Crops articles from September 2005

Crops archives from September 2005

Hemp harvest.(VIEWPOINT)
September 3, 2005... Hemp harvest. One hundred acres of hemp grown on contract for processor Hemcore is cut at Waldersey Farms Ltd, Southery, Norfolk. It's the third year the farm has grown the crop, "with variable results", says farm foreman Reg Fletcher. "It's...

Retailer issues.(VIEWPOINT)
September 3, 2005... ONE way or another retailer bullying will be curbed. The frustration for farmers is that it isn't happening faster. Growers who've had contracts cancelled recently would say rubbish. And with reason. But three things in recent weeks show...

Time to celebrate.(VIEWPOINT)
September 3, 2005... EARLIER this year, our sister title, Farmers Weekly, launched the Agricultural Awards--a celebration of everything that's good about British farming. The timing couldn't be better. Farming is going through a period of huge readjustment as...

Book your place.(VIEWPOINT)
September 3, 2005... THIS issue the Crops conference programme is announced. Seizing control--creating success in a global market brings together a diverse cross-section of speakers from home and abroad. And that's important. UK farming cannot act in isolation...

Spare a thought for the Continent.(VIEWPOINT)
September 3, 2005... Spare a thought for the Continent. The harvest there is proving a similar affair to 2004 on these shores. Nothing can be gained in wallowing in others' misfortune but keeping an eye on the markets will be essential as buyers formulate plans...

The area of German farmland in industrial and non-food cropping has hit a record 1.4m hectares--12% of all arable land in the republic.(VIEWPOINT)
September 3, 2005... The area of German farmland in industrial and non-food cropping has hit a record 1.4m hectares--12% of all arable land in the republic. It's a five-fold increase since the mid-1990s. The most important crop is oilseed rape for biodiesel,...

Eighty-six percent of the 18,000 visitors to LEAF demonstration farms and innovation centres in 2005 say they have a greater understanding of how farmers are addressing environmental concerns.(VIEWPOINT)
September 3, 2005... Eighty-six percent of the 18,000 visitors to LEAF demonstration farms and innovation centres in 2005 say they have a greater understanding of how farmers are addressing environmental concerns. Ninety percent now know more about the work of the...

Field fare.(VIEWPOINT)(Cartoon)
September 3, 2005... "Well, I was going to call it Gate Gourmet."

What margin do you work to? Figures can be highly misleading. Stephen Carr argues he's not alone in being confused by the numbers.(FARMERFORUM)
September 3, 2005... I HAVE never been very fond of gross margins. I suspect the reason is I don't really understand what they are. My father was suspicious of a formal education in agriculture so, 30 years ago, I was dragged straight from my A-levels and...

Five measures to profitability: food chain transparency is good for retailers and for farmers, insists Jon Woolven, director of the Food Chain Centre.(FARMERFORUM)
September 3, 2005... I WAS pleased to see Marie Skinner raise the work of the Food Chain Centre and the Cereals Industry Forum (Crops, 2 July). Marie is a switched-on adviser and her article gets to the nub of the issue. But while Marie is broadly supportive,...

Harald Isermeyer: farming in Germany.(WORLDFARMING)
September 3, 2005... USUALLY about this time in mid-August we are celebrating the end of our harvest on the western and the eastern farms. This year, thanks to repeated showers during the past three weeks, we still have almost all the wheat to combine--around half...

Early blackgrass control: grabbing the opportunity to control blackgrass in wheat and barley before it emerges could save money and hassle later on. Sarah Henly explains.(HERBICIDES)
September 3, 2005... DO YOU really need to fork out on a pre-emergence herbicide when post-emergence product Atlantis does such a sterling job on difficult blackgrass and ryegrass? Definitely yes, if only to maintain the sulfonylurea's efficacy, because there...

The single farm payment highlights the need for quality wheats.(Advertisement)
September 3, 2005... Divorcing subsidy away from the crop has served only to highlight what many farmers had already realised--that average yielding feed wheat is barely profitable, even as a first wheat. While the costs have inexorably risen, the base price for...

