Crops articles from June 2006

Crops archives from June 2006

Visiting Europe's premier event: it's Cereals time again. Europe's leading event for the arable sector is sure not to disappoint, and with the industry strongly focused on the market and cost control, where else would you be on 14-15 June?(TECHNICAL)
June 3, 2006... The Cereals event goes from strength to strength. This year's show on 14-15 June at Nocton, Lincolnshire will reflect the latest thinking, innovation and research in the arable sector. There's so much to see and do, Crops has picked out some...

Host takes a radical stance on cropping: arable operations follow a ranching approach on the farm of Cereals 2006 host Paul Clarke. Charles Abel reports.(CEREALS 2006 PREVIEW)
June 3, 2006... When Paul Clarke hosted Cereals 2000 at Nocton six years ago a major new bulb enterprise was just being established on the 2600ha (6500-acre) estate. The success of that venture and contrasting gloom in arable commodity markets has profoundly...

Cash boost from crop diversification: specialist break and energy crops are helping a Lincolnshire grower deal with CAP reform. Louise Impey finds out more.(CEREALS 2006 PREVIEW)
June 3, 2006... A visit to New Zealand last year confirmed that Lincolnshire business J Dale (Farmers) was on course for a profitable future. "They've been farming without subsidies for some time now," says Edward Dale. "And one of the first things that...

Maintaining yields with less nitrogen: forget protein, grow wheat with just enough nitrogen for yield and you'll cut production costs as well as help to meet impending legislation. Sarah Henly finds out how it could work.(CEREALS 2006 PREVIEW)
June 3, 2006... Imagine the savings you could make growing wheat with half the amount of nitrogen fertiliser you use now, with no yield penalty. Sounds far-fetched, doesn't it? But developing varieties which use nitrogen just to produce starch and don't...

Sound advice essential as pressure grows on fertiliser: protecting watercourses from fertiliser pollution is moving higher up the agenda, and there will be plenty of advice at Cereals as Julian Gairdner discovers.(CEREALS 2006 PREVIEW)
June 3, 2006... Managing nutrients responsibly is going to be essential for farmers to run their businesses efficiently and to protect water quality, in the future. That is the view of the Agricultural Industries Confederation, which will be exhibiting in the...

Tractors get to grips with emission rules: which machines will you investigate at Cereals 2006? Over the following 12 pages Peter Hill takes a look at some of the key tractor, sprayer and cultivator introductions.(CEREALS 2006 PREVIEW)
June 3, 2006... With next-level engine exhaust emissions rules affecting tractors from 50hp to 175hp from the beginning of next year, manufacturers are gearing up for some significant autumn launches. But that has not starved the Cereals Event of some...

Cultivators make light work of soil.(CEREALS 2006 PREVIEW)
June 3, 2006... Working demonstration plots are a key feature at Cereals and this year's line up includes a comprehensive selection of the latest ploughs, cultivators and drills. Newcomers being seen for the first time include Dowdeswell's TDC3...

Sprayer capacity is set to get larger.(CEREALS 2006 PREVIEW)
June 3, 2006... Big capacity self-propelled sprayers look set to take centre stage in the Syngenta-sponsored Sprays & Sprayers section of the Cereals Event. Sands Agricultural Machinery will unveil its biggest-capacity model to date--a 5500-litre version...

New active for BYDV and slugs.(AGRONOMY UPDATE)
June 3, 2006... New insecticidal seed treatment clothianidin will be targeted for use as protection against either barley yellow dwarf virus or slugs, according to Bayer CropScience seed treatment campaign manager Adrian Cottey. The Deter range, which...

Test your skills with the drill: here's your chance to win enough Nickerson Original cereal seed to sow up to 100ha and the use of a high-output Accord CT Line multipurpose drill to sow it with. Just answer the five questions.(COMPETITION: NICKERSON/KVERNELAND)
June 3, 2006... Whether you're competing in Strictly Come Dancing, on the start line at the British Grand Prix or getting a field of wheat established, you need to get off to a great start. And with cereal margins as wafer thin as they are, doing the job right...

Make most of beet fungicide potential.(SUGAR BEET FOCUS)
June 3, 2006... Up to half of UK sugar beet growers never use a fungicide, industry estimates suggest. But there can be significant yield gains from well-timed treatments, say experts. While disease pressure is expected to be relatively low this season,...

Aiming high with beet yield: new varieties offer the chance to unlock the high yields needed in the new sugar beet era. Edward Long reports.(SUGAR BEET FOCUS)
June 3, 2006... Using best quality seed from high yielding varieties is essential if beet growers are to hit the 70t/ha target by 2009, according to British Sugar's John Prince who believes it is the key to unlocking the extra yield needed to maintain...

