Arable Farming November/December 2015 by FG Insight

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ARABLE

Talking Arable Andrew Robinson, Jim Bullock and Iain Green

FARMING

November/December 2015

Page 10-15 www.arablefarming.com

CROPTEC PREVIEW Essential event information, what to see and seminar programme details

Grain storage Adapting store facilities in changing times

Drills Update on the latest developments

Spring cropping First drive

Making the most of weed control benefits

Our verdict on the John Deere 9RX Innovation in action for progressive arable farmers

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For further information, please visit www.bayercropscience.co.uk, or call Bayer Assist on 0845 6092266 (calls cost 5p per minute plus your telephone companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network access charge) or 01223 226644. ÂŠ Bayer CropScience Limited 2015

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The future of British and Irish farming is at the heart of everything we do Luke’s a long way off being a farmer. But at Bayer CropScience we’re already working on the category-leading products, seeds and services that he may eventually come to rely on. In fact, we currently invest over 20% of our entire Global research and development budget towards European projects. That’s quite a commitment compared with the industry average of only 7.7%*. It’s just one of the ways we ensure that the future of British and Irish farming is at the heart of everything we do. *Phillips McDougall – an Informa Company. R&D Trends Report 2013

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LEADER

a word from the

EDITOR y the time this issue lands on doormats the bulk of the autumn workload will, hopefully, be complete. Crop establishment reports appear on the whole to be good, although slugs and cabbage stem flea beetle have been challenging for some. The focus now is on nurturing and protecting what is in the ground, but already the yield-robbers are queuing up. Early phoma pressure in oilseed rape has required action, while blackgrass has taken advantage of favourable weather. Sadly some growers are once again faced with the prospect of spraying-off an established winter wheat crop before further costs are incurred. As ever we will need to be well-informed, welladvised and thinking ahead as the new season’s challenges emerge, but I’m pleased to say there will be help, advice and, I am sure, inspiration at this year’s CropTec, which takes place later this month. Don’t miss our event preview on p30-43. It has been a busy time too this autumn in the world of farming politics. Concerns expressed over England’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme, the successor to Entry Level Stewardship, appear to have materialised into poor uptake. With the new scheme being described variously as being ‘poorly designed’, ‘not fit for purpose’ and ‘burdensome’ and thousands of farms set to exit ELS in 2016, it would seem an early overhaul is needed for the sake of farm businesses and the environment. The volume of noise around ‘Brexit’ and the

UK’s in-out EU membership referendum is increasing. Lots of questions, very few answers, but as yet no detail from David Cameron on the criteria upon which he wants to negotiate. What is clear, however, is there will be implications for agriculture, whatever the outcome, and voters in farming must work to ensure their voices are heard. There have been a few news stories of late which have led me to muse on the complex interactions between politics, technology, and legislation. With increasing use of technology comes ever more legislation it seems. Is this inevitable? Will this always be the case and so an increasing burden of rules ands regulations be something we and following generations will have to live with? Or will the way we manage and control our use of technology adapt as technological innovation moves ahead? I don’t have the answers but as I contemplate headlines on GM, privacy and use of drones, genome editing and ‘big data’, to name but a few, it does make you think. Hope to see you at CropTec.

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www.croptecshow.com 24-25 November, 2015 © Briefing Media Ltd 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The contents of Arable Farming are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. ISSN 0269-6797

Arable Farming, Briefing Media Ltd, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 9NZ Origination by Farmers Guardian, Briefing Media Ltd, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Preston, Lancashire PR2 9NZ. Printed by Headley Brothers, Invicta Press, Queen’s Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 8HH. No responsibility can be accepted by Arable Farming for the opinions expressed by contributors.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

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THIS MONTH

CONTENTS november/december

Volume 37 Issue 10

Pest control

Rats and mice Protecting stored machinery

51-53 Comment

Regulars

6-8 10-15 22-28

16-17 63 64

Latest news Talking Arable Talking Agronomy

Market analysis Arable marketplace BASIS news

Business

Food and farming’s future Expert opinion on Defra’s 25-year plan

18-20 4

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Biologicals

Developments Developing biologicals for broad-acre crops

58-59

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THIS MONTH

36-37

34-35 38-40

CropTec 2015

Special event preview 30 32-33 34-35 36-37 38-40 42-43

Essential CropTec event details Enhancing yield through soil improvements Nutrition: Micronutrientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; macro effects Protection: Building relations for better results Exhibition: What to see Seminar: Programme details

32-33

grain stores livestock housing kit buildings silage clamps industrial units straw barns livestock equipment dairy buildings slurry lagoons fabricated steelwork recycling plants general purpose buildings NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

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NEWS

GM seed contamination no risk to other crops

efra’s GM Inspectorate (GMI) has insisted there is no risk to nearby crops or the wider environment after the discovery of genetically modified (GM) seed at a number of sites in England and Scotland. The inspectorate has confirmed the discovery of a ‘unintended presence’ of GM seed in a batch of conventional oilseed rape seed imported from France. The seed is now being destroyed. The GMI was informed by a seed company after a test result on a batch of imported seed indicated a possible GM presence. The seed had been sown in small plots at several sites in

GM oilseed rape seed was identified at sites in England and Scotland.

England and Scotland, mostly as part of conventional trials for the official registration of new plant varieties. In a statement, Defra said the

company responsible was cooperating to ensure destruction of all the affected plants, with the GMI overseeing this activity in England.

Seed from the same batch which has not been planted is being recalled. Defra said: “There is no risk to adjacent crops or the wider environment as plants which have grown from the affected seed would not flower until next spring.” Professor Huw Jones, head of Cereal Transformation Lab at Rothamsted Research, said: “It is unfortunate GM seeds have been found in a batch of imported conventional oilseed rape. “But this confirms UK screening procedures are robust and this was identified at an early stage of cultivation to allow effective remedial actions to be taken.”

Beet growers invited to air Bumper UK harvest praised to our flour mills and distillers farmers have been views on future contracts JUK to produce some of our praised following one of the JSugar beet growers are being invited to air their views on contracts and pricing arrangements in the post-quota UK sugar industry. The NFU and British Sugar will hold a conference at the East of England Showground on November 13 (10am12.30pm) and have invited growers to look ahead to a post-quota world. The announcement was made as it becomes less than two years until the EU sugar industry ends its quota system. NFU sugar board chairman William Martin said: “In 2016 beet growers will be planting their final crop under the current arrangement, so we have to start planning now for what

the post-quota world will look like. “We want to hear from growers about their views on beet pricing options and their attitude to risk and reward. This conference is an important part of our planning for 2017.” Suggestions for prices going forward include developing a market price link. The current system involves negotiation between NFU, acting on behalf of beet growers, and British Sugar, in delivering a price for all British Sugar suppliers for the forthcoming year. There is also discussion about more flexibility in contract lengths to aid farm planning. JPlaces can be booked by visiting nfusugar.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

country’s biggest harvests of the past 20 years. With precision farming methods growing substantially in the past two decades, figures released by Defra show the UK wheat harvest has exceeded 16 million tonnes in the past two years. This is the first time the harvest has exceeded this figure consecutively. Defra claims gains in precision farming has helped farmers increase production and improve crop quality. Environment Secretary Liz Truss says: “We have some of the world’s best farmers. “It is fantastic to see their hard work and expertise rewarded with a bumper harvest of crops which will be heading

favourite foods, from bread and beer to breakfast cereals. “From using GPS to increase planting precision, to introducing new water-efficient crop varieties, our innovative farmers are embracing technology to unleash their full potential.”

Export volumes UK cereal export volumes rose 74.5% between 2013 and 2014, with food and drink exports doubling. Figures show Eastern England grew the largest tonnage of wheat this year, 4.17mt. Yorkshire and Humber grew the largest amount of winter barley, while the East Midlands grew the largest tonnage of oilseed rape.

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NEWS Yorkshire potash mine construction in 2016 JConstruction is set to begin on a major new Yorkshire fertiliser mine next year following approval by planners. The project, which produces potash, is situated in the North York Moors National Park and will reportedly create the UK’s first new mine in the past 45 years. Experts believe it could be one of the world’s largest in terms of potash extracted. It is set to extract 10 million tonnes of polyhalite, used as a fertiliser, per year. This is likely to grow to 20mt per year. In an update, Sirius Minerals, the mine’s developer, said a decision notice from the North York Moors National Park Authority, which granted planning permission for the company’s mine and transport system, had been issued. Chris Fraser, managing director and chief executive of Sirius, said: “We are delighted to be through this key approvals process and now moving into the delivery phase of this world class project. “On behalf of everyone at Sirius, I want to thank the thousands of people who have supported the project to date and we look forward to beginning construction during 2016.” Sirius is currently finalising its definitive feasibility study but said the decision notice was a major milestone concluding four years’ planning work. Many in the farm sector have suggested the project could be significant for the UK’s domestic fertiliser industry. The project has been valued by some at £3.15 billion and is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs at full production.

Ministers open centre for ‘big data’ research new centre for ‘big data’ research has been opened at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire by Farming Minister George Eustice and Life Sciences Minister George Freeman. The Agrimetrics centre for agricultural innovation is claimed to be the first of its kind in the world and is also the first centre for agricultural innovation to be created by the UK Government under the UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies. It will help support a revolution in the use of big data science and modelling across all sectors of agriculture and the food chain, say founding partners NIAB, Rothamsted Research, SRUC and the University of Reading. The centre will work on ‘big data’ projects and analytical tools with business and academic partners throughout the food system, including farmers and growers, food manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. George Eustice said: “British

From left: Prof Mario Caccamo, of NIAB, Prof John Crawford, of Rothamsted Research and Agrimetrics; Life Sciences Minister George Freeman; Farming Minister George Eustice; Prof Richard Tiffin, of Reading University and Agrimetrics; and Prof Alistair Stott, of SRUC, at the Agrimetrics launch.

farmers are increasingly making use of data to help them manage and grow their business, from predicting weather trends, to assessing soil qualities.”

Efficiency gains “This new technology has contributed to efficiency gains and will help us drive up the value of our food and farming industry. This new centre, funded as part of the Government’s AgriTech Strategy, provides even greater opportunities to utilise this valuable resource.” Prof Alistair Stott, head of the

future farming systems group at SRUC, said: “Modern technology is flooding the food and farming world with data. The key challenge is to fairly share and efficiently process it into information farmers can use.” Prof Richard Tiffin, chief scientific officer of Agrimetrics, said: “Agrimetrics will enable the gathering, processing and availability of big data in a way which will support decisionmaking processes for the realisation of new opportunities and better use of scarce resources.”

Online grain trading growing in difficult market JOnline grain trading is growing as farmers feel the effects of difficult market conditions. Graindex, a new online trading platform launched in recent months, has announced a partnership with grain merchant Nidera, which means farmers using the platform have access to 60% of the UK’s grain market. The online platform allows farmers and merchants to trade combinable crops and oilseeds.

Graindex commercial director Andrew Huxham said the platform had allowed farmers to make sales in a difficult market. Grain prices Farmers have seen grain prices languish below costs of production for much of the past year. Mr Huxham added: “The uptake has gone way beyond our expectations. “We think this is because

there is no risk and no downside, so vendors are happy to put lots on there to try out the market.” Openfield, Gleadell and Glencore all currently trade through Graindex, and the system saw £750,000 of listings in its first four weeks. Graindex claimed 45% of these had resulted in sales. Mr Huxham added the online trading of grain was now inevitable.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

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NEWS

Growers must be at centre of Agri-Tech Strategy roll-out

cademics and industry stakeholders have been reminded to engage with farmers and growers when developing solutions to benefit agriculture. All too often producers are ignored by the scientific community, when in reality they hold the key to a wealth of data and other information which

can be used to develop new agri-tech solutions. Industry experts were speaking at a Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum event on the UK Agri-Tech Strategy. The £160 million initiative was launched two years ago in order to accelerate innovation in farming. However, questions have been raised about its effective-

Neonicotinoids are damaging bee hive productivity, says Buglife.

ness and whether swingeing Defra budget cuts will lead to a reduced funding pot. NFU chief land management adviser Sam Durham urged the industry to not ’forget the farmer’ but engage with producers and visit them on-farm. Mr Durham said farmers were keen to host researchers and urged the scientific community to approach the NFU to help facilitate this. “Yes, there will always be farmers who are hard to reach and who want to carry on doing things the way they have been doing them for years and years. But there are innovative farmers out there who want to develop and want to share that,” he said. This grassroots approach was highlighted by Dr Belinda Clarke, director of Agri-Tech East. The independent cluster

organisation supports innovation in plant-based agriculture and horticulture, from its base in the east of England. “Our mission is to pioneer multidisciplinary open innovation to enhance the productivity, efficiency and sustainability of UK agricultural and horticultural research and production,” said Dr Clarke. She said the organisation brought people together with different industry expertise, for example engineering, where knowledge could be transferred to the farm sector. Dr Huw Jones, head of agriculture at the Knowledge Transfer Network, said sharing data will become increasingly important. “There are a number of farmers sharing and getting value from data, but how do we get that out to more people?”

JThe current El Nino weather event is unlikely to cause spikes in grain prices, the World Bank has claimed. El Nino, a phase of warm weather which can occur in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, has the potential to disrupt agricultural production and affect global supplies. But despite claims the current El Nino episode could be one of the strongest on record, a recent World Bank report has stated this is unlikely to cause gains in global arable prices. The report stated: “The current El Nino episode is unlikely to cause a spike in global agricultural prices

given ample supply of major agricultural commodities, weak links between global and domestic prices, and limited impact of past episodes. “However, it could be a source of significant local disruptions in the most affected regions.” In recent months, some industry chiefs had pointed to El Nino as one of the only potential factors in grain markets which could affect supply and prompt rises in the short-term. When El Nino arrives there are typically cooler, drier conditions in Australasian countries and hot and wet conditions in South America.

Growing concern over impact of neonicotinoids on wildlife El Nino unlikely to cause this year a paper was published gains in global grain prices JAn environmental group linking the decline of Monarch claims a new study shows

neonicotinoids are being spread through the air and water, into hedgerows, meadows, rivers and ponds where they can damage a range of wildlife. Buglife said the report by Scientists at the University of Sussex ’heightened the concern’ about the scale of environmental harm caused by neonicotinoids. Studies show honeybees are collecting enough of the toxin to damage the productivity and reproduction rate of the hive, while many other caterpillars and bugs living close to arable fields are also exposed to toxic levels of the pesticide. Matt Shardlow, chief executive of Buglife, said: “Earlier

butterflies in the USA to neonicotinoids in field margins. “The new University of Sussex research makes it clear eye-wateringly high concentrations of deadly insecticides have been frequent in hedgerow plants in the UK and it seems highly likely this has been damaging the populations of hundreds of wild insects.” While planting wild flower field margins has been promoted by the Government as a solution to the pollinator crisis, Mr Shardlow said they do not help ’solitary bees, or provide nesting habitats’ due to the habitat being ploughed or sprayed off before they complete their lifecycle.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

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TALKING ARABLE

ANDREW Robinson

Andrew Robinson is farms manager at Heathcote Farms, Bedfordshire. He is a former winner of the nabim/HGCA Milling Wheat Challenge.

“

This will be the first time no soft wheat has been grown on this farm for the past 40 years

ry weather during the last few days of September and the first week of October allowed us to variable-rate drill the barley and wheat. Barley has been sown at 400 seeds/sq.metre, with most of the wheat at between 300-350 seeds/sq.m dependent on variety and location. Varieties this year include Gallant, Skyfall and Crusoe, with Glacier again taking the winter barley slot. Gallant, for all its drawbacks with poor disease attributes, is in there as it performs well for us, but most importantly it is generally fit to cut as soon as we have finished harvesting the rape. Due to a lack of decent premiums, this will be the first time no soft wheat has been grown on this farm for the past 40 years. Having got the seedbeds to a near perfect state, the heavy rain then came, meaning we had to run through some of the ground with a 10m set of spring tines to let air in and dry it out, an unforeseen but necessary requirement. All pre-emergence sprays have been applied to rolled seedbeds, most of which are excellent apart from the block behind beans, which is not as good as I would have hoped. Rain followed the pre–emergence application a few days later, which should improve efficacy. Most of the Avadex (tri-allate) too has been applied to fields which required a treatment. Oilseed rape is now moving away into what I call the ‘comfort zone’, where the crop should be able to repel most things apart from black-grass which is starting to appear in some fields. Carbetamex (carbetamide) will be

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

applied, as will Kerb (propyzamide) in November as temperatures fall. Having found a few slugs in our bait traps at the beginning of September in the ex-rape ground, we applied some slug pellets and achieved excellent control pre-drilling. The light footprint of the quadbike and towed spreader set-up, with the ability to spread at 20kph to 32m, works very well in all conditions, wet or dry, while being able to cover about 34 hectares per hour including filling ensures speedy applications even when conditions are less favourable. The Openfield trials produced some interesting results, with the three highest yielding plots being KWS Lili, Crusoe and

There were a few slugs in bait traps at the beginning of September on the ex-rape ground.

