News
NFU ramps up call for bigger farm budget
Arable
Border delays pose threat to crop trials
Crop Establishment
Reminder to check ‘over-wintered’ seed
Water
Flooding tops agenda as winter approaches
Livestock
How catch crops combat forage shortfall
Clodhopper
Tough decision to crop or not?
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Shutting the doors on the grain store after harvest is a good time to reflect on the season just finished – even if these days the next one has already started.
The past year has been a challenge from start to finish – mostly due to some of the wettest weather many of us can remember. Crops drilled and then redrilled and fields left fallow meant any harvest at all was at times almost unthinkable.
Harvest this year won’t be much to write home about – at least on many farms. Yields, as always, are variable. Disappointing for some but pleasantly surprising for others. Given the circumstances, at least.
Pause for thought
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And we are here, despite it all. And even in an age of over-wintered fallows, when there is rarely time to catch our breathe between harvest and autumn cultivations – we deserve to pause for thought before going again.
Autumn is time to look forward as well as back. It is also time to put things right – or at least begin the long process of doing so. Soil structure will
need repairing, nutrients will need to be replenished. Drainage too – if investment is available. For many, there are finances to sort out too. Crops just harvested were grown using inputs purchased at the top of the market. And the Basic Payment is now worth half what it was just a few short years ago.
It is important to take stock of all this – and make sense of it all. Rather than carrying on the same, a flexible approach is more likely to yield better results, including seeking out alternative sources of farm income.
That doesn’t mean abandoning food production – far from it. It means considering all options, looking for untapped opportunities to generate revenue and making every asset sweat.
Some of the best farm businesses are those that do things differently. We fully expect more growers and livestock producers to adopt a similar approach as they strive to secure a better future.
Johann Tasker, Editor
• Farming needs ‘bigger budget’
• Self-sufficiency ‘must not fall’
• Autumn decision looms large
Farm leaders have ramped up calls on the government to increase its budget for farming – arguing that doing so is vital to maintain UK food security.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw made the call on 13 August – the day of the year that the UK would run out of food if people could only consume food and drink produced by British growers and livestock farmers.
That call is set to be repeated this month on Back British Farming Day – when the NFU asks MPs and other parliamentarians to sign a pledge to demonstrate their support for UK food producers on 11 September
The UK is 62% self-sufficient in food. While this reflects similar levels of the past decade, some sectors have seen a recent decline. Selfsufficiency in fresh vegetables is only 53% – its lowest since
Tom Bradshaw: self-sufficiency vital
records began in 1988.
Mr Bradshaw welcomed the government’s recognition that food security is critical to national security. But he believes Defra’s annual £2.4bn farm budget must be more than doubled to prevent self-sufficiency from falling.
The NFU says food producers need the right policy framework and investment to boost confidence and resilience so farmers can withstand climate and economic shocks – and to increase selfsufficiency in the face of global instability..
The government is expected to announce its budget for farming in next month’s Autumn Statement.
Farmers had experienced one of the wettest seasons on record, said Mr Bradshaw. This had put untold pressure on food production and contributed to a collapse in farm business confidence, with a big decline in the cereals area.
With global and climatic instability putting pressure on food systems all over the world, the NFU wants the government to put domestic food production at the centre of its missions around climate resilience, economic growth and the nation’s health.
International trade was important when it came to food, but it was also important to back British farmers.
Any increased budget must include a legal commitment so self-sufficiency does not fall, said Mr Bradshaw.
Agroup of Lincolnshire farmers has secured the funding needed to improve the environment by trading natural capital.
The Northern Lincolnshire Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) is a farmer-led cooperative working to increase biodiversity, improve water quality, achieve net carbon farming by 2040 and generate new trading opportunities.
It is the 10th group of its kind to be established across the UK since 2020, with the EFG network now comprising 433 farmers, covering around 3% of England’s farmed area and a trading pipeline worth about £10m.
“On this Self-sufficiency Day, we want to highlight the importance of boosting Britain’s ability to produce its own food.”
Healthy, balanced and affordable meals were something everyone deserved, he added.
The group covers areas around Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Immingham, Louth, Crowle and Epworth. Founder members include Andrew Jackson, from Pink Pig Farm; and William Sowerby, from Forward Farming.
The EFG works to secure the best environmental outcomes and financial returns for farmers who deliver a range of natural capital goods and services. So far, more than local 40 farmers have expressed an interest in becoming members.
Mr Sowerby said: “We see some key potential opportunities for EFG farmers to support growth in the area through cleaner water projects, as well as biodiversity and carbon mitigation for new industrial developments.”
“Food from other countries will always form a proportion of our daily diets, but we must recognise the vulnerability of global food supply chains and the importance of a stable food supply,” said Mr Bradshaw.
“Farmers produce the raw ingredients that underpin our food and drink
The group is supported by Wilkin Chapman and Peacock & Binnington
At the time of writing this, the busiest time of the year is literally around the corner and I would imagine when you are reading this we will be in the middle of the mayhem that is harvest. With harvest comes a flurry of calls from clients letting us know that their fields are clear and want us there draining. . . ASAP or sooner!!
We are fortunate that even with all this madness and mayhem our clients do realise that we cannot be everywhere at once and most of the time are happy to wait patiently for us to get to them.
We do understand the urgency at this time of year. Everything is at one hundred miles an hour, racing the weather, time and tourist drivers who like the have a slow meander through the Cotswolds in the summer sun, then panic when they see a 4x4 with a 30ft header coming at them and then the road swallowed up with the following combine!!
We like to think that the wait is worth it as a lot of our work is repeat work. It could also be that those repeat clients have seen first hand, then spread the word that a well planned and installed drainage scheme is an investment and not an expense.
SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST DRAINAGE
Tributes have been paid to Leicestershire farmer and former NFU livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe, who has died following a cancer diagnosis.
Mr Sercombe farmed a commercial flock of 1,000 sheep and arable enterprises with his wife Helen and family at Sandlands Farm – a county council smallholding at Frisby on the Wreake, near Melton Mowbray.
A passionate advocate for tenant farmers and the sheep sector, he served four consecutive terms as NFU Melton Mowbray branch chair (2007-2010), before becoming NFU national livestock board chairman in 2012 – a post he held for six years.
NFU deputy president David Exwood said: “Charles led the national livestock board through a time of great uncertainty for the beef and lamb sector. His dedication and knowledge at such a time were invaluable and he will be fondly remembered.
“It’s very sad and a great shock that his life has been cut so tragically short at a time when he still had so much to give. Our thoughts are
with his wife Helen, children Victoria, Wil liam and Grace and family.”
Mr Sercombe was also national chair of the Charollais Sheep Society. A keen stock judge, he sat on various boards, groups and government committees – including Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway Steer ing Group.
NFU Council delegate and farmer Sarah Bell described Mr Sercombe as a champion for his fellow farmers. She said: “Charles did a tremendous amount of work for the sheep sector and wider farming community.”
Former NFU Melton Mowbray group sec retary Steve Jeal, who knew Mr Sercombe for 35 years, said: “He was a hugely loyal Mel ton branch member, supremely intelligent and a brilliant branch chairman.
“He knew the farming community like the back of his hand and was the sort of guy who would do anything for anyone.
“The loss is going to leave a cavernous hole in his family and friends’ lives and I will miss him enormously.”
• Seed imports face more inspections
• Oilseed rape trials affected by delay
• UK growers could be disadvantaged
Delays caused by changes to seed import rules threaten to un dermine the latest oilseed rape variety trials.
Brexit rules mean seed entering the UK since the end of April can now be regarded as high-risk – resulting in de lays and inspections at a border con trol points before it can move on to its destination.
This is especially problematic for new oilseed rape varieties coming from the EU because of the very narrow win dow for harvesting the crop, process ing the resultant seed, and moving it to be sown in official UK trials.
The trials are designed to test the seed for distinctness, uniformity, sta bility, and value for cultivation. The deadline for rape seed entered into of ficial trials to be on site for sowing this year was 10 August.
wait
But consignments of seed which were harvested and processed in EU coun tries were stopped and held at the bor der for officials to decide whether and how they should be inspected.
The trials are a key part of testing new crop varieties before they can be marketed to growers. If a variety misses the deadline, it could delay it reaching the market by a year, but it also jeopardises the wider operation of the trials.
With the deadline rapidly approach ing, the situation proved frustrating and potentially costly for plant breed ers already facing a number of addi tional bureaucratic barriers to innovation and crop development in the UK.
pressures. UK growers and supply chains stand to lose out if they face
British Society of Plant Breeders head of policy Anthony Hopkins said: “Oilseed rape is a crop under many
New oilseed rape varieties could be delayed by up to a year, say breeders
Anthony Hopkins: new border rules are posing a ‘logistical challenge’
can be added to the UK National List and marketed to British growers.
