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Aer an unsurprisingly disappointing harvest for many, it is time to leave the challenges of last season behind as the 2024-25 season gets underway.
Unfortunately, the soils do not forget that easily and therefore remediating damaged ground left in last season’s wake will be at the forefront of many growers’ minds. With heavy rainfall having hammered the soil structure of many fields, we sought advice from soil specialist Philip Wright ahead of autumn and spring drilling (see page 50).
Last season’s extreme wet weather will have also no doubt shaken some into bringing drilling dates forward, despite the potential impact on weed control. On p10 we get advice from ADAS weed expert John Cussans on ways to tackle black-grass in warmer, wetter climates.
Looking to the future with new technologies for grassweed control, this autumn the One Smart Spray project – a partnership made up of Bosch, Chafer Machinery, BASF Digital Farming and Rothamsted Research – is set to enter the field with a full-scale prototype intelligent sprayer. Eighteen months into the three-year project, the system aims to develop the use of precision farming technology and artificial intelligence to help target black-grass (see p22).
With summer comes the usual events, and this year’s Groundswell was the biggest yet, with growers keen to learn more about the latest talking points in regenerative farming and, more importantly, how they affect the bottom line.
According to Ohio farmer and agronomist John Kempf, adopting a regenerative farming approach can have an immediate economic benefit if managed well (see p29). Closer to home, we heard the experiences of three farming businesses adopting more sustainable
farming practices (see p43) and the financial impact it has had on them.
And finally, recent weeks have seen major movement on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) – as according to Defra, just under 5,300 farmers have expressed an interest to apply for the expanded SFI offer since May (see p8).
AHDB has said the scheme ‘seems to be moving in the right direction for some farmers’, and that while it will not replace the income received from direct payments, if planned carefully it could provide considerable income for farm businesses. The proof will be in the pudding.
Many growers will be pleased to be closing the book on last season, so with the new season underway, let’s just pray it is a little less wet.
croptecshow.com November 27-28, 2024
Arable Farming, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Preston, Lancashire PR2 9NZ
Origination by Farmers Guardian, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 9NZ. Published by Agriconnect. Printed by Warners Midlands, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH.
Linseed YEN launched
Linseed growers are being offered access to a simplified crop performance management tool thanks to a new online development.
The crop scientists behind the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) have launched a new YEN for linseed growers called Linseed YEN Lite with the aim of providing a more user-friendly way to check crop yields.
Instead of asking growers to collect crop and soil samples from the field for laboratory analysis, Linseed YEN Lite members will be able to simply submit their own soil descriptions and summaries of their agronomy decisions throughout the year. ADAS crop researchers will then supplement this information with available weather,
agronomy and soil data for that grower’s locality.
Ben Hague, ADAS crop research consultant and project lead for Linseed YEN Lite, says: “We want our yield enhancement networks to be accessible to as many growers as possible, so we launched YEN Lite to offer linseed growers a quick and simple way to understand their crop performance, with a focus on optimising agronomy.”
The tool has been developed in partnership with linseed merchant Premium Crops. The company’s sales and marketing manager Nigel Padbury says the hope is the new tool will enable linseed growers to access the same YEN benefits which already exist for farmers, making management easier to access and more affordable.
Wet spring sees growers giving ‘peas a chance’
JFarmers are giving ‘peas a chance’ as the latest data from the National Farm Research Unit (NFRU) suggests the UK pea drilled area is up 23% in 2024, compared to the national ve-year average.
e study of 12,000 farmers in partnership with agricultural data analysis company Kynetec revealed the national crop sits at just over 100,000 hectares, made up of 73,000ha in combining, and 27,000ha in vining peas.
According to the NFRU, terrible winter drilling conditions led to speculation of an increased spring arable area.
Later options
Richard Wood, key account manager at Kynetec, says: “ e ongoing wet spring forced many hands, meaning farmers opted for later drilling options with combining peas up 22%, vining peas up 26% and forage maize up
16%, all increasing signi cantly compared to the national veyear average.”
Mr Wood adds: “Expectations based on memories of the 2020 season were washed away when the resulting spring barley estimated crop of around 125,000ha ended up around 86,000ha. is hectarage was just 15% over the rolling ve-year average of 74,000ha, excluding 2020.”
Last season’s reduced potato area has increased but is still 12% below the rolling ve-year average, as growers assess commercial viability. Sugar beet, however, is up 20% over the rolling average at just over 100,000ha.
Mr Wood says it is vital farmers are aware of data in order to maximise yields and pro ts.
“Understanding and keeping abreast of what is happening on and in the ground is key for UK agriculture.”
Following the harvest, Linseed YEN Lite members will receive a short bespoke report detailing how their 2024 crop compares to the linseed crops of other members on more than 30 different factors, including agronomy and resource availability.
Yield base
The report will also reveal how close that grower came to reaching their maximum possible yield based on
known light and water availability on their farm.
Mr Hague adds: “Crop growth entirely depends on the ability of the crop to capture all the water and light it needs and finding ways to maximise that ability is key to enhancing yields. Once you have your post-harvest YEN report, it will help you see how best to fine-tune your crop management –whether that be optimising nitrogen inputs or changing sowing rates.”
Bitesize guide offers nutrient help
JThe Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) has teamed up with Nuffield Farming scholarships to provide an online guide for anyone interested in achieving water and nutrient efficiencies.
