Arable Farming articles from September 2004

Arable Farming archives from September 2004

Account for take-all this autumn.
September 1, 2004... Second wheat growers are advised to prioritise take-all management this autumn following weather conditions that have favoured hidden disease build-up, according to David Neale of Masstock. "On most soils, the warm, wet conditions meant...

Is land yours to claim SFP?
September 1, 2004... Defra is sending out 180,000 leaflets to farmers in England to clarify what the term `land at their disposal' means in the context of their Single Farm Payment claim. The rule has the potential to cause huge difficulties for farmers who...

Virus yellows warning to sugar beet growers.
September 1, 2004... Sugar beet crops of one in eight growers are potentially exposed to an additional virus yellows risk next season, British Sugar has warned. The warning is based on the 90% of 2005 grower contracts returned to date, which reveal that growers...

Smart strategy for weed control in OSR.
September 1, 2004... Plan herbicide control programmes well ahead of drilling OSR, advises Masstock Group. "With the loss of Benazolox (benazolin + clopyralid) and Galtak (benazolin), there are very few post-emergence products that can be used, which puts the...

Black day for the Scots.
September 1, 2004... Black-grass appears to be establishing itself north of the border, prompting a warning from SAC that early action is required to prevent the spread of this very serious weed. Although black-grass has been seen over the years in the...

Factory opening dates.
September 1, 2004... British Sugar and the National Farmers' Union have agreed sugar beet factory opening dates for the coming campaign. In the eastern counties the Wissington factory near King's Lynn will open September 15, and Bury St Edmunds and Cantley on...

Kerb or Crawler?
September 1, 2004... Following PSD approval, Makhteshim Agan has launched a water dispersible granule (WDG) form of carbetamide for use in OSR. The active ingredient has previously only been sold as Carbetamex WP. Crawler is a 60% formulation of carbetamide,...

Paper possibility for straw.
September 1, 2004... A new market for straw could soon be available for UK farmers. BioRegional MiniMills is in the process of finalising funding to build a #1.3m pilot plant to turn straw into pulp, for paper making, according to HGCA's market development...

Haulm hit kit.
September 1, 2004... A new potato size grading tool and haulm destruction support pack - available free-of-charge this season - is designed to help growers select the optimum time for crop desiccation ready for harvest. The kit comprises a series of size grids and...

Advanta sale advances.
September 1, 2004... The European Commission has announced approval of the proposed acquisition by Syngenta of seed breeder and marketer Advanta, subject to sale of European operations. This represents the first of three green lights towards the acquisition of...

Smith's Soapbox: Please parade on my perimeter.
September 1, 2004... So Her Majesty's Government in their wisdom have decided to reward all those of us who have kept hedges and ditches by telling us we are forbidden to farm the outside 2m of our fields. The fly-tippers, dog- foulers, hare-coursers and...

Smith's Soapbox: Radar Schadenfreude.
September 1, 2004... If harvest prices were a slap in the face this year then the harvest weather was a kick in the proverbials. Some old sages have reminded me that we could have seen this coming as it rained on St. Swithin's day. The one great comfort in having...

WATER: Farmers can CAMS.
September 1, 2004... ARE you up to speed with your local Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS)? Is it completed, on-going, yet to start? Do you know who the agricultural stakeholder is? These are questions that the Environment Agency and the NFU are...

A CAMS in progress.
September 1, 2004... Half-way through, how does the agricultural stakeholder for North Norfolk CAMS feel it's going? Now mid-way through the two-year process, agricultural interests on the North Norfolk CAMS stakeholder group are represented by Ross Haddow,...

A harvest of `two halves'.
September 1, 2004... If it were football, it would be dubbed 'a game of two halves'. After a good start to the harvest, growers have been facing serious difficulties. Alison Lea reports on yield and quality feedback. This harvest started with combines setting...

Weed suppression by variety characteristics.
September 1, 2004... Selection of crops for weed suppression and the potential of using varietal mixes was demonstrated at an Organic Crops Demonstration Project open day at Rushall Farm, Wiltshire. David Burrows reports. The market and rotational needs drive...

Complexity of organic systems demands different approach to varieties.
September 1, 2004... The choice of varieties available to organic farmers have mostly come from systems of monoculture and industrial agriculture, which have been driven by the need to produce predictable amounts with predictable quality of a sizeable quantity. ...