Seed imports arriving in Britain last month were held at the border for the first time since the new rules came into effect – leaving plant breeders with a logistical challenge and scrambling to work out how long the delays would be.
The border changes are also affecting a number of other arable and horticultural crops – including beans, maize, and tomatoes. Without action, breeders said growers of those crops would also continue to suffer.
The BSPB has been calling for Defra to change the way the processes work since they were announced in March of this year, or UK growers will continue to be disadvantaged and face higher costs.
UK wheat proteins are improving but remain low as the cereal harvest continues, suggest the latest reports.
UK Flour Millers Group 1 wheats have been averaging 11.5-12.0% – with some samples exceeding 13.0%, although these are rare, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
“Given the dull grain fill period, proteins remain low,” it says.
While lower nitrogen contents and some bushel weights are reported for winter barley, merchants say the crop is “very usable for the domestic market”. Early reports for spring oat
and spring barley yields and quality are said to be encouraging.
“Given the weather this year and bare patches in fields, grass weed pressures have been high. This has been observed with increased prevalence of ergot in some samples. Ergot has primarily been seen as coming from grass weeds rather than cereal crops.”
This is the AHDB’s second harvest report of the season and covers 1-14 August, which are the fourth and fifth weeks of a ‘typical’ harvest period. It is produced with data collected by the Andersons Centre and compiled by the AHDB.
Addressing nutrient deficiencies before autumn drilling will help get crops off to the best start.
rowers will be keen to ensure crops are strong and can withstand winter weather given the difficulties of the previous growing season.
Early crop development is essential and a key nutrient for this is phosphate, which growers can apply before or immediately after drilling as part of a balanced nutrition programme.
Assessing deficiencies using a detailed soil analysis will help pinpoint areas that require the nutrition. But growers can use another test to inform their decisions, says Toby Ward, nutrition agronomist at Origin Fertilisers.
“Undertaking grain nutrient analysis will measure nutrient offtake in the previous season and indicate where hidden deficiencies could lie, while providing a cross reference for soil analysis.
Above: Deficiencies can go unnoticed over time unless they are addressed
Below: Toby Ward: Better informed decisions
“Field-by-field information is essential
nutrient deficiencies –and phosphate was by far the most deficient of all nutrients. Over 50% of samples revealed a lower level than the target Index 2.
This is a concern because deficiencies can go unnoticed and worsen over time if they aren’t addressed correctly through targeted prescription applications. Phosphate promotes crop establishment and is part of a balanced nutrition plan.
“Grain analysis offers growers a much clearer insight into how much phosphate was taken up by the plant and where potential deficiencies might be,” says Mr Ward.
“Given the importance of phosphate to early establishment, choosing a grain nutrient analysis will support applications to the right fields and area of the farm, maximising the investment in nutrition.”
and its lack of mobility means plants need to search for it.
One change that should be considered by growers is to increase the availability of phosphate by applying a protected product, such as Origin Enhanced Phosphate (OEP).
The main reason for lock up is due to soluble phosphate being negatively charged and becoming rapidly fixed by positively charged calcium, magnesium, iron and aluminium, which makes it unavailable.
This is heightened when soil pH is too high or low, or in heavy soils. The upshot is that although plants require the nutrient for early development, its lack of mobility and availability restricts young crops from accessing it.
“A detailed soil analysis will indicate what should be available to the plant, while a leaf analysis shows the status of the crop at a given point, but a grain nutrient analysis provides the final outcome.”
Widespread deficiency
Growers can use this information to target nutrition inputs, maximising any spend on fertiliser this season.
A grain nutrient analysis can also reveal other nutrient deficiencies, and over 25% of the samples analysed by AHDB were low in manganese, which highlights the importance of micronutrient applications on a yearly basis.
Using prescription nutrition to improve these indices will support crop growth throughout the season.
Some 86% of grain samples analysed by ADAS in 2020 showed
But changing to a phosphate fertiliser that prevents lock up and maintains a greater supply for the young plants should be of high consideration this season.
“A protected phosphate, such as OEP, contains Avail – a phosphate fertiliser enhancer on each granule –that starts to dissolve when the granule contacts moisture,” says Mr Ward.
Between 75-95% of the phosphate fertiliser applied will become unavailable to the plants through lock up,
“It attracts the positively charged ions, preventing them from binding with the phosphate as it dissolves, effectively acting as a shield. The result is the soluble phosphate released by the granule is fully available for the growing crop.”
OEP is available as TSP and DAP fertilisers, as well as any P, K blends, to provide crops with targeted nutrition to support early development. It
has been shown to reduce phosphate fixation by up to 15%, offering a better return from phosphate fertilisers.
Further independent research by Harper Adams University College showed a 40% increase in root mass after three weeks where OEP with Avail protected technology was used.
As attention turns to drilling following harvest, ensuring that any nutrition ordered for post drilling applications will be on farm, when you require it, will be down to relying on trusted suppliers with continued access.
“Using a supplier that has experience of the region, and an established supply network to cater for growers in the area, will be key,” says Mr Ward. Growers need to rely on established fertiliser production facilities with the ability to supply the right crop nutrition to farms as they require it.”
Origin’s production facility at Great Yarmouth caters for growers across the region –enabling prescription nutrition to match field and farm requirements. The site is capable of dispatching over 1,000t per day in peak season to support growers.
Growers planning to take grain nutrient analysis to support nutrition decisions should use clearly labelled buckets to collect grain from individual trailers that correspond to specific fields before the grain reaches the store.
Taking the sample once the trailer is tipped can lead to grain from other fields being included and, therefore, limiting the opportunity for benchmarking, says Toby Ward, of Origin Fertilisers.
“This is essential if growers want true
should be sampled by taking two cups of grain and adding it to the bucket.
“Once the field is completed, the sample can be mixed before filling a sample bag to be sent away for the analysis.”
Completing grain nutrient analysis in this way – along with with the correct details – will offer growers an accurate and precise way to record exactly how the crop has performed this season.
It accounts for all inputs and will support
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Integrating biosolutions into conventional agronomy pro grammes can have a major effect on crop performance, sug gest the latest trials.
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Enzymes, microorganisms, bacterial cultures and other bi ological tools can offer the same control as moderate fungicide ap proaches. But integrating them into reduced programmes can be as effective as full strength con ventional treatments.
"It's time to take biosolutions seriously," says Agrii technical manager Jodie Littleford.
"For a start, there are fewer new active ingredients coming to market and all are facing tough er regulatory hurdles.
"Then there's the fact that across the food supply chain, pressure is growing for greater sustainability and lower carbon footprints of production, with reductions in synthetic inputs seen as a key element of this.
"But we know biological solu tions don’t perform in the same way as traditional chemistry, so it's critical we understand how we can best target their use and support them appropriately in integrated strategies."
Programmed approaches
Agrii's approach is to focus on a wide range of biological prod ucts to validate their benefit in the first instance before they are then looked at as part of programmed approaches, says Ms Littleford.
"We can then stack these ben efits in a variety of ways so we can evaluate different strategies to realise their full potential with regard to plant health, resilience, disease suppression, yield, and ul timately, gross margins.
ing crop resilience, like elicitors boosting the plants' hyper sensitive response, have shown particularly positive results, especially when used alongside the right supportive elements.
"Generally, these products work best when they are applied ahead of disease, like a flu vaccine administered before the illness takes hold. We are essentially giving the plant everything it needs to better prepare and initiate an immune response for when the pathogen does eventually arrive."
Hence their effectiveness does largely depend on when disease starts cycling in the crop, she
tions including protein synthesis, stress reduction and modulating stomatal opening.
"Biostimulation of these processes can enhance growth, nutrient cycling, help crops combat disease and improve productivity."
Growth promoting compounds like PGA (pyroglutamic acid) and phosphite have also impressed.
"These enhance nutrient utilisation and efficiency, which improves rooting as well as upregulating photosynthesis which in turn provides the plant with more energy and resources to thrive."
"This isn’t necessarily a new
rent practices around protective applications of fungicides to get the best efficacy. Even now, if you’re in a situation where you’re having to firefight, then
ing trends resulting from the ing blocks are utilised across a
The Agrii trials to date have adopted three approaches when it comes to biological products: a full biological approach, a 50% reduction in synthetic inputs and then a fully integrated approach supported with a good fungicide programme.
"These have then all been tested alongside more traditional approaches using different levels of fungicide input, with a range of very encouraging responses seen.