Cautious variety choice: how will this year's wheat variety trials results influence seed choice? Mike Abram finds out, while Paul Spackman analyses growers' harvest reports.(WHEAT HARVEST)
September 3, 2005... * EAST MOST growers will stick with the tried and tested this season, believes ProCam technical director David Ellerton. "With all the changes in agriculture currently most growers are tending to be a bit conservative with variety...

Terra Arable Farmer of the Year: plucked from over 100 entries to the Farmers Weekly Agricultural Awards, the three Terra Arable Farmer of the Year finalists prove that a positive approach to managing the business is essential for future prosperity. Gilly Johnson profiles the contenders.(Cover Story)
September 3, 2005... * Mark Ireland IRELANDS' FARMS must embrace the wide picture of environmental obligations, market requirements, relationship with the public and the direction of political change, Mark Ireland says. But he also knows how to fill the...

Crops conferences: seizing control--creating success in a global market.
September 3, 2005... Farming in the UK has a positive future--there can be little doubt about that. But it isn't going to be easy. De-coupling demands a change in focus. Production techniques must be second to none, marketing methods customer focused, and business...

Herbicide choices: whether it's blackgrass, meadowgrass or broadleaved weeds, our guide compiled by Louise Impey, will provide the answers for controlling key cereal weeds.(HERBICIDES)
September 3, 2005... Note: This table is a guide, not a recommendation. Prices are a guesstimate based on early-season predictions and vary according to rates used for target weed spectrum. Product Lerap Use it for Grassweed activity...

Harvest far from plain sailing.(FARMDIARY)
September 3, 2005... WE made a start on wheat harvest on 16 August, a full 10 days earlier than last year, but it has been a stop start affair ever since. Einstein at Yokefleet grown as a second wheat seed crop was the first to be cut and produced a yield in excess...

Generics rise to the challenges: launching our new 'Crops Visions of the Future' series of sponsored articles, Charles Abel hears how generic chemical supplier Nufarm believes it can help producers meet some of the industry's key challenges.(VISIONS OF THE FUTURE)
September 3, 2005... WHAT does the future hold for UK arable farming? Tough times for sure, but hopefully a profitable future, in which farming is seen as an important industry delivering quality food products and managing the countryside for the benefit of the...

Getting on top of compaction.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
September 3, 2005... SOIL COMPACTION is a widespread and under-identified problem, but the remedy is relatively easy and can have a dramatic impact on yields. Compaction is a particular problem where potatoes are grown, and recent trials commissioned by the...

Used kit is a good buy: as the potato growing industry consolidates, there is a ready supply of used machinery that, if carefully selected and looked after, represents a good buy for growers on a tight budget. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
September 3, 2005... RENTING LAND and making do with used machinery were the only options available when Robert Strathern started his Essex-based potato business. Most of his 100ha crop is grown within a 15-mile radius of the yard and buildings he rents at...

Finance deals keep up used tackle prices.(MACHINERY)
September 3, 2005... CONTRACT HIRE and other financing options from Grimme should help maintain value in used harvesters and other machinery. Finance partner Tech5 offers a number of schemes, including contract hire, which gives growers a known cost per acre or per...

Seed-beds for OSR: the UK's biggest autumn cultivation events will be held in Glos and Durham this year as machinery manufacturers unveil their latest cultivations and drilling equipment at Tillage 2005. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
September 3, 2005... PIGEONS APART, shrinking profit margin is the biggest headache for most oilseed rape growers, many of whom have turned to simple low-cost methods of one-pass seed-bed cultivation and seed broadcasting to reduce expenditure on crop...

Increasing work rates.(MACHINERY)
September 3, 2005... TRAILED VERSIONS of the Amazone Catros fast and shallow disc cultivator provide higher work rates than the smaller mounted models without imposing undue strain on tractor lift linkages. There are 5.5m and 7.5m working widths using a...

