Crops articles from June 2005

Crops archives from June 2005

Beware bog oaks!(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... Beware bog oaks! Gerald Peacock, masked against blowing fen soil, keeps the close-coultered triple-bed drill free of blockages by the ancient buried timber as Ray Peachey sows some of the 600ha of Pablo red beet grown by Greens of Soham. The...

Spray debate needs dose of reality.(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... FARMERS, sprayer operators, suppliers--they're all bent on applying pesticides everywhere, contrary to the wishes of the public, retailers, regulators and environmentalists. Such is the scenario some anti-spray activists try to promote. But...

New era, new ideas, so visit Cereals 2005.(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... IT'S A new era for farming and that demands new thinking. And where better to gauge the best path to follow than the annual Cereals event, this year taking place on Weds 15 and Thurs 16 June at Rectory Farm, Guilden Morden, Cambs. At its...

Sugar reform.(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... DEEPER price cuts in leaked proposals for EU sugar reform are grim news indeed for growers of this important crop. But the retention of existing quotas is more welcome. Where the proposals go from here is literally the multi-million pound...

Red Tractor inclusion on Slug and Lettuce menus is great news for everyone wanting farm assurance to succeed.(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... Red Tractor inclusion on Slug and Lettuce menus is great news for everyone wanting farm assurance to succeed. While Slug and Lettuce pubs number just 56, and the assurance symbol relates to assured chicken only, it is an exciting new step...

Red tape removal was a Government priority in the recent Queen's speech.(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... Red tape removal was a Government priority in the recent Queen's speech, which is good news indeed, after the Rural Payment Agency's attempt to strangle the Single Farm Payment scheme from its outset in a wretched red tape tangle. As the NFU...

Unsure how well you are complying with HSE legislation?(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... Unsure how well you are complying with HSE legislation? A new e-bulletin aims to help. Aimed at farmers, managers and land owners, as well as the wider industry, the e-mail newsletter provides practical updates every three months. Visit...

Climate change visited London's Chelsea flower show.(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... CLIMATE change visited London's Chelsea flower show last week in the form of a DEFRA-backed exhibit by the Eden Project and the Institute of Horticulture. As new DEFRA minister Lord Bach explained, early flowering snowdrops and daffodils show...

Show entrance.(VIEWPOINT)
June 4, 2005... "Good to see the number of people in farming is on the rise again..."

Lighting the path to health: labelling is fast dominating the food agenda. Marie Skinner considers the implications.(FARMERFORUM)
June 4, 2005... FORGET the little red tractor. When it comes to labelling food products the future is traffic lights. But don't think ordinary red, amber and green lights. Instead imagine traffic lights in five different colours, or even multiple traffic...

Contractors in a corner: what future arable contracting? Philip Wynn considers the mounting pressures on the sector.(FARMERFORUM)
June 4, 2005... WITH the rush to complete single farm payment applications gone, attention returns to the thorny issue of creating profit after operational and input costs. With support now decoupled from production farmers are asking whether they will...

Arnaud Vecten: farming in France.(WORLDFARMING)
June 4, 2005... COULD 2005 be the last "great" year of arable farming as we have known it in France since the CAP was established? This is certainly the opinion of many farmers here in Picardy. In mid-May we are literally wading through wheat fields...

Ranking your T3 options: who better to ask about T3 sprays than the regional Crop Watch agronomists from Crops' sister title Farmers Weekly? Mike Abram analyses the results.(T3 GROUP TEST)
June 4, 2005... Milling wheat Field Case 1 Milling wheat variety which, at the time of spraying, should reach milling grade. Agronomists ranked products on assumption the weather will be wet during flowering Field Case 2 Same as Field Case...

Decisions on weeds: cultural control and product choice will be crucial to effective weed control as herbicide resistance spreads. Sarah Henly reports.(GRASSWEEDS)
June 4, 2005... NEXT month sees the launch of Weed Manager, a weed control decision support system for winter wheat. Like Wheat Disease Manager, its compatriot in Arable DS, it promises to aid management decisions. But will it benefit your business? By...