"Where we use biosolutions earlier on in the programme and before disease levels escalate, for example, we see a sustained reduction in septoria levels right through the season, even compared to full four spray fungicide programmes.
"In terms of yield and margin, all three approaches have generally been equivalent, if not better, than our standard fungicide programmes which indicates just how much biosolutions can contribute to crop performance success."
While all the trials to date have been field-based, new developments at Agrii's Throws Farm in Essex, will allow the mode of action and integration of biosolutions to be looked at in much more detail, says Ms Littleford.
"The construction of a large environment-controlled glasshouse will allow us to remove much of the 'noise', such as weather, variable growing conditions and pests, from future trials. That is simply impossible to do in the field.
"This means we can focus specifically on what the biosolutions are actually doing and manage things like spray timings and crop nutrition much better."
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Chris Harrold (right) has been promoted to head of crop nutrition at Yara as part of a wider agronomy review within the company’s UK operation.
Yara said it was adapting its agronomy advice to improve crop productivity – and do so sustainably – as more growers moved towards a more regenerative approach to food production.
Mr Harrold said: “The review of how our agronomy team supports our customers will ensure we continue to adapt and provide relevant advice that meets their needs.”
Yara would achieve more with a collaborative approach, added Mr Harrold. “Farmers are adapting their cropping to deal with changes in the economics of growing certain crops and are considering growing alternatives,” he said.
“They are also looking at how they can best make their crops more resilient to extreme weather. Agriculture is changing, and the support and advice we offer must change with it.”
Recently formed partnerships between
Yara and companies such as Simpsons Malt and PepsiCo Europe were good examples of how collaboration could drive meaningful and lasting change, said Mr Harrold.
“Collaboration with ambitious partners like Simpsons Malt and PepsiCo Europe is really important. The agronomy team are already involved in that, and I suspect that this approach to how we do business will only grow.”
Plant breeder Limagrain has appointed Florentina Petrescu (pictured below) as the company’s new oilseed rape product manager.
Ms. Petrescu brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role, having held the position of seed specialist with Nickerson for the last eight years. She will oversee the development of Limagrain’s oilseed rape product line.
As a farmer-owned co-operative, Limagrain is at the forefront of developing higher-yielding rape varieties with stronger agronomic characteristics and better disease resistance for growers, said Ms Petrescu.
“Despite recent difficulties, there is much to be positive about with regards to oilseed rape production in the UK. It remains the most profitable break crop, not just in terms of gross output, but also due to the value that sits with oilseed rape meal.”
Changes by NFU Sugar and British Sugar give growers earlier access to varieties and more treatments. For 2024/2025, our portfolio includes: new Gadwall with significantly improved yields; new Hoopoe, an improved solution over Jackdaw to beet cyst nematode; whilst proven performers Wren, Magpie, Adder, Tawny and Osprey have demonstrated excellent establishment and robust yields. Our extensive trials using commercial primed and pelleted varieties across all sugar beet areas is the foundation for selecting varieties and critical to maximise yields. Contact us for more information.
Growers can use sugar beet seed treated with two stacked ingredients for 2025 sowing to protect against soil pests and diseases increasingly causing problems at emergence.
Traditionally, Tachigaren (Hymeazol) has been used to protect against damping off. But the increased presence of maize in rotations plus a wet spring means other pathogens, including Rhizomania and Phoma are more frequent.
The UK is not alone. Mitsui’s Ankit Varma says similar trends have been seen across Europe for some time as climate change leads to a wider range of pathogens attacking seedlings.
“’For this reason we see Rampart (Penthiopyrad) used widely as a partner product with Tachigaren across Europe – for additional protection against Rhizoctania solani and Phoma betae.”
“Further, by stacking Rampart with Tachigaren we can minimise the chance of resistance to a single active ingredient and so provide up to five weeks of broader, systemic protection.”
The product is pending full UK approval. But Mr Varma says changes to UK plant protection products rules in December 2023 mean Mitsui can supply seed to the UK that is treated with this product in the EU where it is already approved and used successfully by beet growers.
After the 2023 decision, SesVanderHave has secured some stocks of seed treated with both products for its 2024 UK trials.
Damping off
“We have been incredibly pleased with the performance this spring as an effective safeguard against damping off,”
protection for year, says Ankit
says SesVanderHave’s Ian Munnery.
““Critically, it is good news for UK growers for spring 2025 that they can gain the same establishment benefits as we have been delivering to growers on the continent. The earlier you can get a crop in and growing, the better next spring.
“With extremely low bolting pressure this year, and the use of primed seed to mitigate the bolting risk we need to ensure the crop gets the best possible early start to support mature plant resistance and reduce the threat
Sugar beet crops look good going into autumn, despite earlier fears of virus yellows, writes Tim Giles, technical manager for SesVanderHave.
But it remains important to be vigilant and monitor crops for new vector borne diseases and old adversaries, with more patches of beet cyst nematode observed this year.
With harvest upon us, my recommendation is to manage your fungicide programme to maximise yields and bank the record sugar prices on this year’s contract.
As plant breeders, we monitor our trial plots and harvest them to gauge the relative performance of different varieties and treatments. We analyse sugar content on the harvester – and measure impurities and other parameters.
This year after the wet winter and late drilling, there are many more gappy crops and our trials were no exception. This is partly due to a broader spectrum of damping off diseases such as Aphanomyces and Rhizoctonia after the wet conditions.
But there is also a broader spectrum of pests hitting the crop whilst still at a relatively juvenile stage. In our trials we see first hand the difference between various treatments, but also freshly processed and over-yeared seed stocks.
Our pre-harvest test digs are show that
sugar beet area. This ensures we don’t fixate on a limited number of replicated sites but stay connected to regional, soil type and management types to help select our growers and ourselves select varieties.
With extensive experience, we’re proud and excited to have fast-tracked our new rhizomania tolerant variety Gadwall and beet cyst nematode tolerant variety Hoopoe for UK growers in 2025.
Sugar beet growers will receive a lower price for next season’s crop – but will share in any market upside.
Price talks between NFU Sugar and British Sugar concluded with what both sides described as a flexible deal for 2025/26. The deal allows growers to split their tonnage between various contract options:
• a one-year fixed price of £33.00/t for up to 70% of the contract
• a one-year contract with a guaranteed base price of £30.70/t plus an improved market-linked bonus;
• a futures-linked price for up to 50% of the contract
Growers can choose to split their tonnage between any of the options. An enhanced Yield Protection option is available for a reduced contract price of £31.60 for the fixed price option or £29.30 for the market-linked bonus and futures options. A cash advance, late delivery allowance
and frost insurance are also being offered. The deal was agreed in July – making it a more timely agreement than the £40/t price agreed for the current crop last December.
NFU Sugar board chairman Michael Sly said: “The offer represents a fair deal in the context of the global market. Importantly it provides growers with a range of choices dependent on their appetite for risk.”
Other aspects of the deal include a yield protection element which acknowledges the continuing threat of virus yellows disease – and the likelihood that the industry will no longer be granted emergency use of neonicotinoid seed treatments.
Mr Sly continued: “The relaxation of the performance rules recognises that some growers may wish to grow less this year but retain their entitlement to grow as normal in future years.”
British Sugar managing director Keith Packer said the processor recognised that flexibility and choice were important to growers – and had made sure that both were at the heart of this year’s offer.
“While the core price reflects the current downturn in sugar markets, we have built in mechanisms which mean growers will share in any potential upside.”
He added: “This means if sugar markets do well, we all do well.”
Mr Packer said: “We have redesigned our seed working model in collaboration and we are now building a different type of contracting model. We will continue to evolve and adapt how we work together. He added: Growers are at the core of our homegrown sugar industry, and we will only succeed if we work together."
Keith Packer: We will share any upside
Growers will be able to choose between various contract options
Anew oilseed rape variety from RAGT’s revamped breeding programme has more than matched expectations in trials by CMG Agronomy in Norfolk.
RGT Blackmoon looked impressive all season in the 3ha strip trial, says CMG director Craig Green. “It was visually greener throughout and put on more biomass than the other three hybrid varieties in the trial. It outstripped them in terms of vigour from the start.”
Further ahead
Craig has used for a couple of seasons; and Academic, which was promoted to the Recommended List last year. Blackmoon was even further ahead of Ambassador, which has been Mr Green’s go-to variety for several years.
Carried out for ADM Agriculture, the trial was min-tilled and drilled on 8 August and had been treated with pig muck. Flea beetle damage was minimal. Seed rates aimed to produce 30 plants/sq m, but the Blackmoon stand ended up thinner than expected.
“There was visually less stubble than with the other varieties, but it still yielded much better,” says Mr Green. “Whether some seed just didn’t emerge I don’t know, but I was really impressed with how it coped.”