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TALKING ARABLE KWS Siskin, with Crusoe taking the financial top spot with a yield of 13.89 tonnes/ha and 13.34% protein, and Siskin close behind at 13.82t/ha and 12.83% protein from 271kg/ha of nitrogen. Milling wheats averaged 13.42t/ha compared to the feed wheat at 13.24t/ha, which reaffirms our decision to grow milling wheat. Wheat harvesting Having combined 1,136ha with the Claas 770tt it performed as expected, with most days in wheat harvesting 430665t/day at an average of 45.6t/hour over the weighbridge, a 21% increase Dry weather at the end of September/start of October allowed winter cereals to be variable-rate drilled. over our Claas 760tt. However, we do still feel we could do with more power when chopping unripe straw. Having harvested 10,267t this season, the total cost per tonne worked out at £5.32, with an average fuel rate of 2.06 litres per tonne (86% chopping and 14% swathing) which, although not brilliant, is significantly better than the 760tt we ran previously. The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) has been set at £200,000 starting in January next year from its current temporary £500,000. I feel the Government has missed a trick here as a higher AIA, especially when commodity prices are low, would have helped businesses retain some much-needed cash as the £200,000 is deducted from the profits before tax. This farm has been recording rainfall data for the past 34 years, and looking back over the records there is a stark contrast in terms of rainfall during this period. In the first 17 years (1980-1997) we had just three wetter-than-average seasons compared to the last 17 years (1997-2014), which shows we have had 12.

Farm facts rHeathcote Farms, Toddington, Bedfordshire rTwo farms, eight miles apart r930ha on heavy Hanslope Clays r218ha on Greensand r200ha on contract combining rCropping: Winter wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape and spring beans rFarms manager Andrew Robinson plus two full-time employees

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

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TALKING ARABLE

JIM Bullock

Jim Bullock farms in a family partnership at Guarlford, near Malvern, Worcestershire. He is a keen proponent of conservation tillage techniques and is a founder member of the conservation agriculture group BASE-UK.

It’s wishful thinking that by planting something like tillage radish it’s going to sort out your soil structure problems

“

or once I am not going to complain about the weather. This autumn, it has been on our side. We had already taken the decision we would not drill any wheat until after the middle of October, which for us is a high risk strategy, but we cannot afford to ignore the potential blackgrass problems. It was perhaps fortunate we had 28mm of rain in six hours in the second week of the month, which stopped all field work. But it meant we have had two good hits (with glyphosate) at the black-grass in late-September and middle of the October, so with luck we will have reduced the seed bank at a very low cost. We have drilled into perfect seedbeds – moist underneath and dry on top. It was strange to be blowing dust off the drill before putting it away for the winter, usually its several hours with the

pressure washer to get the mud off it. Later-drilled crops always take much longer to emerge, as do the weeds, so we have a bigger window to get any pre-em herbicides applied. We have gone back to one very black-grasssusceptible field with another 1.5 litres of glyphosate, as we found a few black-grass plants daring to show their heads. But last year’s experience showed us most pre-em sprays worked much better in late-October than in September. Early-drilled crops appear to be more susceptible to chemical damage, probably due to higher soil temperatures and lush growth. We have not had an oilseed rape crop on the farm for two years now and the one thing I am not missing is slugs. We have drilled into some pretty trashy seedbeds and as yet have not found one slug in our bait points.

Drilling into perfect seedbeds on October 20 meant blowing dust off the drill before putting it away for winter.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

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TALKING ARABLE

1ST CLASS

Min-till JB Diego emerging 14 days after drilling (soil temp 8degC).

Now we find ourselves in the situation with half of the farm planted with winter wheat which includes some second wheats (in low-risk black-grass fields), but we have a large area of spring crops to be planted. As ever our decisions will be dictated by the weather, but if we have some weather windows in November I might just plant some winter oats and some spring wheat. Re-set button As much as I am in love with direct drilling and conservation agriculture, when it doesn’t work there comes a time when you have to press the re-set button, i.e. by ploughing. We did this last year on 20 hectares and it has worked because we are now able to direct drill again into this area; the weed burden has been dramatically reduced and the soil structure works again. There is no need to be a martyr to a cause if it doesn’t work for you. On some of our soils we have been direct drilling for 15-plus years and it works, but unfortunately on some we just have to do some tillage or we end up with a compacted, weed-infested, infertile mess. I have been growing cover crops since the mid-80s (starting with mustard before linseed) and more recently mixtures, but I am not so sure what they are ‘bringing to the

Farm facts

rMember of a family farming partnership r292 hectares part owned, part share farmed, part tenanted rCropping over the last five years includes: Wheat (winter and spring), oilseed rape (winter and spring), oats and beans, along with an area of temporary grass and permanent pasture rSoils predominantly: Silty-clay-loams (up 45% clay) rAll crops established either by direct drilling or min-till rAverage field size: 6ha rRainfall five-year average 700mm (865mm – 2014, 950mm – 2012)

table’ in these harsher economic times. I just wonder if my money would not be better spent on lime, sewage sludge and compost over which I have a greater degree of control. It’s wishful thinking that by planting something like tillage radish it’s going to sort out your soil structure problems. It probably won’t even grow in the areas you are looking for soil reconstruction, it will grow well in the good areas. So do not scrap your subsoilers yet, just add a small seed applicator and plant a cover crop after soil loosening.

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Farmer ‘disillusionment’ at CSS prompts call for change rUpland farmer fears mount

92 PAGES OF NEWS AND CLASSIFIEDS NEWS

BUSINESS

BPS exchange rate set

rScheme uptake low due to red tape

ARABLE

Sugar beet crop latest

By Alistair Driver INDUSTRY leaders have called for significant improvements to England’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) in response to concerns over farmer ‘disillusionment’ with the new scheme. As the application window for the first CSS agreements, due to start in January 2016, closed on Wednesday (September 30), there were fears uptake would be well down on expectations. While farmers appear to have been lukewarm towards the scheme across the country, there is real anger in the uplands where farmers appear to have been denied a credible successor to the vital Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (UELS) scheme. The transition to the CSS higher tier for farmers coming out of Higher Level Stewardship agreements appears to be relatively straightforward. The concern is about the 11,000 or so fa armers coming out of farmers UELS agreements who could potentially takee up new CSS midtier ag greements. agreements. Defra and Natura Natural England had allocated £85 million to CSS in 2016 and were thought to have havve been targeting about 4,000 4 000 new mid tier agreements this year mid-tier year. While app ications were arr v applications arriving all the time and the final number will be higher higher, by Monday it

Dairy farms’ EU cash aid

MACHINERY

Fendt extends its kit range LIVESTOCK

Plantain boosts forage density SALES

Bryncir store cattle catt tle to o £1,450 There is real anger towards the CSS in the uplands where farmers appear to have been denied a credible e successor to the Uplands ELS scheme scheme.

IN YOUR FIELD was understood only about 1,000 applications had been submitted.

Put off Potential applicants appear to have been put offf by a lack of suitable options, particularly in the hills, some burdensome requirements ve bureaucracyy an nd ments, excessiv excessive and confusion up to the last ast minute ove v r scheme rules. over NFU vice president Guy Smith vice-president said the NFU would wait until fi inal numbers we ere known befo ore final were before commenting fully fully. He said: “The NFU remains committed to having as many

farmers as possible in active agrienvironment work. “But, while it is early days, we are concerned a lot of people seem to be disillusioned with the new ag gri-environment strucagri-environment ture and it is not getting enough interest interest.” He said the NFU would seek hanges to the sscheme heme over the changes next 12 months if it was ‘j‘‘just ust not attracting fa armers’and farmers’ and members want a ‘‘significantly ignificantly different design design’. CLA director of external aff fa rs affairs Shane Brennan said it appeared uptake of the new scheme would

gni be ‘down by an order of magnitude’. dibly He blamed the ‘incredibly bureaucratic’ nature of the ssue scheme and said the biggest issue was the potential impact on envienvi ronmental management aro und around the country country. “Our fo ocus, if the numberss are focus, low low, will be how we can turn this around to ensure we have got g a high level of participation go oing going fo orward,” he said forward,” said. NFU uplands spokesm man spokesman M ton said sa d there wou d be Robin Milton would minimal uptake in the hills, with enormous fi ffinancial nancial implicat tions implications

fo or fa armers and an inev vitab ble shift for farmers inevitable manag ged. in how land was managed. He said: “There is real disappointment among farmers faarmers in the uplands There is effectively efffective y no uplands. p kag packag ge for fo upland farming fa m n They Th y package farming. are going to reduce an income which is already below the minimum wage and tell the most disadv d antaged areas ‘sorry y the en disadvantaged ‘sorry, eny ur responsibility’”. yo responsibility t ’”. vironment is your Natural England said it would not comment until the final fiigures were w re in. we in figures MORE ON THIS STORY See page 2 2.

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13 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING 1 29/10/2015 17:10

AF Nov/Dec p14 15 Green EP TR _Layout 1 27/10/2015 18:23 Page 1

TALKING ARABLE

IAIN Green

Iain Green farms in partnership with his parents Jimmy and Nan Green at Garmouth, Morayshire. He is a past president of the council of the British Simmental Cattle Society and of the Royal Northern Agricultural Society.

It looks like a period where growing cereals will not be profitable without a reduction in input costs

“

e have been very lucky in this area to have a dry spell of weather which has allowed harvesting to progress well. Although we started later than last year, it has been much easier because of the dry ground conditions. The weather has been very kind to us in this corner of the country and thankfully allowed the upland and later areas to finally complete their harvest. The fine weather has also allowed us to finish drilling all our winter cereals and to fill the dutch barns and sheds with dry straw. Once again, all winter cereals were established by ploughing and pressing on the light land and just ploughing on the heavy land, followed in both cases with the one-pass power harrow drill combination. Both winter barley and wheat look excellent and have emerged very well.

The fine weather has allowed drilling to be finished.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Most of the winter barley has been drilled on the lighter land and was all rolled after drilling. The wheat on the heavier land, which is stonefree, has been left unrolled behind the drill to prevent capping. The barley has received its first spray consisting of a tank mix of herbicide and manganese. Ploughing Autumn ploughing for spring cereals on the heavy land is continuing well. What a difference compared to last year, when at this time we struggled to travel on the land to take the straw bales off. I was surprised at harvest how even the crops were. I was expecting to see signs or marks of the deep tracks left from last year’s wet harvest. But with no such evidence, it was the correct decision to wait until the land had dried out in the springtime before we ripped it open and levelled the deep tracks. We have started taking our young heifers inside for winter, but spring-calving cows are still enjoying the grass which has continued well this autumn. Once it turns wet and they start making a mess of these fields they will be moved to dry stubble fields or grass leys which are due to be ploughed in spring. We had a very successful Stirling bull sale. Our entry of eight bulls picked up several prize tickets including two firsts, two seconds and senior champion. They all sold well and averaged £7,376 and to a top of £12,600. I would like to thank all purchasers and wish them good luck with their new bulls. This harvest was the last year we had rolling contracts for our malting barley to be supplied to our local three maltsters. These contracts had allowed us to lock in forward at any time once

AF Nov/Dec p14 15 Green EP TR _Layout 1 29/10/2015 11:18 Page 2

TALKING ARABLE Farm facts rW.J. and J. Green is a family partnership based at Corskie, Morayshire, in the north east of Scotland r1,234 hectares of owned and contract farmed arable land and grass for livestock enterprises, which include a pedigree Simmental herd and indoor pigs rSoils: Light sandy loam through to clay loam rCropping includes 107ha winter wheat (distilling/feed), 72ha winter barley (own use for pig feed), 411ha spring barley (malting) and 10ha spring oats (own use for feed) rOne farm has been in continuous barley since the 1960s rW.J. and J. Green also runs a UK-wide haulage business

All winter cereals were established by ploughing and pressing on light land, with winter barley emerging well.

the wheat futures had opened. The wheat future part of the contract was only a percentage of the total and never the full tonnage, but it did allow us to help increase the average price. The balance tonnage was always paid as the average spot price which this year the maltsters have confirmed to be £105-£110 per tonne, which is very disappointing considering we are now paying £100/t for feed barley. It may be time to re-look at the

viability of growing spring barley for malting and go for new high yielding feed varieties and feed all our cereals through our own livestock. We have reduced our normal acreage of winter wheat by 24 hectares because our nearest grain distillery, which took most of the wheat from our area, has changed over to maize and decided to use nothing but imported maize in the future. Therefore,

the local premium we used to get has gone, leaving most of the north wheat having to travel 160 miles south to another distillery. This reduction in wheat will be replaced by mainly grass and spring barley to be used in our livestock enterprises. It looks like a period where growing cereals will not be profitable without a reduction in input costs and where it may be difficult to justify new expensive machinery.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p16 17 Market Analysis TR EP_Layout 1 29/10/2015 11:24 Page 1

BUSINESS MARKET ANALYSIS While wheat prices have responded to improving weather, those for oilseed rape are being pressured by the arrival of huge quantities of Canadian canola in Europe, say analysts ODA.

Wheat market factors-in weather improvements ecent falls in wheat prices were largely due to forecasts for rain in regions suffering from drought conditions. In the USA, the arrival of rain in the hard red wheat (HRW) wheat-producing regions is likely to improve establishment before winter. In Australia, significant rainfall is also expected in the east, but in New South Wales is likely to arrive too late. In Victoria, the state most affected by drought, only partial improvement is likely as some damage has already been done. The Black Sea region is likely to see some rainfall and this will improve emergence, which is very mixed at the moment. Given the delays, however, wheat is likely to be highly susceptible to the cold this winter. Wheat

Consultant details rOffre et Demande Agricole (ODA) is a private, independent consulting firm which helps buyers and sellers of agricultural commodities manage market volatility and price risks. The key UK personnel within the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pan European Group include Gary Phillips (country manager), Manon Leygue (consultant) and Sebastien Mallet (consultant). For more information call 01223 894 791, or visit www.odaconnect.co.uk

The release of the official Defra 2015/2016 production estimate had little impact on UK markets.

Lastly, wheat sowings are likely to be down this year. It is too early to determine by how much, but it seems reasonable to expect a decline in Ukraineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production potential of three million tonnes compared with last year. The release of the official Defra 2015/2016 production estimate had little impact on UK markets. With production of wheat put at 16.171mt and barley at 7.276mt, Defra describes record UK average yields. Two really good production years in a row explain the strong carry on local markets, which incites producers to store 2015 wheat and deliver it either in May 2016 or 2016/ 2017. Ongoing maize harvests in the Northern Hemisphere and drillings in South America should be monitored. Indeed, any further increase

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

of the spread between Euronext maize and Liffe feed wheat may strengthen both domestic and international demand for UK feed wheat and barley. Key factors to monitor are weather conditions in the Black Sea, Australia and USA, together with European competitiveness. Feed barley Chinese demand for barley has allowed the discount of barley over wheat to remain rather low for more than a year. Now it seems this support is running out of steam. In the last few months, high Chinese demand for French barley has helped the UK to gain market shares in the EU. However, there has been a fall in the number of ships being loaded with barley for China in French ports and some

exporters have started to withdraw from the market. The current slowdown in Chinese demand should also have an impact on UK exports, even though China is not a direct UK barley importer.

