Arable Farming articles from May 2003

Arable Farming archives from May 2003

571 hectares in a day!
May 13, 2003... World beater: AGCO's 500hp, 15.8 litre Challenger MT 865 tractor coupled with an 18.35m wide Horsch ATD drill, smashed the record books last month by drilling 571.9 hectares in 24 hours in the Ukraine. The unit simultaneously drilled spring...

GM crops can co-exist.
May 13, 2003... Two reports provide fresh evidence that GM crops can be grown in the UK without significant threat to the environment. The first is a survey of all farmers who took part in GM crop trials over the past three years. It found few practical...

Probing farming systems.
May 13, 2003... PROBE (PROfit, Biodiversity and the Environment) is a new project in which RSPB, DEFRA and Farmcare (part of the Co-op group) are pooling resources to develop and promote sustainable agricultural practices using integrated farm management...

Land market in the doldrums.
May 13, 2003... "MTR has brought land sales to a grinding halt in the eastern counties" (T. Jackson of Brown & Co): "There is virtually no land on the market in west Wales" (J Andrews of Llewelyn Humphreys): "Since Christmas virtually no farmland has come onto...

Sweetening up the Little Red Tractor logo.
May 13, 2003... Sugar will soon carry the Little Red Tractor logo following an industry- wide agreement to develop a farm assurance scheme for sugar beet for the 2003/04 harvest. The NFU, British Sugar, Silver Spoon (the retail arm of British Sugar) and...

CAP reform website.
May 13, 2003... A website has been set up to encourage discussion and exchange of information on the impact of CAP reform on unsupported crops. www.capreform.com is maintained with help and support from groups representing fresh and processed vegetable and...

Blight alert.
May 13, 2003... The BPC has alerted growers to a suspected outbreak of blight in the Fakenham area of Norfolk. Potato growers in the vicinity should step up monitoring and blight control programmes, advises BPC. Check BPC's website:...

Understanding potash.
May 13, 2003... As potassium is a vital regulator in human, plant and animal metabolism, correct provision of K to growing crops is essential to ensure efficient utilisation of nitrogen and thus reduce nitrate loss and avoid environmental harm. A new book...

BAROMETER ON THE VI.
May 13, 2003... Voluntary by name, not by nature. That was the message coming out of a Voluntary Initiative conference, held recently at the Royal Agricultural College (full report on page 10). Judging by the graphics above, there is a long way to go until...

Smith's Soapbox: Assurance: Who really benefits?
May 13, 2003... Farming opinion from Essex-based Guy Smith I note sugar beet crops are soon to be under the auspices of an assurance scheme. What joy this must be for sugar beet growers. At long last the sugar consumers of Britain can rest assured as to...

ENVIRONMENT: Soil spoils water.
May 13, 2003... Soil erosion is clogging up streams and rivers. Alison Lea takes advice from the Environment Agency on how to keep them running clear. Imagine trying to breathe in a sandstorm, with nothing to filter the dust entering your nose, mouth and...

PESTICIDES: Volunteer, you must!
May 13, 2003... The Voluntary Initiative is only voluntary in the sense that, when presented with the choice, the farming industry opted for a voluntary approach over a pesticide tax. But it is time limited, and farmers must NOT otherwise regard it as...

PESTICIDES: Cereal herbicides: the worst polluters.
May 13, 2003... As far as the incidence of pesticides in water goes, lowland rivers are worst, with regular pesticide pollution at higher levels, due to their sluggish flow and surrounding arable farming activity, according to Dr Bob Breach of Severn Trent...

PESTICIDES: Is yours a cost-saving sprayer?
May 13, 2003... A well maintained sprayer saves you money. This was Knight Farm Machinery's Mike Huntington's main message, and he had the figures to prove it: "If different rates are applied across the boom this will cost money - sprayer nozzles only needs to...

PESTICIDES: Birds starved, not poisoned.
May 13, 2003... "Our vision is not for the whole country to be organic. We appreciate that agrochemicals have achieved a great deal in raising yields. What the RSPB wants is for the use of them to be refined, and that is why we are supportive of the VI," said...

PESTICIDES: For a BETA environment.
May 13, 2003... Clare Bend, technical manager with Masstocks Arable, gave details of a new training package, as part of the VI, for agronomists. BETA stands for Biodiversity and Environment Training for Advisers. It's a BASIS-recognised qualification that...

BARLEY: Six-row successors.
May 13, 2003... Rather than grow a so-called dual purpose variety, and hope, against the odds that it will achieve malting spec, it makes much more sense to set your sites on a market and pick the right variety for the job. So reasons Robert Hiles of Syngenta...

