Arable Farming articles from May 2005

Arable Farming archives from May 2005

Lined biobeds are approved by the EA.
May 3, 2005... The Environment Agency has approved lined biobeds, and removed the need for groundwater authorisation (GWA). This is good news for farmers; providing both clarity and significant cost savings, according to the Crop Protection Association...

Major conference on renewables.
May 3, 2005... Following the successful Renewable Power Association's first biomass conference in York last year, this year's biomass conference will take place on Tuesday 19 July at Queen's College, Cambridge. There will be an exhibition alongside the...

Arable Post.
May 3, 2005... I read with interest your column on Frontier on page 2 of the April 18 edition of Arable Farming. I had also recently read the Office of Fair Trading report into the proposed merger. Somehow, it seems as though Frontier are being somewhat...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Trap for beetle threat indication.
May 3, 2005... A beetle monitoring trap from BASF has been designed for use as an indicator of the first pollen beetles arriving in oilseed rape crops. The company has also placed traps with advisors in a pilot study, which, it hopes, will reveal a wider...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Sclerotinia-alert service.
May 3, 2005... A sclerotinia germination monitoring service goes live this week in the agronomy tools section of BASF's www.agricentre.co.uk website. Growers and advisors are invited to log on for the next twelve weeks in order to track sclerotia germination...

Non-food GM could have introduction by 'back door'.
May 3, 2005... Non-food crops could play an important role in the future of UK agriculture, as long as the benefits can be clearly demonstrated, according to an in-depth study of public attitudes towards non-food agriculture and the use of biotechnology in a...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Smithfield re-vamp revealed.
May 3, 2005... A 3-day show, lower costs for exhibitors and a live action arena are just three aspects of plans for Smithfield 2006. says Haymarket Land Events which now organises the event for the AEA and the Royal Smithfield Club. In the four months...

Smith's Soapbox: Hedge or bush?
May 3, 2005... We have a number of hedges on this farm. I have never paid them too much attention. They no longer have the job of holding in stock, so some we have let grow, some have got a bit gappy and others get an occasional trim. But now suddenly I...

Smith's Soapbox: What makes a proper farmer?
May 3, 2005... The definition of `a proper farmer' is always a good chestnut for debate in farming circles. We are all aware that there are some amongst us who aren't actually `proper farmers' but it is always difficult to nail down exactly what `a proper...

IRRIGATION: Sharing stored water.
May 3, 2005... A Norfolk estate recently hosted a seminar entitled 'Sharing Water'. Alison Lea joined delegates to learn about a new 50-million gallon dam that has secured water for irrigation for tenants and neighbouring farms as well as the estate's in-hand...

POTATO BLIGHT: Resistance falls.
May 3, 2005... Two applications of mefenoxam made during the rapid canopy development phase should see crops through the highest risk periods, says Sygenta's Jon Ogborn. Latest results from the most comprehensive European monitoring of blight resistance...

Cereal disease: Heed lessons learned from last season.
May 3, 2005... With Septoria, mildew and yellow rust all exerting pressure early season on winter wheat, dose rates and timing will need to be carefully managed if crops are to have a chance of staying clean. Teresa Rush quizzed UAP technical manager Chris...

Cereal disease: Air pollution effects on Septoria pathogens.
May 3, 2005... Plant pathologists have discovered how changes in air pollution over the last 160 years have affected fungal diseases on UK wheat crops. The scientists from Rothamsted Research and the University of Reading have recovered DNA from diseases on...

Talking Arable with our North Lincolnshire farmer Ambrose Fowler.
May 3, 2005... April 17, 2005 It is sitting on the corner of my desk. If it had a face it's lips would be curled in a mocking smirk. You all know what I am referring to. Every time I pull the dreaded 42-page document out of the envelope I receive another...

CEREALS 2005: Host farm.
May 3, 2005... The manager of the Cereals host farm reveals his approach Most farmers would be nervous at the prospect of inviting over 20,000 arable industry professionals to visit their farm, but manager Tim Whitehead seems to positively thrive on the...

CEREALS 2005: 'New generation' hybrid OSR launch.
May 3, 2005... The first in a new generation of hybrid oilseed rape varieties, which promise to hold as much appeal for conventional as for committed hybrid growers, is to be launched by Monsanto. In a package set to impress even the most hardened hybrid...

