farmingscotland.com Issue 90

Farming Country Issue ninety • January 2013

ANDREW STEVENSON – SEVEN YEARS ON

LAMBING

FOX CONTROL – OZZIE STYLE NEW MARKET PRICES SECTION FREE CLASSIFIED ADVERTS FOR FARMERS

CASE CELEBRATE 25 YEARS £2.00

EDITORIAL

Farming Country

4 5

Land Rents 2012 Property Review

Issue ninety • January 2013

H

appy New Year to one and all – here’s hoping that the 2013 weather season is better that

Eilidh MacPherson

Farming Country EDITOR: Eilidh MacPherson Marbrack Farm, Carsphairn, Castle Douglas, DG7 3TE Tel: 016444 60644 Mobile: 07977897867 editor@farmingscotland.com www.farmingscotland.com PUBLISHER - farmingscotland.com

2012.

Our neighbouring farmer – Neil – is in at the moment and says a weather station is on his Christmas wish list! Not sure I’d want one – but I have worked out that South West Scotland is much wetter than the North West – or has 2012 been a complete fluke?

Talking of fluke – sheep, lambs, calves and even some cows have been dying from this invader this season.

“Farmers in many parts of the country have been struggling to control liver fluke this autumn/ winter. The level of infection has been high as a result of consecutive wet summers. In some cases treatment has failed to prevent ongoing deaths and loss of condition,” says Heather Stevenson, SAC Vet Services, Dumfries, in her informative article on pages 6 & 7.

Rhidian Jones, also SAC, has written a piece on ewe nutrition pre lambing on the following double page spread.

We finally have a market analysis page, with beef, sheep and pig prices from Scottish Auctions and Abattoirs.

I’m hoping to expand this section to crops in the next couple of issues.

Another new project, which I launched at the end of September, is a facebook page for farmingscotland.com. Thanks to everyone who has ‘liked’ us so far!

If you have anything to buy or sell please either e-mail or give us a call.

We are offering free classified adverts for farmers. So if you have a bull or pups for sale, or looking a second hand quad just let us know your details. We’ve kicked off with a couple this month – an experienced lamber looking for work in Perthshire and tri-coloured pups off Boredale Vic – see page 9 for details.

Thanks to everyone who entered our ‘Cow’ photography competition – a huge entry from the UK and as far as Texas. ‘Sheep’ is the theme for January.

This September we will be celebrating a decade of the magazine – hard to believe!

6 Sheep Fluke, Health, 1 1 Nutriton, Foxes 1 2 Beef Shorthorns

1 3 QMS Market Prices

1 4 Dairy Slurry, Nutrition 15 1 8 Monitor Farm Caithness

2 0 Arable Potates, Grain 24

ADVERTISING – Eilidh MacPherson – 016444 60644 Alison Wood – Kirstin Norrie – Cover - Andrew Stevenson by Rebecca Lee Text and photography by Eilidh MacPherson unless otherwise stated Page 4/5

- Smiths Gore

Page 10/11 - Foxlights Page 14 -

2 5 Machinery CASE IH & 2 7 New Holland

Fullwood

Page 22/23 - Rebecca Lee Page 25 -

CASE IH

Page 27 -

New Holland

Page 28 -

Helen McLaren

Page 30 /31 – Contributors’ own

2 8 Young Farmers East Area 2 9 Sara Sands 3 0 Rural Round -Up Photography 31

3

LAND

PROPERTY

Rural Property Round Up 2012

T

he core market of cottages and farmhouses has held up relatively well despite difficulties in raising deposits at the first time buyer end. * There is much greater choice than in previous years so it is even more important to prepare early and well to achieve a sale. * Price remains an issue, with those looking too expensive staying unsold for long periods of time, with the ultimate result being further price drops. * Prime country houses at greater than £1,500,000 have suffered the most, with natural aspiration to

trade up curtailed by a lack of funding and general lack of confidence. Too many houses are being offered at prices commensurate with those of Southern England, which is simply unsustainable in a Scotland still in the grip of economic uncertainty 500 miles from London! * However country houses offering good value for money are attracting interest from cash buyers sensing an opportunity for a bargain. * Across the board, deals have been taking longer to complete with evidence of ’chains’ being created with far greater regularity than we

have seen before in Scotland. * Home Reports, which are unique to Scotland and which are designed to assist in the sales process are failing. They include a useful condition report, a helpful questionnaire about the property and the obligatory EPC. They also include a valuation report, which is supposed to assist the buyer in getting funding but lenders appear to be increasingly reluctant to accept them and deals are falling apart as a result.

Farms and Farmland Farmland Market * The farms and farmland market has been a shining light this year with prices continuing to rise year on year. Demand continues to outstrip supply with the number of acres offered for sale up only slightly on last year. Arable land prices have exceeded £10,000/acre for the best ground in affordable packages up to about 100 acres,

and at the other end of the scale hill land values are being underpinned by forestry planting prices achieving over £1000/acre. * Forestry too has been a solid performer with bio-fuels bringing a new player into the market to compete with timber merchants and saw millers as well as longer term investor drawn by tax incentives. * 14 Highland and Sporting Estates have been openly offered for sale this year with more available privately. Values of stags shot, salmon caught and grouse killed have remained steady and with strong farming and forestry prices helping to supplement slight falls in the residential values these unique properties are continuing to attract interest.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2013 There is far too much property for sale and much of it perceived to be overpriced. If we are going to see any significant improvement in the market next year sellers/vendors will need to ensure that their homes stand out from the competition by making sure they are presented in the best way they can be and that they are priced correctly, ahead of the market. There is definitely a desire to move the market forward and to get back to something of a more normal housing market place and we predict a more vibrant year ahead.

• The prime Scottish country house and estate market is under some pressure from the uncertainty created by the forthcoming referendum on Independence, which is concerning some overseas and Southern investors. There is little evidence that in the event of an Independent Scotland ‘foreign’ owners will be penalised, and expectations in some quarters are that there is more likely to be incentives to encourage inward investment, which will be much needed.

£4 800.00

4

Farming Country – Issue eighty-five

LAND

Arable Number of rents settled Area (acres) Previous rent (£/acre; average) New rent (£/acre; average) % increase (average)

Dairy

6 728 £63

5 1,524 £37

Livestoc k 41 28,271 £23

£71 13.4%

£40 6.9%

£31 12.4%

Mixed

Total

11 3,819 £37

63 34,342 £31

£41 13.7%

£37 12.3%

NB This data for year ending 30 April 2012 and so will not exactly match the data for calendar years

2008 Number of rents settled Area (acres) Previous rent (£/acre; average) New rent (£/acre; average) % increase (average)

2009

2010

2011

2012

29 8,125

81 39,661

69 35,097

36 17,231

48 29,454

£24 £28 21.4%

£27 £31 15.5%

£28 £31 15.2%

£34 £37 15.1%

£27 £35 12.5%

NB This data is for calendar years and so will not exactly match the data for year ending 30 April

This analysis is based on 63 rent reviews, re-lettings and new lettings in Scotland settled in the 12 months to 30 April 2012, carried out by Smiths Gore surveyors, covering 34,000 acres.

1991 Act rents only Number of rents settled Area (acres) Previous rent (£/acre; average) New rent (£/acre; average) % increase (average)

Arable 52 29,251

Act Rents

£31 £35 12.5%

Up 12.5%

NB This data for year ending 30 April 2012 and so will not exactly match the data for calendar years

1991 Act rents only Number of rents settled Area (acres) Previous rent (£/acre; average) New rent (£/acre; average) % increase (average)

1991

2008

2009

2010

V

alues have continued to rise on more recently reviewed rents, said Robert Gladstone, lead partner of Smiths Gore’s Dumfries Office. “We have had a pretty shocking summer and autumn but a lot of reviews were carried out before the full impact was felt. People also take a longer-term view and forward prices for wheat look strong for the next couple of seasons. I would expect the upward trend to continue on arable rents.”

“Many livestock and dairy rents also had some headroom, though rising feed prices and a less certain price outlook could prove a limiting factor. The Scottish Tenant Farming

2011

2012

23 7,386

69 36,771

66 34,560

29 12,970

41 25,166

£24 £28 21.3%

£25 £28 14.6%

£28 £31 15.3%

£33 £37 16.1%

£29 £32 12.6%

RENTS

“Rents rose by an average of 12%, a lower increase than in 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008. Arable and livestock rents are rising by about the same percentages, 13.4% and 12.4% respectively”, said Dr Jason Beedell, Head of Research at Smiths Gore.

Outlook is for Rents to Continue to Rise to Reflect Profitability Forum has been asked by the Scottish Government to consider possible changes to the basis of farm rent reviews, and depending on the outcome of this, and other Scottish Government initiatives, there may be new legislation. Amongst other items, the Land Reform Review Group is considering extension of the Right to Buy. All this is very unsettling for Landlords.”

Our database now contains details of over 300 agreements since 2007, covering almost 150,000 acres in Scotland. It is one of the most comprehensive databases available in Scotland.

Please note that the rents shown are averages and that there can be considerable variation in rent either side of the average depending on the location and quality of the holding and its fixed equipment. Some rents have dropped, usually when properties are taken out of the tenancy agreement, and others increased by well over 100%.

5

SHEEP

ANIMAL HEALTH

Poor Response To Treatment For Liver Fluke?

F

armers in many parts of the country have been struggling to control liver fluke this autumn/ winter. The level of infection has been high as a result of consecutive wet summers. In some cases treatment has failed to prevent ongoing deaths and loss of condition.

There are many reasons that could explain why treatment appears not to work and it can be difficult to work out what the problem is.

• Underdosing – If the dosing gun is not dispensing the correct amount of medicine or the weight of the animal is underestimated.

• Incorrect storage/administration – if the medicine is out of date,

mixed with another product before being given or the dose is not given over the back of the tongue.

• Wrong product used – Not all fluke treatments kill all ages of fluke in the liver. In autumn and early winter products MUST be able to kill immature fluke. Triclabendazole is the best at this, (see later). Products that contain oxyclozanide, (e.g Levafas Diamond, Downland Fluke and Worm), albendazole, (e.g. Albex, Ovispec), or clorsulon, (e.g Ivomec S) only kill adult fluke and are more suitable for use in late spring/early summer.

• Wrong type of fluke targeted –

Liver fluke is a massive welfare and economic problem particularly in sheep. In comparison rumen fluke is currently of minor importance.

Oxyclozanide is the treatment for rumen fluke but will only kill adult liver fluke. Products containing oxyclozanide are NOT suitable for use in the autumn and early winter.

• Re-infection following treatment – Treatments for liver fluke are not long acting and stock can become re-infected with fluke the day after dosing. This has been a problem in 2012 because the level of infection on pasture is so high. Deaths occurring from 2 or more weeks

post treatment can be due to high levels of re-infection. Some sheep have had to be housed because of this.

• Dosing intervals too long – Similar to the previous point.

Extra doses should be given when the risk of disease is high. Fluke forecasts are based on the amount of summer rainfall. They are published in the press and can also be found at www.nadis.org.uk. In 2010 and 2011 some flocks that routinely dosed in mid October and late January started to lose sheep in December/early January due to re-infection during November and December. An

The information in the tables is taken from product datasheets. As these can change they should always be checked before a product is used. Not all available products are listed. Combination products should only be used if there is a need to treat both worms and fluke.

