Crops articles from March 2006

Crops archives from March 2006

What's your return on investment? Should you invest in fungicides on every crop? A new report suggests yes, but there are situations where using more or less is worthwhile. Mike Abram reports.(FUNGICIDES)
March 11, 2006... What factors are most important for maximising returns on fungicide investments? Where should you increase your use? Where is it not worth using fungicides? Many agronomists would probably be able to point growers in the right direction,...

Lower risk of virus yellows to beat.(AGRONOMY UPDATE)
March 11, 2006... Below average winter temperatures mean sugar beet crops are at relatively low risk from virus yellows this season, according to the latest British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO) forecast. Risk is lowest in eastern areas, with a 5.7%...

Syngenta and DuPont deal.(AGRONOMY UPDATE)
March 11, 2006... DuPont now has worldwide rights to Syngenta's strobilurin fungicide picoxystrobin (sold as Acanto) and access to companion products used in mixtures, under a new agreement. In return, Syngenta has license to develop DuPont's new...

Help or hindrance? Pesticide environmental risk indicators: a tool to use or a tool to fear? Mike Abram reports from the Crop Protection in Northern Britain conference.(CPNB CONFERENCE)
March 11, 2006... A tool for reducing your environmental footprint and adding value to your produce or just another layer of additional regulation and a chance to restrict growers' options further? The debate on the value of pesticide risk indicators--a...

Choosing between options for T0: planning a T0? Liz Robinson finds out which products should be in your tank this spring.(T0 SPRAYS)
March 11, 2006... The T0 timing has become synonymous with growth regulation in wheat where it is used primarily for septoria control, and where chlorothalonil has come into its own, says ADAS's Bill Clark. "But not everyone has a clear idea about T0. It...

Residue risk reduction: the pressure on growers to reduce pesticide residues in cereals is gaining pace. Liz Robinson reports.(T0 SPRAYS)
March 11, 2006... How will you be using chlormequat this season? This key product for profitable crops is under pressure because of residues found in cereals and cereal-based products. The bottom line is: Consumers want minimal or no residues in foods. But...

Risk that may lie in the margins: grass margins may be contributing to an increase in ergot contamination of wheat. Sarah Henly reports.(ERGOT)
March 11, 2006... ALMOST 1% of wheat grain is rejected by millers due to contamination by the ergot fungus, according to surveys. Losses to the industry, in the form of extra haulage, cleaning and downgrading costs, are estimated at [pounds sterling]1.1m-[pounds...

Beet weed control essential: good weed control is vital if sugar beet is to continue as a profitable UK crop. Andrew Blake finds out how an East Anglian agronomist plans her programmes.(BEET HERBICIDES)
March 11, 2006... Crop output is paramount in the drive to keep growers in the sugar beet business given the recent price and quota cuts, says Pat Turnbull. She is one of the six-strong Agronomy Plus team advising on sugar beet production on about 4500ha...

Pushing for more yield: big yields are possible if you follow three golden rules, says CPB Twyford. Mike Abram reports.(TECHNICAL)
March 11, 2006... Growers could be getting more from their wheat crops. Yields averaging 3t/ha more than the UK national average of 7.9t/ha in CPB Twyford variety strip trials indicate what potentially could be on offer. The outstanding yields--a...

Automating the height of booms: now is the time for new technology to keep spray booms steady, reports Peter Hill.(MACHINERY)
March 11, 2006... Boom stability is an issue for most sprayer operators, particularly as application speeds rise. So can a novel system really deliver benefits? For Leics grower and contractor Steve Heard automatic boom level and height control has been a...

Top performance from wider booms: wide booms are an option on trailed sprayers, as Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
March 11, 2006... Spraying at 36m to extract yet more productivity from skilled operators and sophisticated equipment is no longer the sole province of growers who prefer to run self-propelled equipment. Two of this season's sprayer newcomers with 36m...

Infection is nothing to sneeze about: so what measures has Margaret Beckett imposed to stamp out this affliction, asks Stephen Carr.(CARR'S CORNER)
March 11, 2006... Reports that Agrarian Flu has struck Britain have been confirmed. Agrarian Flu is a distressing condition that, as its name suggests, infects farmers with an irrational wish to produce food even though they know they will lose money in the...

Facing up to the risk: manage your risks or fail, urges Tauni Brooker.(Podium)
March 11, 2006... UK Agriculture plc needs to get to grips with its risk management. It needs to anticipate the threats and not only put measures in place to minimise their impact, but to turn them to real advantage. Today's farmers might think they have...

Crushing plant.(BRIEFING)
March 11, 2006... News that Tees Valley Biofuels has appointed a contractor to build a new renewable fuels feedstock production plant is welcome. It's yet another example of joined-up thinking between the farming and industrial sectors and will secure directly,...

N education needed.(BRIEFING)
March 11, 2006... Sir, The accuracy of soil mineral nitrogen measurements mainly depends on a good representative soil sample. It is essential that 20 cores per sampling area are taken, bulked, mixed and sub-sampled before submission for analysis. Inaccurate...

