Crops articles from January 2005

Crops archives from January 2005

'New world' options: what will you drill this spring? Julian Gairdner considers the choices post CAP reform.(SPRING CROPPING)
January 15, 2005... DON'T think about spring crops in terms of fire-brigade drilling for failed winter crops--they have to fit in with the overall business structure. That's the key message from Philip Wynn, head of Aubourn, the farming advice division of...

Bucking the trend: two growers tell Liz Robinson why they are moving against the tide and growing more spring barley in 2005 than before.(SPRING BARLEY)
January 15, 2005... DESPITE a reduction in the UK's total barley area this year, two farmers located on opposite sides of the country are bucking the trend and growing more spring malting barley. For Staffordshire farmer John Johnston poor winter barley...

No looking back since switch.(SPRING BARLEY)
January 15, 2005... PETER SEAMAN, farming 800ha at Saxthorpe, north Norfolk, chose to switch from Optic to Cocktail last year after growing the variety two years ago for seed and sweeping the board at a local malting barley competition. Spring barley has now...

Breaking down the barriers: last autumn, Lord Whitty confirmed Sir Ben Gill would head a taskforce to unearth the biomass bottlenecks. Julian Gairdner finds out.(BIOMASS)
January 15, 2005... IF WE'RE serious about climate change, there's potential to see serious supply chains for farm-produced biomass by the end of the decade." That is Sir Ben Gill's vision for biomass in the UK, and one he has every intention of seeing become...

Software eases the burden: get the right computer software and your business management can be transformed, as Louise Impey found when she visited Norfolk.(COMPUTERS)
January 15, 2005... KEEPING TABS on the many enterprises that make up J F Temple & Son's farm-based business at Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk is critical to success. Specialist farming software means it isn't a headache. As well as growing cereals, sugar beet...

Project 2892.(Research in Focus)
January 15, 2005... * Project 2892: Identify and test approaches that could produce larger, more effective root systems, without jeopardising canopy. Involving ADAS March 2004 to November 2005. HGCA perspective: Existing information suggests root...

Project no. 2508.(Research in Focus)
January 15, 2005... * Project no. 2508: Firm up on best timing and application rates of triazole fungicides for plant growth regulation and control of light leaf spot and phoma stem canker. Involving University of Nottingham October 2001 to October 2004. ...

Rooting for better yields: why is oilseed rape underperforming? Looking underground could help, as Sarah Henly reports.(OILSEEDS)
January 15, 2005... YOU can't expect every season to favour oilseed rape like 2002 did. But it is fair to expect a gradual improvement in yield over time, as plant breeding efforts and tighter management guidelines bite. But that isn't happening, says ADAS...

On-line info at the ready: with so much information on the internet it can be hard to find exactly what you're looking for. Paul Spackman guides you through some of the top sites for 2005.(WEB GUIDE)
January 15, 2005... ADVISORY www.adas.co.uk Aimed primarily at ADAS clients, but some useful technical information available to nonmembers e.g. sewage sludge application guidelines. Clear layout and kept up to date. www.agrisurf.com US based,...

Praise for Proline.(FUNGICIDES)
January 15, 2005... TWO NEW fungicides offer growers a new chance to reduce the gap between first and second wheat yields and improve barley profits. Both from Bayer, they should help growers tackle the "hidden" yield robbing diseases at T1, the company...

A problem shared ... Farmers Weekly arable Farmer Focus writer Lorenz von Schintling-Horny is president of the European Arable Farmers' Club. Andrew Swallow asked him what is in it for UK growers.(EUROPE)
January 15, 2005... WHAT IS a greater knowledge of our industry and that of our European neighbours' worth? It is hard to put a value on such things, but it is a fair bet most growers would put the answer at well over [pounds sterling]100 a year. One who...

Feather bedding potatoes: cultivating potato beds before planting or separating clods and stones has become an established technique for creating the largest possible growing medium that also speeds the separator on its way. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
January 15, 2005... PREPARING a deep, fine seedbed for potatoes need not involve bludgeoning soils into submission--it just needs the right tools and the right approach for the soil type and conditions, says Yorkshire contractor David McCallum. Operating from...

Bed-forming options aplenty.(MACHINERY)
January 15, 2005... CULTIVATING potato beds as either the sole pre-planting treatment or in preparation for stone/clod separation has the principal benefit of creating a finished bed with the maximum amount of soil and a structure that encourages even growth and...

