Page 30 Autumn Harvest tillage 2009 - cpm magazine · CPM tells the story. Tracks or tyres – high...

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Profitable crops through better management Crop Production Magazine October 2009 An in-depth summary of what’s sitting in-store An in-depth summary of what’s sitting in-store Page 6 Page 6 Page 20 Two-pass approach to help conserve soil moisture? Two-pass approach to help conserve soil moisture? Page 30 Autumn tillage Harvest 2009 Autumn tillage Harvest 2009

Transcript of Page 30 Autumn Harvest tillage 2009 - cpm magazine · CPM tells the story. Tracks or tyres – high...

Page 1: Page 30 Autumn Harvest tillage 2009 - cpm magazine · CPM tells the story. Tracks or tyres – high hp dilemma Tracks may eliminate the need for fitting duals to high-hp tractors

Profitable crops through better management

Crop Production Magazine October 2009

An in-depth summary of what’s sitting in-storeAn in-depth summary of what’s sitting in-store

Page 6Page 6Page 20

Two-pass approach to helpconserve soil moisture?

Two-pass approach to helpconserve soil moisture?

Page 30

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CPM Crop Production Magazine

Editorial & Advertising SalesWhite House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury,Shropshire. SY5 8LP

Tel: (01743) 861122E-mail: [email protected]

Reader Registration Hotline 01728 622521

Advertising CopyBrooks Design, Scotts Mansion, 24 Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. SY1 1RD

Tel: (01743) 244403Fax: (01743) 244365E-mail: [email protected]

Publishing Editor Angus McKirdy

Sub Editor Charlotte Lord

Writers Charles AbelTom Allen-StevensRob JonesJo PalmerMartin RickatsonMick Roberts

Design and Production Brooks Design

Advertisement Sales Angus McKirdy

Advertisement Co-ordinator Peter Walker

Volume 11 Number 9

October 2009

Smith’s SoapboxViews and opinions from an Essexpeasant…..

Huge harvest leavesbarley barren

Most wheat growers appear happy with their yields –– but many havebeen put-off growing spring barley.CPM provides an in-depth summary of harvest ‘09.

Machinery planningboosts capacity

The retirement of an employeeprompted a revamp of the entiremachinery fleet on one Cotswoldsfarm. CPM tells the story.

Tracks or tyres – highhp dilemma

Tracks may eliminate the need for fitting duals to high-hp tractors toobtain the full traction and output benefits, but they’re slower and moreuncomfortable when travelling on theroad. CPM investigates the pros andcons of each.

Levelling the late starter

Many growers will be keen to drill late-sown winter wheat instead ofspring barley this season. However,they need to choose their varieties and plan their agronomy very carefully.

One pass – or two? German farmers adopt radically different tactics when establishing their crops. CPM visited North Rhine-Westphalia to find out why.

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 3

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CPM Volume 11 No 9. Editorial, advertising and sales offices are atWhite House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury SY5 8LP.

Tel: (01743) 861122. CPM is published nine times a year by CPM Ltd and is available free of charge to qualifying farmers

and farm managers in the United Kingdom.

In no way does CPM Ltd endorse, notarise or concur with any of the advice, recommendations or prescriptions reported in themagazine. If you are unsure about which recommendations to

follow, please consult a professional agronomist. Always read thelabel. Use pesticides safely. CPM Ltd is not responsible for loss or

damage to any unsolicited material, including photographs.

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FeaturesFeaturesHitting the moisturetarget

Batch drying grain can be a cost-effectiveway of easing the harvest logistics.

A route to savings onconventional fertiliser?

With crop margins increasingly underpressure, more farmers are applyingsewage sludge ‘cake’ to reduce theirfertiliser costs.

A flexible alternative tothe Cambridge roller?

More widespread use of pre-emergenceherbicides means cereal growers needto get their seedbeds free from clods.Could the Aqueel provide an answer?

Avoiding rotting in-store Blackleg and foliar blight are two of themain disease threats for potatoes beingloaded into store this harvest –– despitethe dry September weather.

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New one-hit solution? New one-hit solution?

Broadway Star was a big hit with many growers who tried it this spring.But it needs to be used as part of a programme to get the best results.

Getting the spraywhere it’s needed?

Syngenta has launched a new nozzle to enable its pre-emergence herbicide,Defy, to be applied accurately.

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GM – the verysperm of the devil?The most amusing thing about theamount of hot air and newsprint the GM debate inspires is some of the morecolourful stories written and believed bythe anti-lobby.

I was recently sent an article* by Joel Salatin which tells of how he knowsfor a fact that Dow Chemical is currentlyengineering GM wheat with spermicidalproperties to export to the Third World tofacilitate population control.

The interesting thing about Joel Salatinis that he’s not a complete crank or aloner. When not running his successfulfarm business in North Carolina, he’sbusy writing best-selling books orappearing on prime-time TV shows talking about farming. In his defence, his “GM wheat with added birth-control”isn’t completely contrived –– just 99% so.

It’s actually fairly common for shippersto add ‘sporacides’ to cargoes of wheatto keep them free from fungal growths.On hearing this, Salatin probably confused ‘sporacide’ for ‘spermacide’ –– and by the time he’d added his anti-GM, anti-corporate prejudices, he’dcome up with a theory that suggestedsome modern-day corporations make the Nazis look like an outpost of the Red Cross.

It’s quite likely that sporacides probablydo have spermicidal properties but then

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so does lemon juice, diet coke andhoney. You’d have to engage in somevery bizarre sexual practices involvingthe intimate use of imported wheat for it to have any impact as an agent of birth control.

The key point Joel Salatin overlooks is that you don’t actually render yourselfimpotent by eating something that actsas a spermicide. You can imagine thescene at the chemists as the girl behindthe counter says: “I’m sorry sir, we’verun out of both condoms and KY jelly –– but you could always pop next door to Budgens where I know they have gotample supplies of honey and lemonjuice.” Either way, it could certainly livenup pancake day.

On the subject of GM –– and on arather more serious note –– I also hearthat nine heavy-duty wheat growers’ associations in the US, Canada andAustralia have recently agreed a newjoint policy position on the possible introduction of GM traits in new lines.This stems from concerns about the lack of bio-tech investment in wheat,compared with competitor crops, suchas maize and soya. To quote from thepolicy statement:

“Wheat production.… is on a long-term downtrend in the UnitedStates, and net returns per acre favourother crops such as soya and maize inareas where these options exist. This situation will intensify and expand withthe advent of drought tolerance traits inother crops. Unless the wheat industrycan successfully change the equationand restore the competitiveness ofwheat, it’s on a path to becoming aminor crop.”

These nine organisations –– whichrepresent the majority of wheat growersin north America and Australia –– go onto call for a synchronised introduction of bio-technology into wheat breedingprogrammes for fear that, in future, thecrop will fall even further behind GMsoya and GM maize (see graph, right).

Meanwhile, back in GM-free Britain,we may think this is of little concern –– and we might be right. But we shouldalso be aware that, as a country that produces mainly feed wheat, our pricesare dependant on crops like GM soyaand GM maize which are grown acrossthe globe.

In which case, it might not just bewheat growers in far away places that’llbe run-over by the GM juggernaut.

* Read Joel Salatin’s article in full athttp://polyfaceyum.blogspot.com/2009/02/gmo-real-story.html

Email your comments and ideas [email protected]

SMITH’S

SOAPBOX

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0

ss s s s

s s

02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09

Net returns per acre

Corn

Do

llars

per

acr

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Soya beans Wheats

It was depressing to read in the papersrecently a load of nonsense about thecountryside ‘losing’ 16,000km of hedgesover the past decade. It was as iffarmers had suddenly gone back to thehedge grubbing of the ‘60s. What manyof the articles failed to point out is that,once a hedge gets to more than 3m tall,it’s no longer classified as a hedge. Soofficially, our farm lane (picturedabove) is only hedged on one side ––and the other side is downgraded assome sort of unfortunate mess? Trytelling that to the 30 different birdspecies we’ve noted nesting and feedingin it this year –– not to mention avariety of moths and butterflies.

Net returns from corn, soya beans and wheat (US data)

Source: FAPRI-MU estimates (July 2008).Assumes 2008/09 prices of $5.87/bushel forcorn, $13.24 for soya beans and $6.87 forwheat. N.B. Costs increase sharply in 2008/09for all crops.

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Huge harvest leaves barley barrenBarns are bulging but just how much is that hugeheap worth? CPM assesses the harvest across the

UK –– and what effect it’s had on prices.

By Tom Allen-Stevens

‘The vast majority of Solstice isaround 13% and some has

come in at 14%.’

nother spring barley sample spills onto the table in the lab atWiltshire Grain. “Maltsters won’t

touch this with a bargepole –– it lookslike it’s done ten rounds with MikeTyson,” comments general manager,Nick Brown.

In reality, the sample doesn’t look that bad and in a normal year, it wouldprobably be given the benefit of thedoubt and directed towards one of themany different malting-grade bins at the 70,000t co-operative store on theSalisbury Plain, he admits.

But this load –– along with half of thisharvest’s intake of spring barley –– isheading straight for the feed bin instead.

“Spring barley has been the catastropheof the year,” says Nick Brown. “We’reseeing a lot of skinned and split grains,and the samples look dull and poor.

A

Put them up against an East Angliansample and it’s simply no contest.”

This is what thousands of growersacross the UK are up against this year.Spring barley was the fall-back option for many who failed to get all theirautumn crops into the ground.

Ideal conditions in the eastIronically, spring barley is a staple crop for growers in Wiltshire and the surrounding area, and this year, it’s having to compete with vast amounts of barley harvested in ideal conditions in the east. Moreover, maltsters are sitting on carry-over stocks from last harvest, and Europe has had an excellent barley harvest.

“There are lots of growers in the area who will take a hell of a hit whenwhat they thought was going to be a£140-150/t crop ends up selling for just£72/t. Barley is normally the best-payingcrop in this area but this year, it’ll be the worst.”

However, wheat has performed comparatively well, he continues. “We’rehearing most growers have done betterthan expected –– and certainly betterthan average.” Hagbergs have beenholding up well, although proteins arepretty variable, he reports. “Those

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“Spring barley has been the catastrophe ofthe year,” says Hants-based Nick Brown.

Simon Ingle, head of central store marketingfor Openfield, reckons it’s been a “pleasing”harvest overall. “Although the quality hasbeen a bit variable, the yields have beenbetter than expected on all crops –– we’restreets ahead of last year.”

Hagbergs are generally good, although

proteins and specific weights are a bitmore variable –– so a good proportion of this year’s wheat will be usable by themillers, he predicts. “And the maltstershave plenty of choice too. If only the prices were better then everyone would be happy.”

And therein lies the problem –– when itcomes to barley, it’s a buyer’s market thisyear and growers will have to be confidenttheir crop will meet contract specifications.“It has to be a good colour and free fromsplit grains –– but already, a significant tonnage has failed to meet the grade.”

His advice to growers is to read the contract carefully and to make sure they’reclear on the terms. “Be certain the barleyyou have meets the specification of the contract –– rejected loads are an unwelcome extra cost to have to bear.”

As far as the UK crop is concerned, the biggest unknown is the size of thewheat harvest, continues Simon Ingle.“The main consideration is the variability of the yield –– we’ve seen everything from 5t/ha to 5t/acre (12.5t/ha). And it’s a double-edged sword –– clearly there’s a surplus to shift but we have to asseshow big it is and whether the quality’s goodenough for export.

“If you’re a wheat buyer, you’ll needencouragement to cover your position

–– without that, prices could remain under pressure.”

HGCA market analyst Jack Wattsagrees: “All eyes are now on the US maizecrop. It’s possible it could be the biggest on record but it’s a bit later this year, sothere’s a risk of an early frost.”

With growers in Europe holding a better-than-expected rapeseed crop, the price has come down and the nexthinge point will be the US soya harvest, he says. “This looks good so far, helping to relieve a tight oilseeds supply situationfollowing a poor harvest in Argentina.”

But in truth, there’s little out there tosuggest the market for any crop will rally,so growers need to prepare for a toughmarketing year, believes Jack Watts. “It’sworth monitoring next year’s price, whichlooks relatively strong at the moment, compared with the current season.”

He adds that growers need to have a“good understanding” of their productioncosts. “The market has no appreciation ofthese, so it’s up to you to build safeguardsinto your marketing strategy to ensure youremain in profit.”

Farmers looking for more information on gross margin analysis, the current market situation, or attending a Price Risk Management seminar, should visitwww.hgca.com/markets

‘Streets ahead of last year’

“Yields have been better than expected on all crops,” says Simon Ingle.

who’ve had a good yield from the variety Solstice have generally found it’saffected the protein.”

Oilseed rape yields have just aboutscraped to average, says Nick Brown.“But growers were nervous about whatthey were going to get, so this is probablybetter than expected.” Wet crops haven’tbeen a serious problem, and the averageoil content of around 44-45%, “hasn’tbeen bad at all”, he says.

‘Exceeded expectations’Wessex Grain trading manager EddBritton agrees: “Rape yields haveexceeded our expectations –– 4-4.5t/haisn’t uncommon –– and most crops arearound the 45% oil level too.” This isdespite a “heavily delayed” start to theOSR harvest, he says.

The farmer-controlled business trades400,000t of crops in total, mainly fromDorset to Cornwall. The further west youtravel, the more growers struggled to getthe harvest in, he reports. “At times, it

looked as though Cornwall was going tohave another disastrous year, but thequality’s definitely out there.”

Although it was late coming in, wheatperformed better than expected, withmany crops around the 10t/ha mark,continues Edd Britton. “Hagbergsslipped a little, but it’s all usable.Moreover, bushel weights are strongacross the board, the only slight downerbeing the low protein content of somesamples.

“Barley has also yielded well althoughthe quality’s poor, with pre-germinationbeing the main problem. It’s really goingto struggle this year.”

This has been the one let-down of the year for James Tory, who managesthree farms totalling 570ha, centred atTurnworth Farm, near Blandford Forumin Dorset. A third of the area was downto barley, and this has taken somethingof a quality hit.

“We just couldn’t get into it in time,”he recalls. “None of the Tipple will go

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for malting on two of our farms, andwe’ll suffer from claims on the rest.” The yield was respectable at 7.5t/ha butcrops were badly “weathered” by thetime they were cut, with the germinationsuffering accordingly –– achieving 92%,rather than the 98% minimum spec, he says. “The maltsters can pick andchoose what they want this year.”

The wheat fared better, with Solsticeyielding about 10.5-11t/ha –– about atonne above average – although a littlelow on protein at 11.5%, continuesJames Tory. “We managed to get itthrough on low milling spec, so we willget a bit of a premium.”

He admits that he wasn’t hoping formuch from the oilseed rape since it was hit hard by slugs and needed to bere-drilled last September –– sufferingsubsequent bird damage over-winter.

“But it still did 5t+/ha which we’re reallypleased with given the conditions in the autumn.

Variable moisture“Moisture on the DK Cabernet was high at 15% –– it just didn’t ripen or dryproperly –– although Astrid and Catanawere much drier at 10-11%.”

Moving into Hampshire, it’s a similarstory: “There’s a quality issue with maltingbarley –– we’re seeing a lot of split grainsthis autumn,” reports Mike Clay ofHampshire Grain. “We’re putting half ofit in the feed bin and I’ve a feeling we’reprobably not being strict enough.

“There’s so much of it about, the maltsters will choose the best of the best this year.

“But it’s no surprise, given the increasedarea last season. We had more barley

committed than ever before and youdon’t suddenly find growers who canproduce the perfect sample.”

Wheat yielded well and the quality is good in his area, he reports. “This surprised us because we’d heard reportsof grain sprouting in the ear when itstayed wet into August.” Hagbergs heldup well and proteins picked up as theharvest progressed, he adds.

Protein has been the big success story for Weald Granary in Kent this year, reports managing director, JohnSmith. “They’re up by an average 0.5%.The vast majority of Solstice is around13% and some came in at 14%. That’sthe highest protein we’ve achieved on Solstice for some years –– andCordiale too.”

And there’s good news on Hagbergstoo, he says. “We’ve not had a single

s

It’s a dichotomy of emotion as Hampshiregrower Nick Rowsell reflects on his harvest. On the one hand, it’s been asuperb year for his 315ha of wheat –– withall yield records smashed and excellentquality grain to boot.

But question marks remain over thequality of his 581ha of spring barley. “Whenyou’re facing a difference in valuation of£190/t down to just £70/t, it makes youwant to weep.”

It was a slow start to the harvest, he recalls. “With 27 out of the 31 days in August being wet, it proved to be a little frustrating. We saw sprouting in thefield but we didn’t get it in any of the wheat samples.”

Oakley grown as a first wheat yielded an impressive 12.4t/ha, compared with thefarm’s five-year average of 9.31t/ha. “Wewere absolutely delighted but it did get a

lot of help –– following poppies that hadreceived chicken manure, for example.”

Even some late-drilled Oakley, sown asa second wheat, performed well, he says.“Half of one 22ha field was drilled on 1 November, with the other half going in on 1 December –– and the headland beingsown on 2 March. But the average yieldwas still an extraordinary 10.4t/ha.

“We did everything right and that’s probably what made the difference –– wesplit the nitrogen into three applications,variably-applying the main dressing usingSOYLsense.”

The average yield across the varietywas 10.93t/ha, while the Solstice –– allgrown as first wheat –– came in at10.75t/ha, says Nick Rowsell. “It’s an earlymaturing variety and it came along quickly–– it’s important to grab it as soon as it’sready and I’m glad we did.

“The protein was 13.5%, Hagberg 270and the specific weight 78kg/hl –– with theDON tests OK too. That level of grainquality doesn’t happen to us very often.”

Tipple spring barley achieved an “excellent” yield 7.19t/ha –– another farmrecord –– but in common with many othergrowers, last year’s difficult summer andautumn meant he ended up sowing morespring barley than he would’ve liked. “Butwe did manage to secure a number of contracts ranging from £140-190/t.”

