Crops articles from December 2005

Crops archives from December 2005

Christmas sprouts.(VIEWPOINT)
December 10, 2005... Christmas sprouts: Robert Fisher (right) and Paul Seymour harvesting Maximus sprouts for John Sheard Farms, near Kimbolton on the Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire border. "The crop only just breaks even, but it helps keep the men employed during...

Is [pounds sterling]18 enough?(VIEWPOINT)
December 10, 2005... So we have a new sugar deal at last. After nearly two years of announcements and negotiations, the 40-year-old sugar regime is to be dramatically reformed. That the beet price paid to growers is to be slightly more (3%) than originally...

Watershed ahead.(VIEWPOINT)
December 10, 2005... It's not been an easy year. The hangover of implementing the single payment scheme has not gone away entirely. The headaches that have accompanied the maps debacle for entry-level stewardship agreements rumble on. And the migraine that is...

HGCA.(VIEWPOINT)
December 10, 2005... The HGCA has been awarded a [pounds sterling]500,000 grant to improve price risk management within the arable sector. Over 100 training events will take place over the next three years covering the basic concepts and advanced techniques. In an...

DEFRA.(VIEWPOINT)
December 10, 2005... Calls to cut red tape in farming could be finally having an effect, following DEFRA's announcement of a new farm regulation and charging strategy for England. The discussion document, Partners for Success, proposes ideas such as reviewing...

Agriculture and Climate Change.(VIEWPOINT)
December 10, 2005... Farmers are well placed to play a key role in combating climate change, according to an NFU report, Agriculture and Climate Change. There is a real opportunity to expand new markets and show the general public, government and industry the...

Bloomin' sugar.(VIEWPOINT)(Cartoon)
December 10, 2005... "Bloomin' sugar reform... I'll show 'em."

Democracy's coming to levy boards: closer scrutiny of levy boards by those who fund them could be a warning shot for the industry, says Stephen Carr.(FARMERFORUM)
December 10, 2005... Arough calculation suggests that during my farming career I have paid the HGCA about [pounds sterling]30,000 in levies. Quite how much more of my money they will be able to help themselves to, without me having much of a say, is now open to...

Let's talk sense on agchems: with pesticides under the spotlight, the Crop Protection Association's Peter Sanguinetti says some context and sense are needed.(FARMERFORUM)
December 10, 2005... Since 1960 the world population has doubled to 6bn. By 2025 it could reach 9bn. But there is only a finite amount of land on which we can grow crops--in fact it is decreasing as we build on it. Conclusion? We need pesticides to protect our...

Harald Isermeyer: farming in Germany.(WORLDFARMING)
December 10, 2005... The move eastwards in European arable influence couldn't have escaped even the most detached visitor at this winter's Agritechnica farm equipment show in Hanover. First of all, Russian and other Slavic languages were to be heard everywhere...

Fudge or focus?(CROPS CONFERENCES 2005)
December 10, 2005... As EU members coalesce into more self-interest groups, high quality fudge could be the biggest output of an enlarged EU, MSP Andrew Arbuckle told Scottish delegates. "How will there be any coherent EU policy from 25 differing points of view?"...

Chinese whispers.(CROPS CONFERENCES 2005)
December 10, 2005... "Don't be misled by the ruling party being communist, the engine of growth is the private sector, which has generated 60% of exports and 80m new jobs over the past five years," said China Britain Business Council vice-president Barclay Forrest....

EU farmers better placed for reform: seizing control--creating success in a global market. A challenging title to this year's Crops conferences. And, as the next three pages show, delegates had plenty to act on to take their business forward.(CROPS CONFERENCES 2005)
December 10, 2005... EU farmers are much better placed to negotiate at the latest round of World Trade Organisation agriculture talks than their US counterparts, according to former US Department of Agriculture official, Jim Grueff. "The US is in a weaker...

Imported food is main concern.(CROPS CONFERENCES 2005)
December 10, 2005... The UK cannot continue with a policy of importing food from everywhere in the world, Cambridgeshire MEP, Robert Sturdy, said. "I am deeply concerned by the UK attitude to import from wherever is cheapest. How did we get foot-and-mouth? How...

Lexus key control for early black-grass infestations.(Advertisement)
December 10, 2005... Early emergence and heavy infestations of black-grass in many key winter wheat growing areas means it is essential to start post-emergence grassweed strategies based on residual and contact acting herbicides as soon as possible. Rutherfords...

Govt upping energy pace.(CROPS CONFERENCES 2005)
December 10, 2005... The Government is responding to demands for the energy sector to develop faster, according to DEFRA's John Robbs. "I know many are impatient for this sector to develop faster and think that the government should do more. The Government is...

'We must manage risk'.(CROPS CONFERENCES 2005)
December 10, 2005... The City of London, food processors and farmers need to engage more to provide price risk management against a background of market volatility. That was the rallying cry of England conference chairman Michael Savory. "The key ingredient is...