T3 decision maker: when is applying an ear spray worthwhile? In this BASF-sponsored initiative, Crops asks ADAS plant pathologist Bill Clark.
June 4, 2005... MENTION ear sprays and most growers think about quality wheats, fusarium ear blights and the plethora of reasons a merchant can come up with for rejecting that 30t lorry load of your best grain. But ear sprays are not just about protecting...

Cereals preview: Cereals 2005, Europe's premier arable farming event, is on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 June at Rectory Farm, Guilden Morden, near Royston, Cambs. Here we provide a 20-page preview.(PREVIEW)
June 4, 2005... CEREALS 2005 at Rectory Farm, Guilden Morden, Cambs, Wed 15 and Thur, June 16 is the event for everyone in the arable industry, providing a wealth of information and practical advice. Not just wheat and barley Cereals 2005 will...

Best of what's new: what should growers watch out for at the HGCA variety plots at the Cereals event? Gilly Johnson finds out.(PREVIEW)
June 4, 2005... NEW wheats and barleys--warts and all. That's what visitors to Cereals 2005 want to see--and at the HGCA variety lines, the new contenders for a place on the Recommended List vie for attention. The untreated plots give a useful indication...

10 key questions: the single payment application is in. Crops asks a consultant what the priorities are for businesses in the coming months.(PREVIEW)
June 4, 2005... 1 To crop or not to crop? With low commodity prices and increasing costs, the viability of some of Strutt and Parker's smaller managed farms is under serious scrutiny to ensure the best possible results and returns are achieved, says...

Time for a re-think: chuck away the old farming model and be prepared to be radical, says HSBC's John Barker.(PREVIEW)
June 4, 2005... THE Single Payment Scheme has brought change in policy. Now it's time for change in practice. Growers have the opportunity to make cropping decisions on an annual basis, re-evaluating whether they are making the most of their capital,...

Products for a new farm era: Cereals 2005 promises technical innovations aplenty. Crops takes a look at just how they can help arable farmers.(PREVIEW)
June 4, 2005... OUT WITH the old and in with the new. It's all change in the cereal seed treatment sector, with a host of new products set to arrive this autumn, approval permitting. Sibutol, Raxil S, and their Secur counterparts are all going, with...

What's new in crops.(PREVIEW)
June 4, 2005... LOOKING for clear messages on how to apply new research findings and product developments? Then make a bee-line for Velcourt's "What's new in Arable farming?" area. The site comprises six distinct zones, with sponsorship from Case, Bayer...

Evolution not revolution: massive change in the arable industry means growers must focus on efficiency, says Cereals 2005 host Velcourt. Charles Abel reports.(PREVIEW)(Cover Story)
June 4, 2005... FOUR main drivers will decide UK farming's future, says Velcourt, and the way arable businesses address them will dictate their profitability. Dwindling EU aid, low or no profit as world market prices bite, the need to deploy capital more...

Go-ahead for short rotation coppice.(FARMDIARY)
June 4, 2005... MAY saw the arrival of a new enterprise at Yokefleet, in the form of short rotation coppice production for coal-fired power stations in our region. As the contract is for 10 years and given willow's prodigious rooting abilities, we thought...

Into the limelight ... new seed drills and cultivators look set to take centre stage at Cereals 2005 as manufacturers prepare to unveil their latest models. In the Sprays & Sprayers section, meanwhile, a host of new and improved crop spraying machinery will be vying for attention. Peter Hill reviews the likely highlights.(MACHINERY)
June 4, 2005... Seed drills WITH THE ability to work on ploughed ground at one extreme, as a direct drill at the other and as part of a reduced tillage system in between, the Horsch Pronto DC seeder from Simba is clearly designed to offer the grower...

Justin McDonald's diary.
June 4, 2005... Monday Tales are still doing the rounds in these parts about the last minute rush to get SFP forms in on time. I think the record for cutting it fine goes to one local land agent who left it until the last hour of the last day to deliver...