He admits he’s still “in discussion” over the grain quality. “Generally, it’s okaybut the main issue is splits, with the wet

and dry weather during July, and showersin August to blame. We’re checking what we’ve got very carefully, samplingeverything as we move it.”

He says he’s well aware of the goodharvest in Europe, with the maltsters beingmore choosy this year.

The farm’s 148ha of oats, grown on contract for Jordans, are ConservationGrade and once again, the yield was goodat 7.5t/ha –– with some of the best qualitygrain the farm has seen. But the admixturehas been causing problems, with somewheat present in the sample.

Also on a specific contract are 126ha ofpoppies, grown for their morphine contentwhich Nick Rowsell is paid on, rather thanon their overall yield. “We were worriedabout the lack of sunshine in July –– thisbeing crucial to morphine production –– butin the end, it yielded higher than last year,although not as high as we’d would’ve liked.

“There are a lot of factors about the cropthat are still unknown, so it’s a bit of alearning curve”

Nick Rowsell calls his spring oilseedrape the “Cinderella crop” of the farm.60ha of Nexera, the novel variety fromUnited Oilseeds, yielded around 2.5t/ha. “It looked good but was caught by an inchof rain when it was ready to harvest and I think a lot of it shed.

“But the less said about the 40ha ofExpert winter oilseed rape the better –– itwas a disaster and I don’t want to knowwhat it yielded.”

Contract queries follow harvest high

Doubts remain over the quality of NickRowsell’s spring barley.

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12 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

quality wheat sample under 250 andthat’s pretty much a first.”

However, the yield has been more variable with oilseed rape, with quite a bit of admixture across the board, he reports. “That’s probably due toincreased min-tilling and some missedsprays due to the weather.”

Spring barley has been “a bit of a disaster” in Kent too, he reports. “70%has failed to make the grade for malting–– mainly due to split grains –– and this has been downgraded to feed. It doesn’t look nice in the sample bucket, even before you start to analyse it.”

The farms feeling most smug this yearare the ones in the east. “East Anglia

has seen a good harvest,” commentsPhilip Darke of Camgrain. “The yields on the barley were better than averageand we’ve had some cracking quality samples in too.”

‘Big, bright and bold’Nitrogens are low and the grain is generally “big, bold and bright”, hereports. “It’s a similar picture with thewheat –– the quality’s excellent, with proteins about 0.6% up on last year and Hagbergs in the 300s.”

However, the yields were “all over theplace” –– mainly as a result of whetherthe crop had any rain in May or June,says Philip Darke. “Second wheats onlight land varied from 5-12t/ha but thesewere better than average overall.”

The good news continues with oilseedrape. “Where growers got the crop cover,we’ve seen some stonking yields.”

This holds true for Ben Atkinson, whofarms around 2,400ha of moderatelyheavy clay land near Bourne, Lincs.“The rape was a very pleasant surprisefor us –– averaging around 5t/ha –– withExcalibur performing best.” DK Cabinet,Castille, Vision and Dimension have alsodone very well, he adds.

The wheat harvest was also kind thisyear, he continues. “Yields have beenabove average, and Oakley is one varietythat really shone.” First wheat yieldedabout 11.5t/ha, compared with thefarm’s average of 10t/ha, which was surprising in view of the conditions lastautumn, and the dry spell this spring, he notes.

However, there were times this summer when growers in the north ofEngland and Scotland were tearing theirhair out, wondering if they’d ever snatchthe harvest in-between the incessantshowers. But the dry weather came inthe nick of time and most managed tosalvage reasonable crops, according toGary Bright of GrainCo.

“At times this harvest, the rain made you think you were in Calcutta but in-between, it’s been sunny and windy,so it’s been a lot easier than last year as the land dried out much quicker.”The barley yielded above most growers’expectations –– with the quality of Pearlwinter barley a highlight. “The springbarley started well but took a bit of abashing from the rain, so most of thelater crops turned to feed.”

The rejected malting barley crops have

sWith the spreader ready in the field todeliver the final nitrogen application in May,Warwickshire grower Lee Sutton decidedthe wheat crop simply didn’t warrant theinput cost. “At the time, I was reckoning on the crop being worth about £110-120/tbut it didn’t look like it would produce adecent return.

“In the end, the yield was right down soI’m glad we didn’t spend the money on it.”

Much of the 1,120ha he farms in thearea around Atherstone spent the winterunder water (also see CPM May 2009).“By the time the floods receded from thewheat, there wasn’t much of a crop left.”

He therefore decided to miss the thirddose of nitrogen on the Battalion secondwheat and it only received one fungicidespray at T0. The first wheat, Solstice, had

T0, T1 and T3 sprays but again, no finalnitrogen dressing.

“The Solstice still managed to yield arespectable 9.8t/ha but the protein took ahit at 11.3%. We missed out on a millingpremium as a result –– but even that’s notworth much these days.”

The Battalion yielded just 7.4t/ha, hesays. “We won’t be growing it again –– itdoesn’t have the early vigour we need.”

However, Lee Sutton is surprised at howwell the wheats performed overall in viewof the season, while Excalibur OSR hasbeen his “best variety ever” with a finaldried yield of 5.1t/ha. “The lesson we’velearned is not to write-off a crop too early.But at the same time, you have to knowwhere to draw the line. I think we madesome prudent savings on our wheat.”

The dry autumn has given him a chanceto lift his soils with some deep cultivations–– aerating the land and repairing the damage done by two years of flooding.With an eye on the market, he’s now planning to cut his costs for the 2010 crop.

“We’ve only booked half the nitrogen we would normally use, and we’re alsoplanning to cut our fungicide and herbicidespend. If you can’t make £120/t on wheat,what’s the point of spending money on it?”

There’ll be more spring cropping in therotation this season, and he’s also drillinglater to maximise the cultural control ofblackgrass. “We’re doing more min-tillingnowadays and letting the weather work thesoil –– with wheat at £88/t, we can’t affordrecreational tillage.”

Prudent savings on a questionable crop

Proteins are about 0.6% up on last yearand Hagbergs are in the 300s, reckonsPhilip Darke.

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“Harvest has been a fight since day one,”reports Andrew Moir.

cost northern farmers a small fortune, he says. “In addition, there’s a large percentage of the crop uncommitted todate as not many farmers sold forward.It’s probably the most expensive cropever produced, but the market simplydoesn’t care.”

Peter Stewart, who farms in the shadow of Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, is still suffering from the effects of last year’sharvest. “We normally sow our wheat inOctober but we simply couldn’t get on.So we ended up following rape with barley in the spring.”

That resulted in 150ha of Decanterspring barley being sown and just 40haof wheat, although he would’ve preferredthe balance to have been the other wayround. “But the barley yielded well ––just over 6.5t/ha, against a farm averageof 5t/ha.

“However, the nitrogen’s a bit low –– they’ve already lowered the intakespec to 1.65% from 1.7% –– which issurprising. But it seems to be the samepicture throughout Scotland.”

For Andrew Moir, contractor atThornton Farms near Laurencekirk, theharvest was a “fight since day one”.

“But given that the rain has beenincessant, with the spring barley headspushed down, we managed to hoover itup pretty well and the yields are fairlyreasonable.”

Respectable yieldsThe winter barleys Sequel and Volumeyielded a “respectable” 8-8.5t/ha, henotes. “And the specific weights weresurprisingly good at around 67-68kg/hl.”

Spring-sown Toucan, grown on a highnitrogen contract for Frontier, yielded7t/ha. “The sample was good but we’restruggling to meet the spec because oflow nitrogen. We’re lucky because we’vegot a contract on some of it that we’repleased with –– I just wish we’d committeda bit more.”

For growers in north-east Scotland, theharvest really wasn’t a problem, reportsSimon Barry of Highland Grain. “Thesample’s changed colour but it hasn’taffected the quality –– we’re still seeinggood nitrogens and thousand-grainweights.”

The gales may have “blown a fewheads off” but the yields averaged 6t/hafor spring barley and 9t/ha for wheat,

he concludes. “But there’s a lot of barley washing around in the system and that will obviously have an effect on the price.” n

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Machinery planningboosts capacity

Higher-horsepower tractors and wider machineshave allowed one Cotswolds estate to increase

its productivity –– partly to compensate for a recently-retired employee.

By Mick Roberts

‘We’ve switched much of it intowinter barley this season.’

ost farms not only lose years ofexperience when a key memberof staff retires, it’s often left to

the remaining workforce to plug themanpower gap.

Jake Freestone, who managesOverbury Farms in the Cotswolds,acknowledges that while it’s sad to lose amember of staff, retirement does providean opportunity to improve the overall efficiency of a farm business.

“We knew exactly when Andrew wasgoing to retire, so we had time to thinkabout what we were going to do, and toplan a strategy to increase our workingcapacity. Our goal was ultimately to getto the position we’re in today, but withouthaving to make anyone redundant.” He admits he doesn’t envisage recruitingin the foreseeable future.

As planned, the remaining two arablestaff members, brothers Derek andGordon Stanford, now cover their previouscolleague’s workload, in addition to carrying out the field operations on a

M

further 130ha of land taken back in-handfrom a previous tenant on the estate.

Gearing up for the extra workloadstarted with the purchase of a new John Deere S690 combine two yearsago, complete with a 9m header andAutoTrac steering. This has since beenjoined by a new 330hp JD8530, whicharrived in July this year, with the previoustop tractor –– a two-year-old 205hpJD7830 –– moving over to drilling andsecondary cultivations.

All crops are established under a min-till regime, with a new 4m VäderstadTopDown and 6.5m Carrier plus Biodrill,as well as a brand-new Horsch CO6Sprinter drill (which was delivered lastmonth in time for this autumn’s campaign,taking over from a 4m model), coveringthe whole 1,540ha estate.

First wheat focusThe farm focuses mainly on growing firstwheat, with about half the area down tomilling varieties, and the other half downto biscuit and feed types. Barley, oilseedrape and peas are the main breaks onthe wide range of soils, which vary fromCotswold brash to sand-over-gravel andLias clay.

In addition to cereals, the farm also carries out the main field work on 40ha ofsalad onions and 24ha of early potatoes,and looks after 78ha of hand-picked peas,which are drilled in 3-5ha plots twice aweek between April to mid-June to ensurea good continuity of supply.

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Overbury Farms manager, Jake Freestone,has introduced higher capacity tractorsand equipment to compensate for arecently-retired employee who hasn’t been replaced.

The farm has a separate 24m Chaviotself-propelled sprayer dedicated to thevegetable work.

On the arable side of the business,three wet harvests in a row have had amajor effect on the rotation. “We had145mm of rain in a 12hr period in July2007 and while this did cause someflooding, the main problem was thewash-off, with many crops beingknocked-down by soil erosion.

Pre-harvest chitting“Then last year, there were only ten dry days in August, with large areas of Claire and Zeberdee suffering fromchitting pre-harvest. Although we didmanage to harvest most of these crops,around 10ha was beyond salvaging.”

This has had a significant knock-on

effect on the current season’s croppingplans, says Jake Freestone. “Because wecouldn’t get enough rape into the groundlast summer –– which has reduced thenumber of first wheat drilling slots for thisautumn –– I felt the rape was a bit tooclose, especially with having peas in therotation as well, so we’ve switched muchof it into winter barley this season.

“We’d normally have about 200ha ofwheat in the ground by mid-Septemberbut this year, we hadn’t even startedbecause of the change in the croppingplans –– and also the weather. But that’spartly the reason why we opted for awider drill and a bigger tractor becauseonce we do get going, we’ll soon have it all in.”

This is the first year of the new establishment regime using just two main tractors and operators. Previously,the farm used the JD7830 as the maincultivation machine –– usually makingtwo passes with the previous 5m Carrierand possibly a subsoiling pass as well.

The smaller JD6930 would then drillwith the previous 4m Sprinter, with aCase IH MX135 Maxxum carrying out any secondary cultivations, rolling andhedgecutting operations.

But the Maxxum has now been traded-in, with the JD8530 coming in at the top of the fleet, along with thewider 4m TopDown. The original 5mCarrier has also been traded-in for a6.5m model –– equipped with a Biodrillfor sowing rape.

“These are plenty wide enough for the tractor’s power on some of our hills,”admits Jake Freestone. “And the 7830 –– which was new in July ’07 –– hasalready clocked up nearly 3,000hrs.”

Technology benefitBoth of the larger tractors are equippedwith an AutoPowr IVT (i.e. infinitely variable transmission), plus AutoTrac integral self-steering and StarFire GPSreceivers. “The less precise, free SF1 signal is employed for cultivating taskswhile the more accurate –– and paid-for –– SF2 signal is reserved for the drill tractor.”

The receiver and monitor are universallyswitched between the tractors and combine,which also has AutoTrac steering.

The current cultivation strategy hasbeen developed to cope, not only with all the farm’s existing workload –– withjust two operators –– but to provide some extra capacity for future expansion,he admits.

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“For wheat, the idea is to get in andmake a stale seedbed starting with theTopDown, followed by a roll to help theseed-to-soil contact and to encourage a good germination of blackgrass andvolunteers.” This is subsequentlysprayed-off with glyphostate, he adds.

“Then, depending on the amount ofweathering and the state of the seedbed,there may be one or two further passeswith the Carrier, followed by drilling andgenerally another pass with the rolls.”The ideal situation is to TopDown, spray,drill then roll, he says.

OSR establishmentOilseed rape establishment is down to the Carrier and Biodrill, followed by a pass with the rolls on the Cotswoldbrash, which works well and helps toconserve moisture, continues JakeFreestone. “On the sandy and gravellyland, the straw was baled this year andthe ground was first worked with theTopDown to remove some surface compaction before sowing with theCarrier/ Biodrill the next day.

“The heavy land crops were establishedin the same way although, with hindsight,we left it too long between jobs and thecrop on the heaviest land suffered from a lack of moisture.

“But overall, the establishment systemis working very well. Although this year’swheat drilling was delayed by the weather,I’m sure we’ll catch-up quickly. We usedAndrew’s retirement as an opportunity toreduce our labour force by one and tomodernise our machinery fleet at thesame time.

Jake Freestone believes he now has the capacity to easily cover his own land, and to take on contact workwhenever it comes up. He believes thelatter consideration is going to beincreasingly important in future if prices remain as they are.

“We’ve now got the cultivation and crop protection kit in place, but I think1,000ha is enough for the combine,given the recent harvests we’ve had. So if we do take on more land, I’ll supplement our combine capacity by employing a contractor.

“I can’t see how we can get the job done much cheaper than we aredoing right now.”

He admits to being concerned as to what the future might hold –– especiallythe possible loss of the Single FarmPayment in 2012. “At least all of the newmachinery will be paid-off by then, and

after 2012, we’ll simply be trading-innew-for-old and not having to make thebig step changes we’ve made recently.”

Equipping all the machines with automatic steering –– including thefarm’s Bateman RB35 self-propelledsprayer –– is also aimed at cutting costs. “There’s no doubt that after using AutoTrac, you’d never want to go back to steering manually.”

The new JD8530 and existing JD7850both came with AutoTrak wiring and electronics installed, with the 6930 being re-wired and equipped for a cost of about £9,000. The cost of theSF2 signal is shared by swapping theauto-steering equipment between thetractor and combine, on which it’s alsoused for yield mapping.

“From an efficiency point of view,

cutting unnecessary overlaps, and savingtime, fuel and inputs. It reduces ourlabour costs because the operatorsremain fresher and more alert.” Thereare big benefits to be gained fromsteering in straight lines –– even whencultivating, he believes.

“An operator might be able to steer at4.8m with a 5m machine for a while butyou can’t expect them to do it forever.But with AutoTrac, they can work at 5mall the time rather than a worst-case scenario of say 4.3m.”

He intends to do some comparisonsbetween field operations with theAutoTrac turned on and off to put figureson the savings but he reckons he alreadyknows it works.

Output has been further boosted byshifting the farm’s tramlines from 24m

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The drill’s first fill –– Overbury Farmsmajors on growing first wheats for milling,as well as for biscuit-making and feed.

Fuel economy – by field operation Area (ha) Operation Soil type/ Hours Total fuel Fuel Fuel cost Output

Conditions (l) (l/ha) (£/ha*) (ha/hr)

44 TopDown Brash/damp

39 Carrier Light/dry 5 281 7.26 3.12 7.74

43 Carrier Heavy/plus biodrill dry

10 Subsoiler Heavy/damp

4 Plough Brash/damp

* Fuel price: 43p/litre

15 530 12.04 5.18 2.93

6.5 291 6.82 2.93 6.57

7 373 35.16 15.12 1.52

3 150 36.95 15.89 1.35

to 36m. This was considered a good practical way of increasing the machinerycapacity, and was part of the plan forexpanding the drilling width up to 6m.8m was seen as an option but wasviewed as being too big for the estate’ssloping land.

Training has also helped prepare theoperators for the extra workload andraise awareness about machinery costs–– particularly with regard to fuel economy.Earlier this year, Jake Freestone and histwo field staff attended a LANTRA-runfuel efficiency course, arranged by 7Y Services.

“I think it’s important to involve the staff and ensure they understand justhow much this equipment costs to run, and how to get the best from thetractors. The fuel course really focusedour minds on not only how much fueleach job consumes, but also how we can help cut our fuel consumption.

It was a very worthwhile day and it’s paying dividends already.”

Past records show the farm’s total fuel use averaged about 95,000 l/year for the three seasons up to harvest ’08.“But after that, it jumped alarmingly on account of the huge amount of drying required.”

Higher fuel costsMoreover, the cost of the fuel has morethan doubled from 23p/litre in 2004-05to 56p for 2008-9 –– a total increase(excluding crop drying) of £31,350,which comes straight off the bottom-line,he notes.