Malting barley Europe has had a very good barley harvest this year and although quality deteriorated due to rain at harvest, buyers have revised their malting quality criteria down. This has largely increased availability in Europe and because supply is very high, this is limiting the impact of concerns about Canadian and Australian production. Demand remains quiet and there is very little trade. At the same time, despite buoyant exports to China in recent months, demand from that

AF Nov/Dec p16 17 Market Analysis TR EP_Layout 1 29/10/2015 11:25 Page 2

MARKET ANALYSIS BUSINESS What to watch rWheat: Weather conditions in the Black Sea, Australia and USA, together with European competitiveness rMalting barley: Important areas to monitor are the levels of domestic and export demand, buyers’ position and Chinese demand rOilseed rape: Canada’s final harvest and trade figures, the level of imports into Europe, the harvest in Australia, together with a range of economic factors, including the rapeseedcanola and rapeseed-soya spreads, euro, CAD, AUD, crude oil, El Nino rMaize: Key factors to monitor are the Northern Hemisphere harvests and South American sowings country is running out of steam, which is likely to bring pressure to bear on prices. Important areas to monitor are the levels of domestic and export demand, buyers’ position and Chinese demand. Oilseed rape The harvest is drawing to a close in Canada. Supply is abundant – much higher than expected. In reaction, Winnipeg is showing a discount of more than €50/t (£36/t) against Euronext, which is giving rise to a good deal of interest in the import of this seed into Europe. Europe’s imports of Canadian canola are usually to provide cover for the intercampaign period (June-July) and are relatively constant at 100,000t to Spain and Portugal. This year, however, is a real exception. Canadian canola is already arriving, and in large quantities, throughout the European market. Almost 200,000t have come in so far

and other shipments may follow. We are therefore increasing our import figure by 500,000t to 3.1mt. According to the report published on October 15, however, European crushing activity should fall by 7% between 2014/15 and 2015/16, against an annual 7% increase in normal times. Given the revised import figures following the unexpected arrival of Canadian seed, European crushing activity no longer needs to be rationed so drastically. So, as we originally anticipated, the latest crushing figures are likely to ease the market because the European report no longer seems so tight. This is borne out by the sharp increase in soya’s market share in European crushing activity for the first quarter of the 2015/16 campaign. The key factors to monitor are Canada’s final harvest and trade figures, the level of imports into Europe, the harvest in Australia, together with a range of economic factors, including the rapeseed-canola and rapeseed-soya spreads, euro, CAD, AUD, crude oil, El Nino. Maize Pressure on European maize prices would impact the spread

between Euronext maize and Euronext wheat or Liffe wheat. A widening of that spread would make maize more competitive in feeds, so wheat prices could follow any drop in those of maize in order to keep being used by feed manufacturers. French maize is still not sufficiently competitive to export to Spain and northern Europe because harvest pressure is making Ukrainian maize very competitive despite the harvest there being 20% down on 2014.

In the USA, harvest is making rapid progress and by last week 59% of maize had been completed, the yield reports we have received showing a slight improvement. South American maize sowings are making rapid progress and at the time of writing Parana, the largest producing state for first-crop maize, has sown 75% of its crop. Key factors to monitor are the Northern Hemisphere harvests and South American sowings.

Overview rWheat: Improvements in weather conditions in the USA, Black Sea and Australia have already been anticipated by the market, but it is important to remain vigilant rFeed barley: Chinese demand is running out of steam, which is likely to drive barley’s discount over European wheat up sharply rMalting barley: Malting barley prices are highly correlated to Euronext wheat, but the premium is likely to come under pressure from high levels of European production and falling demand rOilseed rape: The arrival

of huge quantities of Canadian canola in Europe is a source of pressure for the market. Demand has already been rationed and supply boosted by these rather unusual imports. With no major rally on energy or oils, the European rapeseed market seems expensive when compared to the global market rMaize: Euronext maize market is likely to remain under pressure from the harvest and the lack of competitiveness. Highly negative basis on the Atlantic seaboard are likely to bring extra pressure to bear on the November 15 expiry

Recent falls in wheat prices were largely due to forecasts for rain in regions suffering from drought conditions.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p18 19 20 Biz EP TR _Layout 1 27/10/2015 18:25 Page 1

BUSINESS FEATURE Earlier this year Defra launched a plan of how the UK can grow more, buy more and sell more British food. Cedric Porter asked five experts for their views on the plan’s seven main points.

British food – do we have a plan?

efra aim: Strengthening the British brand to ensure our quality produce is celebrated both at home and abroad. rAndrew Nottage, independent consultant and agronomist: “In a global commodity market we have to identify what makes British produce special. Provenance and sustainability could be important selling points along with assurance, so we need to highlight schemes such as Red Tractor and Leaf more.” rDavid Caffall, chief executive, Agricultural Industries Confederation: “Demonstrating widespread domestic take-up of British food is critical to strengthening the British brand. Defra must take a more joined up approach with other Government departments to give UK agricultural production the same recognition other business and trade export sectors receive.” rDavid Sheppard, managing director of Gleadell and chairman of the AIC Arable Marketing Group: “British grain has built up a good reputation for quality over time, with buyers valuing our assurance schemes. But we are still in a period of rebuilding markets after the very poor quality harvest of 2012.”

rDr Tina Barsby, chief executive officer, NIAB: “British crop science is recognised around the world as being at the cutting edge in all areas, from breeding and production through to processing. More does need to be done to highlight the excellence of our research and development.” rLiz Bowles, head of farming, Soil Association: “There is a large and fast growing demand for organic produce around the world and British produce has a reputation for high quality and standards. At the moment most British organic exports are for premium products, but there will be longer term opportunities for grain and other products.” Defra aim: Increasing exports to ensure British products are enjoyed by even more counties across the world

rMr Caffall: “To succeed in

export markets the UK must be competitive. Currently, the complex EU regulatory environment places excessive burden and cost on industry. It is not ‘no regulation’ but ‘smart regulation’ – a message which came from 40+ organisations in our Food Supply in the Balance report. “Continued support of in-

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Potato growers have become very efficient, but we continue to import large quantities of potatoes and potato products, says Andrew Nottage.

dustry via long-term programmes, including extending the term of the Agri-Tech Strategy, is also a crucial part of building both competitiveness and export confidence.” rMr Sheppard: “This year’s large harvest means we will have large stocks available to export in a year where there are large worldwide stocks, but there will be an opportunity to replace feed grain imports, especially maize, with domestic wheat and barley.” rDr Barsby: “We are good in exporting our science, perhaps sometimes too good in that other countries can benefit from our research before we can. An example of this is the development of blight-resistant potatoes which was carried out in British institutions, but is being commercialised in America. However, this is not an argument for stopping investment in British research.” rMs Bowles: “The Soil Association has a trade team developing links with overseas importers, but the export market is similar to the domestic one in that growers need to have an understanding as to what the market wants,

Andrew Nottage

and deliver that by working with a trusted processor or retailer. There is a great example of organic oat farmers doing that to the benefit of the whole supply chain.” rMr Nottage: “It is not just a question of increasing exports, but also one of reducing imports. In the potato sector growers have become very efficient, but we still import large volumes of fresh potatoes and potato products.” Defra aim: Breaking down barriers to trade which will enable budding food entrepreneurs to unleash their full potential and access new markets

rMr Sheppard: “Doing

business internationally is not

AF Nov/Dec p18 19 20 Biz EP TR _Layout 1 27/10/2015 18:26 Page 2

FEATURE BUSINESS Government’s Agri-Tech Strategy catalyst fund has begun to address the funding aspect, however, at present this is just a five-year programme and the complexity of applying has deterred some.”

David Caffall

easy. There is a developing market in bean and pulse crops, where exports can be delivered in containers, bags or bulk. Being part of a global operation helps Gleadell take advantage of international opportunities.” rDr Barsby: “The biggest barriers remain around genetically modified [GM], although Britain is still playing its part in the development of the technology. The restrictions on GM have also encouraged British researchers to develop innovative non-GM technology which is not subject to the same restrictions or costs.” rMs Bowles: “One of the biggest barriers for organics is the dis-economies of scale which means not enough organic food is produced, so hindering its availability and making it more expensive. What is exciting are the marketing barriers which have been broken down by social media which allows farmers to interact with their customers more directly and often.” rMr Nottage: “There is still room for improvement in the way we operate and the development of new technology is giving us more information, allowing us to share ideas with farmers across the world.” rMr Caffall: “Access to capital as well as the time and cost required to meet regulatory requirements are the main barriers to entry for new companies. The

Defra aim: Increasing procurement of British produce including in schools and hospitals

rDr Barsby: “By supplying locally-produced food there is more of an opportunity to increase the awareness of where food comes from and get children more interested in the science and technology behind its production. Also, food has a major role in improving people’s health. British researchers are conducting work on improving the nutritional value of fruit, veg, grains and potatoes.” rMs Bowles: “Incentivising and funding school and hospital food procurement is vital. The Scottish Government has recognised the importance of organic produce in diets, and in Denmark there is a requirement for organic produce. The Soil Association’s Food for Life Catering Mark insists on locally-sourced food for its bronze and silver levels and organic for its gold standard.” rMr Nottage: “The interest in where food comes from and the role it has to play in leading a healthy life is very welcome, but supplying schools and hospitals is a very competitive business and difficult to break into. Systems need to be developed which allow farmers or groups of farmers to respond to demand for local produce.” rMr Caffall: “Given the great benefits of UK agricultural and horticultural produce, such as quality, traceability and sustainability, it is totally

wrong schools and hospitals cannot play their part in ensuring food security due to public sector procurement rules. Not only would buying UK-grown produce support the local, rural economy, it would also wave the flag for the strength and value of the British brand.” rMr Sheppard: “We always insist on using locally-sourced food at our events and think schools and hospitals should try to do so too. It is important farmers produce what is required for local markets and assess what is most appropriate for them.” Defra aim: Attracting investment into the industry

rMs Bowles: “Investment in

land is as popular as ever and we would hope some of those new owners want to increase sustainability of production. There are also exciting new ways of financing business and we are seeing crowd funders

and others attracted to organic businesses.” rMr Nottage: “Farming and farmland in particular attracts investment and in my area I have been very impressed with Agri-Tech East, which has been set up to attract investment into the farming industry in the East of England and share ideas and encourage innovation between farmers, scientists and others.” rMr Caffall: “Investors are heavily influenced by regulatory structure at both national and, importantly, European level. While the UK Government’s efforts to promote an evidence-based, sound science approach to agriculture is to be commended, the truth is the EU has an appalling record of decision-making based on speculation, conjecture and ‘who shouts loudest’. Until this changes, global businesses will continue to take their funds elsewhere.” rMr Sheppard: “There has been significant investment X

This year’s big harvest means there will be large stocks available for export.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p18 19 20 Biz EP TR _Layout 1 27/10/2015 18:27 Page 3

BUSINESS FEATURE

“

I think there is still progress to be made in people management, marketing, IT and financial skills Andrew Nottage

in grain storage on farms and in central stores. As a company we have invested in our Immingham and Great Yarmouth sites which should provide excellent facilities for many years to come. On-farm investment over the past few years does appear to be making a difference, and the first evidence of a breaking out of the wheat yield plateau we have seen for 10 years could be emerging.” rDr Barsby: “There is undoubtedly more interest from investors in agriculture. The Government’s Agri-Tech Strategy has helped, and the combination of public and private initiatives is likely to have the greatest effect. We have launched NIAB Ventures which helps facilitate investment in innovative systems bring researchers and businesses together.” Defra aim: Boosting skills and apprenticeships to ensure the industry has the confidence to meet the growing demand for British produce

rMr Nottage: “Although we always need to be improving our technical skills, I think there is still progress to be made in people management, marketing, IT and financial skills.” rMr Caffall: “Strong agricultural and horticultural

commitment to the Brightcrop initiative is a clear demonstration the industry takes the need for skills very seriously. However, more needs to be done to highlight the vast range of career opportunities to those leaving secondary and tertiary education. “A partnership between secondary education and industry through the national curriculum would send a strong message of Government support and a real win for the 25-year plan.” rMr Sheppard: “We have recognised attracting new talent is vital for a number of years. We employ 10-20 new staff a year and now two-thirds of our staff are under 35 years old. Industry schemes such as Brightcrop also play a very important role in highlighting the opportunities for British agriculture.” rDr Barsby: “There is a definite need to improve skills on-farm. Research by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills found agricultural employers provide an average of 2.5 days training a year compared to a national average of 4.2 days and that in 2013, only 41% of agricultural employees received any training, the lowest in any sector and compared to 65% for the national average. “NIAB is a partner in ARTIS [Agri-Tech Register and Training for Innovation and Skills], which is identifying where there are skills gaps and working with the supply chain to fill those gaps.” rMs Bowles: “There is a definite shortage of skills, but it is important there are jobs and the prospect of a good career for those joining farming. Following demand, we have started working with an agricultural college to offer an organic module in their degree courses.”

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

David Sheppard

Tina Barsby

Defra aim: Increasing productivity through innovation, research and development and sharing data

rDr Barsby: “Genetic

advances will generate the potential to increase productivity, but one of the most important questions will be which scarce resources will be needed to realise the potential output? I see a vital role for data collection and interpretation and I’m glad public private partnerships such as the new Agrimetrics Centre are doing that.” rMs Bowles: “Investment in research and development is crucial and arguably the organic sector has not developed as quickly as it could have done if it had had the same funding as chemicalbased farming. We have launched the Duchy Future Farming Programme which includes a network of demonstration farms providing practical advice for both organic and non-organic farmers.” rMr Nottage: “Using a wide range of chemical, seedbreeding and cultural tools to increase yields, control weeds, pest and diseases and improve water and soil quality will be vital in the future. We need to be open to ideas from many sources and countries.” rMr Caffall: “AIC’s recent report, Food Supply in the

Liz Bowles

Balance, highlighted the scale of the threat facing UK agricultural productivity over the next 20 years and set out challenges to both the industry and Government. Central to this is the potential lost opportunity cost of UK agriculture not being able to access new technologies or seeing scientifically unjustified barriers being imposed on UK production which serves only to export production to third countries. Give the industry the room to increase productivity sustainably and it will deliver.” rMr Sheppard: “We have reached a place where production has caught up with demand, but on a long-term basis there is still a need to produce much more food. It is not just a question of productivity, it is also about sustainability and the correct application of inputs, including fertiliser and the development and promotion of new technologies including precision farming.”

Nufarm UK WP_Nufarm UK WP 29/10/2015 14:49 Page 1

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AF Nov/Dec p22 Brooks TR EP_Layout 1 27/10/2015 13:57 Page 1

TALKING AGRONOMY

VICKI Brooks

An encouraging all-round start

“

Serious BYDV issues on the Essex coast last year have meant far wider seed treatment this season

elped by a decent amount of seedbed moisture and some welcome early October warmth, our oilseed rape has got off to a better start than last year. The bulk has profited from good sowing conditions in August and the first few days of September to reach a healthy six true leaves by mid-October. Further behind and in need of some rain are the few later sowings which went in after a catchy second wheat harvest. They certainly will not be needing any autumn growth regulation. We have a much higher acreage of herbicideresistant Clearfield crops this time around. Mainly because last season they delivered 3.53.75 tonnes/hectare from ground where charlock and runch always used to prevent us getting much more than 2.5-3t/ha. Not having to use a herbicide until we know what weeds we have and where has been a big advantage in prioritising the best-targeted early crop investment. As has the degree of black-grass holding value we have seen from Cleranda (imazamox + metazachlor) alongside its cruciferous and other broad-leaved weed activity. With the cool autumn delaying charlock and runch development, the herbicide is just going onto these crops. It will only be their second spray of the season – following the single flea beetle insecticide we gave all our rape in September and a dose of phosphite to boost rooting and crop health. We are keeping a close eye on phoma but disease development is still well below thresholds. So, on resistant varieties at least, it looks like we will only need a single autumn fungicide, targeting both light leaf spot and phoma. Our more forward crops will be getting a combination of

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

prochloraz and tebuconazole plus metconazole for growth regulation. Where the priority is disease control alone we will be using prothioconazole with tebuconazole, or a mixture of penthiopyrad and picoxystrobin to avoid overreliance on prothioconazole ahead of our main spring light leaf spot spray. Nice seedbeds This autumn has been pretty much what we needed for our wheats too. In particular, it has allowed us to drill most into really nice seedbeds in the past two weeks as part of our integrated black-grass management strategy. We have put paid to a lot of October-germinating black-grass with a combination of pre-planting and pre-em glyphosate. And varieties chosen for their competitiveness in Stow Longa research and sown at the right seed rates with good preem activity into decent conditions is leading to rapid, even and weed-free establishment. By early November we should have driven home this advantage with peri-em applications to all our red-coded black-grass fields for early contact activity and extended residuality. We will be combining this with an insecticide spray to combat any aphid activity wherever seed hasn’t been Deter (clothianidin)-dressed. Thankfully, serious BYDV issues on the Essex coast last year have meant far wider seed treatment this season, to such an extent an autumn insecticide may well prove unnecessary for many. Potatoes and sugar beet have been coming off well this month, with little in the way of soil horrors. This means we should be able to follow both with a good winter wheat rather than having to fall back on spring sowing. Another useful early feather in this season’s cap.

