Arable Farming articles from March 2002

Arable Farming archives from March 2002

Sugar beet drilling.
March 9, 2002... A rare sight indeed! An early start to sugar beet drilling (foreground) being made on 18 February, while the remains of last season's crop is still being harvested in the background. Pictured on P & J Wilson's Baylham Hall Farm, Baylham,...

Harvest `normal'.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... The 2002 harvest will not deliver barn-bursting tonnages, predicts grain company Centaur Grain Ltd. Figures released by Centaur suggest that wheat output from 2002 harvest will fall some way short of the level many in the trade predicted...

Source your seasonal labour via the web.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... East Anglian farmer Nigel Merriam has started novel farm diversification enterprise. 4XtraHands.com is a website for farmers seeking seasonal labour. The permanent UK workforce is reducing daily, but experienced help is still required...

Late List changes.
March 9, 2002... Three candidates have emerged victorious from the Recommended List Appeals Committee. Two winter barleys (DIAMOND bred by Nickerson, and VANESSA bred by Breun and marketed by Banks Cargill), and one winter oilseed rape variety (COURAGE -...

More NIAB approval.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Newly Recommended for 2002 is sugar beet variety GIOVANNA from Delitzsch. Three years of NIAB trials has found Giovanna has one of the lowest levels of bolting of all RL varieties when sown early, and sown at the normal time, it has the...

Be an early bird.(Countryside Stewardship Scheme)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Applications for the Countryside Stewardship Scheme - which now includes arable options - are invited from now until the end of May. The applications can take time to prepare, particularly as it can be helpful to seek expert advice on what's...

Itchy (webbed) feet?(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Do you have a yen to study some aspect of water management overseas? Here's an opportunity to receive some financial support for your watery wandering: The Jack Wright Memorial Trust funds travel awards to study water management in...

RASE revitalising HQ.(Royal Agricultural Society of England)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... The Royal Agricultural Society of England has launched a project to create a National Centre for Rural Enterprise at its Stoneleigh Park HQ. Multi-million pound investment is to be made into science, technology and rural development that...

Can you grow for export?(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Do you have an eye for export potential in your wheat variety choice and management? HGCA's British Cereal Exports division and Monsanto have teamed up with Arable Farming to launch a national competition: the British Wheat Export Growing...

Prickly problem is growing.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Sow thistles are a growing problem in UK rape crops and seriously reduce harvesting flexibility and returns for growers, according to results of a nationwide survey of agronomists presented at the recent Crop Protection in Northern Britain...

Sweet and sour sugar.(organic and non-organic products)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... I note a lot of disgruntlement amongst sugar beet growers at the moment. There appears to be a lot of rejections for frosted beet. The growers grievance is that they got frosted while waiting for delivery into British Sugar plants which seem to...

Still waters run deep.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... It seems water pollution is flavour of the month with the farmer bashers at the moment. First there are to be restrictions on nitrate use because levels in water are not below fifty parts per million. Then there is the continued threat of a...

One member one vote.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... A couple of years ago I wrote a piece attacking the arcane way my Union (the NFU) elects it leaders. I described the system as ridiculous, undemocratic, clandestine and elitist - more attuned to the mentality of the Freemasons than to the needs...

Strob choice highlights grain protein levels.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Increased yield is one of the undoubted benefits of the strobilurin fungicides, although it has sometimes been achieved at the expense of grain protein content. But recent research indicates that not all strobs have the same influence on grain...

In brief.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... BASF has announced its plans for marketing F500 (pyraclostrobin) in the UK. The product range will be headed by Opera (pyraclostrobin+epoxiconazole). BASF is recommending Opera for use on winter wheat at T1 and T2 timings and on winter barley...

An Irishman, a Scotsman, and a conference for Englishmen.(agricultural industry)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... The Case for Home Production was the title of Sentry Farming's recent conference. Alison Lea heard views from north of the border and from across the Irish Sea. Irish opinion "No other EU government has gone through the same traumas as...

Consumer trends.(potatoes)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... BPC's research shows the British are still loyal to spuds - overall consumption at just over 100kg/head/year is holding steady, but there are some interesting changes in what people buy. As a nation we are buying less fresh spuds. An...

Should I stay in spuds?(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Bidwell's business consultant Richard Warburton took on the challenge of trying to answer this question. "Growers must know their real production costs to answer this question," he said. Carrying out a balance sheet exercise will provide a good...

