatment Redigo Twin (prothioconazole + fluoxastrobin), particularly on sites which had...

SEED TREATMENTS: Don't be fooled by Fusarium.
July 25, 2005... Cereal growers must move towards the concept of `seed disinfection' instead of clinging to the traditional practice of specifying a cheap and cheerful single purpose seed dressing, according to a leading seed processor. "The term `single...

FUNGICIDES: Try to protect triazoles.
July 25, 2005... Don't expose important triazole fungicides to unnecessary resistance risk by using them too many times a season - beginning with seed treatments - wheat growers are being advised. Taking into account seed treatments and the foliar spray...

Farming in Australia: Fuelling the flames of friendship.
July 25, 2005... First drought, now floods. Aussie farmer columnist Neil Unger wonders how he will ever get his crops in the ground, while at the same time reminisces about friendships forged during the disastrous fire his family experienced at their Cawdor...

ROYAL SHOW: African interest in Aqueel.
July 25, 2005... Simba received a Ghanaian delegation interested in the company's Aqueel. (Left to right) Peter Mason, Simba's consolidation systems specialist; Rod Daffern, Simba's chairman; Ernest Debrah, Ghana's minister of agriculture; and Dr Ebeneezer...

Environmental responsibility.
July 25, 2005... Just days before the G8 summit, and amidst pressure from French quarters for the UK to relinquish its rebate, Sir Don Curry, speaking at a Royal Show conference on the environment, said that he has written to the Prime Minister to remind him...

ROYAL SHOW: Springdale offers storage option.
July 25, 2005... Springdale Crop Synergies announced the addition of a storage option to its OSR bio-electricity generation contract, launched at Cereals 2005. For storing rapeseed contracted to Springdale, growers will receive increments to the #150/t...

ROYAL SHOW: LEAF puts down a Marque for British food.
July 25, 2005... LEAF was in the food hall at the Royal Show, promoting produce bearing the LEAF Marque and the high standards of integrated farming behind the Marque, which was launched in June 2003 as a retail 'kitemark'. Visitors to the stand were...

Talking Arable with our Borders-based farmer Guy Lee.
July 25, 2005... I asked a doctor friend what the medical name for mood swings is. `You are suffering from manic depression', she said. I was not meaning something quite so extreme as I know just how serious that is, and a condition I would not wish on anybody....

FARMING IN SPAIN: No rain in Spain.
July 25, 2005... The drought in Spain is thought to be the worst in sixty years, and it is exacerbated by escalating water usage. Our correspondent in the country, Richard Smith reports. We have all been kidding ourselves that the situation would improve,...

Expert Guide: Slugs.
July 25, 2005... The trend in recent years towards lower seed rates means that successful crop emergence and protection from slug activity is vital. In the second of our excerpts from Bayer CropScience's new `Expert Guide: Slugs', independent crop consultant...

CULTIVATIONS: Cultivation at the crossroads?
July 25, 2005... British farms still continue to purchase around 1,000 new ploughs and 1,400 to 1,500 new power harrows every year and the AEA suggests that sales of both increased by some 5% in 2004. Although experts agree that growers should be looking to get...

CULTIVATIONS: Deflecting the stones.
July 25, 2005... Two new models, including one designed for particularly stony land, have joined the Maschio RECOtiller range of power harrows distributed in the UK by Rustons Engineering. On the DM Rapido Plus model the gear trough has a bolted second...

CULTIVATIONS: Front-mounted disc cultivator.
July 25, 2005... LYNX Engineering has developed a disc version of its Streamline front- mounted cultivator. The 510mm scalloped discs are mounted in pairs and attached to the frame by individual arms with the working angle fixed at around 30 degrees. Stone...

CULTIVATIONS: Kongskilde front-mounted Terra Disc introduced.
July 25, 2005... Kongskilde has launched a front-mounted disc cultivator. The Terra Disc uses 450mm diameter scalloped discs mounted in pairs on heavy duty spring tines. The working angle is hydraulically-adjustable allowing the Terra Disc to be used on...

CULTIVATIONS: Maxidrill revised.
July 25, 2005... KRM has revised the Maxidrill with the SR2 version. Keith Rennie says that this has the robust build of a trailed drill but the flexibility of a mounted unit that can be fitted to a tine cultivator or power harrow. They have also managed...

CULTIVATIONS: Celebrating fifty years of Kockerling.
July 25, 2005... German firm Kockerling is celebrating 50 years of manufacturing and UK distributor TTMS has launched the All Rounder cultivator. This is described as a primary cultivator for light ground or secondary operations on medium and heavy land....

POTATO MACHINERY: Modular machine to stay ahead of the game.
July 25, 2005... With sales of potato harvesters expected to be just 90 units in total this year, competition to sell new machines is understandably high. Andy Collings reports from Norfolk where Grimme unveiled its latest machine. For manufacturers...

POTATO MACHINERY: No stopping self-propelled harvester.
July 25, 2005... Operators of Belgian-firm DeWulf R3000 Mega self-propelled potato harvesters will be aware that the machine needs to stop to unload. Not anymore, as a new option includes an unloading on-the-move facility. An obvious benefit includes the...

POTATO MACHINERY: New options for GZ.
July 25, 2005... Although there are no obvious changes to Grimme's GZ range of potato harvesters, there are a number of new options, designed to increase output/efficiency at the same time as reducing crop damage. The first is the option of hydraulic web...

POTATO MACHINERY: Harvester sales up.
July 25, 2005... Sales of new potato harvesters rallied slightly last year. That is the message from the AEA, which suggests that well over 100 new harvesters were sold in the UK last year. Although this is up on the 80 units sold in 2003, sales remain at low...

Talking Arable with our South Devon-based organic farmer David Pearson.
July 25, 2005... July 12, 2005 Congratulations to the organisers of Cereals 2005. I walked in unhindered, no delays, just as it should be. Much of my day was spent trying to get a few answers to questions about the SPS, Organic ELS and issues around the...