Crops articles from January 2006

Crops archives from January 2006

Do you know the fop-dim-den code? New graminicide Axial has a novel resistance profile that growers need to understand. Mike Abram explains.(GRASSWEED CONTROL)
January 28, 2006... Yes, I know--you thought you knew all about grassweed resistance. You understood the difference between enhanced metabolism and target site resistance. And you knew if a grassweed had target site resistance to Topik in cereals, there was no...

Common-sense tips to save fuel: reducing fuel costs doesn't need to be rocket science. Following some simple rules and advice could make a surprising difference. Mike Abram reports.(MACHINERY)
January 28, 2006... Diesel is no longer cheap--fears over oil supplies and security, plus the government increasing red diesel fuel duty by 23% late last year, have put paid to that. Since 2004 fuel costs have risen by over 50%, according to data collected by the...

Global alliance: which way now for potato research? Liz Robinson reports on the value of international collaboration.(POTATOES)
January 28, 2006... In world politics, the UK and the USA have a "special relationship". Now there's every sign that growers could benefit from an equally close collaboration in potato research. In the past, trade competition restricted collaboration, but now...

Positive action on GMs needed now: time is running out if farmers are to have any chance of benefiting from GM crops. Edward Long reports.(GM CROPPING)
January 28, 2006... After delaying a positive decision over the use of GM technologies for so long, European governments must now bite the bullet and allow them to be exploited to boost farm production. Failure to do so will leave UK agriculture struggling to...

Put spring weeds in their place.(AGRONOMY UPDATE)
January 28, 2006... Bayer CropScience's new spring grassweed herbicide, Pacifica, offers growers improved control of brome, as well as other grasses in complex weed situations, the firm claims. The product is a stronger ratio of the active ingredients in...

Sun protection for plants soon.(AGRONOMY UPDATE)
January 28, 2006... Scientists in Sheffield have identified a unique "safety valve" in plants that could be used to improve photosynthesis rates and productivity in staple crops such as rice and the common bean. They found that the weed Arabidopsis can alter...

In-furrow approval for Nemathorin.(AGRONOMY UPDATE)
January 28, 2006... Nemathorin has been approved for use in-furrow for the control of spraing in potatoes, Syngenta has announced. The product can now be applied by overall incorporation (30kg/ha), or as an in-furrow treatment (150g/100m per row). It is also...

Mildewicide offers persistent protection.(AGRONOMY UPDATE)
January 28, 2006... A new mildewicide offering long lasting protection against mildew could be available to growers this spring, registration permitting, according to DuPont. The product, which is already sold in Poland as Talius, is from the new...

Fertiliser spinning into control: why invest in a hi-tech spinning disc spreader? Peter Hill hears how it has helped one Yorkshire grower cut costs and benefit the environment.(MACHINERY)
January 28, 2006... At a time when a growing number of implements bristle with electronic sensors and systems, the method of fertiliser flow monitoring on Roger Kay's broadcaster seems altogether too simple. Apart from delivering reassurance that fertiliser is...

Taking it to the edge: cross-compliance rules put fresh emphasis on keeping fertiliser out of field boundaries. So which spreader option will you choose? Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
January 28, 2006... From an economic standpoint, if no other, it makes sense to keep costly fertiliser to the cropped area of arable fields. The need to discourage pernicious weeds from moving out of field margins adds to the impetus. But it is to protect the...

Is your fertiliser really necessary? High-yielding feed wheat and spring barley may need less nitrogen fertiliser than is currently being recommended. Sarah Henly reports.(NITROGEN)
January 28, 2006... Modern winter wheat varieties yield up to 4t/ha more than their counterparts of 20 years ago, so it stands to reason they need more fertiliser to realise their full potential. That was the theory that led to the revision in 2000 of DEFRA's...

Time to translate SFP messages: watch out--there's an elephant on the loose. Stephen Carr takes a timely tilt at government advice.(CARR'S CORNER)
January 28, 2006... As farming in 2006 gets under way there is a huge elephant in the room that no-one wants to talk about. It stands across every page of every farming newpaper and yet it is only mentioned in passing. It sits in at every NFU branch meeting...

