Crop Production October 2022

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Food for thought this autumn

In this issue...

50 years on... page 8

Overbury revisited page 45

Lessons from a career in blackgrass

Not much glory in the understory

Green inside and out page 55

Potato annus horribilis page 71

Editor’s pick Volume 24 Number 10

October 2022

Editor Lucy de la Pasture Sub-editor Rachael Harper Writers Mike Abram Tom Allen-Stevens Adam Clarke Charlotte Cunningham Melanie Jenkins

Martin Lines Lucy de la Pasture Guy Smith Andrew Wilson

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A dry September meant drilling was full steam ahead, in spite of the continuing dry in many parts of the country. But for those with blackgrass, it’s been time to sit on their hands and play the waiting game. Real Results (page 13) finds out how a farmer in Lincolnshire deals with this anxious time.

Still on the theme of blackgrass, we look back with Dr Stephen Moss over his 50 years as a researcher and finds some familiar practices, considered good husbandry when he was a student at Wye College, returning to modern-day farms. He also laments the closure of the once rich network of applied research establishments and describes the downsides of this, as well as how it’s pushed his career into working in the research ‘valley of death’.

Typically blunt with his thoughts, there’s some thought provoking material to be found in this story on page 8.

If you’ve been lucky enough to get a crop of oilseed rape away this autumn, weed control may be the next hurdle and we get some thoughts on strategies from across the regions on page 20.

Then looking further ahead, marketing the crop in these days of volatility has become equally as influential on the bottom line as growing it. We explore the factors influencing the market and get some advice on how best to manage selling the crop in these uncertain times (page 26).

With a lot of maize crops already safely ensiled, there’s some food for thought regarding what to plant next season as the new Descriptive List is published.

We also look back at the challenges of the season, of which there were many (page 30).

There’s a notable move by agchem manufacturers into the world of biologicals and naturally derived products. We take a closer look at UPL and learn about why the company has invested in a new R&D farm in Shropshire and how its portfolio is developing to provide a more

hybrid approach to crop protection (page 34).

Continuing the theme, we travelled to Italy to visit the Valagro R&D facility, which has become the centre of its research into biological products. There’s proper science going on here that attracted the attention of Syngenta, who acquired the company fairly recently (see page 52).

We were also invited to return to Overbury to see how the clover understory had fared since our visit in July. With so much still in the learning phase for regenerative farmers, Jake Freestone is keen to share what he’s learnt so far from the many new approaches on the farm (see page 45).

There’s a lot of interest in, and confusion about, natural capital at the moment so we take a look at the biodiversity mapping available from Fera, and see how several farms are using it in practice (page 49). We continue down the road to net zero in AHDB’s Theory to Field, which highlights a number of projects which could underpin some new practices with science (see page 42). Still on the same theme, we hear from the past two year’s Climate Change Champions as voting continues to find who will lift the accolade in 2022 (page 38).

Don’t forget to vote!

The sustainability theme spills over into Machinery, with a visit to John Deere’s recent ‘sustainability day’ in Germany. Here we learn the company is, or aspires to be, as green on the inside as it is on the outside.

We sign off with a review of the potato season (page 71) and hear from Andrew Wilson as he talks taties, and how things really aren’t looking altogether rosy (page 74) I hope you enjoy reading the October issue of CPM as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together

crop production magazine october 2022 3

In this issue 42

Opinion 6

We take a look at some of the research that is being carried out to underpin science-based solutions to reduce GHG emissions.

Smith’s Soapbox - Views and opinions from an Essex peasant…

37 Nature Natters - A nature-friendly perspective from a Cambs farmer.

45

Clover understory – Overbury revisited Drought has wreaked havoc with both planting and grazing plans at Overbury. We find out how in a follow-up to our pre-harvest visit.

74 Talking taties - Plain talking from a Yorkshire root grower.

75 Last Word - Topical insight from CPM’s Editor.

49

Technical 8

Theory to Field – Scientific path towards net zero

Natural capital – Capitalising on ‘natural capital’ We find out how to integrate natural capital within a farming business and why we should all care about it.

Stephen Moss golden anniversary – The golden years Last month, Stephen Moss celebrated 50 years as a researcher and gave us his most salient thoughts.

52

CPM joins a group of international journalists on a visit to Valagro’s R&D facility in Italy to find out about the science behind biologicals.

13 Real Results Pioneers – The anxious wait Waiting until mid-October to start drilling is never easy. In an open autumn like this it’s even harder.

18 Crop nutrition – Form over function Agrii trials are showing Polysulphate is giving more bang for a buck, so we find out why this may be.

Machinery 55 Sustainability – A sustainable point of view Last month John Deere hosted a sustainability day in Germany to demonstrate the firm’s green credentials from inside out.

20 OSR weed control – Bigger worries than weeds It’s been a tricky start for the OSR crop. We report from the different regions to assess weed control plans.

60

85

With the launch of the 2023 Descriptive List, we look back at the season and ahead at varieties for next spring.

UPL has come a long way since it started selling red phosphorus.

We go to the heart of the business to feel its pulse.

Foragers – Precision foraging Quality rules when it comes to ensiling grass and maize.

We look at how manufacturers of forage harvesters are rising to the challenge.

30 Maize varieties – In with the new

34 Company profile – Selling solutions

Tractors – Battle of the beasts We take a look at what’s new in the tractor market, with brands continuing to enhance power, fuel efficiency, connectivity and cab comfort.

26 De-risking OSR – Intelligent marketing As the stakes get even higher in a volatile market, we find out that it’s not the year to ‘put it all on red’.

Biologicals – Science leads ‘the third way’

Roots 71 Season round-up – Memorable for the wrong

reasons

Sustainable farming

Potato growers have borne the brunt of a difficult growing season, with no accompanying product price hikes to help them out.

38 Climate Change Champions – Clear progress

from a steady pace

With voting underway for champion of champions in 2022, we revisit the past two year’s winners to find out how their businesses have evolved.

8

42

60

71 crop production magazine october 2022 5

Of mice and men The site of a harvest mouse scurrying across the wheat stubble we were drilling earlier this autumn reminded me of one of my favourite poems entitled rather fully ‘To a mouse on turning up her nest with the plough’. Penned in 1785 by the great Scottish Baird Rabbie Burns, I was struck how his lines still resonated well over two hundred years later.

Most know it for the immortal line ‘The best laid schemes of Mice and Men often go awry’ –– which in itself is a reminder that the ELMs schemes of today, many of which in themselves could be seen as improving small mammal habitat, may look good on paper but not so effective come their implementation on the ground.

It’s a timely reminder to politicians that sometimes it’s best to trust the farmers when it comes to nature conservation rather than tie them up in endless prescriptive rules and regulations, the consequences of which can often be perverse.

But I also like the poem as it talks about the ploughman’s sorrow that the mouse has been disturbed and frightened by his act of cultivation when all the wee

6 crop production magazine october 2022

timorous beastie was trying to do was eke out the winter with an ear of wheat in its once cosy nest.

The ploughman laments that while he meant the mouse no harm that’s not how it feels to the mouse. I was minded to compose an updated version based on how zero tillage would give the mouse a better chance but decided against sullying the great poet’s immortal verse with my unworthy doggerel.

The site of this small mammal on my farm caused me to investigate its conservation status.

Like most arable farmers, I like to take an interest in the wildlife I share my farm with. The field mouse is deemed an abundant species in the UK, with a stable and widespread population of around 38 million. The same is true of the field vole with a population of over 80 million.

As we know, agriculture is endlessly attacked and criticised by many in the wildlife lobby for its negative impact on all manner of species. Curiously this doesn’t appear to be the situation in the case of the humble field mouse and vole. Furthermore, field mice and voles are important to other species that need them as a food source –– most notably birds of prey.

The point of note here is that birds such as the buzzards that prey on mice in fields have shown huge and manifold increases in recent decades. Any tractor driver will tell you how common they have become, being constant companions flying overhead as we go about our fieldwork. Despite their ubiquity, I still marvel at them and find their calling captivating.

The point is that this evidence of a very healthy part of the farmland wildlife food chain rather flies in the face of the hyped-up accusations, in some quarters, that modern arable farms are devoid of wildlife –– which is in some sort of crisis. While I’m sure

Guy Smith grows 500ha of combinable crops on the north east Essex coast, namely St. Osyth Marsh –– officially the driest spot in the British Isles.

Despite spurious claims from others that their farms are actually drier, he points out that his farm is in the Guinness Book of Records, whereas others aren’t. End of. @essexpeasant many species are seeing declines, you suspect that the good news stories get ignored because they don’t suit the politicised mantra of various conservation pressure groups.

I’m also at a loss as to why public bodies, such as Natural England, don’t seem interested in the positive indicators. Surely there is as much to learn from the increases as there is from the decreases. Another point being that if you want farm managers to take conservation seriously, it probably doesn’t help being in some sort of denial about species increases that can be easily seen everyday from the tractor cab window.

So let’s hear it for the humble field mouse. Hero of one of our greatest poems and possible indicator that things are not as bleak when it comes to farm wildlife as some like to suggest.

The ploughman laments that while he meant the mouse no harm thats’ not how it feels to the mouse.

The golden years Stephen Moss - golden anniversary

By Lucy de la Pasture Mention the word academic and you can almost see Dr Stephen Moss cringe inwardly as he starts to make the distinction between research in academia and applied research. He’s firmly planted amongst this second group of researchers, who translate the endeavours of academics into workable solutions for farmers.

When Stephen was born in 1950, the country was recovering from World War II and rationing was still in place. Farmers had the biggest job on earth and were encouraged to ‘Dig for Victory’, with government the buyer of produce until rationing ended in 1954. In those days government was wholly behind British farmers and put in place a vast infrastructure of research institutions, experimental husbandry farms and research units to give farmers the science-based advice they needed to increase productivity.

Keen to become involved in this important 8 crop production magazine october 2022

work, Stephen took a different career path to his parents, who were both teachers, and set about gaining a year’s practical experience which was a prerequisite to his Agriculture Hons degree course at Wye College in Kent.

“I did this on a 180ha mixed farm near Weston-Super-Mare with a 100-cow milking herd, beef enterprise, a sheep flock and some arable, mainly cereals. This was undoubtedly the hardest year’s physical work I have ever done,” he smiles.

There is a problem taking academic work through to application without the middle step – where applied researchers work on its translation to a field situation.

”

Research Organisation (WRO), near Oxford, in 1975. “I thought weeds sounded more interesting, so I applied for a post which had been set up to study the response of blackgrass to changes in tillage systems.

It was thought at that time that the trend to reduce tillage was linked to an increase in

▲

If there’s anyone that’s synonymous with blackgrass, then it has to be Dr Stephen Moss. As he marks his 50th year as a researcher, CPM looks back at his career and the changes that have happened since he began his working life in 1972.

“

The early days Having graduated, Stephen started his career as a researcher at Rothamsted Research, the same institution he ‘retired’ from in 2015 –– though his work continues to this day as a consultant and it’s doubtful that his relationship with the weed that has been the hallmark of his career will end any time soon. But even though his career went full-circle, Rothamsted wasn’t always his working home and blackgrass wasn’t always his nemesis.

Stephen’s research life began as a nematologist, studying the control of potato cyst nematode by the then recently approved nematicides, Temik (aldicarb) and Vydate (oxamyl).

“It was a good grounding,” he says.

“It wasn’t just the experience I gained in the numerous field trials across East Anglia and Lancashire, but also working with farmers.

I learned that they were very different to one another in their technical competence and the way they did things.”

Finding nematodes “rather boring”, Stephen applied for a job at the Weed

Stephen’s career has been synonymous with blackgrass; from when it first became a problem and the development of herbicide resistance, to developing cultural strategies to control the grassweed.

Stephen Moss - golden anniversary and Stephen was transferred to Long Ashton Research Station, before being moved again in 1990 to Rothamsted where he continued his work on what was fast becoming the UK’s most troublesome weed.

Valley of death

Stephen Moss recently visited the farm where he worked his pre-college year and became reacquainted with his old workhorse, the David Brown now rusting in field. ▲

blackgrass problems,” he explains.

The research was supposed to include volunteer cereals and Poa spp., but that never happened. “I’d need another lifetime for that,” he jests. Since Stephen became closely acquainted with blackgrass, it has kept him pretty busy for nearly 50 years.

And it was while he was at WRO that the first serious case of herbicide resistance was confirmed at Peldon, in Essex, during 1984.

At about the same time, the political changes in support for food production began to be felt and the vast network of applied research facilities, that had backed farming since the war, began to feel the pinch. In 1986, the WRO was closed down

It was the beginning of a slippery slope for applied research, something that Stephen views as a vital interface between farmers and academia because of the danger that research findings become “lost in translation”. It’s a situation that has been mirrored in medicine and is known as the research ‘valley of death’.

“A published paper by Seyhan in 2019, describes the preclinical/clinical divide in medicine. He describes ‘a rift that has opened up between basic research (bench), clinical research and patients (bed), and this rift is widening and getting deeper’.”

Seyhan concludes that the crisis involving the ‘translation’ of basic scientific findings in a laboratory setting into human applications and potential treatments is widely recognised both in academia and industry.

Replace the words ‘medicine’ with ‘farming’ and ‘patients’ with ‘farmers’ and the same applies to agriculture, says Stephen.

“My greatest achievement is surviving in the ‘valley of death’ for 50 years.”

So while there’s a recognition that there has been a massive decline in independent applied agricultural research in the past 50 years, it’s not just the loss of institutions.

It’s also the sources of funding that have

Decline in research facilities

Source: Prof Ian Crute, The decline in number of agricultural research institutions in England during a 30-year period from 1978 to 2008.

▲

changed – as government reigned back spending, commercial companies took up some of the slack, points out Stephen.

Even so, it’s increasingly difficult for applied researchers to get funding for truly independent work. “In ‘valley of death’ type research, it’s viewed as ‘too applied’ by funders of basic science but viewed as ‘not applied enough’ by funders of applied research.”

Stephen acknowledges there’s still a lot of relevant applied research going on, but he says it’s hard to get an impartial view on its value as it’s often linked with commercial interests. “Just as athletes have to be careful not to upset their sponsors, so do researchers, and they also don’t have full control over how their results are presented.

“But there’s also a problem taking academic work, which is disconnected from practice, through to application without the middle step –– where applied researchers work on its translation to a field situation and find out whether it’s actually relevant to farmers or not.”

He cites herbicide dose rates as a case in point. “Academic research shows that low herbicide doses encourage resistance and it’s a message commercial companies are keen to promote. But when it comes to translating this research to use in the field, it’s apparent that the academic studies are often flawed and make naïve assumptions.

“In practice, herbicides rarely give 100% kill and there’s no good evidence that low doses encourage resistance in practical farming situations. In Denmark, low doses have been heavily promoted along with integrated cultural controls, yet it doesn’t have as big a problem with herbicide resistance as we do. In the UK, we’re actually now adopting a similar approach by using a stack of relatively low efficacy, pre-emergence herbicides with different modes of action, combined with cultural controls.”

Based on the evidence he’s seen in the field over his career, Stephen is happy to put his head above the parapet and say that low herbicide doses don’t automatically encourage resistance. “The concept that they do is simplistic and misleading at the very least,” he says emphatically.

“A possible exception is glyphosate, where reduced rates may increase the risk.”

It’s not the first time Stephen has been at odds with some of the agchem industry during the course of his career. In 1989, when formulating information about resistance for the Weed Resistance Action Group, it was said in a meeting that ‘resistance is the least likely reason for herbicide failure’.

It was a common view at the time. Soon

10 crop production magazine october 2022

Stephen Moss - golden anniversary The Valley of Death

Source: Seyhan, A.A. Lost in translation: the valley of death across preclinical and clinical divide – identification of problems and overcoming obstacles. Translational Medicine Communications 4, 18 (2019).

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after fenoxyprop-p-ethyl was introduced in 1990, someone in a senior role at a manufacturer told him that ‘taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be wasted on paying people like you to study such a minor issue as herbicide resistance’.

Stephen reflects that now virtually every blackgrass population is resistant to fenoxaprop, though rare exceptions do exist. “Perhaps companies sometimes need saving from their own myopic view. This short-sightedness means that resistance risk is sometimes dismissed for their own short-term commercial gain.

It’s still an issue now and isn’t being challenged enough, but it’s not an approach that’s advantageous to farmers, or indeed agchem companies themselves, in the longer-term,” he says.

That’s not to say that attitudes haven’t changed a lot over the past few decades. In the early days when Stephen began to advocate delayed drilling and cultural controls for blackgrass, he met resistance from farmers too.

Thirty years ago, Stephen was once told he was talking nonsense at a farmer meeting.

“I was told that promoting

delayed autumn drilling and spring cropping for grassweed control is stupid advice –– it’s impossible on heavy land,” he recalls. “But the ‘impossible’ became ‘possible’ because there was no alternative.”

Stephen’s place of work isn’t the only thing that went full-circle during his career. Looking back, he notes a return to what was considered good practice when he was studying agriculture at university.

“Fifty years ago, best practice was sowing winter wheat in mid-October. It was considered ideal to establish 250-300 wheat plants/m2, apply herbicides at 225 l/ha (better than 100 l/ha); spray at <12 km/hr (avoid excessive speed); rotational grass was good (then known as alternate husbandry); and fertiliser was applied at drilling (combined drilling).”

Stephen isn’t saying all the old ways are the best ways but believes there are salutary lessons to learn from looking back. “I think it indicated that we shouldn’t be too clever and disregard good husbandry just because it’s perceived to be old.”

He also feels optimistic for the future. “There’s a lot of very good, entrepreneurial farmers

12 crop production magazine october 2022

who have a realistic view and a long-term outlook. It’s a shame that they’re not supported by better independent translational research.”

Stephen is nonetheless a fan of farmers conducting their own research, facilitated by independent groups such as Innovative Farmers and BOFIN. “More farmer involvement in trials on their own farms is to be welcomed but it has to be recognised that there are limits to what individual farmers can be expected to do and how information is stored and communicated long-term.”

Stephen remembers the time when ADAS leaflets were the go-to for information and reflects that independent research information is now harder to find and bring together, even though, in theory, the digital era should make it easier.

Scattered information He recalls a recent RASE bulletin where Rupert Harlow of Yagro highlighted exactly this after joining from another industry.

“In his article, Rupert rather tellingly said that ‘there is a huge amount of information and research, but it’s spread out, with multiple research bodies each producing information, which is scattered in different formats in different places, uncollated and therefore nigh on impossible for most to compare with any accuracy or impartiality’.”

He went on to suggest this information was collated, structured, and used to produce analytics for all farms using a tool that can ingest data from any source, across the industry, says Stephen.

It’s a sentiment he very much agrees with. “Accessing this information is an issue as it’s all over the place –– if it exists in the public domain at all. This piecemeal approach has to brought together. There’s a culture that everything has to be new, but a lot of the information collected in the past is still relevant now so we shouldn’t be reinventing the wheel,”

says Stephen.

“Rupert goes on to say that understanding the previous performance and having that research available in one place saves a huge amount of time, as well as helping build a clear understanding of the crop.

He suggests it would enable historical analysis to find better approaches, spot trends and inconsistencies, and plan future seasons.”

It’s a palpable bugbear for Stephen that some applied research may be lost forever as those responsible for it retire from the industry, effectively taking their knowledge with them. It’s particularly important as he believes that some of this research could be helpful in tackling some of the problems being faced today.

The thread that has been strongest throughout Stephen’s career is his desire to carry out research that’s directly relevant to practical farming and that’s led him to work right at the interface of research and farmers. During his working life, he’s produced over 250 published papers but that’s far exceeded by the number of his contributions to articles in the agricultural media where he helps transfer his work into meaningful guidance to farmers.

And it’s this relationship with farmers that’s particularly appreciated by Stephen.

“Blackgrass has been very good to me,” he smiles. “But I’m grateful for the productive relationship I have had with virtually all the farmers, agronomists, agchem personnel, researchers and journalists throughout my 50 years in applied research. And that also extends to Defra for funding the bulk of my research during that period,” he says.

It sounds like a farewell, yet there’s a distinct impression that Stephen isn’t yet done with blackgrass, or blackgrass done with him, even if his award-winning allotment is beckoning more strongly these days… ■

“

There’s so much more financial risk now than two years ago.

Real Results Pioneers

”

The anxious wait A longer than usual period between harvest and drilling could encourage earlier drilling. CPM meets a grower keen to hold off.

It’s the time of year Lincolnshire farmer Daniel King finds perhaps least enjoyable –– where the main task is to spray off stale seedbeds, while doing everything possible to avoid drilling winter wheat until at least 15 October.

With harvest having finished a full month ahead of usual, cultivation work is well ahead of schedule, he says. “There’s a lot of talk among farmers locally about when to start drilling, and if we get a lot of rain, I think a lot will get drilled quite quickly.

“With machinery, labour, fertiliser, agchem and finance costs going through the roof, it’s imperative we don’t have too many disasters, and probably that we also don’t have too much spring cropping as it just doesn’t generate enough money,” he explains.

Those same pressures leave him in

on attention to detail and critical of my own crops, even though they are pretty good. I’ve always spent a lot on them –– I’ve never skimped on anything, spending more on pre-emergence herbicides and fungicides, including T3s, than most others.”

The aim is to not to be able to shut the barn doors at the end of harvest, he says.

▲

By Mike Abram

an uncomfortable place, he admits.

“If nitrogen fertiliser was still the same price as two years ago at around £290/t, I’d be a lot more relaxed. I’m not looking forward to holding off starting drilling, even though I will do. There’s so much more financial risk now than two years ago.

“It’s not an enjoyable time of year.

I enjoy it once we get drilling, but I don’t like the wait and anxiety about whether we’re going to get it in, or whether we’re going to have another autumn 2019 where we didn’t get hardly anything in, which wasn’t a lot of fun.”

Blackgrass battles The reason for delaying is blackgrass, of course. “You’re going to get better yields from September drilled wheat if you haven’t got blackgrass, but with blackgrass you risk losing yield anyway.

I’ve had fields here where it has halved our yield. That focuses the mind, as well as the potential damage you’re doing for the next five years from the seed return.”

Daniel farms 740ha across three farms near Bourne, two under contract farming arrangements, while the home farm is a 240ha tenancy on the Grimsthorpe Estate.

He took over the tenancy from his father as a 21-year-old, around 30 years ago.

“I’ve made some mistakes, but I’m big

If nitrogen fertiliser was the same price as two years ago, Daniel King says he’d be a lot more relaxed about holding off drilling until mid-October. Now the stakes are much higher. crop production magazine october 2022 13

Real Results Pioneers

The herbicide stacks can thin the stand of wheat plants, so Daniel compensates for this by adopting a relatively high seed rate.

to, and would, maximise its tillers. “But the grassweeds were just swamping it out,” says Daniel.

No other break crops were being grown, nor spring crops, while resistance quickly built up to products of the time, such as Wildcat (clodinafop), Cheetah (fenoxaprop) and Hawk (clodinafop+ trifluralin), and the sulfonylurea product Lexus (flupyrsulfuron) which followed.

“The penny started to drop when we had survivors after the first year using Atlantis (mesosulfuron+ iodosulfuron). It was this wonder chemical that was going to solve all of our issues and it didn’t.

Seed return ▲

“We were losing 3-4t/ha of yield to blackgrass and not realising how much damage we were doing by adding to our seed burden in the soil –– it was a pretty rubbish time, not least because wheat was £50-60/t, albeit with much lower growing costs. But I was thinking there must be a way out of this, otherwise it’s going to sink us.”

The answers, and a few home-truths, came during a visit to Agrii’s Stow Longa blackgrass trials site, near Huntingdon.

“Colin Lloyd was talking, saying you needed to leave the drill in the shed until 15 October, and I’m thinking that’s a month after I’ve normally finished. Then he suggested 400 seeds/m2 and I’m using 80 seeds, so that’s a big difference.

“He suggested leaving blackgrass

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Last year’s harvest was a decent attempt, with most crops above his five-year averages.