BARLEY: Barley's a better bet.
May 13, 2003... With higher yield potential from improved winter barley varieties, Brown and Co's Simon Mountjoy can put together a strong argument for opting for it over a second wheat. Not least is the impact of the MTR, scheduled to kick-in this summer....

BARLEY: Modular marketing of first hybrid barley.
May 13, 2003... Barley growers will soon have to weigh up the relative merits of hybrids versus conventionals, as the first variety from NFC's hybrid breeding programme reaches the market this autumn. The 6-row feed variety's name, Colossus, gives a clue...

CEREALS 2003: Band sowing's late show.
May 13, 2003... Band sowing late-drilled cereals could avoid much of the yield penalty associated with later sowing, according to initial results from trial plots seen by thousands of farmers at The Arable Farming Event at Cereals 2002. The trials...

CEREALS 2003: Super trailed sprayer.
May 13, 2003... The Supertrack Plus, a 3000 litre 12/24m self-tracking trailed sprayer, is the latest addition to the Spraycare range of spraying equipment. It has a fully hydraulic heavy-duty boom operating at 12 and 24m with manual 20m fold and 2m break...

CEREALS 2003: Sprayer mounted, too.
May 13, 2003... Spraycare's 1000 litre mounted sprayer is lightweight and has been designed to provide optimum stability, keeping the weight close to the tractor, says the company. The SM 1000 litre machine is available with 18/20/21 and 12/24m single...

CEREALS 2003: Buggy gets new cab.
May 13, 2003... The latest self-propelled Agribuggy manufactured by Kelland's Agricultural Spraying Supplies features a new cab, designed and built exclusively for the new Agribuggy by Cabtech in Warwickshire. The new shape is also reflected along the length...

CEREALS 2003: Flexible friend.
May 13, 2003... Berthoud has developed a spray boom with hydraulically-activated arms that can be extended as spraying operations require. The CRX boom is designed for Berthoud mounted sprayers such as the Force and Mack in 18, 20 and 21m formats....

CEREALS 2003: Compact and concise.
May 13, 2003... The Midi-Spray 250 from Martin Lishman can be supplied as either a mounted or trailed version to suit both compact tractors and ATVs. It can also be specified with a 5HP petrol engine or the 60 litre/minute pump can be PTO-driven. With its...

CEREALS 2003: Minifog development.
May 13, 2003... Sands Agricultural Machinery has developed a smaller version of its Unifog thermal fogger for pest and disease control. The SAM 'Minifog' is designed for the fumigation of storage areas and poultry houses, not only with pesticide but...

CEREALS 2003: Spraymaster upgrade.
May 13, 2003... Allman has replaced its 2000 and 2600 litre trailed sprayers with new tanks, chassis and booms. The tanks are manufactured from GRP and have large, deep sumps to ensure flooded suction to the sprayer pump, together with maintaining a low...

CEREALS 2003: A tyre made for sprayers.
May 13, 2003... A new tyre designed specifically for use on self-propelled sprayers will be launched by Nordic Tyres. Rated for use at operating speeds of up to 65km/hr, the Nokian TRS 600/55 R 26.5 radial tyre has enhanced features to provide additional grip...

CEREALS 2003: On the right trail.
May 13, 2003... Sands Agricultural Machinery (SAM) will be exhibiting its trailed sprayer - a 3000 litre machine with 12/24m aluminium boom with 6- section shut off. The sprayer has a 3000 litre clean water flush tank, full electronic sprayer control...

CEREALS 2003: BFS expands range of products.
May 13, 2003... A leading supplier of low drift nozzles, Billericay Farm Services (BFS) continues to expand its range of products. * The 01 Air Bubble Jet has been introduced in response to the increasing trend towards very low volume spraying and reduced...

CEREALS 2003: Integrated topping.
May 13, 2003... Standen Reflex will show a Holmer Terra-Dos sugar beet tanker harvester with the latest high speed integrated IBS topper. This is the first UK show display of the IBS topping system. The IBS integrated topper does away with an auger, tops...

CEREALS 2003: On the edge.
May 13, 2003... Sands has developed a hydraulically-operated tilting tank for its SL range of self-propelled sprayers. Called Hillsider, as the sprayer encounters undulating land the tank will tilt automatically to stay on the horizontal while the sprayer...

CEREALS 2003: No trouble in stubble.
May 13, 2003... Following the introduction of the Catros 6000 compact disc cultivator to the UK market, Amazone has launched a number of new working widths - both rigid and folding. The folding Catros is now available in working widths of 4, 5 and 6m; all fold...

