Pooling marketing resources - cpm magazine · 2016. 12. 5. · Pointers to maximise OSR returns ......

Profitable crops through better management

Crop Production Magazine July 2009

Small-scale arable farmsco-operating for profitSmall-scale arable farmsco-operating for profit

Page 6Page 68

Timely advice on boosting OSR profitability

Timely advice on boosting OSR profitability

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http://www.agriCentre.basf.co.uk

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 AbelRob JonesJo PalmerMartin RickatsonMick Roberts

Design and Production Brooks Design

Advertisement Sales Angus McKirdy

Advertisement Co-ordinator Peter Walker

CPM Volume 11 No 6. 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.

Volume 11 Number 6

July 2009

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

Seven-to-one is odds-onfor profit

Shropshire based Fieldfare Farmers is taking a collaborative approach onsharing input costs and profits. CPM takes a closer look.

Automatic nozzle controlhelps slash costs

GPS and full electronic control are paying dividends on one Somerset farm –– with significant chemical cost-savings as a result.

Pointers to maximiseOSR returns

Growers need to learn to spread theirrisk when marketing their rape crops,according to several leading traders.

New dressings giveseed an extra treat

Cereal growers are increasingly usingseed treatments as a management tool to save time and spray costs. CPM provides a comprehensive round-up of the products available.

Better yields throughtill-seeding

One N Yorks grower achieved almost100% rape establishment last autumn –– despite the difficult conditions. CPMprofiles the novel till-seeding technique.

Crop Production Magazine –– July 2009 3

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FeaturesFeatures

Battling hard to savemetaldehyde

Slug pellet users should arrange tohave their applicators tested this summer to help improve spreadingaccuracy –– and to maintain thelongevity of the product.

48

‘Integrated approachincreasingly vital’

Wheat growers need to adopt a moreintegrated approach to weed control if a rapid build-up of blackgrass resistance is to be avoided.

44

Spreading harvest andautumn workloads

Early-sown wheat can help spread thefarm workload –– provided the right varieties are selected. CPM provides a summary of the latest thinking.

24

Keeping overheadcosts under control

High horsepower tractors and big kitare key to crop production efficiency,believes one prominent Scottish grower.

Making savings frominvestments?

Despite their lack of specialisation,mixed farms can still earn good returnsfrom their arable cropping. CPM visitsa family farm in Essex to discover howthey’re moving with the times

Reducing downtime during key periods

CPM visits three potato growers to find out why they prefer ‘genuine’spare parts.

Mood buoyant in pulse sector?

PGRO is predicting ongoing growerenthusiasm for winter beans inparticular this autumn. CPM reports.

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Siren voice of common sense?In light of Georgina Downes antics in theHigh Court, I note the thorny subject ofneeding to notify the neighbours prior tospraying is again doing the rounds.

Farming on the outskirts of sunnyClacton-on-Sea, we’re not short of residential neighbours but in all my timespraying, I’ve only had one complaintand that was someone living a good500m away from the field in question.Nonetheless, he wrote to me and theparish council to explain that he hadpins and needles in his legs, having read on the internet that this could becaused by exposure to insecticides.

He demanded that I should immediatelystop spraying insecticides in the vicinityof his house.

I wrote back and explained that, if he could identify which insecticide hethought was to blame, as well as tellingme when he got the symptoms, I wouldcheck my records to see if there was anycorrelation. I was tempted to add thatthere were also sites on the internet thatadvocated drinking ones own urine as ameans of staying healthy but that didn’tmean it was scientifically correct. Sufficeto say, I didn’t get facetious and I heardnothing more.

The point I’m trying to make is that if,in future, I was required to inform thisgentleman that I was about to sprayinsecticides 500m from his property, I very much doubt that it would help

4 Crop Production Magazine –– July 2009

the situation –– he would simply demandthat I stop immediately.

He would then wait with baited breathfor my sprayer to appear, and for his pinsand needles to return.

And while none of my sixty-or-so otherresidential neighbours have ever had aproblem with my agrochemical activitiesover the garden fence, I’m not so surethat writing to them or texting themabout my intentions to spray is going tobring anyone any benefits. In fact, itmight worsen a currently stable situation.

To be honest, if anyone wrote to meand said I should be aware that an activity was about to take place near thebottom of my garden but that I shouldn’tworry because the activity was quitesafe, my instinctive reaction would be todoubt very much the reassurance I wasbeing given.

As for the idea that I should sound asiren in the field just before startingspraying, why stop there? Why not buildeveryone an Anderson shelter so theycan take cover –– just like they did thelast time the British public regularlyheard a warning siren?

The other means of notification I heardthat tickled me was the idea that weshould fly a flag in the field in the sameway the army does to warn people thatfiring practice is taking place on one ofits ranges. It’s not a bad idea, but withone major flaw –– if it’s windy enough tofly a flag, then it’s too windy to spray.

The other thought I’ve had on the

subject is that if there are operators out there who drift agrochemicals intopeople’s gardens, the first task is to getthem to tidy up their act rather thantelling them to inform their neighboursprior to splattering their patio doors withblobs of Treflan and the like.

But I recognise that, as an industry,we may be called upon by theGovernment to make a gesture to ourneighbours, and I think I have theanswer –– 6m wide Entry Level Schemewild bird feeding-strips next to all gardens adjoining farmland.

As most of us know, the problem with uncropped buffer strips is that the neighbouring residents view it asabandoned land which they have amoral right to use because the farmer“doesn’t want it”. This simply brings thehouseholder out closer to the sprayerboom, rather than further away from it.

By putting land into ELS, we could getcompensation for the income forgone –– and by farming it with kale, sorghumand maize, it would help to keep thesquatters at bay.

Alternatively, if you were feeling reallyneighbourly, you could always plantsome Leylandii up against the fence. No spray drift would ever penetrate that,and personally, I can’t think of a moreneighbourly thing to do.

Email your comments and ideas [email protected]

SMITH’S

SOAPBOX

If farmers are to sound a siren in their fields prior to spraying, should neighbouringhouseholders be provided with Anderson shelters to keep them safe?

http://www.bayercropscience.co.uk

Seven-to-one is odds-on for profit

Share agreements, equipment syndicates and contract farming are now popular ways of reducing

arable machinery costs. But one Shropshire-basedcompany, Fieldfare Farmers, has taken the

collaborative approach on to the next logical step –– sharing input costs and profits.

By Mick Roberts

‘The concept only works if thesame risks, inputs and profits are

shared on a percentage basis, proportionate to the areas

being farmed.’

n initial agreement between twofamily farms to jointly buy a graincleaner has now extended through

machinery sharing on to contract farming560ha of arable crops.

However, unlike other similar operations,Fieldfare Farmers now runs its own and itscustomers’ farms as one –– sharing allcosts and allocating profits in proportion to the areas farmed.

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“In the main arable areas of he UK,machinery sharing is now a fairly common way of boosting profitability,”explains operations manager and director, Rob Bebbington. “But for small farms in a relatively wet area of the country like ours, it’s probably moreto do with maintaining viability.”

It frees up time and capital for thefarmers involved –– allowing them toconcentrate on other, off-farm businesseswhile remaining in farming at the sametime, he says.

Single unitThree seasons ago, Fieldfare Farmersdecided that, while contract farming was bringing significant benefits to the business and its customers, therewere further benefits to be gained fromrunning the entire farmed area as a single unit.

“It’s a fairly simple idea, and instigatinga programme of block cropping, ratherthan running individual rotations, made a lot of sense. However, because of theirsize, it’s meant individual customers’farms are likely to be down to just onecrop in a season.”

The concept only works if the samerisks, inputs and profits are shared on a percentage basis, proportionate to theareas being farmed.

“We thought the customers would runa mile but they were all totally behind theidea and most didn’t think twice aboutjoining-up. We were really surprised athow they embraced the changes –– theyall sized-up the implications and joinedus with a step into the unknown.”

The business is run by three directors,Rob Bebbington and his father, Charles,along with Peter Taylor, who initially startedthe enterprise by sharing machinery.

Main baseThe Bebbington family’s 200ha Dearn Hall Farm at Tistock nearWhitchurch, is the main operating basefor the workshop, machinery fleet andday-to-day operations. This is run by Rob Bebbington, while Peter Taylor ownsand operates the storage, grain handlingand crop marketing from his nearby140ha Lea Hall farm.

Peter has joint responsibility for planning and record keeping, and shares the various management duties.

“We started out by sharing the cost ofa new grain cleaner but when we bothneeded a new fertiliser spreader at thesame time, it made sense to buy that


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“The system works well for all parties but itinvolves a huge amount of trust,” admitsRob Bebbington.

jointly as well. After a while, we realisedthat instead of creating paperwork bysending each other invoices all the time, itwould be far easier to simply set-up a jointcompany to run all the machinery.”

This decision coincided with theBebbington’s exit from potato growing,and a move to concentrate exclusively on combinable cropping.

Bare minimumAlong with the farms’ specialist potatogrowing and irrigation equipment, outwent three tractors, two combines and aself-propelled sprayer (which was jointly-owned already). The new venture thenequipped itself to handle combinablecrops exclusively, investing in the bareminimum amount of kit –– a tractor, anew Bateman RB15 sprayer (which hassince been upgraded to an RB16) andseveral trailers.

The business doesn’t own any powerfuldraft tractors, and hires-in machines ––including a new Claas Lexion combine ––simply to cover the harvest. Moreover, alarge proportion of its mainline tractors andestablishment equipment is now furnishedby another machinery sharing schemewith a neighbour.

“Fieldfare Farmers was founded on theinitial machinery sharing agreement withPeter Taylor –– with the company owningand operating all the equipment. It operates just like employing a contractor todo all the work on our farms –– albeit thatwe’re the contractor.

“As well as making significant costsavings from owning less machinery andworking it over a wider area, we’ve beenable to release capital that was tied-up inthe equipment.”

However, sharing a machine like acombine calls for a “really pragmaticapproach” to the operation, continuesRob Bebbington. “The farm’s geographicallocation means our crops are rarely cutat less than 15% moisture and thatmeant participants had to adopt a radical change of mindset.

“The combine can only be in oneplace at a time and all the farms haveweighbridges, so every load is weighedand sampled before going into store.”The only fair way to allocate costs is to cut the crops which are fit first andcalculate the average drying costs acrossthe whole tonnage, he adds.

“Nobody gains or loses because we pay for the combine and drying proportionate to the area farmed andtonnage being harvested.”

Fieldfare Farmers quickly began tofind other local farmers also wanted tobenefit from the cost-savings which theextra economy of scale could bring butpurely on a contract farming basis. Asthe business developed, Rob Bebbingtonand Peter Taylor spotted a pattern beginning to emerge.

“We were effectively applying thesame agronomy and management principles across our two different farmsbut when we looked at the separategross margins, we noticed the averagestended to be much the same across thedifferent land types.

“Then when we carried out a similarfive-year-average assessment over all the farms we were working on, we foundthere was a lot of continuity. That’s when we came up with the idea of putting each farm down to one crop and running a single block croppingrotation –– rather than working eachfarm as a separate entity.”

Now all the farms are now run as asingle 560ha unit, with Rob Bebbingtonacting as operations manager for thebusiness –– overseeing its day-to-dayrunning.

“The rotation and all operations arerun as if it was a single farm –– it’s evenin the same crop assurance scheme.

“Peter’s grain store is TASCC accredited,so it’s an ideal fit –– and it’s a huge benefit to have all the crops in oneplace, not only for storage but for management and marketing purposes

as well.” A new drier was installed lastyear, which means the business hasadditional capacity for contract dryingand cleaning as well, he adds.

Being located within 15 miles of someof the largest feed mills in the countryprovides a ready market for the grain,with low transport costs. “The individualfarms still ‘own’ their produce but its allweighed-in, dried and stored together inthe main stores.

Income relative to size“Peter tends to do all the marketing, with the individual farms allocated a percentage of the income relative totheir size. For example, if a customer has 56ha out of a total of 560ha, he will pay 10% of the variable costs andreceive 10% of the total sales.”

However, the crop marketing policy is now evolving slightly to match his customers’ cashflow requirements,explains Rob Bebbington. “Similarly,Fieldfare Farmers also buys all theinputs, with the costs divided on the same basis, and with individual customers paying for their percentage of the costs.

“That means the smaller farms now benefit from having much betterbuying power than they would’ve had as individuals. Moreover, they no longerhave to worry about purchasing, storageor record keeping as Fieldfare handlesall that –– maintaining tight stock controland ensuring all products are used efficiently.”

The close proximity of the mills meansthe new, block-cropped rotation is dominated by first wheat –– with breaksof barley or oats, followed by oilseed rape or beans. The wheat varietiesAlchemy, Humber and Claire currentlyyield around 7.5-9.5t/ha, with the barleys, Saffron and Boost, producing up to 10t/ha.

The Dalguise and Gerald oats are grown for Morning Foods, with a projectedaverage yield of about 7.5t/ha, with DKCabernet and Excalibur oilseed rapeexpected to yield 3.75-4.5t/ha. “Yields ofWizard beans for human consumptionvary widely, depending on the conditionsand the weather.

“We’re still settling into the process of blocking the rotation at the variouslocations, which span about 40 milesfrom the furthest points. If two farms are close together, they tend to be treated as one block –– but it’s mainlydictated by how much distance we can


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cover with each sprayer load.“At the moment, the location

beats the rotation and this isprobably reflected in some ofthe current yields becausesome crops are still beinggrown in the ‘wrong’ places.But it doesn’t seem to bemaking a vast difference.”

At harvest, either RobBebbington or Fieldfare’s soleemployee, Jonathan Bradbury,operate a hired-in ClaasLexion 570 combine. Graincarting is handled by one of the customers, who alsooperates as a farm contractorand supplies trailers, plusanother owner-operator and a casual, who drives a tractorhired-in for the season.

“The broad spread of theland can mean some longhauls but the central storagelocation with its up-to-datefacilities far outweighs anytransport drawbacks.”

When the time comes forautumn establishment, it’sclear that the businesses ownJohn Deere 6930, 5f ploughand 3m power harrow/drillcombi won’t be able to copewith 560ha on their own. Butinstead of investing in moremachinery to handle theincreased area, the companyhas stuck to its principles byestablishing another machinerysharing agreement, withfriends and neighbours, Robin and James Huxley.

“This provides access totwo powerful tractors –– aFendt 936 Vario and a NewHolland TM 8050 –– alongwith a 5m Väderstad TopDowncultivator and 6m Rapid drill.Coupled with our own, moretraditional equipment, this set-up offers a wide range ofestablishment options to suitvarying soil conditions.

The equipment is also comfortably able to coverabout 1,400ha of work,including the Huxley’s crops and some additionalcontract operations.

‘Ring fence’“We ‘ring fence’ all the cultivation equipment as wellas our sprayers and fertiliserspreaders, and keep a tally of exactly what we spend onthese machines and the tractors.” All tractors arriveand leave the farms with fulltanks of diesel, he stresses.

“So if we do 400ha andthey do 800ha, we split thecosts on a pro rata basis for all the hectares covered, andboth parties pay exactly whatit’s cost.”

The system works well forall parties but it involves ahuge amount of trust, headmits. “They’ll obviously betimes when we both want the equipment but we talk on thetelephone four or five times a day –– and with careful s

“We’ve never had an argument in four years, so that in itselfproves it must work,” says Rob Bebbington (pictured, right,together with fellow Fieldfare Farms director, Peter Taylor).

http://www.nickersonseeds.co.uk/panorama

planning, it works pretty well. “It has to be the cheapest

way we could possibly do it, so it’s in our own interests toensure that it works.”

Heavy land firstBoth men start by preparingthe heavy land first and haveoptimum drilling dates for all crops. “It’s then simply amatter of getting the crops into the ground as quickly as possible –– depending on the conditions.

“With Fieldfare Farmers’land spread 40 miles one way,and the Huxley’s about thesame distance in the otherdirection, there’s usuallyalways somewhere fit to work.”

He also finds sharing equipment means having toconcentrate harder on thecompleting each task. “Ifyou’ve only got a machine fortwo days, you tend to work it harder –– 24hrs/day if necessary –– just to get thejob done.

“We’ve never had an argument in four years so thatin itself proves it must work.

“Moreover, it’s a systemwhich has also proved itselfduring the past two extremelywet years. As well as providingthe capacity we couldn’t justifyfor our own work alone, we

also have access to a systembetter suited to the field conditions.

Versatile tool?“A 3m power harrow/drill may not appear at first to bethe most efficient tool but itallows us to plod on in wetterconditions. Then if it dries up,we’re able to push on usingthe min-till regime. It meanswe have the right kit to dealwith most situations.”

The fertiliser spreader andsprayers are shared in a similar way with the Huxleys.“Some would say a 24m self-propelled sprayer is overkillfor our area –– especially withthe Huxleys contributing atrailed 24m, 4000-litre capacityChafer sprayer.

“But it means they’re ableto use our machine for maizeand in tall rape crops –– and because we only pay for what it costs/ha, we canget a lot of spraying done in a very short period of time for the money.” The sameapplies to the fertiliser spreader, with the spread of farms meaning there’salways somewhere he canwork, says Rob Bebbington.

As well as providing fargreater machinery capacity for significantly less cost thanmight be possible without co-operation, he adds that the venture has another enormous benefit.

“It’s really brought the funback into farming. Many people may know of theirneighbouring farmers, but wereally do ‘know’ them. I likeworking with like-minded people –– we can share theups and downs together. It really is much more fun.

“Our customers can remainin farming while pursuingother business interests, andwe all benefit as a result.”