The farm grows predominantly first wheats –– Gleam, Champion and KWS Cranium –– rotated with winter barley and break crops including winter beans, spring linseed and spring oats. Those breaks play an important role in keeping blackgrass under control, which has been a challenge since the early 1990s, he says.

“Our problems started when we’d been growing a wheat/oilseed rape/wheat/OSR rotation, 10 years on the bounce –– that’s when we began getting into trouble.”

Wheat was typically drilled in early September at low seed rates, with advice at the time suggesting each seed needed

seeds on the surface, and I was messing about ploughing some and mixing it through the soil profile.

“I was doing everything wrong,” he admits. “The farm was bad. We had areas where we were just combining blackgrass and no wheat. But in one year I went from doing everything wrong to trying to do everything right.”

Spring crops, changes in cultivation practice, early preparation of stale seedbeds, using higher seed rates and competitive crops, backed up by big stacks of residual herbicides have been the backbone of the changes he’s consistently used over the past 20 years.

The result is blackgrass that’s a real problem on around 10% of the area, compared with 90% previously.

“The biggest single success factor has been delaying the drilling,” he stresses.

“As hard as it is –– I hate it –– it’s the biggest positive influence on blackgrass control. If you can delay until 20 October, you’re going to do as good a job as you’re ever going to do.”

Roguing fields during June marks a key ending/starting point for control in a season, although finding workers last season was difficult, he says. “We have rogued quite a lot of fields over the years, and it has worked well. We don’t do hundreds of acres every year as it’s tough finding the guys to do it, and it’s time-consuming and expensive.

“I have a rule that if we can’t rogue a

Learning through trials OSR on the farm has been restricted to just one 21ha field despite the current high commodity price.

“That was always the plan,” says Daniel.

“It comes down to risk –– I wasn’t prepared to buy expensive seed.”

Establishment is a concern, with his usual method being blowing seed into a standing crop of wheat before chopping the straw over the top.

The method works effectively for blackgrass management and propyzamide efficacy as the blackgrass seeds remain on the soil surface, he says.

But his eyes have been opened this season by having a Horsch Avatar on demonstration to drill the field, which is primarily grown as a variety demonstration for BASF and Openfield.

Twenty different OSR varieties –– 17 hybrids and three conventionals –– have been drilled in 6m strips, with 20mm rain a couple of days before drilling, and a further 30mm in the following couple of weeks proving extremely 14 crop production magazine october 2022

helpful to aid rapid establishment.

“The Avatar is a fantastic piece of kit. The OSR is all 7.5cm tall already after just three weeks.

If I’d known that was how it was going to be, I would have definitely put a lot more in.

“But we had been pushing on with cultivations, and I wasn’t prepared to put OSR into cultivated land with the cabbage stem flea beetle risk.”

A similar trial is planned with over 20 wheat varieties, two different fungicide programmes and an untreated.

“They do require a bit of extra messing about and take around a day to drill,” says Daniel. “But I enjoy having trials on the farm –– they make farming more interesting and I make sure I learn from the results.”

His wheat variety choices of Gleam, Champion and Cranium were partly influenced by seeing that they were fast developing, leafy varieties which helped suppress blackgrass, he notes.

“They were noticeably more vigorous during the season in the trials. I want varieties that are

Hosting trials is something that’s important to Daniel – he says they make farming more interesting and he learn from the results. going to fly out of the ground.”

Both trials will be demonstrated to other farmers during the season, with Daniel playing an important role in communicating his experiences, says Aliona. “It’s invaluable. You can see how much other growers listen when he is talking at these events.”

Real Results Pioneers only been about one year where Liberator (flufenacet+ diflufenican) has trumped it on this farm –– Crystal has always been the best performer.”

He will usually add diflufenican and Avadex (triallate) granules to the stack, all applied as soon after drilling as possible. “If we then think we need a little bit more, we will top up with 120 g/ha of generic flufenacet.”

Luximo trials The residual herbicide stack has historically been based on Crystal, with DFF and triallate, followed by a top-up of flufenacet. ▲

field for £60/ha, it’s not roguable because they’ll do too much damage to the wheat by trampling it, and it’s impossible to get all the grass out. Those fields will automatically go into a spring crop.”

Post-harvest, he creates a stale seedbed as soon as possible to encourage a chit of grassweed pre-drilling. Typically that’s achieved using a single pass of a Horsch Terrano, working to a depth of 80-90mm to avoid overworking.

“We hire a tractor in, and it sits on the cultivator working behind the combine,” says Daniel.

This season’s extremely dry conditions made that more challenging than usual, he admits. “We did cause ourselves a lot of pain with it being harsh on rubber, fuel and metal but we persevered because my philosophy was that if we waited for rain, it was going to have to be a lot of rain before it made things any better.

“We’ve now got one-leaf blackgrass growing now [in early September], and I feel if we had left it, we wouldn’t have had that.”

That will be sprayed off, probably twice, firstly when Daniel can see a green haze and then just before drilling. The seedbed is left a little rougher to help it take any rain and still be drillable in later October.

Wheat is sown with a competitive variety at a seed rate of usually 500 seeds/m2, partly due to another key component of his strategy, the pre-em residual herbicide programme.

“My stacks do thin the wheat population, so I tend to put more seed on to compensate for this. I want there to be at least 300-350 plants/m2 in the spring.”

In the past, his residual programme has been based around Crystal (flufenacet+ pendimethalin). “I’ve had Crystal trials ever since it first came out, and there’s 16 crop production magazine october 2022

From this season, BASF’s new herbicide Luximo (cinmethylin) will also be an option and Daniel has been impressed by what he’s seen in strip trials on the farm. “The figure BASF has suggested of 20-25% better than the current standard is definitely the case. Last season on the farm it was perhaps even slightly better.

It has done a really good job.”

Luximo plus pendimethalin was compared with the farm standard, he explains. “There was no difference in crop effect, indeed you couldn’t see any difference between the two until June. But from June you could see to the line where you had used the Luximo.”

There was blackgrass left in both treatments, he notes. “But it was a tiny amount in the Luximo treated side compared with the Crystal side.”

The background blackgrass population –– as measured in a small area of untreated –– was around 400 plants/m2, says Aliona Jones, BASF agronomy manager in Lincolnshire. “During the season, my quadrant counts on the Luximo side were consistently zero, while it was usually, on average, one plant in every five quadrants on the Crystal side.

Last season’s Luximo trial has convinced Daniel to base his program around the new herbicide on his home farm and possibly on one of the contract farms, where blackgrass is the biggest issue.

“But when the blackgrass plants started to tiller and grow away, that’s when the numbers started to matter and the differences became very obvious.”

A small area was also only treated with Avadex to see how much control that was bringing, with Daniel interested in whether the extra expense of Luximo could be offset by no longer applying Avadex. But the trial showed Avadex was an important addition, he says.

“You’ve definitely got to use Avadex,” he says. “I’m looking at applying Luximo (Luxinum Plus) plus pendimethalin this autumn, with Avadex added either as a granule or as the liquid formulation, depending on the contractor’s workload.”

Currently he’s planning to use Luximo-based programmes as a standard across his home farm and will likely use it where blackgrass threatens on one of the contract farms. “On the other farm it won’t be used as we don’t have any wheat in the rotation this year.” ■

The Real Results Circle BASF’s Real Results Circle farmer-led trials are now in their sixth year. The initiative is focused on working with 50 farmers to conduct field-scale trials on their own farms using their own kit and management systems. The trials are all assessed using ADAS’ Agronomics tool which delivers statistical confidence to tramline, or field-wide treatment comparisons –– an important part of Real Results.

In this series we follow the journey, thinking and results from farmers involved in the programme. The features also look at

some other related topics, such as environmental stewardship and return on investment.

We want farmers to share their knowledge and conduct on-farm trials. By coming together to face challenges as one, we can find out what really works and shape the future of UK agriculture.

To keep in touch with the progress of these growers and the trials, go to www.basfrealresults.co.uk or scan the QR code.

nitrogen utilisation is poor and yields are reduced,” notes David.

“That prompts the question, how much of what is in the soil can we expect to be available to the plant? My answer to that is ‘it depends’.

“Availability of all nutrients is a function of many interrelated factors, and one of the most important of these is water. However, potassium availability is heavily influenced by the calcium in soils and calcareous soils are typical of much of lowland Britain.

“While important in many soil functions, calcium binds strongly to cation exchange sites, reducing availability of less strongly bound nutrients, such as potassium, magnesium and Where ammonium nitrate,” availability of K is says David.

The soils at Agrii’s Stow constrained, we see Longa Technology Centre, that nitrogen near Huntingdon, are a prices soaring. Natural utilisation is poor classic example of the gas is the principal contradiction that is nutrient and yields are component in the status and nutrient availability. reduced. production of ammonium The Hanslope series clay isn’t nitrate which at £650/t and when nutrient poor, with an index of applied at 250kgN/ha equates to 2+ for potassium and magnesium. It can £471/ha, more than double the cost in 2021. be expected to release about 30kg K2O/ha annually, he explains. Despite the long-term Polysulphate trials use of the plough, soil organic matter is Mined off the north-east coast at Boulby typically upwards of 5%. in Yorkshire, the mineral polyhalite is sold “The straw isn’t removed, so the only K to worldwide by ICL as Polysulphate. It’s used be replaced is that taken away with the grain. as a mineral fertiliser containing nutrients: This is roughly 5.6 kg/t of grain, so isn’t 48% SO3 as sulphate; 14% K2O, from extreme. The high soil calcium level, typically sulphate of potash; 6% MgO. from above 5000ppm, however, greatly influences magnesium sulphate; and 17% CaO availability. We know from historical work that from calcium sulphate. above 3500ppm the amount of potassium As a relatively new form of fertiliser, its available is reduced.” contribution to performance has been the subject of trials spanning several crop types and Agrii has been considering its contribution to a programme with other nutrients in a series of replicated trials.

“Across winter wheat, hybrid barley and spring oats (both naked and covered), the plots that received Polysulphate consistently produced the highest yields,” says David Felce, who co-ordinated the Agrii trials at Stow Longa.

It’s the potassium component that specifically captured Agrii’s attention, he says.

“At 14% K2O, its contribution is modest, yet crops that received Polysulphate repeatedly outperform those that received far higher quantities of K2O. “Potassium uptake in winter wheat peaks At 14% K2O, the contribution from Polysulphate during flowering at about 300 kg/ha, more in fertiliser is modest, yet crops that received it a high-yielding crop. Most growers would repeatedly outperform those that received far apply significantly less than this, yet where higher quantities of K2O, says David Felce. availability of K is constrained, we see that

Form over function Crop nutrition The results of trials in 2021 indicate that Polysulphate could be playing a part in increasing nitrogen use efficiency. CPM looks back on the first year’s data.

By Lucy de la Pasture There’s nothing like high fertiliser prices to focus the mind and make sure that the plant is getting ‘just enough’ nutrition in a form that the plant can readily use. It’s as much about nutrient use efficiency as the absolute quantities applied.

Research has been going on at Agrii’s Stow Longa site to try and improve on the standard fertiliser practices used on many farms which rely on soil indices and what has been the nutritional bible, RB209.

Now there’s some excitement that decades of conventional wisdom could be set to be challenged when it comes to fertilising milling wheat for yield and to achieve grain protein.

Initial trials have found the use of Polysulphate fertiliser has enabled nitrogen rates to be cut by more than a third without compromising performance.

The trials were initially conceived to consider how nitrogen use efficiency could be improved in response to tightening environmental regulations. This gained an economic impetus following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which sent wholesale gas 18 crop production magazine october 2022

“

”

Crop nutrition Nitrogen is by far the most important nutrient in crop production, but there’s an economic and a regulatory incentive to reduce its use.

Even before the war in Ukraine sent prices rocketing, proposals intent on cutting nitrogen use to protect the environment were under consideration. The Clear Air (Human Rights) Bill, if enacted, will introduce limits on ammonia emissions from agriculture, while the Defra consultation on urea fertiliser proposes that urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) is treated with an inhibitor from 2024. Both will influence application rates, performance and production costs.

The manufacturing, transportation and application of ammonium nitrate is a significant source of CO2. Using less is the easiest and fastest way to address this reality, believes David.

Lifecycle analysis suggests that if growers use 50kgN/ha less, it could reduce emissions of CO2e by 300kg/ha. Doing so without compromising output means taking a different approach to crop nutrition, he adds.

For David and his colleagues, this meant revisiting the accepted principles surrounding the relationship between macro- and micro-nutrients in a bid to take a fresh look at how to improve fertiliser performance.

“This very quickly took our thinking beyond nitrogen use and into nutrient use efficiency in its widest sense. We wanted to understand if Polysulphate was more than the sum of its parts, we wanted to know if it would support milling wheat production at lower nitrogen rates,” he says.

To answer the question, Agrii took a nitrogen rate that most growers would apply

to a milling wheat in a second cereal situation –– typically 264 kgN/ha –– and reduced it by 50kgN/ha. This was then reduced further to a lower limit of 150kgN/ha.

To avoid suggestions that it was really a sulphur trial, all plots received a normalised application. Three treatments received potassium, along with magnesium and calcium from Polysulphate, while one received a heavy dose of potash. The final two treatments in the trial received only nitrogen and sulphur.

Role of calcium Tissue tests were taken through the season to give an indication of nutrient levels in the plant at the time of testing. “The crops which received only nitrogen and sulphur were always in need of more nitrogen than the other crops. This supports our understanding that potassium and calcium are important in supporting nitrogen uptake within the plant,” says David.

“Winter wheat’s need for calcium is significant and while the soils at Stow Longa are rich in it, there isn’t always a relationship between what’s in the soil and what’s in the crop.

“The plant’s need for calcium is important as it supports many functions and, unlike with some other nutrients, the plant’s requirement keeps climbing through to grain fill. Applying Polysulphate in this situation can only be beneficial,” he believes.

The findings from the first year of the trial are interesting, says David. Using the Group 1 variety Skyfall; sown in late October across a range of rotational positions spanning second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth wheat; it

was possible to meet yield and grain quality expectations from just 164kgN/ha (see table).

Treatments three and four tell the story in its clearest form, according to David. “Here, grain yields and protein are broadly the same, but the use of Polysulphate in treatment three enabled nitrogen rates to be cut by 50kg/ha.

This contributed to an extra £129/ha in gross margin.

“Where the same amount of N was used (164kg/ha) in treatment five, but with only sulphur in support, the yield was nearly 1t/ha lower and protein reduced from 13.7 to 10.9, with gross margin consequently down from the £1030 achieved in treatment three to £643/ha.

“The real hero here is 14kg of K2O contained in the Polysulphate. It has outperformed the 80kg K2O in the standard programme (treatment four). This could be due to the additional magnesium and calcium, the balance of them, their sulphate form, or likely a combination of all these factors,” he says.

The results have prompted further discussion which future trials will consider.

“It’s worth noting that this is one year’s result and the nitrogen use efficiency scores this season are not so dramatic. However, what the early results from this harvest do show is a dramatic yield response to the use of Polysulphate, with variations linked to product timing and cultivation practice.

“Our ambition is to develop an approach and understanding of plant nutrition that works at lower nitrogen rates and given a changing climate, is both resilient and cost effective,” concludes David. ■

Stow Longa wheat nutrition trial 2020/21 Fertiliser Treatments * 1

2

3

4 5 6

Standard N/Polysulphate Polysulphate (100kg/ha); liquid N (150kg/ha); foliar N (14kg/ha); liquid N (50kg/ha Reduced N/Polysulphate Polysulphate (100kg/ha); liquid N (150kg/ha; foliar N (14kg/ha) Reduced N/back-loaded/Polysulphate Polysulphate (100kg/ha); liquid N (60kg/ha); foliar N (14kg/ha); liquid N (90kg/ha) Standard N/High K NKS (343kg/ha); liquid N (60kg/ha): foliar N (14kg/ha); liquid N (80kg/ha) Reduced N/ no K Liquid N (150kg/ha); foliar N (14kg/ha) Low N/ no K Liquid N (150kg/ha)

Trial comprised 108 data points.

N (kg/ha)

Yield (t/ha)

Protein (%)

NUE (%)

Gross Margin (£/ha)

214

8.47

12.0

67

803

8.29

12.4

83

840

164

8.90

13.7

98

1030

214

8.65

13.7

78

901

164

7.98

10.9

70

643

150

7.83

10.6

71.5

699

164

Source: Agrii, 2021

crop production magazine october 2022 19

“

Previously, it’s been a bit of a ‘ spray and pray’ situation.

”

Bigger worries than weeds OSR weed control

Moisture has been the defining difference between healthy and forward oilseed rape crops and others falling foul of cabbage stem flea beetle. CPM looks at how weed management should be tailored to crop growth this autumn.

By Melanie Jenkins

20 crop production magazine october 2022

start of September right through to the end of December. There are a number of different strategies to choose from.”

Once a crop is established, John suggests applying 0.25 l/ha to control key weeds, such as cleavers, cranesbill and poppy, with up to about 2cm growth.

“Interestingly, it’ll control any species of cranesbill –– so cranesbill is just cranesbill now. Belkar also means we now have control over weeds we haven’t before, like cleavers, which it does a good job on. And it’ll kill shepherd’s purse as well,” he adds.

“Then, if your ground flushes weeds, you can go on again a bit later –– once you think the flush has finished –– with a second application of 0.25 l/ha of Belkar. Or you ▲

Other than ice cream manufacturers, very few seem to have benefited from the prolonged hot and dry period over the summer months, and those wanting to plant oilseed rape were no exception.

“It’s been so dry that farmers have been unable to drill,” says John Sellars of Corteva.

“But as of early September, I imagine there was some moisture knocking around and growers would have been trying to get as much OSR into the ground as they possibly could. So then it’s just a case of trying to get it out of the ground and established.”

Those who were able to drill into moisture in early August should have been able to manage the situation with cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB), so those crops should be up and away, he says. “At this point you can start looking at weed control and budget for whether or not the crop is worth investing in.

Later drilled crops without moisture may have suffered an infestation and the investment might not be worth it in case the crop should fail.

“And with this year in mind, a lot of growers might not have got OSR into the ground until September which will have coincided with the CSFB –– so more than ever we want to make sure crops are established before looking at weed control.”

Historically, growers would have gone in with a pre-emergence or early post-emergence application once weeds were identifiable –– all before growers knew if their crops would actually establish, explains John. “Previously, it’s been a bit of a ‘spray and pray’ situation.”

Post-em options But now growers should have less concerns about not applying a pre- or post-em to those early weed flushes, he says. “Now that we have Belkar (halauxifen-methyl+ picloram), growers are able to wait until their crops are established and away from CSFB before deciding whether to apply a herbicide for broadleaf weed control.”

However, that’s not to say that growers with specific weed problems –– such as cruciferous plants –– shouldn’t look at using pre-ems, such as clomazone, advises John.

“But if it’s too dry, you’ll still have the issue of being unable to apply a pre-em, which is where managing post-em control with Belkar can be particularly useful, especially as there’s a wide application window from the

It’s been so dry that a lot of farmers have been unable to drill into good conditions.

OSR weed control weather conditions. “You can also use it to get an idea of the field slope so you can start to assess the risk to watercourses from propyzamide.”

So a popular combination for broadleaf and grassweed control is an earlier application of Belkar followed up with Astrokerb, says John. “But what a lot of growers are starting to do as an alternative, is an application of Kerb tank mixed with Belkar in November.”

So what kind of picture has unfolded up and down the country and what are regional agronomists advising with the season in mind?

According to Keith Truett, it’s a unique year where the usual technique of minimal soil disturbance establishment has been the least successful. ▲

22 crop production magazine october 2022

In the South East, a lot of growers will drill home-saved seed as early as they can with a companion crop, says NIAB agronomist, Keith Truett. “This way, if they don’t get a successful OSR crop then they’ll have a cover crop.”

But the exceptionally long, dry period this year meant there was no point planting anything until it rained. “We didn’t get any rain in Kent until September, so I’ve written off more crops this year than I ever have before. Mainly because the crops came up so late it was just as the slugs emerged and we got low levels of CSFB.” According to Keith, most OSR crops have only come out of the ground in the past 10 days [at the time of writing]. “It’s a unique year where our usual technique of minimal soil disturbance establishment has been the least successful. The most successful crops have been where more soil has been moved or crops have been drilled with a combination unit.”

The lack of moisture has also meant there hasn’t been a great deal of weeds around.

“Some are taking out volunteer cereals now and we’ve had a big flush of grassweeds over the past two weeks. Where blackgrass is an issue we might put on Centurion

A lot of growers might not have got OSR into the ground until September.

It’s been so dry that a lot of farmers have been unable to drill into good conditions. Looking at weed control later in the autumn, David Lines thinks growers will be using Astrokerb and/or Kerb.

Max but it’ll usually just be a graminicide,” he explains.

“I like to avoid Astrokerb as we want to keep the companion plants in place for as long as we can as this is better for the soil.

If we have to go in with Kerb then we will, but I try to leave broadleaf weed control until the spring,” says Keith.

“In theory the cover crop gives better ground coverage and stops the OSR from getting overly thick –– not an issue this year –– however, there’s a limited range of chemistry with Korvetto (clopyralid+ halauxifen-methyl) and Dow Shield (clopyralid). But this tactic has tended to work and means there’s not a lot of money spent if the crop is a failure.”

West In western areas, a lot of the OSR crops had been planted by mid-September but were then sat in drought conditions, says independent agronomist, David Lines.

“The crop is up but now we’ve got CSFB problems because the crop just isn’t growing.”

About 90% of David’s crops have had a pre-em on them but he’s not sure how well this will have worked because it’s been so dry. “But having said that, there’s no weeds growing,” he says. “There’s rain forecast but I’m not optimistic it’ll be sufficient.

“If we compare last year with this year, we’d have had six to seven leaves on the early planted crops, but now we’ve probably got three leaves on forward crops. On those that have only just emerged, you can just make out one leaf.” ▲

can just wait until all the weeds are through the ground and go on with one application of 0.5 l/ha from the end of September and maybe into November.

The weeds will be bigger at this point but the rate is higher to cope.”

However, one thing to be aware of is that Belkar can’t be mixed with boron or with a fungicide that has growth regulatory activity, he warns.

After the early flush of broadleaf weeds, growers are likely going to look at grassweed control, says John. “Centurion Max (clethodim) will provide control of blackgrass primarily, but one thing to point out is that if you’re using Centurion Max, it means Belkar applications will have to be worked around this to comply with label recommendations. There’s a window either side of an application of Centurion Max where you mustn’t apply herbicides, so manage your Belkar so it can go on to tie in with this –– whether it goes on before or after.”

The next consideration for broadleaf and grassweed control is Astrokerb (propyzamide+ aminopyralid), he says.

“As it’s got aminopyralid in, Astrokerb really does give control of not only blackgrass, but also of poppies and mayweed.

“But do be aware, although the label says it can be applied from the start of October, we advise that soil temperatures should be 100C and declining,” warns John. “This means that you’re targeting the propyzamide in Astrokerb and/or Kerb (propyzamide) to stay in the top 5cm of the soil, which is hopefully –– with minimal cultivations –– where blackgrass will be germinating from.”

John suggests growers use the Kerb Weather Data tool to determine what soils temperatures are likely to be and to assess

South East

The biggest issue this autumn will be the timing of grassweed control. ▲

David also reports that there’s been some minor supply issues with contact graminicides. “But we’re not worried about a lot of crops as any volunteer cereals are shading the OSR from the CSFB.” Looking at weed control later in the autumn, David thinks growers will be using Astrokerb and/or Kerb. “I dare say that a lot of crops will get Astrokerb because of the supply issues with propyzamide for straight Kerb. I don’t think there’ll be much Belkar applied because if growers have to put on that and Astrokerb, it’ll cost them a lot. Belkar is more niche, so I think we’ll rely on high rates of Astrokerb.

“There might also be some Fox (bifenox) in between if there’s a flush of charlock, but the OSR is nowhere near strong enough at the moment for us to anticipate putting this on,” he says.