Weed Control in Organic Farming (WECOF) project.
September 1, 2004... * Three partners: Abacus Organic Services; TMC Marketing; and SB Seeds. Defra is funding the one-year pilot but it is hoped there will be funding available for future projects. * Project aims: Provide sites were organic (and conventional)...

WEED CONTROL: The trials.
September 1, 2004... For the first pilot year 12 varieties of wheat were sown in `field scale' plots at four sites showing a range of conditions. There are high fertility silt soils at Kirton, a boulder clay near Cambridge, a calcereous loam in Wiltshire and a fine...

Building blocks for effective weed control.
September 1, 2004... Advisers are seeking strength in depth from herbicide programmes this autumn, with the focus on incorporating as many modes of action as is practically possible for effective weed control and resistance management. Herbicide manufacturers...

Catching flea beetles on the hop.
September 1, 2004... Published thresholds for treating cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseed rape are often ignored by farmers, many of whom treat routinely, or at below threshold levels. New HGCA research is looking at ways to better predict attacks, which could...

GRAIN STORAGE: Tips for the first weeks in store.
September 1, 2004... It may be safely gathered in, but are you keeping grain in good condition in the store? David Armitage of Central Science Laboratories provides timely advice regarding the first few weeks in the grain store. With harvest in full flow, grain...

Rapeseed storage tip.
September 1, 2004... Rapeseed has higher resistance to airflow so, if you use the same set- up as for cereals, it will cool or dry at half the rate as for cereals. There are less insects associated with rape in-store through, so the speed of cooling is less...

Talking Arable: South Devon-based organic farmer David Pearson.
September 1, 2004... August 15, 2004 Having given up hope of any rain following umpteen optimistic forecasts, I made the decision to start wheat harvest. Two days into the crop and the rain arrived and it has stubbornly refused to go away, threatening the...

Broadcasting: the ideal dry-weather method?
September 1, 2004... Some farmers may disagree with broadcasting rape but, for farmer David Hutchinson, this practice proved ideal in last year's dry conditions. Graeme Kirk reports. "Not losing soil moisture was critical to establishing oilseed rape last...

WHEAT: Earliness attribute exposed.
September 1, 2004... How early is Cordiale? Breeder CPB Twyford disputed the Recommended List rating of one day earlier than Claire, and has done trials to gather evidence. Although frustrated by repeated downpours, CPB Twyford believes it has useful data to...

Talking Arable with our Borders-based farmer Guy Lee.
September 1, 2004... August 17, 2004 I returned from holiday yesterday having spent three days in Poland and a week in Southern Ireland. How can an arable farmer can take time off in August? You may well ask. But I can tell you I did not miss much, apart from...

S behaves like N.
September 1, 2004... Kemira GrowHow arable agronomist Allison Grundy looks at the way sulphur behaves in the soil. We shouldn't be surprised that sulphur behaves in much the same way as Nitrogen in the soil. Like Nitrogen, sulphur is an anion so when applied...

Min-till special: Shallow solution for straw and weeds.
September 1, 2004... Tillage and soil husbandry consultant, Steve Townsend provides practical min-till observations and advice from the specialist field- scale trial site he runs with Oxfordshire grower, Duncan Jack, and addresses Arable Farming readers' tillage...

Min-till question time.
September 1, 2004... Won't I have to spend more on chemicals with minimum tillage? In a word, yes. Switching from ploughing to a minimum cultivation system is likely to increase your glyphosate bill. But this extra expense is a replacement for very much more...

Systems approach to combat grass weeds.
September 1, 2004... Minimum tillage must be treated as a whole new system rather than just a new cultivation regime if growing grass weed problems are to be avoided without dramatic increases in the agrochemical bill, says Masstock agronomist Andrew Richards. ...

LEGISLATION: Will you be legal this autumn?
September 1, 2004... With the busy autumn cultivation schedule upon us, a time when many large and heavy pieces of machinery are transported on the roads to get to their field destinations, we ask agricultural road traffic expert, Mike Braithwaite to outline the...

BACK CHAT: Why oh Wye!
September 1, 2004... Hot on the heels of confirmation of the closure of the rural site of one of the UK's leading agricultural colleges, Seale-Hayne in Devon, there is now shocking news that the same fate is likely to befall Wye College in Kent, another...