Yield still key driver in variety choice: go for yield--it's the only way to beat the squeeze, says NIAB. Gilly Johnson seeks advice on sugar beet variety choice.(SUGAR BEET FOCUS)
June 3, 2006... With sugar beet returns so uncertain, there should be one guiding principle for growers deciding their variety shopping list this summer: Higher output. Paying a little extra for seed of newer, high performance varieties makes sense now...

Bioethanol holds key to brighter future across Europe: policy reform and rationalisation of the sugar beet industry is affecting growers across Europe. On a visit to Germany, Paul Spackman gets the view of one breeder.(SUGAR BEET FOCUS)
June 3, 2006... Thirty-five EU sugar beet factories have closed or are scheduled to close due to rationalisation of the industry over recent years, yet there are a number of emerging opportunities, according to Strube-Dieckmann, supplier to Elsoms Seeds. ...

All set for the nuclear food option: don't miss this big policy U-turn on domestic food production, says Stephen Carr.(CARR'S CORNER)
June 3, 2006... "Tony Blair has ignited a political storm by opting for what he described as his "nuclear food option". In the face of fierce opposition he has endorsed the commissioning of a new generation of British farmers, pledging a big push to put...

Open door on Farm Sunday: don't miss the chance to promote British farming, says Caroline Drummond.(Podium)
June 3, 2006... "The codfish lays ten thousand eggs, the homely hen lays one. The codfish never cackles, to tell you what she's done. And so we scorn the codfish, while the humble hen we prize, which only goes to show you, it pays to advertise!" ...

Go Till 2006.(BRIEFING)
June 3, 2006... With the cultivation season just around the corner Go Till 2006 on Wednesday 19 July provides a perfect opportunity to get a last look at what's on offer this season. To be staged by Crops and Fusion Events at Bridge Farm, Appleford,...

Agricultural Awards.(BRIEFING)
June 3, 2006... Not entered the Farmers Weekly Agricultural Awards yet? Well there's still time to have your arable farming skills recognised at the industry's keynote event in London this November. Sound business and technical skills, plus a passion for...

Turning point for producers.(VIEWPOINT)
June 3, 2006... Wheat prices edging towards [pounds sterling]80/t, interim single farm payments in the bank and crops full of yield potential all help to lift the mood of growers ahead of Cereals 2006. On the eve this year's event--taking place at Nocton,...

Local food comes full circle: three weeks ago, Farmers Weekly launched its campaign Local Food is Miles Better. But how can arable producers look to make the most of local food branding? Leading local quality food entrepreneur Tony Cooke offers some tips.(PERSPECTIVE)
June 3, 2006... As I have been reminded more than once, my dear late grandfather started out selling rabbits and pigeons at the age of 12 and quickly progressed to his own local milk round. From small beginnings, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to build a...

For servicing, phone France ...(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
June 3, 2006... MONDAY Received the shock news that my local agricultural engineer is to close its farm machinery retail and servicing department. I will still be able to buy spare parts from them, but for servicing, I will now have to phone a dealer in...

Accurate costing of grain storage is crucial to profits: many on-farm grain stores are decades old and costing them accurately is not an easy task. But it is an essential part of taking stock so that business plans can be made, as Suzie Horne finds out.(YOUR BUSINESS)(Cover story)
June 3, 2006... How much does it cost you to store your grain on farm? It's a question asked by a recent survey of more than 1000 growers carried out by English Farming and Food Partnerships for Grainfarmers. The main aims of the EFFP study were to...

Making research more accessible: how important is independent agronomy advice and research? Louise Impey asks one of the UK's leading advisers about their plans for the future.(INDUSTRY RESEARCH)
June 3, 2006... Safeguarding the future of independent research is the core focus behind The Arable Group's (TAG) new direction, says chief executive officer Colin MacEwan, which will be launching a new venture, TAG Alliance at this year's Cereals event. ...

Fast internet access can speed path to profits: broadband is available across 99.6% of the UK, but uptake by the public is less than a third. One organisation in Cornwall is striving to help farmers benefit from this new technology and drive their business forward. Olivia Cooper finds out more.(BROADBAND)
June 3, 2006... How important can broadband really be to a farming business? Few farmers have the time or inclination to surf the web every night, so isn't it all rather pointless? No, says Nigel Ashcroft, project director at Actnow, a partnership led by...

Treating for long-term protection: a new seed treatment promises to end the need for most BYDV oversprays. Mike Abram visits a trials site that demonstrates its potential.(TECHNICAL)
June 24, 2006... Herbicide and BYDV applications used to fit hand-in-glove. Then Atlantis came along with its later timing, and with larger farm sizes increasing pressure on labour, it has become all too easy for growers to miss optimum BYDV timings. ...