The key thing for crops in David’s region is that they get a good soaking of rain soon.

“The general consensus is that we need 20-30mm of rain.

Whatever moisture we get will be beneficial but we might just have to accept that crops going into winter will be backwards.”

One crop that has appeared to cope better than others is Elsoms’ primed Tennyson, notes David. “I’ve got a grower who drilled Ambassador, Aquila and Tennyson at the same time and the Tennyson is 10 days ahead of the other two, so it seems to have had a good start.”

North According to Chris Martin of Agrovista, the picture in the northern regions is a completely mixed bag. “Last year was a perfect year for establishing OSR and I think many have forgotten how hard it can be to grow, so a lot has been put in the ground and a lot has had to be redrilled.

“But the OSR that was drilled at the end of July or in early August had some rain straight

The season means that some crops may go into winter looking backwards.

OSR weed control after and by mid-September it was knee high and looked fantastic.”

However, it’s a different story for the crops that had just started poking through over the August Bank Holiday weekend, he says.

“This has been decimated by CSFB. Some of it’s gone and some is hanging on by the skin of its teeth.”

And it’s been complete luck of the draw with moisture, adds Chris. “Regardless of cultivation practice or seedbed preparation, it’s all been down to rainfall. And on the back of that, weed control will vary quite dramatically with the stage of the crop out there. There’s been very little pre-em done.

Normally there would have been some clomazone and metazachlor applications to mop up broadleaf weeds but that’s hardly happened this year, so there’s a lot of very weedy fields out there.”

Chris has seen the first graminicide applications go on for grassweeds as of mid-September with Centurion Max being applied for grassweeds, including ryegrass.

“In terms of broadleaf weeds, cranesbill seems to have thrived this year and there’s also a lot of speedwell, poppy and deadnettle out there. Belkar is a good start to douse down these weeds before the canopies get too big,” says Chris. “For really thick crops,

it’s better to get onto them before they shade out the weeds, but in thinner crops growers might want to wait until they can apply Astrokerb or hit them with Kerb in November.

“It’s definitely better to wait if your crops are thinner and it’s dubious as to whether or not they’ll survive. But I really think we’ll see more use of Belkar and Astrokerb this year just because of the lack of pre-em that’s been applied,” he adds.

“Most people will have put a half rate of Belkar on around mid-September or in the few weeks after then, especially on more backwards crops. But the biggest issue will be with timing grassweed control. Most fields of OSR will have an application of Centurion Max and the two-week interval between this and applying anything else will push Belkar applications later than growers would like. So we might see one hit of Belkar at a higher rate or a second half rate of Belkar in a tank-mix with either Astrokerb or Kerb.”

Chris thinks that the more backwards crops that only get a low rate of Belkar will really get the value from an application of Kerb. “Chickweed is a big one that Kerb will be tackling in November. You can put it on a thick canopy and it will get to the ground and spread.”

Some crops have been decimated by CSFB and others are just hanging on, says Chris Martin.

But some growers may opt to wait and use Korvetto in the spring, says Chris. “This could be a fallback for mayweed and poppy if the worst comes to the worst. But it’s a gamble as you’ll need to get to the start of March before you can apply it and then it has to be sprayed before the flower buds are visible.” ■

Intelligent marketing

“

We can be sure the market will continue to be volatile with big upside and downside swings.

”

De-risking OSR A much better and relatively trouble-free 2022 crop for most and unprecedented rapeseed values have certainly raised the winter oilseed rape growing bar. But with higher input prices and extreme market volatility really upping the ante, CPM gets some much needed, risk-reducing market intelligence from those who should know best.

By Lucy de la Pasture Those ‘in the know’ consider ex-farm rapeseed values of £700/t or more to be well behind us. But the consensus is also that crop values –– or input prices, for that matter –– won’t be dropping back to the sort of levels that used to be considered ‘normal’ for a good while yet.

At the same time, all believe greater volatility will continue to be experienced on both sides of the margin equation. So what does this mean for those with crop in the ground this autumn, hoping for another half-decent set of growing conditions and harvest? What sort of returns and margins can be expected in 2023? And perhaps most saliently, how can genetic and agronomic risk management be balanced 26 crop production magazine october 2022

with the most effective crop marketing, which can be equally influential to the bottom line?

While the war in Ukraine has largely been largely behind the 2022 surge in rapeseed prices, James Bolesworth, managing director of independent market analysts and advisers CRM Agri, points out that the market had been gaining steadily before this.

Volatile markets

“From around €450/t in early 2021, Paris Matif rapeseed prices climbed to nearer €700/t by this February,” he recalls. “After peaking at over €1000/t in late April, they fell back to just over €675/t at harvest and, though declining since, have remained over the €600/t level.

“Looking ahead, we can be sure the market will continue to be volatile with big upside and downside swings. It could easily move higher but has plenty of room to fall further.

“On the one hand, a global recession will dampen both vegetable oil and biodiesel demand, and any reliable opening of the Ukrainian grain sea corridor will obviously increase supply. Add in good oil crop harvests in North America and Australia as well as Europe, and prices could weaken considerably,” he says.

“On the other hand, a less negative world economic climate and continued uncertainties in Ukraine mean a very different outlook and much firmer prices; especially so if there are weather concerns, given global stocks as tight as they are.”

United Oilseeds trading manager Owen Cligg expects the sea change in palm oil

supplies –– as Indonesia removed the export restrictions it imposed in the spring –– to add to the downward pressure on markets in the summer to be short-lived.

“On the positive side, biodiesel demand continues to be stronger than it would have been without restricted supplies of crude oil from Russia,” he explains, noting that any reductions in German and other European biofuel mandates are clearly off the table for a while.

“The importance of rapemeal as an animal feed protein source in Europe also remains a source of market support, as does the reliance of both the EU and UK on imports to fill crush capacity, and Ukrainian uncertainties that are unlikely to go away quickly.

“Overall, I’m more optimistic than pessimistic over price prospects.

November ‘23 Paris futures values, which

James Bolesworth explains that both futures and options can help spread the risk when marketing rapeseed.

De-risking OSR dropped OSR from its ‘virtual’ cropping in 2021 following a disastrous season in 2020.

Andersons’ agribusiness analyst James Webster assesses the prospects for the crop in 2022/23.

“At currently budgeted ex-farm rapeseed value of £515/t and realistic input price expectations, our 2023 Loam Farm budgets show a net margin, after all costs, of £38/ha at our relatively conservative 3.4t/ha yield expectation,” he says.

Forecast margins “This is above the £29/ha we’re forecasting for a 4.5t/ha crop of spring beans. As rapeseed prices have been pressured lately, while grain prices have generally held their ground, it’s noticeably below the margins we anticipate from a second milling wheat or spring barley at Loam Farm (see table on page 28).

“At these costs and values, our break-even net margin yield is 3.33t/ha.

And, even if harvest 2023 rapeseed values drop to £500/t, the break-even yield is a very achievable 3.43t/ha.”

Providing crops find sufficient moisture for another good establishment season, achieving the margins available depends, more than anything else, on the most reliable returns from the market. Reducing the marketing risk becomes even more important to offset the increased financial risk from this season’s much higher input costs. The $64,000 question is how best to do this?

“The highest risk in a volatile market

Anthony Speight thinks the market for rapeseed could ease in 2023, but he stresses it wouldn’t take much to change for him to be more bullish. almost always comes from selling your entire crop at the one time,” believes Anthony.

“Although you could do well, you could also lose out badly.

“For the crop you’ve harvested this year, you can avoid putting all your eggs in the one basket by selling little and often over the coming year on the spot market.

Alternatively, if your storage is limited or you don’t want to take the risk yourself, you can commit all or part of your production to a marketing pool.”

Little and often ‘opportunity’ selling is essentially the approach taken by marketing pools. Overseeing the country’s biggest, Owen stresses that pool marketing allows ▲

are continuing to trade at over $600/t, suggest support for ex-farm prices of £500/t before bonuses, which typically add 10% to crop returns,” says Owen.

Senior AHDB market analyst Anthony Speight thinks the market could ease for rapeseed in 2023, but he stresses it wouldn’t take much to change for him to be more bullish. Assuming there isn’t another major weather event in Canada or Australia between now and the start of 2023, he sees rapeseed prices once again being more influenced by soyabeans.

“Despite some dry weather, the American Mid-West soyabean crop continues to look promising,” he reports. “And record Brazilian plantings are on the cards. So, if there is no disaster in the US and the South American crop is as big as predicted, soya prices seem set to weaken and, with them, rapeseed values. We must remember that bull markets depend more on news, but bears need nothing.

“However, the Brazilian crop isn’t safely in the ground yet; big crops only get smaller and we know how rapidly market sentiments can change. Things are finely balanced at the moment. While 2023 rapeseed values are likely to be above historic levels, how much higher is the great unknown.

And the one thing we can be sure of is continued volatility.”

Against this background, Andersons’ latest Loam Farm budgets provide a useful indication of the sort of returns and margins likely and their sensitivity to market changes.

The 600ha all-arable model Loam Farm

Extra market security with HOLL Guaranteed premiums for high oleic low linolenic (HOLL) rapeseed have risen to £40/t or more for harvest 2023 on the back of increased demand from food processors, with serious sunflower oil supply concerns brought on by war in Ukraine.

The fact that these premiums are available on top of all other bonuses in closed loop buy-back contracts gives added security; a security which has been significantly strengthened with two year contracts from United Oilseeds Marketing. This is offered on a produce of area basis, with discounts on seed of the latest HOLL varieties, a free seed replacement establishment scheme, and harvest movement as standard.

“Our contracts with several UK and European crushers serve a high health oil market, which is both under-supplied and keen to reduce its exposure to sunflower,” says Owen.

“HOLL growing has been very valuable for our members to date and we see it providing particularly valuable extra security over ‘double low’ production in the medium term.

“With 60% of European rapeseed oil going into biodiesel, we have to remember that the commodity rapeseed market is highly vulnerable to any reductions in biofuel mandates. Currently side-lined while mineral fuel supplies are restricted by the Ukraine-Russia war, these are almost certain to rear their heads again once the pressure comes off.”

While premiums may not be as high as those available for high erucic acid rape (HEAR), Owen points out that these offer no oil or other bonuses. He adds that growing HOLL doesn’t reduce the flexibility to switch back to double-low production like HEAR growing does –– with its danger of future erucic acid volunteer contamination.

Owen Cligg says HOLL varieties are commanding a premium on the market, which are available on top of all other bonuses in closed loop buy-back contracts, giving added security.

crop production magazine october 2022 27

De-risking OSR Loam Farm budgets 2022/2023 Winter OSR

The Loam Farm budgets reckon on yields of 3.33t/ha to give a break-even net margin. If Harvest 2023 rapeseed values drop to £500/t, the break-even yield is 3.43t/ha. ▲

growers to take advantage of experts trading from a position of knowledge and strength. He advises them to select the type of pool best suited to their particular crop movement needs and cash requirements, pointing out that there are a wide range of alternatives available, with the best ones historically outperforming spot-selling.

“We market all the grain in each of our United Oilseeds’ pools together, paying the a

verage return we secure to each grower less haulage and storage charges and commission,” he explains. “They have the flexibility to commit as much grain as they wish to any of our three pools with different movement criteria.”

For farmers who don’t want to rely on others who they feel may not always have their best interests at heart, the futures market provides a really valuable tool, allowing them to lock into favourable forward

28 crop production magazine october 2022

2nd milling Spring feed wheat barley

Spring beans

Yield (£/ha)

3.4

8.3

7.7

4.5

Value (£/ha)

515

255

230

280

Output (£/ha)

1751

2117

1771

1260

Variable costs (£/ha)

921

1013

686

381

Fixed costs (£/ha)

792

901

901

850

Net margin (£/ha)

38

203

185

29

Key variable cost assumptions – nitrogen £675/t; potash & phosphate £750/t; diesel 105p/litre Fixed costs include labour & power; overheads; and rent & finance.

Source: Andersons, 2022

prices at any time.

This approach isn’t without risk –– mainly that actual production falls short of the futures contract commitment, necessitating buying on the open market to fulfil it which could be costly.

“Selling ahead on a produce of area basis is a popular way of avoiding this risk,” says James Bolesworth. “But it does tend to tie you to a single buyer.

Alternatively, it’s important not to sell too much of your crop too far

forward. And understanding your costs of production is crucial so you know a futures price that will deliver you a decent margin when you see one.”

Anthony suggests a little and often approach to the futures market. “When you see a forward price that you can live with for the 2023 crop, it might be worth taking advantage of for a small tonnage of your actual crop once you know you’ve got it established.

“Every time you sell you should be locking in a positive margin and by forward selling some, you’re mitigating some of the price risk and volatility. The last thing you want to do is to have to sell at harvest 2023 below your cost of production.”

Getting it right Owen is thinking along similar lines. “The old adage of selling a third of your crop before harvest, a third at harvest and a third later in the year has much to recommend it. If you get your trading right, you can win hands down. But to do so, you need to understand what you’re doing and be good at it.”

This is where up-to-date market intelligence, advice and training from AHDB or specialists like CRM is so important if you are doing your own marketing, he adds.

“While you can never eliminate risk, there’s a lot you can do to spread it,” adds James Bolesworth. “Alongside futures, we frequently help growers use options as an insurance policy.

These involve the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell at an agreed price on, or before, a particular date and involve no physical grain transaction.

“You can buy a ‘call’ option on the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE) if you’ve sold your grain but still want to benefit from a higher price should the

2023 Loam Farm budgets show a net margin, after all costs, of £38/ha at Andersons relatively conservative 3.4t/ha yield expectation, says James Webster. market then rise. Or you can buy a ‘put’ option if you want to protect unsold grain against falling prices,” he explains.

“In each case, you can exercise your right to sell the option at the agreed price at any time up to the expiry date or let the option lapse, depending on whether the market works in your favour or not. The price you pay for this is the option premium –– typically 3-10% of the crop value, depending on volatility.”

“They seem complicated but once you get used to using futures and options, they can be really valuable tools,” says Anthony. “Especially so where markets are as volatile as they seem to be today.” ■

De-risking OSR Oilseed rape looks a much more attractive proposition this autumn with rapeseed prices set to remain firm and CSFB less of an issue than it has been. Following on from last season’s Battling the Beetle series, which explored strategies to combat the threat of cabbage stem flea beetle, CPM has again teamed-up with Bayer to take a more holistic look at removing some of the undoubted risks associated with growing OSR through agronomy, genetics and marketing.

Part of Bayer’s role in providing trusted support to OSR growers and their agronomists, that goes well beyond the robust and dependable varieties that have always been the Dekalb trademark, we hope this helps everyone improve the reliability of their cropping to take the greatest possible advantage of the excellent opportunities for OSR in the rotation.

Maize varieties It’s been a tricky year for maize growers, but despite this, harvest has wrapped up early. So what should growers keep in mind ahead of next year? CPM looks at the coming season and some of the new varieties on the market.

By Melanie Jenkins

There’s been few forage maize crops that have had an easy ride of it this season, with drought conditions leading to stunted growth and some crops hardly hitting a metre in height. And yet, some less favourable sites have produced fantastic crops. So what happened?

It hasn’t just been this year that has presented challenging conditions but the past few years, from prolonged droughts alongside high temperatures to very wet conditions and significant levels of lodging, according to Ellie Sweetman of NIAB. “This year we had a cold spring which delayed sowing on some sites and 30 crop production magazine october 2022

In with the new it took a while for soils to warm up.”

It’s been a really difficult season, agrees Andrew Cook of KWS. “Growers had to contend with 2022 presenting the polar opposite season to what they dealt with in 2021. Some of the favourable sites have really struggled with a lack of moisture and extreme heat, especially where there was later sowing after rye or grass, and yields have been disappointing.

Yield spectrum “But the less favourable sites have retained moisture better and it’s almost been a perfect year for them as they’re in cooler areas. So yields have ranged from really disappointing to really pleasing –– a complete spectrum,” he adds.

And the summer didn’t just impact commercial crops, but trials too, according to Ellie. “Where there was severe drought, lighter soils and not much moisture, this resulted in some stunting. Luckily there was enough moisture to produce cobs but the total dry matter (DM) was down.”

One thing for growers to keep in mind for next year is that there’s likely to be some issues with seed availability, says Andrew. “The drought here and across Europe has affected the main maize growing areas, so we are encouraging growers to order early.”

Hutchinsons, which runs its own set of

“

We’re bringing new genetics to the marketplace that over time are producing a yield advantage of 1-2% every year.

”

Ellie Sweetman highlights that regardless of the season, it’s important to sow into warm soils and not let seeds sit in a cold seedbed.

Maize varieties trials across the country to produce a list of suitable varieties for growers, has also had difficulties this year. And although the firm will produce its maize portfolio, there may be a shortage of certain varieties next year, says Peter Brundle of Hutchinsons.

“There’s been a shortage of forage this year, so there’s a big demand for maize and we’re expecting to see a price rise because of this.”

So if the maize season presents such differing conditions each year, what can growers do to help manage this volatility?

Soil warmth

▲

Ellie highlights that regardless of the season, it’s important to sow into warm soils and not let seeds sit in a cold seedbed as this will impact germination.

“As a general rule, soils want to be 100C at a depth of 10cm as this means the soil biology is active. And there should be enough moisture to allow seeds to start germinating.”

But it’s not just about the amount of moisture, it’s also the timing of it, she adds. “The really active growth of the crop is happening at speed in June and July, so it really wants moisture then.”

According to Ed Porter of Hutchinsons, nutrition is key. “A starter fertiliser can be critical to getting maize off to a good start. Using a micro granular fertiliser with protected phosphorous means the nutrients are available as the plant grows rather than getting locked away in the soil.

“And as about 50% of the nitrogen requirement for maize comes at the cob fill stage, a lot of early applied N may have been lost by this point. So applying slow-release methylene urea at the latest point you can get it onto the leaf can mean a 20-50% yield increase.”

This is one reason why high organic matter (OM) soils do particularly well, especially if growers are using farmyard manure or slurry, adds Ellie. “This is because the timing of the release of N coincides with the most active growth period of the crop.

“Interestingly, work by the Maize Growers Association (MGA) is currently reviewing whether artificial applications of N on high OM soils at the RB209 recommended rates are perhaps higher than they need to be. So far it does suggest there are opportunities to reduce N rates, but the research is still on-going,” she adds.

One of the most critical elements NIAB finds when getting trials set up well, is a good and appropriate use of

pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicide, if required, says Ellie.

According to Tim Richmond of Limagrain, it’s important to not cut corners with nutrients, preparation, timeliness or having enough OM in the soil. “It’s about care and attention and having the end user of your crop in mind.”

Another option growers may want to consider could be to undersow maize with something like ryegrass, suggests Ellie.

“Maize can be undersown when it has about six leaves in strips between the rows to avoid competition. The undersown crop ticks over and might not look impressive, but once the maize has been harvested this crop will get sunlight and will mop up any N sitting around.

It’ll then provide good soil cover and structure, particularly in fields where

Of the new varieties on this year’s Descriptive List, the early maturing variety LG Saxon came out as the highest yielding variety for favourable sites.

Maize varieties increases in energy yield.”

Tim also highlights that newer varieties are often earlier maturing, meaning a shorter grower season. “If maize is in rotation with wheat or growers want to put cover crops in, maximising maize production in a shorter period is advantageous. Plus, maize has had a lot of bad press in the past due to soil damage that can be caused by harvesting later in wet conditions, so the earlier growers can get it off the field, the better.”

Looking forward

It’s been an almost perfect year for less favourable growing sites, according to Andrew Cook.

▲

maize is grown each year.”

According to Andrew, the best option to manage volatility is to look at the five-year average performance on farm. “This will hopefully help you see which variety will perform year-on-year. So don’t be too reactive to this season as a standalone.”

And although growers may find a particular variety which performs on farm and is consistent, there’s a lot to be said for moving onto newer varieties. These provide incremental advances in yield and nutrition that can make a difference to the return on investment, explains Ellie “By raising the bar with the newer varieties, productivity increases but inputs should be remaining static so inevitably the nutrient use efficiency should be continuing to improve.

“If you’re spending money on cultivations and establishment then you want to know your investment will get a return, or that you’ll have enough forage –– particularly in years like this one.

So it makes the drive for efficiency even more poignant.”

If growers continually stick with older varieties, after a period of time they might be losing out on yield and quality, says Tim. “It’s totally understandable that growers want to stick with what works for them, but as breeders, we’re bringing new genetics to the marketplace that over time are producing a yield advantage of 1-2% every year, as well as quality improvements in starch, digestibility and global energy output. If growers don’t change varieties for a number of years, they could be missing out on quite large 32 crop production magazine october 2022

Andrew concurs: “Although you might have a favourite variety, it’s always worth trying a small area of something new because if there are any production issues with varieties, or they come to the end of their commercial life, you can move on with confidence. It’s important to keep looking forward.”

With ‘looking forward’ in mind, the BSPB 2023 Forage Maize Descriptive List (DL) has recently been released, detailing the first and second choice varieties for favourable, less favourable and very favourable sites. Although NIAB doesn’t yet have the data from this year’s trials, the published tables depict an amalgam of the past four-five years’ worth of data, explains Ellie.

She advises growers to be aware that what’s presented on the list in terms of yield and DM content may not be replicated on their sites, so it’s important to know which fields are ‘favourable’ or ‘less favourable’ sites. “The MGA and NIAB have produced tables so that you can work out which your site is based on

Ed Porter points out that about 50% of the nitrogen requirement for maize comes at the cob fill stage.

Hutchinsons is expecting a shortage of some varieties next year because of the drought across the UK and Europe, says Peter Brundle. factors including soil type, topography and location.”

Once growers know what type of site they are working with, the DL can help them select a suitable variety, she adds.

Of the new varieties on this year’s list, the early maturing variety LG Saxon –– from Limagrain –– came out as the highest yielding variety for favourable sites at 19.8t DM/ha, a metabolisable energy (ME) yield of 231,000MJ/ha and starch yield of 6.5t/ha. However, it has some susceptibility to eyespot which is only an issue in damp growing seasons, explains Ellie.

KWS Anastasio is the next highest yielder at 19.6t DM/ha, an ME yield of 226,000MJ/ha and starch yield of 6.26t/ha, with good standing power and eyespot resistance, she says.

Anastasio is a later maturing variety, adds Andrew. “As it’s slightly lower in starch, it’s suited to a higher maize inclusion diet and can be used as corn cob or as crimped and dried maize, as well as biogas production.”

And of note is KWS Pasco, which has the highest starch yield across the entire DL at 6.66t/ha, plus a yield of 19.3t DM/ha, good standing power and eyespot resistance, adds Ellie. “Pasco also sits on the less favourable site list with a yield of 19.0t DM/ha at 33.4% DM, starch at 34.6%.”

Debalto, a second-choice variety which sits on the DL for both favourable and less favourable sites, falls into the very early maturing section, according to Andrew.

“It delivers some great yields, just shy of 19t DM/ha and has starch levels of 34.2% and 219,000MJ/ha of ME on

Maize varieties favourable sites, which is a lot of yield for its earliness.”

According to Peter, Debalto may not have made first choice on the DL because it looks like it might lodge. “However, we haven’t seen it lodge this year.”

LG Dignity and Saxon –– both Limagrain varieties –– yielded well on less favourable sites at 18.7t DM/ha and 18.9t DM/ha respectively, and starch levels at 33.6% and 33.4%, but both have some susceptibility to eyespot, says Ellie.

“Dignity is the earlier maturing of the two with 35.1% DM at time of harvest, while Saxon produces 34% DM. Both have good early vigour, so would be suitable for good quality silage in more challenging growing conditions.”

Dignity is a very early maturing variety, according to Tim. “It has an FAO maturity of 170, while Saxon is a little later at 180.

Dignity has looked good on farm and has been one of the highest yielders in trials this year, and Saxon has performed pretty well too.

“Both varieties are suited as livestock feed, whereas Saxon is good for anaerobic digestion or for those wanting to cash out by maximising yield,” he adds.