Mr Green says he certainly wouldn’t drill the variety any earlier.
“It is very vigorous – if you sow it in late July or the first week of August you might need some sheep. I see it as a later-drilled variety, best sown as you get towards August Bank Holiday or soon after when the main flea beetle migration has finished. That’s where it really fits.
“That said, there is a place for it probably any time in August in directdrilled situations where less nitrogen is released during establishment oper-
RGT Blackmoon is described as a variety with lots of oomph
ations, and where drills are wider and rows take longer to fill in.”
This autumn, Mr Green says he is placing RGT Blackmoon with four oilseed rape growers to compare it with the farm standard or Duplo.
“I want to make sure this result is not a one-off before committing further. But it certainly didn’t pull its punches this season – it genuinely has a lot of oomph about it. Too often you put varieties in a field that are supposed to, but they don’t really show it.
“Vigour is key for me. A small crop at the end of September is always going to be really hard to keep alive. If the crop is up to my shins by Christmas I’m comfortable.”
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Growers using winter wheat seed more than a year old are advised to check its condition before drilling to ensure plant populations do not disappoint.
Above: Seed treatments will remain effective within time limits
free grain store, any loss of germination should be minimal. But germination can be suboptimal where seed has been kept in less than perfect conditions.
“Reductions of 10-20% are common, but in much poorer conditions, where moisture or rodents and insect pests are present, for example, the figure can be much higher.”
as regulations stipulate that it must be disposed of by a specialist contractor, but this comes at a price.
“By far the safest and most economical way of dealing with any overyeared treated seed is to plant it, even if you need to use a very heavy seed rate.”
That’s the advice of Certis Belchim’s seed expert Adam Nears, who says there is likely to be a reasonable quantity of seed carried over from last autumn following many months of wet weather.
Below: Seed samples should be properly tested, says Adam Nears
Seed merchants offer germination tests for customers, or samples can be sent to an independent laboratory like NIAB, which charges about £60/sample.
“Growers worked hard to take drilling opportunities as they occurred, but there is still a proportion of winter wheat seed sat in sheds this summer.
“There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be used this year, but it will need a health check and must be drilled into the most appropriate situation for successful establishment.”
The most important piece of advice is to get samples of over-yeared seed germination tested, says Mr Nears.
Stored in a modern, dry, and rodent
NIAB’s basic analysis includes germination, thousand grain weight and a seed rate chart, to ensure establishment hits the target plant population.
A final consideration is the situation into which over-yeared seed is planted. Mobile seed cleaning and dressing contractors cannot run treated seed through their equipment a second time to apply additional treatments.
Conventional seed treatments may have been applied to the seed, like a single purpose dressing (SPD), with or without take-all product Latitude (silthiofam), says Mr Nears.
These treatments have no negative effect on seed viability and the active substances will remain effective when sown within 12 months of treatment.
Where the germination of a treated seed lot is found to be poor, growers should not be tempted to dump or burn treated seed,
If seed is only treated with an SPD, it will be ill advised to plant it into a field where take-all risk is high, such as a second or third wheat, as the crop won’t be protected against the potentially devastating soil-borne pathogen.
In these cases, Mr Nears says it would be best to plant into a lower risk first wheat situation and use fresh seed treated with and SPD + Latitude in the second wheat slot, where Latitude typically gives a 0.55t/ha yield response.
“The wet and mild winter, followed by a wet spring, plus the abundance of grassweeds that host take-all inevitably mean the build of inoculum poses a significant risk to susceptible following crops.” to should
• Brings agronomists and growers together
• Harnesses technology for better decisions
• Phased launch focuses on four key areas
Anew service aims to make the benefits of precision farming readily accessible without growers having to master all its complexities.
FieldSense uses satellite mapping of soil and crop variability across fields, says ProCam regional technical manager, Nigel Scott, who has been
This is then used to derive varia ble rate input applications tailored to these variations, rather than rely ing on a blanket approach. The goal is to improve economic crop output across the field and bringing environ mental gains.
Accessed via a web browser, the FieldSense system is based on a collab orative approach between the agrono mist and grower – rather than farmers having to do everything themselves,
“It will be the ProCam agronomist who makes sense of the satellite im ages, drawing on their boots on the ground experience of the field and ground-truthing any anomalies that
This can be combined with the farmer’s own knowledge of the field as necessary. Growers can also pick only those parts of the package relevant to their farm and machinery –or begin by trying the system over a
Below: Variable rate drilling and fertiliser applications are just two packages available
“Once maps have been interpret-
Fields are mapped into various sized grids – one hectare squares for soil sampling, 24m grids for variable rate fertiliser spreading, and 6m grids for variable rate drilling, or the most appropriate grid size for the width of machine.
“The variable rate drilling package
multiple years,” , says ProCam regional technical manager Harry James.
“From these, the agronomist will create a variable seed rate plan – to drill more seed in historically lower biomass grid squares and less seed where less is needed – with the aim of achieving a uniform, optimum tiller density over the field.
“In one test, we’ve found that almost double the seed rate was needed in poorer areas of a field to bring tiller numbers back up towards the better areas. Without this knowledge, poorer areas would have been drilled at sub-optimal density, risking suboptimal yield.”
For soil sampling, the location of samples in each hectare is recorded by GPS and shared back to the FieldSense platform. Maps are then used to create variable rate spreading files to correct nutrient deficiencies, and for liming if required.
Variable rate nitrogen application, on the other hand, uses satellite measurements to create a normalised difference vegetation index of the growing crop. Nitrogen is then applied
FieldSense is the latest in a sequence of new services from ProCam. It follows last year’s launch of the SoilSense soil testing and nutrient planning service.
“Growers face increasingly heavy workloads and pressures from legislation and environmental scrutiny while at the same time farm profits are volatile and under pressure,” says ProCam UK managing director Alex Collingwood.
It provides a way to reduce the complexity of precision farming for growers, while bringing greater accuracy to agro-
accordingly.
nomic decisions. In the case of variable rate application of nutrients, potential SFI payments of £27/ha are available.
In essence, FieldSense offers focused use of key inputs for optimum crop output through partnership, technology, and boots-on-the-ground collaboration, adds Mr Collingwood.
“Satellite image field maps are one element of precision farming, but they are just the start. They need underpinning with solid field experience to interpret and make sense of them.”
These are taken every 5-7 days on a 10m x 10m grid or every 3-5 days on a 3m x 3m grid. The aim is to use variable rate nitrogen to produce the optimum green area index (GAI) over the whole field.
Farm-testing in oilseed rape where GAI in March was found to vary from
means better
a near optimum of 3.0 to just 1.0, showed that by varying N dose between 60 to 90 kg/ha, crop uniformity was corrected by early June.
In fields where yield mapping is carried out on the combine harvester, yield data can also be uploaded into FieldSense to guide future agronomic decisions.
www.agrisupplyservices.co.uk admin@goldingham-contracts.co.uk
• Mixed approach bears best results
• Be flexible – but also be disciplined
• Trials site helps solve conundrum
Early-sown winter wheat is yielding well and profitable once again on heavy land at Agrovista’s flagship trials site in Northamptonshire – despite a huge background blackgrass population.
“Historically, if wheats weren’t drilled by mid October you risked not getting them in at all,” says Agrovista consultant and Lamport AgX trials co-ordinator Niall Atkinson. “But going earlier was asking for trouble.”
The Lamport AgX trials site has solved this conundrum, says Mr Atkinson – by using sequences of autumn cover crops and spring break crops to reduce blackgrass, minimising soil movement and improving soil health.
This strategy – supported by an appropriate herbicide programme -- has proved itself over several very different seasons. “After a run of autumn cover crop/spring breaks, we are now successfully alternating winter wheat with a cover/spring break.”
Above left to right: The Lamport AgX trials site and trials coordinator Niall Atkinson
In 2023, first winter wheats averaged just under 10.5t/ha following a range of crops, with some plots exceeding 12t/ha, with almost no blackgrass – a big improvement from a decade ago when blackgrass populations exceeded 2000 plants/m2.
“You need to choose your fields carefully and stick to the guidelines or risk going backwards.
“You also need to be reactive – if something goes wrong and blackgrass starts taking hold, you may need to delay your first wheat and grow a further cover crop/spring crop break.”
Farming systems
You need to choose your
Much of the work carried out at Lamport can attract valuable Sustainable Farming Incentive payments. But whole field SFI actions are proving difficult to integrate into rotations at Lamport due to the enormous blackgrass challenge.