The business, with its centralised grain storage andmachinery sharing ventures,still has capacity to expand,believes Rob Bebbington.“But before we make our next

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Block cropping on a farm-by-farm basis has simplified themanagement process hugely,says Rob Bebbington.

http://www.nickersonseeds.co.uk/cassius

Farm FactsFieldfare Farmers

560ha – seven farms (ownedand contract-farmed)All inputs and profits shared(divided by farmed area)l Staff: Rob Bebbington,

director and operations manager, plus full-time operator Jonathan Bradbury Directors: Peter Taylor, grain storage, marketing, record keeping and management. Charles Bebbington, director.Owner operators and casual harvest-help

l Cropping:Wheat, barley, oats, oilseed rape and beans

l Varieties:213ha Wheat – Alchemy, Humber and Claire 103ha Barley – Saffron and Boost 114ha Oilseed rape – DK Cabernet, Excalibur 67ha Beans – Wizard53ha Spring Barley – Tipple

l Mainline machinery:

Owned equipment Tractor: JD 6930

Sprayer:Bateman RB16, 24m 3000 litre (shared)Chafer trailed, 24m, 4000 litre (shared)

Fertiliser spreader:KRM Fertiliser spreader (shared)

Handlers: 2x 7m ManitouTrailers:3x grain trailers Hiab TrailerCultivators:3m Kuhn power harrow/drill combination (shared)5f Kuhn plough (shared)Flatlift (shared)

3m Topper

Hired equipment at harvestClaas 570 Lexion combineJD 6930 Grain trailer

Establishment machinery (shared with neighbour)

Tractors:360hp New Holland TM 8050 360hp Fendt 936 Vario5m Väderstad TopDown6m Väderstad Rapid

move, I’m keen to explorewhether we’ve really got itright –– and whether there arebetter alternatives.”

He wonders whether there’san even better system yet tobe discovered providing morebenefits elsewhere?

To this end, he recentlygained a Nuffield Scholarshipto investigate the other optionsthat may apply to improvingefficiency and machinery useon-farm. “I reviewed where weare now, and felt we were justbeginning to put in placeplans that have big implications for the future.

“I just wanted to see howother farms are operating and if there are indeed anyalternatives. While I realise the big farms in America, for example, with five or six

combines and vast areas ofland don’t have the sameneeds as us, there could stillbe something we can learn.

“But I’m not just looking at agriculture –– I feel it’simportant to explore what’shappening in other industriesas well to see if there are anyother similar situations andhow they handle co-operation.The Nuffield Scholarship is an opportunity to take a stepaway from the business and review other systemsalongside it.”l CPM will re-visit RobBebbington and FieldfareFarmers later in the year to find out what he has learnedfrom his scholarship, and how this may be put into practice within his own and other businesses. n


http://www.kuhn.co.uk

The purchase of a new, hi-tech sprayer with full electronic and GPS control is paying

dividends on a mixed Somerset farm –– withautomatic nozzle control providing significant

chemical cost-savings.

By Mick Roberts

‘I don’t want to risk having an accident with chemical in

the tank.’

uto-section control, which turns boom sections off and onautomatically to prevent spray

overlaps, is often seen as the preserve of the large arable estate.

However, the technology is also providingconsiderable benefits at the Jeanes family’s mixed Currypool Farm, nearCannington, Somerset –– partly because of its small, irregularly-shaped fields.

This is just one of the reasons whyAndrew Jeanes reckons he can justify theinvestment in a brand new, 4,000-litre

capacity, John Deere 740i trailed sprayer,with a 28m boom, for a total arable area of 345ha.

“Spraying that kind of area with bigfields of ‘blocked’ cropping is a very different proposition to what I face here.With a multitude of tiny fields –– ranging in size from 2.8ha to 13.2ha –– it’sextremely hard work.

“Add to that the steep, horrible hills and the travelling in-between, and it soonbecomes clear why we need this level ofoutput,” he explains. “Moreover, at thetime of purchase, the ‘i’ sprayer specification worked out cheaper than the standard 740 sprayer –– with all the extra electronics effectively free of charge.”

Maize and grass leys are the main


break crops in the 521ha farm’s rotation,which allows Andrew Jeanes to concentrateon growing the maximum amount of firstwheat (255ha), with relatively small areasof other break crops –– including 50ha ofoilseed rape and 28ha of oats.

The farm also grows a small amount of winter barley –– mainly for straw for hiscalves. This is supplemented by about70ha of maize silage, and 106ha of grassfor feed and grazing for the 200-headdairy herd.

While these break crops bring benefitsto the arable side of the farm, there arealso drawbacks when it comes to fittingthe crops into the rotation –– normallywheat; oilseed rape; wheat; maize; then wheat or grass. “But it isn’t set in stone and varies according to the field locations.”

Rotation restrictedHistorically, all the maize and grass weregrown locally to the dairy at CurrypoolFarm. “This was useful because it wasclose to the clamps and the farm for muck spreading –– but it did tend to concentrate all the organic manure on thesame fields, and it also restricted the rota-tion somewhat.

“Now, they’re grown miles away and,although this increases the transport costs,the whole farm benefits from the lime,slurry and FYM –– and that’s all part of the plan to try to even up the wheat yieldaverage across the whole farm.

“At the same time, we also try to ‘block-up’ the cropping wherever we can–– ideally in 40-80ha. In the past whentime and fuel were less of an issue, I usedto cover 36 miles to spray 40ha of oilseedrape located in five different fields. Butalthough it was in the perfect rotation, it simply wasn’t practical.”

The new block cropping regime allowsAndrew Jeanes to make the best use ofeach precious spraying opportunity andbecause of the new sprayer’s 4,000-litretank, it allows him to cover more groundbetween refills. The 740i replaced amounted Hardi machine with 1,200-litrerear and 800-litre front tanks.

“Switching to a trailed sprayer was aconcern because I was worried about leaving twin sets of wheel marks in thecrops. But the self-steering works well and it simply hasn’t been a problem –– even on the steepest slopes.

“There’s also the facility to steer thedrawbar manually but I hardly ever need to do that.”

He was also a bit concerned about s

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Andrew Jeanes reckons he’ssaved more than £1,300 inchemical costs on 120ha alonein just one season.

moving up from a 21m to a28m boom –– especially havingto manoeuvre into all the tightcorners of the small fields hefarms, and around telegraphpoles. “But again, it simply hasn’t been a problem.”

Andrew Jeanes carries out all the farm’s spraying and, inaddition to that, he contractsprays 410ha of maize for aneighbour. Output can be ashigh as 30-35ha/hr but becauseof the size and spread of hisfields, overall performance falls to about 15-25ha/hr ––depending on the tank-mixesinvolved, and the travelling andfilling-time required, he says.

The sprayer is alwaysaccompanied by a water bowser in the field and healways takes the chemicals out before work to ensureeverything is on-hand.

“I travel with only water inthe tank for safety’s sake. Aswell as having to negotiate verynarrow lanes, I also have totravel on some fast main roads.I don’t want to risk having anaccident with chemical in the tank.”

The ‘i’ in the product namedenotes that it comes with not only the GreenStar 2600controller, but other electronicaids as well, such as a digitaltank level gauge and all manner of monitoring information. It also providesparallel-tracking guidance via the same screen.

But it’s the auto-section control that switches each ofthe eight boom sections off and on automatically thatAndrew Jeanes finds the mostuseful feature. “It can be set tosnap off to ensure there are nooverlaps or double-dosing, or tooperate slightly slower to ensurethere are no spray misses.

“In a trial, we set it up usingglyphosate on some volunteerrape and adjusted it to covereverything. It provided a complete kill of the weeds andso far, I haven’t noticed anycrop scorch at this setting.”

The headland is often thelargest area to be sprayed onhis small, odd-shaped fields,hence the auto-section control has proved a real boon, he continues. “It works muchfaster and more accurately thanI could do it myself, and it’salso providing some substantialsavings in the process.”

To check the savings madefrom never overlapping, helogged the area of a randomselection of 20 fields using historical drilling/sprayingrecords and IACS data. Theseranged in size from 2.8ha to12ha and came to a total areaof 121.34ha. Previously, he’dbeen ordering chemical tomatch those field sizes.

He then compared the figures with the sprayed areas, as recorded by theGreenStar terminal.

Taking a mean of the treatedarea, he’s been able to reducehis chemical order from121.34ha to 112.04ha –– resulting in 9.3ha lesschemical for the same fields.

Referring to his FarmadeGatekeeper records, he thenselected a typical crop ofGatsby winter wheat, targetedto yield 10t/ha. He then deducted the fertiliser, seedand molluscicide costs, leavinga total cost of £158.93/ha for all chemicals applied throughthe sprayer.

“That means the total saving, purely for fertiliser and pesticide costs on those 20 fields, worked out to be

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£1,478.05/ha in just one season” (i.e. 9.3ha x £158.93).

“Add to this the fixed costs,plus other variable costs, and itshows the investment in GPStechnology stacks up –– evenon 120ha.” Part of the reasonis because the farm was previously using 21m tramlines,he believes. “But when I measured these, they werenever the correct width ––always overlapping slightly.

Parallel tracking“I now drill using the GPS parallel tracking on theGreenStar unit and this is farmore accurate. I know thetramlines are always the correctdistance apart now becauseI’ve measured them.

“Add to that the fact that it’svirtually impossible to shut-offthe sections manually as fast as the auto-section control cando it and it’s easy to see how it all adds up to 9.3ha on just 120ha.”

The new sprayer comes asthe latest move in a series ofchanges the farm has instigatedto improve the ‘fundamentals’of the business, boost machinery productivity and lift performance at the sametime. The mainline arableequipment centres around aFendt 930 reverse drive tractor,3m Sumo Trio, 4m VäderstadRapid drill and a new JohnDeere T550i combine.

A Fendt 718 completes the

line-up and is used to powerthe sprayer and drill, and forthe other field work.

“This is a neat package of machinery that works reallywell across both enterprises.The Fendt 930 has made atremendous difference byallowing us to make our owngrass silage.”

Then in the autumn, thesame tractor’s output isemployed to boost output in the establishment work ––equipped with a front-mountedcultivator, and a Sumo Trio and trailed press on the back.

“The aim is to run this combination for as close to24hr/day as possible, afterwhich the fields are left to green up for as long as possible before spraying-offwith glyphosate –– maintainingaccurate applications by following the guidance systemon the GreenStar 2600 console.” These same tracksare used to set the tramlineswhen drilling, he adds.

“With our previous combine,we started yield mapping withthe GreenStar 2600 monitorand felt a similar terminal onthe spraying tractor could bringfurther benefits. We’ve beenusing GreenStar for a while now –– starting with the original, smaller terminal ––and our whole farming systemis beginning to revolve aroundGPS for parallel tracking andmachine control on the sprayer,as well as its ability to map andrecord all of our field operations –– even muck spreading.”

Another difficulty with havingmaize silage in the rotation is that it interrupts the yieldmapping continuity and, withthe wide rotation, that meansmaps are generated in just 2-3 years out of five. “Althoughwe’re happy with all otheraspects of the arrangementwith our current maize harvesting contractor, we’d lookseriously at switching if anotheroperator offered us silage maizeyield maps on the forager.”

Because the new sprayercame with a GreenStar 2600 s

Auto-section control –– whichturns the boom sections off andon automatically –– helpsprevent overlaps and isparticularly useful in small,odd-shaped fields, says Andrew Jeanes.


The GreenStar terminal (left) sits alongsidethe Vario console in the tractor. “The VarioCVT transmission is ideal for sprayingwork”, says Andrew Jeanes.

terminal, it means the farm now has two–– one for each operator. “Although we’rerunning Fendt tractors, the JD StarFirereceiver and GreenStar terminals are quickand easy to install on the machines.

“So when the terminal finishes its workon the combine or sprayer tractor, it canbe transferred to the Fendt 930, or the718 which is used for drilling with a 4m Rapid.

“A while ago, my father, David, and I discussed the future of the farm and we made a conscious decision to invest in increasing production levels –– mainlythrough the expansion of the arable side of the business, while improving overallyield performance.

“My father says we were achievingmuch the same wheat yields 20-30 yearsago –– so where’s the progress? From theyield maps, we can see peaks in the fieldsof around 15-17.5t/ha or more, while theaverage is being pulled down by the poorer areas.

“Our aim now is to concentrate harder

on what we’re doing to bring up thosemarginal areas which yield so much lowerthan average.

“I’m a firm believer in getting the fundamentals right. With the cows, thatmeans basic nutrition and for the crops, it means concentrating on the soil. We’realso very fortunate to be working with apro-active agronomist –– Simon Trenary ofCountrywide –– who’s a great believer ofgetting the basics right.

“Without a sound base from which to build a decent crop, we’re fighting a losing battle –– there’s no point investingin the latest fungicides, seeds and otherexpensive variables unless the soil is in the best possible condition.”

Slurry and FYMThe dairy provides the farm with largequantities of slurry and FYM, which are also applied using the GreenStar system, with the records logged againstthe yield maps. The farm has recentlyswitched to using lime sand in the cubicle housing.

While this costs £2/cow/week, it’s easily recouped in the fields by using the material to correct pH values, whichare determined through regular soil testing(with 1.3t of lime sand equivalent to 1t of lime).

“Simon and I analyse all the outgoingmaterial and take account of its nitrogenvalue, then we deduct this from the total Nwe intend to apply.” The application mapsalso provide a record of exactly where themuck has been spread, he adds.

“This is very helpful in the winter when we’re applying muck because itensures even application, with no overlapsfrom using parallel guidance, as well asshowing the parts of the field which havealready been covered. In one case, theconsequential yield map revealed where aprevious employee had obviously appliedthe muck to just half of the field –– thearea closest to the gate!”

During and after harvest, AndrewJeanes also checks his yield maps on thecombine to identify the poor performingareas of each field, and matches these upwith previous muck and slurry spreadingrecords. “We then get out to the placeswhere the problems lie and dig down witha spade.

“I reckon about 85% of the agronomicdifficulties are down to compaction ––usually on the headlands –– and otherissues are addressed by taking plant tissue and soil samples.

“Maize may be a good break crop

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Farm FactsF G Jeanes & Son Ltd

Currypool FarmCanningtonBridgwaterSomerset

Mixed 52Mixed 521ha farm with 200-cow dairy herd and 345ha of cropping.Two syndicated shoots run on and around the farm.

l Staff: Andrew, Ian and David JeanesPlus a full-time herdsman on a 365-day contract

l Soil type: Grade 1 red soils, medium loam to heavy blue clay

l Arable cropping:255ha winter wheat50ha oilseed rape28ha winter oats (For Morning Foods)12ha winter barley (grown mainly for straw for feed)

l Contracting operations:180ha drilling80ha combining410ha spraying

l Varieties: Wheats: Alchemy (122ha), Gatsby (50ha), Solstice (42ha), Robigus (30ha) Oilseed rape: Castille, AlienorWinter oats: Mascani

l Mainline machinery:

Tractors:Fendt 930 Vario, reverse drive

Fendt 718 Vario

Plus JD 6330 and JD 6820 (for dairying operation)

Combine:John Deere T550

Handler:JCB 530-70 Loadall

Baler:John Deere 592 round baler

Sprayer:John Deere 740i, 4,000 litre/28m

Fertiliser spreader:Amazone ZAM Ultra 28m

Cultivations:3m heavy-tine cultivator

3m Sumo Trio, plus trailed press

3m Flatlift

3m Power harrow/maize drill combination

Drill:4m Väderstad Rapid

A new John Deere T550 combine hasrecently been purchased –– complete with a GreenStar 2600 screen for yield mapping.

but it’s also usually the main compactionculprit. As well as these fields often beingthe recipients of the winter muck and slurry, the harvesting machinery is heavyand is sometimes operated in less thanideal conditions.

“Indeed, the cereals yield maps often show quite clearly the poorer areas on the headlands and by gatewayswhich have been compacted by heavymachinery.” About 65-70ha of the farm is ploughed each year for that reason.

“This is where yield mapping is important from a management point ofview as it enables us to see quickly whereany problems lie. I then call up my father,who’ll be out cultivating with the Fendt930, to highlight the areas that need further investigation. It really is that simple.

“With two GreenStar terminals and two cards –– one on the combine and

the other on the Fendt –– I’m able todownload the map and transfer it to the tractor. My father can then pull it up on-screen and go straight to where the problem areas are. I can even print it out if I want to and simply use a paper map.” n


http://www.nickersonseeds.co.uk/solstice

Pointers to maximiseOSR returns

To help arable farmers improve their margins through better crop marketing,

Bayer CropScience is sponsoring aseries of three features – the second of which puts the spotlight on OSR

crop marketing.

Oilseed rape has had a tough season but a big fall in the winter crop area, and predicted lower

yields, have done little for prices. So how cangrowers maximise returns from their crops

–– and next season’s?By Martin Rickatson

‘It makes sound financial sense tohave a spread of marketing risk

over a period of months.’

stimates of the size of this season’soilseed rape crop vary widely ––partly due to the effects of slug,

pigeon and rabbit damage, and alsobecause patches within fields simply didn’t establish properly.

Moreover, sizeable chunks of theplanned crop area simply weren’t drilledbecause of the wet autumn, or wereripped up and re-drilled with alternativebreaks in the autumn or spring.

Consequently, there’s little dispute that the UK’s total OSR output will be considerably lower this year than last. And despite the fact that few experts agreeon the extent to which it will drop, mostagree there will be little compensation inthe form of higher prices.

Shrewder marketing therefore appearsto be the best route to healthy margins.

“Last autumn’s weather conditions andthe effect this had on the area of rapesown, together with the amount that was later ripped up, mean the range ofestimates for this year’s crop is wider thanusual,” admits Philip Kimber of Frontier.

E “While DEFRA cropping figures issuedback in December suggested a likely dropin the crop area of around 5%, morerecent estimates point to a tonnage thatcould be anywhere between 10% and 20% lower than last year’s 1.8Mt.”

He says the lower yield projections aren’tsimply because of the smaller area drilled.“Although many crops that looked poorthrough the winter subsequently went on to recover, there are holes in most fieldsright across the country resulting from poor establishment, wet areas, or grazingby slugs and/or pigeons.

“The plants that survived look ok butthere are areas in many fields that will yield very little.”

Yet the price effect of the inevitable UKcrop shortfall is hard to predict becauserape isn’t the world’s primary oil crop, says Philip Kimber. “Moreover, we’re a long way from being the world’s biggestoilseed rape producer.