“Even if we can save 5% at today’sprices, it provides the opportunity to claw back £2,550 in costs. Streamliningthe cultivations with the wider, fasterequipment –– and using the AutoTracsteering and AutoPowr IVT transmissions–– should all improve our operating efficiency.”

At the same time, the operators are nowmonitoring their fuel consumption on allfield work –– starting with cultivations.Derek Stanford, who operates the JD8530,is now using fuel sheets to note down theamount consumed for each operation,based on the soil type and field conditions(e.g. wet, dry or damp), area worked andtractor hours.

This goes into a spreadsheet, whichcontains formulae to automatically calculate the total fuel for the job, l/haconsumed, total fuel cost and workrate(see table below).

Derek Stanford says filling out the form is a simple task which is now partof the fieldwork routine. “I know all thefields very well, and also their soil types,so it’s very simple. The conditions areobvious and the fuel use is shown on the tractor screen.”

He’s very impressed with how well

the automatic steering works and sayshe wouldn’t work without it now. “It’s particularly interesting to see how thetractor’s AutoPowr transmission respondsto the changing terrain.

“After the forward speed is set, thetransmission and engine work together tomaintain the minimum engine revs to getthe job done. Going downhill and on lightland, the revs drop right back as the loaddecreases but as soon as the tractorstarts uphill again, the engine picks upand the revs increase automatically.”

Jake Freestone is surprised by theresults –– and the enormous variability–– to date. “The idea is to keep track ofour fuel costs on an operation-by-operationbasis. We all know that Flatlifting isexpensive but this excercise shows precisely how much it’s costing ––£15.14/ha in fuel alone (32.2 l/ha at 43p/litre) –– and this makes you question whether subsoiling is actuallyworth it?”

However, all decisions needs to beconsidered in the context of how much awaterlogged field would cost, he admits.

Future opportunities“We’re gathering some very importantfacts about fuel usage here so if we have the opportunity to take on contractfarming operations in future, I’ll haveprecise figures to-hand on which to basethe budget and potential income fromthe work.”

Most farms will appreciate ploughingis slower and costlier than min-tilling butJake Freestone now knows exactly whatit entails. “The fuel cost for ploughing a Cotswold brash soil with a 20in(500mm), five furrow reversible is£12.89/ha –– with the fuel consumption29.98 l/ha and the workrate a sluggish1.15ha/hr.”

Comparing that with the 4m TopDowncarrying out primary cultivations, theworkrate is almost double at 2.71ha/hr,he notes. “Moreover, the cost is aroundhalf at £6.96/ha (i.e. 16.19 l/ha).”

All the oilseed rape is now establishedusing the 6.5m Carrier plus Biodrill,which achieved an average workrate of6.57ha/hr and a fuel cost of £2.93/ha(6.82 l/ha) over 100ha –– split evenlybetween the light and heavier soils.

“We’re clearly achieving twice theworkrate at half the cost, compared with ploughing.”

He notes that the exercise has not only confirmed what he already knows –– that TopDowning is faster and cheaper

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Farm FactsOverbury FarmsOverburyGloucestershire

l Staff: two arable full timers plus farm manager

l Area: 1,540ha

l Soils: Cotswold brash on hills to sand over gravel and Lias clay

l Cropping:

l 408ha winter wheat (190ha Solstice, l 131ha Oakley, 60ha Cordiale and

27ha Grafton, with Scout and Gallantin trials this season)

l 93ha spring malting barley (Tipple)

l 60ha winter malting barley (Cassata)

l 30ha malting barley seed

l 248ha winter oilseed rape (Flash, Excalibur, Catana and Cabernet)

l 126ha winter beans (Wizard)

l 159ha permanent pasture

l 38ha permanent set-aside (for HLS)

l 27ha game cover

l 9ha rotational set-aside

l 45ha permanent grassland (from a previously tenanted farm)

l 115ha woodlands etc

l Let land:l 40ha pasture for grazing

l 40ha salad onions

l 78ha hand-picked peas

l 24ha early potatoes

l Machinery:

Combine:l John Deere S690 (with a 9m header

and AutoTrac)

Tractors:l John Deere 8530 (330hp) with

AutoTrac

l John Deere 7830 (205hp) with AutoTrac

l John Deere 6930 (155hp) with AutoTrac

l John Deere 6410 (105hp)

Cultivation equipment:l 4m Väderstad TopDown

l 6.5m Väderstad Carrier plus Biodrill

Drill:l 6m Simba Horsch CO6 Sprinter

(at 25cm spacings)

Sprayer:l 36m Bateman RB35 self-propelled

with 4,000-litre tank

l 24m Chaviot, self-propelled

Gordon Stanford (pictured above, right) is taken through the installation of thefarm’s new 6m Sprinter drill, whichreplaces a 4m unit previously operated by a now-retired colleague.

than ploughing –– but that the same operation can be more costly under certain conditions.

“In the next stage, we’ll create a ‘look-up’ spreadsheet, with additional formulae in Excel. This will highlight significant words, such as TopDown,brash, wet, dry, damp etc, and I’ll then be able to search the whole database of 1,000ha to calculate the average costs for each machine in the relevantconditions.”

He admits it would’ve been extremelyuseful to have this same information lastyear when the farm was operating withan extra man, and smaller tractors andmachines. “Nevertheless, we’re planningto extend its use to highlight how machinesare set –– including information such asthe working depth.” n

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compaction. A machine whose load isspread on tracks to limit compaction can in some instances –– after a shower ofrain, for example –– find itself with tractionproblems because of reduced grip on orbelow the greasy surface.

Scuffing problem“And while tracked machines do a greatjob in the main body of work, scuffing can be a problem with single-tracked skid-steered crawlers –– when turning onthe headlands in particular.” However,guided/automatic steering has helped tomake this less of an issue in recent years,he adds.

“Traction is obviously a key requirementfor primary tillage but it’s less importantwhen performing secondary cultivations and drilling. Conversely, compaction isn’tsuch an issue with primary cultivations asimplements will generally be working deeper–– but it is a big concern with shallower secondary cultivations and drilling.”

Beyond the field gate, there are otherbenefits and drawbacks with each system–– notably the transport-width advantage of tracks, compared with a tyred machineoffering a similar ground contact area, continues Guy Leversha. “The latter wouldgenerally have to be on duals all-round.”

However, road speed and ride comfortare major pluses with tyres, and tyred

Tracks or tyres – high hp dilemma

Tyre technology has moved on considerably sincerubber tracks were introduced two decades ago.But each system retains its distinct advantages.

By Martin Rickatson

‘Soil damage and compaction willstill result if field operations are

carried out on waterlogged soils.’

aterpillar’s 270hp Challenger 65tractor –– first sold to UK farmersback in 1988 –– heralded the

introduction of a new propulsion systemcombining the flotation and traction benefits of a tracklayer with the transportease of a wheeled machine.

Joined almost ten years later by JohnDeere’s rubber-tracked 8000 and 9000ranges, then the articulated, four-trackedCase IH Quadtrac, all three designsoffered the ability to put more rubber –– and hence power –– to the groundwithout having to worry about the transport width of the tractor.

It was arguably the latter characteristicwhich held the greatest appeal for UKfarmers, offering a viable alternative to the

arduous task of fitting duals to wheeled,high-hp tractors to obtain full traction andoutput –– and eliminating the equallyonerous operation of removing them forroad transport.

But there have been considerableadvances in tyre technology in recentyears creating wider –– and notably longer–– footprints than were previously possible.And while the crawler’s high tractive efficiency is the characteristic some farmersconsider to be key, others happily forgothis for the versatility and lower purchaseprice offered by wheeled tractors.

“The choice between tyres and tracks is determined by a number of factors butmuch depends on whether the tractor is to perform primary cultivations or secondary tillage and drilling,” says Guy Leversha of Simba. He notes thatsome farmers are now requiring their high-hp tractors to do both jobs.

“In any situation, a balance has to be achieved between traction and

C

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Like Simba, with its eponymous cultivations kit and Horsch drill range,Väderstad has a foot in both camps ––manufacturing and marketing both tillageand seeding machinery. The firm’s MarkLittleford stresses that neither tracks nortyres can provide the answer to tractionand compaction problems on their own.

“In truth, the best quality seedbeds are to be found at the base of maturecrops just prior to harvest,” he suggests.“From that point onwards, every operationcarried out causes damage to the soil surface into which the following crop is to be established.

“It’s therefore important to try to minimise that damage as far as possiblesince doing so will bring both agronomicand financial benefits.”

The first thing to consider is the depthof cultivation required in each individualfield, and a big factor in making such adecision is the depth of compaction at its deepest point –– generally within

22 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

A crawler isn’t crucial for operating high-output min-till cultivation equipment –– even on heavy land, believes oneWarwickshire farmer.

Stuart Russell, who farms at Dunchurch,near Coventry, began sharing equipmentseven years ago with neighbour, MichaelRoyans –– with both men wanting to cuttheir machinery costs on the 480ha theyfarm in total. The soil type is a mixture ofblue lias clay and medium loam, and thecropping includes winter wheat, winter oatsand spring beans.

“I was running a pair of Case IH Magnumtractors –– a 7130 and a 7250 –– on my400ha and I decided to sell them both so I could run one machine on the combinedacreage.” The goal was to run a single-passcultivator across both farms, explains Stuart Russell.

“The 3.3m cultivator/ 4.6m press combination we selected needed at least300hp for our heavy ground but I wasn’tkeen on the idea of buying a crawler. Asidefrom the higher price tag, compared with anequivalent wheeled tractor, we have a fair bitof roadwork to do and they don’t offer thebest ride –– added to which, road wear canbe a problem on rubber tracks.

“Wheeled tractors cost less to buy andto run than an equivalent hp crawler andwith the introduction of 900mm tyres,there’s generally no need now to run dualwheels on this size of tractor –– eliminatingthe associated transport and attachmentproblems.”

So in 2002, they purchased the wheeledversion of Case IH’s Steiger STX325 tractoron single 900/50 R42 tyres –– saving a considerable amount of cash compared with the price of a similar Quadtrac trackedmachine. The new tractor allows MichaelRoyans to turn stubble into seedbeds in justone pass, while Stuart Russell focuses onharvesting with a New Holland CSX7080combine –– assisted by a temporarytractor/trailer driver.

While the Steiger remains the farms’prime mover, the original one-pass cultivatorhas been superseded by a 4.5m trailedSumo Trio, which encompasses tines, discsand a press. “One of the reasons we boughtthis was because of its weight and build

quality. But despite its considerable bulk, thewheeled Steiger has little problem pulling it atlow wheelslip levels on our heavy clay land.

“The compact 500mm discs on the Triohelp a lot as they don’t turn-up poorer, stickier soil from below the surface, and wecan work it without the discs if required bydropping the packer right down to raise them out of work.

“This is something we’ve done in poor soilconditions simply to get some air into theground. Under similar circumstances withour old cultivator, we got it stuck and had torevert to ploughing on-land with the Steiger,with our old seven-furrow plough to get usout of jail. But that also shows the versatilityof this type of tractor.”

“With the Steiger being tyred, rather thantracked, and the Trio being fairly compact,the combination also rides well on the road.”

After seven years of min-tilling, MessrsRussell and Royans claim to have learned tobe more patient, and to avoid rushing torevert to the plough if the weather takes aturn for the worse. “But the rain we’ve hadover the past couple of summers has tested our patience quite a bit.

“Having a tractor on 900 tyres, rather thantracks, certainly hasn’t left us any worse offin terms of the work we’ve been able to do.Moreover, I’d say the running costs aremuch lower as well.”

Tracks not necessary for high output min-till

Warks farming neighbours Stuart Russelland Michael Royans run a wheeled Case IH 325hp tractor to pull a 4.5mSumo Trio.

“Choosing tracks or tyres depends onwhether the tractor is to be used forprimary or secondary cultivations –– or both,” says Guy Leversha.

machines also tend to be more versatilein the field, he concedes. “The other bigadvantage offered by tyred machines isthat they have far lower running costs thancomparable crawlers –– chiefly because ofthe associated undercarriage and runninggear with the latter.”

For an out-and-out large primary tillagetractor in the 400hp+ power band ––

which may be used for drilling as well –– tracks are the only way to go, believesGuy Leversha. “At this power level, thereare few other uses anyway, so the versatility issue is less applicable –– andthe transport width consideration puts afurther dampener on the argument infavour of tyres.

“But for farms requiring a machinearound the 250-350hp mark, it’s a different story. A wheeled-tractor presents no transport-width issues ––unless of course it’s dualled –– and the tyre pressures can be varied according to the task being performed.”

That means increasing them to addweight for primary cultivations to increasethe level of traction, while reducing themfor top-work to improve the flotation characteristics, he says.

“Moreover, the tractor can be used formany other purposes –– even down tohauling big trailers at speed on the road,making it universal year-round.”

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“All too often, tracked tractors are seenworking on their ‘heels’ rather thanspreading their weight over the full lengthof the track,” says Mark Littleford.

Cambs Case IH dealer, Collings Brothers,has been importing Mini-Q rubber-trackdrive units from Canadian company Soucyfor the past three years. While other firmshave previously offered retro-fit rear driveunits, Collings Bros boss, Ray Runciman,stresses that the Soucy system is designedfor all four corners of conventional tractors,not just the back axles.

“We’ve been asked to supply rear trackunits only but that would be a completewaste of time,” he says. “The merits of the system become clearest when the conditions are damp or wet –– and thesame thing applies on primary tillage, or secondary cultivations and drilling.

“With the four track system, the fronts

provide a sound base for the rears to grip–– increasing the level of traction by up to330% compared with a tyred machine andallowing the tractor to do more work usingless power, and reducing compaction byaround three and a half times.”

Significantly, tractors can turn conventionally with the same radius as they’d have on wheels, he adds.

“But what appeals to many of the customers who’ve bought from us –– bearing in mind we’ve now sold 17 sets to date for fitting to Case IH, John Deereand Fendt tractors –– is that the units canbe removed or installed in a day, meaningthe tractor can revert to wheels when tracksaren’t required.”

Tracks and tyres – one firm’s solution

the tramlines, combine wheelings andheadlands, he says.

“Tracks undoubtedly mean the compacted layer will be at a shallowerdepth making the need for deep cultivation less likely –– and also meaningthe following cultivators will have an easierjob in trying to level the soil surface.”

Weight distributionWhen using a tracked cultivation tractor,it’s important to ensure the weight distribution is set-up properly to get thebest from the machine, stresses MarkLittleford. “Getting this wrong will detractsignificantly from the benefits provided by a tracked machine.

“All too often, tracked tractors are seen working on their ‘heels’ rather thanspreading their weight over the full lengthof the track. The only way to ensure minimum ground pressure and extract thefull potential of a crawler is to ensure themaximum surface contact area, togetherwith the minimum weight.”

The transfer of power from the tractor to the ground is often a source of errorwhen cultivating, with the requirement for more traction regularly misunderstoodas a requirement for more horsepower, he continues.

“The critical factor is to minimise the degree of wheel slip and maximisethe efficiency of power transfer to the soil surface. This is what reduces thedegree of damage to the soil, as well as minimising fuel usage and limitingtyre wear.”

Just because a machine is tracked, it doesn’t give it the ability to “walk onwater”, he warns. “Soil damage and compaction will still result where field

operations are carried out on waterloggedsoils. The key is to get the most out of your machines when the conditions are suitable.”

New Holland’s entire UK agriculturaltractor range is based on wheeledmachines –– now extending to 385hp and 485hp respectively with the recently-introduced T9030 and T9050 articulatedmachines. NH high-hp tractor specialist,Richard Hollins, believes there are somekey reasons for this.

“It’s common to hear some impressiveground pressure figures quoted forcrawlers but these refer to static machines.It’s recognised that twin-track crawlers inparticular rock backwards onto the largemain rear-drive wheel under load –– drastically increasing the ground pressure.Even when running without a load, trackedmachines produce ground pressure spikesbeneath each roller.

“But because of their nature, primarycultivations are relatively slow operations toperform requiring a high degree of torque.Higher contact pressure is usually requiredto transmit this, partly through the use ofballast, so low ground pressure isn’talways desirable.

“But for secondary tillage and drilling –– work carried out at higher speeds ––the torque requirement is lower hence the ballast can be removed.”

It’s also worth remembering that twin-track crawlers aren’t fitted with difflocks, which are always helpful in primarywork, and that the vibration they transferto the ground when turning can causecompaction and soil smearing on somesoils under certain conditions, saysRichard Hollins.

“At the same time, the vibration of themachine’s tractive effort is isolated fromthe operator by tyres, whereas tracks don’t provide this insulation unless they’resuspended. Moreover, wheeled tractorshave a tighter turning circle –– limiting the headland damage.”

While most equipment used behind thetractor/crawler will be trailed at this powerlevel, there are a few exceptions, he notesRichard Hollins.

“Trailed and mounted implements applydifferent weight transfer characteristics tothe tractor,” he points out. “Tyres giveoperators some flexibility to adjust the front or rear pressures according to theload –– changing the ground contact area.And as the load on the tractor increases,it’s important to remember that a tyre’s footprint is enlarged –– but with a track,it’s obviously fixed.”

While one of the obvious attractions of a wheeled articulated tractor over atracklayer is its lower initial purchase price,Richard Hollins also points to the fact that the only wearing parts on a wheeledtractor’s drive system are its tyres.

“On a crawler, that compares not onlywith the tracks themselves, but also theassociated undercarriage parts –– idlers,tensioners and the general running gear.

“The sheer longevity offered by wheeledhigh-hp tractors –– particularly articulatedones –– and their good residual values,compared with their relatively low initialpurchase prices, means they can be anoption even right up in the 400hp sector.

“That’s particularly true now any concerns over the drilling accuracy have been overcome thanks to the introduction of auto-steering.” n

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Levelling the late starterLate-sown wheats don’t have to be an

after-thought –– manage them right and they’llreward you better you than might expect. CPM provides some tips on how to stack

the odds in your favour.

