Crops articles from September 2004

Crops archives from September 2004

Buying a slice of security.(VIEWPOINT)
September 4, 2004... WHAT price a week of unbroken sunshine? Many will say it is too little too late, and judging by the acres of unharvested and increasingly spoilt crops around the country, growers can be forgiven for such sentiments. If wet weather...

Container park.(VIEWPOINT)
September 4, 2004... THERE is a picture doing the rounds of a wall built from a season's worth of empty pesticide containers so high it would hide a sprayer. It's yet another challenge facing growers: how to dispose of containers safely after the ban on...

Mark of approval.(VIEWPOINT)
September 4, 2004... FOUR years after the Little Red Tractor scheme was launched, recent research revealed 35% of consumers recognise the logo. Not bad considering there was no multi-million pound marketing campaign to back it. Less impressive is that only 2%...

The UK malting barley industry is in a perilous position.(VIEWPOINT)
September 4, 2004... The UK malting barley industry is in a perilous position. Further area cuts could leave it ever more exposed to imports from competitors in the event UK growers fail to produce enough malting quality grain. But it is wrong for maltsters to...

Following massive protests, the French have loosened their cross-compliance regulations from the original announcement.(VIEWPOINT)
September 4, 2004... Following massive protests, the French have loosened their cross-compliance regulations from the original announcement. Under the revised rules, wildflower margins or strips are no longer compulsory, but margins--at least 5m wide on each...

Growers looking for alternative markets for oilseed rape this year might wish they were in Germany.(VIEWPOINT)
September 4, 2004... Growers looking for alternative markets for oilseed rape this year might wish they were in Germany. RapsAsphalt is a road tar with more than 50% rapeseed oil content, which, following tests that proved it was harder wearing than conventional...

Crops conferences.(VIEWPOINT)
September 4, 2004... 2005 AND BEYOND: a formula for the future 9 & 16 Nov 2004 2005 and Beyond: that's the title of this year's Crops Conference. And with good reason. 2005 is the biggest year of change in farming for 50 years and will influence farm...

It's an ill wind that blows no good: will the desperately wet harvest affect cropping plans this autumn? Stephen Carr weighs up the planting options.(FARMERFORUM)
September 4, 2004... WHAT started off looking like a very promising 2004 harvest has descended into a salvage operation for many and, for some, a complete disaster. Localised thunderstorms have left a landscape of starkly contrasting fortunes, even within a single...

Casting your vote for the future: with the British Potato Council's future under review this autumn, chairman David Walker calls for an informed debate.(FARMERFORUM)
September 4, 2004... LATER this month, the Government goes out to consultation as part of its five-yearly review of the BPC. The results will be used to decide the council's future: continuation; a change in remit; or closure. Given the huge challenges our...

Harald Isermeyer: farming in Germany.(WORLDFARMING)
September 4, 2004... A spell of weather rather more English than continental has slowed down what could have been an almost perfect harvest with top yields. Sudden downpours have meant we've only just completed combining on our western farms as I report in the...

Price hit on barley harvest: contraction continues, but new varieties and fungicides offer hope of better barley yields. Mike Abram and Julian Gairdner reports.(BARLEY HARVEST)
September 4, 2004... SOME growers may have been pleasantly surprised by their winter barley yields, particularly in the south, but rock-bottom feed barley prices are not likely to encourage a sudden surge in winter barley area. "Unless the maltsters find the...

HGCA.(Research in Action)
September 4, 2004... * Objectives of project 2976: Identify genetic markers for logging resistance in winter wheat. Who's involved: ADAS; LINK project: DEFRA; Advanta Seeds Timescale: June 2004 to June 2008 * Objectives of project no....

Gene-driven standing power: imagine a lodging-proof winter wheat? Genetic resistance could make it a reality. Sarah Henly reports.(LODGING)
September 4, 2004... OKAY, so there aren't any varieties that will stand whatever the conditions. Well, not yet, anyway. Identifying genes conferring lodging resistance in varieties that currently stand well, and marking them for use in breeding programmes,...

Twiddling our thumbs in the rain.(FARMDIARY)
September 4, 2004... FARMING is, of course, an unpaid hobby now. Hobbies are supposed to relieve the stresses and strains of life, and to occupy the idle hours. But this harvest has not been good for my health and I think I am going to stick to fishing. The...

Sponsor's message.
September 4, 2004... Under the new Single Payment Scheme, the concept of cost per tonne of production will be pivotal. In the past, true costs have often been hidden. Decoupling will make it easier to separate out the figures so that farmers will be able to assess...