“So the size of the UK crop has littlebearing on the market price here. Oilseedsare a global commodity, the biggest of


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which is soya, and becausethe US is the main soya producer, rape –– like soya –– is a dollar commodity, so foreign currency exchangemovement has the biggestinfluence over the UK market price.

“Anyone who is sat ‘long’ on rape is in essence currencytrading since, along with thecrop projections from the majoroilseed producing countries,movements in the currencymarkets have a much greatereffect on UK crop prices thanyields. So the recently-strength-ening pound won‘t help.”

‘Tight stocks’Yet world stocks for oil cropsremain tight at present, headmits. “The South Americansoya crop –– especially inArgentina –– is likely to be welldown for next harvest, possiblyby as much as 10Mt at around33Mt, and we’re currently at acritical stage in the season forthe US soya crop.

“As always, problems inother parts of the world couldwork to our advantage.”

So aside from manipulatingthe agronomy, what can growers do to ensure their OSRcrops produce the best returnpossible? While the answer is‘plenty’ when talking about nextseason’s crop, there are still afew things that can be done tohelp this year’s crop –– even if a proportion of it is now offthe field.

“Even last season, highmoisture contents weren’t toomuch of a problem but thecrushers do need consistencyin this respect. It’s widely-varying degrees that causeproblems, so blending wet anddry crops isn’t advisable.” While9% is the required industrystandard, 7% gives a moreconsistent crush, he adds.

“Admix doesn’t tend to be abig problem with UK samplesbut trashy crops won’t be welcomed. Remember that the maximum permissibleadmixture level –– includingcracked or split seed –– is just 2%.”

When selecting varieties forsowing this autumn, probablythe biggest attribute after yield and oil content is a low glucosinolate level, believesPhilip Kimber.

Desirable characteristic“As well as 40%+ oil, that’swhat crushers look for in a variety –– a characteristic thatmakes the rapeseed meal more useable after crushing.Growers should therefore lookbeyond the yield to other varietal attributes, since qualities, such as a higher oilcontent or low glucosinolatelevel, may result in bonusesbased on the crusher’s contract.

“The ideal variety would be a high yielding/ low glucosinolate/ high oil type –– with a commitment fromthe crusher to pay for this.”

While a large portion of theUK crop –– perhaps 40-50%–– is moved at harvest, itmakes sound financial sense to have a spread of marketingrisk over a period of months, he advocates.

“There are plenty of toolswhich enable growers to holdonto their crops and spreadtheir selling period, whether itbe through their own storage –– assuming it’s of sufficientcapacity and quality –– or via central storage if they’rereluctant to invest in updatingtheir own.”

“The crushers like varieties withlow glucosinolate levels and40%+ oil,” says Philip Kimber.

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Similarly, crop pools are a good way ofoptimising returns, he concludes. “That’sthe best advice I can give –– to spread therisk as best you can.”

Owen Cligg, trading manager for UnitedOilseeds Marketing (UOM), believes thisyear’s OSR crop could be 20-30% downon last season’s. “But prices will be

supported as the UK will need to importmore rape this year. However, we’ll still beled by international price movements.”

For this autumn, he advises growers topick varieties primarily on their yield and oil content ratings, based on regional trials data.

“But from a crop marketing point of

John Pelham of farm business consultants,Andersons Midlands, acknowledges thatwith August being a big-spending month onarable farms in terms of diesel, machineryand seed –– and with little cash likely tohave come into many businesses duringthe preceding months –– making an instantreturn on the harvested crop will beappealing to many growers.

“But yields can vary so widely with rape–– from as low as 0.5t/ha to ten times that–– so it’s unwise to commit any more than2.5t/ha from your cropped area on aforward-selling basis.”

Crop storage provision should beconsidered as equally important for breakcrops as for wheat, he suggests.

“Moreover, growers should considerchoosing a variety with a high oil contentsince the difference in £/t between 40%and 45% oil can often be considerable.”

Many small to medium-sized farms have insufficient space to store OSR as well as wheat, believes John Pelham.“Nonetheless, there are alternatives tosimply selling the crop off the field.

“This is where using central storage canmake sense –– particularly if a farm’s grainstores are no longer big enough for theamount of capacity required, but are in agood location and have potential alternativeuses.” The same is true of working withpools, he adds.

“It’s chiefly about risk management

–– businesses were less at risk withintervention in place but now, a lot morehinges on what to sell to whom, and atwhat time of the year. For example, if agrower were to anticipate a change ofGovernment in May 2010 –– and that a risein sterling will result in a correspondingdrop in commodity prices –– he mayconsider selling his rape before that time.

“But it’s always a gamble. By workingwith groups, individual farms can plug intoa level of expertise which no one-manbusiness can access.” That’s why morefarmers have tended to use third parties to help with their crop marketing in recentyears, he believes.

Assess storage and marketing options

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view, growers need to take their storagecapability into account, as well as the needfor labour and machinery to move crop,and the importance of cash-flow.”

Working with a specialised trading company, with the full benefits obtainablefrom pools, options and fixed price contracts –– plus the market information

http://www.syngenta-crop.co.uk

Turnip yellows virus (TuYV) is now an‘every year risk’ to oilseed rape crops and one that can impact on crop quality as much as yield.

A nationwide survey of OSR crops wasconducted this spring for TuYV infectionand found some surprisingly high diseaselevels. This was the first step in a three-year HGCA-funded project which covered80 farms from the south coast of Englandto the north of Scotland.

Samples were virus-tested by Broom’sBarn, with head of crop protection, Dr MarkStevens, noting TuYV ‘hot spots’ along thesouth coast and around the Wash wherefields are up to 70% infected by the virus.These results are surprising in the contextof last autumn and winter, he says.

“In marked contrast to the previous two

‘hot’ seasons for aphid activity –– whichput most crops south of the Humber at risk–– last autumn was very quiet, followed bya colder-than-usual winter, so I suspectedwe’d hardly find any virus this spring.”

The conclusion is that TuYV now has tobe considered a “major risk factor to OSRcrops year-on-year” –– not just in seasonswith aphid-favourable autumns and winterswhich are becoming more common with climate change, he says.

Previous research by Broom’s Barnshows TuYV infection can decrease yieldsby up to 26%, and reduce the oil contentas well.

“The key measure growers should take to limit its impact is to drill seed treated withone of the second-generation neonicotinoidseed treatments.” Trials assessed byBroom’s Barn –– designed to study theimpact of seed treatments on TuYV –– showed Modesto (beta-cyfluthrin+ clothianidin) produced an average 0.4t/hayield response in 2007, and 0.7t/ha in 2008.

Research by Frontier Agriculture hasalso quantified the potential impact on cropquality, with one trial at Haywold on theYorkshire Wolds comparing the seed qualityresponse to the new seed treatmentModesto, against the previous standard,Chinook (beta-cyfluthrin+ imidacloprid).

National trials manager, Jim Carswell,

says the results showed significant oil content differences. “Averaged across arange of seed rates where no insecticideoverspray was applied, the oil contentresults were as follows –– Modesto 47.4%; Chinook 45.8%; with a standardfungicide seed treatment alone producingjust 42.1% oil.”

He attributes this result to the reductionin virus spread by aphids, as well as moreeven crop maturity.

“This degree of oil loss would have a big impact on a commercial crop’s value,”he says. “Contracts are based on 40% oil content, with a 1.5% contract price premium or penalty for each 1% over or under this figure.

“So assuming a harvest value of £280/t this year, a 5% reduction in oil could wipe almost £70/ha off the value of an average-yielding 3.25t/ha crop.”

Based on these results, Jim Carswell is recommending all OSR growers drillModesto-treated seed this autumn ascrops in most areas could be at risk fromTuYV infection, or from cabbage stem fleabeetle damage.

He adds that a follow-up pyrethroidspray may be required too –– dependingon the drilling date and relative pest pressure. “The need should be assessedaround four weeks after drilling.”

TuYV impacts on crop quality

TuYV infection was found to bewidespread this spring –– despite the cold winter.

Trading pools work on the basis of selling crop from a large combined hectarage to protect from under or over-selling, with users benefiting from the power of group marketing, continuesOwen Cligg. “UOM is the largest pool marketing company in the UK, offeringthree types of pool based on different

calendar periods –– a ‘harvest pool’ (i.e. July-September), a ‘long pool’ (i.e. October-April) and a ‘carte blanche’pool, at the end of the old crop marketingseason (i.e. May-June).”

Fixed price trading, backed by advicefrom the trader, is another marketing alternative for those who prefer to trade


this gives access to –– can help in particular, he claims.

“While a lot of farms are finding theirstorage is under pressure, investment innew facilities is a big undertaking, so working with a pool can be a good wayaround this.” UOM has a network of 50 stores around the UK, he adds.

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their crops as individual entities –– but stillwish to benefit from the knowledge of, and market data available to, a trader, he suggests.

“It allows growers to trade on a fixedprice basis, just as they would with anymerchant. The difference is that the grower is advised when to sell –– andwhen not to –– according to what’s happening in the market.”

Participants receive regular contact fromtheir UOM area manager to update themon the ex-farm market price, and the pricetonnage can be set on a load-by-loadbasis, or all at once, says Owen Cligg.

The third marketing tool offered to growers by the firm is options –– claimedto provide a useful method of ‘hedging’against market volatility.

“Options can be an expensive way ofdoing things but our size allows us to provide these in a cost-effective way tomembers.” He also points to the potentialfor new rape markets –– notably from theenergy sector.

Openfield’s Peter Hall believes that, with a crush requirement of 1.6Mt and alikely UK harvest of 1.5-1.7Mt –– downbetween 15% and 20% on last year –– the UK supply situation looks very tight for new crop OSR, and that imports will be required.

“Crops appeared very indifferent in therun-up to harvest,” he says. “After a poorstart, many compensated well –– andthere’s also been some spring ‘patching’ in many areas –– but most are no betterthan ‘average’ or ‘less than average’.”

Peter Hall concurs with the view that,with oilseeds being a global commodity ––and with rape easily substitutable for otherplant oils in most cases –– the effect of the UK rape harvest on prices is not hugely significant.

“Soya and palm oil dominate the plant

oil market, and currency is the overall driver –– it can have a much bigger effecton the market than the size of the harvest,regardless of the crop or country.” Hepoints out that, for example, the firmingpound pushed the rape price down by £5-6/t in just a few days in mid-June.

Currency volatility“Growers wanting to trade in futures haveto be prepared to accept the downside ofcurrency volatility, and be prepared tohedge against it with currency. So anyoneconsidering buying OSR futures shouldalso perhaps buy euros as a hedge at thesame time.

“Yet the current market volatility is hard to understand and decisions need to be made quickly to take advantage ofsituations as they develop, which is whyputting trust in a trader makes sense.”

UK growers are generally shrewd whenit comes to targeting crops at differentmarkets, but the tricky bit is selling for thebest returns, he believes.

“This is where selling as part of a poolmakes sense, in terms of averaging outrisk. Markets have become more volatile of late, and growers need to know exactlywhat their costs are in order to account for this.

“Renting storage space or using a central store, rather than being forced tosell crop early, can be more cost-effectivethan maintaining storage space or building new facilities on-farm.”

According to Jonathan Lane of Gleadell,latest estimates suggest the UK rape cropcould be down to just 1.52Mt this harvest.

“That’s partly due to the estimated fall is sowings from 590,000ha to 492,000ha,and also because of the anticipated dropin yield from an average of 3.25t/ha to3.1t/ha,” he says. “It means we’re likely to import around 75% more rape than


last year –– 350,000t or so –– to meetcrushers’ requirements.”

The fall in the total UK yield only represents around £5-10/t in terms of the price, he calculates. “Of far greaterimportance is the world plant oil complexwhich had stood firm of late led by a tightsoya market. And then of course, there’sthe effect of the currency markets.

“The OSR crop in Europe is also downas a whole but the major producers,France and Germany, have fared betterthan we have in the UK. The German croplooks likely to finish around 5.4Mt, withFrance around 0.4Mt lower than that.

“The fact that new crop prices dropped25-30% just before harvest shows that UKOSR output has little bearing on the price.Reading the markets is a time-consumingjob, so it pays to listen to –– and trust –– your trader.” n

“Working with a specialised OSR tradingcompany is a definite advantage –– with a range of pools, options and fixed pricecontracts available,” claims Owen Cligg.

http://www.grainseed.co.uk

Insider’s viewInsider’s view

‘Grafton is a slow developer duringthe first few months after drilling.’

Spreading harvest and autumn workloads

While keeping the number of wheat varieties to a minimum may appeal in terms of easier on-farm

logistics, it means cramming drilling and harvestingworkloads into fairly pressured time-slots.

By Martin Rickatson lthough the proportion of the UKwinter wheat crop sown in theearly part of September is still

relatively small –– currently estimated at around 10% –– more farms will belooking to make an earlier start on theirwheat drilling programme as theyincrease in size.

But it’s not simply a matter of gettingthe land cultivated and drilled faster,believes KWS variety consultant, BobSimons. “It’s equally important to selectvarieties which are well-suited to the earlysowing slot.”

While this varietal characteristic may notcurrently be top every farmer’s wish list, if avariety can cope well when drilled in earlySeptember, it will give the grower peace ofmind right from the start, he suggests.

“Apart from the past couple of autumnswhich were, of course, exceptionally wet,


as a general rule of thumb, around one-tenth of the UK winter wheat crop is typically planted by the middle ofSeptember in a ‘normal’ year.”

Aside from spreading the drilling workload, there are a number of otheradvantages to be gained from getting the wheat sowing programme underwayearly, believes Bob Simons.

‘Workload reduced’“For example, it’s often easier to achieve a good seedbed by following the combinewith the cultivator as quickly as possible.Moreover, it may help with the pre-emergence spraying workload, and it givesthe crop more time to establish a strongroot structure –– particularly beneficial onlight land fields where drought can be aproblem late in the season.”

But early wheat drilling opportunitiescan be limited by geography, weatherand grassweed issues, as well as theavailability of varieties which respondwell to early planting, he admits.

“Growers in areas where blackgrass isthe main grassweed problem are unlikelyto be able to derive much benefit fromdrilling early, since doing so restricts theamount of time available for the creation of stale seedbeds.

“And when it comes to creating the

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Insider’s viewInsider’s view

“For an early drilled variety to be anagronomic success, it needs to be a tortoisein the autumn and a hare in spring,”suggests Bob Simons.

seedbed itself, September soils can often be too dry to initiate seedlinggrowth –– albeit that this varies fromregion-to-region, and on different soil types.

“So early drilling may not always necessarily result in earlier emergence of the crop. Moreover, the extra pressures that early sowing puts onspring fungicides means additionalinvestment is required in a robust seed treatment such as fluquinconazole(e.g. Jockey or Galmano).”

Claire/ Consort alternativeMany growers are now looking for a variety to replace Claire and Consort ––both of which are well-suited to the earlydrilling slot –– but are yet to find one,notes Bob Simons. “The Group 4 varietyGrafton –– added to the RecommendedList last December –– could very muchfit the bill.

“For an early drilled variety to be anagronomic success, it needs to be a tortoise in the autumn and a hare inspring,” he suggests. “That means its initial development over the first fewmonths of growth have to be relativelyslow to insure against it becoming over-proud going into winter –– and more vulnerable to frosts. Then from the second node stage (GS32) onwards,the crop needs to move through thegrowth stages quickly to reach maturityat, or before, the farm’s other wheats.

Grafton is a slow developer during thefirst few months after drilling –– reachingGS31 seven days later than Claire whensown at the same time, according to the latest trials data, he says. “Yet

significantly, the two varieties reachGS32 at very similar timings.”

The data reveals Grafton reaches maturity two days earlier than Claire onaverage, making it a good entry crop for oilseed rape and an ideal partner forrape on farms where the rotation is primarily based around the two crops, he believes.

“It offers a similar ripening date to theearly maturing variety Cordiale –– partlydue to its Cordiale parentage.”

Since early drilled wheats are in theground for longer, they need to havestrong, stiff straw to compensate for thegreater number of nodes per stem andtillers per plant which this tends to create, continues Bob Simons. “Grafton is shorter and stiffer than Claire and thatmakes it a particularly good choice onhighly fertile soils where its three pointyield rating difference, compared withOakley, is reduced to just one point.”

As an added advantage, its shortstems means less straw and debris to chop, distribute and incorporate, he adds.

In order to ‘rein in’ the crop a little andprevent over-tillering when sowing early,delaying the early nitrogen application may be advisable –– while applying themain top dressing a little later will helpthe crop achieve a higher specificweight, he suggests. “But every situationis different, so it’s important growersmake a local assessment of their owncrops, rather than sticking rigidly to general guidelines.”

He also warns growers to consider the increased risk of foliar diseases thatearly drilling can promote, as well as theconcern over diluting the specific weight.

“Sowing early can mean lush but relatively weak early growth, with agreater risk of foliar disease as a result.The potential for eyespot is greater even in first wheat situations –– with the crop being in the ground for longer–– so the fungus has more time to getestablished, and this can negate many ofthe advantages that early drilling brings.

“Grafton also has the Rendezvous eyespot gene in its lineage, and is rated 7for eyespot resistance as a result –– so hasa good defence against the developmentof the disease in high pressure situations.

Recommended List data showsGrafton produces an average specificweight of 78.1kg/hl, compared withConsort and Claire at 76.2kg/hl.

“Early drilling can wreck a wheat’s potential for achieving a high specific

weight, with the crop often running out ofsteam before reaching its true potential –– so a high specific weight rating is critical when selecting suitable varieties.”

But in addition to its suitability for the early drilled first wheat slot, Graftonworks well as a late sown second wheat,believes Bob Simons. “It’s here that the variety can really help spread theautumn workload.

“For example, feed wheat growerscould begin their first wheat sowing programme in early September withGrafton, moving onto Viscount andOakley midway, and then returning to Grafton for the second wheat slot in October.

“Traditional thinking is that secondwheats need to be longer-strawed toenable plants to better cope with thegreater stress the crop is under in a second wheat situation but Graftonseems to show this isn’t necessarily the case.