Supported by the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust, the 14-page, easy-to-read booklet ‘Nutrients and Water – Turning Potential Pollution into Resource Efficiencies; A Bitesize Guide’ highlights practical lessons from nine Nuffield Farming scholars.
It looks at actions that can be taken immediately on-farm; actions that require some
planning; and long-term options to consider. Topics covered range from working out farm nutrient oversupply levels, to using farm waste to produce insects for feed.
Recommendations
Nuffield scholar and RASE head of technical development Stephen Briggs says: “[Pollution] is a topic confronting every farmer, regardless of their sector, geography or individual circumstances, and the guide provides recommendations to help turn a potential problem into positives.”
The new Linseed YEN Lite aims to provide growers with a more userfriendly way to check crop yields.
Farmers urged to back malt manufacturer’s green goals
JPremium malt manufacturer Crisp Malt has published its second annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, outlining a range of initiatives across its operations and supply chain aimed at boosting sustainability.
Established in 1870 in Norfolk, the company now has three maltings in England and two in Scotland, as well as one in Germany and another in Poland. It produces around 440,000 tonnes of malt a year and works directly with 270 Sco ish farmers and 180 growers in Norfolk.
In order to meet its environmental commitments, the report says it has been working with local ‘grower groups’ to facilitate a successful transition to more sustainable farming practices, including the adoption of measures such as cover cropping, minimising tillage, incorporating livestock and using abated nitrogen fertiliser.
e ndings also reveal that Crisp Malt will trial a low-carbon fertiliser on malting barley, which has 60% less greenhouse gas emissions, less run-o and improved nitrogen use e ciency in crops.
Strategy
Ellie Wood, sustainability co-ordinator at Crisp Malt, says: “Our long-standing partnerships with our grower groups have enabled us to develop a sustainable farming strategy which aligns with our targets, but also supports the growers’ farm business development.
“Trialling a low-carbon fertiliser is particularly signi cant as around 75% of greenhouse gas emissions are related to nitrogen fertiliser use and manufacture. By nding an alternative, we have the ability to make huge reductions to our Scope 3 emissions.”
ere has been pressure on the drinks industry to address its environmental impact which remains high due to resource-intensive production practices. e Scotch whisky industry alone uses around 10% of Scotland’s entire energy production, while breweries account for an estimated 4.8% of electricity and fuel usage in the food and drink sector.
Ms Woods says: “ ere is far more work to be done, but I am proud of our record so far – from reducing greenhouse gas emissions across production, transportation and farming to
maintaining long-lasting relationships with our suppliers and customers.
“Sustainability is something that a ects us all, from eld to glass, so we will be working closely with our farmers, colleagues
and customers alike to reach our targets. Maintaining these long-lasting partnerships across our supply chain is vital to the success of our sustainability strategy and reaching our goal of achieving net zero by 2045.”
LEGION BLANCO
•
residual herbicide in OSR are:
• Prevents early weed establishment thereby reducing reliance on later treatments
• Can be applied at the optimum
timing to control specific weeds
Crisp Malt is to trial a low-carbon fertiliiser on malting barley.
Before applying for the newly expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, farmers should consider the productivity of land. Jane Thynne reports.
Consider productivity ahead of SFI application
The Government has announced that applications for the newly-created endorsed Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) are now being invited.
The initial scheme – GRH6: Manage priority habitat species-rich grassland – came just days after SFI went live on August 1.
The action has been designed to support wildlife, notably wildflowers, plants, invertebrates and birds while maintaining soil health and prevent erosion.
Defra says, once submitted to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), farmers will be contacted by Natural England which will then ‘endorse’ the actions. RPA will check that the area farmers want to carry out GRH6 on is either already priority habitat species-rich grassland or that it has potential for the restoration or creation of priority habitat speciesrich grassland.
Recent weeks have seen major movement on SFI – as according to Defra, just under 5,300 farmers have expressed an interest in applying for one or more of the actions outlined in the expanded SFI which was announced in May. Of those invited to apply, more than 600 applications have already been received with 70 agreements offered to date.
Following the General Election, the Labour Government committed to continuing SFI and the wider Environmental Land Management schemes in order to provide ‘stability’ for farmers.
What to expect
According to the NFU, Defra says it will stand by the 25% limited actions across the farmed area which
applies to all SFI agreements that started in March. It has also removed the ability to add new actions at the annual anniversary of the agreement.
Advice on how to carry out the action has now been included, as well as a list of the compatible supplements.
Other notable updates include: legume fallow (CNUM3) which has been made rotational with the expectation it is in the ground over winter.
Following its review of this year’s expanded SFI, AHDB believes the scheme ‘seems to be moving in the right direction for some farmers’.
AHDB guidance states: “While the SFI will not replace the income received from direct payments, if planned carefully it can provide considerable income for farm businesses. Improvement in net profit [total revenue minus total costs] of the farm business is most likely when land is not taken out of production.”
However, as AHDB points out, SFI also includes payments for precision farming and agroforestry aimed at helping farmers reduce input costs
and improve yield. Therefore, it is possible to ‘stack’ actions to ensure less productive land helps boost the farm business.
Analyst Sarah Baker, AHDB head of economics, says: “SFI is at the top of farmers’ worry lists at the moment, weighing up whether or not to participate in the scheme and to what extent.
“The expanded SFI offer gives farmers much more flexibility in terms of choosing actions which suit their farms.”
