Arable Farming articles from September 2003

Arable Farming archives from September 2003

OSR infection relief.
September 9, 2003... Oilseed rape growers will be able to receive up to two weeks advance notice of phoma infections breaking out in their crops this autumn. The Syngenta Phoma Advance Warning System (SPAWS) will use nationwide phoma spore monitoring by ADAS to...

Rhizomania schemes to run again.
September 9, 2003... British Sugar and the NFU have announced that the Rhizomania Stewardship and Rhizomania Permanent Transfer Schemes will be in operation for the 2004 sugar beet crop. The schemes allow sugar beet growers, whose farms are affected with...

Winter barley: rhynchosporium tops the poll.
September 9, 2003... Provisional results from the Defra-funded survey of winter barley for 2003 showed that rhynchosporium leaf blotch remains the dominant foliar disease of winter barley and was the only disease affecting crops to a significant degree. The...

Golden Promise harvest.
September 9, 2003... The Macallan distillery production manager, Sandy Lawtie, pictured with tour guide Jenny Green, toasting the start of this year's Golden Promise barley harvest in the first week of August. According to grower Eddie Aldridge the barley was...

Early warning for oilseed rape beetle damage.
September 9, 2003... BASF has issued an `early warning' to check for signs of cabbage stem flea beetle damage to young oilseed rape plants. "There is increasing evidence that the potential for damage by these pests has been underestimated," says BASF's `beetle...

Weed Wizard spells trouble for black-grass this autumn.
September 9, 2003... A comprehensive source of advice on black-grass and its control, including resistance management programmes and population predictions, is again available on-line for cereal growers embarking on this autumn's grass weed control campaign. And,...

Slug control more important than ever.
September 9, 2003... A number of factors are contributing to make effective slug control more important than ever in 2003, according to pellet manufacturer DeSangosse. Failure to protect OSR from slug damage will lead to patchy emergence and further problems...

Hot weather causes wheat seed shortage.
September 9, 2003... Seed supplies of some of the more popular winter wheat varieties may be in short supply this year as a result of the hot weather and the unpredictable nature of varietal popularity, warns Advanta Seeds. The recent hot spell may have...

NFU concerned at new fertiliser import plans.
September 9, 2003... NFU President Sir Ben Gill has written to the European Commission to express his total opposition to proposed new fertiliser import duties that could raise prices by more than a quarter. Sir Ben has written to Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy...

Smith's Soapbox: Seven.
September 9, 2003... The cultural highlight of the summer had to be St. Osyth CoE primary school production of "Joseph and his Amazing Techni-colour Dream-coat". Admittedly the involvement of my son in one of the lead roles did prejudice me in its favour but...

Smith's Soapbox: The end is nigh.
September 9, 2003... In terms of kind weather, it was a truly extraordinary harvest. Record temperatures, endless sun and no drying. On more than one occasion when I stepped out of the air conditioned comfort of the combine cab, my intuitive reaction to the...

Exploiting ecology for better black-grass control.
September 9, 2003... A better understanding of black-grass ecology could help growers reduce production costs in combinable crops, Teresa Rush discovers. That's the premise at least behind a Sustainable Arable LINK project funded by the Department for...

Autumn weed control: Size matters.
September 9, 2003... One leaf? Two leaves, or even three? The size of your black-grass will be the subject of intense focus this autumn. Teresa Rush explains why that's so. Whether or not the tried and tested combinations of Lexus+Hawk and Lexus+Stomp have a...

Autumn weed control: DuPont black-grass control briefing.
September 9, 2003... Autumn weed control looms on the horizon and the technical experts are collecting their thoughts for the season ahead. Teresa Rush reports from a DuPont black-grass control briefing. Almost half of the UK winter wheat area is affected by...

Black-grass control - a different approach in OSR?
September 9, 2003... Does `get on early at the two-leaf stage' sound familiar? The mantra of getting on early trips off every cereal adviser's tongue when it comes to difficult or resistant black-grass. But, according to recent Dow AgroSciences research,...

Dry spring proves wheat proteins can be raised.
September 9, 2003... As winter wheat and spring barley harvest draws to a close, Alison Lea takes a look at how varieties have performed in the HGCA Recommended List trials. More variation between trials sites than previous years, though mean yields are...

Optic 'down' in a consistent year for spring barley.
September 9, 2003... Even though the Scots are enjoying one of the driest, easiest harvests within living memory, there are still a number of gaps in spring barley Recommended List trials results, mainly from north of the Border. "We have enough though to get...