Lexion 600 ... in your dreams.(JUSTINMCDONALD'SDIARY)
September 3, 2005... MON MY SENSE of farming unreality increases by the day. Every working hour I become painfully aware of the increasing disparity between the cost of everything I buy and the value of everything I have to sell. I am not sure I can remember a...

Flexible ways to contracting: contract farming agreements are being updated to reflect changes under the Single Payment Scheme. Crops listened in as an Oxfordshire farmer considered his options.(BUSINESS)
September 3, 2005... BUSINESSES WITH a contract farming agreement are looking hard at their post-CAP reform options and in particular asking: is the agreement flexible enough? At Wicklesham Farm, Faringdon, Oxon, a 175ha predominantly arable business, it is...

Choose potato seed carefully.(LASTWORD)
September 3, 2005... SELECTING CHEAPER certified potato seed may not necessarily be cost-effective, warns Branston senior field manager Jim Aitken. Branston plots at the Potatoes in Practice site near Dundee aim to illustrate the difference between two...

Alternative skin spot answers.(LASTWORD)
September 3, 2005... SAC are investigating new fungicidal seed treatment options for controlling skin spot, in preparation for the possible withdrawal of the current most effective treatment--2, aminobutane. "It got a stay of execution until the end of 2006,...

Nozzles help sclerotinia.(LASTWORD)
September 3, 2005... SCLEROTINIA control in carrots could be improved by using narrow 65[degrees] flat fan jet nozzles when applying Amistar (azoxystrobin), Syngenta advises. The narrow spray angle, combined with a bigger nozzle orifice (08 nozzle at 50cm...

Balanced gout fly control.(LASTWORD)
September 3, 2005... AUTUMN INSECTICIDE treatments aimed specifically at gout fly will not generally result in a yield response, says HGCA. Growers are therefore advised to consider using a seed treatment or insecticide spray targeted at aphid vectors of BYDV,...

Closing with Canberra.(VIEWPOINT)
September 17, 2005... Closing with Canberra. The final hectares of oilseed rape are drilled on a Velcourt-managed farm at Deeping St Nicholas, near Spalding, Lincs. "The conditions are excellent--good moisture and seedbeds," says manager Stephen Walker. But they...

Get a grip, Gordon.(VIEWPOINT)
September 17, 2005... HOW much more will farmers and hauliers have to take? Several months ago Brent crude oil reached "record levels". Now it seems a new peak is reached on almost a weekly basis. The government must act. Value Added Tax taken by the...

Be prepared.(VIEWPOINT)
September 17, 2005... NEXT week, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution publishes its report on bystander pesticide issues. Some of the findings were leaked earlier in the summer and although not substantiated by the Commission at that time, farmers...

Cereal quality this harvest has been better than last year--at least for earlier-cut crops in the south and east--according to the first HGCA Cereal Quality Survey results.(VIEWPOINT)
September 17, 2005... Cereal quality this harvest has been better than last year--at least for earlier-cut crops in the south and east--according to the first HGCA Cereal Quality Survey results. Wheat Hagbergs averaged 290-300, compared to the UK average of 180 last...

Jordans 'Back to Nature' advertising campaign has scooped an IVCA (International Visual Communication Association) Clarion Award, in recognition of its promotion of sustainable development initiatives.(VIEWPOINT)
September 17, 2005... Jordans 'Back to Nature' advertising campaign has scooped an IVCA (International Visual Communication Association) Clarion Award, in recognition of its promotion of sustainable development initiatives. The adverts promoted its natural range of...

British Sugar.(VIEWPOINT)
September 17, 2005... British Sugar has launched a new website--www.britishsugar.co.uk BS says the site's focus is on buyers, technologists and product managers, but hopes it will also appeal to farmers and the general public. Users can personalise their home page...

Fuel protest fury.(VIEWPOINT)(Cartoon)
September 17, 2005... "Well, he says he wants to blockade the refinery but can't afford the diesel to get there."