CEREALS 2005: Highly rated for disease resistance.
May 3, 2005... Nickerson will be featuring what the company believes is the best portfolio of cereal varieties that UK growers can choose from - including top yielding feed wheats and high quality varieties for human consumption and export. Alchemy, a...

CEREALS 2005: Best of British baking at Cereals.
May 3, 2005... Alongside Group 1 favourite Malacca, master baker John Haynes is proving the versatility of Group 2 wheat Cordiale in breadmaking grists, by baking a range of breads on the CPB Twyford stand at Cereals 2005. Mr Haynes describes Cordiale as...

CEREALS 2005: A variety for all seasons.
May 3, 2005... When it comes to variety choice, oilseed rape growers will have the opportunity to make up their minds on Syngenta Seeds' stand where they'll find NK's portfolio carries a true mix representing 30% of the varieties listed on the HGCA...

CEREALS 2005: Better margins from barley.
May 3, 2005... `Better margins from winter barley' will be the prime focus for New Farm Crops. As arable businesses take on extra land to counter low cereal prices, winter barley could play a pivotal role in future rotations, predicts NFC's Robert Hiles....

CEREALS 2005: Presenting 'first of new line of top quality wheats'.
May 3, 2005... The first in a series of strong new potential PBIC bread-making wheats will be launched by RAGT Seeds, the French company that bought PBIC last year. With yields 3-4% higher than Malacca, 2006 RL candidate Mascot has come through National List...

CEREALS 2005: Tackling the new threats of disease.
May 3, 2005... Rothamsted Research's exhibit at this year's Cereals event will focus on emerging diseases. UK crops face an ever-changing array of disease problems and new threats are continually emerging as a result of the arrival of new diseases, the...

CEREALS 2005: Controlling weeds, diseases, pests and the traffic!
May 3, 2005... The opportunity to see the performance of new pre-emergence herbicide prosulfocarb, currently under development against tough grass weeds; a preview of a separate post-emergence grass weed killer; an application zone for improving spray...

CEREALS 2005: Dow makes a return to the Cereals event.
May 3, 2005... Dow AgroSciences' is returning to the national Cereals event this year after several years' absence. Dow will be teaming up with FWAG to provide up-to-the minute advice on the Entry Level Scheme. FWAG advisors will be on hand to discuss...

CEREALS 2005: Beet a path to the BBRO.
May 3, 2005... The British Beet Research Organisation will be focusing on three areas at Cereals this year - quality drilling, quality harvesting and zero tolerance of weed beet. Exhibits will include the recent BBRO drill assessment work and a showcase of...

CEREALS 2005: What to see at HGCA.
May 3, 2005... Research & Development HGCA plots, based around six themes, will aim to help growers improve production efficiency and maximise profitability in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. * Effective management of nitrogen...

CEREALS 2005: Meeting new soil standards.
May 3, 2005... The need to keep land in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition, the production of soil management plans and the Water Framework Directive all herald the changing times and the new standards that we have to meet. To help farmers...

CEREALS 2005: All On Board.
May 3, 2005... LEAF will be featuring its "All On Board" project which provides farmers with public information boards which can be placed where there is public access. The project is born out of recognition that, under the new look CAP, farmers have two...

CEREALS 2005: Sprayers on show.
May 3, 2005... The biggest range of spraying equipment on show anywhere this year will be exhibited in the Sprays & Sprayers section at Cereals 2005. For the large-scale farmer Sprays & Sprayers will feature some of the biggest and newest sprayers available,...

CEREALS 2005: Mid-range mounted.
May 3, 2005... Following the launch of its 'mid-specification' Viking trailed sprayer at the LAMMA event earlier this year, Knight Farm Machinery is launching a tractor-mounted version at Cereals. Like the trailed version, the mounted model has booms from...

CEREALS 2005: New engine for SAM.
May 3, 2005... Sands Agricultural Machinery will be unveiling a new self-propelled sprayer to include a new wide-vision cab, and new water-cooled engine. The new Deutz BF6M 2012 range replaces the existing air-cooled Deutz engines that have been used since...

