Crops articles from April 2008

Crops archives from April 2008

Aggressive potato blight creates control conundrum; Dutch growers have had to cope with more aggressive potato blight since 2000. Louise Impey finds out what they have learned.(TECHNICAL)
April 26, 2008... Phenylamide-resistant A2 blight has changed spray schedules, required a strengthening of early season control and prompted increased use of decision support systems in the Netherlands, according to Huub Schepers, a blight expert from Wageningen...

Under scrutiny: spud armoury is put to the test; There is no shortage of good potato blight fungicides. Mike Abram asked seven experts to help pull them apart in the latest crops group test.(POTATO BLIGHT)
April 26, 2008... A bit like the disease can, the number of blight products seems to have exploded in the past few years. The new generation started with Ranman and Electis, with the likes of Consento, Tanos, and Valbon following on, and then in the past two...

Make the right choice to oust disease: strobilurin, cholorolonil boscalid: which one should growers add to their base traizole fungicide in the flag leaf spray this year? Mike Abram finds out.(FLAG LEAF SPRAYS)
April 26, 2008... Every grower will use a triazole fungicide for their wheat fungicide programme, almost certainly either epoxiconazole or prothioconazole. The big decision is whether to add a strobilurin, boscalid or chlorothalonil to that base, a...

Head blight moving north; Symptoms of fusarium head blight were more abundant than ever last summer. Sarah Henly asks if grain mycotoxins are on the increase.(FUSARIUM)
April 26, 2008... This month sees the start of CropMonitor's winter wheat fusarium monitoring programme - a fortnightly record of symptoms at the stem base in crops at five sites across England. The website will follow disease progress once the species present...

No bonanza yet for UK growers; For nearly two weeks many UK motorists have been topping up their tanks not only with petrol or diesel, but with a dash of biofuel, too. Andrew Blake examines the implications for growers.(BIOFUELS)
April 26, 2008... From April 15, under the government's Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation, fuel companies have been required to replace 2.5% of their annual fossil fuel sales with biofuels, unless they opt to pay a penalty charge. By 2010 the replacement...

Collaboration protects water quality; The water in a staffordshire river is much freer from pesticides than it was six years ago, thanks to collaborative effort, Andrew Blake discovers.(CATCHMENT SENSITIVE FARMING)
April 26, 2008... There's little doubt that farmers can make a difference can make a difference to water quality by modifying their pesticide practices. But they cannot afford to be complacent, warns the ADAS officer involved with a Catchment Sensitive Farming...

Agronomists key to message spread.(CATCHMENT SENSITIVE FARMING)
April 26, 2008... Masstock's Nigel Francis was asked to join the steering group as the steering group as the lead agronomist when a Voluntary Initiative project began in the Blythe catchment in 2002. Also involved were South Staffs Water, the NFU, pesticide...

Good results achieved from simple measures.(CATCHMENT SENSITIVE FARMING)
April 26, 2008... Peter Atkin's family has farmed in the Blythe catchment for three generations. "We've always been aware of the risks of polluting the river, especially as we were milk producers until 2003," says Mr Atkin. "The Blythe project was a...

Top competitors' skills impress judges; Professionalism and ingenuity wowed the three judges in the final stages of this year's Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year competition.(FARM SPRAYER OPERATOR COMPETITION)
April 26, 2008... SYNGENTA What impressed me most about the 2008 finalists can be summed up in four categories: Innovation, commitment, enthusiasm and embracing new technologies. These all make the job of spraying more effective and efficient. A modern...

Easy stepless transmission is proving a popular choice; There's more choice than ever for operators who shun gearboxes and powershifts in favour of a smooth accelerating continuously variable transmission. Peter Hill rounds up the latest developments and current models.(MACHINERY:CVT TRACTORS)
April 26, 2008... The versatility and precise speed control of tractors equipped with stepless transmissions are attracting a growing number of operators, not only for their potential to improve work rates, work quality and fuel economy, but also - once the...

Give more thought to choosing tyres: with tyres available to suit every tractor size, power, weight and use, choosing new or replacement rubber should involve more than just asking what will fit and how much will it cost. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: TRACTOR TYRES)
April 26, 2008... Regardless of all the technical arguments made for buying the best tyres around, shelling out for a set of expensive new rubber does require something of an act of faith. The advantages of paying extra for a wider, low-profile tyre or one that...