FLUKE PRODUCTS FOR SHEEP PRODUCT

6

TYPE

CONTAINS

MEAT WITHDRAWAL (DAYS)

KILLS

NOTE

EI

LI

A

Fasinex 5%

Drench

Triclabendazole

56

EIs from 2 days

Fasinex 100 10% Triclacert 5%

Drench

Triclabendazole

35

Drench

Triclabendazole

56

Triclafas 5%

Drench

Triclabendazole

56

EIs from 2 days EIs from 2 days

Flukiver

Drench

Closantel

42

Trodax

Injection

Nitroxynil

49

Combinex

Drench

Cydectin Triclamox

Drench

Fasime c Duo

Drench

Triclabendazole and Ivermectin

27

Closamectin

Injection

28

Supaverm

Drench

Closan tel and Ivermectin Closan tel and Mebendazole

65

Mebadown Super Downland Fluke and Worm Levafas Diamond

Drench

Closan tel and Mebendazole Oxyclozanide and Levamiso le

65

5

Oxyclozanide and Levamiso le

5

Drench

Drench

COMBINATION FLUKE/WORMERS Triclabendazole and 56 Levamiso le Triclabendazole and 31 Moxidectin

EIs from 2 days Some effect on EIs Don’t retreat within 7 weeks EIs from 2 days EIs from 2 days EIs from 2 days

Some effect on EIs Some effect on EIs Also kills rumen fluke Also kills rumen fluke

* Do not use higher dose during tupping or for 1 month after tups are removed.

SHEEP

extra fluke dose in December 2012 is advised for flocks that have issues with fluke.

• Severe liver damage – This may be a problem in some cases where products containing Triclabendazole have been used, (e.g. Fasinex, Combinex, Tribex, Triclfas, Triclamox). Severe destruction of the liver by large numbers of fluke may reduce the effectiveness of triclabendazole.

All these possibilities should be ruled out as far as possible before the final point is considered: • Resistance – Liver fluke that are resistant to a medicine will survive treatment with the correct dose of product.

Their offspring will also be

resistant. Resistance to triclabendazole has been confirmed on some farms. This is a problem because, if working properly, triclabendazole is the best treatment for sheep in the autumn particularly following a wet summer. This is because it is the only medicine that will kill all ages of fluke in the liver.

It is important to know whether triclabendazole is effective on your farm. Carrying out some testing in the first half of 2013* to check whether it is working correctly will provide you with useful information for next autumn – particularly if we have another wet summer. Testing should be carried out as follows: 1. Weigh and mark 6 to10 sheep.

2. Collect faeces from each animal

ANIMAL HEALTH

and place in INDIVIDUALLY labelled bags or pots.

3. Check that the dosing gun is dispensing the correct amount of medicine.

4. Administer the correct dose of product.

5. Deliver samples to your nearest SAC Veterinary Laboratory or to your vet for posting.

6. 3 weeks later collect faeces from the same animals as above.

(If it is not possible to do all of the above then only collecting 6-10 samples 3 weeks after treatment will provide some information.)

The samples will be pooled at the lab and checked for fluke eggs. Adult

fluke need to be present in the livers for the testing to be useful. If in doubt speak to your vet about the best time to carry out sampling. *Products containing triclabendazole are not recommended for treatment of the whole flock in late spring/early summer. They are best kept for when they are most needed in autumn.

by Heather Stevenson SAC Veterinary Services Dumfries

EI – early immature fluke (around 0- 6 weeks after infection) LI = late immature fluke (from around 6 w eeks after infection) A= adult fluke (from around 10-12 weeks after infection)

FLUKE PRODUCTS FOR CATTLE PRODUCT

TYPE

CONTAINS

Fasinex 10%

Drench

Triclabendazole

MEAT WITHDRAWAL (DAYS) 56

Fasinex 100 10% Fasinex 240 24% Trodax

Drench

Triclabendazole

Drench Injection

Combinex

Drench

Cydectin Triclamox Clos amectin

Pour on Injection

Clos amectin

Pour on

Levafas Diamond

Drench

Animec Super

Injection

Ivomec Super

Injection

Virbamec Super Allbex 10%

Injection

Ovispec 10%

KILLS EI LI A

56

Triclabendazole

52

Nitroxynil

60

COMBINATION FLUKE/WORMERS Triclabendazole 56 and Levamisole Triclabendazole 143 and Moxidectin Closantel and 49 Ivermectin Closantel and 28 Ivermectin Oxyclozanide and 5 Levamisole

66

66

66

Drench

Clorsulon and Ivermectin Clorsulon and Ivermectin Clorsulon and Ivermectin Albendazole

14

Drench

Albendazole

14

NOTE

EIs from 2 weeks EIs from 2 weeks EIs from 2 weeks Don’t retreat within 60 days EIs from 2 weeks

Also kills rumen fluke

Use higher dose Use higher

7

SHEEP

NUTRITION

Ewe Feeding: Forage Composition and Ewe Condition Score

by Rhidian Jones, SAC Consultant

V

ariable ewe condition score, and low quality/low intake forages mean farmers may need to modify sheep diets and keep a closer watch on ewe condition score this winter.

Silage Composition With the weather conditions prevailing this year silage making has been challenging to say the least.

Some producers were lucky and snatched the crop during the few good periods but many had to cope as best they could resulting in some very poor silages.

Looking at all silages submitted to the SRUC lab between 1st June and 29th October for pit silage the dry matter, metabolisable energy and crude protein values for the first cut

8

are 300g/kg, 10.4MJ/kgDM and 121g/kgDM, respectively and for the second cut 200g/kg, 10.3MJ/kgDM and 128g/kgDM, respectively.

Average values are similar for big bale silages, although the DM is a little higher. However, although these ME and CP contents are only slightly low, they hide a wide range. For example, the ME varies from 8.0 to 12.3MJ/ kgDM and the CP from 66 to 168g/ kgDM. So, it is essential that silages are analysed so that they can be supplemented appropriately.

forages ewes may need more supplementary feed but it is important to manage this to avoid overfeeding starchy cereals or sudden dietary changes that can cause metabolic upsets. Instead feed sugar beet pulp where protein levels in the forage are adequate or dark grains or soya hulls where protein is also deficient. Manage the use of body reserves to ensure ewes lamb in condition score 2 - 3 when lambing in March or condition score 2 – 2- for ewes lambing at grass.

Meeting the Nutrient Needs of the Ewe Energy and protein requirement of the ewe will be determined by her weight, condition score and numbers of lambs carried. With poor quality

Using Condition Score in Management The graph highlights how condition score can buffer the ewe from the need for high levels of supplementary feeding in late

pregnancy. For example the graph shows that a fit ewe fed baled silage (green line on graph) gets about 11MJ/day, which meets energy requirements up to 6 weeks pre lambing. Fat reserves help keep concentrate requirement to a maximum of around 0.5 kg per day, which can be given as a single feed and will not have detrimental effects on forage intake or cause acidosis.

However 2012 was a difficult year for ewes due to stressful weather and parasite challenge, so condition score of ewes may be lower (red line). The graph shows feeding should start earlier at 9 weeks pre lambing and supplementary feeding levels by lambing will need to be higher at around 0.75kg compound /cereal per day requiring the ration to be split

Sheep Scab High on Agenda into two feeds Do not leave it too late, score your ewes now and make planned changes to rations.

Supplementing Thin Twin Bearing Ewes in Mid to Late Pregnancy Immediately after scanning separate thin ewes out for extra feeding. Supplement with cereals or beet pulp at 0.5 kg per day if the ewes are on low quality silage. Try to at least maintain or improve condition score by up to half a score between scanning and the last three weeks of pregnancy. Low bushel weight cereals are excellent for this purpose and can be a best buy. Feed thin grains whole as less tends to come through in the dung than with plump grains. Note that with 70% of normal bushel weight feeds you have to feed a 30% more volume than normal to get the same weight.

Wheat can cause acidosis so the inclusion of a digestible fibre, such as molassed sugar beet pulp at around 20% is desirable. Oats should always be fed whole but barley and wheat can be lightly processed when fed with silage. The inclusion of molasses in home mixes will provide readily available energy, aid palatability, reduce dust and carry minerals.

Feeds high in DUP such as soya or protected soya need to be fed in late pregnancy as the supply of microbial protein from the rumen is not sufficient when intakes are restricted, especially with low quality forage.

Ideally compound feeds should contain 15% soya but this is unlikely due to cost. Instead feed 100g soya/day per lamb carried in addition to the compound feed.

Other issues to consider Make full use of other information such as scanning data, raddle marks and blood testing in late pregnancy.

Barren ewes can be sold and raddle marks giving 7-10 day bands can make feeding more accurate if you are able to segregate ewes differently.

Blood testing 10 twin bearing ewes 46 weeks from lambing will cost ca £27 + blood sampling costs. This will give you an indication of the energy and protein status of your ewes at this crucial time. Speak to your vet to arrange this.

It may be worthwhile considering early housing and winter shearing the flock to rest sodden pastures and provide correct nutrition. In addition to higher forage intakes and strong lambs there will be less work in summer at the usual shearing time.

Removing the sheep from grass or rotational grazing over the winter will allow productive grasses to rest and regrow so there will be more grass in spring at lambing time which can reduce concentrate requirements.

A

t the inaugural conference of the Sheep Health and Welfare Group (SHAWG) recently a clear mandate was given to the group when the 224 attendees voted in favour of creating an industry-led sheep scab control programme.

The success of the conference was evidenced by the number of delegates from all over GB, including sheep farmers, vets, advisors and other industry representatives who had to battle through severe flooding to reach Worcester Warriors Stadium, Worcester. The debate around sheep scab concluded a busy day and resulted in overwhelming support for SHAWG to initiate a control programme for England, working closely with existing projects in Wales and Scotland.

Peter Baber, a sheep farmer from Devon and chairman of SHAWG, commented: “This is the first event organised by SHAWG and we were delighted to see so many people and really lively discussion about all the topics covered, from Schmallenberg disease to the development of new technology.

“The final session on sheep scab also clearly showed what farmers want SHAWG to be concentrating on. The majority of the sheep industry is acting extremely responsibly to control scab, but greater understanding of treatment options and timings and encouragement for farmers to work with their neighbours to prevent re-infection, is clearly needed. We also need to address the small minority of the industry who are

ignoring the problem and act as a reservoir of infection.

“SHAWG will take this mandate and work very hard to assess the situation and possible solutions.”

Other sessions at the conference included:∑ Phil Stocker, NSA chief executive, called on Government to encourage best practice by creating an animal health and welfare option under Pillar Two of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), similar to the point-scoring approach that farmers currently use to implement agri-environment schemes. ∑ Professor Neil Sargison (Edinburgh) and Chris Lewis (independent vet consultant) agreed the responsibility for the control of endemic diseases rests largely with sheep producers, with farmers needing to take proper quarantine of in-coming stock seriously. ∑ Piet Vellema, who travelled from the Netherlands, said Schmallenberg’s highly contagious and fast-spreading nature meant it was so widespread in the Netherlands that virtually all stock had been exposed to the virus and were likely to have natural immunity. Alex Cook of the UK agency AHVLA showed SBV surveillance data suggesting virtually the whole of England has now been exposed. When questioned, he said he could saw no reason why the infection would not eventually cover the whole of the UK. Both speakers said the risk for sheep producers was ewes 25-50 days in lamb and, although generally regarded as a low impact disease, SBV could lead to

high losses on individual farms. ∑ Lesley Stubbings, independent consultant, said anthelmintic resistance was a reality on many farms in the UK and double or triple resistance was a growing problem, meaning the two new drench groups must be used strategically to prolong both their life and the life of the three other groups. Gloucestershire farmer Hilary Mann described how she has embraced and implemented SCOPS principles, probably halving the number of times she drench lambs, saving her time and money, slowing down the development of resistance, yet still maintaining high performance. ∑ Professor Julie Fitzpatrick updated farmers on progress at Moredun in developing new vaccines, including ones to protect sheep from internal parasites and abortion. She explained the challenges and opportunities that new technologies offered the industry, and the importance of support for the development and implementation of research and research institutes to facilitate sustainable development of the livestock sector, not just in GB but also globally.