BACK CHAT: The farming lobby's political heavyweight.
September 1, 2004... The Labour MP for Hartlepool, Peter Mandelson is one of three names to go forward as new European Commissioners. Mr Mandelson has been nominated in the key appointment of Trade Commissioner. He will be responsible for the final negotiations...

BACK CHAT: Fuel grows on trees.
September 1, 2004... A Newcastle-based company has announced plans to import vegetable oil for refining into biodiesel. D1 Oils will be importing oil derived mainly from the jatropha tree, grown in Africa and Asia. D1 is focusing its efforts on extracting...

Fusarium ear blight down for 2004.
September 20, 2004... Provisional results from the Defra crop monitoring project for 2004 show that, across England, the incidence of fusarium ear blight (FEB) was lower than the 10-year mean, with only 2001 having lower levels in the last 7 years. The...

`Massive' green bridge, beware BYDV.
September 20, 2004... The combination of high levels of aphids on wheat in July and short gap between the end of harvest and the start of drilling this season could significantly increase the risk of BYDV infections on new crop winter cereals, warns BASF. ...

Prioritise drying to help optimise premiums.
September 20, 2004... Strong bread wheat premiums as a result of the difficult harvest conditions should help to justify additional time and expense involved in sampling, drying and segregating grain. They also make it more important than ever to ensure that grain...

Environmental areas high priority.
September 20, 2004... Velcourt farm manager, James McClintock, is set to score well in the tally of points for Defra environmental payments. This September, he is establishing over one hectare of 6m-wide legume- rich grass margins, alongside drilling more than...

Free OSR disease testing service.
September 20, 2004... Following the high uptake of our OSR Disease Testing Scheme in partnership with DuPont last year, growers have the opportunity to send in leaf samples to be tested free-of-charge again this autumn. Conditions this year look set to provide...

Take-all treatment.
September 20, 2004... HGCA-funded research into take-all has found that the seed treatment silthiofam does not interfere with the process of take-all decline. The project assessed the effect of silthiofam seed treatment on a range of wheat crops grown in...

Organic seed goes on-line.
September 20, 2004... In response to the requirement by the European Council Regulation on organic agriculture that organic seed must be used by organic farmers where it is available, a website has been set up to provide information on the availability of organic...

Claas act.
September 20, 2004... "A harvesting company selling tractors" was the headline from Claas UK's chief executive, Clive Last, describing the company's position at the UK launch of its new tractor range this month. In addition to taking on the entire Renault...

Expect protracted black-grass germination this autumn.
September 20, 2004... Dormancy in black-grass seed samples this autumn is high following a mild and very damp period for black-grass seed maturation. As a result, growers should expect germination to be protracted despite adequate moisture in the seedbed this...

Ag-chem packaging improvement.
September 20, 2004... Agrochemical supplier Makhteshim Agan is introducing "Min-Rinse" packaging for a range of its products this autumn in order to cut waste problems on farm and reduce filling time. The company is formulating as many of its herbicide products...

Smith's Soapbox: Lazy Cunning.
September 20, 2004... Farming opinion from Essex-based Guy Smith The end of one of the most challenging harvests on record finds me in pensive mood. In the final three weeks of August just over four inches of rain fell on what I laughingly claim to be "the...

POTATOES: The egg treatment: minimising bruising.
September 20, 2004... Potato bruising costs the grower an estimated #200/ha, and a total of #26 to the industry, according to the British Potato Council. We talk to one grower about what he is doing to reduce bruising this harvest and review BPC's `Minimising...

Talking Arable with our Bedfordshire grower David Felce.
September 20, 2004... September 6, 2004 Feel free to add as many expletives as you need to describe the weather during August! Just for the record, I have measured 218mm (or 8" in old money) during the month - enough to send a plastic rain gauge rusty! ...

Thirty years of progress: Blending new technology with tradition.
September 20, 2004... Thirty years have meant building the business on sound foundations laid down by family forebears for a south Oxfordshire farmer. Alison Lea reports. Our celebration of thirty years of progress in farming has great poignancy for Philip...

OILSEED RAPE: Phoma - early infection threat to OSR.
September 20, 2004... Don't be tempted to base this autumn's oilseed rape disease management planning on last autumn's crop experience. The two seasons are at opposite extremes in terms of conditions for crop establishment and disease development. Teresa Rush...

Phoma in spring oilseed rape.
September 20, 2004... Significant levels of phoma were recorded for the first time last season in spring oilseed rape. With dry conditions in autumn delaying the disease epidemic, phoma spores were being produced as spring drilled crops were emerging. Infection...