Strategic use
She adds it will contribute to net margin and mitigate loss of Direct Payments if used ‘strategically’ and in line with business objectives, but warns consideration is needed to decide which plots of land should be entered.
“Land that is less productive or consistently giving you insufficient yield is the most likely to give a positive return, once costs of participation and opportunity costs have been considered. Only careful planning and selection
will ensure each farmer benefits economically,” Ms Baker says.
“We’ve stressed the importance of farmers not sacrificing productive land and this is backed up in the expanded SFI offer which includes in-field agroforestry systems, so trees can be integrated and managed in arable fields or grazed grassland across different farming systems.”
Tania Coxon, an arable farmer from just outside Sunderland in the north east of England, says the Government must ensure food production is the priority of the schemes rather than a focus on nature restoration.
She says her contracting business has experienced a 181-hectare reduction as landowners decided to take high-quality arable land and place it into various SFI schemes.
“To ensure the sustainability of our food supply, it is imperative there are incentives for landowners to continue producing food within the country,” Ms Coxon says.
“Without such measures, the future of domestic food production is at risk.”
The expanded SFI offer gives farmers much more flexibility in terms of choosing actions which suit their farms, according to AHDB’s Sarah Barker.
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AUTUMN WEED CONTROL BLACK-GRASS
While delayed drilling has been a mainstay of effective black-grass control, higher seed rates and new strategies to support grass-weed management in earlier-drilled winter wheat crops are among the measures ADAS weed science principal consultant John Cussans (formerly with NIAB) believes will be needed to deliver sustainable grass-weed control in a warmer, wetter climate.
He says: “That does mean a re-focus on the role that the crop is playing, through seed rates or through trying to maximise the vigour of the crop to try and get a transition from grass-weed [numbers] controlled to reduction in seeds shed.
“That’s the outcome we want;
A focus on preventing seed return will underpin new strategies for black-grass control in a changing climate, says John Cussans.
Changing weather patterns are set to drive a rethink of our approach to weed control, with the focus switching to preventing seed return and boosting crops’ ability to suppress weeds. Teresa Rush reports.
Black-grass control in a warmer and wetter climate
how many black-grass plants we managed to get the population down to in the autumn is not what we’re trying to achieve. We are trying to prevent seed return,” says Mr Cussans.
Acknowledging the value of delayed drilling in autumn as a tool for grass-weed manage-
ment, he suggests nonetheless that the apparent trend towards wetter autumns will require a more flexible approach to drilling date advice.
“[Delayed] drilling is a fantastic tool for grass-weed management: you increase the gap between crops so you
Speaker
2024.
maximise the amount of seed that you lose – through direct mortality, seeds chitting, spraying off before you drill – to the point where you can achieve a 60% reduction in the number of black-grass plants or Italian ryegrass plants each month that you delay drilling.
Association
“On top of that, we see again and again that later drilling dates are associated with much higher herbicide performance.
“But we have to recognise that if in three of the last five years we have seen one-year in 100 rainfall levels in autumn, then this has perhaps become the new normal, and we are going to have to adapt our approaches to reflect that.
“We are going to have to come up with solutions that allow growers to drill when they want rather than telling them ‘I wouldn’t have started from here’, which is unhelpful,” he says.
With this scenario in mind, harvest season 2024 trials at NIAB’s new grass-weed research and development site at X
JJohn Cussans was speaking at the NIAB Blackgrass open day held at Hinxton, Cambridge, on June 3,
Keith Challen, Farm Director, Leicestershire
chemistry well.”
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AUTUMN WEED CONTROL BLACK-GRASS
Hinxton, near Cambridge, were focused on developing approaches to managing September-drilled winter wheat to achieve sustainable levels of black-grass control.
Elevated seed rates to maximise crop suppressiveness and high levels of herbicide inputs were among the techniques being put to the test, with the aim of achieving the same grass-weed control outcome in crops drilled earlier than those drilled later.
Acceptable levels
However, success will ultimately require taking a view across the rotation and identifying crops that will provide an entry into early drilled wheat, with a realistic level of black-grass, to enable acceptable levels of control to be achieved in the wheat crop, says Mr Cussans.
To test the effects of herbicide programmes, drilling dates and seed rates, trial plots at the Hinxton site were drilled at two drilling dates – September 30 and November 7 – overlaid with herbicide treatments comprising: untreated; Iconic + Anthem + Hurricane (see panel for active ingredient details); Liberator +
Proclus + Topsail + Anthem and a high input Avadex + Luxinum Plus + Stomp Aqua + Hurricane + Topsail + Iconic treatment and four seed rates – 75 seeds/ sq.m, 150 seeds/sq.m, 300 seeds/sq.m and 600 seeds/sq.m.
One of the challenges with front loading herbicide programmes is that herbicides begin to have an impact on the crop, says Mr Cussans.
In the September 30 drilling at Hinxton the six-way herbicide programme described above reduced the crop seedling density count by close to 15%.
“The herbicide has had an impact on the crop even at this early drilling date. Crop effect is associated with herbicide efficacy because the same thing that drives how biologically active a herbicide is on the weed also makes the herbicide more active on the crop.”
One of the approaches the NIAB team wanted to test was whether high seed rates could help winter wheat suppress weeds and compensate for any herbicide damage.