“It’s performed well in second wheat trials –– despite its untreated strawlength averaging just 78cm. That factoris backed by the variety’s good strawstrength characteristics, scoring 9 forlodging both with and without a growthregulator.”

Nonetheless, he still recommends usinga PGR programme as a precaution, withthese statistics giving Grafton growers a bitmore leeway –– lessening the need for areally robust PGR programme, he believes.

“More critical to achieving the variety’sfull potential is to use a comprehensivefungicide programme to maximise itsyield potential,” suggests Bob Simons.“Although Grafton scores mid-table disease ratings generally –– with an 8 for yellow rust –– it’s 6 rating for Septoriatritici and 3 for brown rust means itneeds looking after carefully.

“Bear this in mind when choosing your seed treatment –– keeping brownrust in mind in particular. This will form an important part of the fungicide programme, which should feature a triazole-based T0 treatment as well.

“Pinning a lot of faith on just a handfulof varieties means putting a lot of eggs in just one basket –– particularly for dedicated feed wheat growers. But choosing the right variety for the early sowing slot is as important as picking the correct variety for a second wheat situation –– otherwise the result is likelyto be a yield penalty.”

KWS cereals manager, Keith Best,laments the fact that HGCA doesn’t

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“Grafton is a variety which is well-suited toheavy land in particular,” says Keith Best.

feature a ‘suitable for early drilling’ category on the Recommended List. He believes Grafton should be on the current Recommended List on its full merits rather than, as is the case, beinggranted a specific recommendation on the basis of its early maturity and consequent suitability for farms looking to spread the harvest workload.

“It didn’t achieve an unequivocal fullrecommendation because of its yielddata in relation to Oakley –– yieldingthree points below the latter inRecommended List trials.

“That said, the difference was just a single point on high fertility sites, andGrafton has significant other attributeswhich I believe more than make up for this slight yield difference.

“Only one variety on the currentRecommended List beats Grafton for itsuntreated yield –– the Group 4 Timber ––and that’s only by one point. Of course, it’s unlikely that a farmer would set out togrow a commercial crop on an untreatedbasis but this sort of capability provides a firm foundation on which to base afarm’s wheat fungicide programme.

‘Off the scale’“With a lodging score of 9.4 where a fullPGR programme is used, it’s almost offthe scale in this respect –– and addingin its very short straw characteristicsmeans it’s a variety which is well suitedto heavy land in particular.

“We’ve seen high levels of interestfrom farms in areas such as EastYorkshire looking for a replacement forEinstein –– especially mixed farms withoutdoor pigs, where good straw strengthis an important agronomic characteristicto enable crops to withstand the additionalsoil fertility on land coming back intowheat after pigs.

“In addition to replacing Claire on certain farms, I’d also expect to see farmers considering it as an alternative toHumber for the early or late drilling slots.”

Despite Grafton’s high yield potential and Group 4 classification, the breedingprogramme that produced the variety initially set out to create milling types ––hence several of its grain characteristics will appeal to certain millers, he claims.“There are definite premium-earning possibilities should it meet the specificationsfor inclusion in particular grist blends.

“RL data shows it’s capable of producing a Hagberg of 278 and 11.8%protein –– the latter figure matchingClaire and being almost 1% above

Insider’s viewInsider’s viewOakley. So there’s potential for it to earn a premium should a local miller choose to include Grafton in a grist containing a number of varieties, for example.

“As a new early driller –– something the industry has been awaiting for some time –– it’s an ideal foil for Oakley. We’recurrently seeing very high levels of interestfrom the seed trade for C1 stock seed, andwe’ve got enough seed for around 2.5-3%of the national wheat area this autumn.

“As farms continue to become larger,and more growers look to commence their wheat sowing programme earlier to spread their autumn workload and harvest timings, Grafton could account for around 6-7% of the winter wheat market by autumn 2010, and 8-10% in the following seasons.” n


http://www.nickersonseeds.co.uk/einstein

New dressings giveseed an extra treat

“We’ve also seen some very good yield responses to Latitude

in barley.”

old wet seedbeds, a heavy fusariumloading of seed crops and delayeddrilling all conspired to put cereal

seed treatments under extra pressurelast autumn.

However, the fact that very few cerealcrops failed to establish successfully istestament to the efficacy of the new generation of fungicidal seed treatments,agronomists agree.

Attention is also now turning to pestcontrol and foliar protection as the keyseed treatment decisions.

“Last autumn had the potential to be a tough season, with a lot of diseaseabout,” says Chris Bean of UAP. “Buteven with the wet seedbeds we had, the new generation seed treatments did a good job.”

Last autumn’s testing conditions put seed treatments through their paces. CPM finds

out what lessons have been learned.

By Charles Abel

C

Fusarium-hit germination was rare with the likes of Redigo and Kinto provingsubstantially more effective at pullingback fusarium infection than the previousgeneration of seed dressings, he notes.

But there was also a very keen awareness last autumn of the need to be sensible about disease loading, hebelieves. “More growers and processorswere getting seed batches tested and notchallenging seed treatments unfairly withexcessively-infected seed.”

Fusarium cautionHe believes there was a lot of awarenessaround fusarium in particular, with onlytreatable batches being dressed –– andproblems were therefore kept to a bareminimum. “It’s something farm-savedseed users are also becoming increasinglyaware of.”

Germination trials highlight the value ofthe new single-purpose seed treatments,believes Lee Bennett of Openfield. “Labtests showed a 3-4% boost to germinationwhere Redigo Twin was used.”

Charlie Whitmarsh of Frontier agrees thenew dressings bring real establishment


benefits. “What we saw last autumn reallyconfirmed our view that we’re entirelyhappy with Kinto as a single-purposedressing.

“To be honest, I don’t think you canpick out any SP dressing as being significantly better or worse than anyother for disease control.”

Indeed, the most value from seeddressings at the moment comes fromdealing with insect pest issues, he continues. “During the past four years,we’ve seen big benefits from the introduction of Secur, and now Deter.Last autumn, with its problems for post-em spraying, the advantage of taking a seed treatment-based preventionapproach was really highlighted –– withfantastic aphid control and no sign ofBYDV in treated crops.”

Deter’s slug activity is an additional benefit –– particularly as attention focuseson the Pelletwise campaign to preservemetaldehyde (also see feature on p48).“When combined with Latitude, it canrepresent a fairly hefty investment but if it ensures that a second wheat whichhas received a pre-em herbicide getsaway well –– with no need to return untilNovember with Atlantis, or even until thespring –– that represents a big saving onapplication costs.

“We’ve also seen some very good yield responses to Latitude in barley.”

Chris Bean continues: “Deter-typeproducts are looking particularly interestingfor a host of reasons –– not least the

potential to provide a first line of defenceagainst slugs once a decision to combatBYDV has been made.”

He admits to loathing the practice ofadmixing slug pellets with seed. “Toooften we seem to end up with more seedhollowing, rather than less. Wirewormdamage is also on the up –– probably as a result of more grassweeds, andmost notably, blackgrass and annualmeadowgrass following last autumn’s difficult herbicide spraying season.”

‘Less scope for BYDV spray’With IPU now gone, attention has shiftedto more reliance on pre-em and veryearly post-em sprays –– cutting thescope for BYDV tank-mixes 4-6 weekspost-drilling, continues Chris Bean. “In my experience, there are more casesthan people like to admit where eitherthe weed control has gone on too late tobe properly effective, or the pre-em wenton and the BYDV spray was subsequentlyforgotten.” A Deter-type seed treatmenthelps to alleviate this scenario, he adds.

The trend towards lower seed ratesmeans a higher level of establishment isnow required, he advises. “With Deter,we consistently see less slug damageand general pest pressure before emergence, which means a better guarantee of a good plant stand.”

Lee Bennett concurs: “For anythingsown in the last two weeks of Septemberor the first week of October –– which, ineffect, is the vast majority of wheats ––

it should really be seen as a standardseed treatment.”

Deter worked very well last season andhe expects its rise in popularity to continue–– supported by its beneficial effect in discouraging slugs. “In the context of the

Chris Bean reckons growers are becomingmore aware of the need to be sensibleabout the ‘disease loading’ on their farm-saved seed.


l Autumn ‘08 highlighted value of seed dressings

l Single-purpose treatments coped wellwith fusarium

l Deter eases BYDV pressure and aidsslug control

l Beware yellow rust carryover

l Latitude leads for take-all prevention

Leading farming firm, Velcourt, has a very straightforward seed treatment policy –– with basic protection being the main driver, and with ‘add-ons’ included to easemanagement pressure, as well as to combatspecific pest and disease threats.

“It’s dead simple,” says technical director,Keith Norman. “The vast majority of ourseed is single-purpose treated because let’sface it, if we could guarantee a dry harvestfollowed by perfect seedbeds in September,we’d use untreated seed and get away withit. But that just doesn’t happen in the UK!”

With fusarium loadings occasionally as high as 30% and late, cold seedbedsalways a risk, the cost of a single-purposedressing is a small price to pay for the protection it affords, he believes.

Farm-saved seed (FSS) is widely used by Velcourt but care is taken to manage the

“aggravation factor” of loading and carting seed at a busy time of the year, he continues. “We use a proportion of certified seed to gain access to new varieties, and also to smooth workloads.”

FSS is always independently tested fordisease and germination before being used,he adds.

There’s little to choose between the various single-purpose options, believesKeith Norman. “We prefer Redigo or BeretGold, but they’re all pretty solid on seedlingbunt, seedling septoria and fusarium.”

The most popular add-on is Deter (clothianidin) for BYDV control and its additional slug control benefits, he continues. “Our farm managers will use anything from 30-70% Deter-treated seed to get on top of BYDV from the outset.

“It also helps with managing autumn

workloads where cultivations, drillingand spraying can create a real bottleneck.

“We don’t want situations where itbecomes difficult to get a pyrethroid sprayon, where you end up with an unprotectedcrop. With BYDV, that would be fatal.”

Deter also has a role to play in first wheat after ploughed-out grass whereleatherjackets and wireworms can often be a concern, he believes. “And Austral Plusis used where wheat bulb fly is a risk.”

Latitude is the preferred option overJockey in second wheat, he admits. “Jockeyscores well for foliar rust control but it’s notas strong on take-all.

“If we have a rust problem, there are plenty of foliar sprays that will take care of it –– we prefer to focus on the take-allactivity with the seed treatment instead inthis situation.”

Velcourt strategy

s

“Growers sowing wheat in the last twoweeks of September or the first week ofOctober should regard Deter as a standardseed treatment,” says Lee Bennett. Products and active ingredients

Austral Plus fludioxonil+ tefluthrin

Baytan/Tripod fuberidazole+triadimenol

Deter clothianidin

Epona fluquinconazole+ prochlraz

Evict tefluthrin

Jockey fluquinconazole+ prochloraz

Kinto triticonazole+ prochloraz

Latitude silthiofam

Raxil Pro prothioconazole+ tebuconazole+ triazoxide

Redigo prothioconazole

Redigo Twin fluoxastrobin+ prothioconazole

Sibutol Secur bitertanol+ fuberidazole+imidacloprid

Tripod and Tripod Plus also have theirplace where varieties need help withfoliar disease prevention, notes CharlieWhitmarsh. “Fluquinconazole (as inJockey and Galmano) is a foliar-activeoption with some take-all activity but itsactivity is more broad-spectrum thantake-all specific.”

Independent agronomist, Bob Simons,points to last autumn’s extended greenbridge effect as a possible cause for thisyear’s “rampant” yellow rust. “Thedelayed harvest meant many crops weredrilled later than normal, but there wasstill an overlap between the old crop –– including the debris and volunteers in and around the field –– and thenewly-emerging crop.

whole Pelletwise campaign, Deter really is an added part of the armoury which I’d urge growers to keep in mind.”

It’s particularly well-suited to firstwheat following oilseed rape, where thepressure from juvenile slugs can beintense, he believes. “Yes, pellets candeal with slug grazing on the surface butDeter is right there on the seed to ensurethat it germinates and has a goodchance of emerging –– after which, pelletprotection can take over, as needed.”

The cost should be seen as “added-value, not extra expense” –– particularlywhen the impact of lower seed rates istaken into account, says Lee Bennett. “I can’t imagine why people wouldn’t use it given its saving on the cost of

application, the cost of the pyrethroidand the hassle of trying to catch up with aphids during the autumn. It’s really a no-brainer.”

In terms of the foliar disease controlbenefits, Chris Bean goes back to lastseason when the brown rust-susceptiblevariety, Hereford, demonstrated the “verygreat value” of using a foliar-active seedtreatment. “Where no treatment wasused, the mild winter saw brown rustdevelop rapidly in the spring.

“And where a non take-all rate ofGalmano was used (i.e. 3 l/t), the disease clean-up and yield response was directly comparable with the effectof a T0 foliar spray.

New YR strains“With new strains of yellow rust affecting the likes of Oakley, Solstice,Ketchum, Humber, Viscount and Qplus,there may be a case for using morefoliar-active products this autumn.”

With 75% of wheats at risk from yellowand brown rust, and 35% in the highrisk category, Lee Bennett urges growersto think carefully about foliar activity.“It depends how you feel about risk –– who knows if we’re going to have awinter that favours rust like we did theyear before last.

“It’s a question of insurance and howprepared or confident a grower is aboutgetting in with a T0 in the spring.”

The popular variety, Oakley, has carried a lot of rust late in the seasonthis year making it a prime candidate forGalmano Silver to prevent the diseasefrom being perpetuated into the comingseason, he advises.

Cereal crops can benefit from a nutrient-fuelled kick-start to establishment thisautumn following the launch of the novel seed treatment, Take Off ST, fromMasstock Arable and Plant Syence.

Based on a formulation of the plantmetabolite pyro-glutamic acid and a complexof plant nutrients, it ensures faster and moreeven crop emergence and improved rooting,explains John Haywood of Plant Syence,based at Howden, E Yorks.

He refutes suggestions that it’s just another “muck and mystery” product, pointing to the key ingredients –– namely a very available form of phosphorous tostimulate early rooting, and pyro-glutamic

acid, a plant metabolite developed at the Los Alamos laboratories in the USA.

“We know what Take Off contains and what those ingredients can do, andwe’ve spent over six years researching and developing the product for the UK in glasshouses and in the field.”

Field trials across the UK have shownemergence can be 2-7 days faster, with the percentage establishment also higher, he claims. “Improved winter hardiness,enhanced tillering and less risk from slugdamage have also been noted.”

Growth chamber studies show a 50-70% increase in early rooting, withimproved root length and lateral branching

–– helping protect crops against drought and raising the yield potential, continuesJohn Haywood. “When using the product in tandem with a top-end treatment, such as fluquinconazole or silthiofam, the yieldresponse can be further enhanced as Take Off stimulates greater root growth –– boosting the effect of the fungicide.”

Take Off ST is available on Masstock-processed certified cereal seed and through its mobile seed cleaning operations for a likely cost of around £50/t of treated seed, he says. Versions for pulses and oilseeds are also being considered. Visit www.masstock.co.uk orwww.plantsyence.com for more information.

Launch of Take Off


s

Microdochium seedling blight wassharply up last year, with over one-thirdof wheat samples submitted to NIAB’sLabtest exceeding the new 10% seedtreatment threshold, reports NIABpathologist, Jane Thomas.

The disease invades seed during wetweather at flowering, so more showeryweather this June means seed cropscould be at risk again.

“Last year, we had samples with up to 50% infection, which is quite high withthe grain definitely requiring treatment if it’s to be used for seed. But there were also a lot of samples within thetreatment threshold, which the ear washsprays had presumably kept clean.”

Later developing fusarium species,such as F. graminearum and F. culmorumwere also higher last year –– with thelatter being the more prevalent, but having least impact on establishment,she says. “It really is Microdochiumand F. graminearum which are mostaggressive during establishment.”

Bunt was rare, with most samplesinside the one spore/seed treatmentthreshold, she says. “The worst samplewe received had 6 spores/seed.”

In barley, the classic seed-borne diseases were rare, with just one significant case each of loose smut and leaf stripe, continues Jane Thomas.“Everything else was very healthy apartfrom a bit of net blotch –– but even thatwasn’t too bad.”

With NIAB conducting around 1000tests/year on cereals –– almost all on farm-saved seed –– she encourages allfarm-savers to test their seed routinely.“It’s a small cost to avoid a potentiallyvery costly mistake.”

A standard germination and diseasetesting package for wheat or barleycosts £138.50+ VAT, with a 300g grainsample required and full results within 7-10 days. “Poor disease results aregenerally passed back quicker than this to help speed the FSS decisionmaking process.”

Seedling blight up

“Any rust inoculum that was lurking in the autumn was therefore picked upand carried-over to the new crop. Oncetemperatures warmed up, the lurkinginoculum kicked-in.”

He urges growers to kick-start their rustmanagement programme this autumn with

The latest generation of seed treatmentsappear to be more effective in preventingdiseases like Microdochium nivale(pictured above, left).

good stubble hygiene together with aneffective yellow rust seed treatment, such as Epona, on susceptible varieties.“That should help to ease next year’s rustmanagement programme and ensure varieties achieve their full potential.”

Lee Bennett concludes that, withmany growers working to get their rotations back into shape, the demandfor take-all active seed treatments couldrise this autumn.

“A lot of people struggled to getoilseed rape established last autumn, sosome of next season’s first wheats won’tbe true first wheats. So for actual and‘virtual’ second wheats, consider usingLatitude where the rust risk is low, orGalmano where the disease is likely to be more of a worry.” n


http://www.chemtura.com

A keener agronomic focus is helping one Yorksfarmer achieve better OSR yields –– leading

to renewed enthusiasm for growing the crop.By Warren Landles and Angus McKirdy

Better yieldsthrough till-seeding

‘There’s more satisfaction in getting extra yield from the crop

than there is from simply loweringthe level of expenditure.’

chieving improved returns from OSR–– starting with better establishment–– has helped reinvigorate Mike

Wilkin’s interest in the crop as a profitablebreak within the cereal rotation.