So who will have the authority? Being able to claim the single farm payment on land previously used for non-IACS crops continues to cause headaches, as Julian Gairdner discovers.(BUSINESS)(Cover Story)
September 4, 2004... SHORT-TERM vegetable growers in dispute with farmers over who should be allocated fruit, vegetable and potato single farm payment entitlement authorisations (FVPs) are likely to win the argument in the majority of cases. That's according...

Planned approach tackles black-grass.(EARLY BLACK-GRASS CONTROL)
September 4, 2004... Vass agronomist Andy Scott reckons this growing season has yet again proved that black-grass control in the winter wheat crop must be tackled with a planned approach. But, with new chemistry now available means protecting the product armoury to...

Scotland black-grass on increase.(EARLY BLACK-GRASS CONTROL)
September 4, 2004... The number of sightings of black-grass in south east Scotland has risen markedly in 2004, although from an historically low base. Nevertheless, Dr Ken Davies of SAC expresses serious concern over a strong trend, and realises that the...

Hit black-grass early with force of sledgehammer.(EARLY BLACK-GRASS CONTROL)
September 4, 2004... Black-grass needs the sledgehammer treatment, as there is no compromise on control says Wisbech-based Hutchinsons Ltd field sales manager Chris Secker. Robust pre and post emergence sprays applied early at full rate in known problem areas, is...

Modes of action and early application boosts black-grass control.(EARLY BLACK-GRASS CONTROL)
September 4, 2004... Control black-grass through the rotation using different modes of action, but in the wheat crop focus on pre-emergence and early post-emergence applications for best results. Difficult or resistant black-grass will require different modes...

Nozzle knowledge.(EARLY BLACK-GRASS CONTROL)
September 4, 2004... Choosing the right nozzle can play a major part in black-grass control. Here, some of the latest nozzle technology is reviewed. "Top-level black-grass control isn't just down to choosing the right product. It's also about correct sprayer...

Ploughing and break crops loosens black-grass grip.(EARLY BLACK-GRASS CONTROL)
September 4, 2004... Ploughing all arable land, spring cropping and break crops, including borage, is reducing a confirmed black-grass resistance problem for Bedfordshire cereal farmer Michael Whitlock of Brook Farm, Swineshead. The 1100 acre arable farming...

Black-grass resistance warning.
September 4, 2004... Farmers need to use a range of cultural practices, together with planned and strategic herbicide use, to minimise the impact of herbicide resistant black-grass on future cereal crop performance and profitability. This was the message from...

Tillage plans to tickle fancies: any grower contemplating a change in crop establishment system--or simply planning to upgrade existing methods and equipment--would do well to make their way to one of this year's two Tillage events. Peter Hill provides a flavour of what they will find.(MACHINERY)
September 4, 2004... THE BIGGEST working array of modern ploughs, cultivators and drills, all being operated by the latest tractors. That, in essence, is what the Tillage demonstrations in Leicestershire and the Borders have to offer--plus a lot more besides. ...

Cultivation options.(MACHINERY)
September 4, 2004... NEWCOMERS to the cultivation scene destined for a Tillage debut include the 'Revolution' tiller from spading machine manufacturer Imants, which is said to handle primary and secondary cultivation as well as seedbed work with the option of a...

Min-till versus traditional approach.(MACHINERY)
September 4, 2004... CONTRASTING approaches to winter crop establishment are used on the two host farms. David Corbett at William Corbett Farms in Leicestershire has switched wholeheartedly from a plough-based system to minimum tillage. "We are constantly...

MF 8400 Series tractor.(MACHINERY)
September 4, 2004... A LAUNCH that completes the two-year renovation of the entire Massey Ferguson tractor range also takes the marque's stepless drive technology upscale; all four of the 8400 Series tractors from 215hp to 290hp that replace the 8200 Series line-up...

Herbicide arsenal: whether its blackgrass, meadowgrass or broadleaved weeds, our guide compiled by Mike Abram, will provide the answers for controlling key cereal weeds.(HERBICIDES)
September 4, 2004... Product Lerap Use it for Grassweed activity CHEETAH SUPER None Wild oats in wheat. Sensitive blackgrass (Bayer CropScience) also controlled. Activity on rough Contains 55g/litre ...

Not good, but not a disaster.(FARMDIARY)
September 4, 2004... IN THE 20 years I have been driving combine harvesters, I have never actually managed to get one so badly stuck it could not be backed out of whatever hole it had dug, once all the contents of the grain tank had been unloaded. That...

New packaging cuts waste.(LASTWORD)
September 4, 2004... MAKHTESHIM AGAN is introducing new Min-Rinse packaging for a range of its products, which will cut waste disposal problems and reduce filling time, according to the firm's Mike Barrett. Free from internal seams, the polyethylene bags not...