Correction ...(Correction notice)
March 11, 2006... To the herbicide tables (Crops, 11 February, p28). For Starane XL (Starane Gold, Starane Vantage and Hiker): Winter wheat and winter barley GS 13-45; spring wheat and spring barley GS 13-39; Oats GS 13-31.

Mapping a path to profit.(VIEWPOINT)
March 11, 2006... Action required--UK farming faces tumultuous change and it needs dynamic leadership to steer it to a brighter future. So who can deliver? Me, says Bedfordshire farmer Peter Kendall, buoyed by the vigour of youth. With a "can-do" attitude, a...

Still the big one is proving elusive ...(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
March 11, 2006... MONDAY * At the NFU Annual Conference in Birmingham with a rare scent of democracy and the blood of a sitting President in the air. The NFU Conference is not something I've done often but, with the knives out for Tim Bennett, I thought I...

What you need to know about renewable energy contracts: the potential for growers to sign contracts for energy crops was highlighted in the Biomass Taskforce report. Julian Gairdner asks Paul Matthews of Birketts Solicitors in Norwich to explain the future implications of growing energy crops.(PERSPECTIVE)
March 11, 2006... Who is likely to be offering energy contracts and what will they be looking for? The expectation is that demand will be lead from the public sector. The key recommendation of the Biomass Taskforce was for government departments, regional...

What premium do you need? Milling wheat is a risky business, as the current half-hearted premiums for Group One varieties show only too clearly. Sam Fortescue reports.(YOUR BUSINESS)
March 11, 2006... If figures from the Home-Grown Cereals Authority are to be believed, you have more chance of winning at blackjack by putting all your chips on red than you do of hitting target specifications on protein, Hagbergs and specific weight. The...

Agrochemical prices are set to rise, but not for all: dramatic increases in world oil and gas prices will see agrochemical prices rise this season. But the increases will take place on a product-by-product basis, an industry expert says. Louise Impey reports.(INPUT COSTS)
March 11, 2006... Agrochemical manufacturing is highly dependent on oil and gas. Both have nearly doubled in price in the past two years. So says Nigel Uttley of Enigma Marketing Research, whose report Agrochemical Pricing Outlook 2006 and Beyond looks at the...

Confronting CAP: economies of scale are allowing a Herts farming business to expand at a breathtaking rate. Louise Impey reports.(YOUR BUSINESS)(Cover story)
March 11, 2006... Big and beautiful is how north Hertfordshire grower and contractor Warren Scott sees the future of combinable crop production in the UK. Mr Scott took over the running of the 800ha family farm in 2001 and is now farming and contracting over...

Correct rates are just the beginning: in the light of recent controversy over soil nitrogen testing and crop N advice, Andrew Blake sought the views of fertiliser manufacturer Yara.(NITROGEN)
March 25, 2006... With so much talk about the ministry's RB209 booklet, soil mineral nitrogen testing, and advisory schemes like PLANET, Yara's Mark Tucker believes growers could be forgiven for thinking that deciding on the correct amount of N to apply is all...

Build an application history with accurate records.(NITROGEN)
March 25, 2006... A vital element in good fertiliser practice is keeping records to build experience for use in future. Justifying usage is set to become even more important in the light of cross-compliance and stewardship schemes, says Mr Tucker. ...

Cherokee still growers' first choice: a new formulation of second-generation triazoles and chlorothalonil doesn't sound too exciting. But grower trials suggest it may have a place.(FUNGICIDES)
March 25, 2006... If you asked any respected cereal fungicide expert before last season whether a combination of older triazoles and chlorothalonil could match the current triazole standards epoxiconazole and prothioconazole, the answer would likely have been...

Water auditing is the way ahead: as pressure grows on farmer irrigators to demonstrate that they use water efficiently, Andrew Blake looks at a leading potato company's initiative.(IRRIGATION)
March 25, 2006... With the Scottish Environment Protection Agency planning to introduce abstraction licensing in Scotland for the first time this year, Greenvale AP has been piloting water auditing to help its growers meet the challenges that poses. SEPA's...

Designer stubble work for better preparation: a simple combination of cultivating elements with plenty of space for trash clearance and no shortage of power up front is proving an effective formula for growers who want to break stubbles and prepare land for drilling with the minimum of passes. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: CULTIVATORS)
March 25, 2006... Discs followed by tines or tines followed by discs? There's no one correct answer when it comes to a stubble cultivator. What is important, it seems, is that each element should complement the others and the finished implement should be...

Getting tough with 'big' jobs: growers looking for big tackle to handle stubble busting with equipment that will also work on ploughed ground had some new options to inspect at the LAMMA exhibition. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: CULTIVATORS)
March 25, 2006... Big tackle for big tractors, designed to get a big acreage of stubbles turned from golden yellow to deep brown this autumn, was much in evidence at this year's LAMMA exhibition. The theme is epitomised by the Quad-Till from Yorkshire...