What they said ...(CROPS CONFERENCES 2005)
December 10, 2005... * "Farmers are Neanderthals who can barely manage an 'ugh', compared with the smart-suited gents from Unilever, Danone and Nestle who really understand consumers," warned international food marketing specialist and Imperial College Professor...

Calls to collaborate: collaboration along the supply chain, from on-farm initiatives to downstream tie-ups, was a core theme of the Crops conferences.(CROPS CONFERENCES 2005)
December 10, 2005... Why collaborate? Falling subsidies, trade liberalisation and less market intervention from government were all part of a process of fundamental change in farming, said EFFP chief executive Sion Roberts. "Going forward, we will need a...

Latest drill fillers on parade: which varieties will fill seed drills in the years ahead? Andrew Blake reviews recent additions to the HGCA recommended lists for cereals and oilseed rape, and the pulses list from NIAB/PGRO.(NEW VARIETIES)
December 10, 2005... Winter wheat In Mascot (RAGT Seeds), one of a quartet of new winter wheats, growers have a high-quality potential breadmaker at the top end of nabim's Group 2 category. Its progress is very much in the hands of the millers, says RL...

MASCOT -- breadwheat breakthrough.(The Breeder's Word)(Advertisement)
December 10, 2005... Mascot represents a major step forward for UK breadwheat growers, combining a 4% yield advantage over Malacca with good breadmaking quality, favourable agronomic characters, first-rate N utilisation efficiency and reliable performance under a...

New generation hybrid.(The Breeder's Word)(Advertisement)
December 10, 2005... As the first in a new generation of high reliability, high output restored hybrids with particular manageability and disease resistance advantages, Excalibur has captured the imagination of UK growers like few other varieties before it. ...

New bread wheat.(The Breeder's Word)(Advertisement)
December 10, 2005... ADS 75 is a radical new development--the first hard red Wheat suitable for UK conditions. It produces quality far in excess of any other Milling Wheat, with protein > 16% and > 300 Hagberg. As important, it also holds on to this quality during...

Breeding from the front: UK wheat breeding is on something of a knife-edge. But as Nickerson's Bill Angus tells Julian Gairdner in this latest sponsored visions of the future article, the right action now will ensure British breeders lead the way.(VISIONS OF THE FUTURE)
December 10, 2005... FARMING cannot support the level of breeding taking place in the UK and an infrastructure that reflects agriculture in the 1970s and 80s. That's the view of Nickerson's head of wheat breeding Bill Angus. Change is a must he believes...

Which way for rules? Pesticide regulation is coming under increasing pressure from public and other groups. Paul Spackman looks at the challenges and what can be done in future.(PESTICIDES)
December 10, 2005... UP TO 1m people could be at risk from pesticide exposure in the UK, says Tom Eddy, secretary to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, which produced the recent Bystanders report. Increasing concerns about the potential health and...

And this little piggy ate ... Using larger quantities of home-grown crops in pig diets is desirable, but is it feasible? Sarah Henly reports.(NEW MARKETS)
December 10, 2005... The EU-wide withdrawal of pig antimicrobial growth promoters next month might not seem important for combinable crop producers, but growers of cereals and oilseed rape could benefit significantly. That is because starch extracted from...

Time to make the right margin: go green--and embrace a sustainable farming future. Gilly Johnson reports.(CROPS/FEC CONFERENCE)
December 10, 2005... A NEW market opportunity is opening up for agriculture. It's expanding, it enjoys government support, it has healthy long term prospects and it has the approval of the public. And, most importantly, it can generate income. This enterprise...

Wildlife is the business of farming: the Crops/FEC annual conference sponsored by Frontier, Guild of Conservation Grade Producers and Syngenta Crop Protection.(CROPS/FEC CONFERENCE)
December 10, 2005... PROGRAMME Chairman Charles Abel, Editor of Crops Introduction Environmental expert David Bellamy championed the role of farmers in enhancing habitat diversity. His thinking is now the fabric of the political map. ...

Conservation Grade.(CROPS/FEC CONFERENCE)
December 10, 2005... As a higher tier environmental farming system, Conservation Grade is pleased to sponsor the Crops/FEC Annual Conference. Market research shows nearly 8 million consumers have an interest in the environmental impacts of food production and...

Frontier Agriculture.(CROPS/FEC CONFERENCE)
December 10, 2005... Significant changes to the shape of agricultural support in recent years have prompted farmers to adapt their businesses and the new "Single Payment Scheme", with ELS and HLS add-ons, places a greater emphasis on environmental management....

Syngenta.(CROPS/FEC CONFERENCE)
December 10, 2005... With environmental management key to the EU support system, and ELS and HLS, there is the opportunity to create hugely beneficial wildlife habitats on farm and real economic returns. Based on the experience gained from the Buzz Project,...