Of the three varieties added to the ‘very favourable’ DL, Smoothi CS is the highest yielding at 19.5t DM/ha with a good ME yield, good early vigour and good standing power, explains Ellie. “Abrisse is the earlier maturing at 35.5% at harvest, with a yield of 18.6t DM/ha. Cranberri CS achieved 19.2t DM/ha at 34.4% DM. The ME yield is an important factor for

Debalto, a second-choice variety which sits on the DL for both favourable and less favourable sites, falls into the very early maturing section.

achieving high biogas yields.”

At one of Hutchinsons’ trial sites near Newtown in Wales, several mainstay varieties from Limagrain and KWS, including Reason, Prospect and Debalto, are being assessed. It also has new Pioneer/Corteva coded varieties which could suit early maturing situations, and several Dekalb varieties. “DeKalb is new to the UK maize market and so is currently trying to establish itself,” explains Peter.

“We’re looking for varieties that don’t lodge and have decent eyespot performance,” he says. “We’re also looking for good ME yield, starch and cell wall digestibility –– the latter is especially for those feeding maize to cattle. This is why a more established variety, such as Prospect, is such a good one.” ■

According to Tim Richmond, it’s important not to cut corners with nutrients, preparation, timeliness or having enough OM in the soil.

“

Selling solutions

The future is not just restricted to product in a can.

”

Company profile With a history deep-rooted in traditional crop protection products, UPL is on a journey to transition to become a supplier of a wide range of holistic crop solutions – which go beyond what’s in a can. CPM finds out more about the company.

By Charlotte Cunningham Over recent decades, many crop protection products have come and gone from the hands of growers, and simultaneously there have been with the comings, goings and modifications to the companies who manufacture and supply them.

But with over 50 years of production under its belt, more than 10,000 employees globally and 43 manufacturing sites, UPL is a company firmly cemented in agriculture.

The company itself is a global manufacturer and supplier of crop protection products –– the fifth largest crop protection company in the world.

However, it spawns from much more humble beginnings.

In contrast to its huge global scale today, 34 crop production magazine october 2022

UPL started as a small family business –– headed up by the Shroff family –– in Vapi, India, in 1969 explains Gemma Nokes, head of marketing at UPL UK and Ireland. “It was essentially just a little shop in a street back then, and it has grown over time.”

Following its inception, the first product to be manufactured under the namesake was red phosphorus, something which saw UPL awarded The Presidents Gold Seal Award in 1972.

Company evolution Three years later, in 1975, the firm ventured into export markets and just 12 months after that, made the move into production of agrochemicals.

With a keen eye on UK markets, in 1994 UPL completed its first international acquisition, taking over the UK firm MTM Agrochemical. These acquisitions continued organically worldwide, buying out firms across the globe –– from America to Japan –– and with that bringing many new products to its portfolio.

Moving into more recent times, 2018 marked one of the most significant acquisitions for UK markets after UPL announced the purchase of Arysta LifeScience in what was reported to be a $4.2bn acquisition. “This was quite a big moment for the company as Arysta had a very big biological portfolio at the time, so this was a real opportunity for UPL to dive into this sector,” explains Gemma.

Vaughn Stansfield, UPL country manager for UK and Ireland, picks up the conversation and explains the strategy behind this merger with Arysta. “UPL has set an ambition to be more than just a generic manufacturer and supplier by building more R&D into the business model.

“At the core of this is becoming sustainable partners in agriculture. Lots of companies within the sector of course have the same ambition at various levels, but UPL is setting itself out to be one of the leaders in this sector –– both in the UK and globally.

“IPM is central to everything and is the beating heart of what we’re about, so we’re

The purchase of Arysta LifeScience in 2018 was a significant moment for the firm, allowing it to expand its biological offerings, explains Gemma Nokes.

Company profile In terms of traditional chemistry, Centurion Max (clethodim) has been the flagship product for the brand, explains Vaughn.

“This was an Arysta product originally but was brought back into the marketplace to help growers control blackgrass in oilseed rape and other crops, including sugar beet.”

Broadening approach “It’s a ‘dim’ and has a different resistance profile to some of the existing products on the market, which allows growers to achieve optimal levels of weed control –– within a programme –– across the crop.

It’s a very significant product for us.”

The portfolio is also particularly strong in its sugar beet targeted products, he continues. “A huge area of expertise is provided through our technical manager, Pamela Chambers, who is well known within the sugar beet sector.”

However, in 2022, UPL is aiming to broaden its approach to crop protection.

“UPL is really starting to move towards sustainable solutions and look at the

The purchase of Arysta allowed UPL to drive forward its ambition of becoming manufacturer of sustainable solutions, explains Vaughn Stansfield. problems –– the pain points –– of growers,” explains Gemma.

This is evident within UPL’s Natural Plant Protection (NPP) campaign, which is ▲

excited to be part of what we believe is a revolution in agriculture at the moment.

“At a global level, UPL has made initiatives to drive this, and a lot of this change came with the purchase of Arysta.

It allowed UPL to drive forward its ambition and also change the structure of the business.”

Part of this restructuring brought into focus the OpenAg strand of the business –– a name which has now become synonymous with the UPL brand name.

“OpenAg is essentially UPL’s physical manifestation of a desire to become increasingly more collaborative with customers, partners and wider stakeholders,” explains Vaughn.

“This collaboration is something that UPL has always been focused on historically –– if you’re going to be a successful and thriving business in any part of agriculture, you can’t operate in isolation. But OpenAg made this a mandate –– we are now consciously thinking about and working on opportunities to collaborate.

“While we’d like to be drivers of change, we’re aware that we’re only part of a solution, so this collaboration is vital for the business and for farmers and growers.”

The offering today has come a long way from just red phosphorous, with multiple herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, seed treatments, PGRs and biostimulants in its armoury. In the UK, these products are supported by a team of more than 100 experts across the various divisions –– including the R&D facilities and the manufacturing plant in Cheshire.

UPL was founded by the Shroff family in 1969 in the town of Vapi, India.

Investing in testing To aid the transition to beyond just the traditional chemical armoury and create products which tackle some of the more modern-day challenges, in 2020 UPL purchased a 70ha farm in Shropshire to enhance its R&D programme and to enable the business to evaluate its latest products in a commercial setting. “This complements the existing network of R&D sites and is specifically designed for the Europe North region, which includes the UK,” explains Vaughn.

Shray Hill farm, near Telford, comprises 30ha dedicated to research trials and the other 40ha to technology transfer and customer demonstration trials, as well as offices and conference facilities. It’s headed up by a team of 18 staff, including Jonathan Gill –– formerly of Harper Adams –– who heads up digital and ag tech development.

Cropping at the sites includes traditional combinable crops –– both winter and spring types –– as well as OSR, pulses, potatoes, sugar beet, maize, and pulses.

Marc Willis is the station manager who oversees the variety of projects and research programmes at the site. “The site is UPL’s Centre of Excellence for seed health, so product-wise, we’re increasingly focusing on natural plant protection here –– about 60% of the work is now focused on natural solutions.”

There are plans for both short and long-term projects at the site which encompass a range of areas; from soil management and health, nutrition, water management, companion cropping, wider row planting and interrow seeding, as well as carbon capture as the industry moves towards its net zero goal, he adds.

Building on the firm’s goal to collaborate with the wider industry, there are also plans for projects with external partners. This includes Harper Adams and its Hands-Free Farm initiative, as well as ambitions to develop drone applications areas and work with equipment manufacturers to look at complementary technologies for crop establishment.

“We’re also partnered with the Soil Health Institute in the US and have dedicated a field to this work –– specifically looking at improving workability and consistency of soils,” adds Marc. “More locally, we ran a small partnership with Limagrain this year, focusing on fodder beet variety choice and agronomy.

“We’re also members of CHAP and the Agri-EPI network and are openly looking for more collaboration going forward.”

crop production magazine october 2022 35

Company profile

In 2020 UPL purchased the 70ha Shray Hill farm in Shropshire to enhance its R&D programme and to enable the business to evaluate its latest products in a commercial setting. ▲

due to launch this year. NPP is a global division which was set up about two years ago to drive the development of naturally-derived products and supporting solutions, in a bid to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable way of farming, explains Vaughn. “NPP is all about promoting the portfolio we have that comprises natural products –– whether that be biostimulants or biocontrols. This is something we see as being a little bit different to our peers and competitors, but it has been a very conscious, structured investment decision.”

Centurion Max (clethodim) has been the flagship product for the brand, which was brought back onto the market to control blackgrass in oilseed rape and other crops, including sugar beet.

Key stats ●

●

●

●

●

●

10,000 The number of employees globally 13,000 The number of global product registrations 138 Countries where UPL products are sold $6.2bn Revenue in 2021 43 Manufacturing sites worldwide 18 R&D facilities worldwide

36 crop production magazine october 2022

This portfolio of products will sit alongside and complement the traditional offerings, allowing growers to take a “hybrid”approach to crop protection, he adds. A good example of how this hybrid, innovative approach to crop protection can work is demonstrated within UPL’s potato offerings.

“We have a range of bio-products, as well as herbicides, but we also have a strong focus on sprout management and a key product for us is Fazor –– a plant growth regulator containing maleic hydrazide, which is used in the field to manage sprouting, primarily,” explains Vaughn.

“Last year we also launched Argos, which is based on naturally-derived orange oil, with d-limonene as the active. This is a new product which can be used in store to manage sprouting and boasts the additional benefit of being residue-free, which has advantages for the food chain. With the loss of CIPC (chlorpropham) a few years ago, managing potato sprouts in its entirety is a challenge. So on our part, we wanted to make sure there were robust alternatives to allow the whole supply chain to manage this better.”

Natural plant protection The NPP portfolio will also feature biostimulant offerings. While biostimulants are nothing new, the lack of regulation in this market has led to variation in product quality and efficacy over the years, says Vaughn.

With this in mind, UPL has a small –– but focused –– range of products available to UK growers which have been backed up via trials data to ensure they’re able to consistently deliver the promised effects to growers, he adds. “We have biostimulants within the major crops –– cereals and oilseeds –– but also some which are designed for the horticulture and amenity sectors as well.

“But a product which might be particularly relevant to UK growers is Iodus (laminarin) –– a biocontrol elicitor applied to winter wheat at T0. It’s designed to elicit the plant’s natural immune responses ahead of the main infection period for septoria, and other key diseases.

“Obviously, this has to be supported with other products, but this effectively puts the plant in a better position to fight any exposure to disease. We’re seeing increasing uptake of that product nationally and the feedback we get is all positive, so far.”

And the future is not just restricted to product in a can, adds Vaughn. “We’re now looking more at a range of services we can provide to growers, such as diagnostic or

The Natural Plant Protection division was set up about two years ago to drive the development of naturally-derived products and supporting solutions, in a bid to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable way of farming. other agronomy services. Digital, forecasting tools and robotics are all areas we’re working on.”

UPL is also looking at alternative, non-chemical weeding solutions, adds Gemma. “This is still very much at its inception phase but is something we’re working on. Nothing is really off the table –– everything is up for discussion depending on what the grower requirements are.”

Of course, there is still traditional chemistry coming through the pipeline too.

“We’re looking to bring a new co-formulated sugar beet product to the marketplace, which will utilise existing active ingredients but within a formulation which will deliver better performance. Nationally, sugar beet is a very important crop,” says Vaughn.

Gemma says that the firm is also looking to expand its presence in the horticulture and amenities sectors. “The big challenge globally at the moment is to produce more food on less land with less chemicals. It’s not an easy thing to accomplish, so as a firm we’re looking at what we can do –– beyond just the chemical arena –– to help growers achieve this.” ■

Company profile CPM would like to thank UPL for kindly sponsoring this article and for providing privileged access to staff and materials used to help put the article together.

Is politics on farming’s side?

It’s been a tumultuous summer, to say the very least.

We are in a time of significant change, between the turbulent changing-of-hands in the Government cabinet to the recent country-wide mourning after the Queen’s death, with King Charles taking on the role of Head of State.

King Charles has been a strong advocate and believer in farming with nature.

A true friend of regenerative farming, his work through The Prince’s Countryside Fund has empowered rural communities and farming livelihoods for over a decade.

Through his passion for sustainable and organic agriculture, he had spoken about farming in this way long before the conversation was mainstreamed.

On BBC Radio 4 last summer, the King shared his hopes for British farming saying: “Our current approach will lead to a dead end, no matter how cost-effective intensive food production appears to be. […] We must put nature back at the heart of the equation.”

Much of what he said years ago, many of us found at odds with our own thinking about the natural environment. King Charles astutely observed a farming nation that was unwittingly damaging the natural systems we rely upon.

While much of what he said over the past 35 years is now current rhetoric around farming’s transition, the conversation has reached a fundamental tipping point, intensified by unwavering concerns around climate change and biodiversity loss.

It’s reassuring that His Majesty recognises why the future isn’t constructed in binary choices between the environment or food production and that this way of farming is as achievable as it is imperative. My only hope is that in his regular meetings with the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, he has a strong word about the need to move forwards with the rollout of Defra’s Environmental Land Management schemes [ELMs].

Farming has a great advocate on our side if only the Government will pay heed.

Getting our farming system right and rewarding nature-friendly farming systems in the UK and abroad through global trade will help tackle these problems. While there has been an increasing divide between the priorities for the environment, food and farming, it’s only when we recognise the challenges farming faces, now and in the past, that we can see the root of the issue is very much interconnected. Farming’s inefficiencies are diminishing the farmed landscape.

Dependency on artificial inputs and global marketplaces makes us vulnerable to economic crashes or natural shocks, such as this summer’s drought. Through farming, we can join up solutions to achieve sustainable long-term production.

The transition to Truss’ Government has been unsettling. The churn of politics, views and language has tossed policy up in the air,

and this call for cabinet-wide review is knocking the market as hard as it is farming’s certainty for the future. How can we continue to plan our next steps as farmers if the Government exercises lax commitment to the priorities set by its own party in 2019?

The new Secretary of State for EFRA, Ranil Jayawardena MP, is conducting reviews of ELMs that I hope will bring more clarity to our future public payments. With the change of government comes pressure on the future agricultural budget, at a time when we need to secure funding for this parliament and beyond.

In the immediate term, farming’s growing input costs can be improved on the balance sheet by working with our natural capital and enhancing ecosystem services across our farmed environment. Most of this work is not covered by the market price of the food and goods we sell, and we won’t see food prices increase to cover these costs. But whilst the public wants to see more environmental benefits delivered by farmers, we have an excellent case to ask for public funding to contribute to this.

Jayawardena’s background in business and open markets presents a potential move to remove barriers to “growth”.

Not growth of the productive kind that benefits farming, but the economically-driven kind that comes much to the detriment of our concerns around global warming and environmental degradation –– the impacts of which hits farmers the hardest as we’re on the frontlines of our changing climate.

There is already much research evidencing how nature means profitability and

Martin Lines is an arable farmer and contractor in South Cambridgeshire with more than 500ha of arable land in his care.

His special interest is in farm conservation management and demonstrating that farmers can profitably produce food in harmony with nature and the environment. He’s also chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network UK. @LinesMartin martin.lines@nffn.org.uk

resilience, and that soil health and an improved environment give food production healthy foundations to build sustainable enterprises. When we farm with nature, our business goes from strength to strength.

As farmers, we can demonstrate that nature recovery is not a barrier to growth but a partner in it. To echo King Charles: we must show the value of putting nature at the heart of farming’s future.

It’s fair to say that King Charles III has been ahead of the curve. He’s been urging farms to put nature at the heart of their approach to food production for a very long time.

crop production magazine october 2022 37

“

The opportunities are profound if you get it right.

”

Clear progress from Climate Change a steady pace Champions How do you get to net zero?

As voting gets underway for Climate Change Champion 2022, CPM finds out how two previous winners have evolved their businesses.

By Tom Allen-Stevens There’s a world of opportunities awaiting those who set themselves on the path to net zero. That’s the message from award-winning farmers who are heading up arable businesses around a climate-friendly future.

Al Brooks of Faccombe Estate, Hampshire, was voted arable Climate Change Champion of 2020 by CPM readers and NFU members, while Doug Wanstall of J Wanstall and Sons, Kent, earned the worthy accolade last year. Both businesses were already net sequesters of carbon at the time they were featured in CPM, and both have made considerable progress since.

“Don’t sit back –– the opportunities are profound if you get it right,” says Doug, who also runs Re-generation Earth, that acts as “a conduit between those companies and individuals who want to take responsibility for their residual emissions and farmers who can sequester them”.

“I have not yet come across a farming business that can’t get to net zero, and in every case, it will make the business more profitable,” he says.

Al believes the progressive farmers who 38 crop production magazine october 2022

take the initiative will be the ones to benefit most. “You only have to open the pages of CPM to see the ideas currently leading the field. The opportunities are obvious and those who take advantage of them will swallow up the businesses of those who sit on their hands,” he predicts.

Simple principles But fools rush in, he cautions. “Go at a pace, not a sprint. There’s a lot of rhetoric and it can be daunting. But at the heart of this drive to net zero are some simple principles any farm business can adopt to shape their own objectives.

“At Faccombe, we set ourselves clear targets and have worked progressively towards them. It’s an ever-evolving plan towards a circular economy over the entire estate and we learn as we go along.”

It’s advice that Doug echoes. “You can’t suddenly become a regenerative farmer by buying a direct drill, and it’s easy to manipulate the data to make results tell a story that may not be in the best long-term interests of your business,” he says.

“But there is plenty of good, independent advice for those who seek it. The first step is to understand where you are –– establish a baseline –– and then look for qualified help in setting targets and the pathways to reach them.”

So what do the two farmers have to say to the new team at Defra and how Ministers can help? “Do not undo all the good work your predecessors have done,” stresses Al. “Engage with farmers, pick up on the good ideas we’ve already brought forward and help us run with them. But for God’s sake, do not stop this progress towards net zero.”

Doug agrees. “Don’t stifle the entrepreneurial initiative farmers have already shown. Give us the tools to help us sequester carbon into our soils with confidence. Give us clear guidance on how you see carbon markets developing. It can be confusing to know how best to capitalise from an uncertain future, but a good government provides clarity.”

Since CPM visited the 485ha farming business in February 2021 he runs near Ashford, Doug has helped set up the UK Carbon Code of Conduct (UKCCC). This is a central set of standards that takes a holistic approach to help whole landholdings enter projects and benefit from restoring carbon.

“We set it up over three years with a group of stakeholders. It’s a not-for-profit entity that exists purely to ensure that its standards are continually developed and upheld and to give confidence that the carbon offsets it issues are robust,” he explains.

Doug points out that the Woodland and Peatland Codes, along with the imminent

Opportunity for fast growth: Doug Wanstall’s Paulownia Cotevisa sapling, seen here in Feb 2021, is already almost 3m in height.

Climate Change Champions Hedgerow Carbon Code, provide the necessary confidence for those areas of sequestration. But unregulated gaps remain in much of what farmers can do to lower CO2 levels, notably with their soils, that UKCCC aims to fulfil. “Ultimately our customers ask for it, and it’s in all our interests to ensure that carbon offsets can be relied on,” he adds.

On the farm, he’s been developing various novel ideas that both sequester carbon and build soil health. Lucerne, grown and sold for haylage as well as fodder for his 74-head Sussex beef suckler herd, has a

The laying hens that supply the self-service “Egg Machine” are fed insect protein from black soldier flies.

Al Brooks follows an “edge-to-edge asset approach”, with all aspects of the estate’s farming, forestry and other enterprises dovetailing together.

So we applied it to our oilseed rape this year as a look-see. We’ve noticed significantly less cabbage stem flea beetle damage as a result, so something to investigate further,” reports Doug.

At Faccombe, near Andover, recent energy price hikes have served to justify the policies pursued by this low-carbon community. As estate director, Al follows what he calls an “edge-to-edge asset approach”, with all aspects of the estate’s farming, forestry and other enterprises dovetailing together. ▲

deep root system that locks in carbon. “We have three on-going research projects with the University of Kent looking at how bugs, biochar and seaweed extract can both build soil carbon and encourage the natural processes that keep it there,” he says.

There’s also an agroforestry project underway, using Paulownia Cotevisa, a very fast-growing hybrid tree that can reach the height of a 40-year-old oak in just eight years. “We’ve only just established the field this year, while the specimen sapling we planted that was just a few inches high in February last year is already almost 3m in height.”

One particularly novel area of the business revolves around its 12,000 laying hens. These provide produce sold through a self-service farm diversification known locally as “The Egg Machine”. “We’re now working with InsPro and are farming black soldier flies. The main reason for coming into it was to provide a good alternative source of protein for our laying flock.”

But it’s the frass, the dung the flies create, that could provide a bigger interest. “It’s thought to have insecticidal properties, as well as being a powerful growth promoter.

Vote now for Climate Change Champion 2022 There’s still time to vote for whom you feel should be the UK’s arable Climate Change Champion of the year. The initiative, supported by NFU, has been running in CPM throughout 2022.

This has detailed the experiences of seven growers –– thought leaders who have already started their journey to meet the challenging target of net zero emissions by 2040. They have the ideas, the progressive outlook and the determination to shape positive change.

All seven of the contenders have also been invited into top-level discussions on climate change, fronted up by NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw. The round-table event, timed to coincide with COP27 next month, will develop strategies and practical solutions to climate change for the arable sector.

The finalists are: Robin Aird, Charlton Park Farms, Wiltshire, who bases his approach to the estate’s natural assets on a solid grasp of the underlying figures.

Guy Eckley, Eckley Farms, Kent, who’s proving that the production of

healthy food goes hand-in-hand with the drive to net zero.

Toby Hogsbjerg, The Wicken Farms Co, Norfolk, has set about securing a long-term future for the estate’s pivotal root crops from its fragile soils.

Tom Jewers, GD Jewers & Son, Suffolk, constantly searches for the next step and particularly new technologies that will deliver both productivity and carbon benefits.

Michael Kavanagh, DGF & MAM Thompson Farms, Shropshire, has embraced regenerative agriculture practices, and plans to capitalise on his natural capital gains.

Robert Moore, Agricycle, Lincolnshire, has built a nationwide business around helping farmers recycle and ties this to restoring biodiversity to the family farm.

John Pawsey, Shimpling Park Farms, Suffolk, leads new ideas on progressive organic arable systems and avidly exchanges knowledge on enriching farm biodiversity.

Now it’s your turn to decide which of them should be awarded the accolade of Climate Change Champion 2022. A summary of

their achievements and links to full articles can be found on the Climate Change Champions landing page of the CPM website. From there, take the link to the survey, or go direct and vote now using the QR code.

Voting ends on 1 November 2022 and the winner will be announced

shortly after. cpm-magazine.co.uk/ climatechangechampions

crop production magazine october 2022 39

Climate Change Champions use of organic manure. While the estate has stopped short of direct drilling, a Grange toolbar in front of the Väderstad Rapid drill has been rolled across all crops, gets them off to a good start and has allowed cultivations to be “vastly reduced”. The estate that was already sequestering over 2000t CO2e per year two years ago has raised this by around 20%, reports Al. Demand has soared for the wood pellets, produced through Faccombe’s new processing plant from forestry material that used to go to waste. ▲

The 1720ha of rolling chalk soils rise to 330m above sea level with 546ha of woodland. While the best timber is sold for log cabins and other construction uses, other forestry material that used to go to waste now provides around 2500t/yr of wood pellets, produced through the estate’s new processing plant.

Already a strong market, since CPM’s visit in February 2020, demand for alternative fuel sources has soared, reports Al, but the focus has remained on building the low-carbon community. The 35 properties in Faccombe village, which include the manor house, its own pub and guesthouse and a few commercial units, are gradually being converted away from fossil fuels. Electricity is fed to the community from the estate’s 500kW wind turbine that sits high on a hill, while barn rooves are clad in solar panels, putting another 250kW into the local network, with surplus peak output sold to the grid.