Beat blight before it gets a hold.(potato farming)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... What are the two main issues for potato growers? The response, when BPC asked levy payers this question, was blight and crop nutrition. Hardly news to potato growers: dumps are the biggest source of blight. If it's outside your control to...

Crop nutrition.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Although fertiliser is a comparatively inexpensive input (around 20% of variable costs), potential savings are still worth having, Marc Allison (right) of Cambridge University Farm (CUF) told roadshow visitors. Look at your N usage...

Patch dynamics.(researching weed patches)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... It's a relatively small group of enthusiastic farmers that make up the UK's `Precision' club, but the majority of them gathered at Silsoe Research Institute to hear the latest information on weed patch dynamics. Dominic Kilburn writes. ...

Tackling T1: Providing the early season foundation for yield and quality.(crop management)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... The T1 timing can make or break a crop. Get it right and you lay a solid foundation for yield and quality. Get it wrong and, once disease gets hold, you risk playing catch-up for the rest of the season. THE good news about this season's...

Aims of T1.(protecting leaves)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... THE T1 timing is all about protecting final leaf three as soon as it emerges, says the HGCA's Professor Graham Jellis. That's the first of the top three yield-building leaves. "T1 is the start of the foundation period when leaves, stems...

Eyespot outlook.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... EARLY drilling plus weather conducive to infection could put this season's eyespot levels on a par with two seasons ago, says Huw Phillips, business manager with SAC Scottish Agronomy. That year, substantial benefits were achieved using a...

Application advantage.(protecting crops)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... CHOOSING a T1 strobilurin wisely could boost your number of hectares sprayed per day by nearly 50%. That's the message from Syngenta application specialist Tom Robinson, who says trials applying Acanto through full size machinery show...

PGR plant form guide.(lodging process in winter wheat)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... With funding from HGCA, researchers from Nottingham University, ADAS, NIAB and Birmingham University have developed a model of the lodging process in winter wheat. The model takes account of interactions between plant form, weather and soil...

Lodging Survey.(Brief Article)(Polling Data)(Statistical Data Included)
March 9, 2002... The combination of late drilling, thin crops and a much reduced crop area last season was the main factor limiting lodging in winter cereals in 2001 to the lowest level for over five years. That's the conclusion BASF has drawn from its fifth...

Wind tunnel tests.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... A sequence of New 5C Cycocel applied at GS30/31 followed by Terpal at GS37 was the most effective treatment in a wind tunnel trial comparing PGR programmes under increasing wind strengths. In the trial at ADAS Rosemaund, the New 5C...

Green. The colour of money?(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Will green really be the colour of money for farmers? East Anglia FWAG conference speakers discussed the future economics of a green agenda. Alison Lea summarises some of the main points A favourite buzz word in the debate on the future of...

Tractor gap narrows.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Visitors to last year's Agritechnica show might have noticed the results of a tractor users survey carried out by Top Agrar magazine. Whilst most of the attention on the Valtra stand was directed towards the S series tractor, a prominent...

Something old something new.(John Deere's launch of its 20-series tractors )
March 9, 2002... Following John Deere's launch of its 20-series tractors last year, Steven Vale gets his hands on one of the first models to arrive in the UK and compares the outgoing 8410 with one of the newcomers - the 8420. Of all the new 20-series...

Get a little Xtra help.(Massey Ferguson's MF 8200 Xtra Series )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Massey Ferguson's MF 8200 Xtra Series features new high torque engines, stronger axles and other performance-enhancing features, says manufacturer AGCO. All new tractors can be factory-fitted with the Fieldstar terminal and Massey...

Landini steps up hp.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Landini, the Italian tractor manufacturer, whose products are handled in the UK by Motokov, is increasing its focus on the high horsepower market. This initiative follows the introduction of new Legend ranges. The new generation Legend...

Talking Arable with our Hampshire-based farmer Richard Mitham.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... 27TH FEBRUARY 2002 February Filldyke certainly lived up to its name in this part of the world, fortunately by rain not snow, and we have not turned a wheel for a considerable time. However, crops all appear to be emerging from the...

Talking Arable with our South Devon based farmer David Pearson.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... 23rd February 2002 So much water has passed under the bridge since I last wrote that it is difficult to know where to begin. Anyone reading my ramblings over the past months cannot have failed to have noticed that I was becoming...