Shake-up for seed treatments.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
June 4, 2005... A NEW portfolio of cereal seed treatments from Bayer will replace existing Sibutol, Raxil S and Secur brands. Redigo, Redigo Twin and Raxil Pro, all containing Bayer's new fungicide prothioconazole, deliver high level control of seed and...

Grizzly chases early market.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
June 4, 2005... RAGT Seeds first ever rape variety, Grizzly, which has excellent multi-genic stem canker resistance, is well adapted for growing conditions in the east, south and central England, according to Cambrian Seeds' Mike Pickford. The low biomass...

Flagon's malting promise.(LASTWORD)
June 4, 2005... THE introduction of a new, high-yielding malting barley may help redress the balance in the winter malting market. Flagon from breeder New Farm Crops is anticipated to take 6% of the 47% market share currently held by Pearl, according to...

No chlorpyrifos risk.(LASTWORD)
June 4, 2005... A SEVEN-YEAR Government review of anticholinesterase products has confirmed that when used correctly chlorpyrifos poses no unacceptable risk to operators, the environment or the production of safe food. This outcome means chlorpyrifos use...

Kadore for early drilling.(LASTWORD)
June 4, 2005... NEW CPB Twyford oilseed rape variety Kadore, which has the highest south region HGCA merit rating, is ideal for early drilling using low cost establishment techniques, according to the firm's Julie Goult. The variety's excellent seed...

OSR treatment for phoma.(LASTWORD)
June 4, 2005... LIMITED control of oilseed rape phoma by existing seed treatments has encouraged Agrichem to launch a new product. HY-PRO Duet (150g/litre prochloraz + 333g/litre thiram) is also active against alternaria and damping off, and is an ideal...

Strobilurin for beans.(LASTWORD)
June 4, 2005... FIELD bean growers have a new weapon against chocolate spot and brown rust. Signum (pyraclostrobin + boscalid) is billed to become the standard protectant in both winter and spring field beans, according to manufacturer BASF. "Signum...

ELS deadlines stretched.(LASTWORD)
June 4, 2005... DEFRA has extended the application deadline for entry into the Entry Level Scheme (ELS) and Organic Entry Levels Scheme (OELS) from 31 May to 1 July, 2005. Valid applications received before the new deadline will allow applicants to...

The big event.(SUGAR BEET)
June 4, 2005... SUGAR BEET harvesting, handling and business management is to be the focus of a major event this autumn organised by British Sugar, in association with Crops, at Patrick Dean's Booth by Heath Farm near Lincoln on Wed 19 October. The 100ha...

Rhizo pain worth it: the UK's rhizomania policy was right, Edward Long learns.(SUGAR BEET)
June 4, 2005... STRICT rhizomania restrictions imposed on beet growers following the UK's initial outbreak of the yield-crippling disease in 1987 have paid dividends. They were intended to contain the infection to slow its spread to new areas, dampen down the...

Tempted to switch? Does new insecticidal seed treatment Poncho Beta offer enough to persuade growers to switch from Gaucho? Louise Impey finds out.(SUGAR BEET)
June 4, 2005... INSECTICIDAL seed treatments have been a big success story in the UK sugar beet crop, says Alan Dewar of Broom's Barn. "Over three-quarters of the UK crop is treated with Gaucho (imidacloprid), which is remarkable as it was only introduced...

Bioethanol boost: a UK sugar-based bioethanol plant could be up and running by late 2007. Edward Long reports.(SUGAR BEET)
June 4, 2005... IF PLANNING permission is granted for a bolt-on addition to British Sugar's Wissington factory in Norfolk, juice from C beet could be converted into bioethanol for blending with mineral petrol to produce a more environmentally-friendly fuel...

Pushing performance: how can you squeeze that last drop of yield out of a crop? Edward Long gets some tips.(SUGAR BEET)
June 4, 2005... SUGAR yields from plots can be twice those harvested on farms, suggesting there is scope to squeeze more profit from beet. Over the years research at Broom's Barn in Suffolk has led to big improvements in crop production in a range of...