Goodyear keeps pace with new technology.(MACHINERY: TRACTOR TYRES)
April 26, 2008... Goodyear has extended its Optitrac R+ traction tyre range with its tallest-ever rear tyre - the 710/75R42, with a diameter of 2.15m. With the R+ range, which now extends to nine sizes, Goodyear introduced new carcass structures and rubber...

Not a public enemy much longer: attitudes to farmers are changing for the better, says Stephen Carr.(CARR'S CORNER)
April 26, 2008... "I hardly need to say to a Crops audience how enjoyable the rise in arable commodity prices has been over the past 12 months. Perhaps for the first time since I have been farming, since 1978, I am in a position to produce a harvest in 2008...

It's decision time for sugar beet; Ejecting the crop may be a mistake, says David Bolton.
April 26, 2008... "Offer letters for the 2009 crop will land on beet growers' doormats within the next couple of weeks. It is then that some serious decision-making must begin. Inevitably, economic factors will wrestle with practical considerations. For...

Job opportunity: arable reporter.(BRIEFING)
April 26, 2008... * We're looking for an arable enthusiast to join our team at the Farmers Weekly Group. If you are a dynamic person with lots of ideas, plenty of energy and a determination to have a real impact on the industry, then we want to hear from...

Over the Hedge.(BRIEFING)
April 26, 2008... Looking for reassurance that other growers are just as frustrated by the weather and equally behind with their fieldwork? Then look no further than Farmers Weekly's Barometer Farmers' Over the Hedge blog on FWi here http://www.fwi.co.uk/...

Fwi hit parade.(BRIEFING)
April 26, 2008... Crops' website (www.fwi.co.uk) averages over 250,000 visits a month. Below are the past fortnight. 1.Fertiliser prices continue to climb 2.Rising oil prices force input rethink at Deer Park Farm 3.Why wheat is the best feedstock...

Grain chain as it ought to be.(VIEWPOINT)
April 26, 2008... A new home for English wheat opened up last week. Not just any outlet - Cargill's Manchester plant cost [pounds sterling]75m to build and will need 750,000t of grain a year to turn into sweeteners. Those statistics are pretty impressive....

Where are the biofuel pumps, then?(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
April 26, 2008... MONDAY * At last the Road Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) has come into operation. Does this mean that Peter Kendall will now not be the only person driving around the UK in a biofuel car? There does seem to be an air of unreality about...

Sorting out supply chain issues is his top priority; Ian Backhouse is the new chairman of the NFU combinable crops board. Crops asked him what topics he expects to keep him busy in the months ahead.(PERSPECTIVE)
April 26, 2008... For as long as anyone can remember, the grain trade has been a breeding ground for suspicion. Deductions or rejections for the wrong specification, lack of clarity over contract terms or disagreement over price have done little to foster close...

Fundamentals suggest a solid farming future: what does the future hold for the global agricultural industry and where will UK farmers fit into the new world order? Carl Atkin considers the shape of world agriculture to 2020 and beyond.(YOUR BUSINESS)(Industry overview)
April 26, 2008... How times have changed within UK agriculture--and more rapidly than anyone could have predicted. The explosion of activity in the soft commodities sector during the past 12 months has created a remarkable turnaround, with wheat trading at...

Throughput expected to be 750.000t of grain ... Cargill has officially opened its new wheat processing plant in Manchester. Mike Abram reports.(CARGILL WHEAT PROCESSING PLANT)
April 26, 2008... A 750,000t market for home-produced feed wheat is finally up and running, with the official opening of Cargill's [pounds sterling]75m wheat processing plant in Trafford Park, Manchester. The plant, which used to process imported maize,...

What happens to the crop once it has been unloaded.(INSIDE THE PLANT)
April 26, 2008... * Once the trucks are offloaded at the pit intake - a process that can be completed in just 12 minutes - the wheat is transported via a series of elevators and conveyors to storage silos. En route large contaminants are removed over a screen...

... all sourced from UK growers.
April 26, 2008... All the wheat will be sourced from UK growers through Frontier. Up to 200,000t would come from Frontier's Manchester Gold club members, said Jon Duffy, Frontier's grain director. "The rest of the wheat will come from the open market." The...