Get clued up on viruses: what do you know about soil-borne viruses? Mike Abram brings you up to speed on the three viruses common to arable crops and the latest research on each.
December 10, 2005... Rhizomania in sugar beet Latest research Latest research for controlling rhizomania is concentrating on developing sugar beet varieties resistant to the soil-borne fungus Polymyxa betae, which transmits the beet necrotic yellow vein...

The beet must go on? Just look forward to your SP.(JUSTINMCDONALD'SDIARY)
December 10, 2005... MON News of the agreement on deep cuts in the EU sugar price has not gone down well in this area. Friends of mine who grow sugar beet say it was the last crop they had that was worth growing. Their wheat, barley, oat, pea, bean, and rape...

Season has favoured plough metal.(FARMDIARY)
December 10, 2005... AUTUMN drilling finished as early as I can recall on 6 October, with Robigus winter wheat going in after beans. The majority of the wheat is in two varieities--Robigus and Cordiale, with a small area of early September-drilled Consort after...

Combine upgrades have more muscle: getting grain into the barn in timely fashion is the aim of the latest combine upgrades, which put more muscle behind the threshing and separation systems for greater output. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
December 10, 2005... When it comes to eking additional performance out of a combine harvester, tweaking its engine to give a little more power will usually do the trick. Straw choppers absorb a lot of muscle and as combines become bigger and heavier, more...

Scorpion transmission stings rivals.(MACHINERY)
December 10, 2005... The new design and manufacturing partnership forged by Claas and wheeled loader specialist Kramer has spawned a new range of telescopic handlers reckoned to have more "oomph" than competitor machines thanks to a novel transmission, writes Peter...

Upgraded drier handles bigger combine's input: upgrading both combine and drier has improved harvest efficiency on a Lincolnshire farm, as Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
December 10, 2005... Increasing combining capacity might normally be expected to put more pressure on the farm drier, not less. But Lincolnshire grower Andrew Mitchell has done the opposite after installing a new continuous-flow drier by also upgrading to a John...

Giving potatoes value; Processing, fresh or seed: all three sectors in the potato industry are under pressure. But new thinking and innovation is the way forward, as Mike Abram and Liz Robinson find out at British Potato 2005.(BUSINESS)
December 10, 2005... Understanding and meeting customers' needs, and exploiting opportunities for added value products will allow the potato processing industry to thrive in future, experts at the British Potato 2005 processing convention believe. Gaining...

Branded spud seed could be the answer to raise exports.(BUSINESS)
December 10, 2005... THE seed industry faces challenging times as the reduction in area of potatoes grown in the UK has been mirrored by corresponding reduction in the amount of seed used. That is the view of the BPC's Iain Dykes, but despite this reduction he...

Novel opportunity for fresh products.(BUSINESS)
December 10, 2005... FRESH potato consumption has increased over the past 16 months indicating that the past 10- to 15-year decline has stopped, bringing the processed and fresh markets closer together. Despite these encouraging figures, the fresh sector is...

Promising signs of rise in prices: how have the grain markets influenced our grain marketing challenge participants? Suzie Horne finds out.(Crops/SYNGENTA GRAIN MARKETING CHALLENGE)
December 10, 2005... EX-FARM grain sales have risen in the past month across the UK as cash pressure mounts and drilling pressure eases off. As growers up and down the country consider marketing the current crop, some of our challengers have committed their...

Herbicide claimed to be big step forward.(LASTWORD)
December 10, 2005... A NEW herbicide for controlling wild oats and ryegrass in winter wheat and spring barley has been launched by Syngenta. Axial is based on the active ingredient pinoxaden, which is a brand new chemical class and represents a "major step...

Whole-farm approach to soil needed.(LASTWORD)
December 10, 2005... Erosion, loss of soil organic matter, contamination, compaction and sealing are the main threats to soil and best practice must be followed to ensure long-term health and profitability, according to Rothamsted's Keith Goulding. He believes...

Beet on the web.(LASTWORD)
December 10, 2005... SUGAR beet growers can now access a new website that provides independent agronomy and best practice advice. The site, www.uksugarbeet.co.uk, features latest industry news, British Beet Research Organisation advisory bulletins, plus online...

Go online for waste disposal guidance.(LASTWORD)
December 10, 2005... THE Environment Agency has produced new guidance and an online directory (www.environment-agency.gov.uk) to help farmers comply with waste regulations. The rules, which come into effect next year, will prevent the burying and burning of...

Fertiliser assurance scheme.(LASTWORD)
December 10, 2005... A new assurance scheme coming into effect in January 2006 aims to provide traceability and assurance for all aspects of fertiliser production and distribution. The Fertiliser Industry Assurance Scheme (FIAS) has been developed by...