Plots were drilled at both drilling dates at a low seed rate of 75 seeds/sq.m, 150 seeds/ sq.m, 300 seeds/sq.m and a high seed rate of 600 seeds/sq.m (around 300kg/hectare).
The best outcome from the September 30 sowing date was achieved with the 600 seeds/ sq.m seed rate, an above-optimal
If you get 90% control of a weed, but you take all the vigour out of the crop canopy, you may well take a step backwards
JOHN CUSSANS
The trend towards wetter autumns will require a more flexible approach to drilling date advice.
Active ingredients
rAnthem: Pendimethalin
rHurricane: Diflufenican
rIconic: Flufenacet
rLiberator: Flufenacet + diflufenican
rLuxinum Plus: Cinmethylin
rProclus: Aclonifen
rStomp Aqua: Pendimethalin
rTopsail: Prosulfocarb
seed rate from an agronomic perspective, but with visibly fewer black-grass heads apparent in these plots in early June.
Crop loss levels as a result of herbicide damage were the same as in lower seed rate plots at 15% and the level of weed control achieved with the herbicides was also the same, which meant that the difference in black-grass head counts was down to the suppression effect of the thicker crop.
Herbicide efficacy was higher in the November 7-drilled plots.
“When you get up to this higher herbicide input level, even at 75 seeds/sq.m, you have much higher inherent effectiveness of the herbicide,” says Mr Cussans.
However, the increased herbicide activity also increased crop losses, with a 40% reduction seen in wheat seedling numbers in the 75 seeds/sq.m plot where the high input programme was applied,
“Even where we just used Crystal + Hurricane, we were getting 15% losses. This is part of the future; we are going to have to balance crop safety against efficacy.
More conscious
“We must be a bit more conscious that if you get 90% control of a weed, but you take all the vigour out of the crop canopy, you may well take a step backwards,” says Mr Cussans.
“But we can to some extent mitigate the situation by putting on what seems like super-optimal levels of seed to compensate for any crop losses through herbicide damage to try and get more suppressiveness.”
Seed rate effect is always more significant than variety effect, he adds.
“To my mind you pick your variety for other reasons, disease resistance, end use, and then for
weed management you just put more seeds on.
“What is really important is
we are talking here about doubling, quadrupling the seed rate. If you think ‘I’m just going
to put a little bit more on that patch’, you’re wasting your time. You’ve really got to be adding a
If you think ‘I’m just going to put a little bit more [seed] on that patch’, you’re wasting your time
JOHN CUSSANS
lot more seed to start to get these sort of effects.”
One advantage of earlier drilling might be more application opportunities for sequencing pre- and peri-emergence herbicide applications in autumn.
“But you are going to have to accept that your cost-effectiveness of herbicides is much lower in this [early drilling] scenario than it would be if you drilled later,” says Mr Cussans.
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AUTUMN WEED CONTROL DIVERSE WEEDS
How cover cropping affects weeds in conservation agriculture farming systems is the focus of a new longterm trial forming part of NIAB’s Diverse Weeds trials programme at Hinxton in Cambridgeshire. Teresa Rush reports.
Weeds adapting to changing systems
Results from the Hinxton site will be pooled with data from another long-term trial, which commenced in 2022, studying the impact of cultivations and crop sowing date on broad-leaved weed communities over time.
Prior to NIAB taking on the site, the trials field had for many years been part of a wide arable rotation, resulting in a rich seedbank of more than 30 weed species.
ADAS weed science principal
Speakers
JJohn Cussans and Lawrence Power were speaking at the NIAB Diverse Weeds open day, sponsored by Nufarm and held at Hinxton, Cambridge, on June 4, 2024
consultant John Cussans (formerly with NIAB) says: “We are going to rotate spring and winter crops [of wheat], all no-till and we’ve got plots with
NIAB is investigating the impact of cover cropping on weed communities at its Hinxton trials site near Cambridge.
and without cover cropping to try and demonstrate the weeds that are associated with uptake of different elements of conservation agriculture.”
Species present
Weed species present in the trial field include groundsel, pansy,
annual meadow-grass and chickweed.
“These are weeds which, in the right conditions, complete their lifecycle in a matter of weeks; they can do so in effect with the protection of cover cropping,” adds Mr Cussans.
In this first year of the trial,
Time to rethink herbicide timing approach?
JIn partnership with Nufarm, NIAB is carrying out a ‘wave’ trial at Hinxton, focused on timing herbicide applications according to the size of the weed, rather than the standard approach of spraying at crop development stages typically linked to fungicide timings, which might not be the optimum window in terms of weed control.
Products featured in
the trial include Isomec Ultra (dichlorprop-P + MCPA + mecoprop-P), Paramount Max (florasulam + tribenuron-methyl), Ally Max SX (metsulfuron-methyl + tribenuron-methyl) and a Nufarm new pipeline product, applied as standalone treatments and mixtures across a range of timings. Full results will be available later in the year.
The aim is to demonstrate how important it is to apply the right product at the right time for the weed – not the crop, says Nufarm lead agronomy manager Lawrence Power.
“If we want to get good control of a range of broadleaved weeds we have to target the size of the weed and not try and make the herbicide programme fit the fungicide programme,” he says.
Lawrence Power
AUTUMN WEED CONTROL
Weeds and biodiversity
JWhile weeds impose a constraint on crop production, they also provide a way of increasing biodiversity within crops.