Wise ways to cuts costs.(increase sales and decrease costs, producing a larger profit)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... First step is to focus on profit, advised Andy Wells, ADAS arable consultant. "Ideally we want to increase sales and decrease costs, producing a larger profit. The most profitable arable businesses are so successful because they achieve high...

Should I re-negotiate my contract?(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... These are typical questions in many people's minds, says David Bolton of Andersons Farm Business Consultants. "We are sometimes accused of `putting up the price of land' in the face of contractors seeking long- term opportunities for expansion...

Guide to Farm budgeting.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Lloyds TSB's Focus on Farming Survey in 2001 showed that most farmers continue to judge their financial success only by looking at their bank statements - just 33% of those in its survey used budgets or farm business plans. Lloyds TSB's...

Interest taken in managing risk.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Low inflation combined with steady sustainable GDP growth ought to make budgeting and forecasting an easier task. However the strength of sterling (or weakness of the euro) has brought particular problems to the agricultural sector and makes...

Cropping and conservation - can they be integrated?(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... If you are looking at the arable options in Countryside Stewardship, you may be wondering whether it would work on your farm. Chris Stoate and Alistair Leake of the Game Conservancy Trust's Allerton Project share practical experiences from...

Number of German farms on the slide.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 9, 2002... The number of German farms has dropped by over 33% during the last 10 years. At the end of last year, the country counted 447,000 farms, which operate on a total of 17.1 million hectares. Countrywide, these work an average of 38.2 hectares,...

New tractor sales slump.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 9, 2002... Tractor importers are facing increasingly difficult times in a number of European countries. Take Holland, for example. Here, even though figures for the last quarter of 2001 confirms sales of 1,010 new tractors, (only 740 during third...

Finnish minister wants larger farms.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 9, 2002... Finnish farm size needs to increase. That is the message from newly appointed minister of agriculture Raimo Tammilehto, who suggests that this is a necessary step if the country's farmers want to remain competitive in the future. Currently,...

Dutch beet campaign better than expected.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 9, 2002... Dutch sugar beet growers harvested an average of 56.6 tonnes/hectare during the last campaign and a sugar content of 9.1 tonnes. Although this is lower than the average figures of the last 10 years (58t/ha - sugar content 9.3t), it is still a...

Greek growers suffer from the cold.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... January's television pictures of the snow-covered Acropolis and freezing temperatures highlight just what an extraordinary winter this has been. However, whilst the Athenians made the most of the unexpected winter weather, the arable sector is...

Italian crops suffer from drought.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Whilst crops in most of Europe are suffering from excessive rainfall, it is ironic that winter cereals in northern Italy have received no rainfall for over three months. In fact, the situation is so severe that many growers could be forced to...

Fight to keep French beet processor.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... The CGB French sugar beet growers association is campaigning to prevent the Beghin Say processing plant, which has just gone up for sale, from falling into the hands of German-firm Sudzucker. Last year, Sudzucker acquired the second largest...

Talking Arable with our Borders-based farmer Guy Lee.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... 21st February 2002 Roots, barley, seeds, wheat - the Norfolk four course rotation, there are many adaptations to this original plan but this is the one that has always stuck in my mind. I think it makes sense and I feel an urge to return...

Persist with spray policy.(herbicides)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Sugar beet growers are urged to persist with pre- and post-emergence sprays this season for effective weed control. Any saving on herbicide inputs achieved by economising on pre- or post- emergence applications could be outweighed by the...

Embrace 20:20 vision - but keep weed control strategies flexible.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... With an eye on the future sustainability of the UK sugar beet industry - British Sugar's 20:20 vision initiative firmly focuses on lowering costs and increasing output. But can this be achieved without jeopardising weed control this year? The...

Nodules give lupins a fix.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... A trial at IACR-Rothamsted shows that seed inoculation boosts winter lupin yields. Lupins, like all leguminous crops, can satisfy their nitrogen needs by biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen and/or by uptake of N from the soil. ...

Assessing soya varieties at NIAB.
March 9, 2002... NIAB is trialling soya varieties for a third year and Simon Kightley, oilseeds and pulse crop specialist, is hoping to be able to expand to a second trials site. Funds to date have only allowed one replicated trials site, at Cambridge. Mr...