Letter to editor.(Letter to the Editor)
September 4, 2004... FURTHER to comments in the Premium Crops Seed Supplement (14 August) all Nabim member companies are supportive of the winter wheat variety Solstice, and would favour it over Einstein and Cordiable. This is reflected in the prices paid. ...

Latitude doesn't prevent decline.(LASTWORD)
September 4, 2004... NEW research suggests using Latitude (silthiofam) seed treatment to protect yields from take-all doesn't interfere with take-all decline in continuous cereals. "The classic pattern is for good yields from the first crop followed by a drop...

Blackgrass spreading north.(LASTWORD)
September 4, 2004... SCOTTISH growers need to be on the lookout for blackgrass this autumn, warns SAC's Ken Davies. "I've had the odd [blackgrass] plant come in over the years, but this year I've been sent 20 samples, half from north of the Forth, where there's...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
September 4, 2004... Contrary to our oilseed rape herbicide tables (Crops, 14 August) Fusilade Max does not have a LERAP B rating.

A costly harvest legacy.(Compaction)
September 18, 2004... The wet August is expected to have cost UK arable farmers up to [pounds sterling]100m in lost crop value, drying costs and yield. No-one yet has put a figure on the cost of the damage to soils and the impact on next year's crops, but it is...

Don't let it leach away.(Erosion)
September 18, 2004... SOIL erosion is now seen as the most important environmental problem of modern agriculture because the impact is much more wide-ranging than simply lost soil. Soil eroded by water can end up on roads, in streams and reservoirs. That in...

Choosing the right rate.(Fertiliser Requirements)
September 18, 2004... SHOULD you vary the rate of fertiliser according to your cultivation system? Only in genuine direct drilling situations, says ADAS's principal research scientist Peter Dampney. "Every situation should be treated individually, but cereals grown...

Starters orders.(Establishment)
September 18, 2004... GETTING crops off to a good start sets the scene for future success. The key is to create seedbed conditions where the seed is surrounded by a fine, firm tilth and under which roots can develop well. It should be non-compacted but well...

Finding the right mix.(Rotations)
September 18, 2004... FIFTYFIFTY wheat and oilseed rape might appear to be the most profitable rotation on paper, but is that rotation the most effective way of dealing with pest, disease and weed control--and maintaining soil structure and fertility? Changes...

Tillage & timeliness.(Cultivations and Soils)
September 18, 2004... THE primary goal of cultivations is to bury weeds and trash, improve soil conditions to achieve easier planting and early seedling growth. Plough-based tillage has long been the conventional practice. But in the drive to cut costs and...

Savings to be made.(Costs)
September 18, 2004... AUTUMN cultivations are the hub of combinable cropping, dictating the labour required and the number and size of tractors, says John Bailey of TAG Consulting Ltd. "There are huge opportunities to save time and money by finding a workable...

Herbicide concerns.(Viewpoint)
September 18, 2004... NEWS that the latest blackgrass survey from a major chemical manufacturer points towards a deepening problem with resistance will come as little surprise to those who have to battle with the grassweed year in, year out. With the problem...

Rushed reform is bad reform.(Viewpoint)
September 18, 2004... WITH Wissington sugar factory opening this week, the spotlight once again turns towards the beet campaign, and sugar in general. But it's a spotlight that will shine increasingly brightly over the coming months as the EU sugar regime...

Saturated soil.(Viewpoint)
September 18, 2004... THE cost of this year's harvest is still being totted up. But one factor that hasn't yet been built into the calculation is soil damage. The legacy of travelling on wet land to harvest crops will be felt for many years to come. Compaction...

Despite reports to the contrary, pink grain may not mean it's infected with fusarium.(Viewpoint)
September 18, 2004... Despite reports to the contrary, pink grain may not mean it's infected with fusarium. It's just as likely it's the production of a natural plant pigment often produced in response to bad weather. More reason to be absolutely sure of the quality...

The latest round of HGCA enterprise awards opened last week (6 September).(Viewpoint)
September 18, 2004... The latest round of HGCA enterprise awards opened last week (6 September). Those interested have until 31 December to apply for funding that can provide grants of tens of thousands of pounds. If you're entrepreneurially minded, this could be...

Tap into obesity.(Viewpoint)
September 18, 2004... Tap into obesity. That's the opportunity offered by the Government's National School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (NSFVS) which makes every 4 to 6-year-old eligible to receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable each day. Twenty-four hectares of...