Super-charged varieties: the choice is yours. New high performance conventional and rhizo-tolerant varieties take beet output potential to new heights, as Gilly Johnson discovers.(SUGAR BEET)
June 4, 2005... IT'S A TURNING point: there's no longer any price penalty for choosing rhizomania-tolerant varieties for 2006. That's good news, because with 153 more farms discovered with infected land last year the disease is widespread in some East Anglian...

Changing environment.(VIEWPOINT)
June 18, 2005... Changing environment. Velcourt farm manager, Tim Whitehead, host of this year's Cereals event, is backing LEAF's 'Speak out' campaign which aims to get the public back on side. The Cereals event took place on 15 and 16 June and looked forward...

NE grasps the biofuels nettle.(VIEWPOINT)
June 18, 2005... NEED proof there's support for biofuels? Then look no further than the 350 people who attended a landmark dinner in Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency at the beginning of the month. Organised by North East Biofuels, a cluster of...

Doing well--but could do better.(VIEWPOINT)
June 18, 2005... GROWERS are doing well but there's more to do. That's the message from the recently released survey of spraying practice funded by the Crop Protection Association, and Agricultural Industries Confederation. According to the study, 99% of...

Best of British.(VIEWPOINT)
June 18, 2005... BRITISH food is best. Farmers know that. Now it seems there are signs of growing recognition of the fact among the retailers. The latest move by Budgens to promote the Red Tractor scheme throughout its stores is to be welcomed. The...

NOT sure how to comply with the Single Payment Scheme's soil management rules?(VIEWPOINT)
June 18, 2005... NOT sure how to comply with the Single Payment Scheme's soil management rules? Keen to see the latest cultivation kit in action before harvest? Then make a date for the Go-Till event on Thurs 14 July at Haverholme Park Farm, Sleaford, Lincs....

Stop press!(VIEWPOINT)
June 18, 2005... The NFU has written to the European Commission asking it to investigate why the UK is failing on its biofuels targets. Crops held the page and grabbed the story hot from this week's Cereals event--see p24. Full coverage from Cereals will appear...

Live 8 geld of calls for Dunkirk spirit.(VIEWPOINT)
June 18, 2005... "How else do I get hold of harvest students?"

What will it take to make them stay? Low incomes threaten the ability of growers to pay decent rates for their employees, says Stephen Carr ...(FARMERFORUM)
June 18, 2005... POST IACS, the whole business of planting and tending the current crop has been very unsettling. For the first time in my farming career, I am staring at a crop for which there's no profit. As if that's not strange enough, I seem to read...

Investing for the future: ... while Colin MacEwan argues more needs to be done to ensure British agriculture maintains the quality of agronomists in the future.(FARMERFORUM)
June 18, 2005... THERE are a lot of challenges within our industry at present and the need for independent agronomic advice has never been greater. But have you noticed? The average age of an agronomist is increasing. This issue will come back to haunt us...

Harald Isermeyer: farming in Germany.(WORLDFARMING)
June 18, 2005... ALTHOUGH the first combining is still a few weeks away there's a feeling now, even in early June, that we're already preparing for next year's cropping. The fields are left to themselves and it's time for farming conferences, for...

Keeping quality: don't get caught out by bad weather this harvest. Liz Robinson finds out how to minimise the risk.(WHEAT)
June 18, 2005... MINIMISE the potential damage from weather this harvest by prioritising varieties, using forecasts and utilising harvest management aids. It could mean the difference between maintaining and losing the premium. Weather forecasts might not...

Shaping up to cut the tare: breeders are perfecting root shape to avoid transport costs of hauling 125,000t of soil to factories during harvest. Louise Impey reports.(SUGAR BEET)
June 18, 2005... ALTHOUGH the five-year average for dirt tares is less than 6%, last year it came out at 6.13%. That means that each of the six British Sugar factories had to cope with 100,000 tonnes of soil during the year. In the UK, around 9m tonnes of...