“By being prepared to adopt a differentestablishment method for rape, we’ve beenable to push crops forward and lower our

input costs at the same time –– with theupturn in prices being an added incentive.”

The process of evaluating the alternatives began four years ago followinga significant change in the structure of the business. Farming 195ha of land atSteadfield House, Dalton on Tees, nearDarlington, Mike Wilkin joined forces withhis neighbour, Stuart Gibbon, to shareknowledge, and pool labour and machinery–– with each partner maintaining ownership and control of their own farms.

Working as a team, including his son,Robert, Mike Wilkin says it has given both farms a much needed boost.

A

“It’s more interesting now and we can drive each other on –– which has beenespecially valuable during the past two difficult seasons.

Working together“By working together, we’ve managed tosuccessfully establish crops on all but 10acres (4ha) of our combined arable land.”

The link-up led to a halving of the overall tractor and machinery fleet in favour of fewer, larger machines. A total of just under 390ha Grade 2-4 clay andclay loam soils are farmed.

Cropping includes winter wheat and barley, naked oats and spring beans, withcereal straw being removed for animal bedding. The land benefits from pig andcattle FYM –– helping to boost the soilorganic matter and reduce fertiliser costs overall.

Both growers regularly test their land to establish the precise phosphate andpotash indices on each field, and a total of five OSR varieties are grown –– mainlyhybrids –– extending to around 100haacross the two farms.

Mike Wilkin says his land is capable ofproducing cereal yields of up to 12t/ha,with OSR hitting 5t/ha on the best fields.

“I’ve grown rape since 1979 and havealways believed it needs room to grow,rather than creating a thick ‘carpet’ ofplants. I’ve never been afraid to cut backon the seed rate, and have used min-till for a number of years now.

“In particular, the use of the till-seedingtechnique has shown what’s possible onour challenging ground.”

Now single pass systemWorking with one of his agronomists, Philip Marr of Masstock, OSR establishmenthas moved from being a plough, pressand combi-drill operation –– requiringthree passes –– to a single pass system,using an OPICO Variocast seeder tobroadcast the seed in bands behind the legs of a HE-VA five-leg subsoiler (an operation know as till-seeding).

The subsoiler legs were set to work at a 20cm depth last year because of theatrocious soil conditions to remove surfacecompaction, whilst maintaining a constant8kph forward speed behind the farm’s190hp Case tractor.

“We generally use a seed rate of around50 seeds/m2 but this was increased on thevery heavy ground last backend.”

The leg depth is set once it’s known how far down the compaction layer haspenetrated the soil. “There’s little point in


s

http://www.frontierag.co.uk

Research over the past eight seasons hasshown the yield benefit of establishing OSRusing the band-sowing technique, togetherwith a subsoiler.

Seed broadcast at 50cm row widths,using a Variocast seeder, led to a yield boost of 1.24t/ha last season, compared with a single pass using a set of discs followed by a power harrow/drill combination,according to Philip Marr, northern technicaldevelopment manager for Masstock.

The Variocast unit places the seed justbehind each subsoiler leg –– operating at a depth of 25cm –– before consolidation with a packer roller.

“Trials on our agronomy site at Brothertonnear Pontefract on a clay loam soil typeshow that plants are given room to developthick, multi-branching lateral stems at thisrow spacing. Fast-developing hybrids areparticularly well-suited to the till-seeding system, with the plants growing well andquickly filling the spaces in-between the rows.

“Some growers get nervy when they see thin crops in the autumn, but provided the soil structure is right, most are pleasantly surprised by the yields coming off the combine.”

But he recommends that the row widthshould be limited to no more than 50cm otherwise plants struggle to compete withpigeons and weeds.

Successful rape establishment relies ontwo important criteria, believes Philip Marr.“Creating a first-rate, open soil structure letswater get down into the soil profile andensures good seed-to-soil contact –– both of which are essential in the creation ofstrong tap roots.”

The working action of the subsoiler leg tends to ‘trap’ the seed in the soil ataround 5-8mm depth, and using a set of Cambridge rolls straight after sowinghelps improve the seed-to-soil contact even further, he adds.

“OSR roots are essentially ‘lazy’ in that they take the least path of resistance.The slightest bit of soil compaction createshorizontal rooting –– which in the case ofsome min-till techniques can occur just 10cm below the soil surface.

“These roots are then left high and dry,and unable to reach soil moisture during dryspells, or to draw up soil nutrients.” Thisyear’s dry March and April highlighted theproblem within some of Masstock’s min-tillplots, he says.

“The importance of opening up the soilprofile so strong tap roots are allowed todevelop can’t be overemphasised.”

Philip Marr highlights one trial last seasoncomparing different establishment techniques.The roots were weighed during the crucialgrowth periods –– November, March and July –– and the subsoiled and Variocast plots consistently gave the greatest rootweight at each timing (see figure).

During July, the roots weighed 130g ––around 50g more than plants established by discs and a drill combination, he notes.

“Research has also shown that in dryyears, the action of a subsoiler leg hashelped pull moisture up the profile to aid germination. Where seed had been

broadcast across the width of the machine–– rather than dropping it in line with eachleg –– germination didn’t occur until it rained.

“Another benefit of using a subsoiler isthat it minimises the level of soil disturbanceto only around each leg –– helping to limitweed germination.

“Furthermore, straw mulch from the previous crop is left untouched, which suppresses inter-row weed growth.”

Band-sowing benefit

Philip Marr has done extensive trialscomparing different establishmenttechniques. He reckons till-seeding is both quick and effective.

looked very sparse with less than 20 plants/m2 recorded, and because of the lack of plant competition, we needed two herbicide applications to eliminate broadleaf weeds which hadreached something of a historic high.”

Pigeons and crows then took advantageof the gaps between the rows, leading tosome plant losses, he admits.

“But our faith in the system was rewardedwhen the soils began warming up in April–– and by the end of May, we were

The subsoiled and Variocast plotsconsistently gave the greatest root weight.

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0Nov March July

Sub -soil Disc/Pressional Conventional

Impact of establishment techniqueon root weight (g/plant)

cv. ExcaliburSource: Masstock Smart Farms (Brotherton, Yorks 2007/08)

working too deep as wheel slip wouldonly add to the problem –– with fuel useincreasing as a result.”

Due to the exceptionally wet weatherlast year, some of the rape was establishedconventionally on ploughed ground whichhad been destined for naked oats, admitsMike Wilkin.

Comparing the different establishmenttechniques used, he reckons till-seedinghas almost halved his OSR establishmentcosts –– down to about £60/ha –– whilst

improving the soil structure at the same time.

“We had major doubts about establishing OSR on some fields last yearbecause of the state of the land after combining and straw carting. But wedecided to use the subsoil-and-Variocastapproach –– going on as early as possible.

“The cold, wet soils slowed down thedegree of nitrogen mineralisation in the following period, and early crop growthwas hindered as a result. Some areas


s

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Farm FactsCurrent

Mike Wilkin’s equipment

Tractorsl Main tractor: Case IH CVX1190

(190hp, 4yrs old)

Case Maxxum 5130 (100 hp,16yrs old)

MF 390 and loader (80hp,14yrs old)

l Combine: Case Axial Flow 2388 (300hp, 6yrs old)

HE-VA five-leg subsoiler

Opico variocast seeder

Simba Culti-press (4.6m)

Väderstad drill (4m)

Cambridge rolls (6m)

Stuart Gibbon’s equipment

Tractors

Claas Axion 830 (200hp)

Valtra T140 (140hp)

Vicon round baler

6f Lemken plough and furrow press

Jointly-owned equipmentl Sprayer: self-propelled Sands sprayer

(24m)l Fertiliser spreader: Kuhn Axis 30.1

with 24-36m capability

Equipment sold when two farmscame together

Mike Wilkin

Kuhn power harrow and drill combination(3m)

4f Lemken plough with furrow press

Tractor: John Deere 7810 (175hp)

Stuart Gibbon

Lemken combination drill (3m)

5f Lemken plough

Incorporating granular nitrogen into theseedbed while till-seeding, as part of asingle pass operation, is currently underinvestigation in Masstock trials.

“The system is helping to boost nutrient efficiency by adding nitrogen to the precise point where it’s needed by the seed and emerging plants,” says Philip Marr.

“Growers know the benefits of anautumn applied nitrogen application –– particularly when the soil nitrogen supply index is between 0 and 2. Makingnitrogen available throughout the first four

weeks of the life of a crop significantlyaids plant growth and the final yield.

“Additionally, better precision will help farmers tackle the 30kg/ha autumn-applied N max limit of inorganic fertiliserwithin Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. By treating just one-third of every m2 within afield in a narrow band, the application ratecan be increased if the yield expectationis high.”l The trials will be extended next seasonto include OPICO’s new Nitro-jet fertilisersystem, which applies liquid fertiliser in bands.

Efficient nutrient placement

“OSR is capable of hitting 5t/ha on ourbest fields,” says Mike Wilkin.


http://www.dsv-uk.co.uk

Chafer Machinery has launched a new four-in-one OSR establishment techniqueincorporating a Chafer liquid nitrogen applicator, plus Horstine slug pelleter and seed distribution unit –– all mounted on a cultivation unit.

The kit can be retro-fitted onto a range of tine-based cultivators –– includingSimba’s SL, which was on show at thisyear’s Cereals Event –– and will significantlyenhance the speed and reliability of OSRestablishment, claims Chafer.

The Horstine Twin Air seed hopper is

partitioned to allow slug pellets to be putin one side and seed in the other –– withboth being delivered to the rear of the cultivator, behind each individual tine, via a series of reinforced pipes. Meteringtakes place using Horstine equipment andcalibration is relatively straight-forward,says sales manager, Rob Starkey.

“We tested the kit on a couple of farms last autumn and found it to be veryeffective. The nitrogen helps to get thecrop established more quickly and reliably,and the slug pellets are placed exactly

where they’re needed –– protecting theyoung crop and eliminating the risk of inaccurate spreading.”

The seed/pellet hopper is mounted on the rear of the cultivator and the 1,000-litre liquid fertiliser tank can be either front mounted or fitted to the cultivator. “It’s possible to establish around 16ha without having to refill.”

The cost of the Horstine Twin Air unit isaround £8,000 while the Chafer Quickstartsystem costs £6,500. Contact Chafer on01427 838341 for more information.

New four-in-one establishment technique

congratulating ourselves on the qualityof the crops. They looked tremendous.”

After viewing his rape through thesprayer window during a fungicide application in late May, his thoughts soonturned to harvestable yield. “My gut feelingis that we could reach 4t/ha this harvest.”

Further evidence of the rooting ability of till-seeded crops was borne out in theplant tissue testing. “When compared withour conventionally established crops, thetill-seeded plants contained higher levels

The speed of establishment is enhanced bythe nitrogen applied at sowing time.

of nutrients, which scientists put down totheir strong root system.

“The subsoiler combination has extendedthe options for us, while keeping the systemsimple. With Philip Marr’s support, we’vegot confidence to push our yields even further, and we’re learning to time our other crop inputs more precisely.

“There’s definitely more satisfaction in getting extra yield from the crop than there is from simply lowering the level of expenditure.” n

s

http://www.simba.co.uk

Keeping overhead costs under control

‘I like having wheels behind the drill coulters to help

firm the seed into place.’

One progressive Scottish farmer believes high horsepower tractors and big kit are

key to his crop production efficiency.

By Rob Jones

arming on an increasingly largescale helps to spread the overheadcosts –– but it’s attention to crop

husbandry detail which has enabled oneScottish Borders-based arable farmer to expand his business so effectively, he believes.

Colin McGregor’s arable enterprise,based at Coldstream Mains near Kelso,has increased from 300ha to 3,000ha+in just 20 years under a range of farmingagreements.

“It’s all about establishing your combinable crops into good seedbeds,”he believes. “That means having a system that’s flexible enough to be ableto operate on different soils, and makinguse of the optimum drilling conditions

F

by having large, robust kit with adequatehorsepower.”

First wheat, winter and spring barley,winter rape, vining peas and ware potatoesfor the pre-pack market make-up therotation in different combinations, with a small area of second wheat as well.

The Group 2 variety, Cordiale, and theGroup 4, Viscount, are grown for biscuitand feed contracts respectively, with firstwheat making up just under half of theland farmed.

Colin McGregor reckons his averageyield for winter wheat is now 10t+/ha.“This figure has gradually increased overthe years, although the extreme weatherpatterns we’ve seen in recent seasonshas resulted in a few yield blips.”

He attributes a significant proportionof this overall yield improvement toadopting a more targeted approach tofertiliser applications –– partly throughthe use of Yara’s N-Sensor –– andimproved varieties and fungicides as well.

His goal is to establish cereals in justtwo passes whenever the soil type is suitable. “However, we’re keen not totake a broad-acre approach to farming.”

Until last year, a single tracked 500hp Challenger tractor was used for all cultivating and drilling operations. But with the business having grown so dramatically over the past twelvemonths –– with the addition of 1,000haof extra land last autumn –– a second,300hp Challenger has since beenbrought in.

“Taking on the additional land hasallowed us to spread our considerableinvestment.”

The farm now operates two primarycultivators, with one of the Challengerspulling an 8m Rapid drill when it’s notrequired for the cultivation work.

The current machinery arrangementsupports all the cropping systems,although potatoes grown on some theunits being farmed are produced in collaboration with Greenvale AP.

Colin McGregor says most of thelighter, spring cropped land and some of the second wheat land, is ploughed to help spread the overall workload.“This is then pressed and drilled.”

The establishment policy across theremainder of the farm is based on a surface tillage system where a minimumnumber of passes are used to establishgood, level seedbeds.

No blackgrass “Although blackgrass is now starting to show itself on some farms in the area, we’re fortunate not to have any as yet.” Stale seedbeds are used inmany situations to remove brome andvolunteers from the previous crop, andthis is probably helping to delay itsappearance on his land, he explains.

Colin McGregor believes the key tokeeping overheads down is to use largekit to cover the ground as quickly as possible. “This has enabled us to expandthe business whenever the opportunitieshave arisen.

“We have five highly-skilled, full-timeoperators to carry out all of the land workand the business is now large enough to employ a technical manager as well.”

Some of the rape is drilled early following winter or spring barley using the Rapid –– making the most of the time window available. “But three-quarters of it is established afterwheat using seed broadcasters, mountedon the back of two primary cultivators.


Farm FactsColin McGregorColdstream MainsNr KelsoScottish Borders

l Cropped area: 3,000ha+

l Cropping: winter wheat; winter and spring barley; winter rape; vining peas and ware potatoes for the pre-pack market

l Staff: Five full-timers, one technical manager, plus Colin McGregor

l Machinery:2x Challenger tractors (300hp and 500hp)

8m Väderstad Rapid drill

2x ploughs (5f and 12f)

8m double press

2x primary cultivators (5m and 7m)

200hp John Deere wheeled tractor (for ploughing)

14m Väderstad roller

2x 40m self-propelled sprayers (Rogator and Knight)

Rape is seeded in-line with the cultivators’legs, then rolled for consolidation.

“You need to be able to make use of theoptimum drilling conditions by havinglarge, robust kit with adequatehorsepower,” believes Colin McGregor.

“It’s been a big move for us to establish rape after wheat in this way but it’s a technique we’ve developingover the past 10 years.”

Cordiale creates a good entry for OSRbecause of its early maturity date butwith the cut-off for drilling rape normallyaround 10 September, it tends to be a“highly pressurised” time of the year with harvest going on as well, he says.

Rape is seeded in-line with the cultivators’ legs so it has moisture available to it, before being rolled forconsolidation. Varieties, such asExcalibur and Excel, are favoured because of their autumn vigour.

“Because of the delayed harvest lastautumn, we finished sowing rape on 26 September and that really pushed the boundaries. As a result, just 70% of what we’d originally intended to growwas sown.”

The ground was so wet that conventional cultivations simply weren’tan option, he says. “The beauty of theRapid-based system is that it conservesmoisture in a dry year but in a wet season, it allows you to crack on.”

“Last autumn was a particularly challenging time due to the weather ––our average rainfall is normally around

646mm/yr but last year, it was 978mm–– with half of it falling in the 40 daysfrom the beginning of August.

“Despite this, we were still able to drill all of our intended cereal hectaragebetween August and late October ––apart from the late-lifted potato land.”

Operating at speeds of up to 14kph,and typically covering around 80ha/daywith the Rapid, it enables him to makethe best use of the available drilling days, he believes. “A 900-litre hopperextension increases the drill’s capacity to 4,200-litres.

“Our drilling programme is deliberatelyspread-out over a wide window so flexibility isn’t a problem with having just one drill,” continues Colin McGregor.“The Rapid can travel across the majority of soils in most weather conditions anyway.”

He reckons most drills do a fair job in good conditions but only the Rapidcopes well in difficult conditions. “Wewould order a 10m model today if onewas available.”

Residual valueHe favours good quality, hard-wearingequipment which has a strong residualvalue when sold, and believes the 8mRapid ticks all the right boxes in thisrespect. “It may be expensive to buy initially but it has very low running costs, and downtime is negligible when replacing broken parts.

“Our drill policy in recent times hasbeen to trade-in after three years, but thecurrent economic climate means we’vebeen keeping a watching brief insteadwith respect to machinery replacement.”

He calculates that his current Rapiddrilled 2,600ha of spring and wintercereals this season.

“I like having wheels behind the drillcoulters to help firm the seed into place.I also like the fact that there are twocoulters per wheel which gives good contour independence.

“Some growers tend to forget that the Rapid is a cultivator drill, so if youput the horsepower on the front, it willcultivate as well. The trend is to try andkeep the horsepower down but this isactually counterproductive when runninga cultivator drill.

“Too little horsepower prevents the drill from doing what it’s designed for.”

He believes his current system is veryefficient for his current farmed area, withenough capacity for a bit of “weatherinsurance” as well.

Colin McGregor says that while ‘managing volatility’ is the latest phrase tobe banded about within the agriculturalindustry, it’s now a key aspect of his farming policy going forward. “We’ve hadto cope with very high fertiliser prices thisseason which have obviously affectedcosts of production for all growers and I think we need to get used to this volatilityin future.