Veg edge launch.(MACHINERY)
January 15, 2005... AS FAR as unusual tractors go, the high-clearance version of Landini's new Powerfarm range is pretty unusual. Although reminiscent of County, Roadless and Muir-Hill four-wheel drive tractors, because of its four equal size wheels, the...

Producing food is "heart of agriculture": agreement that food production should remain at the core of British farming, but that closer ties are needed in the food chain to realise profits, dominated the Oxford Farming Conference. Julian Gairdner was there.(BUSINESS)
January 15, 2005... FOOD production must continue to be the centrepiece of a reformed British agriculture. That's according to Forum for the Future project director, and the Sustainable Development Commission's, Jonathon Porritt. Although reform of the Common...

Entreprenerial flair: three speakers at this years conference give their slant on what it takes to get closer to the consumer.(BUSINESS)
January 15, 2005... Doug Wanstall--integrate to accumulate With farmers only receiving [pounds sterling]6.5bn of the [pounds sterling]127 retail value of food, it's clear to Kent farmer Doug Wanstall that moving higher up the food chain and capturing more...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
January 15, 2005... SIR, Peter Kettlewell's claims that burning cereals directly for electricity generation (Crops 2 October 2004) may be more energy efficient than producing bioethanol from wheat is incorrect--indeed, we believe the opposite is true. ...

Amistar gets full approval.(LASTWORD)
January 15, 2005... AMISTAR (azoxystrobin) has been granted full label approval for control of black dot and rhizoctonia in potatoes. "The approval of Amistar to counter soil-borne black-dot and rhizoctonia now offers growers the opportunity to reduce the...

Bulb fly: highest for years.(LASTWORD)
January 15, 2005... ADAS sampling has recorded exceptionally high wheat bulb fly egg levels in the eastern counties. Fifty percent of fields sampled have exceeded the 2.5million eggs/ha threshold, and four of the 20 fields recorded over 5 million eggs/ha. ...

Micronutrient companies must work with breeders.(LASTWORD)
January 15, 2005... MICRONUTRIENT companies need to work with plant breeders to understand and exploit the varying interaction between varieties and trace elements. That is the opinion of Charlie Bannister from Headland Agrochemicals. He believes that the...

Single what?(VIEWPOINT)
January 29, 2005... SINGLE Farm Payment? Single Payment Scheme? Single Payment? If you're confused, you're probably not alone. With different regions in the UK referring to the new de-coupled system by a variety of names, it's easy to get in a muddle. But...

Still a trickle.(VIEWPOINT)
January 29, 2005... THE pipeline for new active ingredients and novel modes of action is down to a slow trickle. The easy ones have been mined and the process is like finding a needle in a haystack. So the arrival of three new active ingredients this spring...

Got what you paid for?(VIEWPOINT)
January 29, 2005... HOW powerful is your tractor really, and do you know what you're paying for? Questions perhaps too few growers get to the bottom of when investing in new equipment. But with machinery representing a large proportion of capital expenditure,...

The RPA's announcement that 2005-year single farm payments.(VIEWPOINT)
January 29, 2005... The RPA's announcement that 2005-year single farm payments will not be distributed to farmers in England until February 2006 at the earliest is hugely disappointing, particularly for growers already struggling to accommodate the later EU...

Oilseed cropping experts are scratching their heads as they try to explain record 7.5t/ha rape yields.(VIEWPOINT)
January 29, 2005... Oilseed cropping experts are scratching their heads as they try to explain record 7.5t/ha rape yields. An international crop management comparison held during the DLG field days--a week-long specialist arable event in Germany--last year,...

The EU Cereals Management Committee.(VIEWPOINT)
January 29, 2005... Good news for exports. The EU Cereals Management Committee last week opened a tender for the granting of export refunds for 2mt of grain. While that will be welcomed by hard-pressed growers--it should improve prices--growers should not forget...

News that ergot-contaminated packs of whole-grain organic wheat.(VIEWPOINT)
January 29, 2005... News that ergot-contaminated packs of whole-grain organic wheat have been discovered on a shop shelf is a worrying development for the organic sector and the food industry as a whole. But it is right the discovery has been made public. Decisive...