“We’ve put more efficient blades on the wind turbine that’s increased output, and there’s potential to add more solar. But we’re currently conducting an in-depth energy assessment,” explains Al. “The aim is to make full use of the energy we generate –– match demand closer to supply. We’re looking at a joint venture to provide battery storage, but some solutions are more simple. A power-factor correction we’re now implementing makes more use of the power available, improving efficiency by 22%. It’s a step any business can take.”

A refurbishment program for the properties in the village, insulating and replacing windows, is bringing gradual improvement in EPC ratings. “While this doesn’t raise our income on either rents or energy, we’re doing a better job. We’ve also overhauled the water network over the past two years, making better use of the estate’s boreholes and reducing water usage by 45%,” says Al. Gradual changes on the farming side have seen fertiliser use reduce and better 40 crop production magazine october 2022

Home generation “We want to get the job nailed on energy, which will take us a good year to 18 months, but the opportunity is to be entirely home generating. We’ve set strategic and achievable targets and work towards these at a pace that’s realistic. Everything comes at a cost, but we’re focused on the longer-term gain,” he concludes.

Both Al and Doug were supported by Interagro, one of the sponsors of Climate Change Champions. Sarah Ferrie of Interagro notes that both farmers “are of a similar mindset” on climate change. “They recognise the net zero benefits of the changes they’re bringing to their business, but they’re on this journey because it also makes financial sense. Both have a clear idea of what the circular economy means within their business, and how enterprises complement each other.

“They also see the opportunities for the

More efficient blades on the wind turbine have increased output, while Faccombe is currently conducting an in-depth energy assessment. wider farming community, and that’s never been more important. There is so much uncertainty and volatility at present with input prices and on commodity markets. What underlines all Climate Change Champions is that they’re putting into practice measures that make the business more resilient, particularly through building soil health, reducing reliance on synthetic inputs and lowering energy usage. These are steps any business can take,” notes Sarah. ● CPM would like to thank the sponsors of Climate Change Champions – BASF, BKT, Interagro, Lloyds Bank, Small Robot Company and Trinity AgTech –– and also NFU, for its support of the initiative. ■

Rural voices rally around COP call Countryside COP2 took place online from 10-14 October, organised by the Agriculture and Land Use Alliance, which is made up of representatives from across rural interests. Ahead of COP27, that convenes at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on 6-18 November, Countryside COP allows the UK rural community to come together and showcase the opportunities available and the contribution already being made to reach net zero.

Now in its second year, the event gave a platform to a number of leading voices as well as emerging campaigns, strategies and practical

solutions for farmers. Highlights included a discussion workshop from ADAS’ YEN Zero looking at the role of crop productivity in reaching net zero.

Advice was given from NFU Energy experts on how to implement small-scale renewable energy projects on farm. And Jake Fiennes of the Holkham Estate and Glenn Anderson of Wendling Beck gave their perspectives on promoting wildlife and biodiversity in Norfolk.

Presentations and videos from the event can be found on the CFE website cfeonline.org.uk/ our-work/countryside-cop2-programme

Scientific path towards net zero Through the adoption of novel practices and technologies, agriculture has a significant part to play in hitting greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets. CPM finds out how a recent initiative has identified key priorities in the drive to net zero.

By Adam Clarke

A recently completed set of mini projects has identified interesting and important ways to help agriculture in its ambitious drive to carbon neutrality. It’s hoped the outcomes and spin-off research will not only help in the context of climate change mitigation, but also help farm businesses and the environment as they strive for sustainability.

Late in 2021, a joint initiative between AHDB and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) published a call for ideas to improve the resilience of UK agriculture and help the industry reach net zero.

AHDB’s environment scientist Amanda Bennett says the aim was to collaborate with BBSRC to support researchers on topics 42 crop production magazine october 2022

most relevant to UK agriculture today with funds from its Farm Sustainability Fund.

Shedding some light on the process, she explains that when the application period ended, all potential projects were assessed by a panel that included academic and industry experts, which whittled them down to 10 that would receive up to £50,000 each.

Pump priming Leaders of the projects would then have three months to investigate the chosen topic area and preliminary findings would underpin high-quality proposals to take forward for further funding through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

It was also hoped the projects would help researchers engage more effectively with AHDB and UKRI funding for research and improved knowledge exchange, she adds.

“These were short-term ‘pump priming’ projects designed to test ideas or generate data which could then support applications for larger, longer-term projects, funded by BBSRC or other sources. Some of the projects were more fundamental and will have a benefit over time and others were more practical, so will be applied quickly and more easily,” explains Amanda.

Linking all the projects together is government ambition to get to net zero by 2050 and the more ambitious target set by the NFU for 2040. For these ambitions to be met, individual growers will have to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to help the wider industry.

While some may ask why they should change their practices, in most cases any emissions reduction will result in economic benefits to the grower and environmental benefits at a local and landscape scale, she believes.

“These benefits might come through optimising macronutrient inputs, with one of the Net Zero Partnership’s 10 projects assessing the use of an available soil phosphate test kit to fine tune nutrient planning.”

Others have explored novel tools or technologies for use in integrated pest management (IPM), such as automatic monitoring of nocturnal crop pest activity

The projects selected in the AHDB/BBSRC mini-call were short-term ‘pump priming’ projects designed to test ideas or generate data which could then support applications for larger, longer-term projects, says Amanda Bennett.

Theory to Field

There’s a “ requirement for an honest broker of information, because there’s a lot out there and some is coming from those with commercial interests.

”

and best practice for tank-mixing for effective use of biopesticides.

Amanda goes on to say that there has also been some more fundamental research, with projects exploring improved disease resistance in crops like spring barley.

“The outcomes will feed into breeding programmes, so not immediately available.

However, in the long-term it will help reduce fungicide input,” she adds.

Another project topic amongst the 10 that’s unlikely to have immediate impact, but has huge potential to contribute to sustainability targets, is the use of chitinous biowaste to improve soils.

Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide biopolymer after cellulose, and its name is derived from the Greek word for tunic or envelope, which hints at its primary role in the exoskeletons of arthropods.

Several other microorganisms also have chitin in their cell walls, membranes, and spores, including fungi and the spines of diatoms (single cell algae).

A project was led by Harper Adams University’s Dr Matt Back and Dr Andy Evans of Scottish company Angus Horticulture, a firm that has been experimenting with chitinous compost made from mixing shellfish waste and woodchip over recent years.

Chitin sources Matt says other potential sources of chitin identified in the project include mushroom substrate, a material that contains spent compost and mushrooms, with the fungi we eat rich in chitin. The third is a by-product of protein production for feed using black soldier fly larvae, with the larval cases and excrement left over after processing also rich in chitin.

“When we saw the AHDB were looking for project proposals linked to net zero, we felt we could write a research proposal based on these products being part of the circular economy. However, we needed to understand more about the science and the research that supports its use in agriculture as a soil conditioner,” explains Matt.

The review found significant number of potential benefits in published literature, along with some knowledge or regulatory gaps that will have to be addressed before large scale adoption.

As a nematologist, one area that Matt was particularly interested in is the potential of chitin for suppressing potato cyst nematode

New funding pot will help shape future net zero policy BBSRC senior portfolio manager James Phillips says practical ideas formed in its Net Zero Partnership with AHDB are already progressing into prototypes and have stimulated other research proposals that will help score farm sustainability goals.

Aiming to complement and build on this success, he says, a new initiative hopes to fuel research an innovation across academic and scientific institutes to help the agri-food industry reach net zero.

The new UKRI AgriFood4Net Zero Network+, announced in July, will receive about £5M investment from BBSRC, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

It will bring together biologists, physicists, environmentalists, social scientists, and

engineers to stimulate new collaborations to explore how to reduce emissions. The network will be led by researchers from the Universities of Leeds, West of England, York, and East Anglia and look at the entire agri-food system over the next three years.

One of the network’s first objectives is to explore potential scenarios for the future of UK agri-food as it strives for net zero, including understanding the trade-offs and options that will drive innovation and influence policy makers.

“We were delighted to work with AHDB to develop the Farm Sustainability Fund in a way that was informed specifically by their understanding of the needs of farmers and growers. Both initiatives are complementary within a wider portfolio of collaborative R&D activities supporting the industry to address sustainability challenges,” explains James.

There’s evidence that applying chitin, or a derivative known as chitosan, in the presence of plants acts as a plant defence elicitor, helping to reduce the impact of crop diseases, says Matt Back.

▲

(PCN) and other plant parasitic nematodes present in UK soils. There are also refences to reductions in soil-borne pathogens, such as Rhizoctonia solani (black scurf), Verticillium wilt and wart disease, a notifiable disease of potato. Matt says there may also be an effect on wireworm larvae if chitin is applied to infested soil.

One theory is that adding it to soils will select for specific soil microbes that break chitin down. As PCN eggs contain a layer of chitin in their casings, the upregulation of the microbes could help speed up population decline between potato crops, explains Matt.

“It seems that you would have a shot at suppressing anything that has chitin in its cell walls,” he adds.

“Another hypothesis is that this surge in soil microbial activity to break down the chitin causes a release of ammonia, creating a toxic environment for pests and pathogens. Furthermore, there’s evidence that applying chitin, or a derivative known as chitosan, in the presence of plants acts as a plant defence elicitor, helping to reduce the impact of crop diseases.”

Synergistic effects of chitin with Mycorrhizal fungi and Bacillus subtilis were uncovered in the literature review, opening the possibility of using the substance to create a better soil environment for these organisms to thrive.

“Chitin is also porous, so could help with water retention in soils, and has a nutritional value that can benefit crops. I wasn’t expecting such a wide range of activities and uses before starting the review. It’s now about finding the best way to use some of these by-products in a rotation,” explains Matt.

A Harper Adams University PhD proposal aims to answer some of these questions by comparing the three by-products with pure crop production magazine october 2022 43

Theory to Field

Chitin could prove to be a useful soil amendment and one of the sources being looked at is the larval cases and excrement from black soldier flies left over after processing. ▲

extracted chitin and chitinase side-by-side to further quantify and validate effects at varying concentrations.

Developing a method of evaluating chitinase activity, which is the enzyme produced as chitin is broken down in the soil, is also an aim, along with further work in the synergistic effects with Mycorrhizae and B. subtilis.

Legislation and regulatory procedures also will have to be addressed, because currently rules are largely designed to ensure animal waste and other commonly used products, like sewage sludge and digestate, are applied to agricultural land appropriately.

This leaves a grey area for novel products like organic soil amendments derived from shellfish or black soldier fly larvae. “The use of these materials won’t go anywhere without the correct checks and balances in place,” explains Matt.

From a leftfield option, like chitinous waste, to one that’s already moving into the mainstream, another of the projects funded by the AHDB-BBSRC partnership looked at regenerative agriculture in challenging environments.

Led by Newcastle University, the project’s aim was to explore the understanding and level of knowledge about regenerative agriculture in the north of England and identify barriers to uptake of regenerative practices, which have the potential to

directly or indirectly reduce GHG emissions. These include no-till crop establishment, cover cropping, diversified rotations, and integration of livestock into farming systems.

Dr Julia Cooper, senior lecturer in soil science at Newcastle, says that information on regenerative agriculture in northern England was gathered from three workshop events across the region. In addition to the workshops, an online survey was also conducted.

In total, researchers picked the brains of 87 people, 73 of whom were farmers (68 conventional and 5 organic), three were researchers, a further 10 agronomists, plus one ‘other’.

Julia explains that before carrying out the research, she and many others had a preconception that the biggest barrier to uptake of regenerative agriculture in the region was unsuitable climate and/or soil type.

Improved margins However, this turned out to be relatively low on the list of answers, with a lack of knowledge and the perceived high financial risk of converting to a regenerative system the top two hurdles (see chart).

Julia says concerns about risk are understandable, with a switch away from ploughing to direct drilling often resulting in a slight yield reduction. However, she notes that profit margins are improved in many instances.

“Wholesale conversion into something completely different, by selling machinery and buying a no-till drill, is scary and not something I’d advise. There are ways to manage the risks and I’d always encourage trying things out in small scale strip trials first.

Do your own experiments and see how things work out,” she explains.

Responding to a perceived lack of knowledge about regenerative agriculture, Julia believes there’s now plenty of experience within the industry, with some pioneering growers

44 crop production magazine october 2022

Attitudes to regenerative agriculture Northhumberland

Yorkshire

Cumbria

Durham

Tyne and Wear

Lack of Knowledge Financial Risk Too much Time/Labour Land Stewardship Scheme Uncertainty Lack of Equipment Unsuitable soil/climate Animal Welfare No other farmers doing it Don’t know what this is

0

5

10

15 20 25 Number of respondents

30

35

Survey by Newcastle University to assess barriers to uptake of regenerative practices in the north of England. in attendance at some of the workshops being shining examples.

However, she believes that all that knowledge and experience needs tapping into to help build confidence amongst those wishing to implement some or all of the regen principles and make it a widescale success.

“At Groundswell, we had a discussion with a group of growers on the Newcastle University stand and there was certainly an appetite and need for more local groups. This is something we’re going to try and develop with other organisations,” says Julia.

Those organisations might include AHDB, The Farmer Network, and Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF). The University’s LEAFaccredited farm is just in the process of converting to regenerative farming, so it’s hoped this will turn into a regional hub.

“The message from this project was loud and clear –– we need better knowledge exchange. There’s a requirement for an honest broker of information, because there’s a lot out there and some is coming from those with commercial interests,” says Julia.

Amanda says the AHDB is looking to make the information it has on various regenerative practices as accessible as possible to help improve KE, allowing interested farmers access to the information most

relevant to their business, wherever they are in the UK. This could be guidance on reducing cultivations, or successfully integrated cover crops into a rotation, which AHDB has a lot of information on already as part of its monitor and strategic farms initiatives, she says.

“In terms of future work stimulated by the Net Zero Partnership, there’s a lot of interest in sustainability and net zero for the obvious environmental and economic benefits, and we are assessing priorities now.

“AHDB sector plans will be published later this year, which will direct future work,” concludes Amanda. ■

Research roundup From Theory to Field is part of AHDB’s delivery of knowledge exchange on grower-funded research projects. CPM would like to thank AHDB for its support and in providing privileged access to staff and others involved in helping put these articles together.

For further info: AHDB Project P2110377: AHDB/BBSRC Initiative: Enabling the agricultural transition to net-zero through BBSRC’s Farm Sustainability Fund invested £500,000 across 10 projects. For more detail and to read final reports, visit ahdb.org.uk/ net-zero-partnership

Clover understory CPM returns to Overbury to find out how the clover understory has fared and how planting plans have changed as farm manager Jake Freestone makes ‘on the hoof’ decisions because of the dry conditions.

By Lucy de la Pasture

over once the wheat towering above it was harvested and provide some free grazing for the farm’s flock of sheep. But scorched by record temperatures and suffering from the absence of rain, all that remained after the combine was shrivelled up plants, says Jake.

Gesturing to a small patch of green which stands out amongst the golden hue of the stubble, he explains: “I wanted to see if the clover would regrow when it eventually rained so I’ve been watering this plot with a watering can.”

“

At the moment I still feel that a clover understory is the way forward here, especially as integration with the livestock is really important.

”

Slow recovery for clover Jake spears the soil with his fork and uproots a nearby clover plant, dropping to his knees to bury his nose into the soil he’s cradling in his hands. “The roots are growing. Look at all these white roots coming,” he says, evidently with some relief.

Although the rest of the field is somewhat behind, only just beginning to feel the benefits of some September rain, it’s alive and greening up. But it’s not enough to fatten lambs on as planned and Jake has accepted this disappointment and puts the lack of autumn grazing down to the season.

Even though the understory hasn’t

provided the instant cover crop for grazing he was hoping for, it does have wider business benefits, he explains.

“It’s amazing how much water the clover took out and that’s potentially one of the risks, but it could also be a benefit. Taking moisture out of the ground through the autumn is not a bad thing as drilling gets later and the clover also acts as a ‘mattress’ which helps carry farm machinery,” he says.

But it’s the nitrogen-fixing abilities of clover that are also part of the attraction for establishing an understory, theoretically reducing dependence on nitrogen from the bag. So did it fulfil that expectation? ▲

Striding across the stubble with a fork characteristically tucked under his arm, Overbury farm manager Jake Freestone heads towards the two white sticks that mark the site of his most recent experiment. There’s a smattering of micro-clover plants sitting between the rows of stubble but it’s fair to say the drought has severely punished the once promising understory.

Just two months earlier, it was an entirely different picture. There was a carpet of green under the crop of Champion winter wheat, poised to take

Overbury revisited

crop production magazine october 2022 45

Clover understory works out at £2441/ha,” he says (see table below).

A delve into Gatekeeper reveals the detail behind the nutritional support given to the crop, which is based on SAP analysis, soil mineral nitrogen testing and Yara N-tester readings in the crop.

“Soil mineral nitrogen and the amount that’s available to plants (soil nitrogen supply) is so important. Last season crops came out of the winter with a good supply of residual soil nitrogen, but the dry spring added a layer of complexity.

“I’m a biological farmer and soil biology needs moisture and warmth to get it going in the spring. Without both of those things, the biological functioning of the soil doesn’t happen.”

Supporting growth Jake Freestone plans on growing 25% more beans this year, partly because he’s abandoned winter linseed after two disappointing years, but mostly because the drought has caused a rethink on the farm’s planned 160ha of OSR, which has now been reduced to 65ha. ▲

Jake’s pretty pleased with performance of the seed crop of Champion winter wheat, which received a reduced rate of nitrogen compared with the farm standard.

“We applied 133kgN/ha in total and the yield was 10.93t/ha, which is good for this land. With a gross output of £2951/ha (seed wheat at £270/t) and variable costs coming in at £510/ha, the gross margin

At Overbury, only 14mm of rainfall was recorded during April –– the month where wheat starts to motor through its growth stages and nitrogen is required to support that growth. “We actually put some foliar N on because the Yara N-tester indicated the crop needed it and it couldn’t get it from the soil because of the dry.”

Jake believes the changing weather patterns will affect his management strategy next year. “We’ve had a run of five or six dry springs so frontloading of N is something to look at and top up with a minimal amount later in spring,” he says.

Having given up on its grazing prospects, with no time left on the clock to achieve enough of a canopy to graze off

before drilling, Jake says the understory has recently had 5t/ha of well-rotted FYM. But because the sheep won’t be nipping it off, will there be too much bulk when it comes to drilling?

Jake assesses the line of clover lying in between the rows of stubble. “I think when we apply glyphosate to take out the fat hen and groundsel growing here, and any cereal volunteers, it will knock the clover sufficiently so it’s not competitive with the crop. We’ll probably bring the drill over a bit so the coulters are running in between the stubble and that should encourage the clover to move outwards into where last year’s crop was growing,” he says.

With a full season’s experience of a clover understory under his belt, what’s Jake’s view on its value? “At the moment I still feel that a clover understory is the way forward here, especially as integration with the livestock is really important. We’ve established another 17ha this year –– two of the fields look quite well but the third is less good and is under quinoa, which we’re yet to harvest.

“I want to take the opportunity to establish clover where I can and there’s a 14ha field up on the hill that isn’t wanted for hand-picked peas next year. My plan is to give it a spring fallow with a grazing cover crop and then into clover,” he explains.

“We’ll plant a multi-species mix of oats, vetch, forge rape, stubble turnips, linseed and mustard. It will cost around £40/ha, but I think we’ll be short of forage this winter which makes it a valuable crop to

Quarry South Field Variable costs Adjuvants Fungicides PGRs Herbicides Total plant protection Fertiliser Trace elements Seed TOTAL

Output Gross Margin Net Margin

Fixed costs

Application Establishment Harvest TOTAL 10.93t/ha @ £270/t

Source: Overbury Enterprises; Gatekeeper records 2021-22

46 crop production magazine october 2022

£/ha 1.25 68.94 1.84 42.07 114.10 271.80 49.94 74.80 510.65 62.84 45.37 94.61 202.82 2951.10 2440.45 2237.63

As the clover understory shrivelled after harvest, Jake has been watering a trial plot by hand to see whether the plants would recover.

Clover understory

Pods of peppery fodder radish and sunflowers form part of the sheep’s all-you-can-eat buffet in this multispecies cover crop.

Soil improvers But there are positives to the change in plan. “Beans are huge soil improvers and have done well here for the past two years, so we’re swapping OSR for beans which are much lower cost to grow. Direct drilling with the Horsch Sprinter has given us more consistent establishment and has also helped with weed control as the Metcalfe points don’t move as much soil as other openers.

“We haven’t needed to use any glyphosate pre-harvest for the past couple of years as crops have been cleaner,” he notes.

Further up the hill, Jake hops over the electric fence that’s now surrounding the 12-species cover crop that had just been established when CPM visited in early July. Now a jungle about three foot high, with smiling sunflower heads dotted throughout, the sheep haven’t got far from where they were turned into the field a few days ago. Most of them resting, the scene is reminiscent of an all-you-can-eat buffet, with a few loosened belts before getting up to go again.

Jake points to the fodder radish which has had a good season and has been the most successful of the species in the mix. “That’s why it’s such a good mix, the

OSR has got away with a little September rainfall – guarded by its companions, berseem clover and vetch. Barley volunteers have just been sprayed off.

growing conditions suit different species and this year the radish has done really well. I think I may have left it a bit late, it’s a bit peppery so I don’t know if the sheep will like it,” he says.

As he splits open a pod to reveal the white fleshy seeds, you know that titbit of information would have been gained from first-hand experience as, odds on, Jake would have tasted the pods.

There’s noticeable insect and bird activity in and around the crop, with groups of linnets darting between the cover of the crop and the hedge.

“Yesterday there were loads of swallows in here. There’s plenty of food around,” he says, pointing out some mealy aphids crowded on the tops of the fodder radish, with butterflies and other insects also easy to spot.

Stooping to pick up a sunflower head that’s on the ground, Jake breaks it open to reveal the rows of shiny black seeds –– apparently something that’s a bit of a prize in the all-you-can-eat buffet. “When we first turned the sheep out into a cover with sunflowers in, they left them until the very end. But when we moved them, they went straight for the sunflowers, literally munching their way around the heads.

They have to learn about new plants when then haven’t had them in front of them before,” he says.

Hopping back over the fence, Jake walks to the field below, which is the top of the field with the clover understory he was looking at earlier. He points to a patch of

▲

us. Our stubble turnips have gone in later than normal after waiting for 9mm of rain but it’s still almost too dry.”

The cover was planted using the farm’s Horsch Sprinter drill which Jake finds useful for establishing cover crops in autumn because of the slight amount of soil movement caused by its retro-fitted, super-slim 12mm Metcalfe coulters. It’s also cheaper to run than the farm’s Cross Slot, with fuel consumption when pulling the Horsch at 5 l/ha compared with 15 l/ha for the Cross Slot, says Jake.

“We applied 20kgN/ha as the crop was emerging and a further 30kg/ha when we knew we had a crop.”

Another impact of the summer drought on the farm has been to drastically curtail the planting of catch crops, which Jake says need a minimum of a five-week window before planting the cash crop. So this year he’s reined back on any fields where he felt it would be too dry for catch crops to grow, also bearing in mind the costs of seed and fuel.

“I don’t think missing one year will be vastly detrimental. We’ve chopped all of our straw so it’s shielding the soil surface from the sun and the wind, which is one of the principles of regen agriculture,” he says.

Perhaps the most significant catch crop loss is the one that was destined to go in front of the winter beans. “We would normally plant a mix of forage rye and vetch, which acts as a primer by activating soil bacteria. The winter beans would then

go into pre-stimulated soils –– when the nodule-forming bacteria will be looking for another legume host.”

Even though he’s not able to adopt this tactic this autumn, Jake isn’t tempted to use an inoculant on his seed. “In last year’s crop the beans had very healthy and numerous nodules, and they were active as they were red inside when cut open. It’s a good indicator of soil health but it will be interesting to see whether there’s a difference in nodulation this season –– although any observations will be anecdotal as there are so many variables that could affect it.”