New OSR varieties in trials.
September 9, 2003... The HGCA Crop Committee has promoted nine winter oilseed rape varieties - all conventionally bred - to go into Recommended List trials this autumn. Details will not be available until National List trials are completed, but RL trials...

Potatoes: Systematic infection provides virus reservoir.
September 9, 2003... Growers had an opportunity to catch up with the latest potato R&D at the Scottish Crop Research Institute's Potatoes in Practice event at Invergowrie, Dundee. The event was held in conjunction with SAC and the British Potato Council. Neil Ryder...

Seed processing: Purity assured.
September 9, 2003... More than 30% of the UK cereal acreage is drilled with home-saved seed. Second rate to certified seed? Not if it's properly processed, say mobile seed processors. Alison Lea reports. Screenings after the grain has passed over the gravity...

CONTRACTOR: Up to the job north of the border?
September 9, 2003... Whether to opt for a dedicated twin-track system (Agco Challenger and John Deere 8020 and 9020 T tractors), four separate tracks (Case IH STX Quadtrac and John Deere 9020 tractors - Agritrac system), or whether to replace standard rear tractor...

CONTRACTOR: Tracks versus tyres - a testing decision.
September 9, 2003... Deciding on your next new tractor might be a relatively simple task, but the decision as to whether to opt for a dedicated twin-track, a four-track, or a wheeled version could be a lot harder. Despite tyre makers' best attempts, there is still...

CONTRACTOR: Ag-Chem targets UK with new 3-wheeler.
September 9, 2003... Ag-Chem Europe unveiled a 3-wheeled Terra-Gator, the 8133, at the RAI show in Amsterdam in 2002. The machine will soon be for sale in the UK. Steven Vale visits Ag-Chem's manufacturing plant in Holland to get a closer look. The current...

CONTRACTOR: Seamless switch from silage to straw.
September 9, 2003... Howard Walsh reports on a big square baler range featuring a new density system. An important and growing sector of the big square baler market is now open to Kverneland's Vicon models with the launch of two new 200 series machines which...

CONTRACTOR: `Socially unacceptable'? No, we're NOT!
September 9, 2003... Are sprayer operators `socially unacceptable'? This seems to be the basis of new government proposals on buffer zones and notification of pesticides applications. Whilst we fully accept that the public have concerns about chemical...

CONTRACTOR: Contractors join NRoSO.
September 9, 2003... Contractors make up about 20% of the National Register of Sprayer Operators (NRoSO) but we still have a long way to go to reach the target of 15,000 operators by the end of March 2004. There are still many eligible sprayer operators who...

Getting to the root of potato enterprise costs.
September 9, 2003... British Potato Council efforts to define and understand the costs influencing grower profitability in the processing sector have come to fruition with the development of a benchmarking model. Teresa Rush reports. It's a business management...

Fries feel the heat as drought influences prices.
September 9, 2003... This summer's drought could have a knock-on effect on the price of french fries, if Dutch processors are to be believed. Futures prices for processing crops have been high at around #200/t for trading in April 2004 and one pundit has...

Global report: Where has all the rain gone?
September 9, 2003... From our Australian farmer/columnist Neil Unger The beginning of August already as we slowly crawl our way out of the depths of winter. `Tis this time of year that I start hating the Scots with a passion as they take all our sunshine and do...

HGCA Australia update: Australia raises its canola forecast.
September 9, 2003... Following good general rainfall in recent weeks, the Canola Association for Australia has raised its 2003 crop forecast to 1.38M tonnes. This is 13 per cent higher than the previous estimate. The main driver of this is an increased production...

Talking Arable.
September 9, 2003... From our north Norfolk-based farmer Kit Papworth of L. F. Papworth Ltd, Lower Farm, Tuttington, Norwich. 26th August 2003 To finish harvest in August is an achievement these days, so, to achieve it in two consecutive years - this year...

Farm security: Secure in the knowledge.
September 9, 2003... If you have not experienced a theft from your farm, then chances are that you are living on borrowed time, especially if you are convinced that it could never happen to you. Michael Bird seeks advice on farm security. Never suffered a...

Grain storage: Hot topic.
September 9, 2003... Get it right in the grain store, or risk contamination by insects, mites and mycotoxins. Alison Lea picks out some key points from the recently published 2nd edition of HGCA's Grain Storage Guide. An integrated approach to pest management...