By Tom Allen-Stevens

‘It’s generally better to stick withtrue winter varieties until the

end of the year.’

n the face of it, late-sown wheatsare easy. You can drill prettymuch any winter variety up until

the end of February. The late ones maytake a yield penalty, but will suffer lessdisease, lodging and weed pressure thanthe earlier drillings which will probablyrequire a lot more to effort to grow.

But where the profit’s made or brokenis in matching the runner to the race ––making sure the odds are stacked inyour favour.

“If your early September wheats arerequired to do a 1,000m jog, those sownafter mid-November are doing a 100msprint,” notes Nickerson head breeder, Bill Angus. “All varieties will complete thesprint but a lot of them will be hopelesslyout of sync, with consequential poor physical grain quality.”

There are two key issues growers needto consider when deciding if a wheat willperform in the late slot –– namely its vernalisation requirement and response

O

to day length (i.e. vernalisation being theperiod of cold weather needed to initiateear formation).

“These are the two factors that controlear development,” he explains. “Hereward,for instance, needs a long period of coldweather –– sow it late and you risk endingup with a vegetative crop with no ears, or a very late maturing crop.”

Best adapters?For any given date, day length is the onenatural condition you can predict almostto the second and varieties that respondwell will also adapt well to their sowingdate. “You want a variety that paces itselfaccording to the day length since theseare the ones which are more flexible andcan adapt to a later sowing date.

“Soissons for example takes absolutelyno notice of day length –– plant it inSeptember and it will grow like stink. Itwill put on far too much biomass duringthe winter months as well as initiatingears during some critical, unsuitableconditions in the early spring.”

So the varieties to select are the oneswith a low vernalisation requirement, andthose that respond well to the increasingday length in the spring. But wouldn’tyou be better off going with a springwheat?

It should certainly be a consideration,reckons independent variety consultant,Richard Fenwick. “The late winter wheatslot only came about because growerswere planting spring wheats ever earlier.There are spring wheats sown early

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“If you’re sowing late, the variety has to be able to pace itself according to the daylength,” says Bill Angus.

that perform just as well as winter wheatssown late.”

It will often come down to what seed isavailable in the barn, he suggests. “If youalready have seed available on-farm andcan get it into a good seedbed, that will beyour best solution. But if you have to orderyour seed in, you might find you’re stillwaiting to sow it in March. In this situation,it may be best to buy a spring wheat variety instead.”

The Arable Group’s Dave Robinsonbelieves Christmas forms a good cut-offpoint. “Generally, it’s better to stick withtrue winter varieties until the end of theyear after which time the spring wheatyields are similar to winter wheat.”

Agronomic dataBut choosing one variety over anotherisn’t simply a matter of looking at the HGCA Recommended List forlate autumn-sown wheats, believes independent variety consultant, MikeJeffes. He advises growers to judge varietal performance by comparing itwith the standard winter wheat list.

“You’re looking for two things ––absolute high yield and evidence ofadaptability. Some varieties that appearto look good in the late slot drop-off a lotof yield they achieve at earlier sowings,so have less yield stability. Those varietieswhich have less of a yield drop are moreadaptable to a wider range of sowing scenarios.”

On that basis, Ambrosia, JB-Diego and the spring variety Beloit stand outwell, he reckons. “Following close behind

are Oakley, Istabraq, Robigus, Glasgow,Humber and Viscount, so any of thesewouldn’t be a bad choice.”

The point to note is that their relativeperformance is not as great –– Oakleyand Humber will do well, but the gapbetween them and other varieties willshrink, he stresses. “You probably wantto avoid Hereward, Marksman, Duxfordand Consort as they adapt less well tothe late slot.”

Among the rising stars, Conqueror, withits added bonus of midge resistance, looksstrong, continues Mike Jeffes. “Gallantactually looks quite good too but it performed badly in trials this year, so its popularity may drop back.”

The big opportunity in the late-sownslot is to opt for a quality wheat (seepanel below), with Xi-19 and Cordialehaving a strong following in this sector.The latter finds particular favour north of the Humber, notes Yorkshire-basedconsultant, Patrick Stephenson.

“When Cordiale first appeared, it wasa bit of a question mark because we didn’t know where to use it. But it fits invery well in the late slot performing wellon yield –– even after sugar beet –– andyou still get the quality without having tochase it or spend a lot of money on it.”

Robigus stands out as a strong contender –– especially among theGroup 3 varieties, according to RichardFenwick. “It’s susceptible to yellow rustso for that reason, in addition to itsSeptoria tritici resistance, it’s favoured in the west. But it’ll put on less lushgrowth as a late-sown wheat, so disease

shouldn’t be so much of a problem.”Whatever your choice of variety, you

certainly need to increase the seed rate,advises Mike Jeffes. “Later-sown varietieshave less time to tiller in both autumn andspring, and you’ll need to compensate forthe effects of crows, slugs and otherpests. So you’ll need to raise the seedrate to end up with the correct numberof heads/m2.”

Different geographical areas and soiltypes demand slightly different seed ratesin the first place, notes Dave Robinson. “But as a rule of thumb, look at usingaround 50-60% more seed than you’d

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 27

The lower yield from late-sown wheatsmakes quality varieties stack up far morefavourably than in an earlier slot.

“You want to start by seeing what has a ready market, and what’s in demand,”advises Bill Angus. “But the marketingopportunities for quality wheat are good, with Xi-19 being very well suited to the latesowing slot. There are many growers whodon’t like the variety –– but drill it late andyou’ll come to love it.”

Xi-19 puts on a lot of straw length andhas a tendency to lodge, he points out. “Buta late-sown crop will put on less straw –– it’salmost impossible to lodge a wheat cropafter sugar beet.”

Getting protein into the ear is also less ofa struggle, notes Mike Jeffes. Xi-19 is famed

as being a hungry variety that needs to befed plenty of nitrogen to achieve its Group 1milling premium. “The yield potential is thatmuch lower than with an earlier sowing,there’s less of a protein dilution effect.”

This is an important point –– those whostruggle to achieve the protein from an early sowing will find the quality premiumcomes easier for less fertiliser outlay with alate-sown wheat, he says. “The same goesfor Group 2s, where Cordiale leads the way.

“It yields at about the same level asEinstein but has real premium potential. It’sright at the top of Group 2 and the millerADM rates it highly,” notes Mike Jeffes.

For those looking for something different,Zircon could be an interesting alternative, hebelieves. “It’s a spring wheat not shy of yield

and it’s well suited to the late autumn slot ––with an equivalent performance to Alchemy,Solstice and Deben. It’s a stiff, white-grainedvariety particularly appreciated by Weetabix,who require no minimum Hagberg or protein–– they’re currently offering a £10/t premiumfor the variety.”

But before booking your quality seed order,consider what other varieties are already on-farm, cautions Patrick Stephenson.“Variety choice often becomes a storageissue –– don’t mix your hard and soft wheats.

“If you’re planning to fill your barn withGroup 3 varieties and don’t have a separatearea to store quality wheat, you’ll have toaccept that you’ll lose any premium that may be going.”

The quality conundrum

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Ten essential facts aboutlate-sown wheat 1. Variety. Don’t just go for the

high-yielder – pick one that adapts well to the late slot.

2. Quality. There’s a real opportunity toachieve a milling premium if you have the space to store the crop separately from your feed varieties.

3. Type. Whether you go for a spring ora winter variety will largely depend on what seed you have available andwhether you think it will be sown before Christmas.

4. Seed rate. This needs to be increased by 50-60% for a late October sowing. The plus side is thatthe seed treatment cost is likely to be less.

5. Seedbed. Don’t maul it in. If the soil conditions aren’t right, be patient. Most autumn-sown varieties are fine until March.

6. Phosphate and seed germination gohand-in-hand, so make sure your indices are good.

7. Establishment. Emergence is slow with a late-sown variety, and there will be little autumn tillering. This makes slugs and wheat bulb fly key concerns.

8. Lodging. Late-sown wheats put on less straw length which creates more flexibility from a nitrogen management perspective.

9. Inputs. The crop will need less autumn herbicide and will suffer less from disease. Moreover, lodging will tend not to be an issue and the crop will require less nitrogen.

10. Yield. Don’t be disappointed when the combine goes through. The output will typically be a t/ha less, but the milling premium and lower growing costs should help to compensate.

Cordiale now has a strong following northof the Humber, says Patrick Stephenson.

need in late September.” For example, a rate of 300 seeds/m2 in September converts to 450-480 seeds/m2 inNovember, he notes.

Once you’ve chosen the variety andseed rate, you then need to choose theright time to drill. “Patience is a keyparameter to making late drilling work. If it’s after a root crop, deep cultivationsto remove compaction will be the firstconsideration.”

Moreover, don’t drill regardless of the conditions, he stresses. “There willalways be stories of crops which havemauled in where the soil condition ispoor which have done better thanexpected. But be honest –– if you

start off badly, it’s more luck than goodjudgment if it works.”

Aim for a light touch, advises PatrickStephenson. “You want a tilth that won’tcause water to pond on the surface butthat can be easier said than done. Youmay be best to leave the power harrow in the shed –– it may be a wonderful tool but a smeared layer of soil isn’t conducive to good crop growth.”

That said, one of the lessons to learnfrom last autumn is how well a wheatcrop can recover. The atrocious summerlast year meant many crops were drilledinto slumped, sodden soils. After a cold,wet winter, the meagre amount of greensome growers had in their fields was toomuch to bear, and a number of wheatcrops were ploughed up, he recalls. “Sothose drilling late in 2009 may be waryabout working a soil in less-than-idealconditions.

“The way wheat compensates issomething you tend to forget about. Thisyear, there were many crops that cameout of the winter with not many tillers butwe still got a good grain set. For the mostpart, growers have been pleased withwhat they’ve harvested.

“We were blessed with a good spring,which is worth bearing in mind. Butbefore you write off a crop, you shouldconsider that it may perform better thanit looks.”

Pest pressure will be the biggest concern once the crop is in the ground.“Slugs are the biggest challenge, so you must make sure the seed is wellcovered. The key difference between anearly and late-sown crop is the amountof time it takes to emerge.

“In September, it’s 7-10 days but inOctober, it could be talking 3-4 weeks –– during which time it will be very vulnerable to attack.

“The previous crop will have an influence on the treatment approach ––potatoes generally receive pellets, so thepopulation the new wheat crop inherits will tend to be less. This isn’t the case following sugar beet, so expect populationsto be higher.

“Keep on your toes and use bait traps.But by the time you see damage, you’vepretty well missed the boat.”

Wheat bulb fly is another problem to be aware of, he continues. “There’snothing more soul-destroying than seeing

28 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

11.5

11

10.5

10

9.5

9

8.5

8

Yie

ld (t

/ha)

Xi19

Solstice

Mascot

Malacca

Hereward

Einstein

Cordiale

Battalio

n

Marksman

Soissons

Zebedee

RobigusDeber

Claire

Consort

Oakley

JB-Diego

Duxford

Glasgow

Istabraq

Humber

Ambrosia

Alchemy

Gladiator

Timber

Gatsby

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

VarietyNormal sowing Late-autumn sowing

Source: HGCA Recommended Lists 2008N.B. Some information is based on limited data. 2009 results are not included. Refer to original HGCARecommended Lists for full details.

Impact of sowing date on yield

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300 seeds/m2 in September converts to450-480 seeds/m2 in November, notesDave Robinson.

dead-hearts in March. The risk is relateddirectly to the crop stand –– if you’ve onlygot single tillers through until January, youmay get a lot of damage and then you’velost it.” Moreover, spraying a crop inJanuary or February tends to be difficult,he adds.

Ground that lies bare in late summerand autumn is at the highest risk ofdamage since this is when the flies laytheir eggs. Crops sown late after viningpeas or oilseed rape can suffer, as wellas those following roots.

Online informationMore information can be found in the HGCA online Knowledge Centre(www.hgca.com/knowledge, then click on Crop Research > Pest Management).Similarly, Dow AgroSciences carries out wheat bulb fly assessments as part of its Pestwatch service (go towww.dowagro.com/uk/cereal and click onCereal Pestwatch), and risk assessmentcharts can also be located on the site.

Seed treatments can provide usefulprotection against wheat bulb fly but becareful when using a multitude of dressingsas these will further slow the rate ofemergence, notes Patrick Stephenson.

However, a single-purpose dressing toprevent damping-off would be a wiseinvestment, according to Richard Fenwick.“Remember, the seed will be sitting in theground in damp conditions for some time,so it will be more vulnerable.

“But on the plus side, take-all won’tbe a problem and nor will early rust prevention, so there’s little need to load the seed with too much chemical.”This will also help to keep the cost down,bearing in mind the seed rate will needto be higher, he notes.

Weeds will also be less of a headache,says Mick Jeffes. “Blackgrass can beknocked on the head with two to threedollops of glyphosate.”

The early flush of both grass andbroadleaf weeds will probably be overbefore drilling, reducing the need for an autumn-applied selective herbicide.“But don’t abandon the blackgrass control programme entirely,” warnsPatrick Stephenson. “Late drilling helpsin the management of a large weed burden and moves it from being highrisk to low risk in terms of the yield threat –– but it’s a risk nonetheless.”

The likely weed burden of both blackgrass and broadleaf weeds meansthe control strategy will be best focused on the spring-control options. However,

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 29

it’s important to remember that the cropwill be some way behind early-sown wheatin the spring. “That means weeds may get a head-start before the canopy builds–– also affecting the spray timings.

“And just because other crops areready for a T0, it doesn’t mean the late-sown wheats will be –– they couldbe two weeks behind.”

However, the disease burden is likely to be less, and it’s the relative cost-efficiency which need to be bourn in mind as the combine passes through,says Mike Jeffes. “Late wheats may yield less but there are parallel savings.They take less nitrogen to feed, lessagrochemicals to protect them and lesstime to manage. So there’s still plenty ofscope for profit.” n

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One pass – or two?Many German farmers use two-pass min-till systems –– with the second passeliminating the need for glyphosate.

While one-pass ‘loosen and cultivate’ min-till systems are now widespread in the UK, manyGerman farmers believe there are significant

advantages to be gained from keeping the two operations separate.

By Martin Rickatson

‘Performing an initial shallow-but-intensive cultivation pass straight

behind the combine makes a lotmore agronomic sense.’

anvass opinion among a group offarmers as to what constitutes ‘min-till’ crop establishment and the

responses are likely to be wide-ranging. For some, the answer will be “as few

passes as are necessary to establish acrop successfully”, while others will viewthe rules of engagement more rigidly.

This latter group would probablydescribe min-till as using no more thanone cultivation pass (i.e. tined-looseningto eliminate compaction at the same timeas creating a good surface-tilth prior todrilling), albeit with the need for rotationalsub-soiling on an ‘as required’ basis.

But it’s into the former category thatmost German combinable crop growersseem to fall, judging by the popularity ofthe two-pass min-till systems used in thecountry’s prime arable areas.

For example, an estimated 85-90% of farmers now use this approach innorthern Germany, according to the cultivation and drill specialist, Lemken.

Separating the two processes of

C surface cultivation and deeper tined-loosening makes more sense, they wouldargue. The former operation is designedto conserve moisture and thoroughlyprocess the stubble –– incorporating thestraw effectively into the upper level ofthe topsoil, where it’s more easily brokendown by the weather, worms and soilmicrobes, while the latter is designed topromote deeper root growth.

Less glyphosateMoreover, many German farmers havebeen able to reduce their reliance onglyphosate by using this type of system–– relying on the cultivation passesthemselves to destroy the early-emergingweeds and volunteers.

In addition, this approach has a loweroverall horsespower requirement since itsplits the tasks of tined-loosening –– withits higher demand for power –– andhigh-speed, disc-based surface-tilth creation, which is less power-hungry.

“The short crop rotations common

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Splitting the tasks of surface-tilth creation fromdeeper-loosening has a number of agronomicbenefits, believes Peter Baumgärtner.

in northern continental Europe makestraw incorporation very difficult in min-till situations,” says Lemken’s Peter Baumgärtner, based at Frechen in North Rhine-Westphalia. “This is themain reason why two-pass systems havebecome so popular in this area –– toincrease the soil’s ‘intake’ of straw and to enhance its breakdown.”

Limited breakdownTrying to establish wheat after oilseedrape in fields cut in mid-July, then leftuncultivated until September, means littlestubble breakdown can occur during thisperiod of inactivity –– increasing theproblem of achieving a through mix ofsoil and straw ahead of drilling, he says.

“Moreover, while some greening mayoccur prior to cultivating, volunteers and weed seeds will be given littleencouragement to germinate.”

The other key problem with thisapproach is that, although the groundhas yet to be disturbed, soil moisturelosses through the standing stubble can still be very high, continues PeterBaumgärtner. “Volunteer rape canextract water from the soil at a rapid rate,and moisture is also lost via capillaryaction through the cut stems of the previous crop.”

Farmers sometimes seek to alleviatesome of these problems by cutting theirstubble as short as possible, or if theywant to maintain their combine capacity,by cutting it longer then topping it after harvest, he says. “But this onlyexacerbates the moisture loss problembecause the short plant material leavesno shadow, allowing the sun to shine onmore of the soil surface.”

More agronomic sense?Performing an initial shallow-but-intensive cultivation pass straight behindthe combine makes a lot more agronomicsense –– carried out well in advance ofdrilling with a compact disc cultivator,such as the Rubin –– to give the strawmore time to be broken-down by theweather and soil microorganisms, as wellas conserving moisture in the top few cmsof the soil, claims Peter Baumgärtner.

“There’s rarely any benefit to begained from working the land deep afterrape anyway as the roots will have donethe soil-loosening job themselves. So thisfirst cultivation pass, followed by a laterpass to kill the emerged weeds and volunteers, is often all that’s necessaryprior to sowing first wheat.”

Removing the early flush of weeds andvolunteers is vital for seedbed moistureretention, he believes. “If combine losses are around 2% –– which is probably a fairly low estimate –– this is probably higher than the seed rateoriginally used to sow the crop wherewheat is concerned.”