Slave to producing wheat: growers won't give up farming even if it makes sense to, Marie Skinner argues.(FARMERFORUM)
September 17, 2005... EMOTION is well and flourishing in agriculture and should not be ignored. It will significantly affect the amount of land taken out of production in the coming year--and not necessarily in the way people expect. When it comes to drilling...

Reasons to be confident: current prospects may seem gloomy, but there's much to look forward to for arable growers, as David Neale explains.(FARMERFORUM)
September 17, 2005... GRAPHIC images of post-hurricane America highlight the fragility of world energy supply and reinforce my view that British crop production has a fine future. But before you consign me to the DEFRA Retirement Home for Sadly Deluded Farming...

Arnaud Vecten: farming in France.(WORLDFARMING)
September 17, 2005... IT COULD have been a dream harvest in Picardy. We made the earliest start ever with the combine moving into oilseed rape on 15 July and threshing for 10 days without a break, then on to spring barley and followed by the first of the wheat. ...

Flea beetle treatment necessary? Oilseed rape crops are at risk from cabbage stem flea beetle. But new research suggests many don't warrant treatment, even at a cost of [pounds sterling]5/ha. Sarah Henly reports.(OILSEED RAPE)
September 17, 2005... IT'S no surprise that a high proportion of oilseed rape crops regularly receive a routine treatment to protect against cabbage stem flea beetle. Applying a pyrethroid insecticide, particularly in tank mix with an autumn herbicide or fungicide,...

What are millers really looking for?(Advertisement)
September 17, 2005... It is vital for farmers to grow what the end market is looking for--and that end market is changing quickly. We asked the man responsible for buying more milling wheat than anyone else in the UK--Gary Sharkey of RHM--what he thought: "This...

Tips to earn top profits: handy tips for organic growers were available at the recent organic crops demonstration day. Wendy Short picks out some key messages.(ORGANIC PRODUCTION)
September 17, 2005... BLUE lupins are ideal for supplying the increasing market demand for organic protein. So says Bob Linford of Norfolk-based seed suppliers, Saturn Seeds. He admits that weeds can be a problem, but says careful management can produce a high-value...

Pick varieties to beat OBM.(ORGANIC PRODUCTION)
September 17, 2005... VARIETAL choice is the key to reducing orange blossom midge (OBM) damage in organic wheats, says Abacus Organic Services director, Stephen Briggs. It can cause individual field losses of up to 25%, as well as reducing specific weights and...

Heat makes sound seeds.(ORGANIC PRODUCTION)
September 17, 2005... A MIXTURE of hot air and ultrasound is emerging as one of the most promising methods for treating organic cereal seed, and could eventually become commercially available. That is the view of NIAB plant pathologist, David Kenyon, who says...

Gerald has been the star performer.(FARMDIARY)
September 17, 2005... ON REFLECTION, we appear to have had the best of the harvesting weather and by now most in this part of the world will expect to be tidied up. In comparison with previous seasons, I would estimate that it will be earlier than many in the...

Talk about blackgrass; Three agronomists, one farmer. The topic: grassweed control. Mike Abram chairs the round-table discussion.(HERBICIDES)
September 17, 2005... THE battle is on. But it is not just between farmers and their grassweed problems. The fight this season will extend between agronomists and growers about whether to use Atlantis on every field, what to precede it with, and, as ever, how...

Seizing control--creating success in a global market.
September 17, 2005... Supported by Kemira GrowHow, John Deere, Agrovista and Saaten-Union Farming in the UK has a positive future--there can be little doubt about that. But it isn't going to be easy. De-coupling demands a change in focus. Production techniques...

Blight beaten by increased Shirlan rates.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
September 17, 2005... UPPING the rate of potato blight fungicide, Shirlan (fluazinam), has had a "staggering" effect on blight control in trials, according to GrowScience's John Keer. "I've done as much as anyone to push growers to recognise Shirlan's...