Over-winter cover crops, the mainstay of operations to control blackgrass and improve soil health, are currently worth £129/ha, but that’s just the start. Several other options that now attract payments under the scheme are under scrutiny.
Winter bird food (AHL2) and legume fallow (CNUM3), look tempting on paper, paying £853 and £593/ ha/year respectively. But both plots, drilled in April, have been destroyed. Hamish Wardrop, Agrovista’s rural consultancy national manager, said: “The winter bird food established OK but there was a mass of grass weeds as well, and the pressure was too high to continue with it on this site.
“The legume fallow also established reasonably well, but it suffered badly with slugs, flea beetle and weevil. And we also have grassweed pressure.
“These actions can be a good choice in some situations, but you have to go in with your eyes open. We can't lose sight of what we are trying to achieve in bringing back first wheats into the rotation.”
Low-input cereal action (AHW10) aims to create an open-structured cereal crop that encourages wildflower species to grow within it, providing habitat and summer foraging for birds, pollinators and wildlife.
It pays £354/ha/year, and a further £129/ha is available for a preceding over-winter cover crop. Normal fertiliser, fungicide and growth regulator inputs and rates are permitted –but herbicides are restricted.
“You have to sow the cash crop at a reduced seed rate – we chose spring oats and went at two-thirds rate, or 270 seeds/sq m,” explains AgroVista technical manager Mark Hemmant.
“We have to select carefully where to grow it on at Lamport, but we have achieved the aims; while is a little bit of blackgrass coming through, if you are well on top of grassweeds and have a good rotation, it could be useful.”
The benefits of adding beans to a spring wheat crop at 10 seeds/sq m
are also being assessed. That would attract a £55/ha companion crop payment under SFI for a seed cost of about £15/ha, and could help mitigate take-all.
“The net benefit of what you spend on bean seed compared what you get back looks good, provided there are no adverse effects on blackgrass control or yield,” says Mr Hemmant.
Above left to right: Septembersown first wheat; spring wheat and 10 beans; and low input cereal
The beans were destroyed at flag leaf timing as some inputs are not approved for that crop, but the crops appear to have thrived.
“Black oats in the cover crop aren’t enough to prevent take-all in a wheatdominated rotation in an autumn like 2023. But if we introduce wheat plus beans in the spring, the undoubted soil benefits might change things”
• Call for action plan from government
• Farm leaders want proper deals
• Defra minister to address conference
Compensation and the impact of flooding on farm businesses will be among the topics discussed at a top conference this autumn.
The Flood & Water Conference will bring together farm leaders, government representatives, local authorities and other delegates. Organised by the Association of Drainage Authorities, it will take place on 13 November in London.
Speakers will include Defra floods minister Emma Hardy MP. Following widespread flooding last winter and spring, she is expected to outline the government’s strategy and water management plans.
NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos will also address the conference.
The NFU has repeatedly called for a clear government plan to protect farmers and other agricultural businesses against flooding.
As a priority, it says this should recognise the public goods that farmers deliver – and include a proactive management plan for Environment Agency controlled watercourses and flood defences.
The NFU says farmland is often used to store flood water at great cost to the landowner to protect surrounding urban areas. It says farmers must be fairly paid for this with proper agreements that ensure land is able to properly recover.
Cambridgeshire fenland farmer Michael Sly, who chairs the North Level District Internal Drainage Board, will also address the conference. He manages water levels across 34,000ha between Peterborough and Wisbech.
Mr Sly, who spent ten years on the Anglian Northern Regional Flood & Coastal Committee, farms 2,000ha across three farming businesses in north Cambridgeshire and south Lincolnshire.
Floods last winter were described
Right: Floods minister Emma Hardy: conference speaker
Below: Water management needs a better strategy, say industry leaders
Farmers must be fairly paid for this “
as unprecedented in terms of their impact on farming livelihoods – es pecially for growers and livestock pro ducers in parts of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.
Agricultural specialist Mark Chat terton, a director at accountants Dun can & Toplis, said the floods were the worst he had seen at any time in his 24-year career – largely due to their scale and timing.
Debris removal
Flooding was especially costly because heavy rainfall began after winter crops had already been planted, he said. “We thought 2019 was bad – the worst flooding for many, many years – but this truly is unprecedented.”
Farms which remained waterlogged for weeks also had to cover the cost of removing extensive debris left behind. Meanwhile, livestock will be subjected to additional stress meaning they may not be ready for spring markets.
“All of this means that the floods
this year have been far more costly for farmers than in 2019 and farms will face further costs as a direct result for years to come, likely with a poor harvest this year and poor cash flow for 2025.
“Speaking to farming families that had made all the right decisions, working day in and day out to run a profitable business only to find their profits washed away in front of their eyes is truly heart breaking.”
For conference details, visit www.ada.org.uk
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• Wet season puts pressure on stores
• Remember Farming Rules for Water
• Grants and storage advice available
Livestock producers are being reminded to prepare now for winter slurry storage – and contact the Environment Agency with any concerns.
Wet weather throughout the year has already put pressures on slurry stores. And with further rain expected, the agency says it is important to have enough storage and a robust back
Wet weather can have a profound impact
up plan in place.
The agency’s Winter Ready campaign aims to support livestock producers across the country facing slurry storage issues. It includes some simple steps and solutions to tackle slurry storage issues:
• Ensure storage capacity is adequate for the winter – without the need to spread. Six months of storage will help comply with the requirements of the Farming Rules for Water to spread only according to crop and soil need.
• Cover slurry tanks, lagoons and pits – and ensure draining and clear guttering are working to ensure separa-
Storage capacity should be adequate for winter – and include a robust back-up plan
tion of clean and dirty water, meaning less rainwater mixes with slurry to increase its volume.
• Refrain from taking sludge, digestate or other materials if you don’t have an immediate need for them. Even if you are contracted to take these materials, all producers have a responsibility to ensure bi-products and waste are properly disposed of.
Nicola Riley, the agency’s deputy director for agriculture, said: “We know the profound impact that wet weather can have on farmers and their slurry storage. It is important we help farmers to get ready ahead of time.” Agency staff were on hand to help farmers find the most appropriate solutions, said Ms Riley. Defra had already offered a Slurry Infrastructure Grant to help farmers improve or expand slurry storage capacity and make better use of organic nutrients.
Other support includes a range of capital items available through Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants that can support farmers to reduce the amount of slurry generated on their farm.
This includes slurry store covers, roofing, concrete yards and drainage systems. A Catchment Sensitive Farming advisor can visit farms and provide advice on how these can best be utilised, said Ms Riley.
Many farmers have voiced concern about the best way to manage increased volumes of water. High rainfall this year means many farmers have accumulated more slurry. Yet at the same time they have been unable to spread it on their fields.
Scientists at Rothamsted Sesearch are pioneering a farmer-led water quality monitoring scheme as part of their new partnership with the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG).
Launched in May 2022, the EFG is a farmer-owned, farmer-led environmental cooperative aimed at securing the best environmental results and financial returns for a wide range of natural capital goods and services.
Members of the group have committed to ambitious environmental outcomes in the
form of restoring biodiversity loss, getting cleaner water in our rivers and moving to net carbon zero farming by 2040.
The EFG started in the Hampshire Avon catchment, bringing together five existing Farmer Clusters into a proper legal entity, able to deliver more ambitious outcomes by working together.
Rothamsted professor Adie Collins has been helping EFG design a water quality monitoring scheme which enables farmers
to better understand how they can benefit by reducing farm pollution in chalk streams.
“This number of farmers working together in a coordinated way will have the capacity to make a real difference to water quality and other outcomes from farming as they face the extant climate change crisis.”
EFG chairman Rob Shepherd said more than 400 farmers had joined the group to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. “As farmers, we need to look to these emerging markets to support our contribution to the environment and food production.”
Variable wheat yields this harvest are due to a number of factors – with drainage playing a key role in crop performance.
Some wheat crops have performed extremely well given the extremely challenging season, while others have barely reached half their potential –sometimes even within the same field.
The trend seems to be better or freedraining soils have maintained their yield capabilities, albeit with no record yields. Conversely, heavier and more poorly structured soils have seen
Disease pressure played a key part “
their potential plummet.
More significantly, it has all been about soil drainage and root development. The ratio of 20:1 – the final above ground biomass production to below ground root production – tells you everything.
If root development is hindered, the knock-on effect on biomass will be all too evident.
The effects of temporary root drowning were not only limited to the winter. In some areas, heavy rain late in the season caused premature senescence just as the crop approached ripening.
Lack of biomass was all too evident from early spring onwards. Wet soils hindered uptake of nitrogen at a vital stage. Lack of sunshine has significantly hindered biomass production.