A number of arable weeds, including shepherd’s needle, night flowering catchfly and white campion, can be found among the more commonplace weed species at NIAB’s Hinxton site.
Pollinating insects and beneficials such as carabid beetles are much more strongly associated with these natural arable weed species
in which half was cover cropped over winter, and the other half left bare fallow, the abundance of groundsel and pansy has already doubled.
“Even after a single cycle you see these really quick shifts. We can trivialise a bit of groundsel, a bit of pansy, but very high levels of something like groundsel are quite hard to control and you are going to need a different family of herbicides to the one that you are probably currently using in your cropping,” says Mr Cussans.
No-till systems
Findings from NIAB’s initial work on the impact of tillage systems and sowing date on weed communities, along with similar studies conducted at Arvalis and INRAe in France, found that there is a group of species which are associated with no-till systems.
At NIAB’s Hinxton site bur chervil and vulpia (rat’s tail fescue) were the primary species found to have invaded the direct drilled plots.
Mr Cussans adds: “But after five years of continuous zero tillage, you do begin to see signature species which are more tolerant of glyphosate.
“Rose bay willowherb is a classic, because it is just a little
than they are with cover crops, says Mr Cussans.
“If you look at pollinator visits to non-native species, even to things like clover, yes, you do get a lot of pollinators moving from a monocrop to a bicrop, but the value of wild arable plants in the farming landscape to this group of organisms is much higher.
“I see weeds as a kind of nexus for how we’re going to continue to have productive arable cropping while at the same time meet biodiversity goals,” says Mr Cussans.
bit more tolerant of glyphosate, but we also see species which we were previously excluding with cultivation, so things like thistles and other weeds with tap roots.
“What is happening when you move to cover cropping, bi-cropping, relay cropping is that you increase the abundance of a whole group of species which can complete their lifecycle really quickly,” he says.
“The gaps between the crops, where previously you would have done some mechanical weeding, or maybe used some glyphosate, disappear and weeds which can complete their lifecycle within the cover crop start to amplify.”
Weeds will always adapt to changing farming systems, adds Mr Cussans. Arable weeds have adapted to intensification of cropping systems and herbicide resistance is a good exemplar of how weed populations have adapted to the way crops are grown in current conventional arable systems.
And while the NIAB trials are focused on community level adaptation and different weed species in different systems, the same selection pressure and adaptation can happen within individual species as well, says Mr Cussans.
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OILSEED RAPE DISEASE CONTROL
Bringing together a combination of phoma resistance genes in oilseed rape varieties will boost crops’ protection against the disease and extend the longevity of existing genetics, according to one plant breeding business. Arable Farming reports.
OSR variety to offer new level of phoma protection
The first of DSV’s new generation Phomablocker hybrid oilseed rape varieties, DSV Cognac, has now been nationally listed by the AHDB.
Based on combining different types of phoma resistance, Phomablocker has taken on added significance following a recent Rothamsted Research finding that the disease is becoming resistant to azole fungicides, says DSV’s Sarah Hawthorne.
She adds: “We now own three different phoma resistance mechanisms – RLM7, RLMS and LepR1 – that can be used in different combinations in varieties.
“These varieties offer significant improvements in phoma resistance in their own right, but they can also offer ongoing protection across years and rotations by providing a range of resistance options.
“DSV Cognac, for example, contains LepR1 with RLM7 resistance mechanisms and this combination has been shown to offer significantly higher levels of protection than single genes alone.”
Growing problem
According to Simon Kroger, DSV oil crops product management lead, phoma stem canker in oilseed rape is a disease now costing UK producers £100 million/year through lost yield and the costs involved in trying to control it.
He says: “Phoma is caused by two similar co-existing pathogens leptosphaeria maculans and leptosphaeria biglobosa, of which leptosphaeria maculans is now causing the most damage in Europe.
“All monogenic resistances so far work only on leptosphaeria maculans, while there are no
qualitative resistances for leptosphaeria biglobosa available.
“As a monocyclic disease, leptosphaeria maculans goes through one infection cycle per season. But spores from old OSR residues can be released over several months.”
Epidemics are started by airborne ascospores produced on crop residues, stubble, infected stems and roots that are then dispersed by the wind, he adds.
“These spores infect the leaves of young susceptible plants and produce phoma leaf spots. From the leaf, the fungi then grow along the petiole into the plant stem.
“Phoma then invades and kills plant cell tissue, resulting in the formation of leaf spots and stem cankers and the cycle repeats.
evidence that its effectiveness is reducing, Mr Kroger says.
“In DSV trials in Dyngby in Denmark, for example, on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being excellent resistance with no phoma spotting in evidence and 10 being high susceptibility to phoma, varieties without any qualitative resistance showed an average score of 7.5 with a range of 6.5 to 8.5.
“Varieties with the RLM7 gene showed a wider range of phoma susceptibility scores – from 4 to 9 – but of real concern is that the average was the same 7.5 as varieties with no disease resistance at all.
“There is an urgent need for new genes to be developed if we are to realise the same, and hopefully better, resistance to phoma that growers have relied upon over the last few years.
“Resistance to phoma results in better and longer lasting plant health with better lodging resistance, as well as a longer and undisturbed assimilation process that supports growth through tough climate conditions such as early summer drought.
“It also underpins optimum harvest date and can lead to higher yields, as well as reducing the general level of phoma spores in the field.”
