Crops articles from November 2007

Crops archives from November 2007

OSR agronomy key to crop potential: agronomy, as well as good establishment, is crucial for high-yielding oilseed rape crops, Dick Neale of Hutchinsons stresses to Mike Abram.(TECHNICAL)
November 24, 2007... There is no getting away from the fact oilseed rape establishment was tricky for many growers this autumn. A dry September led to a slow start for many crops from which some failed to recover. But for crops with an adequate plant population...

Selection process adds more clarity: with the HGCA Recommended Lists for 2008/09 due to be announced next week, Andrew Blake examines the selection process and canvasses views on what new names they should contain.(RECOMMENDED LISTS)
November 24, 2007... There should be few surprises in the new Recommended Lists to anyone understanding the selection process and keeping a close eye on trials results on the HGCA's website, says RL manager Jim McVittie. Since the HGCA took over full...

Far better for being ploughless: Leicestershire grower Anthony Reynolds is in year three of direct drilling every crop on his 1000ha farm. Mike Abram finds out how it is going.(DIRECT DRILLING)
November 24, 2007... It takes guts to sell your plough, power harrows and all your other cultivation equipment. So the one thing you can be sure about is that Anthony Reynolds, a tenant farmer of 1000ha of heavy land at Burton Lazars, near Melton Mowbray, is...

EU plans a radical spray shake-up: European pesticide legislation reform could have a huge impact on how, and which, products are used on farm. Mike Abram takes a look at the latest position.(PESTICIDES LEGISLATION)
November 24, 2007... European farmers, by and large, avoided all the big hits in round one of the European Union's pesticide legislation reforms. But a couple of potential knockout blows were launched during the European parliament's first reading of the...

New challenges eagerly embraced: being a passionate farmer who loves the job made David Sunnucks a clear winner.(Terra's Arable Farmer of the Year)
November 24, 2007... Passion and commitment alongside a pragmatic, unsentimental view of the business were just some of the qualities that helped David Sunnucks become Farmers Weekly's Arable Farmer of 2007. With determination to persevere with brave changes,...

Enthusiasm and all-round expertise: top advice and seeing opportunities for his clients saw Patrick Stephenson win a closely contested category.(Arable Adviser of the Year)
November 24, 2007... It wasn't just Patrick Stephenson's enthusiasm that won him the first Crops Arable Adviser of the Year award, but it was certainly a factor. What made him stand out, in an extremely close-fought category, was his all-round expertise. Put...

Flexible approach to establishment: ploughing and a winter crop rotation are creating the best returns after two years of The Arable Group's long-term rotation and establishment trials. Mike Abram reports.(ARABLE ROTATIONS)
November 24, 2007... Perhaps not surprisingly, ploughing remains the highest yielding and most profitable establishment technique after year two of The Arable Group's Sustainability Trial in Arable Rotations, funded by Felix Thornley Cobbold Agricultural Trust. ...

Application will pay in higher yields: it's not much of a gamble to apply sulphur fertiliser to cereals this season. Sarah Henly reports.(SULPHUR)
November 24, 2007... Have you ordered sulphur fertiliser for your wheat yet? If not, get on and do it, urges Steve McGrath of Rothamsted Research, who has just led a new report on this nutrient. At current crop prices, he has little doubt it will pay. For an...

Non-food crops not just biofuels: possibilities for non-food crops extend well beyond biofuels. Paul Spackman investigates ahead of this year's National Non-Food Crops Centre conferences, held in conjunction with Crops.(NNFCC CONFERENCE)(Conference news)
November 24, 2007... Climate change and tighter oil supplies have boosted the biofuels sector significantly over recent years, but pressure to reduce waste going into landfill could prove to be another big driver for non-food crops, says the NNFCC's Jeremy...

Top title recognises professionalism: want to put your skills to the test? Sign up for a chance to win this prestigious award.(FARM SPRAYER OPERATOR OF THE YEAR COMPETITION)
November 24, 2007... The use of plant protection products is under constant scrutiny from politicians, environmentalists and the like. The withdrawal of IPU and trifluralin, announced earlier this year, highlights just how important it is to use existing products...