Plotting skylark success.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
September 17, 2005... CEREAL GROWERS are being urged to consider establishing skylark plots when drilling crops this autumn. Creating 4m by 4m plots can be done easily and is worth [pounds sterling]30/ha under the Entry Level Scheme, says the RSPB. Skylark...

More choice this autumn.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
September 17, 2005... A NEW formulation of pendimethalin has been added to Makhteshim Agan's range of Alpha-branded products. Alpha Pendimethalin 330EC is already used in other parts of Europe and offers growers more choice for grass and broad-leaved weed...

Scope to cut Robigus rate.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
September 17, 2005... GROWERS OF robust tillering wheat varieties such as Robigus are advised to cut seed rates to reduce lodging threat and disease risk in over thick crops. The variety is also small grained, therefore sowing by weight per hectare can...

Trials show barley's first cereal potential.(AGRONOMYUPDATE)
September 17, 2005... HYBRID FEED barley could provide a better gross margin than winter wheat when grown as a first cereal, according to results from Farmacy trials in Lincolnshire. In the trials, the hybrid variety Boost, yielded 11.88t/ha, around 1t/ha more...

Ignore the fuel gauge--it'll give you a heart attack.(JUSTINMCDONALD'SDIARY)
September 17, 2005... MON AS RED tractor diesel climbs ominously close to 40p/litre the question in farming circles is just how high can it go. The only thing I am grateful for is that my diesel dispenser from the bulk tank has neither a mechanism for measuring...

Beet survival guide.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... Sugar beet production in the UK faces momentous change as EU policy is reformed. With negotiations set to culminate in a final deal in November, the timing of Beet UK could not be better. On Wednesday 19 October Europe's premier sugar beet...

Who's who at beet UK.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... Here's the exhibitor list for Beet UK. Visit www.beetuk.co.uk for late-entry details Agri-Cycle Static Barff Farm, Caenby, Lincoln LN8 2AG. 01673 878215; fax 01673 878204. Waste recycling. Agrihold Farm Machinery ...

Reform to survive: radical reform of the EU sugar regime is inevitable. The focus now needs to shift to how it will be implemented, says British Sugar.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... EUROPEAN beet production faces radical and painful restructuring. That much is clear. So the challenge now must be to secure the best deal possible, and apply it uniformly across Europe, to leave a modern efficient EU industry. "We support...

Pushing that bit harder for profit: cutting the unit cost of producing beet is the priority for Beet UK's host farmer.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... SUGAR beet on the Beet UK host farm on Lincoln Health is looking a good deal better than last year's crop. More favourable weather and a timely fungicide spray have kept the field of Dominika in good shape throughout the summer. That is...

Benchmarking help: knowing what your costs are and which deliver extra profit is set to become more important than ever. Edward Long reports.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... MAXIMISING beet yield has never been more important, as radical reform of the sugar regime threatens to force big cuts in beet prices. But it is all about focusing on the detail rather than looking for a one-hit solution, says British Sugar....

Future focus is efficiency: this Crops/Bayer competition is designed to make UK sugar beet growers winners. Answer our questions correctly and you could win one of 20 samsonite luxury backpacks. More importantly, you will better understand the tactics needed to produce profitable beet.(COMPETITION)
September 17, 2005... THERE is a future for sugar beet production in this country, whatever the outcome of EU farm commissioner Mariann Fischer-Boel's proposals for reform of the sugar regime. So says Bayer beet specialist Peter Stacey. He cites two key reasons...

Effective harvesting cuts losses: don't let harvest losses drain your beet crop's profits. There is lots you can do to ensure every root counts.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... HARVESTING efficiency can make or break a beet crop's profitability. Fail to ensure the machine is in tip-top order, or allow sloppy work, and losses can mount in the field, the clamp and the pocket. To cut the risk of delays and ensure as...

The beet crop's green credentials.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... SUGAR beet's environmental credentials are the envy of the arable sector. Not only does it generate a worthwhile income for growers, it also delivers wildlife benefits and has less environmental impact than potatoes or oilseed rape. "It is...