Jake plans on growing 25% more beans this year, partly because he’s abandoned winter linseed after two disappointing years, but mostly because the drought has caused a rethink on the farm’s planned 160ha of oilseed rape, which has now been reduced to 65ha as some fields were just too dry to plant.

“We had 45ha planned on the Evesham series soil, but the seed would just have disappeared down the cracks. On the sand and gravel land, the 9mm of rain we had didn’t warrant the cost of the seed and diesel to chance getting it in,” he says.

crop production magazine october 2022 47

Clover understory being run by Dr Amelia Hood at Reading University.

Three different cover crop mixes were planted in mid-August for the field-scale trial, with a fallow as control. It’s part of the EU Horizon-funded Showcase initiative, which is quite literally showcasing synergies between agriculture, biodiversity and ecosystem services in 15 different European countries to help farmers capitalise on native biodiversity.

Last year’s bean crop had well-nodulated roots after the soil was primed with a forage rye and vetch catch crop, but this year it’s been too dry to adopt this approach. ▲

green, where the clover is thick and juicy looking, standing high above the stubble. “See that damp patch in the field, that’s what it could be like,” he says, giving grounds for his optimism for its grazing potential in future seasons.

Ascending still further up Bredon hill, there’s some hope that the farm’s sheep may have some alternative grazing in a few weeks, which would take the pressure off the grassland and allow it to recuperate before winter. Here cover crops have been planted as part of the Showcase trial

Cover crop trials Jake says the idea is to assess the winter hardiness of different species with the aim of reducing reliance on glyphosate for cover crop destruction, as well as assessing earthworm activity and rooting depth in the different treatments.

Walking across the treatments he notes winter linseed in one strip has established well and ponders on why it’s not so easy to get going when planted as a monocrop.

“Perhaps it does better with other species around it,” he says.

Nearing the top of the hill, which reaches 1000 feet (305m) at its highest point, the soil becomes distinctly brashier.

The OSR planted here a few weeks ago is looking undamaged and with 3-4 true

leaves, has got past the stage when it’s most susceptible to cabbage stem flea beetle. Standing guard around the plants are its companions, vetch and berseem clover, and the barley volunteers have recently been sprayed off.

“We’ve put in a hybrid, DSV Darling, because of its good autumn and spring vigour. Because of the high stone content up here, we normally only get around 50% establishment. We planted 42 seeds/m2 with the aim of getting 20-25 plants/m2,” he explains.

“We’ll give the crop a nutritional boost shortly, with phosphite to encourage rooting and some foliar AF Pulsar (S, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, Mo and Co).”

All in all, this harvest has been a reminder that the climate is changing.

“Although harvest was an easy one, it was stressful for everyone because of the fire risk. The stress was multiplied by supply chain issues which meant that if the combine went up, the capacity to replace it wasn’t necessarily there,” says Jake.

“We’re open access here, with lots of footpaths and permitted rights of way, so we all have to take on board the potential risks, and not just as farmers but the general public too.” ■

Capitalising on ‘natural capital’ Natural capital Natural capital is much talked about but hard to quantify. CPM explores what the term means, finds out how best to integrate it as part of a farming business and asks why we should all care about it.

By Lucy de la Pasture

New focus “Farmers have been incentivised at a relatively small scale, but all of this is starting to ramp up and new agricultural support schemes are going to have a much bigger focus on natural capital and the environment,” explains Glyn.

“The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), for example, is quite a broad scheme to get lots of farmers investing in environmental projects, and if all those actions are applied properly and in the right location, you’ll start to get improvements in natural capital. It’s ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ kind of thing.”

Glyn believes farmers will be paid with a mixture of public and private funds for their natural capital work in future, as corporate companies look to the agricultural sector to help them offset their emissions.

“Private sector money will come as businesses –– from water companies and developers to banks and insurance companies –– start thinking about natural capital and what it means for them,” says Glyn.

“How the public and private funds eventually merge together in a coherent way is still to be determined, but you can only take advantage of these natural

“

You can only take advantage of these natural capital opportunities if you know what you’ve got in the first place.

”

capital opportunities if you know what you’ve got in the first place.”

He likens natural capital markets –– whether they be in the form of selling

▲

Even though the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme has recently been placed ‘on hold’ [at the time of writing], the unrecognised value of nature has been central to a number of prominent government reviews of late.

Natural capital is just one element that’s come to the fore as agricultural policy has turned its focus towards paying farmers public money for public goods and private markets have developed to trade this important asset.

According to Glyn Jones, head of plant science at Fera Science, there’s an opportunity to create new revenue streams from the natural capital value of the land.

“Natural capital is a way of describing society’s dependence upon nature for our existence. It reduces greenhouse gases, is a store of carbon, protects areas from flooding, improves air quality and creates good conditions for more biodiversity –– and these are all public goods in economic terms.”

He says despite farmers being some of the prime providers of these public goods, there has been little financial incentive in the past 20-30 years for them to really focus their efforts on improving the natural capital value of their land.

There has been little financial incentive in the past 20-30 years for farmers to really focus their efforts on improving the natural capital value of their land, says Glyn Jones. crop production magazine october 2022 49

Natural capital Fixing environmental damage Passionate about the environment, Suffolk farm manager Glenn Buckingham believes society should pay farmers to repair ecological damage.

Glenn, who is farm manager at the Helmingham Estate’s 800ha home farm, is using Land360 to map the biodiversity of the whole 2000ha estate. Made up of mainly arable farms, the estate is also home to some livestock in the form of cattle and pigs. The home farm includes 135ha of parkland, which is home to deer and a 70ha block of woodland.

“I’ve fully embraced the thought that ELMs won’t provide sufficient cash for all the things that have to be done to restore biodiversity.

Therefore the private markets will come along and wish to invest and/or offset their activities on agricultural land,” says Glenn, who is also a director at the Suffolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG).

“Knowing that, you then realise there’s a need to know more precisely the natural assets you have.”

He says the whole estate is being assessed using the service and 3000 individual parcels of

The long-term plan at the Helmingham Estate is to use the mapping to identify good and poor-quality habitats and then work to improve it. land or habitat have been identified, including everything from hedgerows and individual fields to ponds and woodland.

“We now have to look at those and verify their quality to build up a picture of how good they are and what condition they’re in,” says Glenn.

“The long-term plan with mapping is that it will identify good and poor-quality habitats and we can then work to improve the habitat or its condition.”

He says the initial mapping exercise cost

around £5 per ha and once the full service has been used it will have cost the estate £20-25 per ha.

“We might be able to trade carbon at £30 a tonne but quite what seven species of bats on our farm, or three species of owl or 12 newts per pond are worth, we’re not sure yet. There’s a matrix for biodiversity net gain which planners have to go through, and I imagine we will all engage to learn how it benefits land managers.”

Improving biodiversity at famous North Yorkshire estate A strong desire to help tackle the twin climate and biodiversity crises is the driving force behind a change in focus at the arable operation at a famous North Yorkshire estate. The 3640ha Castle Howard Estate –– famed as the backdrop for many TV programmes including Netflix’s Bridgerton series –– was one of the first estates to make use of the tool.

Castle Howard chief executive Jasper Hasell says the whole estate –– including the 920ha home farm –– has been mapped and 6000 land parcels, or habitats, were identified. He says the key driver for understanding the estate’s biodiversity and natural capital is a desire from its owners –– the Howard family –– to “do their bit”.

“The Howard family are passionate about the environment,” explains Jasper. “They are very aware that we’re facing a climate and biodiversity emergency and being stewards of such a large area of land they feel very responsible and driven to do their bit.”

He says the initial mapping of the estate revealed a huge variation in the biodiversity scores for the home farm’s woodland and grassland areas, when compared with the arable ground.

“That was quite surprising because we realised, for example, that a small intervention on the arable side can make a big difference to the biodiversity numbers and carbon sequestration,” says Jasper.

50 crop production magazine october 2022

The Castle Howard estate has identified that the most gains can be made by tweaking the arable side of the business.

“That led us to focus on that.”

Areas of focus for the arable operation at Castle Howard include assessing what parts of fields are profitable, which are marginal, and which struggle to break even. “Where it isn’t profitable, we’re asking is there a better use of that land?” explains Jasper.

“That might be on the edges or patches of fields, so we’re looking at farming the most efficient rectangle in a funny shaped field, for example.”

Other focus areas include more use of precision agriculture equipment for fertiliser applications and deploying weather stations around the estate for more accurate crop pest and disease forecasting.

Jasper adds: “We’re also looking at more extensive use of cover cropping to stop soil

degradation and carbon loss through run-off, exploring crops that are less intensive in terms of turning the soil and bring in very heavy machinery, and we’re exploring the use of agroforestry.

“We’re trialling different cultivation techniques too, to maintain ground cover all year round –– from cover crop to cash crop and back into cover crop. This gives us the opportunity to re-integrate livestock into the rotation.”

Data from Land360 has been used to help the estate apply for funding from the Nature-based Solutions for Climate grant programme, and the next step in Castle Howard’s wider biodiversity-boosting journey will be an estate-wide soil sampling programme. “It’s quite an exciting time,” adds Jasper.

Natural capital ▲

carbon or biodiversity credits –– to diversification and says farmers should view them as additional income streams for their businesses.

“I’d advise viewing your farm as a portfolio, which can bring in income from natural capital as well as agricultural production.”

Glyn acknowledges that diving headfirst into one of the new post-Brexit agrienvironment schemes is likely to be daunting for those who haven’t been involved in similar schemes in the past.

“When it comes to making future land-use decisions, it requires an awareness of the range of options available or what’s possible with the land’s assets, as well as considering what’s right for a business in the long-term. As a starting point, I’d advise actively looking for something to dip a toe into,” he says.

Baseline measurements And once the decision has been made to embark on a natural capital journey, Glyn believes creating a baseline from which to measure and manage natural capital assets is essential. It was this belief, and the backdrop of a move towards rewarding farmers for delivering public goods, which led to Fera to creating its Land360 service.

Glyn says the service, which is available in three tiers, is designed to help farmers and landowners harness the opportunities available to them in the emerging natural

Creating a baseline from which to measure and manage natural capital assets is essential and biodiversity mapping tools can help achieve this. capital and biodiversity markets. The point of Land360 is to help identify the natural capital on the farm.

“If you don’t know what you’ve got and what you could have, you can’t really try and grab that opportunity.”

The first tier of the service is desk-based and uses remote-sensing and geographic information systems to map out an area of land into different habitat areas, giving each one a score in terms of its carbon storage capacity and biodiversity value, explains Glyn.

“The second tier involves visiting the farm, looking more closely at each of the habitats and rating them as good or poor quality, helping identify any areas for improvement. The third tier models different scenarios on the land to see

where there’s scope to monetise its carbon and biodiversity value.”

Glyn acknowledges that the service is more suited to mapping out a larger area of land at the moment, both practically and from a cost perspective, lending itself to estates or a collective of smaller farms.

“Groups of farmers would benefit by coming together to map out their land and identify opportunities to make the most from their natural capital,” he notes.

“You want to be able to know the potential of your land,” says Glyn. “How much carbon could your farm store and how much could you sell it for? How many biodiversity credits could you create on your farm and is there a demand for those credits? It’s those kinds of questions that Land360 can start answering.” ■

Why should we care about natural capital and biodiversity?

It’s in the interests of all farmers to take stock of the natural capital value of their land and do all they can to restore and improve it, according to Suffolk FWAG chief executive, Anna Beames.

Against the backdrop of emissions reduction targets and a drive to restore and improve the natural environment, Anna believes farmers have an opportunity to be part of the solution.

“Farming is the only sector in the world that can reduce carbon emissions and sequester them because it owns the land,” she says.

“Historically, natural capital on-farm had no value at all, so it’s about taking a new perspective. Harnessing natural capital is a business decision and should be respected as such.”

She encouraged all farmers to spend the next few years understanding the state of their farm’s natural capital, with a tool such as Fera’s service. Anna has been involved with Land360’s

use at the Helmingham Estate in Suffolk and is hopeful the service can be rolled out to Suffolk FWAG members to use collectively as a group.

“It’s a positive management tool to capture your natural capital assets,” explains Anna.

“It allows you to create a baseline where you can measure change from.

“If you have very low natural capital, you can get busy creating more, while if you have legacies like old ponds, it highlights where you can get busy restoring that natural capital value.

At a farm level, it’s important to prioritise your business aspirations so that your natural capital investments work in tandem with your farm objectives.

“For now, my advice is to spend at least the next two or three years understanding natural capital value, building and investing in it,” she says.

At a farm level, it’s important to prioritise your business aspirations so that your natural capital investments work in tandem with your farm objectives, according to Anna Beames.

crop production magazine october 2022 51

Science leads the ‘third way’ “ Biologicals

The Valagro group, recently acquired by Syngenta, selected journalists from across the world for a tour of its R&D facility in Italy that puts biological products under intense scrutiny. CPM exclusively represented UK farmers.

By Tom Allen-Stevens It looks like a heat lamp passing very slowly about 1.5m above the maize plants below. “We call it the plant eye,” explains Giovanni Povero, global head of plant science at Valagro.

“It’s a phenomic scanner that gives us very precise and detailed information about the physiology of the plant. There are a number of sensors integrated into one eye that capture the parameters in real time, and that data is passed on to our bioinformatics team.”

The plants under scrutiny are sitting in a greenhouse on the rooftop of one of Valagro’s research labs at Atessa, on the coast east of Rome in Italy. The facility has 4500m2 under glass where the aim is to extract every detail of biotic and abiotic stress a plant may endure, and more importantly how that can be overcome.

“What we’re looking to build up is a genomic fingerprint. That will tell us what 52 crop production magazine october 2022

genes in the plant are upregulated under specific conditions.”

Giovanni leads the delegation of international journalists down into the bowels of the building, through various labs in which some of the team of 40 scientists are extracting, sampling, filtrating and fermenting all manner of natural raw materials, from seaweed to complex fungi.

Digital fingerprint He stops by a computer terminal and brings up what looks like a thousand blobs posted within a circle on the cross-hairs of a chart.

“Every raw material we use has a digital fingerprint. The chemical composition of this is so important –– we need to know it’s stable and we need to know it’s consistent,” he says.

It’s this approach to biologicals that drew in the interest of Syngenta Group. The massive multinational was formed in June 2020 following a merger involving Syngenta, which was acquired by Chemchina for $43bn, Adama and China’s Sinochem. The result is a group with 53,000 employees worldwide. It’s number one in crop protection, number three in seeds and leads the field in biologicals, says global head of Syngenta Biologicals Corey Huck.

“Biologicals are not new. What’s new is the application of science, and that’s what impresses us most about Valagro –– they have a very science-based approach,” he says.

Syngenta acquired Valagro, that has a turnover of $190M, in October 2020 and now the research facility at Atessa has become the main R&D centre for biologicals, and sits

We see the future as a combination of chemical and biological complementing each other, informed by the use of data.

”

alongside Syngenta Crop Protection’s six other sites, including Jealott’s Hill in the UK. Together these represent an R&D budget of more than $750M/yr across crop protection for Syngenta Group.

Corey estimates the biologicals market to be worth $4bn at present, and this is set to rise to $10bn by 2030. “They’re an essential part of sustainable and regenerative agriculture, providing growers with more choices to manage resistance, improve soil health and reduce residue in foods, as well as address climate change impacts. Our Good Growth Plan has committed to invest $2bn in sustainable agriculture by 2025.”

The phenomic scanner gives very precise and detailed information about the physiology of the plant.

Biologicals

Scientists aim to build a digital fingerprint of every raw material Valagro uses.

Giuseppe Natale specialised from the start in developing naturally derived products, but uses all technologies available to get quality and consistency. and biostimulants to RNA biomolecules, natural extracts and microbes.

The sheer breadth and complexity presents an R&D challenge, but Camilla believes “digital will provide a way to refine the R&D. That’s not just about how we explore the technology in the lab, but also how it’s applied in the field.”

She highlights Syngenta’s digital farming platform Cropwise, with close to 80M ha now digitally connected worldwide, 16.5TB of ▲

But it’s not a stand-alone sector, he says.

“We see the future as a combination of chemical and biological complementing each other, informed by the use of data.”

And it’s this marriage of nature with the intense scrutiny of science that you see throughout the facility. Valagro calls it “the third way mindset –– pursuing excellence and applying science to agriculture to produce more and healthier food with sustainability at heart”.

This approach underpins the company, says its founder Giuseppe Natale.

“Sustainability was not really a concept when we started in 1980. But to me it’s about being a good citizen. I didn’t feel good about setting up a chemical company in the aftermath of the chemical disaster in Bhopal. So we set out with strong environmental principles.”

He specialised from the start in developing naturally derived products, but recognised growers needed quality and consistency and that results were not always evident from some of the natural products available.

“We have always been led by the science and aim to combine all the technologies available in our products. That’s the difference in this sector –– you get innovation in crop protection, so we built a company around innovation in crop nutrition,” he says.

Giuseppe believes soil health is the challenge the industry hasn’t even recognised yet. “The degradation of our soils could have even more impact on us than

climate change. Our soils are so complex and yet so ignored –– we spend more money on studying the stars in the sky than we do on considering what lies beneath our feet and how it could improve the productivity of the food we grow.”

But this is just one of many competing priorities growers have, says Syngenta Group head of crop protection research Camilla Corsi. To illustrate this, she highlights eight priorities that crop protection products aim to address, including potency, product safety, mode of action, a broad spectrum and cost efficiency. Increasingly important are climate resilience and soil health, integrated pest management and a product fit for a specific farmer, consumers and the food value chain.

“There’s no way one single technology will bring solutions to all these aspects, which is why we’re focused on delivering a very broad portfolio of products to the grower,” she says.

Modern synthetic compounds sit alongside naturally derived products, and within this there’s a broad range of technologies. This spans from micronutrients

Putting science into biostimulants Valagro has branded its 30 years’ experience and current approach in working with natural growth in plants as GeaPower. This “innovative technology platform” has some core aspects: ● Extraction and understanding – Valagro claims its experience with its raw materials have refined both the best method to separate out the active components and the knowledge on their biological and chemical characteristics.

Cutting-edge analytics – genomics, phenomics, proteomics and metabolomics are used to decipher the genetic and molecular triggers and obtain specific physiological responses in plant systems (see below). ● Selection and formulation – once a thorough understanding of the active ingredients and their pathways has been established, the extraction methods are refined and a solution that delivers the desired outcome is developed. ●

Genomics

This is the technique of mapping genes from a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, to identify all the relationships between the individual genes and the physiology of the plant. The activity of different genes is analysed after the formula has been administered to assess which metabolic cycle has been activated.

Phenomics

This is the study of the behaviour of the plant under various field conditions.

Using a Scanalyzer 3D system (the ‘plant eye’), images at different wave lengths of more than 3000 plants/day can be obtained and processed to assess the effects of the prototype under analysis on the phenotype of the plant.

Next generation sequencing

This innovative technology allows the detection of all expressed genes within agronomically relevant crops like corn, soybean and wheat. It allows a greater understanding of the mode of action on crops of interest.

Field trials

Corey Huck estimates the biologicals market to be worth $4bn (£3.7bn) at present, and this is set to rise to $10bn (£9.2bn) by 2030.

Experimental field trials define the best application methods, timing and rates at different conditions and latitudes.

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Biologicals Corteva buys into biologicals

Moving biologicals into row crops is a challenge, but Camilla Corsi says scaling up is the element that plays to Syngenta’s strength. ▲

images from seeds and crop protection R&D and commercial use cases available for analysis, and with datasets that include soil samples drawn from over 400,000 locations over the past 20 years. “Data will provide the predictive model to deliver tailored solutions to crops and fields.”

But are these “tailored solutions” actually available to row-crop growers, especially in the UK? Despite the huge size and potential of the market, 70% of biological products are

Corteva Agriscience is to acquire Spanish microbiological technologies specialist Symborg for an undisclosed sum. The agchem giant has been working closely with a number of biological companies for the past three years, says executive vice president of crop protection Robert King.

“Acquiring Symborg is a significant next step in Corteva’s strategy to accelerate the development of its biologicals portfolio, and it currently used in speciality crops. “Moving into row crops is a challenge, but scaling up is the element that plays to Syngenta’s strength,” says Camilla.

Within Europe, however, there is also the regulatory challenge. “Biocontrols come from different backgrounds, and we need to demonstrate they are safe. But we cannot provide a full regulatory package for every single pathway influenced by a biological product as we do for synthetics under the current EU hazard-based regulatory process.

shows Corteva’s progression towards further establishing itself as a technology leader in this rapid growth segment,” he adds.

Corteva first collaborated with Symborg to scale up and bring farmers Utrisha N, the nutrient-efficiency product launched in the UK in time for the 2022 crop season. The natural-origin biostimulant enables plants to fix nitrogen from the air and make it available to the plant.

“We should move to a more risk-based system, and I think there is now recognition for this within European regulatory authorities and a willingness to have a different discussion around biocontrols.

“When it comes to the UK, we are encouraged by the moves made to promote progress of technologies such as gene-editing. We hope the UK will take the lead and helpus showcase to the EU the benefits of the developments we’re bringing forward,” concludes Camilla. ■

More crop per drop thanks to biostimulant prop The drought that struck across Europe has been a sobering sign of the issue of water scarcity now threatening crops worldwide, notes Valagro senior product manager Alfredo Sgrignuoli.

“As many as eight of the 17 sustainable development goals introduced by the UN in 2015 are linked to water use efficiency (WUE). 70% of the world’s freshwater is used for agricultural activities,” he adds.

Valagro’s answer is Talete, a biostimulant claimed to increase crop water productivity (CWP).

“It’ll give you more crop per drop, both when water is scarce and when there is plenty,” says Alfredo.

Talete has come about through Valagro’s studies of plant phenomics and matching these to the properties of plant-derived biomolecules of the natural raw ingredients the company uses.

Studies show it increases CWP through a biochemical action on the plant physiology, maximising yield without changing the volume of water used for irrigation, explains Alfredo.

“On the contrary –– we’ve found growers can reduce irrigation volume, extend intervals between irrigations, or skip irrigation turns, without loss of crop productivity. Using Talete without any reduction in irrigation volume allows the plant to optimise water use, reducing possible water imbalances that often remain hidden between irrigation shifts, so you can achieve the so-called ‘bridge effect’,” he adds.

It works on the plant through two main

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mechanisms: improving water retention and water absorption, and optimising WUE. The former occurs through the induction of and early response to genes reactive to dehydration, such as dehydrin, as well as an adjustment of stomatal regulation.

WUE is boosted through Talete, causing an increase in photosynthesis by regulating the activity of certain genes involved in this process, including those responsible for biomass allocation.

“Phenomic analysis has shown up an increase in some health indices,” notes Alfredo.

He points to Valagro’s bioinformatics processing, which analyses metabolic pathways.

This suggests Talete can induce key genes for the growth and physiology of the plant, such as geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP), an important intermediate isoprenoid that is converted into gibberellins, carotenoids and chlorophylls.

Results in the field back this up, says Alfredo –– 481 trials worldwide showed an average increase in production of 9% in vegetables, orchards and row crops. The standard total rate is 20 l/ha, applied in up to four doses direct into irrigation water.

There are currently no plans to launch Talete in the UK, but investment into the research, development and launch of biological products for the UK market is an important part of Syngenta and Valagro’s activities, says Dave King, Syngenta technical lead for UK, Ireland and Nordics. YieldOn,

Talete is claimed to increase crop water productivity, both when water is scarce and when there is plenty. sold by Valagro in the UK for cereals and oilseeds has shown yield benefits averaging around 0.5t/ha for winter wheat in distributor trials, he points out.

“With the challenges that growers in the UK are facing from increasing volatility in climate, input costs and markets, biologicals will be an ever-more important tool in ensuring the crop is best prepared for this unpredictable environment, protecting a grower’s investment.

“We apply the same scientific and agronomic rigour across our whole portfolio. Building a deep understanding of these products and how they fit within arable systems in combination with other products and decision support tools is key to ensuring the quality and performance of biological products we offer to growers,” notes Dave.