Sensitivity issue begins to stabilise: septoria resistance to strobilurins is widespread, but are triazole fungicides losing their grip too? Mike Abram finds out.(FUNGICIDES)
March 25, 2006... The much-talked about, at least among researchers, shift in septoria sensitivity to triazole fungicides appears to have stabilised during 2005, according to the latest research results. Practically, that should mean growers continue to see...

What does the future hold for stewardship options?(ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT)
March 25, 2006... Ever wondered where environmental stewardship options will go next? At the RSPB's 181ha Hope Farm, near Cambridge, four potential new additions to the Entry and Higher Level Schemes are being trialled alongside the commercial arable unit. ...

Make time for filling in forms: few farmers relish the thought of more paperwork, but completing your cross-compliance Soil Protection Review and joining the Environmental Stewardship Schemes will yield good returns. Olivia Cooper offers this step-by-step guide.(AGRIENVIRONMENT)(Cover story)
March 25, 2006... Farmers who fail to fill out their Soil Protection Review on time risk losing their single farm payment for the year. But many producers are too busy for form filling, and are putting off the paperwork--including applying for the Entry Level...

Making paper sludge pay its way: with recycling high on the agenda, Wendy Short takes a look at the potential advantages of incorporating waste paper sludge.(WASTE PAPER)
March 25, 2006... As a user of waste paper for the past four years on his 323ha Holmes Farm, near Rotherham, Martin Noble says the main benefits of incorporating paper sludge are the liming effect, the organic matter content and the compensatory nitrogen and...

Focus on canopy management.(AGRONOMY UPDATE)
March 25, 2006... Oilseed rape canopies damaged by frost or pigeons over the winter have plenty of time to recover and produce above average yields, says Masstock's David Langton. Many crops had a Green Area Index of 1.5 before Christmas, but have lost a...

We only come for the sausage rolls: how much notice do farmers take of advice? Not much, Stephen Carr argues.(CARR'S CORNER)
March 25, 2006... "When it comes to the global market in food I am ready because I have been to all the lectures sponsored by the banks and the NFU. When it comes to adding value I am right up to scratch because I have been to all the power breakfasts run by...

What's cost of 'good' water? The choice is between crops or water, says Roger Sylvester-Bradley.(Podium)
March 25, 2006... "The Water Framework Directive is taking effect. And the clock is ticking towards 2015, when it must deliver "good" water, across the EU. There is widespread concern about farming practices, particularly fertiliser use, and how they can be...

Opportunity knocks.(BRIEFING)
March 25, 2006... Sir, Mr Ward says he would like to get away from subsidies (Crops, 25 February). It's a sentiment probably echoed by every other farmer in the country. The red tape is ever increasing and the single payment scheme has brought another barrage of...

Margin madness.(BRIEFING)
March 25, 2006... Sir, I have been asking about the impact of grass margins on ergot for some time (Crops, 11 March). I believe that if the margins are topped more often than is currently allowed under environmental schemes then the host plants will not be able...

Flexible attitude that works.(VIEWPOINT)
March 25, 2006... Compared with our European counterparts, the majority of commentators says it is the more flexible attitude towards working practice in Britain that has enabled many sectors of the economy to function against what has often been a gloomy global...

Standing by for the green haulage revolution: many transport operators are persuaded by biodiesel's environmental credentials. So, asks Commercial Motor deputy editor Louise Cole, what's holding the market back?(PERSPECTIVE)
March 25, 2006... The public perception of trucks is that they are large, dirty and at the head of a traffic jam. So for many people they seem unlikely environmental champions. But the truth is that European legislation has driven a rolling programme of...

Smithfield--a lost chance to shop.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
March 25, 2006... MONDAY I can't get the Smithfield Show out of my head. It is disappointing to hear it is either to be scrapped or become a purely livestock event. Smithfield provided the perfect chance for arable farmers to view the most up-to-date...

Uphill struggle for green waste recycling: making compost from waste plant material seems an environmentally attractive way to diversify a farm business. But, as a Bristol-based operation found, there are plenty of hurdles to overcome. Andrew Blake reports.(YOUR BUSINESS)
March 25, 2006... Make sure you are well prepared to cope with the local opposition, officialdom and costs of specialist machinery when setting up a recycling business base. That's the advice from Martin Gill, who began on-farm composting as Green Waste...

Son of VI to concentrate on water and biodiversity; Come the end of the month the voluntary initiative will be five years old. Andrew Blake assesses its achievements and asks: what next?(YOUR BUSINESS)
March 25, 2006... Farmers' responses to the VI so far and the reward for the [pounds sterling]47m invested in it have generally been excellent. But more paybacks, given government co-operation, are on the horizon, according to chairman Barry Dent. "The VI...

Getting ahead of the beet dilemma: the beet industry faces a difficult future. Could large-scale grower groups provide some hope? Mike Abram reports.(SUGAR REFORM)
March 25, 2006... The UK's sugar beet industry is at a crossroads. The minimum beet price in four years' time will be [pounds sterling]18/t--a 36% cut--and growers face an uncertain future, particularly while the compensation package is unclear. Whatever...