This lack of sunshine was particularly
early in the season at the construction phase – and many crops never caught up during the critical growth stages of the growing season that followed.
“In the latter stages it has not helped with grain fill either, subsequently bushel weights have suffered. Elevated temperatures towards the end of the growing season also led to accelerated leaf aging leading to negative effects in the grain filling phase.”
That said, lower temperatures throughout most of the critical spring
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and summer growth period helped to reduce the stress on crops.
Blackgrass control, or lack of it will have impacted yield, not because of poor residual control in the autumn, quite the contrary, because of the wet spring surviving plants were able to negate the effects of the autumn residuals.
Disease pressure played a key part in most areas.
Septoria pressure was high in the early part of the season, continuing
Better drained soils with a good structure will help get the best from crops
through the critical months of April and May. The early drilled crops as expected were at the greatest risk with many growers struggling to keep leaf two clean.
Rust was a major risk this season, both yellow and brown in susceptible varieties, once in the crop in the base of the crop fungicide programmes struggled to hold the disease beyond three weeks.
Fusarium and ergot are more prevalent this year than most, primarily because of a wet flowering period. Other issues also mean it is no wonder we have seen a range of yields across farms and even fields.
Partly because the wet soils delayed applications, BYDV was more common among winter than spring crops this season. The wet winter did not help with take-all in cereals this year either, it has even shown through in first cereals.
Neil Watson is technical support manager for agronomy specialists Hutchinsons.
Better water management is vital to improve farm profitability – while making food production more sustainable, says an irrigation expert.
Practices which optimise water consumption while enhancing soil health will become essential as farmers grapple with climate change, says Jerry Knox, professor of agricultural water management at Cranfield University.
“We can’t continue to produce and consume food the same way we have in the past. Reconciling the water needs for food, the environment, energy and society remains a significant but surmountable challenge, as well as an opportunity for change.”
Prof Knox outlines ways this can be achieved in a new book called Improving water management in agriculture: Irrigation and food production. Published this summer, the book highlights techniques to improve water usage.
The book – Improving Water Management in Agriculture –is a Burleigh Dodds Science publication. For details see www.bdspublishing.com.
See us at Agri Expo -March 7th
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• Fast-growing options are available
• Mixes can qualify for SFI payment
• Lots of advice on hand for growers
Farmers facing a lack of homegrown forage this winter could grow an autumn catch-crop –and unlock additional revenue from the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Lack of sunshine has restricted grass and maize growth. But one way to plug the forage gap is to plant a catch crop, suggests Simon Montgomery of ProCam. Growers have three main options, he adds.
“They can either drill a fast-growing single species ryegrass ley, choose a triticale based multi-species mixture – which has the advantage of qualifying for an SFI payment under the SAM2 classification – or look at a forage and rye mix.”
High performance
For the first option, Mr Montgomery recommends ProCam’s Hurricane III mix from the company’s Field Options range. Based on a high performance hardy diploid Westerwold ryegrass, it is ideal where grass is required in a hurry, he says.
“Sown after maize, its combination of complementary varieties produces big cuts of silage early in the spring.”
UK trials show Hurrican III can deliver as much as 9t/ha of dry matter per hectare, says Mr Montgomery. “It is also suitable for spring and autumn grazing when managed correctly and will easily persist for at least 12 months.”
bust and faster establishing than forage rye which makes it ideal for the production of spring forage for early stock turnout and to reduce the reliance on bought-in feed when silage
For producers interested a growing multi-species catch crop, which is eligible for an SFI payment, ProCam’s T101 N-Max seed mixture could more appropriate. It is based on an 80:20 mixture of forage triticale and hairy winter vetch.
“The triticale element is more ro-
Growers have three main catch crop options, says Simon Montgomery
“N-Max meets the SAM2 specification by providing over-winter ground cover which scavenges existing nutrients and prevents leaching losses and reduces soil erosion. It also excels at suppressing autumn weeds.
“Thanks to its ability to withstand even the harshest of winters which enables it to keep growing through the winter, it has the best potential for producing spring biomass with a similar feed value to forage rye.”
As a third option, N-Rich is also suitable for drilling after maize. Occupying the middle ground for farmers who might want to grow a triticale-based ley, it comprises an 80:20 split of forage rye and hairy winter vetch varieties.
“It too continues to grow even in very hard winters and produces a good biomass for spring cutting or can be grazed from January onwards. It is also SAM2 compliant which means producers can also benefit from an SFI payment.”
from Aldi supply partner Kepak. It says this will champion Great British quality while enhancing the quality and range of beef available to customers.
beef. It says the investment will allow farmers to plan confidently and provide security for supply chains up and down the country.
Part of the deal includes a five-year £260 million contract to purchase Aberdeen Angus beef
Aldi buyer Julie Ashfield said: “As the UK’s largest British beef retailer, we’re proud of our long-term relationships with British farmers across the country.
“The UK farming community plays a vital role in our food supply chains - our continued investment in British beef is in recognition of this and means we can continue to provide the best quality British products for our customers.”
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Opening Show & Sale of NEMSA Mule Lambs
Tuesday 17th September
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Thursday 19th & Friday 20th September
Pedigree Texel Rams & Females
Tuesday 24th September
2nd Show & Sale of NEMSA Mule Gimmer Lambs
Full list of sales can be found on the website
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Aslow-release feed product aims to provide pig and poultry producers with a cost-effective alternative to fishmeal.
While fishmeal can be a valuable protein source in livestock diets, it is becoming limited by cost, availability and sustainability concerns, says Joe Magadi technical manager at nutritional supplement manufacturer UFAC-UK.
“Pig and poultry farmers are increasingly looking at economically viable protein alternatives – without compromising performance,” he says. This means considering digestibility, palatability and anti-nutritional factors.
Omegapro is a slow-release product which incorporates a blend of carefully selected marine oils, amino acids, glycerine and minerals, processed on a base of soya and vegetable protein concentrates, to provide the equivalent benefits of fishmeal.
As well as supplying highly digestible amino acids alongside glucose and minerals, it also provides preformed omega 3 fatty acids which are essential for health and vitality in piglets, broilers and pullets, as well as breed-
ing and laying hens.
“These fatty acids found in marine sources are conditionally essential for pigs and poultry – but cannot be obtained sufficiently from alpha-linolenic acid in vegetable oil, because of poor conversion efficiency by the animals.”
Omegapro includes highly digestible calcium and phosphorus sources and offers consistent nutritional value. Mr Magadi says this makes it a costeffective one-to-one replacement for fishmeal.
The product has performed well in UK trials, he adds. In one trial, two groups of 30 piglets were weaned at 18-
Poultry producers are being advised to take care when including new season grain in broiler diets – because doing so can impact feed conversion and performance.
The variable metabolizable energy content of freshly harvested grain can have a detrimental effect on poultry production, says Elanco technical consultant Alex Sly (below). This means it should be introduced carefully into diets.
Alternative feed Omegapro has performed well in UK trials
21 days – and balanced for liveweight (6-7kg) before being introduced to feed seven days before weaning.
The piglets were either fed a diet containing 7.5% South American Fishmeal or one with 7.5% Omegapro as the fishmeal replacer. Both rations were balanced for energy, protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
Omegapro provides feed compounders and home mixers with an economical alternative to fishmeal that is consistent in quality and without adverse effect on pigs and poultry. It can be incorporated into feed at a rate of up to 10%.
The visits chunks of undigested wheat in the litter and other signs suggesting birds were struggling to adapt.
Grain matures over three to four months in storage – with moisture-dependent biochemical and enzymic changes removing some antinutritive properties. “This can help improves feed conversion rate and dry matter digestibility.”
The viscous properties of non-starch polysaccharides in fresh grain can slow the passage of feed through the gut and create a favourable environment for harmful bacteria to grow. “Feeding newly harvested grain can be problematic.”
Undigested wheat
Ms Sly says improvements in digestibility have significant implications on the timing of grain usage in animal feeds. Understanding this can help to optimise feed strategies and improve animal health and welfare.
Such challenges were noted during the 2023 season while conducting on-farm visits through Elanco's Health Tracking System.
Birds can struggle with new season grain
“Careful management of raw materials leading up to harvest and even blending of new season crops with older grain is an option but isn’t always possible due to raw material availability and limited storage space at facilities.”
to combat anti-nutritional factors and improve nutrient digestibility in diets or to use feed additives to support Intestinal Integrity, says Ms Sly.
A more practical approach is to increase the level of enzymes
“Pre and probiotics can help to maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, which can support digestion and nutrient absorption, and help to mitigate any potential negative impacts on gut health from changes in the diet.”