Letter: HGCA - `A vital resource for many'.
March 9, 2002... HGCA's aim is to improve the production and marketing of UK grain, so as to increase its competitiveness in UK and export markets. To ensure our wide range of activities are best targeted to achieve that aim, we actively foster constructive...

Calibration is the key.(potato cyst nematodes)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... While potato cyst nematodes (PCNs) could be a major cause of yield loss in potato crops this season, growers are reminded that key issues relating to treatment of nematode cysts must be adhered to in order to minimise risk of crop damage and...

Risk assessor technology demonstrates PCN strategy.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Potato growers and agronomists should use new PCN risk assessment technology to help demonstrate the essential role of nematicides in the production of pre-pack and processing potatoes. Hutchinson's agronomist Ian Cook has been explaining...

Yellow peril from sugar beet virus.(virus yellows forecast)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 23, 2002... IACR Broom's Barn is forecasting increased levels of virus yellows in sugar beet crops for the coming season. Mean temperatures from 1 January have been more than 2 degrees C above average and there have been only 14 ground frosts. ...

SPRAYER.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Farmer/contractor, Guy Hitchcock applying a 20% N liquid urea solution, plus sulphur, to a crop of winter oilseed rape on Buckle Farms, Tye Farm, Willisham, Suffolk using a rubber-tracked Knight 4000-litre trailed sprayer. The tracks provide a...

ALS-resistant weeds confirmed.(England)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Sulfonylurea-resistant chickweed and poppy have been identified for the first time in England. Six farms have been confirmed to have resistant common chickweed (Stellaria media) and three with resistant common poppy (Papaver rhoeas)...

Blightwatch goes live.(Web site provides blight warnings for potato producers)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... BlightWatch, the internet-based potato blight warning service will be starting its second year earlier and going live on-line in early April 2002. The site received around 4000 visits from growers and others interested in growing and...

Black-grass springing.(weed a concern for cereal growers)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Cereal growers with spring germinated black-grass must get on as soon as land will travel and spray a robust herbicide treatment with maximum levels of contact activity, before weeds start tillering. That's the message from DuPont's Neil...

Irish ambitions.(agricultural machinery - United Kingdom is Ireland's largest export market)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 23, 2002... The UK is Ireland's biggest export market for agricultural machinery and market share continues to grow at a substantial rate. Exports to the UK for 2001 are estimated to be some 35% up on 2000, and figures for 2002 are predicted to rise 15-20%...

Farm Works winner.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Irish eyes are smiling: Richard Campbell of Maidenhall, St Boswells in the Scottish Borders, is looking pleased on account of winning the Farm Works/ Arable Farming computer package competition. Richard, who farms 500 acres in partnership...

Transmission trouble.(Correction Notice)
March 23, 2002... On page 29 of Arable Farming March 9 edition we reported that Landini's Legend Series 180 tractor featured the basic specification available. In fact, all the models in the Series except the Legend 180, are available with basic spec and three...

Class opportunity.(workshops for wheat famers)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Wanting to hone your modern wheat management edge? Then you shouldn't miss one of the innovative grower workshops Arable Farming is running with the English Land-based Institute of Training & Education (ELITE) at leading agricultural...

Spring barley in favour.(survey of barley growers)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 23, 2002... Spring barley growers are becoming increasingly positive about the crop according to a survey by barley breeder New Farm Crops. This was despite a difficult growing year in 2001, although 86% of the 509 respondents said they still managed...

Cruelty will pay with early wheats.(fertilizing methods)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Be cruel to be kind in fertilising your early drilled wheats this spring and make sure you treat them robustly with PGRs if you are to overcome excessive tillering and avoid serious lodging problems. This is the key advice from independent...

Enron becomes Agron.(farmer comments on sale plan for crops)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Column)
March 23, 2002... Ihave never been one for brain-aching schemes when it comes to marketing my crops. The usual policy is to sell the rape, barley, peas, and beans off the combine and to hang on to the wheat. After the autumn rush we sell hundred tonne lots here...

GM technology improving the environment.(researchers at the Abertay Research Institute create a genetically modified elm resistant to disease)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... One of the more depressing things I have witnessed since I was a boy is the demise of the elm tree. Slowly but surely most of the mature trees on this farm have withered and died. Despite planting other species none of these will really replace...