Machines: Deere on Auto Trac.
September 9, 2003... First reported by Arable Farming at this year's Cereals event, John Deere's Auto Trac automatic steering system has been fitted to one of its new 9880 STS combines this harvest. David Millar finds out how it has been performing. If more...

DISEASE: Fusarium ear blight levels escalate.
September 9, 2003... Provisional results from DEFRA-funded monitoring of winter wheat diseases for 2003 showed that the severity of fusarium ear blight was the second highest recorded since assessments for the disease first commenced in 1987. The level in 2003...

BACK CHAT: Cottoning on to the true costs of growing crops.
September 9, 2003... Australia's ABC Radio National invited listeners to grow a cotton crop on five acres donated by farmer Stu Higgins. Everything from the choice of fertiliser to the type of cotton grown was decided by phone or internet voting. South...

BACK CHAT: With friends like this.
September 9, 2003... KickAAS is the charming acronym for a recently-launched website 'Kick All Agricultural Subsidies', supported by The Guardian newspaper. The Guardian says that it believes the end of agri-subsidies will create a level playing field on which...

MF's parent company buys Valtra.
September 30, 2003... Agricultural industry consolidation continues apace with the news that Massey Ferguson's parent company Agco has agreed to acquire Finnish tractor manufacturer Valtra. The announcement ends months of speculation since Valtra was put up for...

Renault tractors.
September 30, 2003... It's official: Following the partnership agreement between Renault Agriculture and Claas, Renault tractors will be finished in the familiar Claas livery and logo from October 1, with the exception of France, Denmark and, for the time being at...

Make space for weed control during this autumn's cereal drilling.
September 30, 2003... Don't rush ahead with cereal drilling as soon as you get sufficient soil moisture without making space for effective out-of-crop grass weed control this autumn. Otherwise you could easily lose all the benefits of earlier drilling in additional...

Cancun collapse causes 'uncertainty for UK farmers'.
September 30, 2003... WTO talks in Cancun, Mexico, collapsed before any resolution on agriculture could be discussed. The talks were closed prematurely on Sunday, September 14, after ministers failed to reach agreement on discussions relating to matters such as...

Seed-borne disease test.
September 30, 2003... An HGCA-funded project has developed rapid diagnostics for bunt and seedling blight of winter wheat providing farmers with more information when making decisions on whether to treat home-saved seed. "The new tests, available from SASA and...

Managing and marketing agent.
September 30, 2003... Aberdeen Grain has appointed Grainfarmers as its managing and marketing agent, to take effect from December 1. Under the new agreement the 120 member farmer co-operative, handling around 30,000 tonnes of cereals and oilseeds a year, will...

Free slug control from e-gronomist.
September 30, 2003... The e-gronomist - a new internet slug control strategy tool - has been launched on www.nomoreslugs.com. The free service, sponsored by Metarex slug pellets, is aimed at UK arable farmers and aims to provide them with a bespoke control strategy...

Permission to plough.
September 30, 2003... Farmers wanting to bring uncultivated land or semi-natural areas into intensive agricultural use are being reminded that they need to seek consent from Defra before doing so. The Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations relating to...

Profit for wildlife.
September 30, 2003... HGCA and Rothamsted Research Association (RRA) are jointly hosting an afternoon workshop to explore the issues surrounding sustaining wildlife within the context of profitable modern farming systems. The event: `Create Profit and Sustain...

Wheat: Six of the best.
September 30, 2003... Only six new wheat varieties have been promoted into the HGCA Recommended List trials this year, by contrast to the 16 last year. The sole potential breadmaking variety to be included is Defender from Monsanto. "Current evidence shows that it...

Atlantis graminicide blow.
September 30, 2003... A PSD query concerning one aspect of the Atlantis dossier submitted by Bayer CropScience means that this eagerly-awaited graminicide currently remains approved for spring use only. Bayer has not written off the prospect of bringing Atlantis...

Pre-em herbicide shortage.
September 30, 2003... Shortages in pre-emergence herbicide products this season are threatening to scupper growers' plans for effective sequences for grass weed control. With the demise of terbutryn, and availability of Avadex down to stocks only, reported...

Tractor registrations on the up.
September 30, 2003... UK agricultural tractor registrations for August 2003 totalled 1331 units - a 2.5% increase on the same period last year. The year to date figure is 10,633 resulting in a + 2.6% change over 2002. Source: AEA Copyright: CMP Information...

