Crops articles from May 2008

Crops archives from May 2008

New rules inspire fusarium control: new mycotoxin legislation has brought fusarium control to the fore. Mike Abram investigates the impact for farmers and the grain trade.(TECHNICAL)
May 10, 2008... Mycotoxins remain, perhaps, a misunderstood threat for growers. Certainly there is some confusion about how big a threat they pose, what causes them, and how to minimise risk. That comes across in a survey conducted for Bayer CropScience of...

Be mindful of an increasing threat: wheat blossom midge reaches epidemic levels, on average, only one year in 10. But growers should remain vigilant, Andrew Blake hears.(BLOSSOM MIDGE)
May 10, 2008... The last bad wheat blossom midge year, 2004, was estimated to have cost UK cereal growers at least [pounds sterling]60m. Since then, outbreaks have been local and occasional. In 2007 numbers were low, then rain and cool weather delayed egg...

Resistant varieties' role.
May 10, 2008... Recently introduced midge-resistant wheats show no evidence of breakdown, but there are questions about their vigour under pest pressure. "In TAG trials with extremely high midge infestations, we've seen worthwhile yield increases from...

Late nitrogen project aims to hit the spot for growers; Late foliar urea is a costly input for many milling wheat crops. Now an ADAS-led project is asking are such applications really necessary, as Paul Spackman discovers.(FOLIAR UREA)
May 10, 2008... About half of the UK's breadmaking wheat receives late nitrogen as foliar urea, but with prices soaring and increasing environmental pressure on growers to justify all nitrogen inputs, accurately targeting applications is more important than...

Quality grain is better bred: although environment and agronomy play a part, wheat quality for processing has a strong genetic base. Sarah Henly explains the implications of this new finding.(WHEAT QUALITY)
May 10, 2008... The term "best milling quality" used to be subjective. Many take a good milling variety to mean a nabim Group 1 or 2 with a hard endosperm texture and good protein content. But now the definition also includes one with superior processing...

Breeding to beat the stress of drought: can you breed wheat to be more tolerant of drought? Louise Impey finds out.(RESEARCH)
May 10, 2008... For many growers the effects of last April's drought were plain to see at harvest. Cereal yields were down by 10% and grain quality suffered too--not surprising when you consider almost a third of the current wheat area is grown on...

Birds are the new alternative to crops; Fields that for more than 40 years grew crops on a Lincolnshire farm are fast becoming a wildlife sanctuary, Andrew Blake discovers.(WETLAND HAVEN)
May 10, 2008... In one of the final Countryside Stewardship schemes to be approved, about 46ha (115 acres) of Manor House Farm, Wainfleet, have been transformed into a wetland haven for birds including several uncommon species. In just four years, land...

Will your existing capacity be adequate this harvest? Time spent reviewing grain storage capacity could avoid the need for panic selling at harvest and allow growers to capture more value from the supply chain. Louise Impey reports.(GRAIN STORAGE)
May 10, 2008... If 2008 produces a bumper harvest, there is no doubt that storage facilities across the country will feel the strain. There is about 13% more wheat in the ground than last season, and there has been no repeat of the April drought which...

Drill manufacturers accelerate the pace: farm machinery manufacturers enjoying buoyant demand for their products are investing big money in production resources, none more so than two of the leading suppliers of seed drills to British farmers. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
May 10, 2008... Imagine a laser cutter that doesn't just carve out intricate shapes from vast sheets of steel plate but cuts three-dimensional shapes from hollow section producing a one-piece component. In most factories, such parts would be formed as a welded...

Self-primer offers spraying savings: a simple but effective device that primes a sprayer-mounted centrifugal pump promises to simplify and cut the cost of future installations. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
May 10, 2008... Centrifugal pumps have a lot going for them on crop sprayers--they are simpler, cheaper and cost less to service than diaphragm piston pumps and provide high outputs, too. But they do have one significant drawback--a lack of self-priming...

Twin spray lines improve work rate.(MACHINERY)
May 10, 2008... Combining the output of agitation and spraying pumps on the Amazone UX trailed sprayers provides total flow of up to 530 litres/min for higher-rate liquid fertiliser applications or to allow faster forward speeds when using standard application...

Stronger back-up at Chafer.
May 10, 2008... Sales and service back-up for the self-propelled sprayers supplied by Chafer Machinery in Lincolnshire have been strengthened now that the machines are being distributed through AGCO's Challenger dealer network rather than direct. ...

A bonanza maybe ... for a few perhaps: are we getting carrried away with commodity prices? asks Stephen Carr.(CARR'S CORNER)
May 10, 2008... "It's spring. I'd like a new combine for the coming harvest and the more expensive the better. Now let me think... it must have a header that stretches halfway across my largest field and the cab must be brimming with the latest in computerised...