Forward crops present management challenges.(cereal crops)
March 23, 2002... Dig out your copy of HGCA's Wheat Growth Guide and a magnifying lens. Accurate identification of crop growth stages will be vital this season if returns from PGR and fungicide inputs are to be optimised. Teresa Rush reports. Early drilling...

Gout fly threat to spring cereals.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Pests have made the most of the mild conditions over winter, putting autumn and spring-sown crops at risk of damage. Teresa Rush reports. Symptoms of gout fly damage have been obvious in many early-drilled winter wheat and barley crops in...

Leatherjacket damage levels increasing.(crop protection)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Survey work, conducted by ADAS on behalf of Dow AgroSciences, at grassland sites in central, northern and some southern areas this winter showed that leatherjacket populations in central and western areas were higher than last season. ADAS...

Europe: The global ghetto of GM technology?(opinions concerning GM crops in Europe)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... There are now over 50 million hectares of GM crops in 15 different countries. Virtually none are in the EU. Is Europe being left behind? Speakers at a recent conference on GMs were invited to give their opinions around this question. Alison Lea...

Benefits from GM beet.(sugar beet crops)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... IACR-Broom's Barn trials with genetically-modified herbicide-tolerant sugar beet indicate that it is possible to manage crops for agronomic and environmental benefits. Results from trials investigating the effects of weed cover on pest...

Tyre survey is gripping stuff!(Brief Article)(Polling Data)
March 23, 2002... The clear message that came out of the Arable Farming/Goodyear Farm Tyre survey is that traction is the number one item on the list when our readers go shopping for new tractor tyres. Almost 42% of respondees ticked traction as their...

It's a set up.(tractor tires)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Tractor tyres are easily taken for granted. Yet correct selection and setting up of tyres can make a significant difference to several important aspects of tractor performance. Arable Farming asked Michelin Group agricultural specialist, Robert...

Tyre round up.(Kleber Fitker, tractor tyre)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... New for 2002, the Kleber Fitker is a 70 series tyre designed for medium to high horsepower tractors working in a variety of conditions, both on- and off-road. The Fitker can carry the same load at 50km/hr as at 40km/hr without an increase in...

Tyre talk.(Michelin tire development)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Despite the UK having a price-sensitive tyre market, Dave Crinson, Michelin Group agricultural sales manager says that the top-end contractors and arable farmers are prepared to spend more money on the right tyres for the right job. "Last...

Moving to the beet.(advertisement)
March 23, 2002... Following on from its debut at Beet UK last October, Kongskilde UK gave its Thyregod T9 series trailed sugar beet harvester a thorough work out at a recent public demonstration in Norfolk. Available for the 2002 harvest, the 3 or 4-row T9...

Contracting Comment.(notes from farmer/contractor Kit Papworth)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... From our Norfolk-based farmer/contractor Kit Papworth As I write these notes (7th March 2002) we are finally delivering the last of the season's sugar beet - the most difficult season that I have ever been involved in. Problems for the crop...

Hats off to diversification.
March 23, 2002... It is the opinion of some, including DEFRA, that the route for the survival of rural Britain is diversification. We have certainly been `doing our bit' over the winter. My wife has joined a cooperative of farmers' wives who sell and hire ladies...

Nine-row 'Loords it at Dutch beet demo.(Agrifac WKM harvesting machine)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 23, 2002... Following hot on the heels of the launch of the first 9-row self- propelled sugar beet harvesters from French-firm Moreau and Dutch- company Vervaet comes the news that another Dutch-company, Agrifac WKM, has just unveiled its first 9-row...

TTV offers CVT.(Deutz-Fahr tractor)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Same Deutz-Fahr has finally joined the CVT set, with a continuously- variable transmission for the Deutz tractor range. And there are upgrades to Agrotron models too. Geoff Ashcroft reports. TTV is Deutz's offering in the...

Continental shows for contractor kit.(machinery highlights of Agromek and Agribex shows)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... In our February issue we highlighted some unusual cultivation ideas seen for the first time at the Danish Agromek show. In this second report, Steven Vale reviews some other machinery highlights of particular interest to contractors from both...

A proven track record.(farmer/contractor John Hitchcock's spraying operation)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Rubber tracks have proved their worth on tractors like the Case Quadtrac and Claas Challenger, now they are doing the same on large sprayers and trailers. John Blackbeard reports on a farmer/ contractor- development which is giving excellent...