Balancing act: reducing P, K and lime might lower input costs but could cost more long term. Liz Robinson reports.(INPUTS)
June 18, 2005... LOW cereal prices and tight budgets might tempt some growers to cut down on peripheral inputs such as P, K and lime to save costs. But soil fertility and nutrition are fundamental to growing healthy crops and shouldn't be overlooked, especially...

Which way now? How will cropping decisions change in a decoupled market? Liz Robinson asks five top agronomists.(CROPPING)
June 18, 2005... OILSEED rape and second wheat look set to be the winner and loser respectively in future cropping decisions that account for the new market-focused cropping environment. And despite its recent decline, winter barley will remain important in key...

And the competition winner is ... problems with grass weeds in oilseed rape? Then rethink your management strategy, suggests one agronomist. Sarah Henly explains.(WEEDS)
June 18, 2005... SOW less seed, hold back on spring nitrogen, and you'll get a better yield from your oilseed rape. That's been the message since 2000 when HGCA research highlighted that optimum canopy size was much lower than previously thought sensible....

Weighing up blight attack: when should growers start protecting their late-planted potatoes against blight? Liz Robinson finds out.(POTATOES)
June 18, 2005... DELAYED planting in some areas of the UK could mean potato crops emerging into an environment where risk of blight is already apparent. The question for growers will be whether to start the blight programme early, or to wait until the haulm...

Last of the potatoes planted.(FARMDIARY)
June 18, 2005... IS IT ever going to warm up? As I write we have only 15 days until the longest day of the year, and yet I feel that having witnessed no settled spring weather, the Summer is shaping up in a similar manner although rumour has it a heat-wave is...

Advanta breeding on form.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
June 18, 2005... FIVE winter wheat candidate varieties are up for recommendation from breeder Advanta this year, and for the first time they hope to spring into the group three market with Zebedee. Zebedee, the highest yielding potential biscuit making...

Promising prospect.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
June 18, 2005... A NEW mildewicide, currently awaiting registration, is producing positive results for the second year running in independent trials at Harper Adams. The University's Charles Murray has worked with proquinazid, DuPont's new mildewicide, for...

Justin McDonald's Diary.
June 18, 2005... Monday Diversification continues to be the buzzword in these parts with every farmer brimming with new ideas. Derek, one of my nearest neighbours, has decided to become a part-time potato merchant. Not satisfied with growing 300 acres of...

NFU acts tough on biofuels record.(CEREALS NEWS)
June 18, 2005... THE NFU has called on the European Commission to get tough with the UK Government over its policy towards meeting EU biofuels targets. Announcing at Cereals 2005 that the Union has written to Francois Lamourex, the director general for...

Save [pounds sterling]s with right combine settings: setting your combine up properly could save you hundreds of pounds every day. Paul Spackman visits one Lincolnshire farm to find out how.(MANAGEMENT)(Cover Story)
June 18, 2005... ATTENTION to detail when setting up combines before and during harvest is vital to ensuring maximum efficiency--but how many farmers can truly say they are getting the best from their machine? The answer according to one combine harvester...

Where others dare not tread: equipping tractors with a generous set of tyres enables them to use their power more effectively while protecting the soil they work on. Peter Hill reports on the approach taken by a farmer and contractor in Aberdeenshire.(MACHINERY)
June 18, 2005... IT IS evident from just one glance at Robert Wilson's New Holland TS115 that the mid-size 116hp tractor is more than generously equipped with rubber. The squat 650/65R38 tyres that extend from beneath the rear mudguards are each around...

Rapid responses.(MACHINERY)
June 18, 2005... HAVING previously run down its network of specialist agricultural outlets, tyre retailer ATS Euromaster is demonstrating renewed interest in the sector by establishing a network of centres geared to meeting the needs of farmers and contractors....