Watch out for the pickpockets: the single farm payment is being nabbed by all and sundry, argues Stephen Carr.(FARMERFORUM)
January 29, 2005... AN IMPORTANT policy battleground of this year's likely general election will be "law and order". As usual the two main parties will attempt to outdo each other in terms of hard-hitting policies that deal with crime. No doubt these will extend...

You still have a choice: more rationalisation in the grain trade means growers need to choose trading partners more carefully than ever, says Jon Duffy, managing director of Gleadell Agriculture.(FARMERFORUM)
January 29, 2005... AFTER recent events it would appear the grain trading pack has undergone a simple reshuffle. However, the reality is that we have seen a massive change. Concentration within the supply trade is happening rapidly and it is my firm belief...

Harald Isermeyer: farming in Germany.(WORLDFARMING)
January 29, 2005... THE SUCCESS of diversification projects here has meant the old arable farm challenge of finding something for the men to do in mid-winter has largely disappeared. Profitable contract work such as hedge cutting, drainage and ditching is keeping...

'Beeting' the drum: sugar reform and progress on rhizomania were among the main topics at this year's BBRO winter meeting. Liz Robinson was there.(SUGAR BEET)
January 29, 2005... DELAY TO sugar reform may be frustrating, but it gives growers more time to respond. So says the NFU's Ross Haddow, who believes growers must contact their MPs and MEPs to press for a fair deal. Judging by the show of hands among the 100...

Get the message out now.(SUGAR BEET)
January 29, 2005... "WHEN the EU announced the review of sugar, it wasn't just the trade aspects and economics that were due to be evaluated. The environmental impact was also on the agenda." That's according to Broom's Barn's Keith Jaggard, who says the...

No more rhizo fears.(SUGAR BEET)
January 29, 2005... Growers shouldn't be concerned with rhizomania any more, according to Broom's Barns' Mike Asher. "Fifty percent of the sugar beet varieties on the 2006 recommended list will be resistant, and these will also be the highest yielding," he...

Targeting the protein: with more focus than ever on yield and quality thanks to the single payment scheme, now's the time to be sure those fertiliser applications are spot on as Liz Robinson discovers.(FERTILISER SPECIAL)
January 29, 2005... WITH group 2 wheat plantings 5% up on last season, there's more reason than ever to make sure your samples meet specification. While there are no guarantees for achieving 13% protein in group 2 wheat, there are ways to improve your chances....

Advice to advantage.(FERTILISER SPECIAL)
January 29, 2005... DORSET grower Jim Goddard has been following advice to increase nitrogen use on winter wheat for the past four years, and seen both grain quality and yields rise. Working with UAP agronomist Howard Moore, Mr Goddard's aim has been to...

Getting it tested.(FERTILISER SPECIAL)
January 29, 2005... Soil mineral nitrogen sampling guidelines can be found in RB209 or at www.defra.gov.uk/environ/pollute/rb209/section8.pdf Be aware that all samples must be kept refrigerated and transported rapidly to the laboratory. The following...

Sulphur so good: new independent research is strengthening the argument for applying extra sulphur to potato crops. Liz Robinson reports.(FERTILISER SPECIAL)
January 29, 2005... Sulphur is an important nutrient needed to grow healthy crops. This is no less the case in potatoes, where the requirement is between 10-20kg/ha. So when farmer Stephen Pugh says he is applying 100kg/ha each season to his pre-pack potato crop,...

Project no. 2700.(Research in Focus)
January 29, 2005... * Project no. 2700: To optimise nitrogen fertiliser recommendations for quality group 1 and 2 wheats; ADAS, from September 2002 to February 2006.

Project no. 2579.(Research in Focus)
January 29, 2005... * Project no. 2579: To deliver a fast and reliable portable measurement system suitable for on-farm assessment of the need for foliar N for protein; CCFRA, ADAS, Rothamsted Research, University of East Anglia, Bruker Optics, Heygates Ltd...

Project no. 3084.(Research in Focus)
January 29, 2005... * Project no. 3084: To update RB209's nitrogen fertiliser advice for modern group 3 and 4 winter wheat varieties and spring barley; ADAS, SAC, plus industry collaborators, from August 2004 to December 2007. Interim report for all...