High quality maize fed in a simple forage-based system is helping a Nottinghamshire dairy producer deliver higher margins more efficiently.
Supplying high-quality milk for Long Clawson Stilton cheese production, SW & CJ Jukes achieve more than 60% of their milk from forage and a margin over purchased feed (MOPF) of almost £2300/cow.
Steve Jukes says the aim is to pro duce the highest quality milk possible while keeping costs low – and avoid ing an over-reliance on complex ma chinery or expensive infrastructure.
“We’re a family run business and want to keep farming that way into the future, so we’re not trying to produce the highest yields possible and intro duce a lot of stress into the system for the sake of it.
“So, for example, we’re currently producing 6700 litres/cow/year from a 115-strong commercial British Frie
“Grass silage is made in big bales, the maize we produce is Ag-bagged and we don’t even own a mixer wagon, finding we get perfectly good results from simply layering maize on top of the grass silage in the winter.
“Rolling butterfat is currently over 4.8%, protein is 3.55% and MOPF is £2283/cow/year. We’re also getting
we’re achieving our objective of running a low stress, sustainable business with a focus on quality.”
The day-to-day work on the Jukes’ Gables Farm, near Newark, is carried out by Mr Jukes, his wife Carina and their son Ollie, with the 135 acres in their ownership supplemented by 20 acres of rented land.
“We’re not adverse to investing and adopting new technology when it is necessary, but it has to stack up financially,” Mr Jukes explains.
“We try and keep grassland management fairly simple and not use too much nitrogen plus we’re only reseeding where necessary and that is pretty much the way it has been for the last 60 years.
“We’re big fans of maize, though, and have been growing it for over 20 years. It’s become a vital part of our feeding regime, not just during the winter, but we also feed it as buffer at times when the cows are at grass.”
According to Malcolm Coulby of MRC Agriculture, who advises the Jukes on feeding and variety choice,
“We’re aiming for a roughly 50:50 mix of grass silage to maize in the ration and the maize has a lot of work to do in providing the energy needed to drive the yields and the high levels butterfat and protein required by
“The farm’s location suits early varieties and in the past we have seen good results with ES Lovely, but last year all the 12ha (30 acres) grown were ES Bonnie and that is the case again this year.
“Bonnie is a maturity class 8 variety which means it is appropriate for most parts of the UK, apart from the more marginal areas, and combines early cob ripeness with high yields of forage, even in regions with
“Good starch levels together with very high overall digestibility and, in particular a cell wall digestibility of
59.6%, mean the high levels of energy contained are easily accessible to the cows, so you get the best of both worlds.
“Yield at Gables Farm last year was around 50t/ha (20t/acre) freshweight at 32-33% drymatter with a maize specific additive recommended by MRC Agriculture added at Ag-bagging to rapidly drop pH and minimise any potential wastage.
“The maize went on to give a metabolisable energy of 11.8MJ/kg dry matter, 31.3% starch and 81.5% starch degradability with a D-value of 75.3.”
Best maize ever
Mr Jukes says they saw the best maize ever produced on the farm last year and this has certainly contributed to the lift in milk from forage from the 52% of the previous year to the current 61%.
“Good quality maize makes such a difference to us and you really notice it as soon as you start feeding it. There’s not a lot else in the ration so it’s very obvious when things are not quite right.
“Consistency and reliability of production is therefore key, because the last thing we want to be doing is having to buy in a lot of extra feed if we get things wrong.
“Our objective will always be to keep an eye on costs, produce a highquality product from as much home grown forage as we can and keep things as simple as possible.”
Milk producers concerned about winter feedstocks should make the most of maize this year – including seeking out extra supplies.
With many arable producers drilling maize due to the difficulty of establishing winter and spring crops in recent months, additional sources of both forage and grain maize could be readily available for winter feeding, says Neil Groom of Grainseed.
"It's been a real challenge for many producers. Any stocks of surplus forage have been largely used up by the late turn out and grassland generally has taken a real hammering from the weather and is only just starting to recover.
"The wet spring meant many producers were unable to apply the right amounts of fertiliser required when it was needed, with the overall result that both quantity and quality of grassland for grazing and ensiling has been compromised.”
One factor that could be working in milk producers' favour is the increased amount of maize now being produced as part of arable rotations, says Mr Groom.
"We've seeing a considerable uplift in maize seed requested by arable producers, many of whom are considering growing the crop for the first time in 2024.
"Dairy farms are often limited in the area of maize that can be grown, especially if they are grazing grass too, and a partnership where maize silage is grown and muck or slurry is swapped for nutrient supply can work well for both parties.
"To be cost-effective and keep transport
Above: Large area of arable maize is grown but surplus forage has largely been used up Inset: Neil Groom: A real challenge
costs down, it's probably best to look for producers within ten miles of the dairy unit, but for larger volumes and longer distances, lorries can be economical, too."
In addition to forage, grain maize is a great source of energy for dairy cows and an ideal component of TMRs, he points out.
"Grain maize contains more starch and energy than other cereal grains and has a relatively high level of bypass starch which travels through the rumen undegraded and is digested further down the digestive tract.
"This reduces the speed of fermentation and minimises possible dietary upsets, such as acidosis, in a mixed cereal diet."
Jim Juby, of Horizon Seeds, says growers also need to brush up on their silage making and con servations techniques to ensure they are not losing any vital kgs of production or nutrients in the clamp.
"Top priority is to keep as much oxygen out of the clamp as possible with applying wall film the first operation to be considered.
“Make sure the clamp is as clean as pos sible then line the walls with side sheeting to make sure oxygen cannot enter through them, this will also protect the concrete from silage acids.
“Ideally, leave 0.5m of film at the base of the walls and an extra 1m at the top of the wall so this can be folded back over the shoulders once the clamp is full. Make the silage surface as dense and smooth as possible by lots of rolling.”
Choice of film for the top of the clamp is also important with modern silage films not only making the ensiling process quicker and more reliable but also delivering a significant return on investment, says Mr Juby.
“High oxygen barrier (HOB) films can help reduce wastage and ensure more of the forage energy clamped is available for milk production.
“Used properly, they can virtually eliminate top-layer shrinkage losses which means as well as being able to offer cows better quali-
Farmers are being offered feefree lending, financial support and resources for agroforestry projects over £25,000.
Lloyds Banking Group says the deal is available through its Clean Growth Financing Initiative (CGFI), which aims to help farmers reduce their environmental impact.
“Integrating trees with crops or livestock can help boost overall farm income and resilience,” said Lloyds agriculture sustainability director Ben Makowiecki.
“Agroforestry can significantly enhance farm productivity through higher land equivalent ratios (LER) compared to single crops, potentially achieving 120-140% productivity.”
“This makes the land work harder, utilising vertical space, while bringing broader benefits, including increased biodiversity, enhanced soil health, improved water management and shade for animals.”
Thorough financial planning and projections to demonstrate profitability and debt serviceability are vital for these types of projects, he added.
"We’ll fund agroforestry in the same way as other sustainable farming projects through CGFI, but it's crucial to have a clear, comprehensive plan.”
“This ensures all aspects of the project, from initial costs to long-term maintenance and market considerations, are thoroughly accounted for.”
Tips for farmers considering agroforestry projects include forecasts and budgets up to the time trees start producing commercially viable fruit. Financial planning is important beyond this phase.
“Think about ongoing pruning and maintenance, replacing dead trees, and ensuring a defined market is in place for new produce.”
“If you’re growing fruit or nuts for the first time, you may need extra grading or packing and storage equipment. Also, budget for new trees and identify end uses for timber as the agroforestry area expands.”
The Lloyds Banking Group remained committed to offering farmers guidance to help implement more sustainable, profitable farming practices, said Mr Makowiecki.
The Woodland Trust’s Trees for Your Farm scheme has provided funding advice to help farmers set up agroforestry systems since 2013.
Funded by Sainsbury's, the trust has helped create over 260 schemes and raised the profile of agroforestry. It also offers up to 100% funding support where appropriate to farms which meet its criteria.
The trust has called on the government to accelerate planting rates by announcing increased investment in this autumn’s spending. It also wants significant improvements in restoration and protection for existing woods and trees.
Agroforestry can maintain or even enhance the farm’s main agricultural output while improving the resilience of the business, says the trust. At the same time, it can help to protect soils, rivers, biodiversity and the climate.
Above: The Woodland Trust wants the government to accelerate planting rates
Trees and shrubs are a critical tool in supporting the farm with changing weather patterns, says the trust. But only 3% of the UK’s farmed area practises agroforestry – less than half the European average.
Systems can be designed to avoid the potential trade-offs that occur in many modern farming systems between food production and public goods, like clean air. “It’s a win-win for farming and the environment,” says the trust.