Agronomist facts rVicki Brooks is an Agrii agronomist based in Essex. She provides agronomy advice to clients growing cereals, oilseed rape, sugar beet, potatoes, maize and field vegetables in Essex and Suffolk

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AF Nov/Dec p24 Martin TR EP_Layout 1 29/10/2015 11:18 Page 1

TALKING AGRONOMY

CHRIS Martin

Carefully targeting oilseed rape management

“

Slugs have been extremely challenging on notorious fields, to the extent where some redrilling has occurred

hey say fortune favours the brave and that has certainly been the case for growers in the region suffering with grass-weed issues who delayed wheat drilling until mid-October. The weather stayed kind enough to allow drilling into almost perfect seedbeds during this period, allowing the peak flushes of black-grass and rye-grass to be controlled prior to drilling. There was also plenty of moisture, giving residual herbicides the best possible chance of working. In some earlier-drilled fields, however, black-grass is already present at alarming populations, which is going to put incredible pressure on our ever-diminishing chemistry set. Slugs have been extremely challenging on notorious fields, to the extent where some redrilling has occurred. As we move through autumn, most crops will have received their maximum total dose from August 1 to December 31 of 210g/ha of metaldehyde recommended in metaldehyde stewardship guidelines, and growers should now move onto ferric phosphate-based pellets. Oilseed rape seems to be in two camps. The early crops have never looked back and are proving both useful game cover and a boot cleaning service for the shooting parties. Crops which are going to reach 25cm in height by the end of autumn growth are likely to respond well to autumn growth regulation, and this should be applied between the 4 to 6 leaf stage for maximum effect. Many backward crops, however, continue to struggle and have been plagued with cabbage stem flea beetle despite multiple insecticide applications with different modes of action. Attention now turns to flea beetle larval invasion, which can

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

occur any time between late-October and early spring. If damage exceeds the thresholds of more than 50% of leaf petioles damaged or more than five larvae per plant, then a pyrethroid spray should be applied. Peach potato aphid Oilseed rape crops should also be inspected for peach potato aphid (Myzus persicae), which are typically found close to leaf veins on the underside of the leaf. Due to peach potato aphids displaying high levels of resistance to pyrethroids, where they can readily be found, products with a different mode of action such as Biscaya (thiaclopid) or Plenum (pymetrozine) should be used to reduce the risk of turnip yellows virus. Light leaf spot tends to be the big potential disease ‘yield robber’ in oilseed rape across the region and with few varieties in the ground having solid resistance to the disease, crops are worryingly vulnerable. If the traditional ‘bonfire night’ light leaf spot spray has not yet been applied, it should be applied soon as a dry leaf is available to control the early epidemics which are the most damaging. For optimal grass-weed control in oilseed rape, applications of propyzamide should be made when soil temperatures have got down to 10degC and falling, and there is sufficient soil moisture in the soil for plant uptake. Both these criteria are now met in most soils, so applications should be carried out at first opportunity; however, they must only be made after taking all necessary precautions to avoid contaminating surface waters.

Agronomist facts rChris Martin is a technical manager for Agrovista, based in the north east of England. His role is to provide technical advice to growers over an area extending from Lincolnshire to Scotland. Prior to this, he was an agronomist with the company for 15 years and continues to provide agronomy advice to a number of growers producing combinable crops in the Scotch Corner area

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AF Nov/Dec p26 Symes TR EP_Layout 1 27/10/2015 14:00 Page 1

TALKING AGRONOMY

SARAH Symes

Waiting for the right conditions

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Some small, late-sown crops are still struggling with the effects of flea beetle damage

oil and air temperatures have remained high throughout October and soil temperatures are currently around the 12degC mark, but with rain finally on the way at the end of October this will decrease. We have been holding off doing any Kerb (propyzamide) or Astrokerb (aminopyralid + propyzamide) recommendations in oilseed rape, as these products require soil temperatures to be below 8degC to avoid the active ingredient degrading too quickly in warm soils. Phoma infestations have been variable; where disease has reached threshold an application of Plover (difenoconazole) has been applied, with the view of coming back in November with Proline (prothioconazole) to see us through the winter with light leaf spot protected against as well. As I write, mild temperatures and predicted rainfall for the end of October will see phoma levels increase. The early infection of phoma must have come in to the crop during wet weather at the beginning of September, as only those crops established at this time were showing phoma above the 10% of plants infected threshold during October, and then only on the first true leaf. Some small, late-sown crops are still struggling with the effects of flea beetle damage earlier on in autumn, which has delayed applications of Centurion Max (clethodim) to black-grass-infested areas. It is now too late to apply Centurion Max as late applications are more likely to cause crop damage, so we will switch to Kerb or Crawler (carbetamide) instead. Peach potato aphid (Myzus persicae) numbers have remained extremely low in the South, although we know that is not the case in other areas, and as a result we have not treated any oilseed rape crops to prevent aphids from spreading turnip yellows virus. All of our winter cereal area has been planted, with only late-sown wheat after

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

maize waiting to be drilled. Growers with bad black-grass situations held off as long as they dared to get a chit and spray off to start with a good clean seedbed. Wheat or barley crops in bad black-grass situations have had a highly stacked autumn residual programme, with Crystal + Hurricane (flufenacet + pendimethalin + DFF) to start, followed up with a Liberator (flufenacet + DFF) + Defy (prosulfocarb) at the 2-3 leaf stage. This will hopefully put us in a good position going into the spring. The later drilling has reduced the number of grass-weeds emerging and where crops have received some rain after the first residual treatments were applied we are seeing signs of good herbicide uptake on those black-grass plants which have emerged. Assessing the need Despite aphid numbers being low, we will assess the need to treat early-sown cereals with an insecticide for BYDV about mid-November. All our cereal crops are Deter (clothianidin)dressed as we are usually in a high BYDV risk area and this will give six-eight weeks aphid protection, but if the autumn stays mild or aphid numbers rise, early drilled crops could require treatment, but only if aphids are found in the crop. The lack of rain at the start of October saw slug pressure ease, with only spot-treating required in many places. Direct drilled crops with straw mulch left on the surface have had the biggest issues with slugs, and we have had to treat twice or sometimes three times to keep control of them. So far we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen too many other issues, but will be keeping a close eye on things in the coming weeks. Winter beans have been sown and residual pre-emergence recommendations made.

Agronomist facts rSarah Symes is an independent agronomist working with the Hampshire Arable Systems partnership. Based in Hampshire, she advises clients growing cereals, oilseed rape and pulses

P27_Layout 1 30/10/2015 11:36 Page 2

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AF Nov/Dec p28 Roots EP TR_Layout 1 27/10/2015 18:58 Page 1

TALKING AGRONOMY ROOTS

DARRYL Shailes

Infrequent pests and diseases causing problems

If your crops have never suffered an attack from them [chafer grubs] consider yourself lucky

“

or most growers it’s been a good potato lifting period, and crops have gone into store in good condition. Yields have been better than predicted and some irrigated crops in the East have been yielding as well as anyone can remember. This is not just down to the growing season, but also from the uptake of newer varieties by the packers and processors – it’s great to see some of the pallida-resistant varieties doing so well. However, as always there are a few issues which can have a serious financial impact, and there have been reports of various problems up and down the country which show up less frequently than the normal roots and pest problems. One disease which seems to be particularly bad this season which is not seen that often on many farms is violet root rot (VRR). It is probably due to the weather we had in August – pretty wet and mild – which has triggered bad infections in some fields with considerable losses of yield. Any infection of VRR is a problem, especially in stored crops, as there is the potential for further breakdown of other tubers not originally infected. Farms which have VRR are generally aware of it, but it can be put to the back of the mind if it has not been a problem for a few years. The only real control is rotation, but we may need to consider whether modern cropping plans really take this into account. The current rotation models seem to have many carriers of VRR, which may get missed. The obvious ones are potatoes, sugar beet and carrots, but what about other crop types which are grown on the farm, or on the land which has just been rented? Brassicas are VRR carriers and this will include oilseed rape. Rape was not very prevalent in potato rotations a few years

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

ago, but it is much more common now, and also several of the species used as cover crops such as mustard and fodder radish can also carry the disease. Lucerne and vetches have also been identified and then a wide range of weed species such as groundsel, wild parsley and thistles have been implicated. So, where there is a history of VRR its rotational management needs consideration. Another pest which is usually an infrequent problem but has been reported more this year is chafer grub . If your crops have never suffered an attack from them consider yourself lucky – a bad infestation can be devastating – like the worst slug problem you have ever seen. There is not really much you can do about it as they migrate out of woodland and the grass margins of fields. You can set pheromone traps to let you know when the adult chafer beetles (or May bugs as they are commonly known) are around, but there is no real treatment to apply. The adults can lay their eggs in the soil around the tubers and when they hatch they can quickly cause serious damage in a crop. There are some varieties which appear to be more susceptible, including Maris Piper, so if you suffer from the problem perhaps try a different variety in the known hotspots. There have also been a few cases of wireworm appear this year. Trapping for wireworms in the previous year can at least give some idea of the potential issue and then a suitable treatment can be applied, but again this pest can be devastating when it first catches you unawares. There are some indications non-inversion tillage and grassy stubbles can encourage them, so beware if these feature in the crop rotation. Thankfully these issues are not that frequent. On a brighter note, the AHDB potato event takes place in November. Everyone in the potato world should be present, so there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss any issues you may have with the various industry experts.

Agronomist facts

rDarryl Shailes is root crop technical manager for Hutchinsons, with a nationwide remit. He has been working in potato agronomy for more than 20 years

Lamma - WP_Lamma - WP 30/10/2015 11:20 Page 1

AF Nov/Dec p30 CropTec intro TR EP_Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:07 Page 1

CROPTEC PREVIEW

An 14-page Arable Farming special event preview oil. One of farming’s fundamental raw materials. Hard then to imagine how its care and management would not be high on the agenda of most growers and agronomists. But there is increasingly a feeling that over the last few decades soil health has been neglected and quite probably compromised in the quest for cost savings and efficiency improvements. Now, with soil health firmly back on the agenda, there is an urgent demand for information, expertise and learning. In response, the organisers of CropTec have brought together at this year’s event leading experts in the field to share their knowledge and thinking on soil care, tillage, drilling systems and soil water management in a new Crop Establishment seminar stream, sponsored by Horsch. As in previous years, the aim of CropTec is to link the seminars, which also include Crop Protection, Crop Nutrition and

INFO

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Plant Breeding streams (see p4243 for details), with the exhibition. Visitors are urged to spend time with exhibitors – well over 100 as Arable Farming went to press – to discuss, question and challenge. The intention is to provide an unmissable opportunity to talk to many of the industry’s most forward-thinking and innovative businesses and individuals face-to-face. Also new for CropTec 2015 is the Spraying Technology Hub, which, in addition to the popular outdoor sprayer demonstration area, also includes a range of exhibitors engaged in spray application and stewardship – a one-stop shop for successful spraying.

Essential info rWhen: Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25 rWhere: East of England Showground, Peterborough, PE2 6XE rOpening times: 8.30am-5pm both days rTickets: Free entry to farmers but pre-registration essential at croptecshow.com. General admission tickets priced at £12/person pre-

registered or £15 on the day rBASIS points: Eight rNRoSO points: Two rFACTS CPD points: Also available for attending CropTec rCompetition: CropTec principal sponsor Adama is offering visitors the chance to win a Davis Vantage Pro 2 Weather Station. Simply register to attend CropTec 2015 to be automatically entered into the prize draw

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Sponsored by Airinov, the Spraying Technology Hub is supported by the National Association of Agricultural Contractors and the Voluntary Initiative. New Business Breakfast CropTec is all about exploring how the latest technology can be applied on-farm to achieve cost of production efficiencies. To help further inform technical decisions a Business Breakfast, sponsored by BASF, will take place on each morning of the show, at which Sebastien Mallet, of market analysts Offre et Demande Agricole, will cover a range of topics includ-

Event location

New entrants The medium- to long-term future prosperity of UK farming very much depends on the industry’s ability to attract well-qualified young people across all sectors. At CropTec, a seminar sponsored by EDGE, an industry-led project which aims to educate, develop and employ those taking their first steps into careers in food and farming, will address some of the challenges students face. In the seminar, which takes place on the second day (Wednesday, November 25), participants will hear practical advice from professionals from a range of disciplines, as well as recent graduates who will explain a typical working day.

Adama - WP - AF_Adama - WP - AF 30/10/2015 11:29 Page 1

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Win a D avis Davis Vantage Pro Pro 2 Vantage w eather station! station! weather Visit w www.adama.com w w.adama.com to to rregister egister ffor or yyour our fr free ee Cr CropTec opTec and prize dr draw aw en entry try*

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Use plan plantt protection protection pr products oducts safely. safely. Always rread ead the lab label el and pr product oduct in information formation b before efore use. For For fur further ther product product in information, formation, including warning phr phrases ases and ssymbols, ymbols, refer refer tto ow www.adama.com/uk ww.adama.com /uk or call The Technical Technical Helpline on 0 01635 1635 8 876 76 6 622. 22. Adama Adama Agricultural Agricultural Solutions UK Ltd. Ltd. Unit 15, 15, That Thatcham cham Business Village, Colthrop Colthrop Way, Way, That Thatcham, cham, Berk Berkshire shire R RG19 G19 4L 4LW. W. Telephone Telephone 01635 01635 860 555 555.. UKenquiries@adama.com. UKenquiries@adama.com.

AF Nov/Dec p32 33 CropTec preview Adama Signed off TR EP_Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:12 Page 1

CROPTEC PREVIEW SPONSORED FEATURE Changes to improve soil biology and enhance crop yield are under way at Pipps Farm Barn, Suffolk.