N-fertiliser bible stories: knowing how to use nitrogen better in modern cereal varieties could bring huge benefits. Sarah Henly reports.(FERTILISER SPECIAL)
January 29, 2005... QUESTION: What is the cereal input that gives you the best return on your investment? Answer: nitrogen fertiliser. Recent price rises may make you baulk, but nitrogen is still top of the crop input pops. Only now the big question is: With...

Quick wash for sulphonylureas.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
January 29, 2005... GROWERS looking to improve their spraying efficiency this spring should look no further than the new range of sulphonylurea herbicides from DuPont. Unlike old DF formulations, which do not entirely dissolve and remain as particles on the...

How much tractor power have you got? How many growers truly understand power ratings of tractors? It can be a bit of a minefield. Julian Gairdner turns to Perkins' John Baxter and Lynn Jones for some help.(MACHINERY)(Cover Story)
January 29, 2005... What is the difference between torque and power? If you're banging a nail in, then the "force" of hitting the nail is equivalent to the torque. Power is a combination of that force multiplied by the number of hits per minute (speed). ...

Taking the weight off: when it comes to spreading fertiliser, being able to record the work done accurately, is as important as the accuracy of the work itself for one Cambridgeshire farming operation--hence the investment in a high-spec spreader with on-board weighing. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
January 29, 2005... DIVERSE cropping that ranges from potatoes and onions, to wheat, oilseed rape and sugar beet, creates equally diverse requirements for the types of fertiliser used through the rotation. Which is one reason behind the decision to go for an...

Policy and farming--the great divide.(FARMDIARY)
January 29, 2005... HOW may growers really understand the cross-compliance obligations? If you're like me, you will only have had the 2005-year details for the past two weeks, as it wasn't until 14 January that the latest DEFRA missive dropped through my...

Stripping out the cost.(MACHINERY)
January 29, 2005... AS SPREADERS acquire ever-more sophisticated technology so prices have accelerated upwards. Features to ease operation, boost output, deliver auto-calibration, record work done and apply variable rates, all come at a cost. Manufacturers...

Strawlaying as an art form.(MACHINERY)
January 29, 2005... LAYING straw to protect carrots and parsnips from winter frosts demands a machine that will do the job quickly while leaving an even but also economical bed of insulating material. Jones Engineering reckons its first attempt at producing a...

Guaranteeing it's dry even though it's wet.(FARMDIARY)
January 29, 2005... THE arrival of the latest handbooks from DEFRA regarding set-aside, soil management and other cross-compliance measures on 14 January has coincided with the driest period of weather here at Barnby since July 2004, and unfortunately the clearing...

Sowing the seeds for farming's future: Lincs-based Grainfarmers says investment is the way forward as Louise Impey reports.(BUSINESS)
January 29, 2005... INVESTING [pounds sterling]1.75m in a new seed plant at a time when both cereal acreages and the number of arable businesses are in decline might seem like lunacy. But that's exactly what Grainfarmers has just done. The company's...

"Naked-acre" deals in Scotland to claim single farm payment.(BUSINESS)
January 29, 2005... SCOTTISH growers are paying around 25% of the value of a Single Farm Payment entitlement to lease extra land to validate surplus entitlements. Many whose land holdings have reduced in size since the 2000-2002 reference period do not have...

Time for asparagus?(LASTWORD)
January 29, 2005... GROWERS need to think beyond the normal range of cropping, according to Asparagus International's Peter Knight. "Until now, most arable farms have only been interested in supported arable crops. But now they can make a single farm payment...

Brighter outlook for ELS?(LASTWORD)
January 29, 2005... "THE Entry Level Scheme is simple, the published handbook was excellent, and DEFRA and the RPA were very helpful." Such enthusiastic remarks from Paul Harper, a farm management consultant with Ray Gasson & Associates, are not what many...

Rotation warning for OSR.(LASTWORD)
January 29, 2005... GROWERS planning to move towards a 50:50 wheat/oilseed rape rotation should prepare for increased disease pressure from debris borne Phoma and light leaf spot, and soil borne Sclerotinia and clubroot, according to ADAS's Peter Gladders. ...

Not a waste of time.(LASTWORD)
January 29, 2005... A CONSULTATION seeking views on the draft Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 has been set up by DERFA. Agricultural industry stakeholders will be given the opportunity to have their say on the regulations. Summary...