Do UK biofuels have a future? Government must commit, says Richard Crowhurst.(Podium Richard Crowhurst)
May 10, 2008... "The decision by Middlesbrough firm D1 Oils last month to cease its biodiesel refining operations is unfortunate, but perhaps not altogether unexpected to anyone who has been following the economics or the politics of the European biofuel...

Our website can help plan your visit to Cereals.(BRIEFING)(Website overview)
May 10, 2008... * There is just over four weeks to go to Cereals 2008, and you can find all the information you need to help you plan your day on our website. The event travels to Leadenham in Lincolnshire this year and looks set to build on the success...

Fwi hit parade.(BRIEFING)
May 10, 2008... Crops' website (www.fwi.co.uk) averages over 250,000 visits a month. Below are the five most popular stories from the past fortnight. Soaring fertiliser prices topped the headlines, but it was the damage caused by "pebble-sized" hailstones...

Stewardship a rational move.(VIEWPOINT)
May 10, 2008... You might think that a Lincolnshire family who took the decision to revert 25% of their arable area to wetlands five years ago, when grain prices were [pounds sterling]60/t, would be kicking themselves now that they can get at least double that...

Big wheat area looks a poor choice as market slips away.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
May 10, 2008... MONDAY * There were those, and I was one of them, who thought that the supply of wheat in the world was running out. But a recent fall in UK new crop prices--despite the pound falling against the euro and US dollar--suggests something else...

Focus on viability of growing sugar beet in the UK; With the bulk of European sugar reform now completed, it is time to concentrate on domestic issues, William Martin, the NFU's new sugar board chairman, tells Crops.(PERSPECTIVE)
May 10, 2008... William Martin has one aim in his new role as NFU sugar board chairman--and it's all-encompassing. "The number one challenge remains the continued viability of growing sugar beet on English farms," he says. "That occupies the thoughts of all...

Increase in grain output creates haulage worries: a significantly larger wheat crop and fewer hauliers willing to take grain could create difficulties for shifting grain off-farm this harvest, as Paul Spackman discovers.(YOUR BUSINESS)
May 10, 2008... The UK wheat crop is widely predicted to exceed 16m tonnes this harvest--3m tonnes more than last year--which will add yet more pressure to an already stretched grain haulage sector, according to several experts. "There is significant...

Communication proves vital.(TRANSPORT)
May 10, 2008... Poor communication over haulage is one of the main contributors to grain chain inefficiency, according to recent HGCA Supply Chain Initiative round-table discussions. Julian Gibbons, a grower and chairman of HGCA's Market Development...

Sun shines on rapeseeds--for now: oilseed rape growers can expect prices to remain high as tightness in vegetable oil supplies continues. Louise Impey reports.(OILSEEDS)
May 10, 2008... The sharp decline in global reserves of rapeseed has seen a remarkable rally since January 2005, the biggest market shift since 1970, says Jonathan Lane of Gleadell Agriculture. That rally has been echoed almost exactly by the US soybean...

Plenty on offer at Cereals.(TECHNICAL)
May 31, 2008... With over 380 exhibitors confirmed and 22,500 visitors expected, this year's Cereals event at Heath Farm, near Leadenham, Lincolnshire, is set to be the biggest ever. crops picks some highlights to help you make the most of your visit. ...

Switching to min-till keeps costs low.
May 31, 2008... Cereals 2008 is being held on Andrew Ward's farm near Sleaford, Lincolnshire on Wednesday, 11 June and Thursday, 12 June. Charles Abel hears how speedy establishment and cost control are the main focus Wheat may have hit [pounds sterling]...

Agronomy messages come through.
May 31, 2008... There are at least 90 crop plots at the Cereals event, giving visitors direct access to the latest technical findings from the UK's research and development projects, as Crops discovers Increasingly unpredictable weather and spiralling...

New opportunities on show at Arable Outlook.
May 31, 2008... Looking for an alternative to the mainstream arable crops? If so, you will find plenty of agronomic and market information at Arable Outlook, a new feature for Cereals 2008. The Arable Outlook area is dedicated to crops destined for the...

Innovation for independence: rising fuel costs are high on every agenda. Mike Abram visited a German grower with ambitious plans to be free from the global energy market.(BIOENERGY)(Industry overview)
May 31, 2008... There can be no questioning Hartmut Pahmeyer's desire to become independent from the global fuel market. Nor can you doubt the German farmer's ability to innovate successfully to meet his aims. For the past four years he has been running...

BS' price: an offer we can refuse?.(SUGAR BEET SPECIAL)
May 31, 2008... Deciding whether to sign British Sugar's 2009 beet contract will be a tricky decision for some. Crops asked former Farmers Weekly farmer of the year Robert Law for his advice Sugar beet growers last week received their 2009 contract offer,...

Lots more choice for the same price.(SUGAR BEET SPECIAL)
May 31, 2008... Anyone growing sugar beet in 2009 will have plenty of varieties to choose from, as Paul Spackman reports There are 23 varieties on the new NIAB/BBRO Recommended List for 2009 (see p24), and for many the seed cost remains similar to last...