A 2% loss in a 10t/ha crop equates to200kg/ha, whereas the original seed ratewas probably nearer to 100-150kg/ha,he calculates. “And with rape, mostfarmers accept a combining loss ofaround 4-5% –– plus there are othersources of seed return to factor-in, such as shedding.

“So in a 5t/ha rape crop, losses cantotal more than five times the originalseed rate. For that reason, farmers who

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 31

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initially choose to work deeper thanthe top few cms of soil to bring moistureto the surface to promote germinationare taking a very short-term view sincethat moisture can disappear very quickly.

“Instead, the focus should be onarresting the capillary action of the stubble by using a shallow-yet-intensivecutting and mixing action.” He claimsthe Rubin disc cultivator is ideally suitedfor this task.

“With 12.5cm disc spacings, theRubin is capable of working at speeds of13-15km/hr –– hence fuel consumptioncan be limited to around 4-4.5 l/ha, stillachieving a high daily workrate.”

In addition to chopping the stubble,

with combine headers getting ever-widerbut with effective distribution from strawchoppers remaining an issue, the firstcultivation operation helps to spread the chopped straw more thoroughly, he claims.

When choosing a compact disc cultivator, farmers should consider thecharacteristics of the disc elements,rather than any perceived advantagefrom having the ability to alter the working angle, says Peter Baumgärtner.

“All that altering the gang angles does is compensate for the sidewaysmovement of the rubber-mounted discs. The most effective result will be produced by large discs which

are fixed in position, with an ability toonly move upwards or downwards. While large discs rotate more slowly thansmaller units, the angle, concave formatand cutaway edge of the discs more thancompensate for this on the Rubin.”

He uses the analogy of a vari-widthplough in his argument against morecomplex compact disc implements onwhich the disc-angle can be altered.

Conserving soil moisture“Changing the disc-angle merely altersthe total volume of material moved, and doesn’t increase the aggression ofthe disc action,” he says. “The mostimportant factor at this early stage is

Cornel Lindemann-Berk farms 600ha ofloamy ground not far from the Lemken factory at Frechen, North Rhine-Westphaliain north-west Germany.

Although the bulk of the farm’s croppingis combinable, he employs a manager,Martin Krist, plus two full-timers –– mainlybecause of his potato enterprise. A two-pass min-till regime has been in operationfor establishing the combinable croppingfor a number of years now, he says.

“It’s enabled us to cut our total fuel use byone-third from 120 l/ha under our previousplough-based regime to 80 l/ha under ourpresent two-pass, min-till system.

To work effectively and do the jobthey’re designed to do, tines need to

operate at around 11km/hr, while discsneed to run at nearer to 15-20km/hr,believes Cornel Lindemann-Berk.“Combining the two means the discs are operating too slow or –– if the tractorhas enough horsepower and a good suspension system –– the tines too fast.”

The farm has recently upgraded from aNew Holland TX66 combine to a Case IH8010 Axial Flow with a 7.3m header –– providing 40-50% more harvesting capacityand allowing the fields to be cleared muchmore quickly.

“Moreover, with our 3m Horsch Pronto,we can drill at 15-17km/hr, covering 30-50ha/day but the preparation of the land starts well in advance of this –– evenfor our spring crops.”

The winter barley harvest generallystarts in June, explains farm manager,Martin Krist and where the straw is sold,poultry manure is applied as soon as it’sbeen removed. This is incorporated intothe top 25mm of the soil profile using thefarm’s 4m Lemken Rubin compact disc cultivator, which also helps to initiate thestraw breakdown process.

“We usually leave a gap of two weeksafter that for the stale seedbed to do its work before we go in with an AgrisemCombiplow/Lemken Smaragd tine cultivatorcombination –– deep-loosening to around350-400mm ahead of oilseed rape, sugarbeet and potatoes.”

Any fields that require levelling then geta pass with the farm’s Karat cultivator,which also mixes the land more thoroughlyprior to OSR drilling at the end of August.“Our average rape yields are around 5t/hawhich proves our crops are well-rooted.”

For wheat establishment after rape, volunteer OSR is left to green-up (althoughmoisture retention is maximised by leaving90cm long stubble) before a pass is madewith a 3m Rubin to destroy the green flush.“Land destined for wheat after potatoes or sugar beet is often also given a very shallow-pass using the Karat with wingedpoints if the harvest conditions have been wet.

“But if it’s dry, drilling will often takeplace straight behind the Rubin.”

Land intended for spring cropping (i.e. barley and potatoes) is also cultivated in the autumn and left bare with a coveringof straw residue over the winter, says Martin Krist.

“Each cm of working depth means moving around 150t of soil, so we don’t work any deeper than necessary. After aseason growing rape, the land is usually ingood condition for the following crop, withthe roots having done a lot of loosening. We try not to spoil that.”

He reckons that a pass with the 3mRubin uses 6 l/ha of diesel at 6-7 l/hr,pulled by the farm’s Case IH Magnum 285,which is operated at 1,500-1,600rpm in ashigh a gear as possible. Meanwhile, theKarat uses around 7-12 l/ha when workingat a depth of 20cm, he adds.

“That’s our main tool for destroying weeds and volunteers. Althoughglyphosate is relatively cheap at around€10/litre (£8.80/litre), we use very little of it these days. By adding-in the cost ofoperating the sprayer at around €5.5/ha(£4.85/ha) –– which doesn’t include thedriver –– it far exceeds the cost of a passwith the Karat.”

Two-passes in North Rhine-Westphalia

Cornel Lindemann-Berk (right) and farmmanager Martin Krist reckon they’vereduced both diesel and glyphosate usageunder their two-pass min-till system.

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“Better straw incorporation can result fromshallow-but-intensive cultivation straight

after the combine,” says Mark Ormond.This should then be followed by deeper

soil-loosening prior to drilling.

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 33

to halt the capillary action of the straw to conserve soil moisture, and this iswhere angled, notched discs work bestby slicing through the stubble.”

Once the compact disc cultivator hascompleted its initial pass, many Germanfarmers use a tined cultivator in place ofglyphosate to kill the first flush of weedsand volunteers –– generally around 2-3 weeks later, he says.

“This is where a tine-based implement,such as the Karat, works best operatingat a depth of around 300mm to removecompaction, as necessary. But theimplement will mix the straw at the sametime –– straw which has already startedto break-down –– moving it deeper intothe soil profile.”

He claims implements with subsoiler-type legs don’t do this to the sameextent. “Many farmers here are workingtines –– with either chisel or wingedpoints –– down to around 150-250mm,then sub-soiling on a rotational basis toremove compaction.”

Mark Ormond of Lemken UK suggests that the more lightweight recent introductions into the one-passcultivator market, designed without deepsubsoiling legs but still incorporatingtines for cultivation and loosening as wellas discs for tilth creation, have markedthe first shifts towards the sort of min-tillsystem advocated by the company.

However, he believes these implementsdon’t go far enough in separating the different field operations. He also maintains UK farmers could speed-upthe straw-breakdown process significantlyby moving away from the idea of leavingfields untouched for long periods afterharvest –– surface-cultivating with a setof compact discs instead as soon as possible after the combine has left the field.

Improved structure“Many farmers have improved their soil structure through the adoption ofmin-till, thereby reducing the need tosubsoil every year. Implements such as the Väderstad TopDown and SimbaSolo ST represented some of the firstshifts from cultivators incorporating ‘pan-busting’ subsoiler legs to morededicated tined-cultivators with discs –– but they don’t go far enough.

“There’s little point in running a combined tilth-creating and deep soil-loosening cultivator, which incorporates a big packer for moisture retention of thesurface-tilth created by the discs, if the

legs preceding it are opening up theground even deeper since this simplycauses more moisture loss potential.

“Creating a stale seedbed by discingwithout loosening, then destroying thevolunteer and weed growth later on witha tined cultivator –– as many customersin Lemken’s home market do –– couldalso work equally well in the UK.” n

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Hitting the moisture target

One Shropshire farmer reckons his crop dryingset-up is capable of coping with almost

anything the weather can muster

By Rob Jones

‘Thanks to the cooling phase in the dryer, we’ve not had any

heat or mould problems in our stored grain.’

arming in the West Midlands, dryinggrain has been a necessary harvestsequel for almost 30 years for Steve

Milner, who manages 192ha of arable landwhich he owns, in addition to whole-farmcontracting a further 1,020ha for six localenterprises, located near Shifnal.

As well as two mobile batch grain dryers,he used an on-floor grain drying system this year and believes he’s now got the rightset-up to cope with the wide range of cropshe grows –– and challenges of the weather.

Steve Milner diversified into contracting in 1980 when he took on an extra 180ha of arable land under a share-farming agreement. In 1999, he took the decision to sell his 140 dairy cow herd and joinedforces with a neighbouring farmer to run two combines –– giving a total cropped areaof 600ha, including the contracted land.

F

At the same time, his old 9t dryer waspart-exchanged for a new mobile batchdryer with a 12t capacity –– giving him the option to locate it at either of the two farms, as required. The OPICO 600 Quiet Fan Automatic dryer has an automatic control unit which allows thegrain temperature to be monitored duringloading, heating, cooling and unloading.

A gas-fuelled dryer was selected in preference to a diesel-powered machine.“Not only does it burn cleaner, it’s veryeasy having the two 2,000 litre gas tanksre-filled,” explains Steve Milner. “Andbecause the dryer is electrically-driven,rather than PTO-powered, it doesn’t tie-up a tractor.”

A second OPICO 600 QF Auto was purchased in 2000 when an additional460ha of land was taken on.

Although the dryers are mobile, SteveMilner prefers not to move them betweensites: “They do transport okay, but wefound it was a lot of hassle taking them,together with all the augers, through thelocal town and along the narrow lanes.

“So we’ve focused on developing onesite at Brockton –– which is central for

34 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

the two larger farms –– with the seconddryer located at my farm around sevenmiles away.”

The move to having automatic dryershas made a tremendous difference to thedrying logistics, he continues. “We can fillthem last thing in the evening around10pm –– putting two loads in the holdingbin as well –– and by the time we get backat 6am the following morning, there’s 36tof dried grain sitting waiting in each one.”The reliability of this means he can “finallyget a full night’s sleep”.

Separating actionAnother benefit is the cleaning systemwithin the dryer, with an interchangeablesieve in the central tube which can bechanged according to the crop beingdried. “As the crop rotates, the weed seed and chaff get separated off.

“This is very useful in a weedy cropsince it improves the bushel weight significantly –– I’ve occasionally put dry grain through it simply to boost thequality of the sample. That’s something an on-floor system can’t do.”

It also ‘polishes’ the grain and makesthe sample more presentable to the buyer, he reckons. “This was particularlybeneficial last year because some of thegrain had sprouted.”

This year’s cropping includes winterwheat, spring barley, winter barley, oilseedrape, peas and mustard seed. Moreover,with the recent closure of the Allscottsugar beet factory, the two farms have s

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The highest moisture content of thewheat harvested this year was 19.7%.“Some was dry enough to go straight intostorage without drying, but the majorityranged from 16-18% and had to go intothe dryer first.”

His wheat yields were around 8.6t/hathis harvest, with the OSR averaging4.5t/ha.

This year’s crop of herbage seed washarvested at 34% moisture and becausethe humidity of the ambient air was toohigh, it again had to be taken off-farm fordrying down to the required 14%. Thepeas came in at 20% and were dried to14% using the on-floor system over thenext fortnight.

After harvest, the on-floor system revertsback to being a grain store again, and thebatch dryers are brushed down and stored

Farm Facts Woodside Farm, nr Shifnal, Shropshire

l Farm size: 192ha

l Soil type: light sandy loam

l Additional area contract farmed:1,020ha

l Soil types: heavy clay to light sand

l Staff team: Steve Milner plus 5 full-timers and 1 harvest casual

l 2009 arable cropping: 340ha wheat (varieties Solstice and Battalion)

122ha oilseed rape

184ha barley (spring and winter)

65ha herbage seed

7ha mustard seed

52ha combining peas

l Mainline machinery Tractors: 2x 160hp JD 6930, 120hp JD 6620, 300hp JD 8530

Handlers: 2x Merlo P28.7

Sprayer: 24m Bateman

Fertiliser spreader: Sulky X44

Trailers: 3x 14t and 2x 10t

l Harvest machinery Combines: 2x JD9780i CTS Hillmaster, with premium flow headers

Dryers: 2x OPICO 600 Quiets; one on-floor drying system

l Cultivation equipment:2x 5f Kverneland ploughs and presses

4m Lely power harrow/ drill

6m Väderstad cultivator

Drying rape from 15.8% moisture to 8%took around five-and-a-half hours.

“We use the dryers to remove weed seedand screenings to boost the saleability ofour crops,” says Steve Milner.

taken on several herbage seed production contracts.

The inclusion of the latter within therotation prompted Steve Milner and hisstaff to build an on-floor drying set-up atthe Brockton site –– converting two of thestorage bays.

“Grass seed is so dense that it’sdifficult to get air and heat through itinside a mobile dryer, and the seed tendsto bridge.” He ended up having to take theseed off-farm last year to have it driedbecause of the wet harvest.

Peas are also a challenge to dry –– partly because the drying process takeslonger, continues Steve Milner. “Moreover,they’re like gravel inside the dryer andtend to wear out the metalwork.”

So having the on-floor drying system,running specifically for the peas, has been a great bonus this year.

Harvest finished in mid-Septemberthis year without too many hitches –– onthe drying front at least, he says. “Ourtwo batch dryers ran continuously dayand night, with the on-floor system operating as long as the humidity of the air was low.”

All the farm staff are trained in how to maintain and operate the dryers, withthe bearings inside the batch dryersgreased-up regularly as part of the routine maintenance. “A typical day for whoever is on dryer duty starts withloading the Woodside Farm dryer, thendriving over to the Brockton dryer.

“The night-dried loads are checked by-hand for coolness –– with the drynessof the grain being confirmed using a moisture meter before any movement into store.

“Thanks to the cooling phase in thedryer, we’ve not had any heat or mouldproblems in our stored grain –– which isoccasionally kept in-store for more than ayear.” He also occasionally uses the dryerto cool grain coming off the combine so itcan be stored safely.

Harvest logisticsHarvesting a field of wheat involves twocombines and trailers, with one manremaining at the nearest dryer site to keepit continuously filled, and to monitor grainmoisture levels. A record is kept of thehours spent drying each particular batch,together with the electricity used, and the moisture levels at the start and end of the cycle. “Customers are then billedaccordingly at the end of the harvest year.”

For example, 39ha of Flagon winter barley were harvested between 7 and 25 July this year at an average moisturecontent of 20%. Destined for malting, thegrain was dried-down to the desired 14%,set on a low heat –– with the full cyclefrom loading to unloading taking aroundfive hours.

He estimates the typical cost of reducing the moisture by 3% is £1.22/t for the electric and £3.04/t for the gas.

Moreover, all of the 122ha of OSR (varieties Castille and Cabernet) neededdrying this harvest except for four trailerloads –– with the wettest batch starting at 15.8%, says Steve Milner. “Drying this down to 8% took an average of five-and-a-half hours.

“When crops are very wet, we canreduce the amount loaded into the dryer by lowering the height of the sensor and that way, the crop tends to dry a lot better.”

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Having an on-floor system has been agreat bonus for peas this year, says Steve Milner.

John Harmer can only remember one year –– 1976 –– when no grain drying was required.

undercover. Servicing will take place justbefore harvest next year.

“Although I’ve got good mechanicsamongst my staff, I want the peace ofmind of having the dryers serviced bysomeone specifically trained on that equipment –– and that’s our local OPICOdealer, Keith Davies Agricultural. It’s sucha nightmare when a dryer breaks-down –– the pressure is always on to get thecrops dried and into store as quickly aspossible at harvest.”

The dealer also advises on whatmid-season replacements may be needed, and puts a bulk order throughto OPICO directly.

‘Efficient and reliable’“We always have to dry at least of some of our crops –– in fact, one dryer did1,700 hours alone last year,” explainsSteve Milner. “But despite their age,they’re still proving efficient and reliable.”

However, this is the first year the on-floor drying system has been run alongside the batch dryers, so the comparative economics of the two systems have yet to be calculated, he admits.

Independent crop consultant, JohnHarmer, who works with three of thebusinesses farmed by Steve Milner,believes an on-floor batch drying system,fitted with an auger stirrer, is the ultimatedrying solution.

“With the right set-up, the labour input during harvest is virtually nil. Butfor maximum efficiency, stirrers need tomove the moisture through the grain.”

He adds that a humidity control fan is an ideal addition to the system. “But thedownside is that the drying time is slowwith this type of set-up. Moreover, it does require significantly more capitalinvestment than a mobile batch dryer ––especially if a new building is required.

“But for a comparatively lower capitalinvestment, mobile batch dryers are highly

adaptable –– slotting relatively easily intoexisting buildings. They work well as stand-alone systems, drying grain morequickly and proving relatively cheap to buy. Moreover, they’re easier to clean-down than continuous-flow systems.”

However, they are more labour intensive than on-floor systems –– although developments in automation have reduced the manpower commitmentto some degree, he adds. “Certainly, thenew on-floor system at Brockton is a welcome addition to the farms’ mobilebatch dryers.”

John Harmer has been involved withharvesting operations for over 30 years in the Shropshire area and can onlyremember one year –– 1976 –– when no grain drying was required. n

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 37

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A route to savings onconventional fertiliser?A route to savings onconventional fertiliser?

With arable margins under pressure, a growingnumber of farmers are applying sewage sludge

‘cake’ to cut their fertiliser costs.

By Rob Jones

‘Biosolids have been shown to increase yield and quality

through the addition of organic matter to the soil.’

ith arable crop profitabilityincreasingly under pressuredue to high fertiliser costs and

disappointing commodity prices, usingrecycled sewage as a substitute for inorganic fertiliser may be a timely andcost-effective solution to the problem –– in part at least.