Growers can tap into demand for 'healthier' oils: UK oilseed rape growers are well positioned to benefit from growing demand for added-value oils for human consumption. Louise Impey reports.(OILSEED RAPE)
June 24, 2006... Speciality food oils produced from UK-grown winter oilseed rape have a bright future, says Martin Farrow, general manager of food ingredient supplier ADM. Customers are increasingly asking for "healthier" oils that are low in trans fatty...

Keep it stable to keep its quality: monitoring and correcting moisture and temperature fluctuations in stored rapeseed should prevent mite infestation and rancidity. Sarah Henly explains.(OILSEED STORAGE)
June 24, 2006... Inaccurate moisture readings could be to blame for rapeseed succumbing to storage problems such as mites and rancidity, warns Dave Armitage of CSL. An HGCA-funded survey of 100 oilseed rape growers last season found that meters are generally...

Getting ready for cultivations: keep up to speed with the latest cultivation and establishment techniques at this year's Go-Till Event on Wednesday, 19 July at Bridge Farm, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Here's our three-page preview.(GO-TILL PREVIEW)
June 24, 2006... Go-Till, the one-day working cultivations and crop establishment event, provides one last chance to see equipment in action before the cultivations season starts in earnest. Taking place on Wednesday, 19 July at Bridge Farm, Appleford, near...

Exhibitor list.(GO-TILL PREVIEW)
June 24, 2006... Cross Slot No-Tillage Systems * Plot: 43 c/o Primewest Ltd, The Farm House, Broadstone Hill, Chipping Norton, 0X7 5QJ 01608 678 770, fax: 01608 678 770, Email: primewest@btinternet.com A true no-tillage drill that places seed...

Possibilities are endless when switching to min-till: Go-Till host Paul Caudwell has switched from plough to min-till, with significant benefits, reports Peter Hill.(GO-TILL PREVIEW)
June 24, 2006... Worms, pervasive black-grass and simpler autumn cultivations and drilling were the reasons Oxfordshire grower Paul Caudwell switched from plough to minimum tillage. "Min-till? It's magic," he now enthuses. "Soils here range from clay loam...

Looking ahead to the future: growers were in a more positive mood at this year's Cereals event. Julian Gairdner finds out why.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... Not even the rain clouds on the first morning of the Cereals event could put a dampener on what will be remembered as one of the more upbeat Cereals events of the past few years. And who'd have predicted a decade ago that the...

Herbicide trials look promising.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... Dow AgroSciences could launch as many as four new herbicides over the next five years, the firm revealed at Cereals 2006. Closest to market appeared to be another cleavers killer, coded GF1374, which says marketing specialist James Knight,...

One spray won't beat blackgrass.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... The folly of leaving black-grass control to one post-emergence spring application of even the best available products was amply demonstrated in plots at Velcourt's What's New in Farming? demonstration. "I'm very concerned about this...

Early wheat fills market gap.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... Recommended List candidate winter wheat variety Humber could fill the current gap in the market for a variety suitable for very early drilling, breeder CPB Twyford said. "It is a very early sower, and there are fewer and fewer of those...

Growers seek more nitrogen advice: enquiries for how to use nitrogen more efficiently and meet environmental legislation were to the fore among fertiliser manufacturers. Julian Gairdner and Andrew Blake report.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... How much nitrogen should you apply? If growers followed RB209 advice, they'd be looking for a return of around 6:1 at current prices, Yara's Mark Tucker said. But that might lead many to underdose crops, he believed. "We've reanalysed our...

More choice for establishing OSR: investing in efficient equipment to produce crops profitably without having to rely on aid payments was the goal at Cereals 2006. Over the following pages Peter Hill provides a roundup of machinery innovations.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... Where to sow seed for the lowest-cost oilseed rape establishment--in front of or behind the cultivator's packer? That was the question raised by Simba at Cereals 2006 as it joined a growing number of manufacturers looking to slash establishment...

Agrifac promises added stability.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... A Dutch self-propelled sprayer--one of two operated in East Yorkshire by Driffield-based John Scholes Farms--stole the limelight in Syngenta's Sprays & Sprayers event, with an unorthodox chassis design said to give excellent boom stability and...

Technology takes cut to a new level.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... High output harvesting in all conditions is the aim of combine manufacturers, and harvest 2007 versions of John Deere's highest capacity combine on show at Cereals 2006 are no exception. The single-rotor 9880i STS not only keeps itself on...