Phoma protection
RLM7 has been the main genetic disease resistance mechanism for many years and has been very effective, but there is growing
“RLMS offers some hope, but a new type of phoma resistance would add a much-required additional layer of security for the future. Phomablocker from DSV is just that.”
At the heart of Phomablocker is LepR1 – a completely new type of genetic mechanism for phoma resistance in Europe that works by constructing a strong wall of callose and lignin around the infection preventing disease spreading in the plant, Mr Kroger says.
“Whilst LepR1 by itself has been shown to have the best resistance to the most common phoma strains in field trials across Europe, DSV believes it is most effective when
Sarah Hawthorne Simon Kroger
compared to some of the most popular varieties with RLM7 alone are very marked.”
But the real advantage of the new approach is that DSV now can, uniquely, choose from three different phoma resistance mechanisms that can be rotated in the field to minimise major breakdown of any one type of resistance, he says.
“By being able to do this, DSV has taken phoma resistance in oilseed rape several stages further on.”
used in conjunction with other disease resistance traits.
“Such an approach not only produces optimum levels of protection for growers, but it also helps by extending the longevity of existing genetics.
“The DSV Phomablocker in DSV Cognac is made up of LepR1 with RLM7 and this combination not
only showed the narrowest narrow range of susceptibilities to phoma in the Dyngby trials, it also did so with an average of score of just 2.3 – compared to the 7.5 for RLM7 by itself.
“This is easily visible in field trials with Phomablocker, where the difference in levels of protection with the new disease resistance
Strong all-round variety
In the AHDB 2024/25 candidate list, DSV Cognac has a score of 8.8 for resistance to stem canker supported by good all-round agronomics and high output, Ms Hawthorne adds.
“Gross output for the East West region is 107% of controls and for the North it is 107.3%, plus it has an oil content of 46.5%. It has also got TUYV protection, a 6 for light leaf spot,
DSV has taken phoma resistance in oilseed rape several stages further on
SIMON KROGER
good resistance to lodging at 8.5 and strong stem stiffness at 8.4.
“Plant height is 151cm and its earliness of flowering is with an earliness of maturity of 5.5. So not only is DSV Cognac a sound option agronomically, it is also one of the best production performers, too.
“DSV Cognac will give UK growers a new level of phoma protection, with several other Phomablocker options now entering the UK testing system,” she says.
Phoma stem canker in oilseed rape is a disease now costing UK producers £100 million/year.
OILSEED RAPE CONTROL HYBRIDS
A September drilling date is helping one Hampshire estate make the most of oilseed rape, which provides a vital break in its arable rotation. Arable Farming finds out more.
September sowing vital to OSR growing recipe
Early September is David Northway’s sweet spot for drilling oilseed rape at Breamore Estate, on the eastern edge of Cranbourne Chase near Fordingbridge, in Hampshire. But because he insists on the most vigorous, fast-developing hybrids, he is content to sow his annual 80- to 100-hectare crop right through to the end of the month.
Since the late-1990s when cabbage stem flea beetle compounded the cropping challenge he has long had from gamebirds, pigeons and slugs, Mr Northway has developed an OSR growing recipe that allows the crop to remain an important and profitable part of his 550ha rotation.
As well as September sowing, this includes direct drilling the hybrids he finds best suited to the estate’s generally thin and hungry ground into long cereal stubbles with a companion crop following seedbed fertilisation.
Together with ensuring the crop has all the inputs it needs to achieve the four tonnes/ha average he targets at oil levels of 46% or more, this recipe ensures the crop
continues to remain a key element in the estate’s rotation alongside first wheat and winter and spring barley. Which, with an average across-theboard yield of 4.5t/ha this past season it most certainly does.
Mr Northway says: “We have stretched our rotation to only grow winter OSR once every five or six years these days, adding peas or poppies [initially for pharmaceutical use but now for seeds in baking] as an additional break.
“Drilling before mid-August isn’t really an option for us with our very tight staffing and busy cereals harvest, even when we grow the earliest maturing wheats. At the same time, we’ve learnt that drilling in September gives us the best results – even if conditions mean we have to extend it beyond the middle of the month.
Seedbed moisture
“Later sowing means we’re more likely to have decent seedbed moisture. Our OSR then emerges after the flea beetle peak. Close to the South Coast too, September drilling means we don’t run the risk of the crop going into the winter too proud and thick. With the much
thought we had lost it completely, but as soon as the shooting season started it came back through and did us well. On our ground it isn’t too tall, either, making it much easier to manage and combine than many.”
Mr Northway also appreciates the variety’s combination of good light leaf spot, stem canker, turnip yellows virus, verticillium and pod shatter resistance, together with its sclerotinia tolerance and nitrogen use efficiency attributes.
warmer and growthier starts to the season we seem to be getting, this is becoming especially important.
“It’s essential we grow the right varieties for this slot. We’ve found picking the best, fast-developing as well as vigorous hybrids is key,” he adds.
“Dekalb breeding remains our first choice for its all-round strength. We’ve had particular success with DK Extrovert, DK Expansion and DK Exsteel in the past and our current favourite is DK Excited.
“It continues to be one of the most vigorous and fastest-developing hybrids in the field-scale trials we run each year to give us the variety feedback. Rapid spring as well as autumn growth development means it recovers well from any setback. Half our current crop is DK Excited, which we always prioritise for the most challenging fields and headlands.
