Crops articles from April 2007

Crops archives from April 2007

Facing up to the pressure: high disease pressure this season will put pressure on T1 sprays. Sarah Henly asks recent finalists in Farmer Weekly's Arable Farmer of the Year Award what they intend to use.(T1 STRATEGIES)
April 7, 2007... Robert Law of Thrift Farm near Royston in Hertfordshire uses it three times every season in most wheat varieties. It's not hard to guess what it is: Bravo. "We bought a large quantity early because manufacturers were warning it could...

It doesn't pay to be stingy at T1: don't be tempted by cheap T1 fungicide options in barley, agronomists tell Louise Impey.(BARLEY FUNGICIDES)
April 7, 2007... Disease levels on winter barley appear less severe now than at the the end of January, says Dave Robinson of The Arable Group (TAG). "Nationally, brown rust appears to be the main problem," he says. "Mildew is largely confined to the lower...

Septoria sensitivity shift puts mixes back in contention: could triazole mixtures be the answer to controlling Septoria tritici? Mike Abram investigates.(DISEASE CONTROL)
April 7, 2007... Over 10 years ago, before the launch of Opus, I carried out trials looking at mixtures of flusilazole and other triazole fungicides, particularly cyproconazole. The rationale, apart from gaining a commercial advantage for my then employer,...

Questions over fungicide's edge: is visual eyespot control really an indication of potential final yield from eyespot products? Trials evidence suggests a confused picture. Liz Robinson reports.(EYESPOT)
April 7, 2007... Eyespot has always been a tricky disease to assess, let alone control. So is the inconsistent performance of prothioconazole in trials last season anything to worry about? Trials, such as two at Harper Adams University College which showed...

Septoria control--could strobs still have a role? Fungicide manufacturers are paying more attention to understanding the non-fungicide effects of strobilurins. Mike Abram catches up with the latest research.(DISEASE DEFENCE)
April 7, 2007... In a slightly bizarre twist it seems strobilurin fungicides--or at least pyraclostrobin--might not be quite finished helping to control Septoria tritici. Despite almost the entire Septoria tritici population carrying the G143A mutation,...

Top talent rewarded: is your business a great advert for farming? Then why not enter this year's Farmers Weekly awards and get the recognition you deserve. You'd be in good company ...(FARMERS WEEKLY AWARDS 2007)
April 7, 2007... "I only realised what an honour it was to receive the Arable Farmer of the Year accolade and to be chosen as overall Farmer of the Year 2006 on the celebration night itself. The responses I received then and since have been overwhelming....

We rate six of the best in a flowering crop: is it worth spraying an oilseed rape flowering spray? Mike Abram explores the options with the help of farmers weekly's crop watch agronomists.(OILSEED RAPE)
April 7, 2007... As decisions go in oilseed rape the flowering spray is probably one of the trickiest. If it's not choosing which product to apply, it's deciding when to spray it, and that's not to mention whether it is even worthwhile applying one in the first...

Keep pods green for higher yields: applying fungicides to maximise the length of time pods stay green in early summer is key to getting the best yield from oilseed rape, as Paul Spackman finds.(OSR FUNGICIDES)
April 7, 2007... Keeping crops as green as possible after pod set is one of the main ways growers can drive up oilseed rape yields, says Strutt & Parker's Charles Ireland. "Yield from oilseed rape ultimately comes from how much green area is on the pods and,...

Proline option cost-effective.(LIGHT LEAF SPOT)
April 7, 2007... In Aberdeenshire, defence against light leaf spot is one of the top priorities for George Green, who farms 364ha (900 acres) of combinable crops near Inverurie. "Light leaf spot is an underestimated disease," he says. After trialling...

'Triple low' rape prospect: there's no reason why oilseed rape growers can't supply the UK demand for biolubricants. Sarah Henly reports.(BIOLUBRICANTS)
April 7, 2007... Want to increase your marketing opportunities without complicating crop management? Then grow high oleic oilseed rape varieties, just as you do conventional rape. Preliminary studies into the management of a variety bred primarily for food...

Early warning key to tackling emerging blight threat.(POTATOES)
April 7, 2007... For the first time in the UK, the A2 mating type of the potato blight pathogen has become the dominant strain, according to British Potato Council-funded research. The A2 type was found in 66% of 165 reported disease outbreaks last...