Seed drills getting bigger and wider.(CEREALS 2006: MACHINERY)
June 24, 2006... If evidence were needed of a continuing trend towards wider, higher-capacity seed drills, it was clear for all to see at this year's Cereals event. Among a smattering of 3m units, most manufacturers filled their stands with bigger drills,...

Being rewarded for recycling: agricultural waste recycling is shaping up to be big business. Mike Abram reports on the latest developments.(CEREALS 2006)
June 24, 2006... Recycling agricultural waste should be rewarded under the Entry Level stewardship scheme, a campaign started by Agri.cycle at Cereals 2006 suggested. "Growers get payments for environmentally doing the right thing on-farm [through ELS] and...

What will fill the drill? Which varieties will you be backing this autumn? Louise Impey takes a look at the key contenders for the coming drilling season.(AUTUMN SEEDS SPECIAL)
June 24, 2006... WINTER WHEAT Variety Yield Breeder/Agent Profile Group 1: Breadmaking Xi19 103 Nickerson The highest yielding hard, breadmaking wheat, which performs well with careful ...

Getting rattled with cross-compliance: DEFRA secretary David Miliband has a new adviser, writes Stephen Carr.(CARR'S CORNER)
June 24, 2006... "David Miliband has made a very good start as DEFRA secretary. He is very much in the Blairite mould of good communicator and this, I am sure, is why he quickly appointed me as his special adviser. He was understandably appalled at the...

Eastern optimism and opportunity: farmers in Hungary are reaping the benefits of EU membership, says Richard Casswell.(Podium)
June 24, 2006... "I am envious of the optimism that exists within Hungary's buoyant agricultural sector. Having just returned from a Centaur Grain study tour, the upbeat mood made a refreshing contrast to the pessimism pervading our own industry. The...

Plantlife.(BRIEFING)
June 24, 2006... Why establish cultivated field margins when grass ones are easier to manage and score the same points under the Entry Level Stewardship Scheme? The special Plantlife insert, included in this issue of Crops, provides a host of reasons. "For...

Supplying locally.(BRIEFING)
June 24, 2006... Sainsbury's recently launched initiative Buy Something New is a positive step towards giving local small businesses access to the supermarket's shelves. A series of workshops will allow new suppliers to put their case to the retailer and...

Right to be in a good mood.(VIEWPOINT)
June 24, 2006... Farmers were right to feel a little more optimistic at this year's Cereals event. Better price prospects of course are always good reason for celebration, but Cereals this year was different. For the first time, there was a real sense that the...

Golden opportunity to go green: how green is your farm? A major new feature at this year's Royal Show offers the chance to get to grips with the increasingly important environmental agenda, says Oxfordshire farmer and deputy chair of Natural England, Poul Christensen.(PERSPECTIVE)
June 24, 2006... Farmers have been going green in increasing numbers for the past 30 years. But now momentum is really picking up and it is time to realise we all have to deliver for the natural environment. We have a shared responsibility, because farmland...

It's high time Cereals was renamed. How about: 20,000 optimists in a field? Did you spot Justin McDonald at last week's Cereals 2006 event in Lincolnshire? Here he offers an insight into his experiences at Europe's premier arable farming event.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
June 24, 2006... TUESDAY Maggie declared herself determined to come to Cereals 2006 with me this year, now that the annual Smithfield jamboree has dropped off the farming calendar. She also said I couldn't be trusted alone all day in a field full of new...

Simplified system helps brothers raise their game: farming at full stretch for 10 years helped the Kendall brothers focus on the future of their business, as Louise Impey finds out.(YOUR BUSINESS)
June 24, 2006... He may have just come from a meeting with a Cabinet minister in London, but many of NFU president, Peter Kendall's, concerns are the same as any other combinable crop producer. Static oilseed rape yields, rising fuel prices and ways of...

Co-operate to slash your fixed costs: collaboration is a major buzzword at the moment, but two neighbouring East Yorkshire farms have been working together to save an average [pounds sterling]100/ha on fixed costs for the past four years. Wendy Short finds out more.(COLLABORATION)
June 24, 2006... "As two small arable farms with high machinery and labour costs, we were on a downward spiral, with little opportunity for reinvestment. Pooling our resources and farming our land as one unit has reduced costs, and given us both more spare...

New nutrients help nurture future crops: Crop nutrition has become routine--or has it? In our latest Visions of the Future article, sponsored by nutrient supplier Tradecorp, Charles Abel hears how things could change.(VISIONS OF THE FUTURE)
June 24, 2006... Crop nutrition is set to become more important as advances in plant breeding and crop protection slow and environmental and commercial pressures grow. Meeting the precise nutrient needs of crops will not only deliver better yield and...