“We’re very fortunate having beenoffered opportunities to expand the business. I started off with just 300haand was determined to farm to the bestof my ability, whilst always trying to dothe job properly.

“But I like to think that the same philosophy still applies to the area ofland we’re responsible for now.” n


Making savings from investments?

Adopting wider tramlines and a simpler rotationis the way one mixed farm in Essex is

choosing to meet the challenge of high input costs and pressure on commodity prices.

By Martin Rickatson

‘All of the wheat receives a total of 180-200kg N/ha –– including 40kg/ha early on

to get it moving.’

new drill currently sits in the shedat the Roberts family’s Thorpe ParkFarm, Thorpe-le-Soken, near

Clacton-on-Sea in Essex. The recently-delivered 5m KRM Soladrill

799 is part of a machinery shake-upwhich has already resulted in the farm’sprimary cultivations tractor being renewed–– with the sprayer also due to bereplaced before next season.

The drill has yet to commence work –– mainly because the farm has no springcropping in the rotation, aside from foragemaize. But before it starts the autumndrilling programme, Doug Roberts and hisson, James, have to find the right piece ofkit to plug the remaining gap in theirmachinery line-up.

Having recently upgraded to a widerdrill –– with a decision to increase thetramline width as well –– a new sprayer is next on their shopping list.

Farming 250ha, with 170ha down tocropping within a simple wheat/foragemaize rotation, the Roberts family alsomilks 180 Holsteins, with maize representing the rotation’s only break crop –– in addition to 8ha of land let annually to a potato grower.

Barley dropped“We decided to drop winter barley fromthe rotation a few years ago to improve the profitability of the arable side of thebusiness,” explains Doug Roberts. “At that time, we were focusing on growingmalting varieties but the prices beingoffered simply didn’t justify the inputs.

“We were averaging yields of around7.5t/ha but were finding it difficult to meetthe buyers’ nitrogen requirements. So inseasons where it only achieved feed grade,the crop simply wasn’t making a profit.”

A decision was subsequently made tofocus mainly on growing Group 1 and 2wheats instead –– with the possibility ofearning a premium from several local buyers. With a proportion of the crop’snitrogen available ‘free’ via muck from the dairy herd, yields of 8.6-9.2t/ha are“easily achievable for a relatively low cost”,says James Roberts –– despite the farm’spredominantly light soils.

“Our land is mainly Grade 2 sandy clayloam but we have a lot of fields withinwhich the soil type varies significantly,”

A


s

http://www.ragt.co.uk

Doug (left) and James Roberts arecurrently looking for a 24m sprayer to pair with their new 5m KRM Soladrill.

he continues. “Most of the land is spreadwith muck every other year prior to maizeand –– apart from the fact that a min-tillsystem wouldn’t work with maize –– this isone of the reasons we prefer to base ourcrop establishment around the plough so the muck can be fully incorporated.”

The farm’s five-furrow Dowdeswellplough trails a press with a crumblerattached to the rear –– and generally, justone subsequent pass with a Farm Forcetined cultivator, or a Maschio 4m powerharrow if the conditions are a bit drier, is all that’s needed to form a seedbed, he says.

Group 1 and 2 varietiesThis season’s wheat area is split evenlybetween the Group 2 varieties, Einsteinand Soissons, and the Group 1, Solstice,to give a good spread of drilling dates ––including some second wheat and severalsown-late crops after maize. Soissons isusually the farm’s highest yielder –– generally producing around 8.6t/ha andaveraging nearly 0.6t/ha more than eitherSolstice or Einstein, notes James Roberts.

“Depending on the variety and drillingdate, we use a seed rate of 150-160kg/haand all of the wheat receives a total of180-200kg N/ha –– including 40kg/haearly on to get them moving –– with theremainder being split into two doses.”

This season, the farm switched fromprilled AN to urea because of the “considerable price advantage”, he adds.

Farming in one of the driest areas in the country, disease pressure is generallyrelatively low, with a two-spray fungicideprogramme normally sufficient to achieveclean crops –– with the T1 and T2 treatments generally amalgamated into asingle application of Opus (epoxiconazole)

plus Bravo (chlorothalonil) at around theflag leaf timing (GS37-39) –– with Amistar(azoxystrobin) plus Opus being applied to the ear, continues James Roberts.

The PGR Moddus (trinexapac-ethyl) isalso viewed as a key ingredient within thespray programme due to the land beingheavily mucked.

Monsoon harvestYet the region’s reputation for being dry was severely questioned last yearwhen the farm experienced the same wetharvest conditions which plagued most ofthe UK. The farm’s Bentall drier was keptbusy as the Soissons had to be cut at arelatively high moisture content to enabledelivery on contract in August, admitsDoug Roberts.

“With the whole summer being so wet,its early maturity didn’t help a lot last year–– but we’ve stuck with the variety this season because it works well when drilledin October following maize,” he says. “And although it’s getting quite old now,one of our local millers remains keen totake it –– and we’ll probably run with itagain this autumn.

“Of our other varieties, we’ve foundSolstice withstood the wet seedbeds andcold early growing conditions experiencedin the past two years much better thanEinstein, which really doesn’t seem to doas well if it’s had that sort of a start.”

As a result, the Roberts decided to pull up 10ha of Einstein in April whichlooked particularly bad –– replacing it with forage maize.

The decision to upgrade the drill wasmainly down to the lack of seed placementaccuracy with the previous 4m Accord,says James Roberts. “The Accord’s agemeant renewing it was a better option thantrying to sort out the problems we had withit, and the idea of going for a widermachine and 24m tramlines was veryappealing –– particularly with the sprayerdue to be replaced as well quite soon.”

Although the farm’s existing LelyCenterliner is capable of spreading fertiliser to 24m, the 10-year-old Gemsprayer will soon be traded-in now thespraying campaign is over.

The total investment in new machineryshould quickly offer a pay-back becausenot only will it mean fewer passes with the drill, it will also lead to fewer passeswith the sprayer and spreader as well, he continues. “It also enables us to maintain our policy of complete machinery independence.”

Hiring-in a contractor for spraying, or

sharing a high capital cost machine with a neighbour, was not a option Doug orJames wanted to pursue, preferring toretain total control instead. “We even runour own self-propelled forage harvester for grass and maize, with the only contracted-out operation being big square straw baling.”

The Roberts are looking to buy another mounted sprayer since this suits their farmed area better, they believe. “A mounted machine is simpler to maintain and move around,” says Doug Roberts. “But as well as needing a 24m boom now, we’re also looking for a bit more tank capacity than ourcurrent 1,000 litre set-up –– and wedon’t want the extra hassle of having to add a front tank.

“Our land is more or less all in oneblock, so we don’t have to go far to getback to the farm for water. As yet, wearen’t sure which manufacturer we’ll go for.”

Covering 20% more ground with eachpass will cut the farm’s spraying andspreading time significantly –– but thereare further advantages that the new


Farm factsThorpe Park Farm Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex

l Farm size: 250ha

l Soils: Sandy clay loam

l Cropping: 120ha winter wheat, 50ha forage maize, 8ha let for potato growing, remainder down to grass

l Livestock: 180-head Holstein dairy herd plus followers

l Staff: Two arable staff, two herdsmen, plus Doug and James Roberts

l Main arable tractors: 167hp Holland T7030, 120hp Deutz-Fahr Agrotron 120

l Combine: New Holland TC56 c/w 4.5m header

l Handler: JCB Loadall 531-70

l Cultivation/drilling equipment: HeVa five-leg subsoiler, Dowdeswell 5f reversible c/w packer and crumbler roller, Farm-Force tine cultivator, Maschio 4m power harrow, KRM 5m Soladrill 799

l Sprayer: Gem 1000-litre/20m mounted (soon to be replaced)

l Fertiliser spreader: Lely Centerliner 24m

s

The Roberts were eager to boost efficiency levels –– without havingto up-rate their second tractor.

system will bring, he believes.“Being 25% wider, the Soladrillshould reduce our drilling timeby about one-quarter, withfewer headland turns meaningless time spent out of work –– and reduced headland compaction as well.

Pre-em markers“Moreover, the drill is fitted withpre-emergence markers whichwill allow us to be more accuratewith our residual herbicideapplications. Moreover, it givesus more than double the olddrill’s hopper capacity –– 1.2tas opposed to 500kg.”

James and Doug point outthat, despite trading-in both drill and sprayer for larger models, the upgrades havebeen possible without having to move to a larger tractor. The drill, like the fertiliserspreader and the forthcomingnew sprayer, can be worked behind the farm’s main topwork tractor –– a 120hpDeutz-Fahr Agrotron (operatedby Ed McManus).

What they’ve done instead is to upgrade the farm’s formerprimary cultivations tractor –– a New Holland TM155 –– for a larger T7030, meaning bothshould be able to operate athigher outputs than before (i.e. the Deutz because of thewider implements, and the New Holland because of itshigher horsepower).

“The main jobs for the Deutz are drilling, fertilising and spraying, with the biggertractor looking after the ploughing, cultivations andmuck spreading.

“The Deutz was our firstmain tractor that wasn’t a Fordor a New Holland when we purchased it four years ago –– bought on the basis of agood local dealer and a veryattractive price at the time. It’s performed very well but whenwe were looking to replace ourNew Holland TM155 ploughingtractor last year, we chose tostick with the same make for our biggest machine.

“We also have a good localNew Holland dealer and havehad good experiences withthese tractors –– and we like tosupport domestic manufacturerswhere possible.”

However, the T7030 is a verydifferent tractor to the one ithas replaced. The tractor’s regular driver, Barry Corder, singles out the 37hp extrapower available for transportand pto jobs for particularpraise (additional to the tractor’s rating full powershiftUltraCommand gearbox for its ability to change clutchlesslythrough 18 speeds –– a considerable upgrade from the four-step powershift on thetractor’s TM155 predecessor.

“With a little more powerand a better transmission, weshould be able to get throughour autumn ploughing and cultivations more quickly if wecan plough at slightly higherspeeds where possible,”believes James Roberts.“Coupled with the other tractor’sextra drill width and the switchto 24m tramlines, the newmachinery outlay shouldreturn its investment quicklythrough faster workrates.” n

http://www.nickersonseeds.co.uk/cassata

‘Integrated approachincreasingly vital’

Weed controlWeed control

‘To minimise seed return, growers need to make sure

they’re targeting relatively low populations to start with.’

Backing the latest generation of grassweed herbicides with longer-established actives and

sensible crop husbandry could help protect their long-term efficacy –– helping prevent

a rapid build-up of resistance.

By Martin Rickatson

ewer than 25% of the crop protection active ingredients on the market in 1993 are still

available now –– a drop from 751 to the current 232 listed.

That’s mainly due to the scale of the investment needed by the agchemindustry to fulfil the increasingly stringentre-registration requirements under theEU pesticide review process.

But while new actives are discoveredrelatively rarely –– particularly newmodes of action –– some of the olderapproved products could help protectthe efficacy of the more recently-introduced grassweed herbicides actives, believes one weed expert.

Jim Orson, research and technical

F

director for TAG, believes resistance tosulfonylureas (i.e. ALS inhibitors) and‘fops’, ‘dims’ and ‘dems’ (i.e. ACCaseinhibitors) is now a significant problemfor cereal growers in some geographicalareas –– with herbicides from thesegroups providing little value on an increasingly large number of farms due to their inability to control resistant blackgrass.

Widespread SU useHe warns growers to take note of what’shappening in France where sulfonylureasare still being used on around half of the cereal crop –– leading to a rapidbuild-up of resistance.

“Blackgrass now affects around 20-25% of the UK cropped area, andaround half of the national winter wheatcrop,” he points out. “All of the cerealherbicides currently available havereduced efficacy to enhanced-metabolismresistant blackgrass, and if farmers concentrate their herbicide programmeson just one grassweed product –– nomatter how effective it might be –– they’llinevitably accelerate the development ofthis type of resistance.

“We’re now unable to find blackgrassthat hasn’t got enhanced-metabolic



“If farmers concentrate their herbicideprogrammes on just one grassweedproduct, they’ll inevitably accelerate the development of resistance,” warns Jim Orson.

resistance –– much as though we’d likesome for use in our trials.” Target-siteresistance to sulfonylureas is also seen in poppy and chickweed, although headmits to being uncertain as to howmuch is around. “But it does appear to be reasonably common.

Atlantis overuse“So if Atlantis fails on blackgrass due toits widespread overuse, we’ve got a bigissue on our hands. And there’s nodoubt that it’s starting to fail in someareas because of the development of target-site resistance –– with 133 countsbeing reported in blackgrass populationslast year.”

He says there are four potential mutations for target-site resistance toALS inhibitors. “But we’re also starting to see the development of enhanced-metabolism resistance to the ALS products –– with one extreme failurealready noted.”

Wheat yields have doubled since the mid ‘60s, mainly because of theinputs growers now have access to, he believes. “But relying too heavily oncertain inputs can only be detrimental to this ongoing success.

“When chlorotoluron (CTU) and IPUwere first introduced 40 years ago, theywere both extremely effective –– even onlarge blackgrass. They allowed farmers to take full advantage of the situation bygrowing increasingly large areas of wheat–– drilling crops ever-earlier to takeadvantage of good soil conditions.

“But registration and resistance issueshave changed the situation overall.Three-quarters of farmers can’t use ‘fop’or ‘dim’ chemistry to its full advantage on blackgrass now because of target-siteresistance –– and that leaves them with chlorotoluron (e.g. Lentipur),pendimethalin (e.g. Stomp), flufenacet(as in Crystal and Liberator), flurtamone(as in Bacara), tri-allate (Avadex), prosulfocarb (Defy), diflufenican (as inLiberator), iodosulfuron/mesosulfuron(Atlantis) and flupyrsulfuron (Lexus).”

‘Variable performance’Some of the aforementioned herbicidesare relatively good on blackgrass –– butsome are less so, continues Jim Orson.“Yet it’s essential to achieve 95-97%control of the weed in most situationsjust to keep on top it.”

The key actives are flufenacet (i.e. pre-emergence) and mesosulfuron if these levels of control are to be

attained, he stresses. “But CTU can play an important role as part of a programme to lessen the burden on these two key actives.”

Atlantis is best applied at the 1-2 leafstage of the weed –– “a bit earlier thanBayer advises”, says Jim Orson. “Butwhere Atlantis activity is reduced due to the development of resistance, itbecomes difficult to get 90% control with the alternative chemistry.”

To minimise seed return, growers needto make sure they’re targeting relatively lowpopulations to start with, he urges. “Tokeep the population under control without‘fops’, ‘dims’ or Atlantis, it needs to bemaintained at less than 10 plants/m2.”


s

http://www.cropsprayers.com

He reckons pre-emergence herbicidetreatments are becoming increasinglyimportant nowadays –– providing higher levels of control where weed populations are low. “But crop competition is particularly important for success at the pre-em timing.

“The key active on blackgrass at thistiming is flufenacet, but by using it alone year in, year out, grassweeds maydevelop further enhanced-metabolismresistance –– so it should always be used in mixtures.” The same is true of mesosulfuron, in terms of target-siteresistance, he adds.

Supporting roleOther actives have a supporting role toplay in spray programmes –– particularlynow IPU has gone, believes Jim Orson.“Atlantis should only be used as part ofan integrated anti-resistance strategy,along with other products and differentmethods of control.

“Getting across the need for farmers to adopt resistance prevention strategiesis a struggle but, together with a need for cultural control in terms of cultivations,and biological control via the rotation, thechemical base needs to be broadened–– with CTU having a part to play.”

However, he acknowledges that the various alternatives to Crystal, Liberatorand Atlantis (as outlined earlier) are relatively limited in their grassweed activity.

Speaking on the same platform as Jim Orson, at a recent trade conference,

organised by CTU manufacturer,Nufarm, medical specialist Dr PatriceCourvalin suggested farmers and theagrochemical industry could learn from experiences with resistance management in antibiotics used forhuman disease prevention.

“Early experiences with antibioticssaw the development of high selectionlevels caused by their widespread use,and that’s why newly-introduced drugsare always formulated in small amountsnowadays.

“Identifying the different types of resistance –– whether intrinsic,acquired or cross-resistant, with a single mechanism negating the effect of all drugs within the same class due to the presence of the same gene –– is important if further resistance is to be prevented.

“Yet resistant strains developedthrough mutation are usually less ‘fit’ in their offspring –– making them potentially easier to eliminate by other means.”

‘Identifiable similarities’Dr Eric Wagner, a researcher from theUniversity of Hohenheim in Germany,specialising in herbicide-resistantweeds, concurs with the view that thereare identifiable similarities between disease resistance to antibiotics andherbicide-resistance –– in particular the ‘fitness’ of resistant types.

“Herbicide-resistant weeds have at least one genetically-inherited resistance mechanism and this candevelop ‘over the fence’ with the transferof seed from nearby resistant plants, or by mutation within the gene pool –– or even by stress-induced changes in mutation rates.

“But all resistance mechanisms are the same in principle, and all followthree basic strategies –– a reduced interaction with the target (i.e. target-siteresistance); reduced uptake and transport(enhanced-metabolism resistance); or evasion.

“The same mutations appear in different weed species throughout theworld, and what we need to focus on asan industry is to find how the interactionbetween the chemical and the target is reduced.”

Research is now focusing on how the metabolism of weeds is increased,he continues. “Weeds optimise theirnatural enzyme system to metaboliseactive ingredients at higher rates,

Flufenacet should be used in mixtures to prevent grassweeds from developingfurther enhanced-metabolism resistance.

and it may be that molecular-based technologies can help farmers identifyresistance more easily within their weed populations.”

CTU efficacy can be irregular whenthe product is used alone but it respondsvery well to the addition of DFF, claimsNufarm’s Christophe Vacher.

“It offers a different mode of action –– with the urea group less impacted byresistance –– and is effective on a rangeof grassweed species, offering a numberof tank-mix possibilities,” he points out.“However, it can’t be used on all wheatvarieties –– with around 20% being CTU intolerant.