From handler to tractor ... and a 'master of many': Merlo's MultiFarmer dual-purpose telescopic handler has so far mainly caught the imagination of livestock producers. But a Norfolk farmer reckons the machine's versatility makes it just as handy a tool for arable growers. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: MATERIALS HANDLING)
April 7, 2007... The risk of using a machine built to be a jack of all trades is that it turns out to be master of none. In the case of the MultiFarmer telehandler from Italian manufacturer Merlo, however, it's a concern that does not seem to apply. This...

RIP, IPU--'the white stuff' for us: Stephen Carr mourns the loss of a trusty old agchem friend.(CARR'S CORNER)
April 7, 2007... "Life is full of challenges. We all, sooner or later, have to learn to manage without mother's milk. Then there is the difficulty of standing on two legs instead of crawling. Before we know what is happening we are being left in school to learn...

Wheat brands add confidence: export promotion remains vital, says Mike Adams.(Podium)
April 7, 2007... "The UK cereals industry has responded well to changing domestic and international demand for quality wheat. To help it further, ukp and uks export brands were established by the HGCA's British Cereal Exports in response to customer demand to...

Positive outlook not ridiculous optimism.(BRIEFING)(Letter to the editor)
April 7, 2007... Dear Editor I write in response to Stephen Carr's article (Crops, 10 March) calling on the NFU to end its "ridiculous optimism". When I became president there were two choices--try to convince politicians and the public that, treated...

Win the holiday of a lifetime.(BRIEFING)
April 7, 2007... You could win Kuoni holiday vouchers worth [pounds sterling]2500 in an online Bayer CropScience competition, hosted by Farmers Weekly. All you have to do is answer three simple multiple choice questions, based on a short article about...

Rethink needed on modulation.(VIEWPOINT)
April 7, 2007... English farmers have been unable to compete on equal terms with their European counterparts since CAP reform, when DEFRA took on its mission to spearhead the greening of the CAP. Things just got worse. DEFRA secretary, David Miliband's,...

Don't hamper biofuel production with tax.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)(Calendar)
April 7, 2007... MONDAY Just our luck to have recently invested in a flash 4x4 as Gordon Brown announces that he is going to put [pounds sterling]400 a year Vehicle Excise Duty on such trucks. It was good to see David Fursdon of the CLA spring to our...

Build homes by the yard: do farmyards hold the key to the UK's housing problems? David Uren thinks so.(PERSPECTIVE)
April 7, 2007... Britain seems to have had a housing crisis for as long as many people can remember. Changing demographics and household structure have conspired, with inadequate supply, to limit the availability of homes and force prices to unaffordable levels...

Leaner, meaner--plans unveiled for new cereals body: chairmen of the new cereals and potato levy boards were appointed last month. Johann Tasker asks them for their initial thoughts on the tasks ahead.(YOUR BUSINESS)
April 7, 2007... Growers who believe consumers should be made more aware of the high quality of British cereals have the best chance yet of seeing their dreams realised. "Farmers are asking for better communication to consumers of the high standards to...

What this year's budget will mean to your business: chancellor Gordon Brown's recent budget contained some important changes for farmers, as Suzie Horne discovers.(FINANCES)
April 7, 2007... Businesses need to be profitable to benefit from the new 100% allowance on the first [pounds sterling]50,000 of investment in plant and machinery each year, warn accountants. This new regime, which starts from April 2008, is essentially an...

Give strobs a chance to raise yields: should growers use strobilurins this season, and, if so, where? Mike Abram investigates.(TECHNICAL)
April 28, 2007... Triazole fungicides--probably mixed with chlorothalonil--should be the basis for flag leaf sprays this spring. But is it worth adding a strobilurin as well? HGCA Appropriate Fungicide Dose 2 trials provide some good evidence that it could...

Don't underestimate late PGR value: research suggests late-season growth regulators are more effective at raising standing power. Should programmes be adjusted? Louise Impey investigates.(T2 SPECIAL: GROWTH REGULATION)
April 28, 2007... New research could provoke a debate about whether growers intending to apply only one growth regulator spray to wheat crops would be better off waiting until the flag leaf is emerging. The trials suggest that timing increases standing power...

