Crops articles from July 2006

Crops archives from July 2006

DIY trials pay dividends: novel approaches to disease control and crop nutrition are paying off in Yorkshire. Louise Impey finds out more.(ON-FARM RESEARCH)
July 15, 2006... Having its own trials site on the farm is allowing a Yorkshire estate to look at new ways of doing things. The idea behind the trials site, which was established five years ago at Warter Priory Farms near York, is to find methods of...

Liability issues rein back full GM introduction: genetically modified crops are being grown in Germany but full consumer and farmer acceptance is still some way off. Mike Abram reports from DLG-feldtage.(GM CROPS)
July 15, 2006... It is a break in the dam--about 950ha of genetically modified maize is being grown, the vast majority commercially, in Germany this year. Five varieties of Bt corn--modified to provide resistance against corn borer insect pests--have been...

Take-all control remains inconsistent: are take-all control chemicals for cereals reliable, and how do they compare in practice? Sarah Henly investigates.(RESEARCH)
July 15, 2006... Don't expect to see a fully effective take-all spray come on to the market. It would be a remarkable product that could penetrate the leaf layers and soil and have enough activity to prevent all infection once it reached the roots. Indeed,...

Potato tramlining has its advantages: tramlined potatoes and the Netherlands' rules on spraying close to water roused the interest of the organiser of the farm sprayer operator of the year (FSOOTY) competition on a visit to the country last month. Andrew Blake reports.(FARMING IN HOLLAND)
July 15, 2006... More UK growers could usefully consider tramlining their potatoes, according to Syngenta's spray specialist Tom Robinson. His view was sparked by discussions during FSOOTY winner Ian Smith's prize-winning trip to southern Holland. The...

How efficient is your use of water? Three hundred growers and members of the trade attended the UK Irrigation Association's demonstration day near Thetford, Norfolk, last week. Julian Gairdner went along to pick up some tips.(IRRIGATION)
July 15, 2006... How much are you doing to optimise your water use and co-operate with other growers? The answer for many is probably not enough. But that needs to change according to experts speaking at last week's UKIA demonstration day at Elveden Farms,...

Seed treatment gets competitive: cereal seed treatments introduced last autumn have now shown what they've got to offer, but is it enough to compete with the old stalwarts? Sarah Henly asks two AICC members for their views on the treatment options.(SEED DRESSINGS)
July 15, 2006... AICC agronomists, Patrick Stephenson and Peter Cowlrick, recommend single purpose dressing (SPD) for 70-80% of wheat in their regions, North Yorkshire and the south east respectively. While there are small differences between the products, it's...

Kverneland doubles up for flexibility: Kverneland has added a second double plough to its range which can work as one big unit or two smaller ones. Peter Hill visited one of the first users of its original model.(MACHINERY)
July 15, 2006... Mammoth wagon ploughs, semi-mounted reversibles with twin depth/transport wheels supporting a beam carrying sets of bodies ahead and behind, have become a familiar sight on the UK's biggest tractors. But three years ago, Kverneland...

Good groundwork - minimum effort: good ploughing and pressing technique does not simply produce a clean surface for sowing, it can also cut the number of subsequent cultivations needed, as Peter Hill discovered.(MACHINERY)
July 15, 2006... Any ploughman worth his salt takes a pride in his work and sets out to achieve the best possible finish. But as well as the pleasing aesthetics of nicely turned furrows, the quality of ploughing achieved can have a significant influence on the...

Upbeat vision ignores farming reality: where's the feel-good factor in arable farming? Asks Stephen Carr.(CARR'S CORNER)
July 15, 2006... "To be farming today and to remember times like we currently enjoy--if "enjoy" is the right word--you would have to be 90 years old. 1936 was the last time farm commodity prices, and arable commodities in particular, were so low that most...

Haywain or high-tech? High-tech farming can meet society's needs, argues Guy Smith.(Podium)
July 15, 2006... "For too long hightech, high-production agriculture has been unfashionable beyond farming. Supermarket shelves prove the point, stocking myriad products claiming to be "natural" or "traditional", but seldom, if ever, items backed by claims to...

Working demos.(BRIEFING)
July 15, 2006... Go-Till, the one-day working cultivations and crop establishment event, takes place on Wednesday, 19 July at Bridge Farm, Appleford, nr Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Organised by Fusion Events, in association with Crops magazine, the day will include...

Promising varieties.(BRIEFING)
July 15, 2006... Further to your Autumn Seeds Special (Crops, 24 June), I would like to add three promising varieties from the Pioneer stable: PR46W31--fully restored normal stature hybrid, highest yielding winter oilseed rape in TAG 2005 Descriptive List...

Is DEFRA hearing, or only listening?(VIEWPOINT)
July 15, 2006... Are you being heard? Since David Miliband took DEFRA's top job he has been all ears in an effort to build a new relationship between government and farmers. At last week's Royal Show his listening campaign reached its zenith, with his "One...

Miliband has a lot to learn.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)(Calendar)
July 15, 2006... MONDAY * Maggie and I at the Royal Show in the middle of a heat wave. Someone told us that a show pig had died of "heat exhaustion", although Maggie rather unkindly suggested it had really died of laughter after hearing David Miliband's...

Farming in Europe has its drawbacks: Members of the European Arable Farmers club agree--there's no such thing as a level playing field in Europe. Charles Abel reports.(PERSPECTIVE)
July 15, 2006... Despite a supposedly common agricultural policy, European arable farmers are grappling with widely different issues, it emerged at the annual meeting of the European Arable Farmers Club last month. For most producers EU sugar reform has hit...

Dealing with the directive on Waste Management: 15 May this year brought a whole new regime for handling and disposing of farm waste which broadly means no more burning, tipping or burying. Suzie Horne reports.(YOUR BUSINESS)(Cover story)
July 15, 2006... For most arable units, the Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 will involve extra time, expense and attention to detail in disposing of packaging and other wastes. Scottish growers have been subject to new waste regulations...

HGCA welcomes restructuring.(LEVY BOARDS REVIEW)
July 15, 2006... The HGCA says it welcomes DEFRA's announcement (Farmers Weekly, 30 June 2006) to restructure the five levy boards to provide better value and greater accountability to levy payers. "The HGCA has been quite involved in the process and is...

Time's ripe for farmer controlled businesses: what makes a successful farmer-controlled business? Mike Abram finds out.(COLLABORATION)
July 15, 2006... UK farming might lag well behind many European countries, not to mention Australia, New Zealand and the United States in setting up profitable farmer-controlled businesses, but there are signs we could be getting in on the act. For...

Probing performance: thirty companies in the UK cereals supply chain have undertaken promoting business excellence (PROBE) sessions to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Suzie Horne reports.(BENCHMARKING)
July 15, 2006... Co-ops, merchants, millers, maltsters, hauliers, ingredient suppliers, compounders and cereal food manufacturers have all found areas where they can improve as a result of going through the PROBE process. In many cases these improvements...