Working towards better soils for better yields etting past flatlining yields and passing on great soils to the next generation are key aims for arable farmer Pip Partridge, who is this season working on a yield enhancement project with CropTec principal sponsor Adama. Understanding soil status is fundamental to making the right decisions and so is a great place to start, says Mr Partridge. By working with soil fertility consultants who regularly sample and analyse soils from across the farm, he expects to get an in-depth picture of which areas are yielding well, where problems are and insights into where products should be placed for maximum effect. A dozen tests were done in the first year from soil samples taken in summer and autumn 2014, followed by tissue samples in spring. “Last year the specialists pinpointed some issues about some soil nutrients we couldn’t do anything about because of the dry spring and summer. But, as we build our soil biology, these nutrients should

Principal sponsor

Adama UK is the principal sponsor of CropTec 2015

become naturally available,” he says. Targeting fertiliser application On the farm, Mr Partridge and his team pay particular attention to the importance of balancing crop fertiliser needs without damaging the environment. As the farmland drains into bore-holes used for drinking water and is in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, extra care has to be taken so the crop takes up applied fertiliser to minimise the threat of run-off. Until now, he has been using nitrogen and sulphur blends and bagged phosphate (P) and potash (K), plus farmyard manure which was not always analysed before use. By targeting use and improving soil organic matter, however, he expects to be able to gradually reduce application rates. Keeping the soil where it needs to be and avoiding erosion is crucial to the farm to prevent loss of valuable top soil and fertiliser from being washed away into ditches. To mitigate these threats, a move towards less ploughing has already started with the use of a one-pass cultivator, and Mr Partridge proposes moving to a no-till system in the future. During the transition period, the strategy will include using a low-disturbance sub-soiler to break up compacted soils. Better soil structure should widen the window for drilling, he says. “By going in a little earlier in the autumn the crops should benefit as there will still

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Pip Partridge is working on a yield enhancement project with Adama.

be moisture at depth while the seedbeds are still warm. We will also be able to leave drilling until later in the spring when the ground warms up.” Choice of drill is important to his approach to improving farm performance as he wants to give the seeds the best start possible. Although he currently uses a Vaderstad and a Sumo Trio, he plans to use a CrossSlot when he changes to a no-till system because the opener tucks the seed to one side. “If the ground becomes too dry and cracks, the seed is still tucked away safely so it can germinate,” he says. Although taking the farm through the early years of the changes is likely to be challenging as the soil takes time to respond, he is confident he will be able to get through it. Focus on improving rotations Growing second and third wheats have not helped soils in

Pipps Farm Barn rFarming roots traced back in Suffolk to mid-1500s with a tradition of mixed farming r330ha arable land to the north of Ipswich Soils rHanslope and Beccles clay rBurlingham rNewport and Melford loams 2016 cropping rWheat: 150ha rWinter barley: 50ha rWinter beans: 30ha rHybrid rye trial rCover crops used in a number of areas on-farm including the heaviest land the past, he says, adding he is planning to adjust rotations with a move towards spring barley, spring oats and linseed. There are more trials on the way, too. This year he tested

AF Nov/Dec p32 33 CropTec preview Adama Signed off TR EP_Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:13 Page 2

SPONSORED FEATURE CROPTEC PREVIEW Critical thinking on septoria control and resistance management to be highlighted at CropTec 2015 JStrategies for the control of septoria tritici are changing. The drivers for change are numerous, but among them are shifts in triazole sensitivity and the need to protect SDHI and azole fungicides. In its recent development work CropTec principal sponsor Adama has sought to gain a deeper understanding of these and wider challenges in order to help growers and agronomists re-examine their approaches to septoria control in winter wheat. The aim is to be able to limit the development of resistance, without compromising fungicide programme performance. For there to be success on both counts, a change of focus to use of more multi-site, protectant chemistry, earlier in the season is required, the company says. Technical specialist Andy Bailey says: “Leaf 3 and 4 are not vital in terms of yield but both provide inoculum to infect leaf 1 and 2. In addition to the growing mixed varieties (KWS Santiago, JB Diego, KWS Gator and KWS Kielder) for the first time and found the mix yielded more than 0.6 tonnes/hectare above single varieties. All these crops were first wheats grown on very similar soils and received identical treatment. As a result, this year he is doing the same again, but tweaking the varieties to include KWS Santiago, Reflection, Evolution and JB Diego. When it comes to seed rates for wheat, Mr Partridge tends to err on the side of caution, keeping them up. He normally drills between 300-350 seeds/ sq.m, but as he moves towards a no-till system he hopes he will be able to gradually reduce this figure. “We assess conditions on the

important application of fungicides at T2, T0 and T1 also require the application of a mixture of modes of action to ensure disease populations are managed sufficiently. “Crops will already be infected at T0, so it is important to take control early. Multisites have a low risk of resistance and should provide the backbone to any resistance management strategy.” Fungicide programmes to date have relied on products with curative activity, all of which act on a single target site within the pathogen and are therefore vulnerable to resistance, says Mr Bailey. “With the decline in azole activity and continuing shift in septoria sensitivity, approaches need to change. “Chasing disease by increasing the dose, the number of sprays or splitting treatments all increase selection pressure. “We need to build fungicide strategies from the foundation day we are drilling, and make our decisions accordingly,” he says. This autumn has seen good, warm seedbeds, and despite a short spell of rain, drilling has gone fairly well to plan. The farm has a small amount of black-grass, and Mr Partridge trusts the changes in cultivation practices will help to keep levels low. Sulphonylurearesistant poppies cause him some concerns on lighter land, but can be managed by appropriate chemistry. Teamwork gets the best results Working together with specialists as part of a team is particularly important to Mr Partridge as he does not hold agronomy qualifications.

Septoria control strategies need to become more protectant, says Adama.

up with multi-sites included from the onset.” At CropTec, Adama will be sharing new trials data from 2015 season trials which have looked at how the effect of each component of a fungicide programme can be maximised and sensitive septoria populations manipulated for effective resistance management. “We will be demonstrating practices which ensure we, as an industry, act in a way which Decisions about SDHI fungicides are currently taken on a field-by-field basis by agronomy specialists and doses kept to a minimum. Nevertheless, as the farm moves towards its ‘sustainability’ goals with healthy soils and crops, he expects them to be used less often. Being a member of AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Stowmarket Monitor Farm is also helpful to driving informed decisions, he finds. Mr Partridge says: “On the farm we have used ‘better’ fertilisers and high yielding varieties, but we have not seen our yields respond over the past 10 years. By taking this route, we hope we will reap the benefits our soils can offer us. “My son has come into the business as an apprentice, and I

ensures longevity of available actives in an increasingly regulated environment,” says Mr Bailey. A key focus at the event will be how multi-site fungicide folpet can be used to create a more sensitive septoria population. Trials data show treatments including folpet resulted in a significant shift to a more sensitive septoria population compared with straight epoxiconazole, says Adama.

Key messages for CropTec rIt is essential to mix fungicide modes of action in order to minimise selection rChasing disease throughout the season is no longer sustainable rStrategies need to become more protectant by design, with more emphasis given to earlier timings rA ‘prevention is better than cure’ approach is required and should begin before fungicide decisions with variety choice and other integrated control measures am determined to pass the farm on in ideal conditions to give him a great future.”

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p34 35 CropTec preview Yara Signed off EP TR_Layout 1 29/10/2015 11:19 Page 1

CROPTEC PREVIEW SPONSORED FEATURE Crop nutrition plays an important role in improving plant health and disease control, says Yara.

Micronutrients’ macro effect on plant health ith the combinable crop harvest over for 2015 it is time to look back at what we can learn from the season, perhaps beyond just what the weather can deliver. Many farms have experienced their best yields ever for most crops, although the corresponding drop in crop prices clearly does not help the bottom line. With no guarantee of similar yields in 2016 it is important to learn from the season to ensure attention is paid to the areas which are most likely to deliver future returns. There has been a lot of

in 2014 and 2015 which were treated in autumn with these nutrients had good growth and winter hardiness and were clear from disease, especially yellow rust and mildew, making them easier to manage during spring.” JFor more information on this topic log on to www.yara.co.uk or visit the Yara stand at CropTec.

Seminar stream: Crop Nutrition

Yara is sponsoring the Crop Nutrition seminar stream at CropTec 2015. The theme of this year’s crop nutrition seminar is improving returns on investment in nitrogen by focusing on optimising nitrogen rate, source and timing of application. Even with current low commodity prices, returns on nitrogen are still about 250%, but returns of this magnitude will only be achieved if proper attention to detail is paid right through the season, says the company.

Key micronutrients rManganese and zinc

Crop nutrition can have an important role in helping plants' natural defence mechanisms to encourage more healthy crops, says Yara.

discussion recently about the reduction in efficacy of currently available plant protection products as a result of disease resistance. This, along with the threat from recent EU laws on endocrine disruptors which may result in the loss of chemistry, will inevitably increase pressure on plant protection products to protect crops against yield-robbing diseases. In defence of this position, recent studies have shown nutrition can have an important role in helping plants’ natural defence mechanisms to encourage more healthy crops which are better able to withstand pest or disease attack. Balanced nutrition Manganese, copper, zinc and magnesium are essential for optimum cereal growth and development – and yet are

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

often, as a group, found lacking in UK soil. Using a crop-specific foliar nutrient application to target these deficiencies, which have an effect on crop growth and disease, is something only a few farms have implemented so far. Ian Matts, company agronomist at Yara UK, says: “Balanced, adequate nutrition is one of the most important factors affecting cereal production, and wheat crops

Important for crop growth, playing a vital role in nitrogen metabolism, but are also essential to plants’ defence mechanism against disease rCopper Important in the early water splitting stages of photosynthesis and improves grain set in the ears rMagnesium A key component of chlorophyll, which drives photosynthesis and gives leaves their greenness

Micronutrient return on investment potential Application rate YaraVita Gramitrel three litres per hectare (one x three litres/ha autumn) rCost of application: £18/ha. Yield rExtra yield: 0.35t/ha

rFeed wheat: £120/t = £42/ha rMilling wheat: £135/t = £47.25/ha Extra margin rFeed wheat: £24/ha rMilling wheat: £29.25/ ha

AF Nov/Dec p34 35 CropTec preview Yara Signed off EP TR_Layout 1 30/10/2015 10:41 Page 2

SPONSORED FEATURE CROPTEC PREVIEW Case study: Robert Pask, Lincolnshire JLincolnshire grower Robert Pask is seeing the benefits of using a crop-specific foliar nutrient application to target deficiencies on his farm, with improved crop growth and disease tolerance, something he feels more arable farmers should be considering. He says: “Farming just short of 1,000 acres of wheat, OSR and sugar beet on very thin, limestone brash which is drought-prone and a poor provider of nutrients can be challenging. Working with this complex soil, we are continually looking to find ways to improve and so have always undertaken our own trials work on-farm, looking at different options such as fungicide and nitrogen rates.” The farm has undertaken significant soil and tissue leaf analysis over the years, so has

a good understanding of the deficiency trends, with manganese, magnesium, boron and zinc, in particular, all showing up as low. “Three years ago we started to look at micronutrients in our trials and what they could bring. In spring 2014 everyone was struggling with yellow rust; however, following our trace element programme in autumn, our field of Santiago didn’t have a single blemish. The lack of disease was a real eye-opener, all our advisers couldn’t believe Santiago could be so clean. “We took a lot of confidence from that and hence rolled the micronutrient programme out across the whole farm last year. Purely from a health point of view we strongly believe getting the crop growing with sufficient nutrients from day one is

Lincolnshire farmer Robert Pask has been exploring the interaction between crop nutrition and crop health on his farm.

essential, once we have got 3-4 leaves in the autumn we are out there with the Gramitrel application,” says Mr Pask. “When our T1 timings were seriously stretched because of the wet spring in 2014, we could have been in serious trouble if we hadn’t been in such a robust situation with good plant health. Having made this trace element application earlier on in the year gave us a lot of confidence.”

The farm is looking at establishing trials using reduced fungicide applications as a result of the improved plant health to make cost savings. “Knowing there is a reduction in efficacy of currently available plant protection products due to disease resistance, farms have to set themselves up to be clean from day one, and if we can use nutrition to help that then that’s what we’ve got to look at,” adds Mr Pask.

Early maturing Very high yielding Stiff strawed Tried and tested Ideal break crop

A Step Forward in Variety Performance Elsoms Seeds Ltd, Pinchbeck Road, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 1QG t +44 (0)1775 715000 f +44 (0)1775 715001 www.elsoms.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p36 37 CropTec prev BASF Signed off EP TR _Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:33 Page 1

CROPTEC PREVIEW SPONSORED FEATURE BASF’s field staff are on message for CropTec, focusing on innovation, inspiration and dialogue.

Using farm experience to improve agronomy advice lobal agricultural company BASF wants to work directly with farmers, tasking its staff to develop strong partnerships with them to better understand their needs. Steven Whittaker, UK marketing manager at the firm, says the most important part of a BASF agronomy manager’s (AMs) job is to aid agronomists in their day-to-day role. “A critical part of being able to do this well is by talking to farmers about their issues and possible solutions to help improve profitability. “AMs are working with the industry to provide practical advice and workable agronomic approaches.” One AM who could be regarded as the ideal candidate for this role is Ruth Stanley, as she is also an arable farmer in her own right. Miss Stanley has been farming her 405-hectare farm on

Seminar stream: Crop protection

BASF is sponsoring the crop protection seminar stream at CropTec. Speakers will examine the future for disease control, the science and practice of buffer zones and managing their impact, and getting the best out of crop protection inputs.

Farm details rRuth Stanley farms in partnership with her father at Harby, Leicestershire rTotal land is 405 hectares, all arable rHeavy clay loam soils rRotation is winter wheat, oilseed rape, winter wheat, spring beans

Leicestershire farmer Ruth Stanley believes her practical experience on-farm helps her inform other growers as a BASF agronomy manager.

lence initiative, encompassing the principle of products which bring benefits beyond crop protection.

Partnership She says: “I work in partnership with my father and I am the seventh generation of our family to farm. I’ve got the necessary hands-on experience to see both sides of the coin. As a farmer and agronomy manager, I can see how it all fits together better. “I can see whether solutions are practical and it helps me have an open dialogue and exchange with other farmers who are experiencing the same problems I am.” This summer more than 200 farmers attended the farm open day at Harby, where Miss Stanley and other BASF AMs demonstrated a range of blackgrass management practices on a farm scale. “Our rotation is wheatbased – wheat, rape, wheat and spring beans. Unsurprisingly, we now have a bad black-grass and weed resistance problem. Black-grass was manageable a

Bonus “It is all about spraying for the control of a particular disease or pest but getting something more – a significant and measurable bonus.” AgCelence products can increase yield when disease levels are low or absent. The products with this capability are: Adexar (epoxiconazole + fluxapyroxad), Tracker (boscalid + epoxiconazole) and Comet 200 (pyraclostrobin) for cereals; Caryx (mepiquat + metconazole) and Pictor (boscalid + dimoxystrobin) in rape; Opera (epoxiconazole + pyraclostrobin) and Comet 200 in maize; and Signum (boscalid + pyraclostrobin) in specialties. They do this by reducing abiotic stresses and increasing fitness of the crop. This improves returns and supports sustainability on-farm. Miss Stanley also highlights the value of Clearfield technology. “This combines quality seed with innovative herbicides, such as Cleranda [imazamox + metazachlor].

heavy clay loam at Harby, Melton Mowbray, for 17 years.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

few years ago but levels of control are poor in some areas of the farm now. This autumn I am introducing winter and spring barley into the rotation to help with black-grass control. “I know what is of interest to me as a farmer and I hope other farmers will want to see this too. At the demonstration last year, we were able to showcase some of our pipeline products, so farmers could assess them before launch. Next year we have three more development products to see.” BASF has a strong pipeline of products coming to market, adds Miss Stanley. “In the next 10 years we have a significant number of new products. Some are completely new actives, others are new concepts and others are tweaks to existing products. The new materials being developed will make a big difference, both in cereals and in speciality crops.” She also highlights ongoing research into BASF’s AgCe-

AF Nov/Dec p36 37 CropTec prev BASF Signed off EP TR _Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:34 Page 2

SPONSORED FEATURE CROPTEC PREVIEW

New solutions for tackling challenging pest, disease and weed problems may include biological as well as chemical approaches, says BASF.

“It is a totally new approach to weed control in rape, controlling difficult weeds such as charlock, runch and hedge mustard post-emergence. “Clearfield varieties are not genetically modified, but have been produced using traditional plant breeding. BASF is working with all major breeders – Dekalb, Pioneer and DSV. “I have seen rape grown on fields where it wasn’t possible to grow it before. Clearfield is an excellent example of BASF’s innovative ideas.

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“I think we may also see more biological solutions coming into broad-acre crops in the future. “BASF is well placed as it bought specialist company Becker Underwood in November 2012.” The firm already provides six pathogenic nematodes to control pests, largely in speciality crops at the present time, but increasingly into broad-acre crops such as potatoes, as demand for more sustainable farming practices and lower residues in crops in-

creases. The market is seeking alternative options to boost yield and protect quality and BASF is looking to satisfy this need, developing both biological and chemical approaches. “Looking carefully at how chemistry is applied, BASF has developed decision support tools to ensure it is well targeted and used to best effect. “These include a Green Area Index tool, to help optimise canopy architecture in rape; disease monitoring

tools, including for sclerotinia; and a canopy assessment tool which optimises PGR application. These have been developed to help improve farmers’ profitability. “As a chemical company, I think it is vital to have a meaningful dialogue with farmers. We want to be more customer-focused. “Science, research, technology and knowledge transfer is at the heart of what we do,” says Miss Stanley. JVisit BASF agronomy managers at CropTec on stand 63.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p38 40 CropTec What not to miss TR EP_Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:09 Page 1

CROPTEC PREVIEW There will be new developments to see and hear about across all four main CropTec streams: Crop Nutrition, Crop Protection, Crop Establishment and Plant Breeding.

What not to miss at CropTec Tractors JJohn Deereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first-ever fourtrack tractor will be making its UK show debut at CropTec (see p60-61 for an exclusive test drive). The new top of the range 9620RX model features a 620hp Stage IV 15-litre Cummins QSX engine, an e18 transmission with Efficiency Manager, articulated steering, cab suspension and optional Active Command Steering, as well as fully integrated AutoTrac guidance and JDLink Connect information management systems. The 9RX range is designed to provide superior power, durability and improved ride quality. The large, robust undercarriage features a posi-

John Deere's first ever four-track will be on show at CropTec 2015.

tive-drive track system which effectively delivers more power to the ground. Case IH will be demonstrating the latest GNSS displays

they have to offer. There will also be details of a new telematics product, software packages and RTK+ network. With the launch of the new Optum

tractor and Stage IV Puma, information on Class III IsoBus control and the new Headland Management Control II will also be available. Garford Farm Machinery will be promoting its complete range of Robocrop precision-guided weed control solution machinery. The Robocrop system uses live video imaging to locate the crop to allow either mechanical or chemical weed control to be undertaken with individually designed and built machinery. Bomford Turner, a leader in green maintenance technology, will be showcasing its range of high performance hedge cutters, industrial mowers and cultivation machinery.