CEREALS 2003: T models in cruise mode.
May 13, 2003... Valtra has now introduced refinements to the operating systems of its T180 and T190 tractor models. Valtra Cruise Control allows the operator to set the forward speed or engine speed of the tractor which then remains constant until cancelled by...

CEREALS 2003: Three into one.
May 13, 2003... New from SW Agriservices is the Sumo Trio - a three part, one-pass subsoiler. The Trio's ultra low draught subsoiler legs are mounted in a staggered pattern on a purpose built heavy-duty toolbar, which adjusts from 200 to 300mm depth via pins...

CEREALS 2003: On-land/in-furrow.
May 13, 2003... A fully mounted on-land and in-furrow plough has been developed by Kuhn Farm Machinery and will be exhibited for the first time. Based on the recently launched Multi-Master 180, the plough is primarily designed for on-land draught straight...

CEREALS 2003: A tyre for telehandlers.
May 13, 2003... Of interest on tyre specialist Fieldens' stand will be a 405-70R22.5 tyre with traction tread. Aimed at operators of rough terrain forklifts or telehandlers, this is a remould tyre built on the carcass of an 18ply steel-belted radial truck...

CEREALS 2003: A cut above the rest.
May 13, 2003... Twose of Tiverton will display a new range of Schulte rotary cutters with cutting widths of 10-20 feet. Schulte's 20-foot model has a drive- line arrangement which gives improved cutting in all three sections, the company believes. The 7-gauge...

CEREALS 2003: Better no-till drill.
May 13, 2003... John Dale Zero Till Drills has made improvements to the previous model by lowering the seed tank and repositioning the hydraulic tank to give a lower centre of gravity. The company is currently assembling a 6m drill for demonstration at the...

CEREALS 2003: Very visible verge.
May 13, 2003... The Excel 606 hedgecutter from Spearhead with Variable Forward Reach (VFR), provides the benefits of optimum visibility of the cutting head without the disadvantages of mid-mounting, says the company. The operator can see what is going into the...

CEREALS 2003: Cereals launch for Bayer newcomers.
May 13, 2003... Exhibiting for the first time in its new guise, Bayer CropScience looks forward to welcoming visitors to its stand. The company, which comprises the former Bayer Crop Protection and Aventis CropScience, promises `something for everyone' at...

CEREALS 2003: On track to meet beet targets?
May 13, 2003... BBRO's Cereals 2003 stand will feature the 20:20 Vision initiative aimed at increasing sugar beet growers' yields and reducing growing costs. Growers' performance figures show that yields and growing costs continue to vary widely and it is...

CEREALS 2003: Combined attractions at single event.
May 13, 2003... The same opportunity to see the latest application machinery put through its paces, but with the added benefit of the Cereals event right next door. That is how Syngenta sums up the newly combined Cereals and Sprays & Sprayers event. In...

CEREALS 2003: Crop protection investment: Make your money yield more.
May 13, 2003... Challenging times for arable growers has prompted Syngenta Crop Protection to adopt a fresh approach to its exhibition area at the newly combined Sprays & Sprayers and Cereals event this year. With a theme of 'helping growers' investment in...

CEREALS 2003: Get on board with the Voluntary Initiative at the show.
May 13, 2003... Get on board with the Voluntary Initiative at Cereals 2003. With the threat of a tax on pesticides looming, which could cost farmers up to #10 per acre, getting behind the Voluntary Initiative is a must for all farmers. The VI is a...

CEREALS 2003: Assessing your crops' sulphur needs.
May 13, 2003... More than 50% of the cereals area is now at risk of sulphur deficiency. For winter oilseed rape, the area of deficiency is likely to be much larger. A recent survey showed that many farmers are not applying enough sulphur to wheat, rape and...

CEREALS 2003: Making the most of over-wintered stubbles.
May 13, 2003... Managing over-wintered stubbles to combine optimum weed control with the best conservation practice ahead of spring cropping is to come under the spotlight with practical demonstrations and advice on the Monsanto stand. "Over-wintered...

CEREALS 2003: Seek out KISSS at Cereals.
May 13, 2003... Farmer-owned organisation Morley provides field guidelines based on robust research. Its aim, explains director Jim Orson, is to enable the businesses of its members to maximise margins whilst meeting current and future market and environmental...

CEREALS 2003: New technology in action.
May 13, 2003... The Arable Farming Area at Cereals 2003 aims to demonstrate new and emerging technologies in the cereals sector. The 1.5-hectare feature is managed by Velcourt and is co-sponsored by Banks Cargill, Bayer, Syngenta, CASE and Simba. ...