To accelerate this transition, the bank had partnered with Soil Association Exchange (SAX) – a farm assessment tool and consultancy service – funding access for existing clients.
Agroforestry
can enhance farm productivity
Using SAX, farmers could assess their current environmental impact and evaluate where to make changes while identifying options. This could help open up investment.
Sources could include combining sustainability-linked bank lending alongside schemes such as Sustainable Farming Incentive or the Woodland Trust MoreWoods scheme, sponsored by Lloyds Bank, which covers up to 75% of planting costs.
Thousands of visitors are set to attend the APF 2024 event this month at Ragley Estate, Warwickshire
More than 300 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors are expected at this month’s APF 2024 event – a one-stop-shop for everything concerning woodlands, trees and timber.
Taking place on 19-21 September, the three-day extravaganza will feature more than £80m of working equipment – much of it designed small woodlands and individual trees – at the Ragley Estate, Warwickshire.
Visitors can get advice on woodland creation, management and the latest grant schemes. Nurseries can assist with species choice, sizes and site suitability. Almost every manufacturer and dealer of woodland and arboricultural machinery are exhibiting.
Exhibition Secretary Ian Millward said: “The show’s reputation for being the place to demonstrate your products and equipment and sell them into the forestry, woodland, arboriculture is a major attraction to exhibitors given they will have a targeted audience.”
Events and competitions including the Husqvarna World 25m pole climbing championships, the A.W. Jenkinson and Tilhill European chain-
APF 24 will feature more than £80m of working machinery
Below: Ian Millward: The place to demonstrate products and equipment
tions of horse logging and the opportunity to have-a-go and try your hand at handling these powerful animals.
A key feature of APF 2024 is the Fencing Village. All of the UK’s top suppliers and manufacturers of materials and equipment will be there demonstrating the latest tools, equipment, machinery and materials including the latest metal clip fencing recently approved for grant schemes.
When you have seen all the equip-
with five previous winners and two of the top four from recent television competition Top Carve. All the carvings will be auctioned off on Saturday from 2pm so come along and treat yourself to a unique sculpture.
Watch the Husqvarna World 25m pole climbing championships, the APF Open tree climbing championships, the UK Lumberjacks competition, the world log to leg pole lathe championships and the British Open fencing championships for both metal Clipex fencing and traditional post and wire fencing.
The traditional woodland crafts area continues to be a very big draw for visitors with the largest variety of crafts on display anywhere in the UK. Clogs to coracles, charcoal to chairs, wheelwrights to basket makers, and rakes to rustic carpentry. If you want to know what a ‘Sussex pimp’ is, this will be the place to find out!
Many of the craftsmen and women will be happy to let you try your hand at a new skill. See every phase of charcoal burning from stacking the kiln to the finished product.
Horse logging is a valuable method of timber extraction on sensitive sites and the British Horse Loggers will be
Getting young people interested and involved with managing, creating and looking after forests, woodland and trees is vital if we are to achieve the UK’s tree planting targets, reduce our reliance on imported timber, and maintain the health of our existing trees and woodlands.
To this end, APF 2024 has teamed up with the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) and Confor to show young people what happens in a modern work ing woodland; everything from seed to sawmill. There is a huge range of career opportunities on offer and a lot more to it than wearing a checked shirt and carrying an axe!
Around 800 school children will attend the event and be given a guided tour of the show by the RFS Learning and Outreach team.
They will see the process of growing a tree from seed, how to plant it, look after it and the Events &
running demonstrations and giving advice on all matters horse logging. You will even have a chance to get be hind the reins and try it for yourself.
APF is keen to get visitors involved and try their hand at a new skill. To this end the Great Big Tree Climbing company will be enabling you to try tree climbing using a rope and harness. Test your head for heights and see if a career in arboriculture is for you. No excuses for not trying as the minimum age is just six years old!
If you have never tried pole climb ing before, come to the arena and have a go at winning the best beginner’s prize. You can also gauge your skill with a chainsaw in complete safety us ing the Husqvarna chainsaw simula tor and see how fast you can cut the branches off a tree.
And if after watching the axemen you fancy a go at axe throwing your self, then you will be able to try it out under supervision of the pros.
Experts from across the forestry sec tor will be sharing their knowledge and views in the Seminar Tent, hosted by Confor (Confederation of Forest Industries UK).
many ways that timber can be utilised from building, furniture, woodchips, firewood and charcoal. They will learn about the environmental benefits of tree planting and about careers as foresters, tree surgeons and engineers, with much of the modern equipment needing advanced computer and hydraulic engineer ing skills.
APF 2024 recognises the importance of teach
Areas of interest
• Arb Worker Zone
• Fencing Village
• Forest Worker Zone
• Woodland Crafts Area Competitions
• A.W. Jenkinson & Tilhill European Chainsaw Carving Championships
• British Tree Climbing Competition
• Husqvarna World 25m Pole Climbing Championships
Topics of discussion range from small woodland management and agroforestry systems to biosecurity and innovations in the industry.
Stuart Goodall, Confor Chief Executive, said: “Once again, the APF team have done a fantastic job in putting together the biggest and best forestry show in the UK. The exhibition
Land Workers Alliance Lantra
Royal Forestry Society Small Woods Association
A.W. Jenkinson Euroforest Forestry Journal Husqvarna Tilhill
“The APF occupies a special place in the forestry calendar, bringing together people from every corner of forestry, arboriculture, wood products and biomass. It is a unique and valuable experience for anyone with even a passing interest in what our industry does.”
The Seminar Tent is sponsored by the Forestry Commission and Forest Research. demonstrations are a key part of the event
website (www.apfexhibition.co.uk). Everyone is welcome!
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No matter how hard you work, much of farming is sometimes down to luck. From the time of autumn drilling, for example, you can only guess which of your combinable crops will achieve a decent yield at harvest.
Even in a good season, it’s hard to know whether the vast amounts of cash we invest in farm inputs is money well spent. Sprayer operator comments like “it’s a bit thin in the middle” or “the field is full of blackgrass” are no help either.
Last autumn was difficult for all crops. Tough decisions had to be made: whether to drill crops in poor conditions? Or abandon the job until the spring in the hope that sodden soils would be drier?
Some of us are suckers for punishment. Even after deciding to drill in the autumn, we then changed our mind and decided to spray off newly sown crops and redrill in the spring – causing yet more financial pain.
Best decision
So which decision proved to be most cost effective?
Probably the decision – although not always through choice – that meant fields were not cropped at all. Instead, they were left fallow for the best part of 12 months, paving the way for a blackgrass-free entry for the autumn 2024 crop of wheat.
I’ve always found it interesting to listen to different farmers and their different views on the financial ups and downs of farming. It has been suggested that a wheat crop yielding 4 tonnes per acre on poorer land is always best followed by fallow. Why? Because yields on second wheats and winter barley rarely stack up financially.
One local farm cropped a second cereal with winter barley. Less than ideal seedbeds left him fretting about whether he had done the right thing. Having sown the crop, he spent the next few months wondering if he should redrill with spring barley.
Having sold the crop forward – which resulted in a £50 per tonne bonus – to his dismay the yield reduction was a worrying 22% down on previous years. An expected 3.7 tonne crop yielded just 2.8 tonnes per acre.
Even with the increased revenue from selling forward, this local grower still believes he lost money due to lower yields.
Last autumn was hard for everyone “
Having adjusted his spending on the barley crop to accommodate the fall in yield, the big question remains: whether it was right to drill in the autumn? With the spring barley around the corner, the answer will soon become apparent.
Then there is the challenge and added expense of putting right soil after a sodden year. With much land still recovering from the deluge of water, compaction has to be reversed and that will require extra cultivation.
A rent reduction to compensate for the added expense is unlikely – especially with land coming onto the market attracting rents in the region of £200/acre and landlords demanding stable incomes for the foreseeable future.
That means focusing on input costs. The drive to make savings means even the cutting height of the combine header is under the microscope. Lower cutting heights mean more straw and a bigger swath can boost the bank balance.
The general consensus – and not just from farmers – suggests that machinery is too expensive and must therefore work harder to earn its keep.
Having said that, one dealer I know says selling kit is not a problem – the big challenge is the aftercare and employing the right people to back-up sales. So too is extracting the money from some farms.
With fewer youngsters coming into the industry there are fewer people about with a good understanding of farm machinery. That means if the laptop says no, a quick parts replacement can soon incur a costly bill.
It all adds up to a challenging time. And with the new Chancellor expected to announce a raft of cuts in this autumn’s Budget, a variable harvest may be the least of our worries – whether we farm big or small.