CEREALS 2005: Added value.
May 3, 2005... Spraycare will be featuring its new 2600-litre trailed 'Value' sprayer aimed at the larger cereal farmer looking for value for money, says the company. This lower specification `Value' machine is based on the Spraycare's 2600 and 3000...

CEREALS 2005: Machinery - What's new.
May 3, 2005... Below is a selection of new equipment growers will be able to see on display at Cereals 2005. The listing is not comprehensive and contains only those machines which exhibitors had informed the organisers are being exhibited at the time of...

CEREALS 2005: Depth control is key.
May 3, 2005... Simba Horsch's new Pronto DC drill - which makes its British debut at Cereals 2005 - achieves accurate seed placement and high output whether working on plough, in reduced tillage systems, or as a direct drill, says the company. Three...

CEREALS 2005: Plough ahead?
May 3, 2005... Plough ahead with your traditional cropping pattern this autumn, or proceed with caution? John Barker, senior agricultural banking manager with HSBC provides some answers. Through a combination of EU policy changes and opening up of World...

Talking Arable with our Cambridgeshire grower David Felce.
May 3, 2005... April 16, 2005 The past few weeks' efforts have laid the foundations for this year's harvest; the rape has had its final N & S dressing, and the wheat its first main split. The final amount will be decided with the help of Yara's N-Tester....

SPS: What price to withdraw from production?
May 3, 2005... What is the right direction to take under agriculture's new `economic order'? Dr James Jones, a principal lecturer and head of Farm Management at the Royal Agricultural College, looks at options open to farmers as they attempt to plan their...

First aphid's arrival signifies increased virus yellows risk.
May 3, 2005... Warm temperatures have prompted early flight of Myzus persicae, the aphid vector of virus yellows in sugar beet. Teresa Rush reports. Sugar beet growers with crops not protected by Gaucho (imidacloprid) or Poncho Beta...

OSR establishment: Sow as you reap to cut rape costs.
May 3, 2005... Min-till has been heralded as the low cost panacea for crop establishment and reducing the risk of soil erosion. But oilseed growers could cut costs further and still improve rape establishment. Just because you've invested #20,000 in...

OSR establishment: Till-Seeding.
May 3, 2005... You've read the benefits of establishing rape behind the combine on the preceding pages but here, we look at the relatively new concept of `Till-Seeding' on a Cambridgeshire farm to establish the same crop. An increase in yield of up to...

CROP TALK: Beet issues.
May 3, 2005... Beet emergence looks good, most having had Advantage and Gaucho, and seems to have survived frosts pretty well in this area. Once again I am pleased that I advocated a pre-emergence herbicide as this certainly has taken the pressure off...

CROP TALK: Stripes, blotches and fluff.
May 3, 2005... By the time this Arable Farming arrives, it is to be hoped that T1 fungicide and growth regulators will have been applied. As I sit looking out at the rain one can only imagine that disease pressure will be very high on both wheat and barley....

CROP TALK: British beer.
May 3, 2005... Similarly, the barley diseases: net blotch, Rhynchosporium and mildew, will require robust fungicide programmes. On crops for malting the above mentioned new products have been accepted onto the British Beer and Pub Association and Brewing...

CROP TALK: Oak before ash.
May 3, 2005... If the old saying is right it looks as though East Anglia is in for barely a splash this summer and if so, take-all could be very damaging. Patches have been showing up already this year on both wheat and barley which were early-drilled second...

Workshop to woo Egyptians.
May 16, 2005... Egyptian millers gave UK wheat their approval at HGCA's recent bread baking workshop in Cairo, which was British Cereal Exports' latest step in the drive to promote UK wheat to Egypt - the world's largest wheat market. "Now the UK is on...

The bitter taste of beet reform.
May 16, 2005... The European Commission has confirmed that it will have to toughen its proposals for reform of the sugar regime. These are due to be published in late June, and will focus on reducing export refunds in favour of decoupled payments for farmers....

Decision tree for mecoprop.
May 16, 2005... A decision tree devised for the herbicide mecoprop-p will help farmers protect nearby watercourses, as well as preserve a weapon in the herbicide armoury for broad leaved weed control in cereals and grassland, according to the VI. "It is...