“Moreover, the limitation on the activeingredient rate means only one treatmentis allowed per year, and there’s a shortoptimal usage period from two leaves tomid-tillering.”

Prior to their recent ban, IPU and trifluralin accounted for around 40% of all UK cereal herbicide usage, notes colleague Jon Staton. He predictsthe firm’s new CTU+DFF product,Buckler, could take their place to some extent.

“CTU goes directly to earth and bondswith the soil molecules making it morepersistent and less prone to water contamination than IPU. Moreover,it provides good long-term residual activity to deal with emerging weeds.

“But like any agrochemical, CTU canfind its way into groundwater –– so goodstewardship is important.”

Nufarm advises a maximum of2,000g/ha active ingredient per season.“We recommend growers respect bufferzones and use the product as early aspossible once the weeds are at theappropriate growth stage –– avoidingspraying within 48 hours of forecast rain.

“In addition, they should take care tominimise point source contamination,such as spills in the yard, when thesprayer is being filled.”

Jon Staton agrees with Jim Orson’sstatistic that blackgrass is now presenton half the UK wheat area –– noting that a typical unchecked population of 700 heads/m2 translates into a 7t/hayield loss.

“Both Crystal and Atlantis will benefitfrom having CTU as a partner in a blackgrass control programme to achieve the required 95-97% controllevel. However, growers should note first whether their varieties are tolerant to CTU.

“It also gives very good control of



s

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia,Nufarm reckons to be the ninth biggestplayer in the agchem industry, behindBayer, Syngenta, BASF, Monsanto,Dow AgroSciences, DuPont andMakhteshim-Agan. The companyemploys 2,500 people around theworld, and is represented in 100 countries, with manufacturing plants in 12 of these.

“In 1995, Australia represented 80%of our business, but in 2000, we beganto expand significantly by purchasingagchem companies in the US andFrance, and our annual sales are nowin the region of A$2.5bn,” says Nufarmboss, Mike Printon.

“While we compete primarily in theoff-patent market –– which represents72% of the agchem business –– we’relooking to build the Nufarm brand andthose of our key products.”

Nufarm in brief

“Both Crystal and Atlantis will benefit fromhaving CTU as a partner in a blackgrass control programme,” claims Jon Staton.

annual meadowgrass –– either with DFFor on its own –– possibly even better than IPU.”

“Although the chlortoluron molecule is now 40-years-old –– first branded asDicurane –– it remains very effective onblackgrass and ryegrass, and in additionhas good efficacy on shepherd’s purse,common chickweed, forget-me-not and cornflower.” Nufarm claims Bucklerhas shown up to 94% efficacy onblackgrass at the 3.5 l/ha rate.

“It’s not the whole answer but it’s an important part of the resistance management programme. The maximumrates are required for full control of blackgrass but that’s why we’re recommending its use with a partner to ensure a bit of longevity.

“We’ve been manufacturing and marketing CTU for more than 20 yearsnow and we plan to continue producingand supporting it.”

Limited optionsWith IPU now gone from UK cereal growers’ armoury, the options left forgrassweed control –– particularly of blackgrass –– are limited primarily to heavily-adopted newer chemistry, notablyAtlantis. But if farmers want to prevent the rapid development of resistance tosuch products, their use needs to be supported and complemented not only by other forms of cultural and physical

control, but also with more establishedchemistry, such as chlortoluron (CTU),experts agree.

Prior to the revocation of IPU, around100,000ha of UK cropping was treatedwith straight CTU, with a further 50,000hasprayed with CTU+DFF. However, thesefigures are likely to increase significantlythis autumn –– with an estimated1.5Mha+ IPU being applied prior itswithdrawal earlier this year. Buckler isclaimed to add more broadleaf weedcontrol and enhanced efficacy againstannual meadowgrass, compared withstraight CTU.

CTU was Annex I-listed and re-registered by the EU in 2006 for the next ten years, but has yet to be re-registered in the UK. n



http://www.barclay.ie

Pest controlPest control

Battling hard to save metaldehyde

If the metaldehyde residues detected in surfacewater don’t drop this autumn, there’s a real

danger that its use could be severely restricted –– or even banned –– within a year.

By Mick Roberts ‘A £100 test would’ve saved

that grower an immense amount of money.’

t’s vital that growers who want to continue using metaldehyde-basedproducts ensure their pellets are applied

with extreme care. If water contaminationcontinues at current levels, there will beincreased pressure for the products to be withdrawn.

“The message is we must make a difference this year, so it’s important to act now,” says Steve Higginbotham,Metaldehyde Stewardship Group (MSG)consultant. “If every grower were to take a bit of extra care with his pelletapplications starting from now, it couldcertainly be done.”

He believes there are lots of opportunitiesto make small improvements to help protect watercourses (see box on p51).

Metaldehyde is by far the most widelyused slug control product on-farm –– mainly because of its lower cost. Thereare other, more costly alternatives likemethiocarb, but this has usage limitationsin some crops, and also on the number oftreatments allowed.

Moreover, the recently-launched new ferric phosphate formulation is morecostly and won’t be as widely available this autumn.

The industry’s response is being co-ordinated through MSG, which is supported by all the manufacturers anddistributors of metaldehyde products. ‘Bestpractice’ use is being promoted throughthe ‘Get Pelletwise’ campaign –– partly toraise awareness of the seriousness of the

I

situation (www.getpelletwise.co.uk).For the coming season, MSG is

proposing a maximum dose rate of 700g ai/ha/year –– with manufacturerswithdrawing all products of higher concentrations. A limit of 250g ai/ha metaldehyde is being suggested for each individual application.

Application rateThis equates to an application rate of about 4-15kg/ha, depending on the pellet brand being used (these vary instrength from 1.5% to 6%). The pelletmanufacturers are also in the process ofimproving their product packaging, as wellas investing in new formulations.

MSG is particularly keen to ensure pellets aren’t applied near to, or into,watercourses. Key pointers are summarised on stickers to be placed on pelleting machines as reminders to operators, and these are available from MSG (see weblinks box on p52).

In addition to the spreading demonstration arena at the recent Cereals Event, MSG has announced twofurther initiatives which are aimed atimproving on-farm application practice.

The National Sprayer Testing Scheme(NSTS) is being extended to include slug


Pest controlPest controlpellet applicators, and a new operator training scheme is being introduced to fill gaps in the current PA qualifications. At the same time, City & Guilds NPTC isrecommending that all operators applyingpellets achieve PA4 certification.

Steve Hewitt, City & Guilds NPTC senior manager, recommends that all slug applicator operators attend the newupdate course as soon as possible –– regardless of their age or current qualification. “The course updates somebasic knowledge of slug biology which ismissing from the current PA4 exam.”

The new course will cover a variety of aspects of pellet use, such as theirimpact on the environment, slug biologyand population monitoring, he continues.“The training will explain the various labelchanges, pack storage precautions, andhow to prepare, calibrate and operate anapplicator safely.

“To apply slug pellets safely, operatorsshould now hold PA1 and PA4 certification,or have ‘Grandfather rights’ which areavailable to those born before 31 December1964. The classroom training will enableoperators holding PA1 and PA2 to havetheir certificates upgraded to include slugpelleting if they gained their qualificationafter June 1994.”

“Some users may be unaware of the factthat they now need to hold a PA4 certificateto apply slug pellets,” believes Steve Hewitt.

Some users may be unaware of the fact that they now need to hold PA4 toapply slug pellets, he believes. “They may be assuming they’re qualified throughthe PA2 module for boom spraying butthis derogation was actually withdrawn in 1994.”

Certification requiredOperators without any PA certificate arenot compliant and must obtain a PA1 certificate and attend an update class,stresses Steve Hewitt. “After that, theymust take –– and pass –– the new PA unit for slug pellets.” The latter is a specialprovision, only lasting until July 2011, he adds.

To improve application accuracy in thefield, the National Sprayer Testing Scheme(NSTS) is being extended to include slugpelleting equipment. This will follow similarlines to the existing sprayer test and while not mandatory, all users are beingencouraged to have their applicationequipment checked and calibrated withthe actual pellets they’re intending to use.

Rob Foxall, managing director of the independent testing firm, Spreaderand Sprayer Testing, says the procedure issimilar to that used for fertiliser spreaders.“Although we’ve been testing pellet


applicators for some time, the industry isnow working to set new national standards.”

The test costs £100-140 (depending on whether other machines are tested atthe same time) and he believes this is a“small price to pay” for helping to securethe ongoing approval of metaldehyde,

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http://www.certiseurope.co.uk

Testing and calibrating slug applicatorsmakes sound economic and environmentalsense –– especially in view of the new,lower recommended dose rates.

That’s the view of Rob Foxall of SCS,who has been instrumental in helping set-up the slug pellet applicator testingscheme. “It’s vital that machines are tested to check the spread width and distribution pattern using the actual products to be applied.”

The most common problems are failingto spread to the correct bout width, andhaving an uneven distribution pattern, hesays. “It’s therefore important to check theapplicator with every product to be appliedbecause the spread characteristics canvary widely.

He recommends testing and calibratingall pelleters before the spreading seasonstarts. “This will not only reduce the risk ofpolluting watercourses, but it will increasethe chance of losses from crop damage in the untreated areas as well.”

The new standard test procedure is similar to that used for checking fertiliserspreaders, and is one that’s been honed by SCS over a number of years, he says.“The first check is to ensure the applicatoris mounted correctly on the quad or vehicledue to be used –– with the operator in theseat and the hopper half-full of pellets.

“You’d be surprised how the disc angle changes when a 16st bloke sits on a quad,” he remarks. “But this is animportant consideration when you’re trying

to achieve the correct spread pattern and width.”

Next, the engineer checks whether the applicator is functioning correctly. “The main culprit here is the disc speed –– particularly with electrically poweredmachines. Long or damaged wiring andconnections can cause a voltage drop tothe motor and if it isn’t getting the correctpower, it won’t spin at the appropriatespeed.” SCS tests this with an optical/digital tachometer.

“We then look at the overall condition ofthe machine to make sure the discs, vanesand deflector plates are working correctly. It’s sometimes possible to alter the drop-onpoint on the disc to alter the width or pattern,and this should also be in good condition.”

After the physical checks and adjustmentsare made, the machine is then operatedover full-width trays at the forward speeddue to be used in the field. The engineerthen collects and counts the number of pellets in each tray to assess the spread pattern and width to which they’re beingdelivered.” This test also indicates the actualnumber of bait points/m2 being achieved, he adds.

“Sometimes a machine is simply incapable of spreading to the desired width which will be revealed by the traytest, and where this is the case, we advisethe operator to work at a narrower width to ensure more even coverage.”

However, if the spread pattern isuneven, there’s often little the engineer can

do to rectify the problem because themachines have very few adjustments, hecontinues. “They’re fairly simple machinesand for £800, you can buy a reasonablereplacement –– and in some cases, thatmay be the best solution. But like all thingsin life, you get what you pay for!”

After testing and achieving the correctspread pattern, and noting the maximumwidth to which it will work accurately, thenext step is a full, static calibration, saysRob Foxall. “Just like on a fertiliser spreader,this procedure will determine the flow raterequired through the machine to achieve the desired application rate in kg/ha.

“For this, we check the forward speed at the operating rpm, as well as the discspeed, where the machine is set to run forone minute –– with the pellets that flowthrough being collected and weighed. This provides the flow rate in kg/min.”

SCS gives all of its customers a SlugPellet Applicator Operator’s notebookwhich –– along with providing practicaladvice, conversion charts and provision for field records –– explains the calibrationprocedure, as well as all the formulaerequired. “This will enable users to adjustthe flow rate themselves to achieve thedesired application rate.”

Although SCS is the UK’s largest nationalapplicator tester, the same basic test willalso be available through other companiesaccredited by the National Sprayer TestingScheme (see weblinks box).

Applicator testing procedure

Pest controlPest controlas well as protecting crops more

comprehensively.“I once tested a machine on a farm that

had suffered slug damage in 6m strips in-between the tramlines on more than280ha –– they’d literally stripped it bare.When we tested the applicator, we discovered that although it was meant to be spreading to 24m, it was actuallystruggling to reach 18m with the productbeing applied –– hence the 3m untreatedareas on either side.

“A £100 test would’ve saved that groweran immense amount of money.”

A tray test not only checks that theapplicator is reaching the correct spreadingwidth, but also the required distributionpattern, he continues. “This has alwaysbeen important –– but now it’s crucial.”

MSG is recommending the use ofreduced active ingredient products whichmeans “every pellet counts”, continues


s Rob Foxall. “Testing ensures pellets arespread consistently so they aren’t fallingunevenly at either end of the spread pattern, which often happens on poorlyset-up and badly maintained machines.

“It’s also good practice to check andtest the applicator for each individual product being applied because the characteristics vary so much from product-to-product.”

Once a machine is properly calibrated,it can have a big impact on the amount of product reaching the surroundingwatercourses, claims Rob Foxall.

Some growers may balk at yet moretraining and testing but the current pressure on metaldehyde looks alarminglysimilar to the situation facing IPU severalyears ago.

A bulletin from the water industry’s representative body, Water UK, makes thisabundantly clear: “The water companies

“Once a pelleter is properly calibrated, itcan have a big impact on the amount ofproduct reaching the surroundingwatercourses,” says Rob Foxall.

Thresholds should be used to determine theactual threat from slugs prior to treatment,warns Colin Myram.

will continue to monitor raw and treatedwaters for metaldehyde during 2009 andare looking for significant reductions laterin the year when the main application season starts.

“If we don’t see reductions in levels inrivers, we need to consider calling forrestrictions in the use of metaldehyde toprotect our essential water supplies.”

The problem for the water industry isthat metaldehyde is difficult to removeusing existing water treatment processes.The characteristics of the molluscicidemean it’s not effectively extracted by the normal treatment of absorption onto


is to prevent pellets being applied directly into ditches.”

The guidelines provide advice on everything from test baiting –– particularlyimportant given the new dose rate limits –– through to operators being properlytrained, he says “That includes avoidingpelleting when heavy rain is imminent.

“It’s essential to ensure that the

Get Pelletwisel Consider possible routes for pellets to

enter watercourses- yard losses through spills and

inadequate storage- direct contamination through poor

spreading practice- surface run-off through drains- cleaning applicators in the yard

instead of in fields- poor storage and disposal of packaging

l Minimise the impact of pelleting by- not applying when heavy rain

is forecast- setting up a 5m ‘no spread’ zone near

watercourses- switching off on the headlands- treating headlands last- using deflector plates

l Effective management- consider slug pellets as part of the soil

management review- cultural control methods can help

reduce slug numbers and reduce the risk of run-off

l Limit total applications to 700g ai/ha/year

l Confine single applications to l 250g ai/ha l Test bait prior to all applicationsl Apply pellets using the following

thresholds:- 1 slug/trap for oilseed rape- 4 slugs/trap for wheat

l All operators must be qualified and trained to the latest standards

l Test and calibrate applicators for the optimum accuracy

l Check and work within a pre-determined spread width

l Clear up any spills immediatelyl Clean equipment in the fieldl Store equipment under cover

sactivated carbon –– the main processused to remove other pesticides from raw water.

Moreover, the relatively simple structureof metaldehyde means it can’t be broken-down by other water treatmentprocesses (e.g. chlorination).

The most sustainable solution is to stopmetaldehyde getting into watercourses and rivers in the first place, believes Water UK. To this end, the water industryis working with MSG, the Drinking WaterInspectorate, the Pesticide SafetyDirectorate and the Environment Agency,as well as Natural England and farmers(through the Voluntary Initiative) to ensure that a significant reduction in the level of metaldehyde residues is achieved this year.

MSG spokesman, Colin Myram, believes the way to ensure pellets don’treach watercourses is to follow the bestpractice guidelines. “A key element of this


Weblinkswww.getpelletwise.co.uk

www.spreadcheck.com

www.nsts.org.uk

www.voluntaryinitiative.org.uk


Unless an applicator is spreading to therequired width, it will allow slugs tosurvive outside of the treated area.

“Then when it comes to actually applying the pellets, leave the headlandtreatments until last and ensure pelletsaren’t applied directly into surface watersor ditches. And ensure that the applicatoris switched off when turning on the headlands, whilst always leaving a 5m wide ‘no spread’ zone.”

But it’s important to first assess the risk,taking into account previous cropping, soil type, current crop, field history andweather conditions, continues ColinMyram. “Trapping should be used tocheck the prevalence of slugs, and trapsshould be baited with layers mash (notbait) under an upturned plant pot saucer–– allowing the slugs to eat around theinside and remain in place to be counted.”

HGCA guidelines (Topic Sheets 84 and 85) say traps should be laid in a ‘W’ formation, with up to nine in fields up to 20ha, and 13 in fields of 20ha+. “If there’s an average of more than fourslugs per trap after leaving them overnight,then pelleting is justified.

“That threshold falls to just one slug pertrap in cereal stubble prior to oilseed rape.”

As well as protecting watercourses witha 5m ‘no spread’ zone, it’s good practice

to ensure pellets aren’t being distributedinto this area, he says. “Cover the headlands last so as not to continually run on-top of spread pellets, and switch off the spreader at the end of each bout.”

MSG guidelines suggest using deflectorplates when making the final headland run –– even where there’s a 5m ‘nospread’ strip.

“Moreover, take extra care when fillingand cleaning the pelleting equipment inthe field since this is another key areawhere operators can help prevent pelletsfrom reaching watercourses. Any spillsshould be cleared up immediately, andequipment should be washed down in the field to prevent run-off from reachingdrains in the yard.

“Lastly, protective clothing and packingshould only be disposed of through alicensed waste contractor.” napplicator is calibrated according to the

individual product and dose rate beingused. Moreover, jobs such as filling andbrushing-off equipment should be donewithin the field –– rather than in the yard –– to avoid pellets reaching drainsand watercourses.”

Moreover, all spillages should becleaned up immediately, he stresses.