Low prices and a difficult harvest will inevitably cause problems with cash-flow for many.(Viewpoint)
September 18, 2004... Low prices and a difficult harvest will inevitably cause problems with cash-flow for many. Encouraging then to hear one major bank has agreed repayment holidays on loans until the IACS cheque arrives. Others are indicating they may be prepared...

Don't expect a handout: it's time to move on from a culture of government dependency, argues Marie Skinner.(FarmerForum)
September 18, 2004... DESPITE changes away from production support, the subsidy culture is alive and well in UK agriculture and the belief that industry problems are there to be solved by "someone else" is thriving. Why else did such appalling whingeing appear...

Safeguarding our investment: this year's farm-saved seed deal can help all sectors of the industry, says BSPB Chairman Chris Green, but industry collaboration is vital.(FarmerForum)
September 18, 2004... AFTER such a difficult harvest and with grain prices on the floor, many farmers will inevitably be looking to cut production costs wherever they can. Using farm-saved seed may be one of the options, but it will be a false economy--and a...

Farming in France.(WorldFarming)
September 18, 2004... USUALLY, crops come and go gradually in the agricultural evolution. Winter oilseed rape took some years to become established; spring oats has slowly disappeared from most farms. But winter barley, at least on the farms I look after, has gone...

Midge makes its mark: bad weather at harvest has made interpreting this year's wheat trials results more difficult. Even so, some clear themes have emerged, as Julian Gairdner reports.(Wheat Harvest)
September 18, 2004... SPEAK to anyone about this year's wheat harvest and with almost unanimity they'll cite lodging and orange blossom midge as the key factors in this year's results. "The results are more mixed than we've seen for a number of years," says...

Making the right choice: if you're thinking about blackgrass control already this autumn, Louise Impey has some advice from three experts.(Blackgrass)
September 18, 2004... DON'T IGNORE blackgrass. It poses an enormous threat to crop yields, according to Masstock technical manager Clare Bend. Trials conducted by Masstock at Stow Longa in Cambridgeshire last year recorded a 5t/ha yield penalty where blackgrass...

Fair weather contrast.(FarmDiary)
September 18, 2004... OUR wheat harvest eventually got under way on 17 August with us being conscious that some varieties were already showing varying levels of sprouting and that the weather prospects for the remainder of the month were not looking promising. ...

Sponsor's message.
September 18, 2004... Far more for farming. That mission statement underpins the entire operation of Agrovista UK Limited--the UK's leading supplier of agronomy advice and crop protection products. The company also has the most comprehensive integrated trials...

German lessons: three UK growers are part of a project to learn from the German approach to growing rape. Mike Abram reports.(Oilseed Rape)
September 18, 2004... WHAT is the secret to growing consistently high yielding oilseed rape? It seems German growers may have the answer--average yields in Germany have been higher than the UK in six out of the past nine years, according to comparative figures from...

So what are my post-emergence options?(Busting Black-Grass--Choosing Your Weapons)(Advertisement)
September 18, 2004... There's little doubt pre-emergence herbicides have worked well recently. In fact, they're an important part of the programme. But while, in some cases, they've allowed isoproturon (ipu) to be used as a follow-up, this may not be the kind of...

What if I want to use an SU?(Busting Black-Grass--Choosing Your Weapons)(Advertisement)
September 18, 2004... If you are happy to use a sulfonylurea mixture early on, there is now even more choice. HAWK + flupyrsulfuron remains the cornerstone of many programmes for black-grass at 1-2 leaves--and has given reliable control across dozens of trials....

What can I expect from the new HAWK NOZZLE?(Busting Black-Grass--Choosing Your Weapons)(Advertisement)
September 18, 2004... A new, forward-facing nozzle, specifically designed for optimising black-grass control with HAWK by putting more spray on the target. This is what users can expect from the new HAWK 40[degrees] NOZZLE. Developed by Syngenta in partnership...

Challenged on all fronts.(FarmDiary)
September 18, 2004... TO SAY this harvest has been unusual would be an understatement. I have never witnessed such a persistent spell of un-harvest-like weather. With crops not able to be harvested, warm damp conditions resulting in growth in the ear, the escalating...

French salad ways: French breeders are looking to corner the European salad potato market, as Julian Gairdner discovers at the Pommes de Terre event earlier this month.(Potatoes)(Cover Story)
September 18, 2004... LIKE your salad potatoes? There's an increasing chance those succulent tubers you're eating this summer are French rather than British-grown. With France now Europe's number one exporter of fresh market potatoes--some 1.4m tonnes last...

