Crops articles from July 2008

Crops archives from July 2008

Don't underestimate the value of seed dressings. which seed treatments are likely to prove popular this autumn and why? Andrew Blake quizzed Farmers Weekly's barometer farmers to find out.(TECHNICAL)
July 19, 2008... SOUTH-WEST Seed dressings are important at North Farm, Horton in Dorset - but not everywhere, says Peter Snell. "We sow all our oilseed rape undressed. It's home-saved, so costs very little and we never (touch wood) have flea beetle...

Your choice of the products available for this autumn.(CEREALS SEED TREATMENTS)
July 19, 2008... SINGLE-PURPOSE DRESSINGS PRODUCT ACTIVE CROPS PRICE PROFILE INGREDIENTS Anchor carboxin + w,b,o 44 Reliable older [Chemtura] thiram treatment,...

Grain price means clean stores vital; there's even more reason to focus on best practice in store with grain prices as they are. Sarah Henly reports.(RESEARCH IN FOCUS)
July 19, 2008... The UK grain storage industry arguably implements some of the most robust safety and quality standards in the world. But, as with everything, there's room for improvement, says Dean Cook of CSL. The adoption of HACCP (Hazard nalysis and...

Sugar beet holds promise as energy plant feedstock: producing biogas is taking over from ethanol production in Germany. Mike Abram finds out where sugar beet could fit in.(BIOGAS)
July 19, 2008... Biogas from beet: A chance for British Sugar to extract even more from the crop or for growers to gain some autonomy from the processor while continuing to grow it? Whichever, initial experience from Germany suggests biogas production from...

Improved returns for plant if crops' use increased.(BIOGAS)
July 19, 2008... Increased sugar beet use in Bioenergy Algermissen's biogas plant in Hildesheimer Burden, near Hanover in central Germany, could be the key to Dirk Ernst's plans to improve the plant's profitability. The plant has been producing electricity...

Close the door on escaping energy: a staggering amount of energy could be leaking out of your potato store, recent Potato Council-funded monitoring work suggests. Tom Allen-Stevens reports.(STORAGE)
July 19, 2008... Almost [pounds sterling]5000. That's probably about as much as you'd want to spend on electricity for your potato store over an entire season. It's actually how much a Lincolnshire business could have wasted in one year had it not taken control...

Chemical rate cuts drive innovation: strict rules to slash Danish farmers' pesticide use have prompted the development of some novel techniques as the winner of Farmers Weekly/Syngenta farm sprayer operator of the year found out. Nick Fone reports.(DANISH SPRAYING)
July 19, 2008... Restrictions in pesticide use that mean most chemicals are only applied at quarter and half rates may sound draconian, but Danish researchers are making it work and the country's farmers are reaping the benefits as they slash their input bills....

Three top-notch growers show judges how it's done: passion for their businesses and an overwhelming desire to improve them, while caring for the environment, were the outstanding qualities our judges saw in this year's three Farmers Weekly Arable Farmer of the Year finalists. Andrew Blake reports.(Arable Farmer of the Year)
July 19, 2008... Andrew Ward GLEBE FARM, LEADENHAM, LINCOLNSHIRE As someone who does nearly all the spraying and half the drilling and combining on the 650ha (1606-acre) all-arable Roy Ward (Farms) business, Andrew Ward admits to being "stretched" at...

Slot-on parts offer extended wear: farmers can put claims for a new plough body concept to the test this autumn with the arrival of implements with 'slot-on' mouldboard slats rather than bolt-on wearing parts. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: PLOUGHS AND PRESSES)
July 19, 2008... It's rare to see genuine change to the design of one of farming's most enduring implements, but attempts to get more acres from wearing parts has led to a fundamental rethink of the way bodies are assembled. Instead of bolting together to...

Works behind big tracks and wheels.(MACHINERY: PLOUGHS AND PRESSES)
July 19, 2008... Farms wanting a single plough that can operate behind big tracked and wheeled tractors have a new option in Dowdeswell's 155 Series MA. The fully-mounted reversible newcomer easily converts between working on-the-land and in-the-furrow and...

Semi-mountable and heavy duty.(MACHINERY: PLOUGHS AND PRESSES)
July 19, 2008... Kongskilde is building on the introduction of its new-design Overum Vari Flex EX heavy-duty mounted plough with the development of a semi-mounted model using the same heavy-duty beam and housing design. The newcomer will be available in...

The 'Herbert of Sussex' is here to help: with volatile commodity prices and soaring costs, you need all the advice you can get.(CARR'S CORNER)
July 19, 2008... "Inspired by the news that a Chinese investment fund manager has bid $2.1m on eBay to have lunch with investment guru Warren Buffett, I have decided to put myself up for auction on eBay as a potential lunch companion. The multi-billionaire...

Freedom to farm is way forward: coupled payments hold no allure, says Carmen Suarez.(Podium)
July 19, 2008... "To not let facts or rationality get in the way of a potential article seems to have been, for a long time, Stephen Carr's motto. His column in the last issue of Crops (31 May) is no exception. His defence of coupled payments implies that...

FW group wins writing awards.(BRIEFING)
July 19, 2008... Crops deputy editor, Mike Abram, was named runner-up in the recent Guild of Agricultural Journalists' 2008 Power on the Farm Award, sponsored by Perkins engines. Mike was complimented by the judges for a "crisp and business-like" article...

FWi hit parade.(BRIEFING)
July 19, 2008... A near [pounds sterling]100/t hike in cereal seed prices in 12 months proved the most popular story in FWi's arable news offering over the past week. Strong wheat and barley prices have had a significant knock-on effect, with merchants...

Food to the fore once more.(VIEWPOINT)
July 19, 2008... With our nanny Prime Minister exhorting the well-fed nation not to waste food and DEFRA seemingly ignoring the word that its middle letter stands for, we could be forgiven for thinking that starvation has been consigned to the skip. For...

Now our leaders threaten a U-turn on over-ambitious biofuels target.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)(Calendar)
July 19, 2008... MONDAY * With the cost of filling Maggie's Volvo XC90 with diesel rising perilously close to [pounds sterling]100, it's always been a comfort over the past 18 months that at least 2.5% of the tank might contain biodiesel from our own farm...

Forget damage limitation. It's time for action on proposed pesticide rules: an EU-wide impact assessment on proposed new pesticide approval measures recently agreed by EU farm ministers is needed to avoid major damage to Europe's farm sector, says the crop protection association's chief executive dominic dyer.(PERSPECTIVE)
July 19, 2008... As they stand, the pesticide cut-off measures proposed by the EU Commission and agreed by EU farm ministers on 23 June pose a serious threat to the future of productive agriculture in Europe. And the proposals could get much worse as they...

Time might be right for a rethink on your terms: is it time to revamp your contract farming agreement? Suzie Horne discovers that, for many farmers, now might be the time to do so.(YOUR BUSINESS)
July 19, 2008... Contract farming agreement terms need to account for changing trading conditions and be clear on the responsibilities of both parties. The volatility in input and output prices makes it hard to get the right balance. The agreement must...

Monitor shows where cost savings lie.(INPUT PRICES)
July 19, 2008... Scope for saving on some of the most commonly used inputs has been revealed by the results of the first of the NFU's monthly inputs price monitor. Inputs adviser Hannah Moule received information on June prices from more than 170 members....