XBeet boosts performance.
May 31, 2008... Advantage over? Beet seed priming is moving to a new generation X, Johann Tasker discovers Arevolutionary seed priming treatment which is twice as effective at boosting sugar beet emergence and establishment will be made available to...

Good forecast may be money in bank.(WEED SEED DORMANCY)
May 31, 2008... Better predictions of weed seed dormancy could aid decisions about cultivations and herbicide use, and might save on input costs. Sarah Henly reports Where blackgrass is a particular problem, many growers may consider it necessary to bury...

Rethink needed on control tactics.(POTATOES: LATE BLIGHTSponsored by Bayer CropScience)
May 31, 2008... Les Sykes examines how the potato blight fungus is changing and how strategies might change to cope Frontier Agriculture Controlling blight requires management from day one. To succeed growers must eliminate sources of blight, know the...

So you want to ... build a reservoir.(CONSERVING WATER)
May 31, 2008... Water resources are under increasing pressure. So does it make sense to build your own reservoir? Johann Tasker investigates Every reservoir is different and each one is built for a different reason, says Keith Weatherhead, a chartered...

Auto-steering helps reduce unnecessary fuel use.
May 31, 2008... GPS auto-steering and guidance will be a major focus of the working demonstration plots at this year's Cereals event. Peter Hill previews what's on show. It's not quite "hands-free" operation, but using a tractor or self-propelled sprayer...

Demonstrating cultivation technology; Go where the action is for new ideas in cultivation. Peter Hill continues his preview of Cereals 2008.
May 31, 2008... Implements with bladed ground-driven rotors are familiar tools on stock farms for aerating pasture, but Canadian firm Aerway is bringing the idea to arable crop cultivation at Cereals 2008. "The blades impose some sideways movement on the...

Steering system smoothes waggle.
May 31, 2008... What's the best way to steer a big trailed sprayer without it waggling its boom like a happy dog? A firm unveiling a new model at Sprays & Sprayers believes it has the answer. Peter Hill reports Bespoke sprayer builder Graham...

Decupling ... are we mad in the UK? Unhitching food production from public subsidy is plain stupid.(CARR'S CORNER)
May 31, 2008... " Politics, it is often said, is showbusiness for ugly people. While that is true more often than not, I often wonder if politics isn't also business for stupid people. Who else but the British political class could possibly have supported with...

Cap reform: not now darling expect a light-touch Health Check.
May 31, 2008... "Alistair Darling's letter to EU finance ministers earlier this month called for fundamental reform of the CAP. He will be disappointed by the EU Commission's "Health Check" proposals. The main positive to emerge from the proposals is the...

Positive view on climate change.(BRIEFING)
May 31, 2008... * Arable farmers are more positive about the possible business opportunities climate change might offer them than any other farming sector. A survey by Farming Futures, an industry-led collaboration project between the NFU, CLA, AIC, AHRF,...

Blythe water.(BRIEFING)
May 31, 2008... * The article "Collaboration protects water quality" (p20, 26 April 2008) referred to a spike of propyzamide in raw water supplies as the result of the approved use of the product within the Blythe catchment. The active substance detected was...

FWi hit parade.(BRIEFING)
May 31, 2008... An eclectic mix makes up the top five most read stories from our website (www.fwi.co.uk) during the past three weeks. The worrying prospect of further pesticide approval restrictions is an obvious concern for all arable farmers, while tracking...

Cereals a must-attend event.(Viewpoint)
May 31, 2008... "At last, a Cereals event with a feelgood factor, as respectable grain prices underpin the relative certainty of an SPS system that should function more or less intact for the next six years at least." That was how we began this column one...

Cost inflation puts damper on surge in commodities.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
May 31, 2008... MONDAY * Hooray for the surge in the value of arable commodities over the past 18 months. Imagine where I'd be now if wheat were still stuck at [pounds sterling]75/t. But as the 2008 harvest approaches, many of my recent assumptions about...

Future's bright as research focuses on science-based agriculture.(PERSPECTIVE)
May 31, 2008... Syngenta is spending[pounds sterling]35m revitalising its Jealott's Hill global research and development centre. Head of centre Mike Bushell explains why. We are in a phenomenal time for farming. After the wake-up call the world has had...

Farmer interest in partnerships grows.(YOUR BUSINESS)
May 31, 2008... Corporate partner arrangements might sound daunting, but, provided there are sound commercial reasons for operating in this way, they can reduce tax bills. Suzie Horne reports Forming a company to run the farm's labour and machinery...

Riding the rollercoaster: Cereal prices may be much healthier than for years, but rising costs are making big inroads into potential profits.(ARABLE COSTS)
May 31, 2008... There was a buzz at the Cereals event at Vine Farm last year, a real excitement about the long-awaited prospect of arable farmers being able to make a half-decent profit after more than a decade of marginal viability. Machinery dealers saw...