Challenging year in prospect: farming's political agenda, as seen by the NFU's Peter Kendall.(Opinion)
January 28, 2006... This year it is vital arable farming starts to turn the corner to profitability, and there are some events from the past year that give me cause for optimism. But first we neeed to confront some challenges. We are all experiencing the twin...

Champagne winner.(BRIEFING)
January 28, 2006... Launching the Crops/Syngenta Grain Marketing Challenge in our 15 October issue, we asked readers what you thought the May 2006 Futures price for UK feed wheat would be to the nearest 5p, at the close of play on 1 December 2005. No-one was spot...

Direct talking set to answer your queries.(BRIEFING)
January 28, 2006... This weekend the Farmers Weekly Group launches an on-line initiative: Direct Talk. It's a new idea to reach out to our readers, providing them with the opportunity to interact by putting their questions to the experts and having them...

Crops--advice you can trust.(VIEWPOINT)
January 28, 2006... Arable farming faces an uncertain future. That is why we have spent time and money refocusing Crops, so it meets your needs more precisely in this fast changing industry. Like you, we believe crop production can be profitable. Those who...

RPA rumpus prompts real farm anger.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
January 28, 2006... MONDAY * It's nice to start the year with news that British food and drink exports are on track to hit their highest levels in almost a decade. Food from Britain says exports will hit [pounds sterling]10bn, the highest since 1996, the year...

The fuel duel: high oil prices--good news or bad news? There's no straightforward answer, as Liz Robinson finds out.(PERSPECTIVE)
January 28, 2006... If someone suggested that high oil prices could be good for farming, would your response be: you're off your rocker? High oil prices mean higher costs, don't they? But is that just taking a narrow view? High oil prices could actually...

Closer to the customer: a vibrant relationship with a single buyer has helped one USA farmer create a business supplying a fifth of Frito-Lay's requirements. Mike Abram reports.(YOUR BUSINESS)
January 28, 2006... Is being totally dependent on one big potato processing company good for business? In the USA that kind of arrangement does Milt Carter's farming operation no harm at all. In fact, as he says, he is "thriving in dependence", and in doing...

Min-till savings can work for sugar beet: could min-till establishment help beet growers cut growing costs? British Sugar thinks so. Louise Impey reports.(BEET COSTS)
January 28, 2006... As every sugar-beet grower is only too painfully aware, the new EU sugar regime has put an even higher priority on increasing yields and reducing growing costs. So it will be no surprise if many are considering the opportunities for making...

Co-operative future: market dynamics are changing and will benefit growers prepared to change the way they operate, as Charles Abel finds in our latest Centaur-sponsored visions of the future article.(VISIONS OF THE FUTURE)
January 28, 2006... Would all the readers of Crops magazine operate as they do now if they farmed the same total acreage collectively? Of course not. They would try to tailor different types of production to the most suitable land, locations and farm types....

Birds won't peck away profits if you plan with care: with the right tactics birds and crops can co-exist, as Gilly Johnson discovers on an East Anglian heavy-clay farm.(WILDLIFE CONFERENCE)
January 28, 2006... When RSPB research biologist Tony Morris says farmland birds can be attracted back to commercial fields, without jeopardising profit, he's speaking from experience. The birds are definitely back on the heavy-clay farm he helps to run for...

Make the web work for you: in the maze of the worldwide web, it can be difficult to find what you are looking for. Paul Spackman guides you through and picks out some of the top sites.(WEB GUIDE)
January 28, 2006... Four sites that could help your business www.hgca.com 1 The Home Grown Cereals Authority's site offers users a host of valuable information that many other websites tap into. It provides levy payers and subscribers with details about...

China: our food is safe to export: a general opening up by China means it is now a big player on global agricultural commodity markets. But can the rest of the world trust the quality of food it exports? Following a recent visit to the country, Julian Gairdner looks at some of the telltale signs of progress.(WORLD AGRICULTURE)
January 28, 2006... Can you have confidence in food produced in China? It's an issue which has started to dominate discussions between the world's most populous nation and its potential export markets. As China's "re-entry" into the global economy continues...