The sell-out success of this inaugural event will ensure these issues and others raised during the event will remain at the forefront of SHAWG during the coming year. The group will decide when the next event will be held and announce this in the New Year; anyone wishing to register interest for that event should email shwconference@nationalsheep.org.uk

Experienced Lamber seeks indoor lambing for February, Perthshire region Tel:07970933590

Tri-coloured Border Collie Pups for sale, off good working parents

Sire Boredale Vic, great hill and cattle dog.

Pups ready now.

Tel: Tom Ennion 07971510615

9

SHEEP

PROTECTION

Turned On Ozzie!

A

product using the simplest principle is proving to be very effective in keeping foxes away from new born lambs, poultry and other vulnerable animals, by creating the impression of someone patrolling an area with a flash light.

Foxlights were developed by Ian Whalan – an Australian fat lamb farmer – seven years ago when he was forced to find a job away from his farm and was concerned with fox attacks against his newborn lambs.

Prior to this he would have a 1080 poison-baiting program and patrol his fields at night with a gun and spot light during his lambing season.

Foxes are not native to Australia, having been imported by early English settlers for horse and hound hunting.

Many small native species in Australia have become endangered due to the

Palm Oil Off Menu

10

red fox.

After 3 years of using prototypes of these lights and seeing how well they worked Ian Whalan decided to have them redesigned by professionals and patented. The nifty lights feature 9 LED bulbs to project light at 360 degrees and most importantly, a computer chip to create a varying flash so foxes can't get used to it. A standard flashing light flashes at regular intervals and won't create the same effect. This light is powered by a 6 volt battery that will give many months worth of flash. The best batteries are able to give 12 months of operation. A day / night light sensor makes it self operating – simply set and forget.

The lights can be placed on the top a 3 point steel post or hung on an existing fence or tree.

This device was entered into a TV program in Australia called “The New Inventors” and won “The Home Viewers Choice” on the night.

The lights are manufactured in Taiwan from the highest-grade material and are now available in the United Kingdom.

Sales in Australia have been many thousand, with many farmers using them for the protection of various types of animals from foxes and dingoes. Also people working for the protection of endangered wild life have had success with the use of these lights.

Tests have been and are being carried out with coyotes in Canada, wolves in Switzerland and jackals in South Africa.

Mr. Whalan has the belief these lights would work in keeping badgers

out of fields where cattle graze and would support an independent test to prove or disprove this theory. His claim is based on the facts that badgers are nocturnal and have a fear of man.

These lights are proving to be the most economical and humane way to protect vulnerable livestock from foxes in areas where continual patrolling or shedding is not possible.

Mr. Whalan claims although his lights have changed the way to control foxes some attacks may still occur. www.foxlight.com contains information on how they work along with testimonials received from farmers. For more information e-mail Ian Whalan at ian@foxlights.com Derek Lewis, UK agent – 0121 552 8097 /07403204994 or at dkl11@hotmail.com

U

palm oil from the vast majority of our products,” said Martin Smith, UfacUK’s national sales manager.

“Instead, we focus on using EU-produced oils such as rape-seed and olive oil. We have even dispensed with palm kernel meal preferring, instead, to use materials such as maize cob meal.”

Unsustainable production of palm oil – the world’s most used vegetable oil – can increase the risk of destruction of tropical rainforest and drainage of peat land areas with a

major impact on the environment and biodiversity. As a result some organisations, such as Marks and Spencer, avoid using products containing palm oil wherever possible including those from livestock fed diets containing palm oil.

“Palm oil is cheap, but nutritionally there is little justification for its use for livestock, so we are using locally-sourced, highly-digestible vegetable oils which provide more energy per gram fed,” added Martin.

fac-UK — the specialist feed supplements manufacturer – has announced that it has removed palm oil from over 90 per cent of its products.

The UK government and commercial organisations have signed an agreement pledging to achieve 100 per cent sourcing of ‘credibly certified sustainable palm oil’ by the end of 2015.

“We at Ufac-UK have been aware of this situation for several years and have been working towards removing

STOCKRIGHT SYSTEMS LIVESTOCK AGENCY & CONSULTANCY

Cattle and Sheep Commercial and Pedigree Government EID Tag Reading, selecting fat lambs, weighing.

Any other sheep work considered All stock sourced Livestock Management For more details visit our website: www.stockman.co.uk

BEEF

SHORTHORNS

Shorthorns in Demand Morrisons is seeking to increase its weekly kill of Beef Shorthorn sired cattle by 15% to over 400 head to supply its native breeds’ scheme.

The supermarket chain’s plans reflect its long standing commitment to the breed coupled with consumer demand.

12

I

n return, finishers are being rewarded with a 20p/kg premium over base price or up to £75 a head, while other eligible native breed cattle are paid a 10p/kg premium.

Since Wm Morrison Supermarkets and Woodheads officially launched the scheme 12 months ago, it has achieved its initial target and sourced over 18,000 British native breeds and their crosses. Initially, approximately 25% of that total volume was Beef Shorthorn sired, a figure that has increased to one third in recent months, explains Morrisons’ farm operations manager, Andrew Loftus.

“These Beef Shorthorn sired cattle are being finished on a new feeding regime specifically designed to enhance the breed’s inherent eating quality and produce a premium product. So far, they have achieved an average 334kg in 22 months, and 60% graded R or better,” he says.

“Consequently, in view of the Beef Shorthorn sired cattle’s commendable performance, for the scheme’s second year we are forecasting their growth to be around 15%, equivalent to an additional 3,000 head.”

Beef Shorthorn Society secretary, Frank Milnes commented: “We are

pleased that Beef Shorthorn sired cattle are meeting with Morrisons specification. One of the breed’s major attractions has been the ability to produce a functional suckler cow: now that we have a premium scheme for Beef Shorthorn beef we are aware from registration trends that even more farmers are being encouraged to use the Beef Shorthorn bull in their commercial suckler herds. We continue to have a win win situation.”

Morrisons exclusive partnership with the Beef Shorthorn Society promotes the use of registered and DNA recorded Beef Shorthorn bulls in the UK suckler herd. Under the scheme farmers, including those who already supply Woodheads, are required to apply for approval at least 100 days before they send their first native breed cattle to one of the firm’s three abattoirs in Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Aberdeenshire.

Eligible steer or heifers, must come from farm assured units and weigh between 260kg and 380kg CCW. Bulls and OTMS cattle are not eligible. The company has developed a special carcase grid for the scheme, which includes O+ cattle within the target specification. To register, contact Woodhead Bros, Colne on 01282 729117.

Farming Country – Issue ninety

QMS

MARKET PRICES

BEEF Scottish Abattoirs

Scottish Auctions

Average price in the four weeks to:

Average price w/e:

Average price in the four weeks to:

Average price w/e:

8 December

8 December

5 December

5 December

p/kg dwt

p/kg dwt

p/kg lwt

p/kg lwt

Steers

366.9

370.2

208.63

215.63

Heifers

364.2

367.3

211.40

216.32

Young bulls

341.8

345.2

156.44

161.31

SHEEP GB Abattoirs

Scottish Auctions

Average price in the four weeks to:

Average price w/e:

Average price in the four weeks to:

Average price w/e:

8 December

8 December

5 December

5 December

356.43 p/kg dwt

359.0 p/kg dwt

153.86 p/kg lwt

155.97 p/kg lwt

n/a

n/a

£44.20 /head

£46.72 /head

New Season SQQ Ewes

PIGS GB Abattoirs Average price in the four weeks to:

Average price w/e:

8 December

8 December

p/kg dwt

p/kg dwt

160.46

160.80

DAPP

To advertise in Farming Country please call 016444 60644

Farming Country – Issue ninety

SIDLAW STEEL BUILDINGS New Builds, Re-cladding and Repairs Competitive Prices Tel. Dave Simpson 07889911803 Mark Simpson 07725636349 dave-simpson.sidlaw@live.co.uk

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DAIRY

NEWS

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NP MEP Alyn Smith has welcomed the advice that recommends an end to the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) testing regime that was introduced in the wake of the BSE crisis. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommendation to the UK government follows a European Commission proposal to allow some Member States, including the UK, to decide to stop testing cattle.

The FSA says that the regime is no longer necessary as other safeguards including the removal of the specified risk material (SRM) at slaughter and banning animal protein in cattle feed should be sufficient to protect consumers. Nonetheless, testing will continue on animals that die for reasons other than being killed for

human consumption.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Alyn said: "I am glad to see that the European Commission and subsequently the FSA, have concluded that our industry is now safe enough for the stringent measures introduced on the back of the BSE crisis in the 90s to be repealed.

"The BSE crisis was catastrophic for our farming industry and it was a lesson very hard learnt. But it has been learnt. The food safety measures now in place are adequate to ensure the safety of our food. This had been underlined by the recent opening up of foreign markets which had put in place restrictions during and after the crisis.

"I hope that the UK government will now follow this advice."

Slurry Worry

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AC Consulting (a Division of SRUC), and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scotland’s environmental regulator, recently called on farmers in Scotland to continue with strict protocols on how gypsum and slurries are mixed and handled.

Recent reports have suggested a link between the use of gypsum, from waste plasterboard and other gypsum-containing wastes, in animal bedding and a number of livestock deaths when mixed with slurries.

The agitation and mixing of manures and slurries in livestock sheds is already known to release hydrogen sulphide (H2S). The toxic gas affects the nervous system causing a range of symptoms including discomfort, disorientation, collapse, or sudden death.

As gypsum contains sulphur, mixing it with slurries will increase the total amount of hydrogen sulphide gas produced. Hydrogen sulphide will produce an odour but at concentrations above 140 parts per million, the human sense of smell becomes unable to detect the odour.

At concentrations of 700 parts per million, hydrogen sulphide can be lethal. Farmers are reminded that the use of waste gypsum in slurry and dry bedding systems for livestock is illegal.

To understand the potential levels of hydrogen sulphide associated with the use of gypsum in animal bedding, SAC Consulting Environment and Design conducted an air quality assessment in September 2012. The assessment aimed to determine whether detectable levels of hydrogen sulphide gas could be found during the removal of farm yard manure from a site where gypsum had been

14

used.

It was found that as soon as the farm yard manure was disturbed hydrogen sulphide gas was detected at levels up to 2705 parts per million, while carbon dioxide readings also increased.

Gavin Hill from SAC Consulting’s Farm Rural Business Services said: “No matter what advantages are seen in using gypsum as animal bedding, it is simply not a risk worth taking.

Recent tragedies have highlighted the issues that face us and we must take all steps to eliminate the risks.”

Gary Walker, Principal Policy Officer (Waste), of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: “The results of this study illustrate the dangers associated with the use of waste gypsum in animal bedding. The use of plasterboard, gypsum and gypsum-containing wastes can lead to the production of the highly toxic gas hydrogen sulphide (H2S).

“When used in animal bedding, it is likely waste gypsum will produce considerable levels of hydrogen sulphide due to the damp, non-ventilated conditions. In such circumstances, hydrogen sulphide presents a significant risk to animal and human life, as well as the environment, and we would advise against anyone using it for this purpose.”