ARABLE BRIEFS PRODUCT NEWS: DuPont.
May 16, 2005... PSD has approved the use of Quantum SX (tribenuron) in sequence with Atlantis WG (iodosulfuron+mesosulfuron). Quantum SX is the first broad spectrum sulphonylurea herbicide to be registered for use in sequence with Atlantis up to GS39 or...

ARABLE BRIEFS PRODUCT NEWS: Syngenta.
May 16, 2005... Syngenta has launched a new blight fungicide. Scribe, a granular formulation of cymoxanil, offers strong preventative activity and beneficial curative control of blight infection in disease's latent phase. Designed to work in tandem with...

ARABLE BRIEFS PRODUCT NEWS: Bayer CropScience.
May 16, 2005... Hussar, Bayer CropScience's iodosulfuron-methyl herbicide has approval from PSD for use in spring barley. "This is one of the few choices available for control of annual meadow-grass, which can prove particularly difficult to control in spring...

ARABLE BRIEFS: Testing target achieved.
May 16, 2005... The National Sprayer Testing Scheme has achieved its target of testing sprayers for crop protection to 50% of the total sprayed area of the UK. The targets set by the VI were for April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2005. Meeting the target was...

Four more years.
May 16, 2005... By the time you read this we will already be 10 days in to Labour's unprecedented third term in office. On the positive side it means `business as usual' as growers across the land do their best to re-structure and adapt to agricultural...

Last chance for brome control.
May 16, 2005... In a poll of agronomists this year, brome took the top spot as the UK's most troublesome weed, and the end of its window for control this spring is imminent. Increased min-till is believed to have precipitated the current population explosion....

ARABLE BRIEFS: LTAEU provision.
May 16, 2005... PSD has provided an update on progress in the replacement of the Long Term Arrangements for Extension of Use (LTAEU). The LTAEU give growers access to a large number of pesticide products through a series of automatic extrapolations. There...

Smith's Soapbox: He who pays the piper.
May 16, 2005... Farming opinion from Essex-based Guy Smith In case you haven't heard, the levy bodies are in the process of being reviewed. We are assured that the review will start from a blank sheet of paper, ruling nothing in and nothing out. Despite...

WHEAT BREEDING: Robust resistance - it's all in the genes.
May 16, 2005... Remember Brigadier, and Slepjner? These varieties were introduced with excellent resistance ratings, which after a few years, collapsed in a spectacular manner. So what went wrong? Alison Lea talks to plant breeding experts. Dr Paul...

OSR BREEDING: High and lows of OSR breeding.
May 16, 2005... The ability to supply different market demands with distinct fatty acid profiles will be important in future, believes Monsanto. Alison Lea talks to the company's head of breeding. The oilseed rape market will need to have far more...

POTATO CYST NEMATODE: Trap crop tactics.
May 16, 2005... David Nelson, field director of Branston Limited, and Dr Andrew Barker, project leader at Rothamsted Research, explain new methods of PCN control. Potato cyst nematodes (Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis) continue to be serious pests...

POTATOES: Effective slug control using a less active ingredient.
May 16, 2005... Potato growers are increasingly being guided towards applying less active ingredient to their crops, so strategies are having to be identified that both comply with this customer preference and maintain effective control of pests and diseases....

AGRONOMY: Seeking solutions to Sclerotinia.
May 16, 2005... Sclerotinia has become widespread and there are concerns that it could prove to be a very costly disease for UK growers. Teresa Rush reports. The fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum has become widespread in the UK and now affects a range of...

SWEET TALK: WTO appeal failure.
May 16, 2005... The WTO's Appellate Body has issued its report on the EU appeal to the ruling that the EU was illegally subsidising sugar exports. The 120- page ruling upheld the complaints made by Australia, Brazil, and Thailand. Not brilliant news for...

SWEET TALK: Current crop progress.
May 16, 2005... It must be one of the most protracted drilling seasons for years, with some crops not drilled until the end of April. In contrast, early March sown crops had reached 4 true leaves by then. With all the wet weather residual herbicides are...

SWEET TALK: Skylark damage.
May 16, 2005... All our trials are safely drilled and have emerged well. I am frustrated to report healthy numbers of skylarks nibbling plots on some fields. Some rows have yards of missing or severely `scalped' beet. Neighbouring rows are left untouched...