SMITH'S SOAPBOX: Eastern promise.
September 30, 2003... I am grateful to a reader for sending me the photograph on the right. At first I thought it was probably taken in Norfolk but, apparently, it is eastern Poland. This image raises a number of thoughts in my mind. As we know the vast...

SMITH'S SOAPBOX: Use and abuse.
September 30, 2003... In America they have the Bible Belt and in Essex we have the `Black- grass Belt'. It is the home of resistant black-grass. Essex farmers invented resistant black-grass in the village of Peldon in the early 1980s. Some think the proximity of...

SMITH'S SOAPBOX: GM: The naked debate.
September 30, 2003... I have attended a couple of the GM Nation debates over the summer. It was interesting how often they broadened out into a general condemnation of modern agriculture. There is a worrying amount of disinformation out there about what us farmers...

Do you have a total black-grass approach?
September 30, 2003... Whether you be in the low, medium or high risk category for black-grass infestations this season growers are advised not to hold back on key cereal herbicide selection, but hit the weed where it hurts. Dominic Kilburn reports. Black-grass...

Black-grass marches on.
September 30, 2003... Forty per cent of growers in the eastern region say black-grass problems are getting worse. The news isn't much better for growers in the East Midlands and south east. These are the findings of the National Farm Research Unit (NFRU) which...

Delaying OSR disease decisions can cost dear.
September 30, 2003... Arable Farming has teamed up once again with DuPont to offer readers free oilseed rape disease testing. Teresa Rush catches up with the latest advice for this autumn. If you don't interrupt winter wheat drilling and spraying for black-...

Active search ongoing in quest for new ingredients.
September 30, 2003... Alison Lea visits the headquarters of Bayer CropScience in Germany. The search for new active substances for crop protection products requires ever deeper pockets as environmental regulation becomes increasingly stringent and new crop...

Talking Arable with our Shropshire-based farmer Arthur Hill.
September 30, 2003... 11th September 2003 With the risk of being called a boring old fart - which is better than being referred to as a flower fairy by our `East End' friend who writes in this journal, I can't let this month escape without drawing comparisons...

PESTS: Early warning attack alert.
September 30, 2003... French farmers regard slugs as a serious pest in many crops, including widely grown ones like oilseed rape, maize and sunflowers. A decision- aid tool called 'Activ+ Limaces' has been under test since 1999 in France. Now fully developed, the...

PESTS: LINKing strategies.
September 30, 2003... Dr David Glen of independent consultancy Styloma, provided a progress update on a project in the Sustainable Arable LINK Programme on improving the prediction and integrated control of slug damage in arable crops. Accurate assessment of...

PESTS: Herbal remedies.
September 30, 2003... Many labs are screening plants as potential alternatives to chemical molluscicides. Among the most promising is a group of Nigerian plants already identified for their ability to repel aquatic pest mollusc species in Africa. Some of the...

PESTS: Diversionary tactics.
September 30, 2003... Slugs showed a distinct feeding preference for some weed species, leaving wheat seedlings unharmed, in research conducted by the Scottish Agricultural College. Riband winter wheat was sown with five common weed species, oilseed rape, field...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: Machinery mergers signify change.
September 30, 2003... The machinery lines at British Potato were dominated by news of manufacturing mergers and consolidation. Ely-based Standen Engineering announced its take over of Richard Pearson Ltd's potato equipment manufacturing and marketing operation while...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: Pesticides - time for a different approach?
September 30, 2003... There's a real need to raise awareness about pesticide usage and residue management within the potato industry and at all levels of the supply chain. That's the view at least of the British Potato Council, who took the opportunity at...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: Hot weather increases black scurf threat.
September 30, 2003... Beware black scurf on seed potatoes this autumn. There's likely to be a lot of the disease around unless seed growers lift crops early. That was the warning from Dr Stuart Wale of Scottish Agricultural College, Aberdeen to potato growers...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: DIY box filler.
September 30, 2003... Seven years on from its first attempt at launching a trailer-based box loader, root equipment manufacturer Richard Larrington Ltd. has developed a `use your own trailer' version. Named the Guardian 8 Box Loader, the significant difference this...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: Top these!
September 30, 2003... A 6-row Baselier potato topper was being exhibited for the first time by Standen Reflex - a development from its 2 and 4-row versions. The implement can be front or rear-mounted requiring a minimum 150hp tractor and delivers increased output...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: A cover up.
September 30, 2003... Northern Ireland-based AgriWeb has developed a rubber web cover to fit over harvester webs for use in particularly dry lifting conditions. Fitting over a harvester's second web, the covering can reduce damage caused to the crop. Made from...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: High output separation.
September 30, 2003... The newest name in British potato machinery, Scotland-based Underhaug UK (see Page 15 for details) displayed its first offering to UK growers - a web only or web and star combination stone separator. The UN4210 separators are available in...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: Dry weather takes the pressure off blight scouts.
September 30, 2003... BPC recruited 353 blight scouts this season, against a target of 200, as part of its 'Fight Against Blight' campaign. Of those, 90 scouts reported suspected blight outbreaks and 35 sent in more than one sample for testing. A total of 101...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: First blight fungicide comparison results.
September 30, 2003... Preliminary results from BPC's blight fungicide trials were published online during BP2003. BPC has commissioned ADAS and SAC to study the comparative efficacy of blight control chemicals in recognition of the fact that for some years...