On-farm separation: the basic design of the combine harvester has not changed for decades--it has just become bigger and more efficient. Andy Collings takes a look at an innovative Canadian harvesting system which breaks the mould.(Machinery)
September 18, 2004... IT IS PERHAPS a sobering thought that, as a combine harvester works its way across a field, it manages to pick up all the weed seeds and chaff in the field--only to drop them all on the ground again. For Canadian entrepreneur Bob McLeod,...

Justin McDonald's diary.
September 18, 2004... Monday What agony my harvest became. It all started so well with the oilseed rape, but things began to grind to a halt with the spring peas and spring barley. Then we hit the wall (or should that be the well?) with the wheat. Torrential...

Tracking combine sales: growers may be relieved to see their combines finally parked up in the shed after one of the most challenging harvests in recent memory. But manufacturers will soon be chasing decisions on replacement purchases. Peter Hill reviews developments for harvest 2005.(Machinery)
September 18, 2004... THE rewarding harvest that arable farmers enjoyed last year led to a spending spree that saw the biggest fleet of new combines in action for the past six years. Given the conditions they faced, growers who spent to give themselves a combine in...

CX range to lift output.(Machinery)
September 18, 2004... INCREASED power and electronic fuelling control to boost performance, along with a higher-capacity cutting table design, should lift output of New Holland CX five-walker combines. The Extra-Capacity table, available in 6.1m, 7.3m and 9.1m...

Guiding hand in the dark.(Machinery)
September 18, 2004... COMBINE drivers who want to push on in easy harvesting conditions, or as dusk falls, are offered a number of electronic helping hands on John Deere's revamped 9000 Series harvesters. The "intelligent" options that give the machines their...

Cost-conscious alternative.(Machinery)
September 18, 2004... THE "Laverda" name returned to the UK harvest this year following McCormick's decision to use its sister company's identification on harvest machinery rather than its own. The move coincides with completion of the "M" series, which now...

Claas tractors come to UK.(Machinery)
September 18, 2004... NOT so much the launch of a new tractor as of new distribution arrangements for an established range--Claas is now a tractor company as well as harvest machinery specialist, which marks a big change for the business, its dealers and the former...

Take advantage of short-term demand: markets for the 2004 cereal crop will be volatile and heavily influenced by local conditions and availability. Suzie Horne reports.(Business)
September 18, 2004... ALREADY there is a strong spot demand for wheat because the delayed harvest has created shorts, traders are saying. At the start of September the market was offering little or no carryover to November. Only a very small percentage of this...

Output still main driver: what decisions are growers likely to make this autumn in the light of the single farm payment? Suzie Horne investigates.(Business)
September 18, 2004... CROPPING plans will see little change this autumn, although some light land and some heavy land growers will not be drilling parts of their farms, says Martin Wilkinson, head of business management at ADAS. Most growers have deferred...

Green bridge risk for BYDV.(LastWord)
September 18, 2004... MORE volunteer cereals and grassweeds on stubbles combined with a high background population of aphids could leave newly drilled cereal crops more at risk from barley yellow dwarf virus infection this autumn, warns BASF's technical adviser John...

Early phoma attack.(LastWord)
September 18, 2004... OILSEED rape crops face an exceptionally early threat from phoma infection this season following heavy rain which has triggered spore production. That's the warning from ADAS' Peter Gladders after Syngenta's phoma advance warning system...

Don't get penalised.(LastWord)
September 18, 2004... TAKE care before agreeing prices for oilseed rape harvested after the rains, warns Scottish Agronomy's Allen Scobie. "Get rape analysed and agree what the price is going to be." Wet weather does have an impact on oil content, but it...

[pounds sterling]50.(LastWord)
September 18, 2004... FIFTY pounds for the first grower who can confirm what this pest is, photographed on a crop of potatoes in France at the Pommes de Terre event earlier this month. Entries to Crops@rbi.co.uk

Optimum second wheat drilling date approaching.(LastWord)
September 18, 2004... HIGHEST second wheat yields come from crops drilled in the first week of October, according to information gathered by ProCam's 4cast predictive agronomy system. While the optimum date for first wheat yields--12 September--has already passed....

Environmental opportunities.(LastWord)
September 18, 2004... SOIL erosion and wildlife are at the heart of 24 cross-compliance measures announced last week by the Scottish Executive's rural minister, Ross Finnie. Most of these measures are well within the grasp of Scottish arable producers, confirms...

More dormant blackgrass.(LastWord)
September 18, 2004... DESPITE the wet weather, blackgrass germination is likely to be protracted this season owing to a cooler and wetter summer, a SA LINK project suggests. Germination is running at about 28% compared with 57% last year, and 62% in 2001. 2002,...