Sprayers JAgrifac UK will be exhibiting the Agrifac Condor sprayer. Visitors are invited to experience the latest demonstrator, the Condor IV, which offers the StabiloPlus circulation system for minimal rest liquid, GreenFlowPlus and a touch-screen interface. Holmer Exxact will also be present to offer product information on the TerraVarient slurry/digestate self-propelled systems vehicle. Chafer Machinery will be showing the new Guardian and Sentry trailed sprayers, with a machine available for demonstration at the event. The new range is said to offer growers improved application accuracy and output, with new plumbing, control and boom ride systems. Chafer will also be exhibit-

ing products from its Horstine division, including the Cascade applicator, capable of accurately applying granular chemicals, fertilisers, slug pellets and small seeds through the 24m boom. Lite-Trac will be demonstrating two machines: outside in the sprayer demonstration area will be the Lite-Trac SS24000 sprayer fitted with a 5,000-litre tank and 36-metre biofold duo boom. In the exhibition hall, the firm will be showcasing the SS3000 fitted with 12tonne agrispread body and controlled by the latest Trimble TMX software. Knight will be promoting its steering axle trailed sprayer designed to meet the needs of farmers wanting a large capacity and high specification machine.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Lite-Trac SS24000 sprayer fitted with a 5,000-litre tank and 36m boom.

EDGE Careers will be demonstrating a sprayer cab made by Sands Agricultural

Machinery, as well as offering information about a variety of careers across the industry. X

Exhibitors Other exhibitors include: rAHDB Cereals and Oilseeds rAnglia Farmers rAR Carbon rArmaTrac rBritish Crop Potato Council

rCalibre Control rFarmTec rPGRO rSoil Fertility Services rUniversity of Lincoln rZantra rAnd many more

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CROPTEC PREVIEW Precision JJohn Downes, New Holland’s PLM product specialist says: “Precision farming technologies are revolutionising agriculture. They are becoming an essential tool for many farmers as they strive to reduce input costs, improve yields and increase efficiencies.”

Technology rGareth Devenney, cofounder of Farmflo, says: “I’m really looking forward to seeing some of the latest innovations on show at CropTec. With a growing global population, and limited resources, we have to get smarter about how we farm.” Farmflo will be showcasing its award-winning software platform, which enables farmers to make informed decisions based on accurate, real-time data. The company will also be unveiling FarmWalk, its new farm advisory tool rMuddy Boots Software will be showcasing Greenlight Grower Management, its online crop recording and management system, which connects the agri-food community, making field recording and data sharing quick, simple and efficient. rProdata Weather Systems will be offering a costeffective range of automated weather monitoring solutions, aimed at growers requiring real-time data from local or remote sites rOn display on the Geomatrix Earth Science stand will be the Geonics EM38 soil conductivity meter. The EM38 is a noncontacting method of rapidly mapping soil types. Also on show will be the Geometrics OhmMapper resistivity meter

Get trained up New Holland will be bringing its Precision Land Management technologies to CropTec and visitors will have the chance to view demonstrations of several auto-guidance products. Spraying technology hub sponsor Airinov will be focusing on the use of drones to acquire precise images and, perhaps more importantly, how to treat and process images into useful information. AS Communications UK will be exhibiting its range of precision farming solutions, including the Trimble TMX2050 and the Trimble CFX-750 displays, as well as steering solutions which integrate

directly into vehicle hydraulics. Manterra will be present to discuss the Tru-Nject project, which combines a new online sensor with satellite imagery data and new fertiliser placement technology to enable farmers to make the best possible decisions with regards to site-specific nitrogen management. Precision farming expert SOYL will be on-hand to provide advice about precision crop production techniques. Visitors are invited to learn more about SOYL’s range of services, including iSOYL, SOYLsense, variable rate nitrogen, soil nutrient management, conductivity and variable rate seed.

rRUSTA will be on-hand to provide information on its training courses aimed at drone operators wishing to obtain Permission for Aerial Work or for Small Unmanned Air Systems rChanges in legislation mean as of November 24, 2015, it will be an offence for anyone to purchase plant protection products authorised for professional use unless they have ensured the intended user has an appropriate certificate. Information on training opportunities will be available from a number of providers at CropTec, including Onsite Training and BASIS

Drilling and cultivation JGiven the current squeeze on margins there has never been a better time to consider the benefits of reduced tillage and direct drilling. Simtech Aitchison will be promoting the T-Sem drill for farmers looking to move in this direction. Tillso will be displaying the machine features which make its cultivation systems successful, including Sabre tines and press options which include the Rake and Roll systems. For CropTec 2015, Sumo UK will be focusing primarily on its latest in drilling technology, with the strip-till DTS coulter and direct drill DD disc coul-

Pottinger UK will be exhibiting its Aerosem 1002 seed drill range.

ter, both of which are designed to reduce inputs and drive down establishment costs, while at the same time improving soil health, structure and profitability. Pottinger UK will be exhibit-

ing its Aerosem 1002 seed drill range. Unlike any other combination-mounted seed drill, the new generation Aerosem models bring together conventional sowing with precision seeding, says the company.

Crop nutrition and protection rGleadell will be exhibiting Alzon 46 and Gleadell Liquid Solutions. Alzon 46 is a granular 46% urea with an incorporated nitrification stabiliser for fewer applications and reduced losses

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

rDow Agrosciences will be exhibiting nitrogen stabiliser N-Lock and new herbicide and insecticide chemistry rCF Fertilisers (formally GrowHow UK) is inviting visitors to see how they could benefit

by using Nitram and Sulphur range DoubleTop, SingleTop and SulphurGold in combination with N-Min, N-Calc and Isaria precision software services rNufarm will be promoting its range of fungicide and PGRs

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Plant breeding Varieties Seeds Agronomy

Marrowfat pea contracts Pulse crop marketing Export

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CROPTEC PREVIEW

Seminars at CropTec he role science, research, new technology and knowledge exchange must play if the UK crop production industry is to be profitable in the increasingly dynamic and competitive world of global agriculture has never been so important. CropTec’s seminars run on both days and aim to equip you to compete and think.

Opening of CropTec

8.30am-8.45am - Setting the scene CropTec will be opened by Rob King, of principal sponsor Adama.

Crop Establishment

Morning session 9.3010.40am – Session chairman: Day 1: Russell McKenzie, AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds monitor farm Day 2: Paul Temple, chairman AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Precise soil care How field diagnostics, such as nutrient mapping, mineral analysis, targeting soil type and ground-penetrating radar can assist decision-making for variable rate actions. rSpeaker: Ian Robertson, Sustainable Soil Management Tillage and drilling systems Timely, cultivations and

drilling are key to profitable cereal crops. An expert view on the latest ideas, operating costs and impacts on weeds, disease and yield. rSpeaker: Niall G. Atkinson, agriculture and farm management consultant Soil water management Practical advice about monitoring and managing soil water to maximise plant potential and profitability and the essential steps, including remedial action, to deal with the impact of damaged tramlines and neglected drainage systems. rSpeaker: Kirk Hill, soil and water drainage engineer, ADAS

Crop Nutrition

11.30am-12.40pm – Session chair: Mark Tucker, marketing and agronomy manager, Yara UK Calculating nitrogen rates Using average optimum nitrogen rates is not the best economic approach. The key is to use the latest technology and measurement tools to take account of seasonal variations in crop requirement. rSpeaker: Ian Matts, head of agronomy, Yara UK Nitrogen source Urea or ammonium nitrate: Which is the more cost-effective of these two forms of nitrogen? Discover the results based on 10

Did you know? Arable Farming reaches further and deeper into the arable farming sector than any other title in G.B. Visit http://www.farmersguardian.com/research to view our latest independent media research.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

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CROPTEC PREVIEW years of trials carried out by UNIFA, the organisation representing the French fertiliser industry. rSpeaker: Philippe Eveillard, agricultural director, UNIFA Oilseed rape: Profiting from design What is the optimum canopy architecture to achieve maximum OSR yield? Here is the answer, based on Innovate UK-funded work, and how to realise the crop’s profit potential using precision farming technology to increase photosynthetic longevity. rSpeaker: Pete Berry, head of crop physiology, ADAS

Crop Protection

Afternoon session 1.402.30pm – Session chair: Guy Gagen, chief arable adviser, NFU, sets the scene with the latest update on CAP reform and EU pesticide regulations

Crop protection: Profiting from precise advice Here is how to ensure your gross margins are in the top 25% by focusing on the correct use and timing of inputs to ensure clean, quality crops and maximum yield. rSpeaker: Nick Myers, head of crop production, Procam UK Buffer zones – no margin for error Buffer zones: Are they really necessary or just another nuisance? What do they mean, the science behind their introduction and how to mitigate their impact. rSpeaker: David Felce, Cambridgeshire farmer and consultant Future for disease control What does the future hold for disease control given the threat of a reduced armoury

of active ingredients following new legislation and growing resistance? rSpeaker: Keith Norman, technical director, Velcourt

Plant Breeding

3.30-4.40pm – Session chair: Sean Sparling, independent consultant and agronomist, AICC Rooting for higher wheat profit The important contribution wheat root morphology makes to nutrient uptake, drought tolerance and yield, and the role of plant breeding to exploit this most valuable asset. rSpeaker: Eric Ober, senior research scientist and crop physiologist, NIAB New initiatives for yield and quality improvement With increasing pressure on

plant health and profitability, finding new initiatives for variety improvement is essential. Where are researchers and breeders heading, and how will their endeavours benefit UK growers and their customers? rSpeaker: Ellie Marshall, research and knowledge transfer manager plant breeding and genetics, AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Growing for the exports market High yields and good agronomics are always attractive in a variety, but being able to find a profitable market for your produce is also a key factor. Using the exports market as a case study, we investigate what to consider when choosing varieties for specific markets. rSpeaker: Sarah Mann, exports manager, AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

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FEATURE SPRING CROPPING

Spring cropping has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, with trials showing an average 88% reduction in black-grass numbers in spring cereals.

A well-managed spring crop is one of the best tools available to deal with difficult blackgrass. We talk to growers and agronomists who have adopted this approach.

Using spring crops in fight against black-grass

rials show an average 88% reduction in black-grass numbers in spring cereals in comparison with a September-sown crop, points out black-grass specialist Stephen Moss. With such potential gains on offer, it is easy to see why spring cropping has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. Oxfordshire-based agronomist Andrew Cotton works with a number of farmers with fields affected by difficult black-grass and says he has noticed many are far more comfortable with spring cropping than they were just a few years ago. “People in this region are now much more used to spring cropping for weed control and understand how the costs and benefits add up. The thing to remember is although yield is lower, the spend on the crop is also less – a spring wheat will

probably have two fungicide sprays and a very low herbicide bill.” His clients now take quite a flexible approach to drilling in bad black-grass fields, he says. They aim to sow in October, but if conditions turn against them are fully prepared to sow a spring cereal. Some farms make the decision to postpone drilling quite early on, especially if they are not happy with the quality of the seedbed and are not convinced it can produce a good crop.

Rotational plan For others, the decision to use spring crops is made well in advance of autumn as part of the overall rotational plan. In either case, the management steps needed to make spring crops work are the same, Mr Cotton says. “When using spring cereals for weed control, establishment and seed rate are essential to

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Andrew Cotton

get on top of black-grass because crop competition is the most powerful tool available. “This year I saw some fields which showed this; there was one strip where the drill hadn’t worked properly which was covered in weeds but the patch right next to it, where the crop established well, was completely clean.” With so much dependent on good establishment, cultivation is crucial. The primary cultivation is best done in autumn – so the ground has time to settle and retain moisture. Spring cultivation should only be used

when absolutely necessary – it can often lead to land drying out which is bad for crop establishment and on top of that can encourage weed germination. “High seed rates are very important, for spring cereals a rate of 325-350 plants/sq.metre is usually necessary to suppress any growing weeds. Spring wheat and barley are best sown in March, but oats can wait until April and still give good yields and weed suppression. “For black-grass control in spring cereals, there is a very limited range of pre-emergence chemistry so the establishment has to be good. In spring wheat there are only pendimethalin products, whereas spring barley has an EAMU for Liberator [flufenacet + diflufenican] and tri-allate, so if growers think they need some extra support to deal with weeds in the crop, spring barley may be a better option.” Dr Moss echoes Mr Cotton’s

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SPRING CROPPING FEATURE Case study: An unusual spring crop JGerald Addicott and Emily Addicott Sauvao are a father and daughter partnership farming 120ha in Somerset. Extending the farm into neighbouring land is unlikely, so they have looked at ways to add value on their existing acreage with a crop which fits in with the needs of the rotation. The rotation on-farm has been winter wheat, winter barley for feed, followed by linseed for seed and they have started growing quinoa, a spring-sown crop which is currently undergoing a surge in consumer demand. However, they do not envisage it being a crop with which to tackle weed problems, as there are no herbicides approved for use in quinoa, so it has to go into clean land, which means the rest of the weed control across the farm has to be excellent. The period between winter barley and linseed is a crucial time for

weed control, with repeated cultivations to encourage weed growth and eventual spraying-off with glyphosate. Weed management in the wheat and barley follows a fairly regular programme, winter barley gets Avadex (tri-allate) followed by Liberator (flufenacet + DFF), with perhaps Axial (pinoxaden) used on any wild oats. Winter wheat receives flufenacet + DFF at pre-em, followed by Atlantis (mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron) post-em. Headlands and bad black-grass areas Emily Addicott Sauvao and Gerald Addicott also receive tri-allate at pre-em to boost have opted for quinoa as a spring crop option. control.

views on establishment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Minimising spring cultivation should reduce the amount of spring-germinating blackgrass, but this should not be at the expense of providing good seedbed conditions for crop establishment and pre-emergence herbicide activity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although most black-grass germinates in autumn, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know enough about the factors which influence spring germination and the interactions between environment, cultivations and genetics. There may well be fields where there is a higher propensity for spring germination and with a big shift towards more spring cropping, this needs further research.â&#x20AC;? Making use of maize As well as spring cereals, some growers will be considering other types of spring crops. Maize is an option on farms near a digester and can be a real plus for blackgrass control because it is sown late, but there is still a good range of herbicides available for use in the crop. The only thing to remember is it is late-harvesting, so it is quite possible maize will be followed by another spring crop, which X

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AF Nov/Dec p44 45 46 47 Spring Cropping EP TR_Layout 1 29/10/2015 11:22 Page 3

FEATURE SPRING CROPPING from a black-grass point of view is a real benefit. Ben Giles, of Bayer CropScience, believes spring cereals or maize are both good options for weed control provided they are part of a planned rotation and not muddled in after autumn plans go awry. “As a rule you’re looking for a spring crop to be early and vigorous like spring cereals or sown late so any spring-germinating weeds can be sprayed off before drilling. “Spring cereals are the most popular option because growers are familiar with the crop and the end market is often the same as their winter cereals. Remember though chemistry is limited and many products are on EAMU rather than full label approvals, so making these crops work for blackgrass control is greatly dependent on the quality of establishment. “You have to get the seedbed

in good condition and destroy any weeds before sowing, spraying off before going into winter and again prior to drilling should clear the way nicely for the crop. “One crop which has grown in popularity is maize, as long as there is a local end market such as a digester or livestock unit. There are useful weed control options in this crop, including Maister WG [foramsulfuron + iodosulfuron]. It is an effective post-emergence herbicide with good control of most strains of black-grass, other grass-weeds and volunteer cereals,” says Mr Giles. The value of spring beans Spring beans are another crop to consider, once again a high seed rate – 40-50 plants/sq.m – and a good seedbed so the crop can root well are essential, says Mr Cotton. One grower who has had success using spring beans is

Spotlight on spring barley

JSome believe spring barley cannot be grown successfully on heavy land, but new results suggest otherwise. With analysis of 2015 season results from the Hutchinsons Black-grass Centre of Excellence, at Brampton, Cambridgeshire, completed, what is clear is it is critical to establish spring barley at a sufficiently high seed rate, and not to sim-

Matt Ward

ply treat it as a crop of last resort. That is according to Hutchinsons services leader Matt Ward, who says trying to control black-grass in a second wheat can be a flawed strategy. “Part of Brampton was looking at hybrid barley as an alternative and also to evaluate spring barley. The first point to note is it is unlikely you will achieve the same level of spring barley establishment on heavy land as is normally possible on light or medium soils, so seed numbers need to be adequate to ensure enough plants for optimum yield, while also competing with the black-grass.” At Brampton, seed rates of 350, 450 and 550 seeds per square metre were drilled across different soil type zones – to evaluate the effect both on crop yield and resulting blackgrass levels.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Steven Wilkinson, who farms about 465 hectares in Lincolnshire on a mixture of owned and tenanted land, growing mainly winter wheat and oilseed rape. Two years ago, he started using spring cropping to stay in control of black-grass on the stronger land on the farm. He estimates there are difficulties with black-grass on about half of the farm, although most of this is managed using delayed drilling and herbicides. However, about 10% of the land has some particularly stubborn problems, so he has opted to use spring beans to provide a good entry for wheat. He makes sure the primary cultivation – ploughing – is completed in autumn to provide the best conditions for the crop to establish in spring. “The decision to use spring crops was a natural progression from using late drilling as it gives more time to destroy

Ben Giles

flushes of black-grass before sowing. So far, it has been hugely successful, with a dramatic reduction in black-grass numbers from the cumulative effect of ploughing and spring cropping. “After the success I’ve had so far I think there may be merit in increasing the area of spring crops grown to help clean up more of the farm – especially with the low commodity prices at the moment, it may be a good time to do it,” he says.