SEEDS: French see future in UK seeds.
May 16, 2005... RAGT is the newest name in UK seed breeding, having acquired the oldest name: PBIC. Alison Lea visited the company headquarters at Rodez in central southern France. PBIC has completed a circular journey. From its origins as the...

OSR ESTABLISHMENT: Lifting yields to fulfill potential?
May 16, 2005... Good news about cutting the cost of establishing oilseed rape, but some challenging advice on how to survive as an arable farmer, were presented at the Till-Seeding conference at Peterborough, organised by Opico, Deloitte and ProCam. John Parry...

Talking arable with our Shropshire-based farmer Arthur Hill.
May 16, 2005... I was just beginning to think, at the beginning of May, that spring had arrived. All the beet had been drilled in good conditions in mid March and emerged quickly. Top dressing was also up to date and the odd bit of weed killing done in the...

CEREAL DRILLS: Three in one with the new `Pronto DC'.
May 16, 2005... A new drill from Simba Horsch will be launched at Cereals 2005. Dubbed the 'Pronto DC', the machine has a disc coulter designed to work in either plough or min-till, or as a direct drill. James Lane went to see one in action. Horsch has...

Combining higher output and heavy-duty design.
May 16, 2005... Amazone's new AD-P Super pneumatic seed drill, which will be on show at the Cereals event this year, provides higher output rates and a heavy- duty design, says the company. The AD-P Super, available in working widths of 3 and 4m and coming...

CEREAL DRILLS: Air drill adds accuracy in establishment.
May 16, 2005... High-tech and high cost isn't necessarily a pre-requisite for achieving good seed spacing and seed depth when drilling, as an arable manager in Hampshire has discovered. The 2,500-acre Bossington Farms estate based at Stockbridge in Hants...

CROP MANAGEMENT: Managing the trash.
May 16, 2005... Many of the problems associated with non-inversion tillage and direct drilling can be directly attributable to poor crop residue management. Using a plough-based cultivation system, the effects of poor crop residue management are hidden...

US AG EXPO: The greatest show on earth - because Arnie says so.
May 16, 2005... Alison Lea drops in on the World Ag Expo in California on her Nuffield travels. If Arnie says it's the biggest, I don't think I will disagree. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger opened the `World Ag Expo' last year in person, but...

US AG EXPO: California: The State of irrigation.
May 16, 2005... My reason for visiting California was to study irrigation policy as part of a Nuffield scholarship, and the timing of my visit happily coincided with the dates of the Ag Expo. The Expo had a full programme of government-funded seminars,...

MACHINES - CEREALS EXTRA: Bigger capacity drills.
May 16, 2005... The new Sulky CX Conventional drill is being introduced for 2005 and will be seen for the first time at Cereals on the Reco stand. Available in 3 or 4m working widths, the drills are equipped with bigger hopper capacities - up to 1,350...

MACHINES - CEREALS EXTRA: Boom time.
May 16, 2005... Following the launch of its Explorer trailed sprayer range in 2004, Rau has increased the choice of aluminium booms - now down to 24m. Previously offered at 28m widths and wider, Rau's lightweight HSA aluminium boom uses bolt-together clamps...

MACHINES - CEREALS EXTRA: High-tech tractor launch.
May 16, 2005... McCormick's latest tractor models - the three-model 173hp to 202hp XTX series - will be launched to UK arable farmers and contractors at the Cereals 2005 event. With full-feature electronic fuel injection, a unique eight-speed powershift...

MACHINES - CEREALS EXTRA: Lighter discing unit.
May 16, 2005... The Dis-King from Farm Force is a mounted disc-based machine for cultivating stubbles at speeds of up to 15km/hr, as well as being used to break down primary cultivations. Based on the company's Disc Leader (using the same disc units) it...

MACHINES - CEREALS EXTRA: High capacity spreader.
May 16, 2005... Kuhn Farm Machinery will introduce a 36-metre pneumatic fertiliser spreader with the launch of the AGT 6036. This trailed machine has a 6000-litre hopper capacity and, according to the manufacturer, has the capability to operate at 15km/hr...

Talking Arable.
May 16, 2005... From our North Norfolk-based farmer Kit Papworth of L. F. Papworth Ltd, Lower Farm, Tuttington, Norwich. May 3, 2005 I note, from the farming press, that some parts of the country are becoming concerned over drought. I also note from...