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http://www.belchim.com

http://www.getpelletwise.co.uk

http://www.spreadcheck.com

http://www.nsts.org.uk

http://www.voluntaryinitiative.org.uk

http://www.syngenta-crop.co.uk

Reducing downtimeduring key periods

Using genuine spare parts and a dedicated service back-up can help minimise costly in-field downtime. CPM asks three potato growers and amachinery dealer why they favour this approach.

By Rob Jones

‘We dedicate two men to eachmachine for a week –– equivalent

to 60-70 man hours.’

he scale of investment required toget a potato crop from plantingthrough to harvest is a serious

financial undertaking nowadays –– especially with rising input costs, the scale of modern-day enterprises and theimportance of operational timeliness.

For that reason, an increasing numberof potato growers are opting to use genuine spare parts, together with a dedicated service back-up on their planting and harvesting equipment, to minimise downtime.

West Norfolk-based Coates Bros grows600ha+ of root crops on contract ––including potatoes, carrots and parsnips–– as well as farming in its own right. “We simply can’t afford downtime duringthe planting and harvesting phases,” saysMartyn Coates, who is joint managingdirector of the business, together with his brother, Tim.

T

Pre-season preventative measures help to keep the number of in-season breakdowns to a minimum, he believes.“But machinery breakdowns and potatoestend to go hand-in-hand.”

He believes the use of genuine spare parts helps to keep the amount of downtime to a bare minimum.“Growing crops within a 50-mile-radiusof our base at Runcton Holme puts enormous pressure on our fleet of service and maintenance engineers –– mainly because of the abrasive soils we’re farming.”

Labour intensive operationThe company employs 10 full-time drivers, with up to nine additional casuals during most of the year –– and as many as 30 in total during peak periods. Three workshop operatives are also employed, running two mobilemaintenance vans.

The machinery portfolio includes two Grimme GZ harvesters for potatoes,two Grimme Variants for potatoes andparsnips, one Continental for carrots and seven de-stoners.

“Our first job after Christmas is to stripdown all the de-stoners and rebuild them–– changing all worn bearings, shafts and webs,” says operations manager,Andrew Holt. “It’s all about minimisingdowntime in the field.


Andrew Holt’s goal is to concentrate allrepairs and maintenance out-of-season.

“We dedicate two men to each machine for a week –– equivalent to about 60-70 man hours.”

Each web is budgeted to last two seasons –– assuming the scrubber websare set at the correct height, he says.“When a web needs replacing, it onlytakes about 30mins.

“We always change the webs whenthey’re damaged –– mainly to try to minimise breakdowns in-season to keepthe equipment working.” The goal is to concentrate all repairs and maintenanceout-of-season, he says.

“Investing in labour and parts pre-season pays dividends if it helps to reduce the number of breakdowns in-season.”

Martyn Coates reckons it costs around£4,000/yr in labour and parts to maintaineach de-stoner. “A set of genuine Grimmestars lasts about a season, although somewill need replacing mid-season.”

Downtime on a de-stoner, caused by a broken web or shaft, can be as much asthree hours, he continues. “To reduce this,we hold about three full sets of star shaftsalready made up.

Andrew Holt says one of the mobile fitters visits each machine once a day

to keep things running smoothly –– with the cost of running each de-stonerestimated at around £100/ha. “Althoughthis may seem a bit over the top, it’s paid dividends in recent years and that’spartly why our de-stoners are now in theirninth season.”

‘No comparison’He believes there’s no comparisonbetween Grimme stars and other brands.“We’ve tried non-genuine stars but the fingers kept snapping off.”

He believes that, with a price differentialof just 10% between the basic Grimmestar and the non-genuine alternative, it’s simply not cost-effective to try toeconomise in this way.

“And the £300 price differencebetween a Grimme web a non-genuineweb is minimal, compared with the average 121ha extra land that can beworked using a Grimme de-stoner withgenuine webs.”

He adds that the material on a genuine web is harder, with the metal barsmade of sprung steel –– which makesthem much more durable and able tocope with the abrasive soils in his area.

Grimme manufactures two types of star

–– black and yellow –– the former beingthe economy version and the latter beingthe more durable. The main differencebetween the two is their elasticity.

“We use the black star having done trials comparing genuine and non-genuineparts, and the difference in quality is huge. s


“Our machines have to work to their fullcapacity if we’re to complete our plantingand harvesting operations within a 4-5 week window,” says Chris Crow.

They last for about 300 acres (120ha),compared with just 70 acres (28ha) for anon-genuine star. It really is a no brainer.

“We thought we were being clever whenwe tried non-genuine parts but it actuallycost us a significant amount of time andmoney trying to get away with usingcheaper, inferior parts.”

Grimme prides itself on being a provider of excellent service and back-up.“Growing potatoes profitably is all aboutoperational timeliness and wise financialmanagement,” says sales and marketingmanager, Ralph Powell.

Dealer network“Through our dealer network and RootSystems service support dealerships, wecan reach all of our customers whereverthey are in the country.”

Service support dealer, Stuart Cook, ofAyrshire-based Robert Cook AgriculturalEngineers, claims to have experienced nodamaged webs and very little customerdowntime last year.

“This bears testament to the fact thatgenuine parts and local service back-upare crucial to the smooth running of afarming operation.

“I was talking to a customer recentlywho’d been looking for a replacement web for his harvester and when he fittedan imitation web, it fell to pieces inside two weeks. If you put Grimme and imitation webs side-by-side, there really is no competition.”

Despite the weather causing problemsin the field last autumn –– especially

during the later stages of the potato harvest –– all the Grimme equipment held up well, says Stuart Cook. “I don’tremember any of my growers experiencingsignificant downtime.

“We’ve seen downtime occur in the past when they’ve bought imitation kit. For example, rotor tiller blades wear much quicker and can even break off.”

For Shropshire-based growers, JC and MW Suckley, machinery quality and reliability is critical to attaining maximumyields and consistent tuber quality acrossthe 800ha potato enterprise.

Farm manager, Chris Crow, believesgood seedbeds, planting timeliness andgentle harvesting are all key to maximisingthe profitability of the enterprise.

“The cost involved in planting and harvesting potatoes –– which are grown on a range of heavy, silty, sandy and stonysoils over a wide geographical area –– isconsiderable. We therefore need all of ourmachines to work to their full capacity during the season if we’re to complete ourplanting and harvesting operations within a 4-5 week window.”

The Suckley operation has been usingGrimme soil preparation and harvestingequipment for more than ten years


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now and, in Chris Crow’s opinion, the premium paid for the machines is worthwhile because of their added reliability. “The overall quality, performance,and after-sales service and support makesup for the higher purchase price.”

He adds that the second-hand value for Grimme kit is higher than some othermanufacturers. “This is another reason forhaving a planned out-of-season service and repair programme.

Maintainance cost“The cost of maintenance is always a major factor. In general, one set of genuine Grimme stars lasts three years,compared with just two years for the non-genuine equivalent, so when you takeinto account the fitter’s time as well, it’sclear we’re at least 25% better off using the former.”

The farm operates six Combi Stars –– keeping one in reserve if necessary –– with each machine covering about140ha/season. Repair and maintenance is carried out by the farm’s own fitters inwinter when all belts, sprockets, stars and bearings are checked. The same refurbishment programme is carried out on the harvesters as well.

“This winter-based maintenance programme helps to minimise downtime in-season.

“We own eight tractors ourselves and during the growing season, we need around 20 in total. But when we’reharvesting, the requirement doubles toaround forty.

“Most of these additional tractors are supplied by owner drivers, so anybreakdowns of our planting or lifting equipment can be extremely costly.

“When we take all of these factors intoaccount, the small extra cost of buyinggenuine spares is more than justified.”

County Durham-based contractor, Leslie Brown, believes nothing is moreexpensive than downtime –– which is whyhe opts for genuine spare parts on hisentire fleet of eight de-stoners, two plantersand six harvesters, based at WestholmeFarm, Winston, near Darlington.

Compared with non-genuine spares ––especially webs and their component parts–– Leslie Brown reckons he gets a 30-40%longer life span with genuine parts.

“The lifespan of the main web on a de-stoner can be anywhere between 300 and 800ha, depending on the soilconditions, although the digging web

can be significantly less –– especially on stony ground.” He believes the switchto genuine spare parts has halved thedowntime spent on repairs in the field.

“We originally set-up the business in1976 with a MF165, baler, mower, ploughand drill, and now we’ve got a vastlyexpanded operation dealing with allaspects of grassland operations, combinable crops and potatoes –– right across County Durham and North Yorkshire.”

Quarter centuryHe first got into potato machinery 25 yearsago with the purchase of a de-stoner. “It was just at the time when the potatocrop was being concentrated into largerunits in this area, and the growers whowere expanding their acreage were looking to buy-in services.

“Demand was so strong at the time that we decided to purchase a new, ornearly new, de-stoner each year for thenext eight years.”

However, a large proportion of the land he grows crops on is very stony, so it didn’t take long before he found outthat the webs are the most vulnerablecomponents. “At first, we thought

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the best way to minimise the high replacement costs was to purchase good, non-genuine spares.

“It saved us money up-front, but thatwas more than lost subsequently in downtime when we were planting.”

Stony landHis eight de-stoners are all Combi-Web1500s, which have proved more robustand efficient on stony land than the Combi-Star versions, he believes. “They follow the ridges laid down by twotractor/ridger teams, equipped with RTK-guided auto-steer.

“I was sceptical about the cost-effectiveness of auto-steer at first –– I didn’t think it could improve much on a skilled operator with a good eye. But the results have been outstanding with thefollowing de-stoners operating far better.Plus you end up with fewer green tubers.”

The physical and mental effort requiredby the tractor drivers is also significantlyreduced –– allowing them to do longer dayswithout ending up exhausted from havingto remain constantly focused, he adds.

The harvester line-up includes a newly-acquired, almost pristine second-

hand SF 1700 DLS self-propelled machine–– purchased for its extra output and ability to operate in adverse conditions. In addition, there’s a GT 170 and four GZ models –– one of which is a well-maintained ten-year-old harvester.

Leslie Brown maintains that the extracost of fitting mainly manufacturer’s websto the harvesters is offset by the benefitsdescribed for the de-stoners –– plus they appear to be less damaging to thepotatoes. “Moreover, when the operatorchanges the web size to suit the soil conditions or tuber size, he knows it’sgoing to fit.

“We’ve proved to ourselves that thelowest cost route isn’t always the best. Our business is built on providing a reliable service which isn’t necessarily thecheapest but our customers know we’reequipped to go non-stop to get the cropsplanted when the conditions are right.”

Despite very testing conditions last season, almost all of his customers’ crops were planted within a 24 day window. “Similarly, the harvesting teamhas the capacity to deal with a crop that’s almost entirely maincrop varietiesand thus has to be lifted in a narrow

“We’ve proved to ourselves that thecheapest route isn’t always the best,” admits Leslie Brown.

September /October window.”He lists knowledge and depth of

back-up service, together with easier operation and maintenance due to commonality of design, as the main reasons for his decision to base almost the entire fleet of de-stoners, planters andharvesters on just one manufacturer. n


http://www.gowanintl.com

The winter bean area increased last autumn –– partly because of the failure of some winter

OSR crops. CPM assesses whether the trend will continue next season?

By Jo Palmer

‘The edible export market forbeans is expanding all the time

–– particularly in the Middle East.’

ulse crops have enjoyed a reversalof fortunes in the past couple ofyears –– not just the areas cropped,

but also in end-market demand. That was the message from Salvador

Potter, chief executive of the PGRO,speaking at a recent Open Day atThornhaugh, near Peterborough, Cambs. “We’ve definitely seen renewedconfidence in the pulse crop this season,which is up by around one-third, compared with a year ago.”

Defra figures put this year’s crop ataround 86,000ha winter beans (up 28%on last year), with the spring crop datadue any time now. “We’re fairly confidentspring beans will exceed last year’s figureas well –– although peas might not quitereach that total.”

Assuming a relatively modest averageyield of 3.5t/ha for both beans and peas,this would represent a total crop of almost600,000t and 140,000t respectively thisharvest, he said.

“But as we all know only too well, theweather can intervene –– particularly forpeas –– so with prices comparatively firm at present, growers should aim toharvest their peas as soon as they’re

P

Mood buoyant in pulse sector?

ready instead of leaving them until after wheat.”

Salvador Potter noted very little carry-over of old crop beans, and no surplus of peas, following the past two smaller-than-average harvests. “That means there’s a large production capacity to be filled and firm demandon the back of it.”

He added that there was renewed interest from feed compounders in beans as a protein source, with importedsoya meal costing as much as £340/t at present.

“But aside from the rotational benefitsof growing a pulse crop –– and the extratonne in yield they give to the followingwheat –– beans and peas are now making a significant contribution to the bottom-line on many arable farms.”

Crop qualityHis advice to growers was to take careto maximise crop quality this harvest –– as well as making the most of thePGRO agronomy trials data when planning next season’s cropping.

“One key area of grower interest is inour variety trials, with Thornhaugh beingjust one of nine sites around the UK –– all of which are funded by the pulse levy.” The trials provide key yieldand agronomic data for the pulseRecommended Lists, he added.

Salvador Potter also highlighted thedevelopment of a new insecticidal seedtreatment for peas targeted at pestsincluding weevils, field thrips and early pea aphid (see panel on p62). “The treatment is undergoing detailed


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Syngenta’s new insecticide, thiamethoxam(TMX), is currently under evaluation asseed treatment for peas.

“Late plantings of vining peas can oftenbe badly affected by bean seed fly, withearlier plantings being targeted by pea andbean weevil, as well as thrips,” said PGROtechnical director, Dr Anthony Biddle.

“Protection of newly-emerged seedlingsfrom pest attack is therefore important toget the crop off to a good start.”

As well as causing leaf damage whilstfeeding, female weevils lay their eggs within the crop which are washed down into the soil, with the larvae subsequentlyhatching and feeding on the nitrogen-fixingnodules, he said. “Severe infection reducesthe amount of nitrogen available to the

crop with the yield taking a hit.”Trials to date with TMX show a

significant reduction in thrip damage andexcellent control of pea and bean weevil, as well as an increase in root nodulesacross all vining pea varieties tested, said Anthony Biddle.

“Moreover, the treatments also showedvery low numbers of pea aphids –– preventing the spread of pea viruses.”

“Overall, TMX looks to be a highly effective way of reducing pests at establishment-time in vining peas and we’re hoping that registration of the treatment will be imminent.”l Thiamethoxam is already approved for use in sugar beet and oilseed rape, marketed by Syngenta as Cruiser.

New insecticidal seed treatment

PGRO has also been assessing the value of the new herbicide, flumioxazin(SumiMax), as a way of controlling volunteer potatoes in vining peas.

“Since we lost Fortrol (cyanazine) in2007, we’ve been looking for solutions tothis challenging agronomic problem,” sayssenior technical officer, Jim Scrimshaw.

“Our trials show that flumioxazin, appliedpost-emergence at a rate 80-100ml/ha, can provide useful suppression of volunteer potatoes and help prevent

flower and berry formation –– withinacceptable levels of crop damage.”

Flumioxazin also controls a range ofother weeds including cleavers, charlock,chickweed, pansy, red dead-nettle, mayweed, groundsel and nightshades, and works best when the soil is moist, he said.

“However, the crop must be suitablywaxed to aid the selectivity of the herbicide.”He noted that spotting can occur on the leaves, especially if rainfall has

occurred just prior to application.PGRO has also been evaluating

ways of increasing the flexibility of the post-emergence herbicide, Basagran(bentazone). “By using the product in mixtures with the methylated rapeseed oiladjuvant, Toil, and the new adjuvant, IA390,we’ve been able to maintain the level ofweed control and crop safety achieved ––but using a lower and more cost-effectiverate of Basagran.”

Weed control trials

trialling and evaluation at Thornhaugh,and should hopefully be available togrowers in due course.”

PGRO researchers have also been evaluating new ways of improving spray timings for bruchid beetle control.“The edible export market for beans is expanding all the time –– particularly in the Middle East –– but it demands thatbeans have low levels of bruchid damage.”

‘Treatment essential’Effective treatment of the pest is thereforeessential if growers are to secure themost lucrative contracts, he said.

Technical officer, Becky Ward, continued: “NIAB has been involved in assessing varietal susceptibility to thepest, and Rothamsted Research hasbeen evaluating different trapping methods, as well as assessing suitablepheromones which may be used aspotential attractants.

“In particular, Rothamsted scientistshave been looking at using ‘flowervolatiles’ (i.e. scents) in traps to gauge

when the adult beetles are most active as part of the crop monitoring process.”

PGRO trials have focused more oninvestigating the optimum timing forinsecticidal sprays, together with evaluatingthe latest application technology with thehelp of funding from Syngenta. “Resultsto date show angled nozzles work bestsince the spray coverage is improved atthe bottom of the plant where the eggsare generally laid.”

She added that 200 l/ha looked to bethe most appropriate spray water volumefor bruchid beetle prevention.

The spray timing is also critical if good levels of control are to be achieved,continued Becky Ward. “Larval control isparticularly difficult to achieve becausethey penetrate the pod immediatelybeneath the egg case.”

The spray should therefore aim to reducethe amount of egg laying, with just twoproducts –– Hallmark (lamda-cyhalothrin)

and Decis (deltamethrin) –– having label recommendations, she noted.

“Research has shown that the best level of control is given when the temperature reaches 20°C for two consecutive days, and when the podsare at least 2cm long. Adult beetles won’t lay eggs when it’s cooler than this,hence the risk will tend to be low as itwas last year.” However, this year hasbeen be a different situation, she added.

Bean seed beetle is now widespreadin both winter and spring field beans,and broad beans, she concluded.“Damage is characterised by a circularhole in the seed where the adult beetleshave emerged –– significantly reducingthe value of the crop for the human consumption export trade, or for seed.

“The treatment threshold is 3% and in some years, as much as 30% of thecrop can be affected.” n

“Growers should harvest their peas as soonas they’re ready instead of leaving themuntil after wheat,” said Salvador Potter.


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Pooling marketing resources - cpm magazine · 2016. 12. 5. · Pointers to maximise OSR returns ......

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