It is unlikely the same level of spring barley establishment will be gained on heavy land as on lighter soils, so seed numbers need to be adequate.

“We found there wasn’t much difference between seed rates where seedbed and soil conditions were good, but there was a lot of difference, particularly in terms of black-grass levels, where establishment was poorer. “Here, 550 spring barley seeds/sq.m was suppressing

black-grass levels well. But 350/sq.m seeds were not – we were getting just as much black-grass as in the winter wheat. “We also took the site to yield and had grain samples analysed. We found where we had too high a seed rate there was some yield and specific

AF Nov/Dec p44 45 46 47 Spring Cropping EP TR_Layout 1 29/10/2015 11:22 Page 4

SPRING CROPPING FEATURE weight penalty, but grain nitrogen didn’t seem to be affected. Where we had too low a seed rate, not only was it bad for black-grass management, it also produced a low yield, plus high grain nitrogen and a low specific weight. The latter was presumably because of the higher black-grass population competing with the crop. “In other words, the disadvantages from exceeding optimum seed rates were only slight compared with those resulting from below-optimum seed rates.” Results These results only represent one year’s data, but Hutchinsons is keen to continue the work, adds Mr Ward. On a practical level, he believes spring barley is more competitive than spring

wheat, and says there are more black-grass herbicides available for use in spring barley than in spring wheat. “We’re trying to use cultural control as much as possible, but we still need herbicides as well. “I’m not dismissing spring wheat, but rather than just committing to growing another second winter wheat crop, fields should be individually managed by care-

fully selecting the most appropriate crop for the situation. If black-grass levels are very high, then perhaps the right crop is spring barley. If it’s not quite so bad, then maybe choose hybrid barley. If not as bad as that, then maybe spring wheat. And if it’s not bad at all, then plant winter wheat. “Remember, you are growing the crop for yield and also trying to get the best black-grass control you can.”

Impact of different spring barley seed rates

Seeds/sq.m

Barley ears/sq.m

550 713 450 521 350 489 Source: Hutchinsons, 2015

Black-grass/sq.m 33 84 219

Yield tonnes/ha 7.83 8.06 7.66

Spring barley outperforms winter wheat against black-grass JBedford grower Charlie Tomkins, of Park Farm, Clapham, has successfully used spring barley for black-grass management on his heavy clay soils for the last three years. Historically growing Sanette, he switched to brewing variety Propino for 2015 – achieving 7.5t/ha from a crop which not only contained less blackgrass than his winter wheat, despite good black-grass control in his winter crops last season, but which was also cheaper to grow. With a February black-grass flush emerging in the winter wheat, the Propino’s mid-March drilling date missed this, and allowed more opportunities for killing-off in stale seedbeds, he says. “Spring barley spreads our workload and cashflow and we sell the straw. The main reason for growing it is to manage black-grass, but the straw adds to it. “We also grew spring wheat, but it was clear there was more black-grass in this than the spring barley.” Although Mr Tomkins recognises growers’ concerns about establishing spring barley on heavy soils, he believes bigger tractors and wider tyres both help, and also employs ‘hefty’ seed rates for good establishment. “We’ve proven we can grow spring barley on heavy land,” he says.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p48 49 50 Grain store TR EP_Layout 1 27/10/2015 18:50 Page 1

FEATURE GRAIN STORAGE With the foundations of a successful grain drying and storage system laid by his father 50 years ago, Mark Noble has been able to evolve facilities to boost output. Geoff Ashcroft reports.

Evolving a grain store system to meet demands hen it comes to harvest, the focus of many farms’ attention tends to migrate to that of combine performance. But at 450-hectare Puckshipton Farms, near Pewsey, Wiltshire, Mark Noble has taken a different view. And it is a direct result of his father’s foresight in installing ‘sufficient’ grain drying and storage facilities almost 50 years ago. He says: “We’ve made a few changes to the original installation, to help boost capacity, but the foundations of the system still remain.” Those early facilities comprised a Jack Olding bin-drying system using three, 35-tonne capacity bins. A diesel-fired burner supplies hot air through a plenum, constructed so it can direct heat to any one, or all of the drying bins.

Mark Noble runs the 450-hectare Puckshipton Farms in Wiltshire.

Once dried, grain is then moved into store using a sequence of elevators and conveyors, enabling grain to be gravity-fed into any of 10 50-tonne capacity storage bins which form the central spine of the building. Olding system “The beauty of the Olding system was we could fill the three drying bins with a total of 100t

of grain and set the system running overnight,” he says. “It would remove 1% moisture over a two-and-a-half to three-hour period. I could set time clocks to progressively shut the burner off and then run the cooling fans for a given period.” He says it has proved a steady system which has worked well for almost 50 years. However, one of the

Ten 50t capacity storage bins form the spine of the original grain store building, which dates back to 1966.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

drawbacks of the 10 bins was their flat floors inside. “We’ve since added sloping concrete floors inside the bins, so they will pretty much selfempty. You only need to sweep up, rather than shovel a few tonnes.” The 10 storage bins also make it easy to segregate grain – either by variety or quality. “We can split-store milling wheat with different Hagberg numbers by making full use of the 10 bins,” Mr Noble says. With existing floor space in the original building offering a further 400t of storage space, the farm added an additional 500t on the opposite side of the grain store in the 1980s, complete with underfloor ventilation. This gives two distinct storage areas which flank the central bank of 10 grain bins. It also enables grain to be easily redirected from the central conveyor, projecting beyond the bins and cascading onto the floor space. But as the farm and its cropping has evolved, so too has the grain drying and storage facilities. While the Olding bin drying system continues to perform, Mr Noble needed some additional drying capacity. As a result, he purchased a Svegma 25t capacity continuous flow drier two years ago. “Rather than replace any existing kit, we placed the new drier outside the original building, to keep our options open,” he says. “The Svegma has

AF Nov/Dec p48 49 50 Grain store TR EP_Layout 1 30/10/2015 10:44 Page 2

GRAIN STORAGE FEATURE Puckshipton Farms grain store developments rOriginal installation of Jack Olding bin-drying system using three, 35t capacity bins. Diesel-fired burner supplies hot air through a plenum, constructed to direct heat to any one, or all of the drying bins. Once dried, grain is gravity-fed to 10 50t capacity storage bins rSloping floors added to storage bins rAdditional 500t floor space, with under-floor ventilation added to existing 400t floor store rSvegma 25t capacity

continuous flow drier purchased to give additional drying capacity and new intake pit constructed r20t bin installed above old intake pit for wet storage rOriginal Turner cleaner replaced with a second-hand Westrup machine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; doubling capacity rConstruction of five-bay barn at end of original store to give a further 1,000t of storage rConversion of former livestock buildings for oilseed rape storage

A Svegma dryer supplements the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original Jack Olding system.

become the primary dryer, allowing us to use the three Olding bins just for storage; but we also have the option of using everything together for additional drying capacity.â&#x20AC;? While installing the new

drier, the farm built a new intake pit to replace the original 4t capacity intake. Now with enough volume to empty 12t grain trailers in one go, the new pit has boosted logistics. â&#x20AC;&#x153;During harvest, trailers are

coming in every 20-25 minutes from our New Holland CX 8070 Elevation with 25ft header,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the bigger intake pit, we can tip and get back to the field in plenty of time, where previously, we

could hold the combine up waiting for trailers to unload.â&#x20AC;? The old intake, however, is far from redundant and is used with wet bin storage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We positioned a 20t wet bin above the old intake pit, X

YEARS

7 5-2 015

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p48 49 50 Grain store TR EP_Layout 1 27/10/2015 18:52 Page 3

FEATURE GRAIN STORAGE

The uprated intake pit allows 12-tonne trailers to unload immediately.

which gives us yet more flexibility,” he says. “But we really could do with more wet storage. We make do by storing wet grain in trailers and on-floor in an open-fronted barn – but it’s inconvenient. Though it depends on the season, the weather and how we approach harvest.” For the 2015 harvest, the farm replaced its original Turner cleaner with a second-hand Westrup machine. Offering 25-30t/hour capacity, it is twice the capacity of the previous cleaner and has given a muchneeded shot in the arm with throughput. “We run everything over the cleaner as a matter of course,” says Mr Noble. “The old cleaner just couldn’t keep up with the new dryer. Now, we don’t have a bottleneck. “And all tailings or other materials are collected and put through a roller mill before being fed to our 150-head of beef cattle.” Grain leaving the cleaner is also passed over an Avery weighing system, which keeps a cumulative trip count, making it easy for Mr Noble to keep tabs on yields. “It’s a very accurate system, and it has been recording our grain yields since 1966,” he

says. “What it has shown is the combine yield monitor overreads by 5%.” Mr Noble says having such effective drying, cleaning and storage facilities does take pressure off the combine. “We know what we can do with our grain when it comes off the combine, so we can sacrifice a little harvesting output in favour of making sure we get everything in the barn.”

Second building With the main conveyor running through the middle of the original grain store’s roof space, it has been easy enough for the farm to add a second building and extend the conveyor route to provide additional grain storage. A recently constructed fivebay barn located at one end of the original grain store offers a further 1,000t of storage capacity. Multiple drop-out points along the conveyor route also make it easy to divert and stack grain to simplify rehandling. When it comes to loading lorries, the farm has the option of loading by telehandler, or conveying grain back from the storage bins to the dryer. “There is a discharge point at the end of the main conveyor which sits above the dryer. We can place an articulated lorry

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Mission control for Puckshipton Farms’ drying and storage facilities.

beneath the outlet and fill it in 30 minutes.” Storage facilities at Puckshipton Farms also have the benefit of a low-volume ventilation system. This automated system pushes air through the heaps of grain when ambient air temperature is more than five degrees lower than the temperature of grain in-store. Combinable crops include wheat, barley and quinoa, which are stored in the main building, with oilseed rape moved when dried, and placed in what used to be a temporary store. “We eventually converted one of our old livestock buildings to use as a rape store,” he says. “While its location does mean double-handling – we have to move rapeseed by trailer around the farmyard – the volume of rape we harvest is easily manageable.” While such drying and storage facilities might seem elaborate for a 450ha farm, Mr Noble has gained additional use from drying grain for two of his neighbours. “We’ve put 600t through the dryer this season for one of our neighbours,” he adds. For all the sophistication of the system, he says adjusting the dryer to get the best results

“

We can harvest, dry and store everything we grow Mark Noble still requires an element of educated guesswork. “While you can learn a lot from exhaust temperature, when you make any adjustments, it takes 40 minutes for grain to travel from the top of the dryer to the bottom,” he says. “And a lot can happen in that time, so any adjustments need to be carefully considered. “It would be good to see progressive moisture readings on the control box, showing actual grain moisture in each section of the dryer, so you know exactly what’s going on inside.” This aside, there is no denying grain drying at Puckshipton Farms has evolved into a mature operation. “We can harvest, dry and store everything we grow, so we’re not forced to sell off grain to free-up storage space in the middle of harvest,” he says. “So we can watch the markets to ensure we get the best prices we can for all our grain.”

AF Nov/Dec p51 52 53 Rodent threat EP TR _Layout 1 29/10/2015 09:45 Page 1

STORAGE FEATURE

Rats and mice can cause serious damage to farm machinery put away for the winter unless appropriate preventative measures are taken.

Tackling the rodent threat to farm kit

odent damage to machinery is a serious issue for many farmers, according to Ken Black, rural hygiene manager at Bayer.

He says: “Often farmers are so pleased to see the end of harvest machinery is shut away without being cleaned properly, but left-over grain can be an attractive food source for rodents.

When controlling rats, or mice, vigilance is key, says Bayer’s Ken Black.

“This is why Bayer is conducting a rodent damage to farm machinery survey to go out to farmers over the winter to find out the extent of the damage done when machinery is in storage.

“Combines in particular spend a significant amount of time in storage and offer excellent shelter and food sources for rodents, if not cleaned effectively post-harvest. “As part of their natural X

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AF Nov/Dec p51 52 53 Rodent threat EP TR _Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:05 Page 2

FEATURE STORAGE behaviour, rats and mice gnaw on anything which is accessible, including cables, hydraulic hoses, control panels and even cab fittings,” adds Mr Black. “However, it’s vital farmers understand the fundamental

Where to bait rPoints of machine which touch the ground – wheels in particular rDead space behind the rear axle on the combine rLeft- and right-hand sides of the feeder housing rSpace behind the cab (because of the amount of cables in this area) rSieve to the rear of the combine and monitor boxes on the sieve rWhere the returns elevator inspection panel is open, secure bait in place to prevent rodents gnawing on rubber paddles rCleaning fan access points, hydraulic controls and wiring, hydraulic valve and roof engine bay rHeader drive line, to protect cables and belts Source: Bayer

differences between rat and mouse behaviour to control them effectively. “Rats are far more predictable, because they are choosy over what they eat. They generally live outdoors in summer and move indoors when temperatures drop in autumn and are much more suspicious of changes to their environment. “Mice are less predictable, generally appearing in larger numbers. They’re more inquisitive and therefore more prone to gnawing on machinery. They live indoors all year and, in my experience, are more destructive,” he adds. When it comes to controlling either rats or mice, vigilance is key. “Obviously, we would all prefer not to have any rodent issues, but in reality farm buildings offer an easy home. Rats can get into a hole around the size of your thumb; mice the size of a pencil. So, if possible, repair holes in the building which give them an easy way in. Once that is done, check buildings on a weekly basis for activity. Droppings are the easiest way of identifying a presence. Mice urine also gives off a distinctive smell. “For effective rat control, my

Rats hoard food so make sure blocks are tied down with wire or string.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

advice would be to site bait boxes around key areas as soon as machinery is parked. Bait is not necessary at this time, but having the points in place results in the rats being familiar with them before bait is added. This significantly increases the likelihood of bait take once it is placed,” says Mr Black. Confirmed activity Bait should only be applied when activity has been confirmed. “This is important for two reasons; it reduces the risk of poisoning non-target animals and increases the palatability of the bait when needed. Once activity has been confirmed, use a bait immediately. “Be aware, rats in particular will leave ‘food’ unless it’s fresh, so monitor uptake and change the bait every few days where necessary. Rats also hoard food, so make sure blocks are tied down with wire. Otherwise, it may be taken away and not consumed. “Another option for indoor use is to apply a foam product to known rat runs. A foam doesn’t rely on the animals directly consuming the product, it appeals to their grooming habits, when they clean themselves, and they ingest the bait.” However, because foam does not allow consumption to be monitored in a way a block does, this makes it more difficult to assess control levels, so it is important to integrate pest management practices. The same precautions need to be applied as with traditional baits, so the risk to non-target animals is reduced. “Mice, because of their sporadic behaviour, require lots of baiting points. In a typical combine shed I would suggest about 20 baiting points for fast and effective control. There are no rules on where to place these, but consider putting bait

Ken Black

along, or on top of walls, on beams, girders, and around the machinery as well as at ground level,” says Mr Black. According to John Deere aftermarket sales manager James Morley, dealers see machines every year with significant damage caused by rat or mice activity, which could mostly be avoided if rodents were managed more effectively on-farm. “The machine we see the most damage to is the combine harvester. A case in point is a farmer who reported tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage because he had to arrange repairs to gnawed wiring harnesses, and replace all of the cushions and coverings in the cab,” he says. When considering practical rodent management on farms, there are particular areas to pay attention to, Mr Black says. “The first place to start when placing bait, are the points of the machines which touch the ground, particularly the wheels. “The time most problems are found is in spring when farmers are starting to get machinery ready for the next season. Obviously, this can also result in delays to fieldwork, which can be incredibly frustrating, especially if it means missing a weather window. “On a combine the dead space behind the rear axle offers rodents a harbourage

AF Nov/Dec p51 52 53 Rodent threat EP TR _Layout 1 30/10/2015 11:00 Page 3

STORAGE FEATURE and potential nesting point. I would also suggest baiting the left- and right-hand sides of the feeder housing and the space behind the cab due to the amount of cables in this area. “Other areas include the sieve to the rear of the combine and monitor boxes on the sieve. It’s also important to pay attention to the cleaning fan access points; the hydraulic controls and wiring on the combine. The hydraulic valve and the roof engine bay should not be overlooked, due to the amount of connecting pipes and cables. Bait to protect “And finally, the header drive line may require baiting to protect the cables and belts. This may depend on how the header is stored for the winter period.” Bayer is currently working to better understand the scale

Protecting machinery rRepair holes which may

give rats and mice access to buildings rCheck buildings on a weekly basis for signs of rodent activity rFor rats, place bait boxes (without bait) in key areas as soon machinery is parked rApply bait only when activity is detected rChange bait every few days if necessary rMice require multiple baiting points – up to 20 in a typical combine shed Source: Bayer of the issue via a national survey. Mr Black says: “We want to know what damage has occurred, how much it has cost, and the further impact it’s

Farm machinery needs cleaning after use to prevent rodent damage.

had. For example, we’ll find out whether farmers have lost valuable days of harvesting as a result of damage to machinery. This is one of the hidden costs which, as an industry,

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AF Nov/Dec p54 55 Opico JR EP TR_Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:27 Page 1

TECHNICAL MACHINERY Already boasting a strong line-up of cultivation equipment, Opico has moved to complement its range with the addition of cultivator and direct drill models. James Rickard reports.