Electronic control grows in popularity: command and control--that's what operators want when handling a fertiliser spreader and manufacturers say they are doing their best to provide it, with electronic and manual controls alike. Peter Hill reports.(FERTILISER SPREADERS)
November 24, 2007... Demand for greater control and efficiency in fertiliser use across the full spectrum of farm types is evident from growing sales of electronic control systems for spreaders. "It's the clearest indication of farmers' changing priorities...

Growers look to improved storage: storage options, drying efficiency, cleaning and energy saving were among topics discussed at the UK Grain event, where growers were keen to investigate improved crop store kit. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: UK GRAIN)
November 24, 2007... Grain drying, storage and handling equipment manufacturers exhibiting at the Fusion Events-organised UK Grain exhibition earlier this month were delighted to have growers once more beating a path to their door in search of ideas and quotes for...

Commissioner, your cap won't fit: the EU's proposed cap on payments is thoroughly misguided, says Stephen Carr.(CARR'S CORNER)
November 24, 2007... For the attention of: Mariann Fischer Boel Agriculture Commissioner Brussels "Dear Ms Fischer Boel, Before I go any further I must declare an interest--I am one of those farmers that will be hit hard by your proposal to introduce a...

What price sugar beet failure? Beet growers need encouragement, reckons David Bolton.(Podium)
November 24, 2007... "British Sugar wants every tonne you can grow in 2008 and guarantees full price on every one delivered. Forget the "C" beet concept for ever. It promises "over" [pounds sterling]20.70/t with transport and bonuses on top. The question is,...

'Health check' plans unveiled.(BRIEFING)
November 24, 2007... EU agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel this week unveiled her blueprint for modernising the CAP, the so-called health check. The document, which triggers a six-month consultation, is intended to update the 2003 reforms. "The...

Winter break time.(BRIEFING)
November 24, 2007... Here's one way of brushing up on agronomy. But, with winter just around the comer, most fieldwork is drawing to a close. After the frenetic summer and autumn, it's time to reflect, and make plans for next spring and beyond. As such, Crops...

Let's talk sense on pesticides.(VIEWPOINT)
November 24, 2007... Pesticides have come a long way in the past 40 years. But if some of the muddled thinking at the heart of the latest EU pesticide legislation reform is anything to go by, perceptions of the industry have changed little since Rachel Carson's...

Taxpayers' money is not just for farming.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
November 24, 2007... MONDAY * Phew. Now that Maggie and I have successfully removed our savings from Northern Rock we can afford a little schadenfreude at the fall from grace of the bank's chairman, Matt Ridley. Mind you, if we had known that Mr Ridley was...

Giving the grain market what it needs: the HGCA's Supply Chain Partnership is a new initiative to demonstrate how the cereals sector can benefit from cross-industry collaboration. Mark Means, an arable grower from Norfolk, tells Crops why he's backing it.(PERSPECTIVE)
November 24, 2007... As a wheat grower I have always been keen to grow varieties that best suit the needs of the local market. We also grow potatoes, and in that market we have benefited for many years from close links with our customers. I am keen to see the...

Temptation: crucial to stay focused despite giddy highs of recent prices; How will you invest this year's profits? Should they be used to achieve higher output and profit, to improve asset values, or release time to pursue other interests? Suzie Horne relays some pointers.(YOUR BUSINESS)
November 24, 2007... Higher combinable crop prices are no reason to take the foot off the cost-control pedal or to postpone essential restructuring plans, warns consultant Jonathan Lacey of Laurence Gould's Yeovil office. "There is the danger that decisions...

Be aware of TUPE.(INVESTMENT/TUPE)
November 24, 2007... Employers are being caught out by regulations which protect jobs when farms are bought, sold, contracted out and when tenancies change hands, warn legal advisers. Farm restructuring needs to take more account of the Transfer of...