Biggest boots of all.(MACHINERY)
June 18, 2005... At 1,250mm wide, this Firestone Flotation 23[degrees]DT is reckoned to be the widest agricultural tyre produced, beating the 1,100mm-wide Titan LSW by a vital few millimetres and more common wide-section designs by some 200mm. The 1250/45-32...

Firestone goes low.(MACHINERY)
June 18, 2005... PREFERENTIAL prices on Firestone tyres have been negotiated for members of agricultural buying group, Anglia Farmers. The deal covers all radial tyres in the range. The R8000 Severe Service 80, designed to withstand harsher than normal...

Pirelli strengthened.(MACHINERY)
June 18, 2005... TRELLEBORG has revamped its Pirelli TM700 radial traction tyre to give it the same load carrying capacity at 50kph as its standard 40kph rating. Launched in the early 1980s as the first 70-series tractor tyre, the TM700 heralded a move to...

Muller Eco-Terminal.(MACHINERY)
June 18, 2005... ANYTHING that reduces clutter in the cab is a good thing so sprayer operators are bound to welcome the Eco Terminal from Muller-Elektronik--especially as this one unit, together with its handy joystick, can handle a remarkably big range of...

Rights issue: the single payment scheme is focusing the mind on business strategies. But any changes must not forget the employee implications, as Suzie Horne reports.(BUSINESS)
June 18, 2005... THINKING of selling the farm or putting it on a contract farming agreement? Then remember employees will have two distinct but connected rights. The first is that the original employer has to consult with the employees "in good time" about...

Cutting it fine: the impending sugar reform will put the UK beet industry on a knife-edge, as Suzie Horne and Julian Gairdner discover.(BUSINESS)
June 18, 2005... JUNE 22 sees the publication of formal proposals on EU sugar regime reform, taking effect from 1 July 2006. Draft proposals in July 2004 included a dramatic price cut which could take beet prices in England down to [pounds sterling]19/t. ...

How low can you go?(BUSINESS)
June 18, 2005... DROPPING the beet price only as far as [pounds sterling]20/t as expected from the 2004 draft proposals (the leaked document suggests [pounds sterling]17/t) will slash gross margins from their current range of between [pounds sterling]800 and...

Two new barleys.(LASTWORD)
June 18, 2005... AROUND 200 farmers visited the Frontier Agriculture trials demonstration at Gressenhall in Norfolk at the beginning of June for a comprehensive tour of the light land site. The plots and demonstrations aim to help light land cereal and sugar...

Stimulating beet.(LASTWORD)
June 18, 2005... A GROWTH stimulant for late-drilled sugar beet or crops establishing in difficult conditions could help light land growers improve beet yield. Phosyn's Beetrac delivers the equivalent of 4 litres of 15% manganese, 2 litres boron and 1.25kg...

Worldwide access for chemicals.(LASTWORD)
June 18, 2005... INTERNATIONAL agrochemical brokerage service AgchemAccess Ltd now offers customers an improved pesticide marketing service through web, e-mail and SMS text messaging. The new service, called AgChemConnect, makes buying and selling much...

2006 institute of brewing approved list.(LASTWORD)
June 18, 2005... THREE spring and one winter barley variety have been added to the 2006 Institute of Brewing Approved List. In addition to Flagon, which has been fast-tracked to Provisional Approval 2 for brewing use, the three spring barleys all gain...

CropBench.(INBRIEF)
June 18, 2005... ARE you curious as to how your business compares to similar enterprises? CropBench, a new confidential web-based tool from the HGCA, allows farmers to benchmark production costs and business performance and compare to a set of aggregated data...

Free training.(INBRIEF)
June 18, 2005... FREE workshops for advisers and agronomists are being run by ADAS under the Environment Sensitive Farming Initiative. The half-day workshops will equip advisers with information needed to provide good advice to help their customers meet...

Fahrenheit.(INBRIEF)
June 18, 2005... NEW Advanta two-row winter barley variety Fahrenheit, which has competitive yields to rival conventional six-row varieties, is ideal for livestock producers looking for top yields and low growing costs, according to the firm's Paul Hickman. ...