“Three years ago when we first had it in our trials, DK Excited stood out for its recovery from serious pheasant grazing when it drew the short straw and was the closest strip to one of our many woods. We
This latter attribute and a switch to coated urea for its slower release characteristics has given him the courage to cut his spring nitrogen application from 190kg/ha to 160kg/ha in harvest season 2024 in an attempt to further improve his OSR-growing efficiency.
“Like most, we have always tended to err on the generous side with nitrogen,” he says.
Extra fertiliser
“But as we are looking for a consistent 4t/ha these days rather than trying to push to 4.5t and beyond, we really shouldn’t need the extra fertiliser; especially if we grow varieties which is proven to lose less yield when N supply is limited.
“In addition to two spring applications, we also put on 30kg/ha of N in the specialist AgriiStart OSR fertiliser we spread on our cereal stubbles immediately ahead of drilling. So, our total N use is under 200kg/ha this season compared to well over it previously. It will be interesting to see how our own crop and the 10 specific varieties we have in our trials respond to this.”
The starter fertiliser is applied ahead of drilling at Breamore simply because the dual hoppers of the
DK Excited looking good nearing harvest at Breamore Estate.
David Northway
estate’s Amazone Cirrus drill are both in use – sowing 10kg/ha of buckwheat alongside 50 seeds/sq.m of OSR.
Replacing the estate’s tine-based Amazone Cayena with the disc-based Cirrus two years ago has been part of Mr Northway’s desire to move progressively less soil – to improve its structure and health as well as minimising the moisture loss that can be the difference between crop success and failure on the drought-prone land.
Cereal stubbles of about a foot also help to protect the soil surface from moisture loss after combining, while confusing flea beetles and providing the best microclimate for OSR establishment.
The buckwheat companion that has been standard practice for several years has also really helped the OSR with its phosphate mining ability and in nursing the crop and sheltering it from flea beetle; especially with a dual hopper on the new drill allowing it to be given a
much better and more even start than when it previously had to be broadcasting-on with the fertiliser.
“We still see some beetle damage each season,” Mr Northway adds.
“But we haven’t lost any crop recently; and, in contrast to some of the conventional crops we were still growing back in 2019, our preferred hybrids have been able to shrug off any larval damage remarkably well.”
Encouraged by the £55/ha Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) payment for companion cropping, he is adding fenugreek to the companion mix this autumn
for the off-putting smell it has shown to both beetles and pheasants. He is also including berseem clover for its root penetration and N-fixing, hoping these additions will give a valuable extra establishment edge in coping with any tricky conditions.
Flexibility
Even though he has not sprayed for flea beetle in the past two years, he is not going for the no-insecticide SFI option, though, mainly because he needs to keep the flexibility to deal with cabbage stem weevils which
reached threshold levels in the 2023 and 2024 harvest seasons.
“Since we lost neonics we have been putting a lot more effort into learning how best to grow oilseed rape,” adds Mr Northway.
“This work has definitely paid off in a recipe focused far more on consistency rather yield-chasing that suits our ground, system and needs well.
“There’s always room for improvement. As well as tweaking our companion cropping, we are looking at different ways of boosting plant health and micronutrients, in particular, to improve our OSR growing efficiency still further.
“Having said that, with the oil and other bonuses we achieve, the margins we are making from OSR are not far short of milling wheat even at crop values of barely £400/t.
“And without the clean break it gives our rotation we really wouldn’t be able to grow the decent milling wheats that are the backbone of our business,” he says.
Combining the expertise of leaders in the fields of sprayer design, vision technology, crop research and tech-based agronomic research to develop an ‘intelligent’ sprayer, the One Smart Spray project progresses into the field. Jane Carley reports.
Smart sprayer to take to the field this autumn
The partnership of Bosch, Chafer Machinery, BASF Digital Farming and Rothamsted Research is to enter the field with a full-scale prototype intelligent sprayer this autumn.
Eighteen months into the three-year project, One Smart Spray aims to develop the use of precision farming technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to help target black-grass, funded by a grant of more than £1.4 million from Defra and Innovate UK.
Chafer is using Bosch technology to develop a cameraequipped version of its Interceptor self-propelled sprayer which
can capture and record high-quality images of weed growth as it moves through the crop, allowing black-grass mapping and precision patch or spot spraying.
Vision system
The vision system for the 5,000-litre capacity Chafer sprayer has been developed through the project. It began in lab tests with 12 cameras and 24 lights, which were initially used on a small section of the boom as the team established the optimum set-up of lights and cameras.
Now, 30 cameras and 60 lights stretch across the full width of the boom, mounted at the
We are aiming to see how the technology can adapt into a usable, functioning sprayer
ROSS PEARSON
front of the boom frame ahead of the nozzles.
Bosch has used its experience
in the technology field to supply cameras, LED lighting, control units and connectivity units.
Chafer’s engineering manager Ross Pearson says: “We are aiming to see how the technology can adapt into a usable, functioning sprayer capable of working at up to 18kph in different light conditions, to offer 24/7 spraying, day and night.
“The operator will be able to scan the field while carrying out other applications and make herbicide applications based on weed data collected.”
A Bosch AI-based model is being trained to recognise black-grass in a greenhouse environment, and will shortly be
The One Smart Spray project progresses into the field with a fullscale prototype intelligent sprayer.
ready for use as a prototype in-field.