BP2003: Seed treatment active against all strains of Rhizoctonia.
September 30, 2003... A new potato seed treatment launched at BP2003 will control all strains of Rhizoctonia solani, according to manufacturer Certis. RhiNo is a liquid treatment based on the new active ingredient flutolanil. Dose rate is 200ml per tonne of seed...

BRITISH POTATO 2003: On the trail of AGs.
September 30, 2003... Research underway at Harper Adams University College aims to identify the various strains of Rhizoctonia solani affecting British potatoes. Rhizoctonia strains are classified into different anastomosis groups (AGs). AGs differ in terms of...

Talking Arable with our North Lincolnshire farmer Ambrose Fowler.
September 30, 2003... 16th September 2003 Apparently 2003 is the Chinese year of the goat. This is fine if you live in China or indeed if you are a goat. In this area of the country 2003 certainly was not the year of the second wheat. Yields were disappointing...

TRACTORS: Mid-range flexibility.
September 30, 2003... Three launches in one week provides grower options in the mid-sized tractor market. New Holland has launched an all-new, five-model, middleweight tractor range, called the TS-A series to replace the out-going four-model TS range. With the...

TRACTORS: New Masseys fill the power gap.
September 30, 2003... THE tractor market in Europe shows two peaks - one reflecting sales primarily to arable farms and the other to livestock units. But many farms are mixed and require something in between and that is the justification for Massey Ferguson's...

TRACTORS: Advanced tractor for key sector.
September 30, 2003... Case IH has unveiled its MXU Maxxum tractors, all falling within the 100hp to 140hp bracket which accounts for 20% of all tractor sales across Europe. Comprising five models, the MXU range encompasses two four-cylinder and three...

COMBINES: Cutting numbers down but size goes up.
September 30, 2003... Somewhere in the region of 600 new combine harvesters were sold in the UK this season, a similar number to sales in 2002. The message is clear; sales might have stabilised, but are unlikely to return to 1997's high point when the market topped...

COMBINES: 2004 Combine Guide.
September 30, 2003... Key - Includes model number, hp, number of straw walkers, grain tank capacity (litres), and price including standard header. CASE IH Rotary models include: AFX 8010 (426hp) 10,500 #183,324 (9.15m). X-Clusive 2366 (269hp) 6,340...

Food of the Incas for farmland birds.
September 30, 2003... To provide wild birds with vital food through winter, strips of seed- bearing plants can be planted. Which ones bring the birds flocking? Alison Lea visits a Leicestershire farm to find out. Of all the different plants grown as food for...

GRAIN CONTRACT: Tonnes better.
September 30, 2003... Piloted this year in the southern counties, how did growers get on with the 15 Tonne initiative? After what has been a mixed harvest, the 15 Tonne Initiative (15Ti) Pilot Plan growers in the south of England have reaped the rewards of...

Time for Tillage tackle.
September 30, 2003... Those looking to catch up on the latest in min-till, cultivation and drilling techniques with a visit to the recent southern Tillage event would not have been disappointed. Arable Farming was there. 1. After entering the min-till sector...

PRACTICAL MIN-TILL with Jim Bullock.
September 30, 2003... The chart below shows the effect the change from full inversion tillage to min-till is likely to have on soil porosity and in turn crop yield. To be successful in changing to a min-till system the secret lies in managing years two and three of...