Strob applications may ease stress.(ABIOTIC SPOTTING)
April 28, 2007... Applying strobilurin fungicides reduces abiotic spotting in spring barley put under various environmental stresses, Harper Adams University research has found. But, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, putting crops under stress did not increase...

Fusarium solution is in the pipeline: growers might not need to think about using a T3 spray against ear blight in some varieties in the future. Sarah Henly explains.(EAR BLIGHT)
April 28, 2007... Modern UK wheat varieties offer very little useful resistance to fusarium, and this could jeopardise grain marketing advantage, especially if warmer, wetter summers become the norm. That warning comes from Paul Nicholson of the John Innes...

Rotating insecticides could avoid German pollen beetle experience: UK oilseed rape growers often envy German producers' higher yields. But they should be aware of that country's pollen beetle woes, Andrew Blake learns.(PESTS)
April 28, 2007... Pollen beetles resistant to pyrethroid insecticides, the only ones initially approved for control, devastated 30,000ha of oilseed rape in Germany last season. They cost growers about [pounds sterling]15.5m, according to Ralf Nauen, Bayer...

Foil-sis: worthy alternative to Telone; Telone's future is far from assured. Can a biocontrol option help potato growers with cyst nematode problems? Mike Abram finds out.(POTATO CYST NEMATODES)
April 28, 2007... For about half the cost of soil sterilisation potato growers can trap crop potato cyst nematodes almost as effectively. But wider-scale growing of close potato relative Solanum sisymbriifolium looks unlikely unless Telone II is banned either at...

US technique looks more efficient: just one application of chlorpropham can give adequate sprouting control in stored potatoes in the USA. New BPC-funded trials aim to find if the approach can work here.(POTATO SPROUTING CONTROL)
April 28, 2007... Surely potatoes are the same the world over? Not, it seems, when it comes to using chlorpropham (CIPC) to control sprouting. The first thing that became apparent during a tour of North America was that the treatment is always applied prior...

Delayed post-ems could disappoint: don't wait too long to tackle sugar beet weeds this season, say specialist advisers. Andrew Blake reports.(SUGAR BEET WEEDS)
April 28, 2007... Despite the relatively mild, wet winter, most beet was sown into reasonably good, moist friable seed-beds, says TAG's Marion Self. "I believe that the dry weather since drilling will have more influence on crop establishment and weed...

Are you a winning adviser? What qualities does a successful arable adviser require? FW barometer farmer Ben Atkinson explains what he would look for in an Arable Adviser of the year.(FARMERS WEEKLY AWARDS)
April 28, 2007... Any successful business requires many different management skills, and the arable sector is no different. Arable farming is extremely complicated, so there are several key areas where growers need good advice. * Agronomy. Probably the most...

Auto-steering performs its star turn: precision steering has taken a further step forward, as Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: CULTIVATIONS)
April 28, 2007... Engineers may have brought improved precision to both straight and curved line auto-steering, but it seems that true state-of-the-art positioning demands a further step. Now, as well as keeping tractors on the right path in the body of a...

Investing in expert kit keeps spray handling up to scratch: specialist facilities and a hi-tech sprayer are helping a Suffolk grower use pesticides responsibly as well as more easily and efficiently. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: SPRAYING)
April 28, 2007... Arable farming operations at W H Wallace & Son's Hall Farm, Coney Weston, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, are managed with a keen eye on environmental protection as much as on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. According to John Wallace,...

Advanced package for Hardi's VariTrack: innovations to ease spraying progress are on offer this season, as Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: SPRAYING)
April 28, 2007... The "i" version of Hardi's Alpha VariTrack self-propelled sprayers features a package of advanced electronically-controlled functions already available on top-spec Commander trailed sprayers (Crops 10 March) plus "cruise control" to simplify...

Can shredder.(MACHINERY: SPRAYING)
April 28, 2007... Techneat's ChipPE container shredder (pictured) reduces the volume of plastic by four to five times, thereby reducing the bulk of stored materials awaiting collection for recycling and, potentially, the cost of collection. A recycling...