Information from SAC Consulting and SEPA on the use of waste gypsum and slurry can be found at: http://www.sruc.ac.uk/gypsum SEPA's full position statement can be found at: http://www.sepa.org.uk/ waste/waste_regulation/idoc.ashx?do cid=f1b67502-d85d-4ffe-8c98f6298cd4f428&version=-1

Next Generation Out-of-Parlour Feeder

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ohn Baines, Technical Director for Fullwood Limited, recently announced the launch of the company’s latest out-of-parlour feeder, which offers milk producers a range of benefits aimed at improving milk production efficiency and profitability.

“Following a thorough programme of on-farm testing, Fullwood is pleased to announce the launch of its next generation of out-of-parlour feeder,” Mr Baines explained. “The latest model of our proven feeders has been developed with one key priority: to improve feeding precision and efficiency.”

The new system, which was launched at Agriscot is available as a standalone unit, but can also be integrated with Fullwood’s existing herd management software – Crystal.

The new feeder benefits from a galvanized and stainless steel construction, with inlets for feed from up to three separate bins as well as liquid feed such as molasses or glycol, thereby offering dairy farmers greater control over each cow’s daily feed intake.

“The new Fullwood feeders are fully programmable, easy to install and simple to maintain,” Mr Baines added. “They are also fully adjustable to suit all breeds of dairy cow and offer five different feed regimes, which enable producers to determine how closely each cow’s individual dietary intake is controlled.”

The five feeding regimes are: 1. Fixed Feeding – each cow receives a fixed amount of feed; 2. Target Feeding – the volume of feed can be increased or decreased in fixed steps over a pre-determined number of days; 3. Feed Curve Feeding – daily feed allowances change over a number of days using rations that are formulated and pre-programmed by the herd manager; 4. Kgm + Curve Feeding – the amount of feed is automatically

adjusted to each individual cow’s current milk yield; 5. External Feeding – the out-of-parlour feeder is controlled

by Fullwood’s Crystal herd management software.

The feeders are retro-compatible with all existing Fullwood electronic identification (EID) systems including all of the company’s previous cow-collars and pedometers. “With Crystal, dairy farmers are not only able to determine the exact type and quantity of feed received by each cow, but can also determine individual meal times and sizes,” Mr Baines continued.

“The ability to fine-tune each cow’s diet not only offers previously unprecedented levels of precision feeding, but can also reduce feed costs and wastage. The end result is a better-fed and more profitable dairy animal which will produce milk more efficiently,” Mr Baines explained.

The new out-of-parlour feeder uses a simple bolt-together design for quick and easy assembly, and is made using fully galvanized and stainless steel parts for enhanced product longevity and easy maintenance. The modular design also allows additional feeders to be installed simply and quickly as the herd expands.

Fullwood out-of-parlour feeder – fact file: • Feeder dimensions: 896 mm (width) by 703 mm (depth) by 1,861 mm (height) • Total length including stall: 2,581 mm* • Total width including stall: 1,000 mm* • Construction: galvanised mild steel and robust tubular galvanised steelwork • Modular design for ease of installation • Easy to clean • Low maintenance requirements

Farming Country – Issue ninety

Nutrition Warning for Dairy

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on’t let next year’s ‘glorious summer’ be spoilt by this year’s awful one – that’s the message to dairy farmers from Ufac-UK Much nutritional advice directs dairy farmers to cut back on nutrient inputs to reduce costs. “Up to a point this is correct but when that cutting back adversely affects cow performance and longevity, it deserves scrutiny,” says Martin Smith, the company’s sales manager.

Energy is the major problem.

Grass silage ME is 0.5 to 2.0 MJ/kg DM lower than last season with maize silage suffering similarly. Cereals also have reduced energy.

“If one accepts the advice to avoid ‘expensive’ supplementation then the cow will be under-supplied with energy. She will continue to milk, but at a reduced rate and use up body reserves, which can lead to such metabolic problems as ketosis, elevated BHB (ß-hydroxy butyrate) and NEFAs (non-esterified fatty acids) in the blood, fatty liver syndrome and, possibly, high blood and milk urea levels. These are profit robbers,” he says.

He points out that with an energy deficit situation a cow has to lose

Farming Country – Issue ninety

0.5kg bodyweight to produce about 2 l of milk. It will also mean that the liver has to process 500g of fat into a form that will provide the energy required – a process that places great strain on the liver and causes by-products such as BHB and NEFAs to escape into the blood stream.

These metabolites are well known to have a negative impact on fertility.

Every single day a cow is not in calf – over and above the expected 370-day calving interval – costs £5.50.

Loss of body condition contributes directly to an extended calving interval so a mere 30-day increase is going to cost £165 per cow, per cycle, before taking into consideration any veterinary or culling costs, points out Martin Smith.

“All the evidence is that correcting the energy deficit makes more economic sense than worsening it.

One sure way of doing this is through the supply of a highly digestible fat source, directly used by the liver, to alleviate some of the pressure on this key metabolic organ. This will ensure that an energy deficit does not develop into a long-term fertility problem that will be haunting farmers next summer,” he said.

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NEWS

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Yara Appointment Strengthens Scottish Team

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uality Meat Scotland (QMS) has appointed Katie Keiley (below) and Stuart Annand (left) as two part-time development officers, responsible for the strategic development of the Scottish Sheep Strategy.

Stuart Annand is a sheep farmer who is married with a family and runs a hill farm near Newtonmore in Perthshire. He has also had experience of farming in New

ara UK, the fertilizer and crop nutrition specialist, is investing in growth with a key appointment to strengthen its position in Scotland.

Gareth Flockhart, formerly Commercial Manager of Scotherbs, joins as Area Manager for South East (Solids) and Central Scotland (Liquids) bringing many years experience from positions at Harbro Farm Sales, Mars UK & Molson Coors.

“I am delighted that Gareth has

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joined Yara,” said Peter Smith, Yara Business Manager in Scotland. “I believe his agricultural background, combined with his commercial and sales experience, will prove invaluable in his new role. I know that he will be a valuable addition to our team.”

A former professional Scottish Rugby Union player, now a keen golfer, Gareth – who is married to Antonia and has two daughters, Megan and Ruby – has strong family links throughout the Stirlingshire and

Zealand and many of the issues the industry in Scotland faces are not too dissimilar to those of the southern hemisphere. Mr Annand brings a different dynamic to the Scottish Sheep Strategy and a very hands-on approach. He is passionate about all things “sheep” and will be looking at the wider platform rather than just breeding.

The pair were appointed following

an open tender process and take over the reins from Rod McKenzie.

“Through EID (Electronic Identification), sheep farmers who are interested in monitoring how individual animals within their flock are performing can do so in a relatively easy way rather than viewing the whole flock on a batch basis,” said Kathy Peebles, QMS Livestock Development Manager.

East Lothian area.

“This is a great opportunity,” says Gareth. “After such a difficult harvest, expertise and a robust crop nutrition programme are a top priority for farmers and Yara provides a unique level of support. The area that I cover, Berwickshire, the Borders East Lothian and Northumberland, is one of great scope and potential and I am looking forward to building strong relationships with existing and new customers.”

Scottish Sheep Strategy Development Officers

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atie Keiley is a familiar face to sheep farmers in the South West having previously worked for SAC Consultancy in the Stranraer and Dumfries Offices. She is currently treasurer and promotional officer for the Border Leicester Sheep Society, a role she will continue along with her part time work with the Scottish Sheep Strategy. Mrs Keiley is married with two small children and is involved with the family farm on a daily basis.

Kathy Peebles, QMS Livestock Development Manager said: “The Focus Farm projects have shown benefits to all sectors of the Scottish sheep industry through the use of good performance recorded genetics.

Now is the time to make the linkages to ensure a joined-up approach.”

Ms Peebles added: “Only when sheep breeders and feeders monitor the individual animals within their flocks can the passengers (those which are under-performing) be

identified. The role Katie and Stuart are undertaking will help the industry introduce changes to take these points forward and to support farmers, and groups, through the different stages.”

Liam Condon to become Bayer CropScience CEO

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iam Condon (44) has been appointed Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Bayer CropScience subgroup and Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer CropScience effective December 1, 2012. He succeeds Sandra E. Peterson, who left the company on November 30.

Condon has been Managing Director of Bayer Vital GmbH, Leverkusen and head of Bayer Pharma's business in Germany since January 2010.

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Bayer Vital is the business operations company for the Bayer HealthCare subgroup in Germany.

"Safeguarding harvests and food supplies for people and animals are major issues of our time. I look forward to the opportunity to do my best for our customers in the agricultural industry together with my CropScience colleagues – in tune with our mission 'Bayer: Science For A Better Life,'" said Liam Condon.

Liam was born in Dublin, Ireland, on February 27, 1968. He studied

International Business in Dublin and – as a scholarship holder of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) – at the Technical University of Berlin. He holds a B.A. degree in International Marketing & Languages from Dublin City University and an MBA from the Japan Management Association.

In the past 20 years, Condon has held positions of increasing responsibility in the Pharmaceuticals Division in Europe and Asia. From 2007 until 2010 he was Managing

Director of Bayer HealthCare China and Bayer Pharma General Manager for China. Condon served as Managing Director of Schering China starting in 2005.

Before that he was Regional Marketing and Medical Director for Schering's Asia-Pacific/Middle East region, based in Berlin. He also served for five years as head of a business unit in Japan, based in Osaka. Condon had previously worked in various marketing and sales functions at Schering in Germany.

NEWS

MOVERS & SHAKERS

New Director appointed for NBA he NBA’s search for a new National Director has brought enthusiasm and broad ranging supply chain experience to the Association.

Chris Mallon joins NBA to take over as National Director, from Interim Operations Manager Ali McKnight, who has been holding the fort on a temporary basis while recruitment for the right person took place.

Mr Mallon has a strong background, which will continue the

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successful re-launch of the NBA that began through 2012 including developing beef production projects in Eastern Europe, working with national animal feeds supplier BOCM Pauls, managing the Scotland area for the Tesco Producer Group Project, and a useful start in the industry as a trainee auctioneer.

Mr Mallon, who has a master’s degree in Animal Production from Aberdeen University hails originally from County Armagh, in Northern Ireland but currently lives in

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and all the various elements of the agricultural industry they house.”

The FAB awards aim to recognise and reward contractors and clients, who have taken the time and effort to ensure their new farm building is sympathetic to and even complements the local landscape, while ensuring it is fit for purpose and has been designed with sustainability in mind.

Supplied by a RIDBA corporate member, typically a contractor or fabricator of steel or timber framed buildings, the building must be a working one. The award excludes industrial and commercial buildings unless they are associated with agriculture, such as a farm shop or café, but has now been extended to equestrian buildings.

And although construction of the building must have started after January 2010 the date for completion was extended to December, with the deadline for applications also put back to January 31st.

Judged by gold sponsor Marley Eternit and silver sponsors Wedge Galvanising, Kingspan Insulated Panels, Brett Martin Daylight Systems and Steadman’s, as well as RIDBA chairman Geoff Simpson, their decision will be based on 50% of the marks being allocated for aesthetics/ design, 30% for functionality/fit for purpose, and 20% for sustainability.

ural & Industrial Design & Building Assocaition – RIDBA’s competition to recognise excellence in farm building has been endorsed by countryside sweetheart Kate Humble.

TV presenter and countryside darling Kate Humble is set to do the honours at the first-ever Farm and Agricultural Buildings (FAB) awards.

Designed by the Rural and Industrial Design and Building Association (RIDBA) to recognise excellence in the field, a total of seven FAB awards will be presented

by Kate at a prestigious national ceremony in Bath in April 2013.

Her interest in the competition was won by Antony Lowther of RIDBA corporate member AJ Lowther and Son who supplied materials to one of the buildings at the ex-council farm that Kate and her husband Ludo took over in the Wye Valley in Monmouthshire.