CEREALS 2003: Beating blossom midge through breeding.
May 13, 2003... Elsoms Seeds will be introducing the first two wheat varieties for the UK which have good resistance to Orange Wheat Blossom Midge. This pest is very difficult to detect and control, and yield losses from failure to spray can be 10% or...

CEREALS 2003: Four! Watch out for new varieties.
May 13, 2003... No less than four new PBIC Seeds winter wheat varieties will be launched at Cereals 2003. Currently in RL trials, all are candidates for 2004 recommendation. Gladiator and Steadfast are feed varieties. Offering a significant yield...

CEREALS 2003: Winter wheat portfolio.
May 13, 2003... Cebeco Seeds will be demonstrating its portfolio of winter wheat varieties. Growers can see newly Recommended Richmond - a hard feed variety with high yields, the best specific weight on the List, very stiff straw and robust disease resistance....

CEREALS 2003: Extending the quality spectrum.
May 13, 2003... The quality of rapeseed oil could become as important as its quantity in a production future increasingly driven by market needs and opportunities, predicts Monsanto oilseed rape manager Karen Lonergan. The company is focusing on oil...

CEREALS 2003: 'Deduction-busting' barley variety.
May 13, 2003... Check out the bold grain size claims being made for a new high-yielding feed barley, and get the latest news on a potential malting variety and hybrid developments. Also, get advice on managing up-and-coming spring malting variety Cellar. All...

CEREALS 2003: The NK OSR portfolio: 'one stop shop'.
May 13, 2003... Conventional or hybrid? Oilseed rape growers will have the opportunity to investigate further on Syngenta Seeds' stand where they'll find NK's portfolio which contains more than 25% of the 2003 HGCA Recommended List varieties, says NK's Nigel...

CEREALS 2003: HGCA: helping growers meet market needs.
May 13, 2003... At this year's Cereals event, HGCA will have a wide range of field plots and exhibits that demonstrate the breadth of its current levy- funded research programme. These aim to help UK growers produce cereals and oilseeds which meet market needs...

CEREALS 2003: Growing for the market.
May 13, 2003... HGCA Crop Marketing activities at Cereals will continue to focus on growing for the market, with staff on-hand to discuss the importance of getting markets right from the outset. New varieties End-user requirements need to be...

CEREALS 2003: Take a LEAF out of our book.
May 13, 2003... Two big issues face the farming industry - finding economically viable farming systems that meet the needs of the future and improving public understanding of the complexities of farming. These two issues are at the heart of LEAF's...

CEREALS 2003: Triple arable thrust at RSPB's stand.
May 13, 2003... The RSPB stand will be promoting three arable farming projects: 1. PROBE (Profit, Biodiversity and Environment) Farmers are welcome to visit a demonstration site near Leicester to learn more about how all who depend on farming can be...

CEREALS 2003: Wildlife conservation: hi-tech solutions.
May 13, 2003... For over a decade the Game Conservancy Trust's Allerton Project at Loddington in Leicestershire has been pioneering new farming methods that will directly benefit wildlife. At Cereals 2003 the Trust will be demonstrating many of these...

CEREALS 2003: Advice on legislation.
May 13, 2003... Farmers grappling with the complexities of environment legislation are invited to visit the Environment Agency's marquee for free legislative advice and a one-to-one chat with Agency specialists. As three-quarters of the land in England and...

CEREALS 2003: Biodiversity - and training.
May 13, 2003... The Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) will be featured on two stands at Cereals this year. The group's main stand (No. 513) will be promoting biodiversity in the arable sector and predominantly targeting opportunities in the field...

CEREALS 2003: HOST FARMER.
May 13, 2003... Last but not least, Cereals 2003 host farmer Tim Whitehead writes: `The event just seems to get bigger. As an arable farmer this must be the event of the year, the site this time round is approximately another 6ha, which is mainly due to...

Talking Arable.
May 13, 2003... From our Norfolk-based farmer Kit Papworth of L. F. Papworth Ltd., Lower Farm, Tuttington, Norwich. I am sure I am not alone in hearing snippets of radio programmes. Last Friday, I turned the radio on to listen to a woman who's job it is...

CEREAL DISEASE: Frequency of strob resistance gene increasing.
May 13, 2003... Isolates of Septoria tritici carrying the strobilurin resistance gene G143A are now common in the UK. Teresa Rush reports on results from HGCA-funded and manufacturers' own monitoring programmes. Following the announcement from FRAC earlier...

CEREAL DISEASE: Strob uncertainty?
May 13, 2003... Cereal fungicide manufacturers could find themselves counting the cost of a 'dry spell plus resistance worries' double whammy for fungicide sales. Early indications are that wheat growers have shunned high value strobilurins in favour of...