Small-scale spraying.(MACHINERY: SPRAYING)
April 28, 2007... Northern Ireland ATV accessories manufacturer Quad-X has produced a range of sprayers for spot, field-margin0 and yard-maintenance spraying. There is a choice of specifications for the 60- and 100-litre sizes, from the MonoSpray with a pump...

Can-draining tank.(MACHINERY: SPRAYING)
April 28, 2007... Techneat Environmental, an offshoot of the pesticides applicator business, has produced several devices to complement its plastics-for-recycling collection service. Designed to help sprayer operators minimise pollution risk, the range...

Technology assists steering on stubble.(MACHINERY: SPRAYING)
April 28, 2007... Operators using JCB Fastrac tractors for crop spraying can enjoy the benefits of automatic steering for stubble and pre-emergence applications using a kit developed by Beeline Technologies. The package caters for the power-assisted...

Time wheat price was 'rebased': Stephen Carr has learnt a new word that urgently needs applying to wheat.(CARR'S CORNER)
April 28, 2007... "I have learnt a new word in recent months--"rebased". I first ran into it when inquiring about farmland prices. For decades, bare farmland in this county has refused to move above [pounds sterling]2000/acre despite land agents' attempts to...

Sprayer finalists impress: competition was full of postitives, says Jamie Letts.(Podium)
April 28, 2007... "I suppose it was inevitable that the invitation to judge the Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year was going to be a very fast learning experience. There are about 4.5m hectares of arable in the UK, and, with an average of four or five spray...

Watch our academy spray tips online.(BRIEFING)
April 28, 2007... Looking for NRoSO or BASIS points? Then it will pay to read the first in a series of three Farmers Weekly Academies--sponsored by Syngenta's Intelligent Farming initiative--focusing on spray application techniques. Look out for it in the 4 May...

FWi hit parade.(BRIEFING)
April 28, 2007... News that the Springdale Group, which owns Springdale Crop Synergies, has gone into administration leaving significant debts to farmers and processors was the most read among visitors to the Crops website (www.fwi.co.uk) over the past...

Dump ostrich attitude to waste.(VIEWPOINT)
April 28, 2007... The Ides of May looms bearing a distinctly environmental tag. But, rather than viewing 15 May with a sense of foreboding, farmers should see it as the spur to get ahead of the game and make their businesses more robust against attacks from well...

Frankenstein's Monster is farming's nightmare.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
April 28, 2007... MONDAY Oh no, not another stem lecture! This time it's contained in a report from Centaur Grain that claims that an inefficient "grain chain" is costing the UK arable industry [pounds sterling]40m a year. The company's report, Against the...

Safe disposal of waste is best left to the contractors; Hazardous waste: a job for the professionals or time for DIY? Ian Muir, waste expert for the ADAS-run Environment Sensitive Farming project, explains.(PERSPECTIVE)
April 28, 2007... Waste engine oil and oil filters, redundant lead acid batteries, old fluorescent light tubes--every farm has them. But from 15 May 2007 new rules on the disposal of these, and other hazardous agricultural wastes, will apply. I cannot think...

Look at storage to solve spud trouble: struggling to capture a decent share of the premium potato markets? A store revamp could help, as Crops discovers.(YOUR BUSINESS)
April 28, 2007... It's early October. Potato harvest is in full swing and the weather's see-sawing. The first of the crop came into your store a month ago, and you need to close the doors and get it under control. But you need to bring in another 500t before you...

Single farm payment: can you live without it? What cost does the Single Payment Scheme have on your business? It may be considerable, but Charles Ireland reckons all the form-filling is still well worth the hassle.(LIFE AFTER SFP)
April 28, 2007... The amount of paperwork has grown substantially following the implementation of the Single Payment Scheme in 2005. This year farmers have over 200 pages of SPS guidance in more than five booklets to wade through. There is further guidance...

Filling in the gaps makes sound economic sense: nearly [pounds sterling]40m leaches out of cracks in the UK's arable supply chain each year, according to a new report. So how can arable farmers get a share of that money? Ian Ashbridge reports.(GRAIN CHAIN LOSSES)
April 28, 2007... The UK's arable industry allows nearly [pounds sterling]750,000 a week to slip through its fingers in unnecessary haulage, rejected loads, spurious repeated testing of grain and inefficient storage. According to a new report from grain...