From there, Kate combines her TV presenting with running courses on subjects as diverse as hedge-laying, orchard planning and planting, wild food foraging, curing and salting meat, keeping sheep, poultry and pigs, and general smallholding.

She said: “I am delighted to be involved with a competition that recognises the impact that farm buildings can have on the landscape

Edinburgh having spent time working in Scotland following his studies. He will now however be traveling the breadth of the country for NBA to represent beef producers and finishers and work with NBA’s partners throughout industry.

Commenting on his appointment Chris said “I am really looking forward to working with the new NBA Board and representing the interests of beef producers on a regional and national basis.”

Humble Pie

As well as a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize there will be awards for the most aesthetic building, the building that is most fit for purpose, and the most sustainable building as well as one for buildings constructed by non-RIDBA

members. A shortlist will be announced in the spring and all of the shortlisted entries will be visited by a judges’ representative, ready for the prize giving on Friday 19th April in Bath.

If you would like a monthly subscription to Farming Country so it is delivered to your door every month please fill out the form below and send a cheque for £35 to: Farming Country Subs, farmingscotland.com, Marbrack Farm, Carsphairn, Castle Douglas, DG73TE Name: Address:

£4 800.00 Date of first copy required: Farming Country – Issue ninety

17

MONITOR FARM

JOHNE’S DISEASE

Caithness Monitor Farm Focuses on Johne’s Disease

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team of scientists has been demonstrating the benefits of cattle producers having a strategy in place to combat the consequences of Johne’s Disease.

Quality Meat Scotland is the lead industry partner in the “Paraban” research initiative focussed on the disease, which is a major concern to the Scottish cattle industry. The project involves scientists, led by SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College), working closely with industry partners and is funded by the Scottish Funding Council in partnership with the Scottish Government.

The keen interest from livestock producers in the work the scientists are undertaking was reflected in 40 Caithness farmers turning up at last week’s meeting of Caithness monitor farm at Westfield near Thurso, which focused solely on the issue.

Nine holdings from Caithness to Cumbria are being put under the microscope in a bid to shed more

light on the causes of the terminal, wasting disease and to advise on how to prevent it taking root.

In all of the herds, regular testing and prompt action to manage animals, which test positive have reduced the incidence of Johne’s. The team of scientists is also following up evidence suggesting that the bacteria tend to thrive on acidic soil.

An update on the study was provided at Westfield Farm, near Thurso, which became involved as a result of its participation in the Monitor Farm programme, supported

by Quality Meat Scotland.

Tackling Johne’s was one of the objectives monitor farmer Johnnie Mackenzie set, with the local management group overseeing the three year initiative. It is not thought his 300-cow herd has a higher-thanaverage incidence of the disease, with the holding having one or two cases each year.

Its involvement in the research was

To advertise in Farming Country please call 016444 60644 18

to help give a representative spread of large and small beef and dairy herds.

Over the past years, it has been supplying blood and dung samples to the team of scientists behind the project – Paraban.

Vets and farmers view Johne’s as one of the most pernicious livestock diseases as for every member of a herd displaying symptoms, another 20 could be infected. Because the infection is often picked up when the cow is a young calf, animals can carry it for years without developing symptoms while being able to infect others.

The clinical signs of the disease include weight loss, diarrhoea and loss of milk output.

Johne’s, or Parartuberculosis, has if unchecked, the potential to cause problems throughout the herd.

Concern about the toll it is taking is growing with the latest statistics revealing its incidence in Scotland has almost doubled over the past 10 years.

Seven members of the SRUC-led Paraban team made clear that doing nothing is simply not an option for producers.

Speaking afterwards, Inverness based SRUC epidemiologist Selene Huntley said: “Our message is to test regularly and have a clear management strategy of isolating and culling members of the herd that have positive tests.”

She said this is borne out by the experience of Westfield and the other holdings included in the research.

“In the two years since we have been

testing, we’ve seen a gradual decrease in the number of infected animals in the herds.

“We advocate frequent testing of the whole herd and farmers agreeing with their vets what long-term control strategies they need to implement.”

Ms Huntley clarified that a positive test indicates the presence of the infection that will lead to the onset of the disease. Once its prevalence in a herd is known, an action plan can be worked out to prevent healthy members being infected.

This would feature biosecurity measures to segregate those known to be infected and a culling programme.

The soil link was picked up by scientists at James Hutton Institute, who are part of the Paraban initiative.

Ms Huntley said: “They found that the bacteria that cause the disease like acidic soils, rich in organic matter and available iron.”

Following this up, the team are monitoring how the application of lime to raise the pH of the soil impacts on the incidence of the infection. Teams from Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities are also contributing towards the three year research project.

Ms Huntley said too many producers are burying the heads in the sand. “We’re trying to raise awareness among cattle producers of the need to test and then decide what they need to do. We fear some are not testing or not testing frequently enough.”

Ms Huntley said Westfield’s Johne’s status is probably representative of cattle enterprises of its size in the Highlands. “They haven’t got a huge problem but it’s something they want to get on top of.”

She believes that there are major gains for Scottish farming if producers take the initiative and work to control Johne’s Disease.

“One of the reasons we’re doing this research is to help the industry increase efficiency through improving animal health. We’d like Scotland to lead the way in terms of upholding the high health message.”

The impact of the CAP reforms is the subject if the next Westfield monitor meeting being held in mid-January. The final meeting to review Westfield’s three years as a monitor farm will take place on February 20.

For further information, including detailed reports of meetings, please visit www.qmscotland.co.uk/monitorfarms.

Farming Country – Issue ninety

Assess Silage Stocks to be Aware of Shortfalls With winter forage stocks under pressure on many farms it is vital to carry out an accurate assessment of silage stocks. DairyCo extension officer Tom Goatman looks at how to do this and some simple actions you can take to help to minimise waste.

For clamped silage the available stock is calculated by working out the clamp volume (m3) and then multiplying this by the silage density (kg/m3).

Calculating the volume (m3) of the clamped material can be done simply by multiplying the length (m), width (m) and height (m) of the clamp, but take account of any ramps or sloping sides as fofound in field clamps or Agbags.

Silage Requirements With silage reserves calculated the next step is to work out your herd’s current daily silage requirements. This calculation is the number of stock in each particular group being fed silage multiplied by the silage DM intake of this group in kg/head/day. You can get an estimation of this from the table below.

Table 2 Typical silage DM intakes

Figure 1: Ramp assessment

If a ramp is present on the clamp halve the length of the ramp and add this figure to the non-ramped clamp.

Figure 2: Field clamp assessment Apply the same technique as used in the ramp assessment to calculate field or Ag-Bag clamp volumes.

Once you’ve calculated the volume of the clamp a good estimate of the density of the grass silage can be derived from the silage DM and clamp height as set out in the table 1 below.

Table 1: Silage density guide (kg/m3)

Select the table value nearest to your silage dry matter and clamp height and then multiply this by the calculated clamp volume. This will give you the quantity of fresh weight material in the clamp in kg. To calculate the DM weight multiply the fresh weight by the silage DM and then divide by 100.

Make sure any potential waste silage that will not be fed, on the top and shoulders of the clamp, is accounted for and this is taken off the total stock available to feed.

Farming Country – Issue ninety

The total of all the groups currently being fed silage will give you the current daily silage DM requirement. To calculate an estimate for the remaining days left in your silage stocks divide the total clamp silage dry matter available to feed (kg) by the current daily requirement (kg).

If there is pressure on forage stocks check some of the following areas: • Minimise waste in the clamp area by ensuring excellent clamp face management. ∑ • Utilise moist feeds if available and cost effective as a forage substitute (take specialist advice to ensure the ration is correctly balanced and contains adequate structural fibre). ∑ • Ensure mixed rations are prepared as close to feed out time as possible – avoid preparing them the night/morning before to help avoid heating, spoilage and rejection. ∑ • Consider reducing the silage component in the diet of late lactation and far off dry and youngstock and replacing it with straw if available (again, get specialist advice to ensure a balanced ration is maintained). ∑ • Reducing the daily forage requirements by culling problem poor performing animals. ∑ Test individual clamps as you move through the clamp so you know where your best quality silage is. You can then target the best quality silage to fresh calved/higher yielding cows and youngstock.

It is vital to make accurate costings to make sure any changes to the feeding system are cost effective. Further information including worksheets to calculate forage stocks, requirements and feed costs are available from DairyCo Feeding+. To order a copy visit the Resources Library at www.dairyco.org.uk or call 024 7647 8702.

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ARABLE

CARBON / POTATOES

Understanding a Carbon Footprint

Crop storage Get Ready for Chip Week 2013

minimise risk in d

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ew tools from HGCA aim to help growers get to grips with greenhouse gas emissions.

HGCA has launched a new publication and tool to help growers understand and better manage the carbon footprint associated with arable crops.

The new resources will help the industry to continue meeting agriculture’s UK greenhouse gas emissions commitments without regulatory measures and help satisfy increasing requirements to provide information on a crop’s carbon footprint by the supply chain.

The publication Understanding carbon footprinting for cereals and oilseeds introduces the topic of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions targets and the concept of carbon footprinting in cereals and oilseeds.

The HGCA carbon footprinting decision support tool offers a straightforward and transparent way to understand the carbon footprint of a particular crop.

Dr Shamal Mohammed, HGCA Research and Knowledge Transfer, said: “The publication and tool were developed to help increase grower’s understanding of the process of calculating a carbon footprint and assist with decision-making.

“Growers can now quickly establish the carbon footprint associated with their crops and test how improvement in crop management could influence farm efficiency and profitability associated with carbon footprint reduction.”

Most data required to run the tool should be available from existing farm records but, in areas where data is not currently available, default values (based on average figures) can be selected.

The resources were developed following an HGCA-funded review of existing carbon footprinting protocols and methodologies.

Visit HGCA’s new-look website www.hgca.com/tools or www.hgca.com/publications for further information.

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he countdown to Chip Week has begun! Running from 18 to 24 February 2013, the annual campaign to promote chips is a fantastic opportunity for growers, merchants and everyone involved in supplying chips to boost business.

Activity is ramping up for chip shops, pubs and restaurants to ensure that the Week –now celebrating a staggering 22 years – is as prominent and profitable as possible. Potato Council is urging the industry to get behind its efforts to drive awareness for the campaign and get customers signed up to participate.

Marketing manager for Potato Council, Kate Cox, said: “Chips account for such a large proportion of the national crop and this makes Chip Week an important – and not to mention – popular platform.

“For chips shops, which use around 13% of all potatoes grown in GB, the campaign generates publicity at a relatively quiet time of year. Chip Week 2013 will also be supported by our own research, which highlights that fish and chip shops are under increasing pressure from competing takeaways as well as the growing trend for promotional deals across the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector. We are in the process of sharing our findings with chips shops and trialling incentives that can be used to help drive sales throughout the year, not just during Chip Week.”

As well as publicising the research findings, Potato Council is currently developing a high profile publicity

campaign to get as many people talking about Chip Week and enjoying a portion of chips as possible.

Supporting material will be available for chip shops and independent pubs and restaurants, plus when registered they will automatically be entered into the prestigious ‘Choice Chip Awards’, helping to put businesses and quality chips firmly in the spotlight.

Kate added: “Industry collaboration makes a very real difference to the effectiveness of Chip Week and can help to deliver a strong and consistent message. There are many ways to get involved with Chip Week 2013; for example simply raising awareness of Chip Week with your customers or even offering specific Chip Week promotions to the chip shop or foodservice sectors.”

If you supply potatoes for the chipping trade, encourage them to register for Chip Week and the ‘Choice Chip Awards’ and enjoy the buzz and publicity that comes with being part of the quality chip supply chain. Registration literature is available for industry to send out and can be requested by emailing Carrie.Maggs@potato.ahdb.org.uk or calling 02476 478 789.