Sky Agriculture drill range launched in UK agle-eyed visitors to the 2013 Sima show may have noticed a newcomer to the seed drill market. Sporting a green livery, the company was French firm Sky Agriculture, of which, two of its flagship products are now available in the UK through importer Opico.

The machines in question are its Maxi Drill cultivator drill and the Easy Drill direct drill. Interestingly, although a young company, Sky Agriculture is a sister firm to longestablished Sulky. However, they only share manufacturing facilities, with separate management, sales teams and distribution outlets.

For Opico, the machines complement its range of HeVa cultivation equipment, filling a gap in the firm’s portfolio which has been sought after by dealers and customers. Reach In its three short years as a company, Sky Agriculture already has more than 2,500

machines out working, predominantly in western Europe, but also in parts of Canada. Coinciding with Lincolnshire-based Opico’s golden anniversary, the new machines’ official UK public debut will be at January’s Lamma show, with full availability from now.

Maxi Drill cultivator drill JIt might look like another cultivator drill, but Opico thinks the Maxi Drill has plenty of unique selling points which will help it compete with the current crop of drills. Not least of those, the manufacturer says, is the drill’s ‘spacious’ component layout, which allows it to run a lot later into the season in difficult conditions and start again sooner in spring. This has been facilitated by designing the machine so there is plenty of space between all the drill’s elements – two gangs of discs, press roller and two rows of disc coulters – allowing soil to settle in between each tool. Opico says this gives the drill as much as a two-week extension to the drilling season, eliminating the need to park it up and get the power harrow combi-drill out. Six trailed models make up the air drill Maxi Drill range, which includes machines from three to six metres wide. Each can be specified as

Generous space between the Maxi Drill’s tools allows it to work in a range of less favourable conditions.

single or twin hopper and, like the Easy Drill, an extra hopper can be added.

Transport axle An interesting feature of the top four models in the range is the use of a dedicated transport axle, rather than relying on press wheels. Sky Agriculture says this allows the ideal selection of press tyres to be chosen and the ideal pressures

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

to be used, which also gives enough flex for self-cleaning. Press wheels are mounted on arms in pairs and staggered. This, says the firm, reduces the bulldozing effect of soil, requiring less power to pull. Maintenance of press wheels has also been considered, with the ability to get at wheels thanks to their mounting arms. These can be unbolted and swung out, which can be done

when the machine is folded up. Similar to the Easy Drill, Maxi Drills can apply or sow multiple products simultaneously. Two rows of disc coulters are mounted on two separate bars to achieve equal coulter pressure. Up to 120kg coulter pressure can be applied, allowing it to work as a direct drill. The Maxi Drill can be used at drilling speeds of up to 18kph.

AF Nov/Dec p54 55 Opico JR EP TR_Layout 1 28/10/2015 18:36 Page 2

MACHINERY TECHNICAL

Easy Drill direct disc drill JPitched as a versatile machine able to drill multiple types of crops in various conditions, the Easy Drill direct disc drill range is made up of eight models; three- and four-metre working width rigid box drills, plus 4m and 6m trailed, folding air drills. All of which can be specified with twin hoppers, allowing two types of crop, or seed and fertiliser, to be applied. A third hopper, e.g. for micro-granules or slug pellets, can be fitted. Following a press roller upfront, each seeding element comprises a single disc, behind which is a skim coulter. Following this is another adjustable seed/fert tube, with a chamfered press wheel to seal and consolidate the seed slot. Sky Agriculture says having a press roller up front helps prepare the seedbed, by giving discs something to ‘bite’ into, particularly when drilling into already worked seedbeds. It also helps when direct drilling into cover crops by flattening them out. Minimal disturbance Designed to create as little disturbance as possible and not encourage weed seeds to germinate, each disc is angled to 3.5 degrees and leant over by 1.5 degrees. A skim coulter, which also doubles up as a disc scraper, is positioned in the slot created by the disc, and its depth can be adjusted to position seeds where you want, particularly in relation to a second seed or fertiliser, which can be placed by a second seed tube. The second seed drop position is adjusted by moving the tube backwards or forwards; the closer you get to the disc and the freshly opened slot, the deeper a second seed or fertiliser can be placed. Conversely, the closer you

The Easy Drill is suited to direct drilling, though it is also capable of working min-till and plough-based systems.

position this second seed tube to the consolidation wheel, the shallower the seed will be positioned, to the point of being on the surface. Seeding units are mounted in pairs on an arm, with the rear consolidation wheels connected in pairs via a balance beam to create a bogie which can follow contours. Overall disc depth is based on their position relative to the front press roller and weight can be transferred from the discs to the front roller via a hydraulic ram. Up to 250kg of coulter pressure can be applied by each disc. While it is predominantly aimed at direct drilling, the manufacturer says it is also compatible with min-till and plough-based systems. Depending on circumstances, the manufacturer recommends a drilling speed of up to 8kph when direct drilling, keeping soil disturbance to a minimum. However, when drilling into a prepared seedbed, where the soil has already been disturbed, working speeds can be increased to about 12kph. With three hoppers and two separate air flows, various seeding combinations can be achieved. Using separate hoppers also avoids seed

separation in mixed seed crops, says the manufacturer, while separate air flow avoids seed burn and blockages. The firm’s own electricallydriven seed metering units are used, which can handle wheat seed rates from 1kg/hectare up to 450kg/ha, without having to

change seed metering rollers. An electrically managed distribution head also allows half-width shut-off, the ability to seed every other row, or plant a different product every third row – useful for mixed seed cover crops or companion planting.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p56 Vaderstad JR EP TR_Layout 1 27/10/2015 18:48 Page 1

TECHNICAL MACHINERY With Agritechnica looming, many manufacturers have taken the opportunity to preview their latest products with dedicated events, not least Vaderstad. James Rickard reports.

Vaderstad extends portfolio for 2016 SeedEye automatic calibration system JDesigned for use with Vaderstad’s Spirit R 300-400S, Rapid A 400-800S and Rapid A 600-800C drills, the firm has developed a new automatic calibration system. Without the need to perform a traditional calibration test, users can now set the desired number of seeds per sq.m and let the technology/machine take care of the rest. The system requires sensors placing in each seed hose which use six optical transistors each, illuminated with infrared light. When a light beam is interrupted by a seed passing by, the optical transistor registers a break in the flow of light. The total number of breaks is registered and processed, enabling seed volume to be specified with high accuracy, says the manufacturer. Vaderstad claims it can count rapeseed with about 99% accuracy. The value for wheat and other grains is about 98-99% at 250 seeds per second. SeedEye can compensate for dust and residue which can gather in sensors. Vaderstad founder Crister Stark says: “Counting seeds

is more exact than calculating quantities based on weight. However, should the system go wrong, calibration can always be done in the traditional method.” To work, the operator sets the desired seed volume per sq.m via an iPad, using the firm’s E-Control system, without needing to climb out of the cab. Regardless of tractor speed, the drill’s radar then measures seed drill speed and E-Control continuously calculates seed volume and adjusts the electrical seed feed to match the desired seed rate. If a blockage occurs in the seed hose, SeedEye will detect this and sound an audible warning in the cab. SeedEye will be available from autumn next year. Prices TBC.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

Smaller Spirit drill range JNow available in working widths of three and four metres, Vaderstad has extended its trailed Spirit drill offering, with the addition of smaller models. However, they are more than just a scaled down version of the current Spirit range which goes up to 9m, says the manufacturer. They have been redesigned from the ground up with a lighter frame using a central beam design, more suited to this size of drill. Like their bigger brothers, the new R 300S and R 400S (R for rigid) can be equipped with the firm’s tablet-based E-Control system and its newly-developed SeedEye automatic calibration system. Comprising a row of levelling paddles, two gangs of discs, a tyre packer and disc coulters, row spacing can be either 125mm or 167mm. Offset packer/support wheels are now more offset compared to the larger machines, fitted with 400/5515.5 radial tyres. This allows for better soil flow and use in tricky conditions, says the firm. A new tyre design also affords better self-cleaning. A moulded seed hopper has a capacity of 2,800 litres and features a large lid

for easy filling, along with a platform located to the side of the hopper. The drill’s fan is located high up and integrated into the front of the seed hopper to minimise the intake of dust, and at the same time protect sensitive components. Air distribution has also been adapted for smaller tractors, 110hp plus, with low oil requirements, says the manufacturer. A highlight of the new drill is the electrically-driven Fenix III feed system. Able to handle everything from 1kg to 500kg of seed per hectare, with speeds up to 15kph (9mph), its design sees a flexible, rubber seed metering unit used. This creates a seal between the hopper, which is gravity-fed, and the air flow to distribution heads, which are pressurised. It is essentially like using a pressurised seed hopper and allows for more efficient use of air to distribute seed. Seed is fed between two small distributor heads, allowing half-width shut-off. Production of the Spirit R begins in 2016 and it should be available from next Autumn. Prices TBC.

AF Nov/Dec p57 Horsch JR EP TR_Layout 1 30/10/2015 14:42 Page 1

MACHINERY TECHNICAL

As the firm geared up for Agritechnica, Horsch took the opportunity to preview some of its latest developments, including new precision seeding technology. James Rickard reports.

Horsch reveals latest kit Precision seeding

MiniDrill seeder JBorn out of the move by growers towards the use of cover crops, Horsch has developed an air seeder which can be fitted to its range of mounted tine cultivator and disc harrows. The new MiniDrill has a capacity of 400 litres and can cope with seeding rates up to 100kg per hectare. It uses the company’s own metering system as found on the Pronto and Sprinter drills, and distributes seed across the working width of the machine via six or 12 outlets (for a three-metre and 4m ma-

chine). Seed is distributed in front of the rear roller. A version for trailed cultivators and harrows is to come. Control of the drill is IsoBuscompatible, or one of the manufacturer’s controllers can be used. Price for the seeder starts from £5,420.

JAs demonstrated by the development of individual seed metering for its grain drills two years ago, Horsch continues to improve the precision of its drills. Designed as an alternative to standard seed rate calibration, and to be a lot more accurate, the firm has developed a new seed control system, called SeedControl, which detects the flow of seed and is able to count seeds coming from the distribution head. Seeds are detected when they strike a plate positioned

within the seed tube, and allow an operator to input seed rates by number of seeds per hectare rather than by weight. It then automatically regulates flow rate to maintain seed rates. It is said to work with all main cereal crops, however, if you want to apply mixed seeds, then the traditional calibration technique can still be done. It is compatible with the firm’s Focus, Express and Pronto drills, and will be available towards the latter end of next year.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

AF Nov/Dec p58 59 Biologicals TR EP_Layout 1 30/10/2015 12:28 Page 1

TECHNICAL BIOLOGICALS Chemical and biological control agents are being combined to deliver new solutions for crop protection. Teresa Rush reports.

Harnessing biology’s protecting powers ith the rate of discovery of new agrochemical active ingredients slowing and the high cost of developing and gaining approval for new chemical crop protection products, global agchem giants are looking to biological solutions to extend their crop protection portfolios. Within the last few years there has been a flurry of activity as the chemical industry has sought to gain a foothold in the

biological sector: BASF’s purchase of Becker Underwood, Bayer’s of Agraquest and Monsanto’s strategic alliance with Novozyme, have all generated headlines in the financial press. Growing market Biologicals currently account for less than 5% of the global crop protection market but it is a growing market. A recent report on the sector predicted a compound annual growth rate of approaching 15% between 2014-19 – with market value

BASF biological developments rIn-furrow bacterial fungicide. Launched to the market as Xanthion in the US in 2015 for use in corn (maize). Said to be the first fungicide to combine chemistry (pyraclostrobin) and biology (Bacillus subtilis). For protection against seedling and root diseases, including rhizoctonia seed and seedling rot, fusarium seed rot and seedling blight and pythium damping-off disease rFungal contact insecticide, marketed as Broadband in South Africa. Contains the

fungus Beauveria bassiana for control of several pests on a range of fruit and vegetable crops, including onions and carrots rBacteria-based (Bacillus amiloliquefaciens) biological fungicide for use in potatoes, grapes, strawberries – with multiple modes of action targeting a number of diseases, including botrytis. Registered as Serifel in the US rBiological fungicide seed treatment in development Source:BASF

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ARABLE FARMING

BASF has doubled its production capacity for nematode-based, biological crop protection products at its UK plant at Littlehampton.

increasing from $4,528.1 million (£2,927.1m) in 2014 to $8,951.8m (£5,786.7m) by 2019. Use of biological crop solutions has been focused on high value, predominantly horticultural crops, but developments in production capacity and agronomy mean the transition into field crops is under way. Recent evidence of the expansion in production capacity can be seen at BASF’s Agricultural Specialities site at Littlehampton, West Sussex. In October 2015 the company cut the ribbon on a multi-million pound investment in the former Becker Underwood plant, which saw the site’s fermentation capacity for biologicals double to 190,000 litres. The Littlehampton site is a production, research and distribution centre for BASF biological solutions for the agriculture, turf and ornamental sectors. It is the company’s only site for the manufacture of its entire range of nematode-based biological control products for the global market. It is also one of eight manufacturing locations worldwide for seed-applied rhizobia bacteria inoculants; these produce root nodules to conduct nitrogen fixation in a

symbiotic relationship with their host legume plants. The expansion sees the business moving ahead with a strategy to develop solutions beyond conventional chemical crop protection. According to BASF, the Littlehampton plant will be the world’s largest production site for beneficial nematodes. Expanding the site’s capacity will double production of these microscopic organisms, which are used in the control of a diverse range of insect and slug pests, opening up opportunities to progress development of use in broad-acre crops, hitherto not possible because of production capacity constraints. Speaking at the opening of the expanded facility, Philipp Rosendorfer, BASF vice-president R&D functional crop care, said the company was making significant investments in innovating and delivering biological and chemical solutions. The size of the investment in Littlehampton was not disclosed, but Graeme Gowling, BASF global biologicals marketing group leader, said investment across the business in biologicals technology amounted to tens of millions of euros.

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