Testing times for beet harvesters.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... HARVESTER test results showing how each machine performs will be available to growers attending the Beet UK event in Lincs this autumn. The tests, the only ones in the UK comparing beet harvester performance, will be carried out on the day...

UK's first beet to bioethanol due: can bioethanol from British beet give road fuel a welcome green tinge? British Sugar thinks so.(BEET UK)
September 17, 2005... BIOETHANOL produced from beet could soon be available for blending with mineral-based fuel to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from petrol-driven vehicles. If planning permission is granted later this year British Sugar's new 55,000t...

Tweak tables at flick of switch: with the latest combine cutting tables, operators can make almost as many fine-tuning adjustments to the front end of their machines as to the main workings behind the cab. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
September 17, 2005... IT'S the ability to adjust, alter and tweak settings with the touch of a switch instead of a handful of spanners that Lincs arable grower Robert Naylor likes about the new generation of combine cutting tables. Reel speed and height have...

Claas ups the power stakes: harvesting output still not quite enough? Then claas reckons it has the solution in a new range-topping model said to be capable of delivering up to 25% more output than the benchmark Lexion 580. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY)
September 17, 2005... COMBINE manufacturers continue to confound the pundits who, not so very long ago, were predicting that outputs would soon reach a peak because of the physical constraints on the size of European harvesters. Next year, a number of UK growers...

John deere 8030 series tractors.(MACHINERY)
September 17, 2005... AT FIRST glance, little appears to have changed on John Deere's forthcoming revamped range of high horsepower tractors. Yet beneath the subtly reworked nose, hood and cab roof, the five wheeled and three tracked 8030 Series machines sport a...

10 housekeeping tips: accurate and timely financial housekeeping is more important than ever as growers face the single payment cash-flow squeeze and low prices. Suzie Horne sets you off on the right foot this season.(BUSINESS)
September 17, 2005... 1 Budget now, spring is too late MANY still leave this exercise until spring because it ties in with their financial accounts year end. But this is far too late, says Richard Levin of Brown & Co's Bury St Edmunds office. "One is...

New bullion gives barley growers cost-effective black-grass control.(Advertisement)
September 17, 2005... Cost-effective control of black-grass in barley can offer land back to production giving arable farmers a chance to spread harvest and provide a good entry for OSR. But with limited herbicide control options available up until now and with...

Trial warms SRC demand.(LASTWORD)
September 17, 2005... LOCAL DEMAND for short rotation coppice has been boosted by successful processing trials at Drax power station near Selby, Yorkshire. Phase one of trials successfully demonstrated the potential to handle and co-fire significant quantities...

Spud growers urged to give back reusable cans.(LASTWORD)
September 17, 2005... POTATO GROWERS using Syngenta's reusable Nemathorin (fosthiazate) containers are being urged to make sure they return all empty cans. Failure to do so could result in delays in supply or unavailability in the spring, warns Garth Bretherton. ...

Beet crops on target for good year, reckons BS.(LASTWORD)
September 17, 2005... PROSPECTS FOR this year's sugar beet crop are promising, says British Sugar. Test digs from a small number of samples in early September found sugar content per root almost "bang on" the five-year average at 114g, says Paul Bee. Sugar...

Biofuel boost.(LASTWORD)
September 17, 2005... TESCO PLANS to sell biodiesel at 40% of its petrol stations from 2006 in a deal with Greenergy. Mixed with 95% conventional fuel, it could use 20,000t of rape oil.

Atlantis.(LASTWORD)
September 17, 2005... RE: HERBICIDE choices guide (p. 17, Crops 2 September 2005). Atlantis (iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium + mesosulfuron-methyl) can be used on seed crops.

Pasta flour pellet adds tasty weapon against slugs.(LASTWORD)
September 17, 2005... GROWERS' SLUG pellet choices have been broadened with the UK introduction of a new metaldehyde-based product from Barclay Chemicals. Pathfinder Excel is formed from high-grade pasta flour using what the firm's John Davies believes is a...