For processors and retailers, raising awareness of the Week in-store and promoting varieties that are suitable for chipping will add to the campaign’s continued success.

Keep up to date with more Chip Week news at www.potato.org.uk/chipshops

his year’s storage event held at the Potato Council’s world leading research centre at Sutton Bridge saw over 200 growers, suppliers and industry experts gather to find out the latest in crop storage research.

The 2012 Storage Day, sponsored

by Crop Systems and Restrain, covered all aspects of the key issues facing crop storage.

Workshops included: • Tips on making changes which impact storage efficiency from Potato Council’s Adrian Cunnington, Head of Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research • Advice on how to meet stewardship requirements for chlorpropham (CIPC) sprout suppressant from David Hudson, Technical Editor of the Red Tractor Farm Assurance Potato Protocol ∑ A wider look at development opportunities for storage of field vegetables from Emma Garrod, Research Agronomist at leading grower and supplier Produce World.

Mr Cunnington said: “Positive ventilation is the best way to dry out potatoes in the weather conditions experienced this season. However, many stores are having to make do with the non-positive systems they have in place. Whilst we can’t knock down old box stores and start from scratch, growers can convert them to suction system or put in air dividers – these measures can greatly improve the air movement in store.”

Concerns were raised over the levels of CIPC being used in potato storage. Mr Hudson warned attendees: “If there are any more Maximum Residue Level (MRL) exceedances detected, we will see greater restrictions on CIPC use.

Most refrigerated stores only need one application – even when keeping potatoes to June.”

Mr Cunnington added: “CIPC works best at temperatures of 7°C10°C. At low temperature it vapourises less easily so it is important to apply it uniformly to get good control as it won’t re-distribute round the store as well at 3.5°C. Fan assisted application has shown the best results in trials but we need growers to change their stores to benefit from this.”

Two Q&A panels were held in collaboration with the Potato Processors’ Association (PPA), which

Farming Country – Issue ninety

ARABLE

POTATOES

e event helps difficult season represents the potato interests of manufacturers of frozen and chilled potato products and crisps in the UK, and the Fresh Potato Suppliers’ Association (FPSA), which represents all nine major packers of potatoes to the UK’s top five supermarkets.

Richard Harris, director general of the PPA, said: “Now 57% of potatoes consumed in Britain are in the processed form. It was 52% last year and the market is expanding. We’re doing extremely well and that’s good for farmers, for producers and the country.”

David Walker, chairman of the FPSA said: “The future use of CIPC is our hands. We must be more stringent in our application process including asking ourselves, is the store suitable for CIPC?” He continued, “we are continuing R&D to find more effective application methods and alternative products used alone or in combination.

“To secure the sustainable supply of fresh potatoes throughout the year we need to see a premium for the management and capital investment in storage.”

Simon Bowen, Agronomy Director at Produce World, told attendees about the ways the company is looking to reduce CIPC usage through innovation. Produce World is using ethylene technology for sprout suppression and is testing it in pack as a sachet to extend control on to the retail shelf.

He said that the wet conditions and very long storage could mean problems with blackheart. “At one time, I never thought it was a big problem for the industry but last season they were quite widespread problems with Maris Piper when blackheart developed after packing,” said Mr Bowen.

The next dates for growers’ diaries are the Storage Forums in Scotland on February 26, 2013 and on February 28, 2013 at Sutton Bridge.

Goals for Potato Sector Farming Country – Issue ninety

Ugly Veg now on Sale! ver three hundred thousand tonnes of British produce, enough to fill 2,500 Boeing 747-400 freight planes, is estimated to have reached supermarket shelves this year after retailers relaxed product specifications for fruit and vegetables following a difficult growing season.

The NFU says growers across the country have welcomed the efforts being shown by major supermarkets to make use of imperfect, weather-marked produce, including potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, swedes and apples, rather than rejecting them on the grounds of appearance.

So far this season, concessions made by the major retailers include: An early move by Waitrose to accept shorter carrots, thinner parsnips and smaller strawberries; a decision by Morrisons to incorporate smaller than usual versions of broccoli, leeks, sprouts, swedes, apples and pears into its value ranges; a commitment from Sainsbury’s to use all fruit and veg that meets regulations and stands up on taste, also incorporating them into products such as ready-prepared salads, mash in ready meals and fillings in bakery products.

Walter Simon, a Pembrokeshire potato grower and member of the NFU’s horticulture and potatoes board, said: “I am delighted that retailers have responded to an exceptional growing year by relaxing their specifications on potatoes and importantly, telling consumers about the reasons for any slight changes they may notice in the potatoes they buy.

“The packing sector is working extremely hard to market the British crop and deliver the very best of what we have available, including potatoes

that might have been rejected on the grounds of size, shape or colour in any other year.”

Apple grower Ali Capper, from Worcestershire, said she had benefitted from changes in specifications applied to apple colour and skin finish.

“It’s reassuring that retailers have recognised what a challenging year it has been for growing tree fruit throughout Europe,” she added.

“Supply is very short so a sensible approach to specifications that allows more perfectly edible fruit through supermarket doors is welcomed. This more relaxed approach could be extended into future years to ensure that the minimum amount of fruit is wasted at farm level.”

Earlier this year, the NFU called on retailers to adopt a more realistic approach to sourcing ‘out of spec’ fruit and vegetables in its Catalyst for Change report to prevent thousands of tonnes of perfectly edible fruit and vegetables being wasted every year and to reduce imports.

NFU chief horticulture and potatoes adviser Hayley Campbell-Gibbons said: “In accepting to buy weather-blemished and wonky produce this season, shoppers are sending a very clear message that they are happy to eat food that may not win a beauty contest, but still tastes great.

“Nobody wants consumers to compromise on quality, but just because a carrot is bent, or the skin of an apple is marked, it’s perfectly useable, can offer great value and most importantly reduces wastage in the food chain. Let’s hope that retailers carry on with this sensible approach to sourcing so that more of the food we produce in Britain can actually make it onto the shelf.”

L

“Delivering greater sustainability and profitability will be very difficult if we allow ourselves to return to structural over-production in 2013 and beyond. Two extreme seasons in a row have created heightened tensions in our weaker supply chains and big losses for many growers and purchasers. These goals can only be achieved in a more balanced marketplace for GB potatoes” commented Mr. Stevenson. “Potato

O

aunching the consultation on Potato Council’s 2013-16 business plan amidst the most challenging potato season in history, Chairman Allan Stevenson told delegates at the industry’s biennial seed event in Crieff that Potato Council’s role was to keep an eye on the horizon and deliver a plan that develops a more sustainable and profitable sector than is the case today.

Council cannot control the weather; we cannot control planting levels; we cannot set prices; nor can we determine consumer demand.

However, our corporate plan will support all our levy payers whatever our marketplace delivers for us.”

“I call upon industry leaders to join Potato Council early in the New Year at a summit where we will explore the current challenges in more detail and commit to developing solutions,” he added.

The plan unveiled at Crieff captured the thoughts of over 90 industry players from growers to supply chain CEOs who serve on PCL committees and develop PCL’s functional activities and focused on agreed priorities including addressing the apparent yield plateau, developing better storage, securing plant health, supporting seed, countering fresh decline and supporting processing.

Dr Rob Clayton, Potato Council’s Director summarized PCL’s approach to funding the plan, “when industry feels pain then so does Potato Council. We have seen a reduction in revenue in 2012 with less area planted and fewer potatoes traded and we have already made a commitment to peg levies at current levels. Our team has worked hard to ensure we continue to attract third party and match funding” he said.

“All PCL staff and board members have responded well to the challenge and have identified efficiencies in both the front line and support services. We’re confident that from showcasing GB through WPC2012, delivering against an agreed R&D strategy, addressing storage issues, working in partnership on new consumer signposting our current business plan remains on track and we are well placed to deliver in the future.

Challenging industry, Mr Stevenson concluded “we have what we believe to be a well balanced and highly focused plan that takes industry on a journey towards profitability and sustainability. But to succeed we will require everybody to reflect on the previous two seasons and help us identify what needs to change.”

21

ARABLE

FIFE

FARM FACTS Farmer:

Andrew Stevenson in partnership with his parents

Farming: Bonerbo Farm Location: Anstruther, Fife Area:

350 acres owned 350 acres contracted

Cattle:

25 pedigree Charolais cows

Crops:

Winter wheat, spring & winter oats

Soils:

Grade 3, heavy clay loam

Staff:

Andrew, his Dad & relief help at harvest

Positions: NFU Scotland’s New Generation Panel was Chair of East Fife YFC when he won the competition in 2005.

Stevenson – Seven Years On Andrew Stevenson of Bonerbo Farm, Anstruther in Fife won the farmingscotland.com Young Farmer of the Year competition in 2005. What has he been up to in the past seven years?

by Fiona Turnbull

“I

heard about the competition through word of mouth, friends were talking about it and I thought I’d give it a shot. We competed in regional heats where the whittling down took place; the final culminated at the Black Isle Show and eight of us had made it into this last stage.

The competition covered a bit of everything including hands on

practical tasks, business accounts problem solving and Public speaking.

The judges scored each sections and points were tallied up to decide the winner. I faced some stiff competition for the prize which was an Isuzu Rodeo pick up truck, I was delighted to win.”

Bonerbo is an arable farm in the East Neuk of Fife that Andrew farms in partnership with his parents. The

farming enterprise takes in approximately 283 hectares (700 acres), half of which is owned and the remainder farmed in a limited partnership, growing winter and spring oats and winter wheat.

The management of the farm now lies mainly with Andrew, the rotation is two crops of wheat followed by a crop of oats, and this maximises the lands capacity, which is mainly grade

3, heavy clay loam.

Bonerbo is only 10 miles from the Quaker Oats factory at Cupar, so is well placed to meet their increasing demands for oats to turn into their popular new porridge and breakfast products. The oats are marketed through Oatco, which is part of the Grainco group who supply 55% of the Scottish oats used by Quaker.

Responding to demand is only one part of the management however – coping with the wet weather is becoming of primary importance in this traditionally dry area.

Andrew’s choice of combine turned a few heads when it arrived in 2010. The New Holland CR 9080 purchased from down south, cost half the price of a smaller brand new option but it is a high output rotary combine complete with 4wd.

Andrew commented, “It’s an

IN HIS SHED 2 New Holland Tractors, `– 160 Hp & 100 Hp New Holland CR 9080 Combine Harvester Kverneland Plough 24M Amazon Sprayer Lely Centre Liner Fertiliser Spreader Law-Denis 16 t/hour Grain Drier All sowing is undertaken by contractors

22

Farming Country – Issue ninety

amazing machine and we now feel we are kitted up for coping with the harvest whatever the conditions.”

The final pieces in the harvest jigsaw are a 600 tonne outdoor grain pad and a Law-Denis continuous flow drier which runs 24 hours a day over the harvest period.

I’m curious at this point how successful an outdoor grain pit can be given the wet conditions we’ve just discussed but Andrew assures me that in a pile of wet grain, the centre is producing heat which actually starts the drying process and the outer surface can take 60 – 70 mm of rain during it’s time outside and have no more damage than a top damp layer of about 25mm. He’s not the only farmer to have adopted the concept – many of his neighbours now have outdoor pits that feed into the drier, some like Andrew having witnessed them when working as harvest help in Australia.

Unfortunately despite the best attempts at harvest to bring in the

crops, the difficult growing conditions this year produced disappointing results. “Our winter wheat yield fell by nearly 40%. The average yield over 2008 to 2010 was 4.3 tonnes per acre and this year we only harvested 2.7 tonnes per acre,” sighed Andrew.