As the production and use of biosolidsludge ‘cake’ becomes ever moresophisticated, a growing number of farmers are turning to it as an alternativeto inorganic fertiliser.

Biosolid sludge cake costs around£2.50/t delivered-and-spread –– with its nutrient value estimated to be in theregion of £20/t. Every year, the UK’swaste water treatment facilities produceabout 3Mt of biosolids which need to be disposed of.

So what’s contained in sludge cake, and how and where can it be used? John Jackson, farms manager for Severn Trent Water, explains:

W

“The increased availability of this type of biosolid comes as a direct result of the NVZ regulations. Before their introduction, we used to spread liquidsludge which contained about 3% solidsbut since this was deemed to be a sourceof high available N, we had to change the formulation to comply with the ruleswhich restrict application at certain timesof the year.”

With biosolid production a year-roundoperation, storage on the scale requiredfor liquid biosolids was clearly never goingto be an option. So instead, several waterutility companies invested significantamounts of cash on sludge dewateringmachines to produce a more solid form ofsludge –– which didn’t need to conform tothe closed period spreading requirements.

Biosolid cake is made by placing rawsewage sludge in an anaerobic digester fora minimum of 12 days at 32°C, with themethane gas produced as a by-productused to generate electricity. This is eitherused to help power the plant, or fed backinto the National Grid.

After passing through the dewateringprocess, the cake –– which now has a dry matter of 25% –– is stored for a further 14 days to ensure 99% of all

pathogens are destroyed. After that, it’sready for use on-farm.

A £27M investment by Anglian Water at its conventional and lime digestive-treatment plants at Kings Lynn, Norfolkhas resulted in the production of one ofthe most sophisticated sewage treatmentplants in Europe, it claims.

The key benefits include less odour production and reduced amounts of end-product to transport.

Anglia Water’s biosolids brand –– calledNutri-bio –– now accounts for 13% of the690,000t of biosolids it produces nationallyfor the UK agricultural industry. By 2015,all of the company’s conventional andlimed material should be replaced by anenhanced-digestive product.

Company spokesman, Tim Burch, reckons the use of biosolids on-farm saves growers around £15M/year ––money that would otherwise be spent on inorganic fertiliser.

“Historically, sewage sludge has hadbad press because of its association with human waste and bad odours. But technological advancements in thetreatment process, coupled with very close regulation, means biosolids are now playing an increasingly important role in supplying nutrients and trace elements to the farming industry.”

Sludge cake has been shown toincrease crop yields and quality throughthe addition of organic matter to the soil.

“During the past 15 years, 18% of theUK’s soil organic matter has disappearedfrom farmed land, largely due to theploughing up of grassland, which has

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Two satisfied users

ultimately taken its toll on the dynamics of the soil –– mainly drainage and pH –– with increased erosion as a result.

“The nutrient status of soils depleted inorganic matter can certainly be addressedby using fertiliser –– but increased soilacidity and reduced moisture retentioncan result from the over-reliance on non-organic sources of N.

“Trials using Nutri-bio have shown thatapplying 10t/ha of biosolids will increasethe soil organic matter by 4t/ha as a rule of thumb.” He claims that every £1 spenton Nutri-bio cake is typically worth £10 of inorganic fertiliser.

Biosolid cake contains nitrogen andphosphate as its key ingredients, alongwith a useful amount of sulphur and a small quantity of potash and trace elements.

“We didn’t buy any compound fertiliser at all last season –– just nitrogen and a bit of straight potash,” says Paul Leather.

“A typical dressing of 20t/ha will supply about 25-35kg/ha of available Nwhen applied in the autumn, and about50kg/ha when applied in the spring. Forphosphate, 180kg/ha will be availableimmediately, with a similar amount beingreleased in subsequent years.”

However, not all fields are suitable for treatment with biosolids, says John Jackson.

“There’s a rigorous testing procedure we need to go through before a farmer is allowed to have biosolids spread on his land,” he explains. “It starts with athorough test of the soil –– with samplestaken from a 25cm depth in 5ha blockswithin each field, and with the grid reference being recorded for each one.”

The tests are taken to determine thelevels of potentially dangerous heavy

“Biosolids are now playing an increasinglyimportant role in supplying nutrients andtrace elements to the farming industry,”claims Tim Burch.

40 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

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One farm in South Yorks has discovered thatploughing isn’t essential following an applicationof biosolid sludge ‘cake’.

Stubble treated with up to 25t/ha of the material –– plus as much as 60t/ha compost –– has been successfully incorporated at theLeather family’s B and J Farms business, LowLaithe Farm, Wales near Chesterfield, usingone-pass with a 4m Väderstad TopDown. Much of the farm’s land is heavy clay.

When the 690ha farm first started usingbiosolids to reduce its fertiliser bill, it was fearedthat the plough might be needed to achievecomplete incorporation, as specified by SevernTrent Water to minimise bad odours.

Paul Leather was one of the first farmers to purchase a TopDown when it was launchedfour years ago –– replacing a Simba disc and subsoiler system which didn’t penetrate the soil to the same degree, he says. “Ourplough-and-power harrow combination was

also becoming prohibitively expensive to run.”Nowadays, his crop establishment policy is

based on just two passes with the TopDown.First, the cultivator is used to create a staleseedbed, operating at a depth of 15-20cm tobreak-up any pan and using the smaller, 50mmpoints without wings to deal with the increasedsurface volume of straw, biosolids and compost.

This is followed by a glyphosate treatment tokill-off the re-growth, then a second pass withthe TopDown working to a depth of 10-12cmand using 80mm points and wings to create aflat, friable seedbed for drilling with the farm’s6m Rapid drill.

The TopDown is pulled by a 320hp MF8600operating at around 9km/hr for the first pass,which is taken diagonally across the tramlines,then at 10-12km/hour on the second passacross the opposite diagonal.

“We drill in the direction of the old tramlines,so it’s important that the cultivator doesn’t create any soil ridges across the drill’s path.”The levelling discs are the crucial componenthere and it’s up to the operator to set the rightheight for the conditions, he says.

“What we like best about the TopDown is the fact that the height of each of the cultivationcomponents can be controlled from the cab.”

Paul Leather reckons he uses no more than25 l/ha of fuel in total for the two cultivationpasses –– partly because of the good conditionof the soil. “Moreover, tine replacement due towear works out at around £2/ha and we getaround 2,000ha from a set of discs.”

He’s extremely pleased with the reduction in his fertiliser bill since using biosolids andcompost to supplement his crops’ nutrient

requirements. The main saving is in his phosphate bill due to the 160kgP/ha availablefrom the organic fertiliser.

“Last season, we didn’t buy any compoundfertiliser at all –– just nitrogen and a bit ofstraight potash.”

The savings on fertiliser at the start of the season are complemented by the added-value achieved at harvest. The farm’srotation includes milling wheat, oilseed rape,field beans and combining peas.

“Our Hereward invariably comes in at 14-15% protein and we’ve just signed a contract with Warburtons. The peas andbeans are grown specifically for the retail and wholesale bird feed business which we set-up around 12 years ago as a diversification project.” The latter nowaccounts for 50% of the farm’s turnover.

James Huxley of DJ Huxley Farms nearWhitchurch, Shropshire has also reduced his farm’s fertiliser bill by using biosolid cakeplus compost. Moreover, average crop yieldshave increased on the 930ha arable unit as a result of improvements to the soil structure.

“While the biosolid from Welsh Water provides 6kgN, 8kgP and 8kgS/t –– albeit not all of it in the same year –– the compost fromour own waste processing facility has helped us raise our soil organic matter, providing anadditional 8kgK/t.”

This translates into a reduction of around35kgN/ha in the amount of inorganic nitrogenwhich has to be applied, with no need for anyadditional P and a big reduction in the amountof K required, he says.

“At the same time, the compost –– mainly

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Gary Powell reckons the soil structure hasimproved noticeably since the farm startedusing biosolids.

Biosolids and the NVZ regulationsl Biosolids can be applied to land up

to an organic manure N field limit of 250kg total N/ha

l There are no closed spreading periods for digested biosolid cake

l When planning nitrogen use, it’simportant to make an allowance for the nitrogen released from biosolids in year-one

l However, there’s no requirement to take account of the nitrogen released from biosolids when calculating the farm’s N-max compliance

l Biosolids may not be spread within 10m of surface water, or within 50m of a spring, well or borehole

l As with all organic manures, details need to be recorded of all biosolid stores, as well as the fields receiving the material, and the volumes recycled on-farm

Source: Severn Trent Water

James Huxley has made significant savingsfrom using biosolids –– without any yieldpenalties, he says.

metals such as zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, chrome, nickel and mercury. “If the residues are above the set limits,then biosolids will not be allowed to beapplied. Similarly, if the soil pH is below5.2, spreading can’t take place.”

Crop rotation is another important consideration which can determine whetheror not a field can be treated, continues Jon Jackson. “The whole point is thatSevern Trent Water, or any of the otherwater utility companies, aren’t simply adumping operation. We’re keen to promotea responsible and environmentally acceptable way of recycling a resourcewhich is a benefit to farmers.”

Autumn is the most popular time forspreading the material onto stubbles ––typically wheat, barley and oilseed rape.Spreading records have to be taken and

these may be audited at any time by theEnvironment Agency.

At Severn Trent Water’s Old HattonsFarm, near Wolverhampton, extensive use is made of biosolids. Farm employee,Gary Powell, aims to apply a dressing of23t/ha to half the farm each year –– withthe whole area effectively being treatedevery other year.

“We’ve been using biosolids for quite a few years now and it’s quite noticeablehow the structure of the soil has improved,”he says. “Because it contains a good level of organic matter, it’s enhanced theworkability and drainage of our heaviersoils, and reduced compaction as well.”

For a typical arable farm growing winterwheat, barley and oilseed rape, the keyapplication time is just after harvest. “Butbiosolids weigh heavy and a full spreader

can take quite a bit of pulling –– more so than if it was handling conventional animal manure.”

While not being mandatory, once a fieldhas received its application of biosolids,Gary Powell incorporates it into the soilusing a Väderstad TopDown cultivator. He believes this helps to avoid any badodour problems, as well as minimisingnitrogen volatalisation.

“The other detail to note is the value of the sulphur which, I believe, has adirect benefit to all crops –– particularlyoilseed rape.” He reckons a 20t/ha application is worth around £400/ha –– representing a big saving on his overall production costs. n

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 41

from wood chippings –– is raising the soil’scapacity to store and slowly-release the applied nutrients, with the low-yielding areas of most fields becoming more productive, andwith crop growth being more even as a result.”

Moreover, the compost appears to beimproving the friability of the clay soil areas of the farm, he adds.

“We were a bit nervous about cutting back on the conventional fertiliser rates at the start but it pays to be brave because thesavings have been significant –– without anyyield penalties.”

However, he emphasises that biosolids need to be managed with care to minimiseodour problems –– especially as parts of thefarm are near built-up areas. “We’d alreadymoved to a mainly min-till system before introducing biosolids, so we had to prove that our 5m TopDown was able to incorporatethe material to the satisfaction of the water company.

“We found that just one pass with the cultivator did the job –– the supplier was happy and the smell just hasn’t been anissue.”

The compost is applied at a rate of 20-30t/ha, depending on the soil analysis, with the main target crops for treatment beingsecond wheats, wheat after oats and fieldswhich have been identified through soil analysis.

James Huxley makes sure the TopDowngoes into the treated fields within 24 hours ofapplication, with the tines fitted with 50mm tips,and an operating speed around 9km/hour.

“It’s the combination of discs and tines set at the correct height that achieves the desired

levels of pan-busting and incorporation in one-pass. We aim to incorporate to a depth of no more than 10-12cm so as to keep theorganic matter within the soil’s aerobic layer.”

The re-growth is then sprayed-off withglyphosate, then the fields are sown with a Rapid 600 drill.

Cropping on the all-arable farm is 360hafeed wheat, 150ha feed winter barley, 160haoilseed rape, 80ha winter oats (for Mornflake),60ha of winter beans (animal feed market) and 80ha forage maize (for sale to local dairy farmers).l DJ Huxley Farms’ waste processing and composting plant was established ten years ago as a diversification initiative to take thewaste material from a major local chipboardmanufacturer for conversion into compost ––specifically to benefit the farm’s own crops.

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New one-hitsolution?

f your farm is blackgrass-free, thearrival of the new winter wheat herbicide, Broadway Star, is great

news. Although its approval was too late to allow commercial use on-farm lastautumn, it delivered strong results in the spring showing good potential as a cost-saving, single-pass treatment.

Growers and agronomists embrace its wide weed spectrum –– particularly its activity on bromes, ryegrass, cleavers

and wild oats. All agree the product worksbest when used on small, actively-growingweeds –– be that in autumn or spring.

The need to deploy it in a robust herbicide programme is also now accepted to slow the development of herbicide-resistant weeds and to make themost of its one-pass, clean-up potential.

Optimum usageExperience from trials last autumn, andcommercial use this spring, has helpedDow expand and clarify its advice aroundthe product’s optimum usage –– particularlyon nozzle and adjuvant choice, residualpartners and application timings (see panelon p44).

Agronomist Simon Trenary ofCountrywide, who operates in Wiltshire and Somerset, reckons Broadway Staroffers farmers in non-blackgrass situations useful potential savings.

“If you can get on with a good pre-em,then come back early in the spring whenthe weeds are still small, you can deal with mixed bromes, wild oats, ryegrass,cleavers and volunteer rape without havingto return with an SU or wild oat product to clean-up. The spectrum of broadleaf weeds is wider than expected too, which is a useful bonus –– and that includessome of the trickier customers, such as cranesbill.”

He reckons the product will cut the costof weed control by £5-10/ha on some of his farms.

Simon Trenary advocates this approacheven where sterile brome is the main target weed following excellent results on a farm near Bridgwater.

“We got 100% control of a very heavysterile brome infestation. We’d previouslyused a decent dose of CTU+ DFF in lateOctober, and we then came back in withBroadway Star on 10-15 March.

“That’s earlier than we’d usually go inbut the weed was at the 2-3 leaf stage andactively growing following a very mild spellof weather –– and it definitely paid off.”

Early season best?He notes that the most consistent results to date have come from applications maderelatively early in the season. “When wewent even just a little bit later, the level ofcontrol was less good.”

One field had a complete overspray andanother received just a headland treatment,he recalls. “But the latter needed a returnvisit to patch treat for brome, wild oats andcleavers, so it seems the whole-fieldapproach worked best.”

Weed control on farms without blackgrass couldbe a whole lot easier with the arrival of

Broadway Star. CPM talks to some early users.

By Charles Abel

Weed controlWeed control

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Simon Trenary achieved 100% control of a heavy sterile brome population lastseason –– mainly by using Broadway Star in the spring.

He adds that brome is becoming morewidespread in his area, with min-till nowbeing fairly widely adopted.

If his pre-ems go on as planned thisautumn, Simon Trenary anticipates early-spring Broadway Star replacingMonitor (sulfosulfuron) or Attribut (propoxycarbazone-sodium) –– with no need for a follow-up treatment.

“It’s a professional product that has the chance to add-value to a farmer’s herbicide programme. As ever, the bestresults have come from well-timed applications applied to actively-growingweeds and where operators have playedclose attention to spray quality.”

In the East Midlands, mixed farmerAndrew Kirk, who farms 690ha of mediumto heavy land, with his brothers, Joe andEdward, also reckons the new productworks well.

Arable cropping at Dairy Farm, Barkbybetween Leicester and Melton Mowbray,totals 570ha, with winter wheat dominatingthe rotation along with breaks of oilseedrape, forage maize, oats and barley.

The farm’s main weed problems areblackgrass, cleavers and wild oats, plusryegrass from the grass leys. One-third ofthe farm is ploughed –– especially after

maize to combat mycotoxins, and alsoafter grass –– with the remainder beingmin-tilled.

Until now, the non-blackgrass fieldshave been treated with Crystal (flufenacet+pendimethalin) pre-em then Dicurane(chlorotoluron) early post-em, followed byGrasp (tralkoxadim) usually mixed with a cleavers product, such as Starane(fluroxypyr). “Sometimes the Graspworked well on the ryegrass but othertimes it didn’t –– without any real rhyme or reason.”

Atlantis alternativeBroadway Star’s arrival looks set to complement Atlantis (mesosulfuron+iodosulfuron) well, delivering broad-spectrum weed control where blackgrassisn’t an issue –– particularly where ryegrass needs containing.

“We have quite heavy ryegrass pressurein wheat following two-year silage leys.Although these are sprayed-off andploughed after the third cut, there’s still a heavy ryegrass burden in the followingcrop. Broadway Star looks to be very capable of cleaning that up.”

This year’s results pleased Andrew Kirk –– despite the product going on in

March/April. “To make matters worse, nopre-em herbicide had been applied due to the diabolical autumn. Although someryegrass plants were quite large andstrong, Broadway Star still did a good job.

“When you looked at the field, itseemed as if it hadn’t done a 100% job onthe ryegrass but we left some unsprayedareas for comparison and you could reallysee how well it had done.”

Weed controlWeed control

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 43

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Headland ryegrass at Andrew and JanetKirk’s farm showing the difference betweenthe sprayed and unsprayed areas.

Atlantis was used on three-quarters of the farm’s wheat, providing a usefulcomparison, he says. “Broadway Star is better against ryegrass and very goodon wild oats. Moreover, it’s done anexceptional job on the broadleaf weeds–– including cleavers –– and I haven’t

had to apply anything afterwards.” But timing is important for achieving the

best results, he believes. “I was impressedwith its performance last year but at theoptimum spray timing in the autumn when weeds are smaller, I think it could be even better.”