Value of OSR disease testing remains clear.
September 20, 2004... Arable Farming has teamed up once again with DuPont to offer readers a free oilseed rape disease testing service. Teresa Rush reports on conclusions drawn from the 2003/2004 results. Last season's late phoma epidemic highlighted the value...

OSR - time yet to drill.
September 20, 2004... Oilseed rape growers in the south should be able to extend their drilling season until the end of the month - particularly if they choose a hybrid variety. That's according to NIAB oilseeds expert Simon Kightley, who has been advising an...

Advance notice of phoma infections.
September 20, 2004... Syngenta is offering its SPAWS (Syngenta Phoma Advance Warning Service) again this autumn. SPAWS draws information on phoma spore release from ADAS sites at Boxworth in Cambridgeshire, Rosemaund in Herefordshire and High Mowthorpe in Yorkshire....

Plenty of options for `systems' tractor.
September 20, 2004... Following its merger with Renault Agriculture, harvesting company Claas now offers a full range of tractors to the UK market with horsepower capabilities from 75-335hp. Dominic Kilburn reports from its UK headquarters in Saxham, Suffolk. ...

Full line-up from Claas.
September 20, 2004... Following its take-over of Renault Agriculture 18 months ago, Claas has unveiled its full line up of tractors with power outputs from 75-250hp. The new tractors come direct from the Renault stable and will be familiar to existing customers in...

Aiming for 1% growth.
September 20, 2004... In total, Claas UK has expanded its agricultural dealer network to a total of 36 dealers covering 80 outlets. Within this number, 12 are dealers originating from the Renault franchise, (plus 3 in Ireland) which, combined, represented 50% of...

Black-grass nozzle put to contractor test.
September 20, 2004... Gloucestershire contractor Derek Howe was one of a handful of sprayer operators to `test drive' a new, angled nozzle against black-grass last season. We hear how he got on. Spraying 12-15,000 acres a year for Deanery Farm Services, based...

Flagship tractors to have stepless drive.
September 20, 2004... Continuously variable speed transmission will be standard on the new 215 to 290hp high horsepower Massey Ferguson 8400 tractors. The flagship tractors also have the Datatronic III terminal with automatic headland control memory, spool valve...

Vario tractors get new cab suspension and terminal upgrades.
September 20, 2004... Fendt is making several upgrades to the six-cylinder Vario tractors including pneumatic cab suspension and improvements to the Vario terminal. From October the 800 and 900 series tractors will use air suspension for the cab rather than a...

A #10,000 optional extra.
September 20, 2004... Automatic steering has been introduced as an optional extra on Fendt six-cylinder tractors with TMS. The system is similar to that used in the Challenger rubber tracked tractors and is available in two versions. The #10,000 package is...

Larger capacities for the Spra-Coupe.
September 20, 2004... Larger capacity versions of the Spra-Coupe self-propelled sprayer have also been introduced in the form of the 7450 and 7650. Both models are powered by an electronically governed 174hp Perkins 1106C six-cylinder engines coupled to a...

Field margins: Bee kind and bump up your ELS points.
September 20, 2004... Some species of bumblebee have dropped to worryingly low numbers. But, by managing a few field margins for them, you could make a big difference. Plus, it's a great way to gear up for Entry Level Scheme, finds Alison Lea. You can't help...

COMBINES.
September 20, 2004... The final figures have yet to be confirmed, but the AEA reckons that sales of new combine harvesters are up by about 20% in the UK this season to somewhere in the region of 750 units. During the previous two seasons, the market hovered around...

2004 Combine Suppliers' Guide.
September 20, 2004... Case IH Rotary models include AFX 8010 (420hp) 10,500 #193,024 (9.15m). X- Clusive 2388 (325hp) 7,380, #138,206 (7.3m ). Straw walker models include CT 5050 (238hp) 5 7,200 #110,110 (5.1m). CT 5060 (281hp) 5 8,000 #124,869 (6.1m). CT 5070...

Talking Arable with our North Lincolnshire farmer Ambrose Fowler.
September 20, 2004... September 6, 2004 Do you remember 1968? Well, I was only thirteen and starting to think about girls, but more worldly events included Martin Luther King being shot, Soviet troops invading Czechoslovakia, Nixon elected President of the US...