Remaining as passionate about farming today as in 2005, Andrew has spent time on other ventures too since winning the competition. He was one of the first to enter the bio-fuel market, collecting waste vegetable oil from local fish and chip shops to convert into bio-diesel with a small plant at the farm steading.

Primarily producing fuel for the farm tractors, the experiment went well until a large national company entered the market and snapped up the majority of supplies, leaving him with no raw material. He puts it down to a learning experience and it hasn’t put him off the renewables industry as he hopes there will be a wind turbine on the farm at some point soon – depending on planning permission, of

course.

Andrew participated in valuable learning experience of a different nature when he travelled to Brazil in 2008 with the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs Agri Affairs group on a study tour of the South American country. Supported by the Cameron Travel Scholarship Trust, he studied everything from beef cattle production to growing sugar cane for the production of bio-ethanol.

He recalls noting their production costs are only a fraction of ours as land, labour and sunshine exist in abundance.

Andrew has also devoted considerable effort to improving the performance of his herd of 25 Pedigree Charolais. By operating mainly with AI, and flushing the best cows, it has allowed him to access some of the best genetics in the breed. Bulls used include Balmyle Bollinger, sire of the 70,000gns Barnsford Fernie, and Balthayock Eagle who is in the top 1% of the

breed for EBV’s.

“Trying to get both the aesthetics and EBV’s right is certainly a challenge but the buyers are now becoming more reliant on the figures as well as the looks so it is the way we are having to go.”

Only a few years on from winning the title of Young Farmer of the Year, Andrew is now in a position to provide opportunities to other young farmers. Each year he employs additional help to get through his busy harvest, he always looks for a young person and in the last 2 years has welcomed students from Australia to learn about farming in Scotland.

Andrew also serves on the NFU Scotland’s New Generation group.

Consisting of a mix of new entrants and successor farmers, the group meets every six weeks to discuss policy changes and put across the views of the industry – it’s a fresh approach that ensures that those starting out on their own have their voices heard.

New info for HGCA Recommended Lists 2013/14

N

ew to the HGCA Recommended Lists (RL) 2013/14, are resistance ratings for fusarium ear blight in spring wheat and ramularia in barley. These ratings have been added as part of HGCA’s ongoing development of the Recommended Lists following a grower survey carried out at Cereals 2011.

In total 41 new varieties have been added to this year’s Lists, while 24 varieties have been removed. Newly recommended wheat varieties include a nabim Group 2 bread making variety, Chilton, which is also provisionally approved for ukp export, alongside four possible uks varieties for biscuit making.

For winter barley, four new varieties with malting potential have performed well agronomically – Talisman, KWS Joy, Mezmaar and Solomon.

The feed variety KWS Glacier, recommended for the UK, shows a step forward in yield over existing varieties.

The East/West Oilseed Rape List sees seven additions and the North List nine, with DK Imagine CL, the first variety with imidazolinone (IMI) tolerance, included in the Oilseed Rape Descriptive List.

Varieties are added to the HGCA Recommended Lists when they are considered by the project’s industry consortium to bring consistent economic benefits to the industry.

Inclusion is based on their performance in a wide range of categories including grain quality, disease resistance and agronomic features.

Dr Simon Oxley, HGCA Senior Research and Knowledge Transfer Manager responsible for the Recommended Lists, said: “The large number of varieties added and removed this year is due to breeders successfully bringing forward varieties with high yields compared to current varieties. These new varieties have also been tested in a very challenging season as part of the RL system.

“When using the Lists, in addition to looking at yield, growers need to take into account regional factors such as disease risk and markets for specific types of grain.”

HGCA is running a pilot Cropping Systems Platform project, which will see live disease monitoring from Recommended List trials in Oxfordshire and Cornwall published on the HGCA website. This is part of HGCA’s future plans to provide growers with more regional specific information for the Recommended Lists.

Summaries of the new HGCA Recommended Lists are available on the HGCA website at www.hgca.com /varieties. The full HGCA Recommended Lists booklet will be distributed in early 2013.

Notes on new varieties: Wheat There are ten new wheat varieties which include a new nabim Group 2 breadmaking variety, three nabim Group 3 soft varieties for biscuitmaking, four soft feed varieties and two hard feed varieties.

Chilton is a nabim Group 2 variety with a similar yield to KWS Sterling.

It has a high specific weight and performed well in the difficult 2012

season. It is a stiff-strawed variety but attention to detail will be required to manage brown rust, eyespot and septoria tritici. The variety is provisionally approved for ukp export.

KWS Croft was selected for the UK, meeting Group 3 biscuit requirements and is also provisionally approved for uks export. It achieved a very high yield but has a low Hagberg. It is less suitable for distilling and is weak-strawed. It has high resistance to yellow rust.

Monterey was selected for the UK, meeting Group 3 requirements, and is also provisionally approved for uks export. The variety is high yielding, has a high specific weight but is rated as poor for distilling.

Delphi was selected for the East, meeting Group 3 requirements and is also provisionally approved for uks export. The variety is high yielding, has high resistance to yellow rust and brown rust and a rating of 7 for fusarium, but attention is required to control eyespot. It is acceptable for distilling.

The four soft feed varieties Leeds, Myriad, Revelation and Cougar all bring different characteristics for growers to choose from. Leeds was the highest yielding of the four varieties with a high specific weight and a rating of 7 for yellow rust and fusarium, but with attention required to manage its susceptibility to mildew. The variety is rated as good for distilling and its agronomic characteristics and high yield in the North will make it of interest in that region.

Myriad has a high yield and high

resistance to yellow rust. It is acceptable for distilling and has provisional approval for uks export.

Revelation is a later maturing variety rated as good for distilling. It is stiff strawed and has a high yield both treated and untreated. It has high resistance to both yellow and brown rust and also eyespot, with a high rating of 8. It is also rated 7 for fusarium.

Cougar has a slightly lower treated yield potential and has low specific weight but it has the highest untreated yield of all varieties on the Recommended List and an impressive array of resistance to disease, including a 7 rating for septoria tritici.

The variety is late-maturing and performed less well in 2012 trials. It is unsuitable for distilling, and attention is required to control eyespot so may be of less interest in Scotland.

Two hard feed varieties selected are KWS Kielder and Dickens. KWS Kielder is the higher-yielding of the two and is close to the top yielding feed variety, KWS Santiago. It is resistant to brown rust but susceptible to yellow rust, so attention to detail is required with fungicides to achieve the best yield from the variety.

Dickens also has a very high yield and is earlier maturing than KWS Kielder with a high yield in the north.

It has high resistance to yellow and brown rust but attention is required to manage eyespot.

Barley Seven new winter barley varieties have been added to the 2013/14 Recommended List. continued on page 25

Farming Country – Issue ninety

23

MACHINERY

CASE IH

Poorest Specific GB Wheat Weights on Record WWM ROSE & SONS LIMITED

T

he final results from the AHDB/ HGCA 2012 Cereal Quality Survey confirm that GB wheat specific weights are the poorest on record.

Results also confirm this as the biggest domestic issue by far for the 2012/13 season.

AHDB/HGCA Senior Analyst Charlotte Garbutt, said: “Poor wheat quality creates challenges across all supply chains from growers to traders and on to domestic and overseas flour millers and feed compounders.

“In a typical year around 85% of the wheat that millers use is grown in

the UK but this proportion is expected to be lower in 2012 as only 2% of nabim group 1 samples in our survey met a high quality bread milling specification, compared with 40% in 2011.”

“A poor harvest and bad autumn understandably does nothing for industry confidence; but it is important not to base marketing decisions on recent memories and remember that every season has its own price drivers to monitor.”

Final GB quality figures are from 99,546 wheat and 36,262 barley samples.

Lamancha West LInton EH46 7BD tel: 01968 66 07 77 ian@wmrose.co.uk www.wmrose.co.uk

Duncow Smithy Kirkmahoe, DG1 1TE tel: 01387 710285 jamesrcairnie@btconnect.com

Thomas Cairnie & Son Ltd

24

WA GEDDES River Street Wick KW1 5EB tel: 01955 60 22 07

Croft Bank Garage, Brora, KW9 7LW tel: 01408 62 12 20

Farming Country – Issue ninety

CASE IH Celebrate Silver Anniversary

T

he 1987 introduction of the Magnum series was one of the milestones in Case IH high performance tractor development, and with a design aimed squarely at meeting the needs of a new breed of large farming businesses, Magnum soon became a byword for efficiency, durability, comfort and awesome power. Case IH is now marking Magnum’s 25th anniversary in a special way.

Magnum has become the industry standard in conventional high-hp arable tractors, representing innovative technology, high performance, and reliability and the customer satisfaction and trust that those qualities create. While the name remains the same, the technology has advanced with each new generation – and the latest line now includes a limited run of very special Magnums.

"Technology can only lead the market long-term if it is high quality, high performance and highly reliable," says Gabriele Hammerschmid, Marketing Director for Case IH tractors in Europe. "Celebrating 25 years of Magnum tractors in 2012 with a limited silver edition says a great deal about how these qualities have found favour with farmers.

“One of the key reasons for this success is that Magnum design and development have always been based on the requirements of modern farming businesses,” suggests Ms Hammerschmid.

"Forward-looking farm managers know what to expect from Magnum tractors: higher power to cope with demanding jobs in difficult conditions, excellent fuel efficiency, higher working and road speeds, less maintenance, and the highest possible reliability, as well as excellent driver

comfort for fatigue-free operation.”

Heavy duty and user-friendly But even the most innovative and powerful technology cannot compensate for maintenance that compromises operating time, notes Ms Hammerschmid.

“Case IH recognises that our customers earn money only when they can use their Magnums in the field or for transport work, but when they are doing maintenance those tractors aren’t paying their way.

That’s why the latest Magnums are particularly maintenance-friendly and robust. For example, oil changes are necessary only every 600 hours of operation.”

In its anniversary year, the Magnum series is available in Europe in five models ranging between 235 and 340 hp (maximum power 273 to 389 hp).

The current generation of Magnum tractors is equipped with the very latest SCR engine technology that ensures optimum power output with minimum consumption and emissions.

An engine power management system makes an additional 49 hp (max) available on demand, which translates into a power reserve of up to 14 per cent. Also standard is an automatic productivity management system that controls engine speed and gear selection depending on the work situation, for maximum efficiency.

To celebrate the 25-year anniversary, Case IH is producing a limited number of Magnum Silver Edition tractors. In Europe, just 25 of the Magnum 340 machines in a special silver livery will be available, making them a distinctive addition to the tractor fleets of lucky purchasers.

www.farmingscotland.com

MACHINERY

NEW HOLLAND

The agronomic performance of malting varieties has taken a step forward in yield with four new varieties with malting potential added to the Recommended List, Talisman, KWS Joy, Mezmaar and Soloman.

Talisman is early maturing and has the highest yield of the four varieties with high resistance to mildew and rhynchosporium. KWS Joy will require attention for rhynchosporium.

Mezmaar has high resistance to rhynchosporium but attention will be required to minimise lodging.

Soloman has good resistance to brown rust and relatively good straw strength.

Advances have also been made in two-row feed varieties. KWS Glacier achieves recommendation for the UK. It is stiff-strawed and achieves the top yield of feed varieties, toppling Retriever from this position, but with a superior specific weight. Growers will need to watch mildew but it scores 6 ratings for brown rust, rhynchosporium and net blotch. The variety has performed particularly well in the East.