A sustainable point of view

Sustainability John Deere is a company selling machines and technology, right? Wrong!

The green and yellow giant instead wants to sell farmers sustainability. CPM headed to Germany to find out just what this means and how it can be achieved.

By Melanie Jenkins

Special situation But even since the planning of this second Sustainability Day began, things have changed dramatically, says the firm’s Peter Pickle. “We thought that agriculture could easily solve the problem of food security, but this has altered. Food security has become an even more critical topic in our society and for our policy makers.”

And on top of this, farmers are dealing with acute water shortages or uncharacteristically heavy rainfall, he adds.

“It’s clear that agriculture is in a special situation. On the one hand, agriculture is the solution to climate change and food security, but on the other it’s a large emitter of CO2.”

To tackle this, John Deere believes that all players involved in food production have a responsibility, says Peter. “So as manufacturers, we want to change ourselves to better support food producers as we can help them produce more with fewer inputs.

“One day, in the future, we want to be able to treat each plant as an individual,”

“

”

he says. “To give it exactly what it needs in terms of water and nutrients –– to maximise yield with minimal inputs. We want to do this at the same time as increasing the income for the farmer. And the basic requirement for this precise application is data. Information is of extreme importance as it means the individual steps of production can be connected and allows data to become tangible.” ▲

It’s early September in Magdeburg, Germany, and John Deere is hosting its second Sustainability Day. As the press bus pulls up the host farm’s track, it’s quite obvious that John Deere wants farmers to look beyond its own branded arsenal when considering sustainable production, as towering all around, in every direction, are a multitude of wind turbines. And the rest of the day followed this trend.

“This day isn’t about new product information,” announces Carsten Struve of John Deere. “It’s about innovations that are already available that can improve the sustainability of businesses in-line with the environment.”

In Germany, much the same as for growers in the UK, the pressures of climate change, food security and changing regulations are impacting farmers.

According to Ralf Lenge of John Deere, the area where the host farm is located should be perfect for arable farming, but even there, harvest patterns are shifting because of climate change.

“There are a lot of requirements for German farmers to lower their emissions and the impact of their inputs –– from both society and the government,” says Ralf. “So we, at John Deere, asked: what can we do to help lower emissions and make the industry more sustainable? And at the same time, we have to be able to help farmers produce the same outputs with minimal inputs.”

It’s about innovations that are already available that can improve the sustainability of businesses in-line with the environment.

Peter Pickle believes that John Deere wants to provide solutions under the umbrella of digitalisation to help farmers optimise their decision making.

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Sustainability

By 2026 John Deere wants all of its agricultural machinery to be 100% connected.

precision farming, it’s just a single data point,” he stresses.

But having a sensor on the combine can fill this gap. “Combines are now about collecting both kernels and data,” says Carsten. “This means you can get a better understanding of what happens in the field so that you can plan and set up your fertiliser equipment for the next crop.

“Information collected by John Deere’s HarvestLab sensor is shown on the Gen 4 display in the combine before being sent to the Operation Center and then is available on portable devices, such as phones, so everyone from the operator to farm manager can see it,” he explains.

Optimising N

John Deere’s AutoPath system records the exact rows of the slurry tanker. ▲

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▲

And this is about looking at the complete production system, he stresses. “In the process of growing wheat or oilseed rape, a farmer has to make about 140 decisions.

These decisions can’t be done optimally without data and information, or without looking at the full system. So we want to provide solutions under the umbrella of digitalisation so that farmers can optimise their decision making. As part of this, by 2026 we want all of our agricultural machinery to be 100% connected, creating a network for farmers which will allow them to work more sustainably.”

Some of the tools John Deere feels can help with this include harvest analysis to optimise returns and map out future decisions, nutrient analysis for better application precision, exact planting with organic manures, precise weeding, tailored chemical use and better adoption of electrification and alternative fuels.

The starting point of every season is also the end point, according to Carsten. “When harvest is over, the question for farmers should be whether they met their yield and quality targets. You might ask whether there was anything you didn’t expect or couldn’t explain. You might also have a huge store full of grain that you thought was fit for quality end users but it ends up being downgraded to feed.

“A lot of farmers probably know what a trailer load of grain has achieved but not where in the field this has come from.

And one data point from 20t of grain is not

“Data collected by HarvestLab can produce yield maps to help you identify where in the field the wheat crop got the right level of nitrogen based on the protein level at harvest. Using this data you can improve your nutrient use efficiency by optimising N applications in future based on previous performance. You can make savings just by changing your N distribution across the field.

Plus this also means less leaching and development of ammonia, as well as more income from crop yield in the end,” adds Carsten.

But in OSR this is slightly different to cereals, says agronomist, Stefan Kübler. “In OSR you’re focusing on oil. Too much protein content is an indicator of too much N. Farmers typically use 150-220kgN/ha on OSR to get a lot of yield, but in some areas of the field the N application might turn into protein and not into oil, which you don’t want.

“So knowing where in the field there’s been a higher, or lower oil content is important as this helps you to apply N better in the future,” he says. “And this can all be done using yield maps produced by analysing OSR as it’s harvested.”

According to Carsten, this helps to improve economic efficiency in combination with sustainability. “It can help keep a farm profitable while farming better for the environment.”

Nutrient analysis is another crucial aspect of sustainable farming, stresses Peter.

“Using technology to measure constituents of organic manures can help to close the nutrient cycle and save energy.”

And optimising the use of organic manures has perhaps never been so important, according to Anne Blume of John Deere. “The super high prices and the legal framework around fertiliser use means we have to make changes.”

Looking specifically at maize production and using organic fertiliser, Anne suggests growers first consider their yield expectation for each field individually. “Look at what the soil fertility is like, what you harvested last year and from this estimate what you expect to get this year. From that you can derive your fertiliser requirements.”

But the issue with organic fertiliser is that’s it’s heterogenous, she points out. “So you don’t know what’s in it or how to apply it precisely. This means a risk of over or under fertilising and potentially lost yield, as well as run off or exceeding emissions.”

But using HarvestLab, which has an near infra-red sensor that can measure N, P, K, NH?, dry matter and volume –– taking over 4000 measurements per second –– can help to overcome inconsistencies in organic manure application. This, coupled with Tractor Implement Automation, means the application rate can be automatically altered depending on the constituents of the organic manure, the speed of the tractor and the requirements of that location in the field based on pre-determined maps, explains Anne. “Applications are site specific, based on what plants need. This means more effective applications and potential money savings.”

But what about precisely applying the fertiliser for optimum use by the seed, she asks. “By using strip tillage to only cultivate the area we want to place the maize seed, we keep the structure and soil fertility stable between the rows, which is better in drought and heavy rainfall scenarios.

“So to optimise slurry use, we want to spread it precisely under the maize seed.

But this can be a challenge as implements don’t always follow the line straight behind the tractor due to ground conditions, meaning up to 30% of the yield can be lost if operators don’t hit the target slurry line when drilling,” explains Anne.

But a new software feature can help alleviate these potential inaccuracies.

Data collected by HarvestLab can produce yield maps to help farmers identify where in the field crops are getting the right level of nitrogen.

▲

Sustainability

Digital innovation has allowed the efficient return of tools such as mechanical hoes.

John Deere’s Torben Ahrholz. “Previously, auto guidance systems used the AB of the tractor at planting to guide the mechanical hoe, but this didn’t take into account the movement of the drill, so some of the crop might have been destroyed. But with AutoPath, the exact rows of maize are documented at planting. A guidance plan is then used at weeding to instruct the tractor to automatically adjust the hoe’s position in the field. This allows for better accuracy and high working speeds.”

Digital accuracy

Autopath will adjust the position of the drill to precisely follow the lines of slurry.

Using spot spraying, farmers can apply herbicides to target specific areas in the field. ▲

“John Deere’s AutoPath system records the exact rows of the slurry tanker and automatically transfers this data via the cloud, meaning the tractor will adjust the drill’s position to follow the precise line of slurry and improve strip-till accuracy,” she says.

AutoPath can also be used to improve the accuracy of mechanical weeding, says

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It’s digital innovations that have allowed the return of tools, such as mechanical hoes, adds Peter. “We can now mechanically weed at speeds of up to 16km/h, which can help reduce herbicide use. However, the price of this is higher fuel output –– so in some cases it may be better to use spot spraying.”

Using spot spraying, farmers can apply herbicides to target specific areas in the field based on maps produced from data gathered using drones or satellite imagery, explains Stijn Kroonen of John Deere. “And whereas a hoe can only work between rows, spot or band spraying can get between each plant within a row.”

Based on trials John Deere has carried out in the US, spot spraying can reduce herbicide use by up to 70%, depending on weed pressure, the crop and weather conditions, says Stijn. “But it really is important to hit the precise place, at the right time and at the correct dose rate, which requires an accurate machine to handle the data, with individual nozzle control and which can record what it has actually done.”

As a further step to overcoming the challenge of reducing CO2 emissions from agriculture, John Deere is investing in

electrification, says Peter. “We want to have a fully electric, autonomous tractor in the 100hp range on the market by 2026.

Electric drives are highly energy efficient, dynamically controllable, simple, almost wear-free and are quiet.”

But this goal isn’t without its own challenges, he explains. “Today’s battery technology can’t store enough energy for higher horsepower tractors to run for a full day as they just don’t have the capacity. But we believe that by 2035-2040, we should be able to provide a full range of electric solutions.”

But in the interim John Deere is working on another solution: its MultiFuel engine.

“We are still dependent on the combustion engine, so our concept means we can run different fuels in one tractor using biproducts from other production systems.”

Able to run on diesel, biodiesel, vegetable and pure plant oils, or various blends of there, John Deere hopes the concept will help reduce CO2 emissions and break the link to fossil fuels. “Some of the fuels used in this machine can be both produced by farmers and used by them,” says Peter. “On average, farmers would need to use about 8% of their land to produce the same amount of fuel that they would consume.”

Software in the MultiFuel tractor can automatically detect the fuel mixture used and adjust the engine control system so the applicable emissions standards are met.

Engine power is also altered according to the different energy content of the fuel used.

“We are currently testing the MutliFuel tractor on a trial farm, where it carries out transport and field works,” he explains.

“Although this isn’t on the market yet, it’s another solution to sustainable farming,” says Peter. “It will allow the agricultural sector to supply fuel for itself through plants such as OSR or sunflowers.” ■

Battle of the beasts Tractors

Tractors are constantly being evolved and adapted to incorporate the most modern technology and to meet the changing requirements of the user. CPM explores some of the biggest launches from the past year.

By Melanie Jenkins

Case IH Case IH has recently upgraded a number of its tractor ranges, including the Puma 140-175 series. Sitting in the 155-200hp range, these models have had a redesign with Magnum-style steps to provide easier access. In-cab upgrades include phone mount, USB power ports and a tablet mount to ease in-cab management. Interior materials have been upgraded to premium-quality, automotive-type cab 60 crop production magazine october 2022

technology features to unlock the full potential of the tractor, according to the firm.

Claas Claas has rolled out plenty of new innovations over the past year to keep any fans of their tractors excited.

The launch of a new narrow width track should enable its Axion Terra Trac high horsepower tractors to be used in a more versatile and soil-friendly manner. Designed for problem-free use in row crops, such as when spreading organic fertiliser or working with inter-row hoes, Claas now offers 45.7cm narrow tracks in addition to the current 63.5cm and 73.5cm wide rubber belts.

The Axion Terra Trac can also now be ▲

If there’s one piece of machinery that can help users get the most out of their other kit on farm, it’s the tractor. Whether it’s required for more pulling power, optional extras or the integration of precision technology features, manufacturers are constantly trying to refine their machines.

Here are some of the latest developments and launches.

trim, and a new leather steering.

Puma CVXDrive models have transmission upgrades, to include additional ‘clever’ continuously variable transmission (CVT) features which focus on the driving experience by improving the shuttle and acceleration/deceleration behaviour and enhancing the drive pedal sensitivity. There’s also better Multicontroller sensitivity and position detection, with an override capability added to the cruise control pedal, which should aid users when turning at the headland. CVXDrive settings can be customised via the AFS Pro 700 display.

Case IH has also upgraded its Maxxum 115-150hp range for 2022. The top of the range six-cylinder Maxxum 150 –– all other models are four-cylinder tractors –– has gained 5hp in unboosted rated power to produce 150hp, meaning it moves 5hp ahead when compared with the next model in the line, the Maxxum 145.

All Maxxum models are now available with three specification packages. Maxxum and Multicontroller tractors can be ordered with the ‘selection’ package, a set of commonly sold options covering most customer requirements.

The Maxxum, Multicontroller and CVXDrive tractors can be ordered with the ‘advanced’ pack –– comprising a set of technology features. Lastly, the Multicontroller and CVXDrive models can be specified with the ‘professional’ package, which provides access to the latest

In-cab upgrades to the Case IH Puma include a phone mount, USB power ports and a tablet mount to ease in-cab management.

Tractors Fendt

The launch of a new narrow width track should enable Claas’ Axion Terra Trac high horsepower tractors to be used in a more versatile and soilfriendly manner.

John Deere’s 8R Series now boasts the world’s first electric, infinitely variable transmission with electro-mechanical power split. ▲

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John Deere John Deere has a whole raft of new products and upgrades for users to enhance their tractors or fleet.

On the machine side, the 8R Series now boasts the world’s first electric, infinitely variable transmission with electro-mechanical power split now an option for the top of the range 8R 410 and it’s available for all three machine forms –– 8R wheeled, 8RT and 8RX. According to John Deere, it’s a significant step in the firm’s journey towards electrification. The new transmission concept, which has been developed in partnership with Joskin, offers a durable, infinitely variable transmission in the 400hp plus class.

For the new eAutoPowr, John Deere has completely replaced the hydraulic components with an electric power path.

The electric drive is designed in such a way that it not only supplies the drive, but also provides up to 100kW of electrical power for external implements via 480V variable-frequency three-phase alternating current (AC).

Last year, the 6R Series was upgraded with 14 new generation models in the 110-250hp class which have become ‘smarter’. In addition, four new models have been added to the range, including the four-cylinder 6R 150, aimed particularly at mixed farms, and the six-cylinder 6R 185, a specialist transport tractor for farmers and contractors who spend more time on the road.

A key new feature of the range is the integrated ‘one-click and go’ AutoSetup system, which is designed to make tractor and implement settings quicker and easier.

All the required settings can be pre-planned and managed in the cloud, including agronomic data, such as field boundaries, guidance lines and prescriptions. Another new feature is the E-joystick, which is particularly useful for front-loader work.

Intelligent Power Management (IPM) has been made smarter on the new 6R Series. This means that in addition to IPM functioning in transport and PTO ▲

equipped with the Claas CTIC tyre inflation system on the front axle.

Claas has developed a new generation of GPS Pilot steering systems, in conjunction with Trimble, for its tractors, combine harvesters and forage harvesters. This is already available for the Claas Trion in combination with the new CEMIS 1200 terminal and is now being rolled out to other product areas and series, such as Lexion, Arion, Axion and Jaguar.

The joint development includes satellite-based steering as well as precision farming and the ISOBUS infrastructure, including task management. In addition, Trimble supplies the SAT 900 GNSS receiver specially specified for the new generation of Claas GPS Pilot.

Claas has also integrated Terranimo into CEMOS for tractors from summer 2022, meaning users now have another driving strategy available to them. According to the firm, it’s still the only self-learning, interactive driver assistance and process optimisation system available.

Terranimo is a simulation model which calculates and visualises the risk of harmful compactions. In CEMOS for tractors, this is combined with the current available parameters, such as soil type and condition, working depth, field condition (uncultivated, shallowly tilled or deep tilled), attachment, tyre type, ballasting and more.

Terranimo calculates the compaction risk separately for three soil layers and based on this risk assessment, CEMOS can provide the driver with further recommendations for ballasting and optimising the tyre pressure in order to drive in a way that protects the soil.

Although Fendt’s new seventh generation 700 tractor had already been virtually launched earlier in the year, its official launch was at the firm’s international press conference in August. The machine boasts an entirely new engine and, for the first time in a tractor, eco power mode, according to Roland Schmidt of Fendt. “It’s got a six-cylinder 7.5-litre engine which is the strongest engine in this performance range of tractor. This large engine volume performs on the basis of higher torque, low engine speeds with a max of 1450Nm at 1300rpm.”

The new generation consists of five models in the 203-283hp range. The top model is the 728 Vario, which adds another 20hp via a demand-dependent control system, allowing it to achieve a max of 303hp. The extra power concept is not tied to driving speed and functions dynamically, even when PTO work is carried out at a standstill.

With a power-to-weight ratio of just 30.5kg per hp and compact external dimensions, the Fendt 728 Vario is particularly manoeuvrable and exerts as little pressure as possible on the ground.

Depending on the work application, the range can be flexibly ballasted at the front, as well as at the rear on the back wheels.

With an unladen weight of 8.8t and a payload of 6.2t, the model has a maximum admissible weight of 15t.

The entire drive train has been redesigned on a continuous concept from the front to back, including the rear axle.

The transmission is stepless up to 60km/h and has an intelligently controlled AWD management system which automatically switches as required. This eliminates the need for manual switching when changing between field and road operations.

The range has been equipped with a new hydraulically driven integrated fan. At 56cm in diameter, it allows for a compact bonnet which enables the large steering angle of 520, and its innovative design means 40% less drive power is required compared with a conventional fan and cooling system.

The fully integrated Fendt VarioGrip tyre pressure control system has been designed to increase the contact area with the ground and boosts tractive power by up to 8%, according to the firm. When driving on the road, the air pressure is raised and thus the rolling resistance is reduced meaning another 2% of fuel can potentially be saved.

The tractor and implements are operated individually via the multifunction joystick and the optional 3L joystick in FendtONE onboard. The Fendt 700 Vario is equipped

with a 25.4cm digital dashboard and a 30.5cm terminal on the armrest as standard.

An additional 30.5cm terminal in the headliner is available as an option.

Smart functions, such as the Fendt Guide guidance system, the automatic Fendt Section Control (SC) or the use of Fendt Variable Rate Control (VRC), are displayed as required on the individually assignable tiles on the terminals.

Tractors is to improve assisted steering efficiency and John Deere claims it reduces overlap by up to 90%, be it on straight, curved or circular tracks and in low visibility conditions.

The AutoTrac set-up data –– like machine and implement offsets, boundaries and guidance lines –– can be safely stored and backed up in the John Deere Operations Center.

New Holland New Holland’s T7 tractor introduced the Horizon Ultra cab and the next generation of Precision Land Management (PLM) Intelligence features.

A key new feature of John Deere’s 6R series is the integrated ‘one-click and go’ AutoSetup system. ▲

applications, it also delivers additional horsepower in hydraulic applications as required. The four-cylinder models can now deliver up to 20hp and the six-cylinder models up to 40hp when using hydraulic fans, pumps and the most power-hungry hydraulic implements, eg wrapping balers, slurry tankers and drills.

On the precision side, John Deere has introduced AutoTrac assisted steering, which claims to be capable of reducing input costs by up to 8% and increase productivity by as much as 14%. The idea behind this feature

Last year saw the launch of New Holland’s heavy duty T7 and it’s still representing the firm’s vision for agriculture and its commitment to making the advantages of intelligent farming technologies widely available to farmers. The tractor introduced the Horizon Ultra cab and the next generation of Precision Land Management (PLM) Intelligence features.

New Holland also introduced the new PLM Cygnus receiver, which is core to the enhanced auto guidance architecture on its tractors featuring PLM Intelligence. It’s designed to provide reliable position, compensating for terrain variations, and should help deliver accurate and reliable guidance.

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Valtra Valtra’s latest release is its Q Series tractors which slots into the 230-305hp range to fill the gap between the firm’s T and S Series.

The 7.4-litre six-cylinder engine range, with stepless CVT transmission, consists of five models producing up to 1280Nm of torque, with the small models able to have a 20hp boost should owners want it. Maximum power is available at very low engine speeds of 1850rpm and the maximum torque stays consistent in the range of 1500-1800rpm.

The Q Series also comes with Valtra EcoPower, which the firm claims can reduce fuel consumption by up to 10%.

The past year has also seen the addition of automatic headland turn on Valtra’s fourth and fifth generation N and T Series tractors and the new Q Series. Together with Auto U-Pilot headland automation and Valtra Guide automated steering, the new SmartTurn feature completes the automation of field tasks by automatically turning the tractor in the headland.

As a result, the driver doesn’t have to touch the steering wheel at all over the entire field. This novelty aims to improve precision, save time and fuel, prevent soil compaction and should enable the driver to focus entirely on the quality of work, according to the firm.

Using SmartTurn begins by defining the boundary of the field and headland, unless these are already programmed into the Valtra Guide system. After this, the required turning radius is calibrated according to the type of implement being used and by turning the tractor sharply to the right and left. The final step is to select between two turning options: u-turn and part-field mode.

In u-turn mode, the tractor turns automatically in the headland into the adjacent undriven wayline. The tractor makes a small u-shaped turn in the headland according to the maximum turning radius.

This requires a relatively large headland.

And in part-field mode, the tractor turns automatically in the headland into the third, fourth or further wayline. This requires a smaller headland than for u-turns. Both are suitable for mounted and trailed implements. ■

Precision foraging Foragers

By Melanie Jenkins Whether farmers are producing forage for livestock, anaerobic digesters or a more specialised market, having the right machine for the job can help reduce losses and optimise crop quality. Below are some of the key releases for the 2022/23 season.

John Deere is revising its 8000 and 9000 Series forage harvester portfolio for the model year 2023. The focus is primarily on the smaller models belonging to the 8000 Series, but the 9000 Series also receives important updates to further increase performance, announces the firm.

Looking at the changes to the 8000 Series, in addition to a facelift, the 8100, 8200 and 8300 models will receive additional horsepower. The 8100 forage harvester has a 9-litre engine and now delivers a maximum power of 431hp and replaces the current 8200. For 2023, the 8200 will receive a larger, 13.5-litre engine which will increase its output by 34hp to 465hp. The improvements to the 8000 Series are rounded off by the new 8300, which now has a maximum output of 505hp instead of the previous 490hp.

So what’s new in the 9000 Series?

Joining its sister models in the series, the 9700 forage harvester now also gets the 18-litre JD18X engine, a move which aims to improve the harvester’s performance.

The new engine also introduces HarvestMotion Plus, a concept which means the machine can operate in its sweet spot with less engine rpm, more

power, a high torque increase, it doesn’t require AdBlue and has lower fuel consumption. As a result, the 9700 machine can deliver up to 825hp.

Furthermore, all 9000 Series self-propelled forage harvesters are now equipped with a newly designed discharge chute, which is 20cm longer than the previous version and enables a higher throughput while providing a better overview during chopping.

John Deere has also developed a new high throughput grass pick-up with

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If the 2022 forage growing season has highlighted anything, it’s that forage cannot be undervalued, so optimising harvesting is as important as ever. CPM explores some of the latest machines and developments to hit the market.

John Deere

The biggest development for Claas’ Jaguar 900 series is the expansion of the options for the front-attachment drive.

crop production magazine october 2022 65

Foragers

John Deere’s 9700 forge harvester now also gets the 18-litre JD18X engine. ▲

Kemper –– the 30R. It has a working width of 2.7m and is equipped with a large 80cm diameter auger, with deep 20cm

auger flights and six tine bars with 6.5mm tines pick up. The 30R features a chainless drive and heavy-duty wear parts

that help reduce maintenance costs.

Recognising that operators work long hours during tight silaging windows, operator comfort is also addressed with a range of measures, one of which is AutoSetup. If the machine is equipped with a JDLink modem, data can be exchanged wirelessly and free of charge with the John Deere Operations Center.

This allows workflows to be set up, planned and monitored in a single online portal.

Using this connectivity, it’s possible to send information to forage harvesters directly in the field and pre-planned work schedules will automatically appear on the Gen 4 display when the machine crosses the designated field boundary. This gives the driver direct access to the correct lanes, work settings and field boundaries.