This season’s plan, developed in consultation with his UAP agronomist,Julian Randall, is to apply Broadway Starlate in the autumn when the weeds arestill actively-growing. “That should removeboth the grass and broadleaf weeds so a follow-up treatment isn’t needed in the spring. That would really save us some money.”

For Wynnstay arable sales manager,Simon Pope, the product’s strong performance on bromes, wild oats andcleavers is very welcome. “Some bromeproducts arrive with a lot of fanfare but

As a contact-acting ALS-inhibitor herbicide,Broadway Star is recommended for use aspart of a robust herbicide programme toguard against subsequent weed germinationand herbicide resistance, advises DowAgroSciences’ Stuart Jackson.

“In essence, we’re asking people to get something on before, with, or after treatment with Broadway Star.” The key isto consider the weed species present andthe anticipated weed population, as well as the spray timing, he says.

“The best thing a farmer can do in his herbicide programme is to get an appropriate pre/peri-em product on at thecorrect dose –– even in dry years,” saysStuart Jackson. “This increases the degreeof flexibility with follow-up treatments, puttingthe decisions very much in the farmer’shands and boosting his yield by getting on top of weeds from an early stage.

“Treating weeds when they’re actively-growing is the key to success with BroadwayStar. If there’s a frosty spell in the autumn,you need to see growth restart before spraying. And if it doesn’t, you’re better off applying a residual treatment as a ‘holding’ spray and coming back in thespring.” A good guide is to treat when thelawns need mowing, he adds.

Sterile and great brome are best treated in the autumn –– ideally after apre/peri-em treatment with Crystal orLiberator, continues Stuart Jackson. “Then apply Broadway Star at the 2-3 leafstage of the weed, together with 800g ai/ha

of pendimethalin, or its equivalent.” If a pre/peri-em treatment has been

applied and there’s an appreciable population of emerged-brome needing to be controlled, but the weather closes in,pendimethalin should be applied before winter, with Broadway Star to follow in the early spring, he says. “And if spring germinating brome is expected, considertank-mixing an additional residual herbicide.

“But if no pre/peri-em has been applied,and no autumn residual has gone on either,you’re pretty well stuffed as far as barrenand great brome goes,” he admits. “Applyingpendimethalin and Broadway Star as earlyas possible in the spring will give somedegree of control but not as good as anautumn treatment.”

For high populations of ryegrass, growersshould start with pre/peri-em CTU followedby Broadway Star plus 800g ai/ha ofpendimethalin in the autumn. “If no pre-emtreatment has been applied, mix chlortoluronwith Broadway Star in the autumn andreturn with Axial (pinoxaden) in the spring, if needed.”

As part of the approval process,Broadway Star trials were tested for resistance and every complaint assessedin the field. “This allows us to spot anyshifts in resistance.”

Complaint levels so far are lower than for Boxer, Starane XL (both florasulam+fluroxypyr) or Foreront (aminopyralid+ fluroxypyr) –– mainly resulting from verylate use on ryegrass or inappropriate rate

reductions to stretch whole packs to matchfield sizes, he says.

“On the whole, feedback has beenextremely positive to date. Spring performance on sterile brome has been better than expected, leaving people confident about its autumn use.”

Where wild oat applications went onthis spring without a pre/peri-em or residualapplication, field checks were required leading some growers to use a suitable follow-up product to remove all weeds, henotes. “With wild oats and ryegrass, there’sgood chemistry available to follow but withbromes, you’ve really got to front load.”

Although approval was too late to allow commercial use last autumn, it did provide another year for Dow to fine tunethe autumn recommendations. In particular,

trials showed 800g ai/ha of pendimethalinis sufficient.

“Our initial recommendation was for1,000g ai but where people were using 4 l/ha Crystal, there was the potential toexceed the maximum permitted dose ofpendimethalin,” concludes Stuart Jackson.“The trials showed sterile and great bromecontrol was just as good at 800g ai.”

Dow has also extended the range of nozzle options –– now including flat fans,variable pressure flat fans, Airtec andBillericay Bubble Jets. “The Billericay Bubble Jet is the only air inclusion nozzlewe’re supporting for now as it produces a finer droplet spectrum than other air inclusion nozzles.”

Manufacturer’s view

Weed controlWeed control

44 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

don’t fit into programmes very well. “That’s not the case with Broadway Star

–– it offers the chance to hit the big weedthreats hardest.

“Min-till is on the up in Shropshire and so too is brome. Applying BroadwayStar in the spring was the right timing forsoft and meadow brome, but was less perfect for barren and great brome withthree tillers. Despite that, the results were striking.”

Soft brome control was excellent andbarren brome was hit hard too, with biomass and seed return both reduced at least as effectively –– if not more so –– than competitor products, saysSimon Pope.

“Where a 6m strip was sprayed to combat bromes emerging from the fieldmargin, the cut-off point with the rest ofthe field was visible to the inch. The areas

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Broadway Star –– the factsl Active ingredients – florasulam,

pyroxsulam and cloquintocet-mexyll Wettable granule l Efficacy:

brome – superior to Atlantis, Monitor (sulfosulfuron) and Attribut (propoxy carbazone-sodium)

– equivalent to Pacifica (mesosulfuron+ iodosulfuron)

ryegrass – superior to Atlantis, Grasp and Hussar (iodosulfuron)

– equivalent to Axial wild oats – equivalent to Atlantis, Topik

(clodinafop) and Axiall ALS joint applications – Broadway Star

can be applied in a joint application with specific branded products containing metsulfuron-methyl, thifensulfuron-methyl, tribenuron methyl, or combinations of these actives, plus products containing florasulam.

l Don’t use in sequences with other ALS graminicides (e.g. Atlantis)

l Combat herbicide resistance by using the product as part of a robust grassweed programme including: l appropriate pre/peri-em product l residual tank-mix partner, where

appropriatel a follow-up graminicide

with an alternative mode of action, where appropriate

l An adjuvant is required (applied at respective manufacturers recommended rates): e.g. Abacus, Activator 90, Biosyl, Drill, Headland Diamond, Headland Fortune, Intracrop Felix, Kantor, Kinetic, Torpedo or Viking

l Optimum timing: active weed growth, winter wheat GS11-32 - sterile brome autumn; soft, rye and meadow brome spring; winter oats up to second node detectable; ryegrass up to end of tillering

l Apply in 130-150 l/ha of water; fine-to-medium spray; rainfast in one hour

l Rate: 265g/ha (supplied in a 4ha pack)l Following crops – autumn after: winter

cereals, oilseed rape and beans, grass, brassica transplants– spring after: maize, sugar beet, potatoes, spring cereals, grass, spring oilseed rape, peas, beans, linseed, clover (as part of a grass clover ley), brassica transplants, carrots and parsnips.

l Susceptible broadeaf weeds: common field speedwell, ivy-leaved speedwell, cleavers, poppy, charlock, common chickweed, field pansy, mayweeds, volunteer OSR.

Weed controlWeed control

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 45

we’d sprayed were 100% brome-free ––and where we hadn’t sprayed, we realisedwe should’ve done. We’ll certainly use24m headlands next time.”

Wild oats and cleavers control wasimpressive as well, he concludes. “It wasgood enough not to need another springcleavers product –– even in heavy infestations.”

“Although ALS inhibitor chemistry isinvolved, restrictions on following cropsand cultivations are relatively limited,which is welcome on mixed farms.Moreover, Dow’s stewardship guidelines tocombat herbicide resistance are sensibleand not too onerous.”

Robust rates of pre-em/peri-em Ice(flufenacet+ pendimethalin)/CTL orLiberator (DFF+ flufancet)/CTL are his preferred preceding treatments. n

Simon Pope intends to spray BroadwayStar in 24m strips around brome-infestedfields this season.

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“As an industry, we’re all concernedabout herbicide resistance to some ofthe key post-em herbicides in winterwheat, and we know there’s growinginterest in the use of pre-emergence herbicides,” explains Tom Robinson.“The Defy nozzle is based on the sameprinciple as the Hawk nozzle –– in otherwords, creating a spray pattern angledbackwards at 40° for good ground coverage at high speeds, but with minimal drift.”

Efficiacy trialsIn experiments carried out at TAG’sSpray Applications Unit at Silsoe, nozzleswere tested at various angles of inclination–– with 40° giving the best results interms of achieving a balance betweengood herbicide coverage at high speedand low drift.

“Moreover, it achieves good spray coverage without compromising the workrate.”

But where the Defy nozzle differs primarily from its forebear is that its fanangle is 83° –– 37° less than the Hawknozzle, notes Tom Robinson. “This isdesigned to help reduce the potential for drift but without having to go for an air inclusion design.”

At the same time, it will help growersensure that as much soil area as possibleis covered in cloddy seedbeds, he claims.“And although the nozzles perform mosteffectively at a boom height of 50cm, they

Weed controlWeed control

‘It will help growers ensure that as much soil area as possible

is covered in cloddy seedbeds.’

roduct-specific sprayer nozzleshave become something of aSyngenta hallmark since the

firm introduced the Amistar nozzle back in 2002.

More recent developments havefocused on hard-to-hit grassweeds, withthe introduction of the Hawk nozzle in2004. With a forward-angled design, itwas developed to increase the amount ofchemical hitting the surface of seedlingblackgrass plants –– taking into accountthe higher spraying speeds which werebecoming more common at the time.

But with Hawk’s disappearance from the market (resulting from the withdrawal of trifluralin), the firm has since focused its nozzle development efforts on Defy (prosulfocarb) –– mainly to boost its

P

Getting the spray where it’s needed?

Syngenta has further broadened its product-specific nozzle range with one designed for the

high-speed application of its pre-emergence herbicide, Defy (prosulfocarb).

By Martin Rickatson

Getting the spray where it’s needed?

performance as a pre-emergence herbicide. “After Defy was approved in 2005, we

experimented by applying it through Hawknozzles in a forwards-and-backwardsformat,” says application specialist, TomRobinson. “But while this improved thelevel of weed control we were achieving, it was clear that a more specific designwas necessary to maximize its efficacy –– especially with the ever-higher spraying speeds being used on-farm.”

As a result, the Defy nozzle was created to achieve better coverage ofblackgrass seedlings –– a flat fan typewith a variable pressure design, createdto produce an inclined spray pattern.

“Although it was principally designed for use at the pre-emergence stage of thecrop, it can also be used post-emergencewith products such as Axial (pinoxaden).”However, the nozzle’s main role is to allow growers to achieve a higher percentage of weed-kill early-on ––reducing the pressure on subsequentpost-em treatments.

46 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

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and Tom Robinson advise growers with problem grassweed populations to use the plough one-in-every-threeyears, as well as selecting varieties and seed rates which provide maximumcrop competition.

“But when it comes to the spray programme, adding 4 l/ha Defy to 0.4 l/ha flufenacet plus DFF will contribute 10% to the control levelsachieved and deliver a £50/ha margin-over-input-cost where blackgrass populations are ‘average’.” n

“So long as you can see bare ground withinthe crop, it’s worth using angled nozzles,”claims Syngenta’s Tom Robinson.

Testing involved placing wooden blocks in the field to see how well the rearward-facingnozzles would coat the backsides of the ‘clods’.

also help limit drift on machines wherethe minimum boom height setting is70cm.”

‘Better clod coverage’Yet the Defy nozzle is a lot more thansimply a “narrowed Hawk nozzle”, heinsists. “A narrower fan angle coarsensthe spray quality slightly and the anglednozzles achieves better spray depositionon both sides of the clods.

“Previously, nozzle choice was considered to have little impact on pre-emergence herbicide performancebut trials have proven the importance of achieving uniform soil coverage ––which isn’t always the case with a vertical spray pattern.

“When compared with a 110° flat fan nozzle –– probably the best nozzle previously available for drift limitation ––the Defy nozzle cuts drift by around 50%.

“Moreover, field trials have shown that a 30% improvement in blackgrasscontrol is possible when using Defy nozzles, and these two characteristicsshould allow growers to up theirworkrates, as well as improving their efficiency by treating more hectares per day.

“And that, in turn, means there’s abetter chance of hitting weeds at theoptimum timing for achieving the greatest kill.”

Farmers are choosing to spray at ever-higher working speeds, with theaverage figure now around 14km/hr,according to Tom Robinson. “While theHawk nozzle was designed with a singleaim in mind –– to improve blackgrasscontrol –– the Defy nozzle’s design takes the higher operating speeds intoaccount, together with the consequentialneed to reduce drift.”

The new nozzle is best operated at aspeed of at least 12km/hr, and with awater rate of around 100 l/ha, he advises.“Alternatively, if growers prefer to workmore slowly than this, they’re better-offsticking with a Hawk-type nozzle.

“But don’t use the latter if you can’tkeep the sprayer boom close to theground (i.e. around 50cm).” While adoubling of the wind speed increases thespray drift by a factor of two, a doublingof the boom height multiplies it by eight,he notes.

Defy nozzles are available in a rangeof sizes, designed to deliver spray ratesof 100 l/ha in accordance with the operating speed –– 03 for 12km/hr,035 for 14km/hr and 04 for 16km/hr.

Syngenta recommends the nozzlesshould be fitted facing forwards andbackwards alternately when sprayingpre-emergence products to ensure fullground coverage.

Previous research by the companyshows this improves ground coverageoverall –– including both the fronts andbacks of the clods –– from 50-75%,claims Tom Robinson. “But for post-emwork, they should all be forward-facing.

“So long as you can see bare groundwithin the crop, it’s worth using anglednozzles,” concludes Tom Robinson.“Defy nozzles work effectively in the 1.5-3.0bar range but the best results areachieved at 2.0-2.5bar at 14km/hr.”

The introduction of the Defy nozzle ispart of Syngenta’s ‘Grassweed Ultimatum’campaign to help growers protect theincreasingly limited range of options opento them for grassweed control in the faceof increasing resistance.

Spread of grassweedsSyngenta product manager, SimonParker, says: “With no new chemistry on the horizon and the loss of IPU andtrifluralin –– together with the spread ofgrassweeds to previously uninfested land–– we need to counter the problems ofincreased sulfonylurea resistance.”

A recent survey suggests 95% of farmers believe they will have herbicideresistance issues within the next fiveyears, he reports. “Using different activesto help prevent this –– with Defy as a keycomponent of all winter wheat grassweedcontrol programmes –– will be essentialto protect other actives from encounteringresistance problems.

“Pre-em herbicides will be the most important part of the weed control programme for many farmers, and up to70% of yield potential can be ‘recovered’by using a pre-em spray, with populationsbeing reduced for treatment at the post-em timing.” Trials show the overallefficacy of the spray programme drops by 30% where no pre-em treatment isincluded, he stresses.

“At the beginning of the season, growers should identify their main target grassweed and make a point oftesting any survivors late in the seasonfor resistance, as well as assessingwhether herbicide performance hasstarted to decline.”

Ploughing has a key role to play in the most tricky situations –– reducingweed populations by as much as half,acknowledges Simon Parker. Both he

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Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 47

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48 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

With blackleg and foliar blight a common featurein crops this season –– and some extremely dry

soils to contend with –– what can potato growers do to avoid problems in-store?

By Jo Palmer

‘Remember to segregate questionable harvest-lots

and maintain a close watch on these.’

ith the past two seasons makingpotato lifting difficult in manyareas –– and having had a

relatively wet summer this year ––growers need to be extra vigilant thisseason when harvesting their crops. But are there lessons to be learnt fromthe past two harvests?

According to Mark Taplin, advisor to the Tame Valley Potato group*, it’s a case of adjusting a number of management practices, rather than having a radical rethink.

“Although the summers of 2007 and2008 were notably wet, the harvestswere quite different. 2007 may havebeen an extremely wet summer –– withcrops suffering from very high blight

Avoiding rotting in-store

W

Disease controlDisease control

pressure –– but the harvest was largelydry and most potatoes were lifted in relatively good conditions, hence theygenerally kept well.

“However, the wet summer of 2008extended right into the lifting period leading to a very different scenario –– with problems to follow in-store.”

Because the group grows a substantialtonnage of Russet Burbank for McCains,most of the crop must be fit for long-term storage, he says. “We’re deliveringpotatoes into factories in Scarborough,Whittlesey and Wombourne every weekof the year –– Premiere, Morene andMaris Piper from the field from July toOctober, then Piper, Dell, Cabaret,Markies and Russet Burbank from thestore from November through until June.

“Keeping the sample free from diseaseand bruising is obviously paramount tofulfilling our contracts.”

Russet Burbank is particularly susceptible to bruising (with the PotatoCouncil giving it a rating of 4) because

of its large-sized, elongated tubers whichare high in dry matter, so it needs to belooked after especially carefully, notesMark Taplin.

“The emphasis in the run-up to harvest is on damage limitation –– not a particularlynew idea but the right one nonetheless.”During the lifting period, he encourages his growers to set-up their equipment verycarefully to minimise any adverse impact on the crop.

Monitoring damage“I’ve found the ‘electronic potato’ to be a very useful (i.e. an impact recordingdevice) –– especially if you have a newdriver or operator on a machine.” Thisfocuses their attention on what’s actuallyhappening to the tubers throughout thelifting process, he believes.

Mark Taplin reckons feeding-back information to the operators and drivers is essential when lifting. “It’s important tolet the teams know they’re doing a goodjob and it gives them an opportunity tomake any adjustments when necessary.”

He’s concerned about blackleg andblight appearing within crops this year –– during and after harvest. “I’ve seen alot of bacterial blackleg around this year–– it’s fairly widespread and has occasionallyoccurred at quite high levels.”

Moreover, a number of growers havehad to irrigate their crops prior to lifting to limit mechanical damage, he adds.

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50 Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009

“Blackleg needs careful handling to preventit from becoming a real issue in-store,” saysGlyn Harper.

“Don’t take any chances if you’re puttingpotatoes into long-term storage,” says Mark Taplin. Blackleg and blight are the key tuber diseases to look out for this autumn.

Blackleg is mainly seed-borne butspreads under damp conditions in-field, or in-store. The disease causes the stemsto wilt and die –– commonly affecting theyield in wet weather.