CEREAL DISEASE: Lessons from 2002?
May 13, 2003... The National Crop Disease Survey, conducted by the National Farm Research Unit (NFRU) in 2002, reveals that in winter wheat both Septoria tritici and Septoria nodorum were at the highest incidence for 10 years. In 2002, farmers reported...

CEREAL DISEASE: Ear spray cuts seedling infection.
May 13, 2003... Ear fungicide sprays can control Fusarium ear blight and reduce seedling infections. That's the conclusion drawn from research conducted at Harper Adams University College into control of Fusarium seedling blight using ear sprays and seed...

COUNTRY SPOTLIGHT: Spain.
May 13, 2003... HGCA, through British Cereal Exports, has an on-going programme of activities, working with Spanish millers to increase the export opportunities for UK grain and to feed back export requirements to UK producers. A recent visit from Joan...

BLIGHT CONTROL: Time is right to remove major blight sources.
May 13, 2003... Mild winters, incorrect harvester set-up and a higher-than-average number of unlifted crops have all combined to increase potato volunteer numbers. Left uncontrolled, infected plants produce millions of blight spores that can travel for miles...

BLIGHT CONTROL: Keep blight programmes tight.
May 13, 2003... Fearful that the demise of tin will leave crops dangerously exposed to tuber blight later in the season, agronomists are urging growers to implement robust programmes right from the start. The rationale is straightforward; stop blight...

BLIGHT CONTROL: Mix and match approach key to effective blight control.
May 13, 2003... Potato growers could achieve better long term control of blight by making more use of product mixes and matching product strengths to specific blight risk situations and/or crop growth stages. That's the view of Syngenta potato technical...

First of water supply strategies launched.
May 27, 2003... The Environment Agency has launched its first Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy. The Arun and Western Streams Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy outlines how water supplies in this part of West Sussex should be maintained. It is...

Tough decisions paying off.
May 27, 2003... Agrovista UK Limited has reported a significant improvement in trading results for 2002, reducing its operating loss by #1.3 million to #1.072 million. When one-off restructuring costs of #705,000 are taken out of the equation, the actual...

Keeping track of disease.
May 27, 2003... Weekly updates on localised disease pressure in arable crops are now available via a new website, just launched. Data on disease levels will be collected from 15 reference crops in England and Wales and plotted on interactive graphs showing...

#100 offer to join farm assurance scheme.
May 27, 2003... Massey Ferguson and Agricredit are donating #10,000 to encourage sugar beet growers to take up farm assurance. The cash is being provided to help cover the costs of entering the scheme. The move comes as part of an industry-wide drive to...

Alternative uses survey.
May 27, 2003... The NFU is surveying 2,000 of its members to assess the potential for agricultural production of renewable building materials. The survey will identify the quantity and quality of renewable materials currently being produced and the...

Biofuel plant.
May 27, 2003... The world's largest plant for the production of biodiesel could be developed on Teeside, in the north east, says Biofuels Corporation Ltd. The company has announced it is in an advanced stage of planning the development of a plant which will...

Guy Smith scoops top award!
May 27, 2003... Winning ways: At a ceremony that saw well-known personalities including Top Gear magazine's Jeremy Clarkson receive recognition for outstanding journalism, Essex farmer and Arable Farming columnist Guy Smith (far left) scooped the `Columnist of...

NIAB to sit on new GMO panel.
May 27, 2003... Dr Jeremy Sweet, head of NIAB'S Environmental Research Group, has been invited to join a new European panel created to provide scientific advice on GMO issues. The panel has been established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)...

Nozzle names.
May 27, 2003... On June 1, 2003 spray nozzle manufacturer Lurmark will change its name to Hypro EU Limited. The change of name marks the final transition which began in 1999 when the company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of US pump manufacturer, Hypro...

Resistance to integrated methods?
May 27, 2003... SAC's Conservation and Rural Business Unit has identified some of the barriers which prevent farmers moving from production-based decisions to farming systems which integrate environmentally-sensitive methods. In a SEERAD-funded study...

Exports up!
May 27, 2003... The food and drink export market is showing clear signs of recovery according to the latest figures released by Food from Britain (FFB). Exports now stand at #8.9bn for 2002, up 4.4% on the previous year - recovering to a level last seen in...

Franz Fischler - friend or foe?
May 27, 2003... In the words of Dr. Johnson there are only two certainties in life "death and taxes". Of course us farmers can add some more. One such would be "adverse weather". I don't know about your patch but around here we have had "freak" or "sodding"...