Claas

The 9000 Series are now equipped with a newly designed discharge chute, which is 20cm longer than the previous version.

Last year, Claas’ introduced a raft of new features to its Jaguar 900 series forage harvesters associated with the feeder unit, the corncracker, and the silage additive dosing system.

The biggest development for the Jaguar 900 series is the expansion of the options for the front attachment drive. In addition to the all-mechanical drive and the variable drive for the ‘Pick Up’ grass and ‘Orbis’ maize headers, it’s now possible for customers to specify a twin hydraulic drive which offers particular benefits when working with the ‘Pick Up’.

If users select the twin hydraulic drive, the intake auger continues to be driven via the quick-release coupler and can adjust its speed in accordance with the length of

Foragers

The new engine in the 9000 Series has HarvestMotion Plus so it can operate with a lower rpm and more power. contractors are being increasingly faced with is being forced to rely on silage additives in grass crops with a high dry matter (DM) content. In order to simplify dosage preparation for the factory fitted

silage additive system, Claas has developed a practical app. This helps the operator to find the appropriate dosage and the correct set-up dependent on the crop, yield, and the information provided

According to Claas, the design of the MCC Max is unique in the market and allows operation across a wide range of cut lengths.

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cut. The pick-up reel, however, has an all-new hydraulic drive which allows it to be driven with variable speed adjustment independent of the intake auger. The principal objective of enabling the pick-up reel speed to be varied is to allow it to be adjusted automatically to the forager’s ground speed, so the faster the forward trajectory of the machine the quicker the pick-up reel moves.

Some of the key advantages of this functionality include efficient raking action at all ground speeds with low wear; if the ground velocity or the set length of cut is changed, the rotations of the auger and reel are adjusted automatically to the prevailing conditions. If necessary, the operator can adjust both speeds from the cab to suit the harvesting situation.

It should therefore be possible to respond to changing harvesting conditions, either automatically or manually from the cab.

As a result, it should be more accurate crop feeding and consistent crop flow overall, especially in variable conditions.

Claas has also released a new wear-resistant coating for the Multi Crop Cracker Max, which the company claims will provide a fourfold increase in service life length. In field testing, MCC Max Cracker units –– which include the BusaClad coating –– have been able to process over 3100ha of maize, with some units now entering their fourth season.

According to Claas, the design of the MCC Max is unique in the market and allows operation across a wide range of cut lengths and processes the crop with cutting and shear forces as well as friction.

One of the challenges farmers and

Foragers ▲

by the silage additive manufacturer.

The ultimate aim is to avoid both under and excess dosage of the additive.

Both the Jaguar 800 and 900 now have a water injection system to help deal with very difficult harvesting conditions, such as grass with a very high sugar content or lucerne. Controlled via the CEBIS terminal, this system automatically injects water into the feeder unit, guide plate area, accelerator and discharge chute from its 375-litre tank whenever there is no crop flow. This should help to prevent a build-up of material in the crop flow and helps to keep the DM sensor or NIR sensor clean and accurate.

All Orbis maize front attachments are now equipped as standard with wear-resistant steel guide strips which were previously only available as an option. The ex-factory Premium Line range for Orbis maize front attachments has been enhanced with extended wear coatings on existing wear parts. In addition, other machine parts are protected against wear by new, replaceable wear parts.

Fendt’s Katana 850 has an in-line six-cylinder engine from Liebherr, a displacement of 18 litres, and an output of 847hp/623 kW.

Fendt By launching its Katana 850, Fendt has entered the 800hp plus forage harvester market, 10 years after the delivery of the first foragers bearing the same name. The new model includes innovations such as the revised crop flow, a reversible fan and a new 12-row header to meet the requirements for high efficiency and output. Under the bonnet, it’s powered by an in-line six-cylinder engine from Liebherr, which has a displacement of 18 litres and an output of 847hp/623kW. If the full power of the forage harvest isn’t required, it can be operated in fuel-efficient Eco Mode. This maintains the usual running speed of the chopping cylinder at reduced engine speed, making it possible to work fuel-efficiently in both full-load and partial-load operation.

The new model’s eco credentials are evident throughout the machine. As an option, the 850 –– like the 650 –– has a reversible fan with variable fan blade pitch technology. The pitch of the individual fan blades can be adjusted as required so that exact cooling capacity should always be achieved. But if the full cooling capacity is not required, the power saved at the fan is fed into the rest of the machine. The reversing function on the fan cleans the cooling package of debris and fine dust. The automatic control of this function is designed to relieve the driver of 68 crop production magazine october 2022

Foragers stress, allowing them to focus on the job at hand.

Optimised crop flow can have a significant impact on the machine’s throughput and chop quality. So when developing the machine, Fendt’s focus was on a uniform feed flow at high throughputs and, at the same time, minimal power requirements.

In addition, the Kemper 490plus header –– with a 12-row working width –– is available for the Katana. With this header, the full power of the machine should be fully utilised and harvesting time windows can be optimised.

A third skid and reduced set up times should improve ground following capabilities. The header is suspended on the pendulum frame of the Katana 850 and allows for variations of up to 14°.

Attention to detail

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There has been further attention to detail to the feed intake, with six pre-compression rollers designed to help ensure optimum pre-compression of the forage and to produce good chop quality with a consistent chop length. Metal and stone detectors on the first pre-compression rollers help to prevent damage to the chopping cylinder. Towards the rear of the intake, the crop volume is recorded via a sensor and this data can then be used for yield monitoring and documentation.

With a 720mm diameter chopping cylinder, the 850 has the largest on the market, claims the company. This large diameter, with its high flywheel mass, should mean smooth running and increased driver comfort. Optional chopping cylinders with 20, 28 or 40 knives are also available for the forage harvester –– covering chop lengths of between 2.6-41.4mm.

The position of the knives allows a pulling cut and this should result in a good chop quality, according to the firm. The knives are fixed by means of a slotted hole which allows them to be repositioned once and also means the entire length of the knife can be utilised. According to Fendt, this should help to extend the life span of the individual knives which are kept razor sharp by the machine’s knife sharpening system, which continuously adjusts the sharpening stone for gentle grinding when in operation.

Fendt offers three different roller crackers with a diameter of 300mm. The standard R cracker has a sawtooth profile and is suitable for chop lengths of up to 20mm, whereas the optional RS cracker has a

The six pre-compression rollers on the feed intake of the Katana 850 are designed to help ensure optimum pre-compression of the forage.

Foragers

Both the Jaguar 800 and 900 now have a water injection system to help deal with very difficult harvesting conditions. ▲

V spiral groove which has been developed for optimal processing of longer chop lengths. The speed difference of 30%, or optionally 40%, ensures thorough processing of the crop.

The discharge chute has been revised so that it can be precisely controlled and centred so that when the crop is blown into the trailer, losses are avoided. The loading height of up to 6.2m is designed to allow for targeted transfer of the crop, even with large trailers and the Fendt filling assistant is available as an option for the 850.

If the discharge chute swivels, the discharge flap is automatically controlled with the result that trailers are filled more evenly. This aims to

take pressure off the driver, providing time to focus on feeding crop into the machine and this is helped by the positioning of a camera directly next to the discharge flap, which allows the best view of the crop flow.

Optionally, Fendt also offers an interface for an NIR sensor.

This allows farmers and contractors to measure the DM content of the crop, among other things, and an ISOBUS interface enables the use of different sensors.

As with the older 650, the intelligent AWD system, BalancedGrip, is also available as an option for the new model. The 850 is available to order now and will be delivered for the 2023 season. ■

The discharge chute of the Katana 850 has been revised so that it can be precisely controlled when the crop is blown into the trailer to avoid losses.

70 crop production magazine october 2022

Memorable for the wrong reasons

Season round-up There’s little doubt that 2022 has been a memorable season and particularly challenging for potato growers. CPM takes a look at how this season is stacking up.

By Lucy de la Pasture

Government priorities Despite all the recent government pledges on food security and sustainability, it quickly became apparent that the Environment Agency was treading a different path, says Neil. “Their continued intransigence to help farmers, despite their numerous pleas, has highlighted how far down its list of priorities farming and food production actually are.”

He points out that potatoes will be in short supply this season and, as one of the staples of the UK diet, there’s demand for them throughout the year. “Whether as fresh or processed, the market demands supplies from growers for every month of the year –– new crop, later maincrop or potatoes for processing as chips, fries, crisps and other snacks or ready meals.

“The only way to ensure that we are able to meet this demand with British potatoes is by sustainable, long-term storage. Failure in this respect can only be offset by a dramatic rise in imports.”

Potato acreage in the UK, despite some reductions, has tended to gravitate towards the larger growers. “This is hardly surprising when you consider the massive investment involved, not just to grow the

“

Those seeking to feed the nation with potatoes and vegetables have suffered terribly and this will be reflected rapidly both in terms of scarcity, quality and price.

”

crop, but to build and run these complex stores –– notwithstanding the massive hikes in their energy costs. The challenge of lifting potatoes in mid-September and then supplying them back to the market in good condition, some 10 months later, needs both skill and nerve for those who take it on.”

Neil highlights that successful long-term storage needs good early planning, starting at planting time and not when harvesting starts. “Fields have to be matched to variety, soil type, planting date and maturity. Failure to be proactive in these areas will just increase the risk of poor results,” he notes.

Conditions at lifting are obviously crucial, with growers looking for clean, set-skinned, undamaged product going into store. “This isn’t always easy as we move into autumn, but if they don’t go in right, they won’t come out right.” ▲

There’s an old adage that life can only be understood by looking backwards but must be lived forwards. It’s possible that the same could apply to growing potatoes.

Agrovista agronomist Neil Buchanan admits to remembering 1976. As just a teenager, he recalls it seemed rather fun.

“I was oblivious to any consequences for British farmers and the lurking menace of global warming and climate change, we just enjoyed it until the rains came in the middle of September.”

Fast forward to the summer of 2022 and he has a different perspective. “The damage and trauma wrought by Mother Nature this summer will stay fresh in our memories for generations. Stifling temperatures, coupled with widespread drought, ravaged many sectors of our industry. Crops withered, driven to early senescence, yields and quality evaporated and landscapes were covered by the black scars of fire.

“While growers with combinable crops didn’t fare too badly in the West, with yields in many cases above expectation, those seeking to feed the nation with potatoes and vegetables have suffered terribly and this will be reflected rapidly both in terms of scarcity, quality and price.”

crop production magazine october 2022 71

Season round-up

In recent years there’s been a shift towards growing potatoes on unirrigated land and where water was available this season, it was often in short supply. ▲

Looking at the current crop, Neil says the ravages of the summer weather are easy to spot, even in irrigated crops.

“We find ourselves in the situation where irrigated ground is in short supply and, as such, the proportion of unirrigated crops has increased. This may relate to growers searching for clean PCN-free fields but is also down to the trend of newer varieties deemed suitable for this scenario.”

Whatever the reasons, 2022 will be remembered for the wrong reasons, he says. “The trade is awash with stories of fieldsmen reporting poor results from test digs. Not only will it be difficult to fill stores this season, it will be equally difficult to manage them to ensure a good outturn.”

Why? Neil says it’s easy to see when you break down what’s trying to be achieved in store, a list which includes sprout suppression, reduction or elimination of weight loss, prolonging dormancy, maintenance of fry colours, reducing respiration and ensuring a marketable appearance when being graded out.

“Most of these fall into the category of store management, but it really starts before that –– in the field. Maleic hydrazide applied to the crop is the keystone to getting a storage programme off to a good start. Getting the timing accurate remains a frustrating challenge and matching agronomic considerations with climatic conditions has proved exceptionally difficult this season, and there are many instances where difficulties proved insurmountable and the product remains in the shed.”

UPL, marketeers of Fazor, acknowledge the problems caused by the weather this year. “Trying to get the timing right to fulfil 70 crop production magazine october 2022

the major label criteria, such as haulm showing active growth, higher relative humidity, crops not under stress, 3-5 weeks before desiccation, apply on its own etcetera, hasn’t proved easy, with the exception of the label comment which suggests ‘application within 24hrs of rainfall is advised against’.”

Uptake of MH Despite this, UPL remain positive about a positive outcome for those who did manage to apply MH, says Neil. “It’s important not to forget the other benefits of reducing secondary growth and chain tuberization, both of which may be an issue this year. Its other prime role of reducing groundkeepers will likely be key with the predominance of small tubers in the ridge this season.”

But on the otherhand, he points out that the weather this season means there has to be an assumption that uptake by the plant was reduced because of the high temperatures and moisture stress. If this is the case, then so too will its persistence and efficacy in store.

“We’re unable to say at this point, and it will only become apparent by being vigilant once the store is loaded. This will be critical in determining the choice of product and its timing for that first treatment once tubers are in the store. It’s sure to be earlier than normal,” he notes.

Perhaps another complication to contend with this year, concerns the above average dry matter levels being reported.

“Failure to address this issue at harvest will mean higher levels of damage and consequently greater ingress of secondary pathogens. However, there are some positives from this season. Desiccation

is likely to be easier, quicker and more effective. Skin set is likely to be more rapid with better conditions for curing and healing.”

For those with irrigation capacity remaining, an application prior to lifting will allow some cushioning of tubers from soil on their journey up the web, adds Neil.

“Tuber blight is unlikely to be an issue for this year but there are plenty of other fungal and soft rots which can never be dismissed during storage. Crops will likely come in warm from the field and good store managers will be aware of the need for a rapid pulldown of temperature in store to avoid issues with condensation.

This would be an essential component to mitigate disease risk within long-term stores.”

For many years, the industry depended on CIPC for sprout suppression in store.

Some three years on after the active was revoked, there are a number of products available to fill that gap, explains Neil.

“Choice is often driven by the type of store, variety, intended market, duration of storage and processor preference. Ease of application and choice of an appropriate contractor would also be deemed as additional key considerations.”

To date, the market has been shared by a number of products –– namely ethylene gas, spearmint oil (Biox M) and orange oil (Argos). “These are well accepted by customers, effective and widely used.

But this efficacy depends on use in combination with lower store temperatures, and for some markets, notably crisping,

Yields have been hit by the drought this season, with low yields being reported some stores may not be filled to capacity – making store management more tricky.

Dry conditions at harvest add to the woes of potato growers, with the high dry matter potatoes this year even more susceptible to bruising and damage than usual. higher store temperatures are necessary. This puts pressure on the success of long-term storage and extra applications add additional cost to an already constrained market,” says Neil.

This season will finally see the arrival of an additional contender into this market, 1,4-DMN. (1,4-dimethylnapthalene) to be marketed as 1,4SIGHT by Dormfresh. Whilst new to the UK, it already has clearance in a number of other EU countries, particularly The Netherlands, where growers have had access to the product since 2015. On the back of an intensive trials programme in the UK it arrives with some impressive credentials and with its long-awaited clearance now granted, growers will be able to apply it to this season’s crops.

Ajay Jina, technical manager for Dormfresh, comments that with its lack of label restrictions, this product will soon be recognised as an important new option and a step forward for the GB potato sector. He highlights a different mode of activity, noting that it doesn’t just burn off emerging sprouts but will stop their formation and aid transition of the tubers back to dormant state.

Applied as a hot fog, Dormfresh report good results and encouraging feedback from users. In particular, a

reduction in weight loss experienced in store, good skin bloom and skin set upon exit and a reduction in compression damage. He also comments that growers can also benefit from dose rate flexibility to match their storage aims, but to be aware of a 30-day withholding period and the minimum 28-day gap between sequential applications.

The arrival of autumn brings with it the onset of the main lifting peak, and it’s likely that the industry will face many stiff challenges, not least the severe reduction in yield and quality facing growers of unirrigated crops destined for storage.

“While many of these problems can be mitigated to a level by the skill and resilience of these people, current economic factors –– over which we have little, or no control –– continue to cast a dark shadow over this sector.

“Spiralling growing and storage costs into a contract driven market, that is often criticised for being slow to react, will start to raise questions about the viability and sustainability of this longstanding British staple.

“With many stores running well below capacity, it will be later on next year that the public start to feel the consequences of this perfect storm,” he concludes. ■

The merry go round of farming continues...

We’ve had a busy month. We finished combining on the 1 September, with some very average spring beans and since then have got some muck spread and the last cover crops drilled.

In times when costs are rocketing, every single one needs to be justified. Cover crops are viewed by some as unnecessary and recreational, but for us they have consistently delivered value over cost. We’ve grown them since 2011, and currently have about 120ha sown, the majority in front of potatoes.

Seed mixes vary according to each site but focus on nematode reduction (we use very few nematicides now), rooting (to reduce cultivation and enhance drainage), and soil armour (to reduce erosion and build organic matter). Oil radish, oats and phacelia is a common mix.

Beans also feature where they’re not in the farm’s rotation.

We don’t always desiccate them after winter, but always incorporate them before the primary cultivation to keep the

physical matter in the planted row. Bed-tilling has all but been eliminated as a result. For combinable crops, we will apply glyphosate and direct drill the following crop, using the decaying cover crop mulch to suppress weeds, which has worked well. The key has been not to let them get too thick, and not spend too much on fancy seed mixes. All cover crops are direct drilled with a big old disc drill.

We started sowing winter cereals a fortnight ago, with a mixture of plough, min-till and strip-till establishment, dictated mostly by rotational position.

Most varieties remain, with the addition of Tardis barley and KWS Dawsum wheat which we’ve sown to review.

Our oilseed rape looks terrible.

The promised rain after drilling on 19 August didn’t amount to more than a splash, and until recently growth has been very slow. Flea beetles and slugs are having a party in the field, and I am sure will invite pigeons along soon. I remember now why I stopped growing it back in 2010!

Potato harvesting here started on 25 September with some crisping potatoes. Yields are currently averaging about 35t/ha, but we have harvested the best crisping crops so expect that to fall. Quality is at least good, which helps when faced with what will be an awfully expensive storage season due to electricity prices rocketing. DMN becoming approved in the UK is a glimmer of positivity at least.

Enthusiasm is always low when one is facing a break-even crop at best. My eternal farmer

optimism has been set to maximum for some years now, but inadequate contract prices, soaring input costs and ever volatile weather are really putting the boot in at present. We don’t have fat on our backs and growers have serious cashflow issues between now and when the crop is finally paid for. I know of many growers cutting area back for next year, and none at all expanding. One only need look in the farming press to see ‘change in farming policy’ sales, often driven by the cessation of a major enterprise like potatoes. This is, I fear, a continuing trend.

Scale is a strange thing in farming. Our most profitable crops are those grown on our own land at home, but we haven’t enough suitable land here to fill our main store without bolstering it with additional rented-in land. Larger growers, that have made significant investments in machinery, storage and infrastructure, have some pressure on that isn’t recognised or appreciated by the markets and face difficult decisions. The most profitable (and sustainable) growers are those growing solely on their own land, with muck and water available, cheap kit and available labour. We may find ourselves pulling back to that level, or even exiting the industry if things don’t improve.

I don’t say that lightly at all. I’m passionate about potatoes, and we’re looking for solutions not problems, but I can’t get away from the stratospheric risk for invisible reward. The processors have harvested valuable data from us that will benefit them, rather than us. The workload is relentless, and the challenges

Andrew Wilson is a fourthgeneration tenant of the Castle Howard Estate in North Yorkshire.

He has a strategic approach to direct drilling on his varied soil types and grows a wide variety of crops. He’s passionate about the potato industry and having been utilising cover crops to reduce cultivation and chemical use since 2011, dipped his toe in the water of regenerative potatoes in 2021. @SpudSlingsby

keep coming. I started harvesting spuds picking them up by hand behind a Ransome spinner and single row Johnson hoover in the mid-1980s. Thankfully things have progressed, but are we better off?

It’s times like this that I’d love my late dad’s perspective, but alas, I’m pretty sure what he’d say. It’d be a mixture of ‘tell them to stuff it’ and ‘it’ll come right, it always does’.

We are sticking at it for now, albeit with a reduction in area of about 30%. Everything is under scrutiny. One part of our dilemma is storage –– if we cut area back too far, we lose our short-term tonnage, which is where autumn cashflow comes from. Any less than 65ha here would mean serious change to long-term relationships and facilities, and it’s not a decision that can be made on a whim. I love being a part of the potato industry, but I am not willing to watch corporate multinationals drive us out of business.

Factories need potatoes, farms do not, that much is certain.

Eventually that penny will drop, up in the ivory towers, and progress made. But will it be too late?

Safe harvesting everyone.

Rain? What’s that?

Over the years, I’ve come to learn the two golden rules when putting pen to paper for this column –– don’t mention the weather and never discuss politics. Both are likely to leave you with egg on your face, as the three weeks it takes between me writing this and you reading it is an eternity in either of these spheres!

So ignoring my own advice, mostly because if I write this then it’s bound to cause that wet stuff to fall from the sky, and I really won’t mind that it would make these musings a bit irrelevant. It’s as dry as a crisp here in North Herefordshire. Just like walking through a desert, the oasis that glimmers on the horizon keeps getting further away as any promised rain fades into just a few dribs and drabs. It’s drier than I can ever remember an autumn, and there’s been a fair many of them…

A few fields away, I’ve been watching a crop of oilseed rape that was quite literally bashed into the ground a month ago –– a lot of diesel was burned that day, for sure.

Anyway, it seems to be getting browner by the day…

Looking at our grassland

here, it’s no surprise.

Even that is going backwards at a time of year when it should be having its last hoorah.

Earlier on this spring, we had more grass than mouths to eat it and I was feeling a little smug while my sister, who farms on the sandy land in the south of the county, was struggling to find enough of a crop to make silage. Even after the first heatwave, we still had grass on our heavy land while others were struggling.

It was happy days.

Then just before the second, more prolonged spell of hot weather, it suddenly began to feel the pinch and I remember thinking that the heat might just finish it off. And it did.

We still haven’t had enough rain here for things to change dramatically and things are getting pretty tight –– not a great way to go onto winter.

Meanwhile, my sister’s burnt savannahs have mercifully gone green again as a few more drops of rain have fallen in that direction. Although I have grass envy, I know she’s going into winter having fed a lot of her precious fodder just to keep the stock going during the summer.

Even big farmers are having similar problems, especially as it’s been too dry in many cases to plant the normal catch crops which give grazing a bit of a chance to catch a breath in autumn.

On the plus side, the hedgerows are laden with berries of all descriptions, having once looked like they’d disappoint. Even the apples are late this year but have used every drop of moisture this past month to swell to a more normal size.

Round and about, the Herefordshire hedges are

receiving their usual close attention. Here, it’s a more relaxed affair. With so many berries on the hedges, it seems wrong to cut them all off and so it’s the usual dilemma –– cut them while the ground will travel or risk it in the spring, when most years there’s zero chance of getting a tractor on this ground before the end of February. At least the birds will be well fed!

Birdlife is in abundance here and has noticeably increased with our somewhat lax hedgecutting regime (one in two or three years, depending on spring conditions). We also boast eight species of bats and newts of every species. But what is noticeably missing this year is the rabbits. They have disappeared completely. Is that because badgers (damn things) have moved in and skewed the balance?

I don’t know, but Mrs Tiggywinkle has also disappeared and instead, we have a badger that has taken to visiting the garden at night, in spite of our best efforts to keep it out. Tips on

Based in Ludlow, Shrops, Lucy de la Pasture has worked as an agronomist, while among the Twitterati, she’s @Lucy_delaP. lucy@cpm-magazine.co.uk

a postcard please!

But back to the weather, there’s another reason that a dry winter would be bad news for us. We, and many houses and farms in the vicinity, are all reliant on private water supplies. Our borehole is running low and that’s not good news. I have no idea how much rain is needed to fill up the groundwater reserves and I’m keeping everything crossed the earth keeps on giving otherwise we’re in a whole world of pain.

And lo and behold, it’s raining –– and it looks like proper rain. I knew mentioning the drought would work but not before I’ve even got to the bottom of the page.

Perhaps I should have written about politics…

They may have left their run a little late this year, but it’s been a berry bonanza during September, with hedges laden with juicy bounty.

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