Last year’s disappointing summerallowed the pathogen to spread to thedaughter seed tubers, says Mark Taplin.“The wet weather this spring and summersubsequently stimulated blackleg toincrease to even higher levels.”

He’s concerned that its presence could increase the bacterial loading within the soil –– with infected tubers causing significant problems if it’s wet during lifting.

Although the third successive wet summer will have helped to boost yields in general, it could also cause problemsin-store, agrees Dr Glyn Harper of the Potato Council’s Sutton BridgeExperimental Unit.

Integrity at risk“If tubers are subjected to water-logging,their basic integrity is at risk and problems such as blackleg, bacterial rotting, blight, black dot and burstlenticels may result. For that reason, it will be extremely important to scrutinise all crops during lifting toensure damaged and diseased tubersare removed when loading into store.”

In addition to blackleg and tuberblight, watery wound rot and pink rot can occur fairly commonly after a wet harvest, he says. “Blackleg isfairly widespread this year but not atmassively high levels. However, it doesneed careful handling to prevent it frombecoming a real issue.”

Moreover, if the harvest is delayed in

wet weather, black dot could affect cropquality, he adds. “It’s seen as blackspecs all over the tuber surface.”

Glyn Harper warns that, if the harvest is wet once again, growers must be fullyaware of the aforementioned diseasethreats and take appropriate action tominimise any loss of quality or yield in-store.

“This means harvesting and handlingthe crop very carefully, then drying andcooling it rapidly to suppress disease in-store. Ventilation is vital as this willdrive-off any field moisture, and the heat will help stop tuber diseases fromdeveloping.

“Moreover, remember to segregatequestionable harvest lots and maintain a close watch on these, together with the rest of the store, so any problemscan be dealt with quickly.” Growers andadvisors can contact Sutton Bridge freeof charge on 0800 02 82 111 for storemanagement advice.

Mark Taplin will also be keeping a watchful eye on blight this harvest.“Blight pressure has racked-up rapidlysince mid-July and it’s a simmeringproblem. If a lot of soil and infectedtubers get put into store, it will quicklybecome a serious issue.”

With the majority of the group’spotatoes for McCains being stored, tuber health is paramount, he stresses.“But if it turns out to be a dry harvest,maintaining tuber health will be muchmore straight-forward.”

Wherever possible, he advises growersto make sure their crops are burnt-downfor long enough so diseased tubers canrot, and so the disease can dry-up priorto lifting.

“It should ideally be at least threeweeks from when the haulm is completelydesiccated to harvest. Any less than thisyou run a higher risk of taking rottingdiseased tubers into store.”

Mark Taplin believes thorough desiccation is not only essential for anefficient harvest, but so damage andbruising can be minimised as well.“What you’re trying to achieve is effectiveseparation of the tuber from the stolonsto keep the volume of haulm which entersthe harvester to a bare minimum.”

Bruising can occur if the haulm isn’teasily detached since this is mechanicallyremoved by the haulm roller or separator,he adds.

His standard desiccation programmeis based on Reglone (diquat). “Around80% of the crop I look after gets this

since it’s very efficient and reasonablyfast-acting. Crops are often treated with a split dose of two sprays, or a flail-and-spray approach.”

He occasionally uses Harvest (glufosinate) instead if it’s dry, orSpotlight (carfentrazone-ethyl) if thestems are very sappy.

‘Interval critical’The interval between the two desiccationtreatments is critical, believes MarkTaplin. “It needs to be at least sevendays, with the first spray or treatmentremoving the leaves to expose the stems.If the interval is less than seven days, theleaves won’t have sufficient time to dieoff –– and the second spray won’t desiccate the haulm well enough.”

Farming 460ha from a base at ErmineLodge, Stilton near Peterborough,Cambs, Greg Bliss grows potatoes forboth the pre-pack and processing markets on black fen land. His approachto desiccation depends on the conditionsat the time of treatment, and the varietybeing grown.

“Flail-and-spray is probably the bestway to achieve a minimal amount ofgreen material at harvest, and a goodskin set too. Sometimes, we use a spiltdose of Reglone –– with the first sprayopening up the crop by desiccating theleaves, and the second one killing thestems more thoroughly.”

He uses Spotlight in the same way asan alternative treatment when it’s dry. “Butyou need to sample the dry matter and

Disease controlDisease control

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Greg Bliss tends to use Shirlan at the endof the programme because of its activity on zoospores and tuber blight.

Rotting tubers must be removed as soon as possible to prevent the spread of diseasein-store.

skin set in the field before treating, andtime your desiccation spray accordingly.”

Greg Bliss believes it’s important to get all of the haulm totally out of the way at harvest. “Some varieties are more tenacious and hang onto the haulm morestrongly, and others have very long haulmswhich can be difficult to burn-off.” Forexample, Markies can produce 2m+ ofhaulm on his black fen land, he adds.

Potatoes are grown in a rotation thatincludes wheat (acting as a break crop)plus onions, sugar beet and two differenttypes of mustard. “We grow three maincrop varieties –– Melody for thequality pre-pack market, latterly throughQV, plus Maris Piper and Markies forprocessing or chipping.

Bed systemHarvesting a quality crop which is freefrom disease and damage, essentiallystarts at the beginning of the season withseedbed preparation, he believes. “Ourpotatoes are grown on a bed system ––72 inches (1.8m) wide with two, 34 inch(0.85m) rows in each bed. But peat landcan blow if you’re not careful, so wehave to use a reliable planting system –– especially because we’re irrigating.”

Robust blight control is viewed asessential to prevent the disease from getting into store. “With blight, you can’t make any assumptions or take any short-cuts.

He has a pre-planned regime –– aimingto spray a fungicide on a seven-day cycle when conditions permit. “We choose from a range of products with varying modes of action, including Invader(dimethomorph+ mancozeb), Revus(mandipropamid), Ranman (cyazofamid),Proxanil (cymoxanil+ propamocarb) andShirlan (fluazinam).

“Now we’ve got more aggressive blightstrains in the UK –– with a real risk ofresistance building-up –– we need tohave a highly-structured and planneddisease prevention strategy.”

He notes that the pressure from blighthas been unusually high this season.“My phone has been receiving text messages from Blightwatch far too often,warning me of full Smith Periods.

“The season started-off dry and nottoo bad –– but by the full canopy stage,the disease pressure had become veryhigh and the microclimate within thecanopy encouraged its developmenteven further.”

Greg Bliss believes the only way toprevent tuber blight from developing

in-store is to be vigilant in preventingfoliar blight from emergence rightthrough to harvest.

“Shirlan is used right at the end of the programme –– either alone, or tank-mixed with the desiccant, wherepossible –– because of its activity onzoospores and tuber blight. We use acomprehensive desiccation programme asany green stem or haulm can carry blightforward and also interfere with lifting.”

Greg Bliss lifts his own crops using a Kverneland UN 2600 harvester.“Whatever conditions prevail at harvest,there are several key factors to consider.First, you need to set-up the harvester,elevator, tractor and trailer, not only to maximise the volume of crop beingharvested, but to minimise tuber damageand bruising.

“Webs and rollers should be set-upcarefully to avoid taking up too much soiland to avoid unnecessary tuber bounceand/or drops.” For example, slowingdown the paddle web will tend to rub-offmore soil, he suggests.

“Moreover, the tractor wheels shouldalso be set very carefully to avoid damaging the sides of the bed, andaccurate settings will mean the crop will be treated with the ultimate care.”

Greg Bliss recalls some advice givenby his father. “Imagine that it’s you andyour mates in the trailer. If you feel itwould be uncomfortable, it’s the samefor the potatoes!

Avoid tuber damage“What he meant by this is that throughoutthe harvesting, handling and storageprocess, it’s important to ensure tubersare kept safe from damage and bruising–– and that means a maximum dropheight of no more than 6 inches (30cm).

“So get the elevator in the right place,make sure the trailer is keeping up withthe harvester. Then when the tubers arebeing loaded into store, handle themwith extreme care. It was –– and still is –– very good advice.

“Secondly, monitor each operationvery carefully. We have a system of constant feedback between me on theharvester and the men on the elevator,plus the tractor drivers and those loadinginto store. We also have a series of cameras on the equipment to monitorhow the crop is being handled.”

The Maris Piper and Markies arestored on-farm in bulk in an ambientstore, with the pre-packs going intoboxes. “It’s important that only clean

tubers are loaded into store and theseshould be free from soil and disease.

“Thirdly, harvesting is very much ateam effort. What we aim to do is to liftthe crop as best we can at the optimumwork-rate but with minimal soil andtuber damage. This takes good teamwork from the field to the store.”

Mark Taplin concludes by noting the “atrocious” market conditions forpotatoes at present, with an over-supplyof good quality produce. “This hasmade the buyers extremely picky, withvery low prices.

“In such a market, I’d advise growersnot to be greedy in terms of exceedingtheir contractual obligations. If the quality criteria are met, it’s probablybest to simply get on with the job ofburning-off and lifting.”

* The Tame Valley Potato group is a pool of fourteen West Midlands farmers producing potatoes exclusivelyfor McCains. n

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 51

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A flexible alternative tothe Cambridge roller?

The Aqueel II leaves a dimpled surface –– helping to prevent

water from running down slopes.

The Cambridge roller has remained a resolutepart of the establishment routine for more

than a century. But now, its dominance is being challenged.

By Mick Roberts

here can be few arable farms that don’t possess a set ofCambridge rolls –– a tool which

has become an almost integral part ofthe British landscape.

For generations of farmers, Cambridgerolling has been the final element in thecrop establishment process.

But just because rolls have workedeffectively up to now, it doesn’t meanthey remain the best or, indeed, the onlysoil consolidation solution. Advances indesign and materials technology meansother equipment, like Simba’s Aqueel II,may now be better suited –– particularlyin damper conditions on certain soils.

Cambridge rolls are almost an automaticchoice for those looking to achieve goodsoil-to-seed contact –– helping to push in stones and break-up any remaining

T

clods by compressing them into the soil. With herbicide-resistant grassweed

populations continuing to rise year-on-year, achieving a clod-free surface is anincreasingly important part of the cropestablishment process to help ensure the efficacy of pre-emergence sprays.

Moreover, rolling is a useful way offirming frost-heaved soils in the spring.

But the Cambridge rolls’ clod-bustingability relies on the clod strength beingless than that of the main bulk of the soil, explains Philip Wright of WrightResolutions, a design consultant to Simba.

Clod shatter “If the clods have sufficient moisture inthem and the soil is in a friable state,they will shatter on impact. But breakingthe clods relies on their ‘strength’ beingless than that of main bulk of the soil.

“In wetter conditions, the soil tends tostick to the rolls and when it’s drier, theclods are less likely to break and willtend to be pushed down whole –– producing a more level surface but one which won’t break-down so readilyover-winter by weathering.”

This can have a significant impact on the performance of pre-emergenceherbicides, he stresses.

Cambridge rolls do provide good

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“Soil tends to stick to Cambridge rollswhen it’s wet, and in drier conditions, the clods are often pushed down whole,”says Philip Wright.

‘point loading’ and often provide a better clod-busting ability compared with other designs, such as a flat roller,continues Philip Wright. “The corrugatedsurface they leave is also better at resisting wind-blow and surface-water

drainage than a flat surface.” The ridgesalso help reduce the risk of capping, he adds.

Cambridge drawbacks?“But as many users already know, there are drawbacks to relying solely onCambridge rolls for consolidation. Themain difficulty is the fact that the ringspick up damp soil very easily. Moreover,the ridged, corrugated pattern left on thesoil surface doesn’t prevent water run-offdown the slopes –– in some situations, itcan actually exacerbate the problem.”

He suggests the Aqueel II designcould prove a better option on manyfarms.

The roller comprises sections of rubber tyre carcasses which are heldtogether tightly on an axle so the soilcan’t get in between them. The tread has been removed from the tyres leavinga smooth surface to which are attachedrubber ‘teeth’.

“The tyres’ rubber carcasses allowthem to flex, which means they’reself-cleaning –– even in moist soils’ andinside the tyres are ‘bump stops’ whichconstrain the distance the teeth can flex –– allowing the roller to break clods

and create ‘dimple’ impressions on thesoil surface.

“The carcass material is flexible yettough enough to consolidate the soil ––also staying clean in damper conditions.This helps to conserve the existing soilmoisture, as opposed to having to waitfor the land to dry sufficiently to allow apass with the Cambridge rolls –– whichactually defeats the object of one of theaims of consolidation after drilling.”

Extra benefitAn additional benefit of working the soilwhen the surface is damp is that it staystogether better and retains the shapeinto which it’s been ‘moulded’, explainsPhilip Wright. “The best analogy is to goback to our youth and remember buildingsandcastles on the beach –– with the wetter sand making better structures and the drier sandcastles falling apart.”

Because the Aqueel II leaves a dimpledsurface, it helps prevent water from running down slopes –– irrespective of the rolling direction, he claims.“Sometimes, it’s not possible to rollacross a hill and in some cases, theslope will run in different directions.”

The machine’s dimples also provide

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A bump stop inside the roller carcase limitshow far it will flex –– helping to break upthe clods better.

a side force similar to the Cambridge rollto firm the soil onto the seed in a verticaldirection, he says. “This provides goodresistance to capping.”

Unlike the sharper edges of aCambridge roll, the Aqueel’s dimpledsurface subjects clods to less aggressive‘point loading’, says Philip Wright. “Afterflexing to clean the tyres, the teeth hitthe internal bump stops, which providethe stability to allow them to apply pressure onto to the soil to leave thedimpled imprint and break-up the clods.

Best on light/ medium land“Admittedly, this has less impact on the clods than Cambridge rolling on certain soils –– reducing the potential forthis technique to completely supersedethe latter on very heavy land. But onlighter and medium land which are moreprone to capping, run-off and wind-blow,there’s sufficient clod-breaking action inaddition to the other advantages.”

But the key benefit has to be the ability to roll in damper soil conditions, hebelieves. “This is becoming increasinglyimportant as more farms establishoilseed rape in one pass. While the moisture is needed to help promote germination, it sometimes makes itdifficult to operate a Cambridge rollerbecause of the soil picking up.”

This effectively turns rape back to a two-pass system –– with the rollinghaving to be carried out as a separateoperation, notes Philip Wright. “In thiscase, the Aqueel II enables sowing androlling to occur in just one pass –– conserving precious moisture at a keytime of the year.”

James Walgate of AI Walgate and Son,has been using the Aqueel II for a rangeof applications at Cuxwold near Market

Rasen, Lincs. Cereals, oilseeds andsugar beet are grown alongside a free-range pig-rearing enterprise.

A mixture of ploughing, sub-soiling and reduced pass cultivations are used tohelp achieve high yields through effectivecrop establishment and management.Traditionally, Cambridge rolls were one of the mainstays of the farm’s machineryfleet, with a range of applications as follows:• Crushing clods• Consolidating lighter seedbeds

pre-drilling• Surface consolidation to conserve

moisture and enhance seed-to-soil contact post-drilling

• Pressing stones into the soil surface to minimise harvest damage

• Rolling frost-lifted land and other emerged crops in the spring to improve the root-to-soil contact“After a hard winter, a roll negates

the effects of frost-lift and restores the soil-to-root contact that assists with nutrient uptake into the plant,” says James Walgate. “But that, and all otherfield operations, rely on the soil conditionsbeing dry for them to have the besteffect –– in the case of rolling, to preventthe soil from sticking to the rings.”

But with the pressures of modern-day,high-capacity farming, the window inwhich to carry out these tasks is oftenvery limited –– meaning it’s not alwayspossible to roll in ideal conditions, he notes.

Three years ago, the farm began evaluating the Aqueel II and the machinehas since replaced a set of Cambridgerolls. “The big advantage is its ability towork on freshly-moved and damp soil.

Behind the drill“In the past, we’d try to roll our winterand spring drillings with the Cambridgerolls but it would often take up to threedays of drying before it would run cleanly. Yet with the Aqueel II, we’renow able to roll tight in behind the drill–– helping to conserve moisture better.

“In some autumns in wet and difficultconditions, the land simply never gotrolled but that’s no longer a problem with the Aqueel II.”

Another benefit he finds is that thesurface indentations created by the teethon the roller are far more “proactive”than the corrugations left by theCambridge rolls. The stabilised surfacehelps minimise the effect of wind blowon the farm’s lightest soils –– reducing

run-off after heavy rain and aiding theretention of moisture when the land dries out, he says.

“The indentations act like moisturepockets as the surface dries out ––remaining damp and helping to stabilisethe soil. That ensures more moisture forthe germinating seed and, by increasingthe surface area of the exposed soil, italso helps it to dry out more quickly afterheavy rain.” The soil also warms upfaster for the same reason, he adds.

The Aqueel II provides further advantages when rolling to reduce theeffects of slugs within the emerging crop,continues James Walgate. “The ability toroll in tight behind the drill in moister soilconditions avoids the risks from delayedrolling when using Cambridge rolls.

“In one case last autumn, my neighbourhad to re-drill part of one field whereCambridge rolling wasn’t possible. Butanother part of the same field which wasrolled with the Aqueel II had a satisfactorylevel of emergence –– and far less slugdamage resulted.”

Agronomically, the gentler action imparted by the Aqueel II helps to reducethe degree of damage to young plantswhen rolling an established crop, such as barley, after frost-lift, he believes.

“We’d normally have to wait for around5-10 days after Cambridge rolling beforespraying to avoid the risk of damage tobruised and cut leaves but the Aqueel is far less damaging and we’re now ableto get in with the sprayer much soonerafter rolling.

“I’ve found that the Aqueel II is a morethan capable successor to the traditionalrolling system –– offering a wider window of operation as well.” n

The Aqueel II leaves a dimples on the soilsurface (pictured above, right), comparedwith the corrugated effect produced by aCambridge roller (above, left).

Crop Production Magazine –– October 2009 55