Two varieties achieved regional recommendation. Matros is recommended for the East region and California for the West. Matros is stiff-strawed and achieved 7 ratings for mildew, brown rust and rhynchosporium and has a good untreated yield. California is a stiff-strawed variety with a yield similar to KWS Cassia in the West.

There is a good advance in spring barley yields of both malting and feed varieties. Sanette, which is potentially a future malt brewing variety was recommended for the UK. It has good resistance to mildew but attention will be required to manage brown rust. New for the 2013/14 Recommended List are ratings for Ramularia and Sanette shows good resistance to this disease.

Glassel is potentially a future malt distilling variety and achieved a higher yield than Shuffle and Concerto. It has good resistance to mildew but attention will be required to manage both rhynchosporium and brown rust.

Seven feed spring barley varieties were added to the list. Tesla, Crooner, KWS Orphelia, Kelim, Natasia, Montoya and Rhyncostar.

All have yields that match or better than existing varieties. All have high resistance to mildew with Tesla and KWS Orphelia having above average resistance to rhynchosporium.

Oilseed rape East/West region There are two new high-yielding open pollinated (conventional) winter oilseed rape varieties for the East/ West region. Rivalda is the higheryielding of the two and has good resistance to lodging. Quartz is slightly lower yielding but has similar lodging resistance and excellent resistance to phoma stem canker with

26

a rating of 9.

Three restored hybrids were recommended for the East/West, Marathon, PT211 and Avatar.

Marathon is the highest yielding of the three with good resistance to lodging and stem stiffness but it is susceptible to phoma stem canker.

PT211 and Avatar both have good lodging resistance and standing ability.

Avatar is susceptible to phoma stem canker.

Troy is a semi-dwarf restored hybrid variety, which brings together a package of good yield, a short stem, stiff stem and good resistance to lodging.

DK Imagine CL was added to the Oilseed Rape Descriptive List for the East/West and the North. This is a specialist variety and is the first variety with tolerance to imidazolinone herbicide (IMI tolerance). This variety will provide benefits to growers in giving greater flexibility to manage weeds but growers should be aware that options for the future control of IMI tolerant volunteers may be limited.

North region There are three new open pollinated (conventional) varieties for the North region, Anastasia, Boheme and Pendulum. All have high yields and good resistance to lodging. Anastasia is the highest yielding of the three with good resistance to lodging and stem stiffness.

Five new restored hybrid varieties were added to the North Recommended List, PT208, Raptor, Shot, PT211 and DK Expower. All are high yielding with good resistance to lodging. The restored hybrid semi-dwarf variety Troy was added to the North Recommended List. Troy achieves a high yield, sitting second top in yield of all the North varieties with good resistance to lodging and stiff stems.

Oats No new winter or spring oat varieties have been added to the List.

Varieties removed Six wheat varieties have been removed from the HGCA List. These include casualties to new races of yellow and brown rust, which first appeared in 2011. Torch fell below the minimum standard for yellow rust and Stigg for brown rust, as well as Battalion, Humber, Ketchum and Warrior.

Three winter barley (Element, Pelican, Purdey) and two spring barley (Oxbridge, Summit) varieties were removed from the List and two winter oat varieties (Hendon, Brochan) were also removed.

Eleven varieties were removed from the two Winter Oilseed Rape Lists. These were Palace, Expert, Lioness, ES Astrid, Hammer, PR45D03, Castille and Mendel in the East/ West region, whilst Lioness, Mendel and Palace were removed from the North region.

Farming Country – Issue ninety

•Best-in-class baler safety enhances the operator experience • Industry-leading throughput of up to 110 bales/hour • Up to 20% capacity increase and up to 5% denser bales for improved productivity

N

ew Holland’s BigBaler range of large square balers has further cemented its position as the industry-leader with a coveted SIMA Silver Innovation Medal. The international jury of agricultural experts were particularly impressed by the cutting-edge safety features, which enhance operator safety with a zero-tools approach, whilst maintaining best-in-class outputs.

Furthermore, the BigBaler is just the latest product in the renewed, professional hay and forage product line up, which features the updated FR range of forage harvesters and the new Roll Baler, high density, fixed chamber round baler.

Guaranteed safe and secure operation The BigBaler range was designed with safety in mind, as New Holland knows that safety is fundamental, and that when operators are under pressure to bring the crop home in prime condition, short cuts can be

Farming Country – Issue ninety

fatal. Furthermore, these advanced safety systems have been engineered by design to be tool free for swift, hassle free access.

A unique safety system has been developed so that the front shield can only be opened when the baler is completely stationary: when the PTO has been deactivated and when the flywheel brake has been engaged.

Only when these conditions have been met, can the operator unlatch the front shield, using a dedicated lever.

Side doors are opened in absolute safety, and operator strain is reduced, as opening is assisted by powerful gas struts, which also support the side shields when they are open.

Operator safety has been further enhanced, as there is no access to any moving components via the twine boxes. The super flat service platform on top of the baler makes working at height even safer, especially when combined with the

grab rails. A dedicated needle-locking device is conveniently situated near the rear-access ladder and prevents access to the knotting system unless the lock has been engaged.

Industry leading productivity, efficiency and throughput: up to 110 bales/hour The BigBaler range has further raised the benchmark in the large square baling sector, and it has become the default choice for professional baling operations, biomass contractors and power generation businesses. As the most productive large square baler in the segment, the BigBaler can produce up to 110 bales/hour, for unsurpassed throughput.

The MaxiSweep™ pickup ensures constant, smooth feeding of an even greater volume of crop and has contributed to up to a 20% capacity increase. Bale density has been further improved by up to 5%

SIMA Silver for Safety

courtesy of the enhanced pre-compression chamber which benefits from advanced SmartFill™ technology, which uses a network of sensors to guide the operator to maintain even flake formation for uniformly dense bales.

Advanced PLM solutions such as ActiveWeigh™ on-the-go bale weighing technology, can be recorded together with moisture content, date and time and the bale’s GPS location to create precise yield and field mapping data, so that inputs can be fine-tuned to increase productivity and profitability for future seasons.

The significant throughput and quality advantages of the BigBaler have been further recognised with a prestigious AE50 award, conferred by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The BigBaler range was regarded as one of the fifty most innovative product ideas to enter the market in 2012.

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YOUNG FARMERS

EAST AREA

Football Finalists East Area Rally Winning Royal Themed Entry East Fife - Senior Speechmaking Winners (below)

farmingscotland.com is now on facebook - why not like us?

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YOUNG FARMERS

BUSINESS SKILLS

Interview with Sara Sands

by Fiona Turnbull

I

s agriculture exciting, does farming offer prospects?

“Yes” is the wholehearted answer from Sara Sands, the winner of the recent AgriScot Business Skills competition. Sara (21) is a farmer’s daughter from Southfield Farm by Abernyte, Perthshire where her family run a well-established livestock enterprise.

Since she was little, Sara has always wanted to be involved in farming, educated at Abernyte Primary she then moved to Harris Academy in Dundee. Sara admits High School was a bit of an eye opener after attending a small rural primary but whilst confessing she would have preferred to stay at home and help her Dad most days she stuck in to secure the grades required and was accepted to study for a BSc in Agriculture at SRUC, Aberdeen.

“Craibstone is a great campus – being out of town is really brilliant, I had heard about the respected academic reputation and friends told me the social side was pretty good too!”

It turns out that the advice was sound, as Sara has thoroughly enjoyed student life. Asked to pick out a highlight, Sara comments, “In May 2012, we travelled to Holland by ferry from Newcastle on a study tour of the Netherlands, it was a fascinating trip and we covered a fair bit of this very flat country visiting dairy units and counting windmills.

Much of the land has been reclaimed from the sea; we were shown the technology that keeps the water out.

We also visited the flower market where we witnessed trolleys of tulips and other flowers coming and going, I really enjoyed the trip and look forward to seeing more of the world once I have finished my degree” Now in her fourth and final year, Sara has elected to study mainly livestock modules and is currently drafting her dissertation, which is

Farming Country – Issue ninety

investigating the influence of Estimated Breeding Values (EBV’s) when buying stock rams and whether they are economically justified from a buyer’s perspective. The research is conducted through a survey of commercial breeders and questions include; do you use EBV’s? Do they influence the purchasing decision?

What traits are looked for? Or what are your reasons for not utilising EBV’s?

The deadline for completion of the entire project is 22nd of April 2013.

If you have not received a survey already and would like to contribute, Sara would be delighted to send out a copy, just get in contact using her email – sara_sands@hotmail.co.uk Sara’s interest in breeding rams is hardly surprising given her farming background. Southfield is a 150 acre unit run by her Dad who finishes 60 heifers annually, grows enough barley to feed everything and runs two pedigree flocks. Grandpa Sands established both flocks – the Suffolks in 1945, which are known as Kingston and the flock of pedigree Charollais sheep that were introduced in 1981; it’s the longest established flock in Scotland.

The ewes’ number 150 and lamb in January inside – Sara helps out at weekends and so does her brother and Mum. The flock is not performance recorded but the family use the information they record for the breed society to select for lambing ease and lamb vigour, these are the traits that attract commercial buyers of shearling tups. Sara knows many of the buyers as they return annually, keen to purchase more stock.

The Charollais are sold at Kelso and both breeds are sold at Forfar and Stirling.

The early lambing is done and dusted by February so Sara has been free to gain experience during her Easter holidays from University and

completed two lambings as an assistant on a 2000 ewe flock in Northumberland before moving to help out with a 350 ewe flock at New Deer where she hopes to return in 2013.

It seems it has been a combination of information accrued during the first three years at SRUC coupled with sound practical experience that stood Sara in good stead for the competition. To start with she sent in her CV with a 200-word report on continuous professional development for a rural agri-business manager.

The semi-final stage involved a farm walk with questions on farming and enterprises, Sara then became the first girl to reach the final and delivered a presentation on the merits of a new product called AI24 heat-time vocal from Semex.

Feedback from the judges

suggested she had been listening attentively and delivered her presentation with a wide range of facts and potential benefits. She recalls a few tricky questions on accounts and the business side of agriculture but was delighted to hear she had won the title and also received £1000 prize money.

So when I asked this enthusiastic young woman what advice she would offer to someone interested in agriculture, her answer was simple “Go for it.” Sara points out the long term prospects are good for today’s agricultural graduates and it’s only once you get involved that you fully understand the wide range of jobs and options available. The industry is certainly better off since Sara Sands chose to be part of it, I’m sure you will join me in wishing her all the best for a great career in Agriculture.

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RURAL ROUND-UP

PHOTOGRAPHY

1st

2nd

COWS Photography Competition judged by Rebecca Lee Jenny MacAskill, Woodhall Farm, Dunbar 1st prize winner Issue 89 with her Simmental photo

wins a Cookery course at Courses for Cooks 2nd prize winner Redstroke Limousins Baldarroch, Perth scoops a Highland Cow Rug from www.ginalillycropdesigns.com

3rd

3rd prize winner Jean Gibbon, Furmiston, Carsphairn wins a cookery book, apron & beanie hat from QMS

Theme for January SHEEP email your entries to

editor@farmingscotland.com by 15th January

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RURAL ROUND-UP

COMPETITION

January Photo Competition – ‘Sheep’ First Prize Winner Receives: a surprise package 2nd Prize Set of four Story of Wool Mugs & a dish towel from Herdy 3rd & 4th each receive a Wool Story dish towel

4th=

e-mail entries to editor@farmingscotland.com by 15th January 2013 enter as many photos as you wish

4th= prize winner (left) Redstroke Limousins Baldarroch, Perth receives QMS goodies

4th= prize winner (below) Luigi & Katy Munday John Little Farmers Rettendon, Chelmsford Essex receives QMS goodies

4th=

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