Image labelling is done by black-grass experts from Rothamsted Research. Initial studies are focusing on blackgrass in winter wheat because of its economic impact, but other crops will be supported in the future.
Weekly scans
As the project progresses, weekly scanning is taking place across key growing seasons and the field
data generated is used to develop granular black-grass maps. This allows Rothamsted to define appropriate agronomic measures and variable rate herbicide applications, using the agronomic logic and intelligence of BASF Digital Farming’s xarvio Digital Farming Solutions platform. Agronomic recommendations then focus on the development of an integrated weed management plan across the farm, which will be made available through the xarvio One Smart Spray app.
Bosch BASF Smart Farming contractor Tim Schaare says:
“Data gathered from pre-emergence and post-emergence passes can be deployed directly to guide herbicide spraying, by using AI within xarvio Field Manager to process this data.”
The technology is designed to be easy to use – the operator sets up his field in the app, inputting the drilling date, variety and establishment method, as well as information such as weather data as the season progresses.
Mr Schaare adds: “Weed pressure can be used to make decisions and recommendations. The app can then provide seasonal programmes right from pre-sowing glyphosate, including dosage and timing.”
Using the data, operators can study weed location and size and monitor resistant weeds, allowing more precise management decisions. Packages will include agronomic and technical support. In year three of the One Smart Spray project, the data will be
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Cameras and LED lights from project partner Bosch are mounted at the front of the boom to capture images of the crop and the weeds in it.
Images from the scanning process are used to create granular black-grass maps.
SPRAYING TECHNOLOGY PROJECT
used to produce application maps and define thresholds for spraying, which could also allow spraying in real-time. Nozzles will only be activated as needed,
enabling maximum herbicide savings while maintaining the desired weed control. This, in turn, facilitates improved stewardship while enabling
operators to use high-performance products at an affordable cost per hectare, add the partners.
Muhammed Kassem, project
manager for farming at Bosch, says: “We are still at the proof of concept stage but getting good results and looking forward to gaining even more data in the third year.”
Chafer says that while development has so far focused on its self-propelled sprayers, the technology could also be applied to trailed machines in the long-term.
Accuracy
It will work alongside the Raven Hawkeye pulse width modulation nozzle control system supplied by Chafer in the UK, which offers precise control of droplet sizing, application rate and section control for every nozzle on the boom. This ensures the high levels of accuracy required for variable rate spraying according to maps. Bosch and BASF are also working with manufacturing businesses globally, including Dammann in Germany and Fendt and CNH in the USA.
The prototype is based on the standard Chafer Interceptor self-propelled sprayer, which is being used in field trials.
Chafer hopes to progress to a commercially-available intelligent sprayer capable of spot spraying in real-time at up to 18kph according to data from the cameras. It presented its latest updates on the project at the Cereals Event.
Berthoud reintroduces raising cab
Shown at Cereals 2024, French manufacturer Berthoud used the event as the first UK viewing of its Spectre Collection self-propelled sprayer, following its worldwide launch at Agritechnica 2023.
The brand has returned to the marketplace with a premium forward-control machine, which includes a hydraulic lifting and lowering category four filtered cabin, which provides improved access and ride suspension.
The unit displayed at the event also included a variable height chassis designed to operate in crops such as maize and sunflowers.
Currently, this option will not be offered to UK buyers.
The black and red styling, denoting the Spectre specification, has been introduced for certain Berthoud models, with
many of the components and drive functions shared with mid-mount and fixed cab Raptor machines, which will still be available to UK growers.
Unlike previous versions of the rising cab design, the Spectre will not be offered in the brand’s original blue livery.
Engine
Power is supplied by a six-cylinder Deutz engine providing 244hp across the two model range.
Hydraulically operated variable track widths give options from two metres to 2.7m as standard, with aluminium booms offered in working widths of up to 38m.
Tank capacities start at 4,000 litres, with the version pictured capable of holding 5,200 litres.
For
products from Cereals and Groundswell see p26-28.
SPRAYER PRECISION AND PERFORMANCE
KUHN offers a wide range of mounted and trailed sprayers to suit farmers individual needs
New kit on show at Cereals and Groundswell highlighted the diversity of machinery being developed for farms looking for greater establishment and weed control flexibility, alongside an increased focus on maximising the benefits of funded environmental schemes. James Huyton and Toby Whatley report.
Machinery for expanding rotations and regen ag
LANDWRX IRM-10R seeder
JLANDWRX showed a 7.5metre-wide, 10-row version of its inter-row seeding toolbar. Initially designed to establish grass within maize, the spacing of the 30 coulters can be adjusted to operate it as a conventional drill to establish cover crops or oilseed rape. Each of the parallel linkage units can be fitted with a tine or double-disc coulter with a following press wheel, with seed supplied from the tank
and an Accord-sourced metering system.
An inter-row weeding kit can also be added.
Coulter pressures of between 20-120kg are claimed, with a minimum spacing of 180mm. Units have previously been eligible for support through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) under option FETF210 inter-row companion drills. Unit costs start from £35,000.
Grange Tine Drill Toolbar
JA natural progression for Yorkshire-based Grange Farm Machinery saw the launch of its new Tine Drill Toolbar (TDT). The low-disturbance tillage specialist adds seed establishment to its portfolio with working width options of three metres, 4m, 4.8m, 5m and the 6m variant pictured.
This machine incorporates pivoting wings to allow a plus/
minus of five degrees for contour following.
Three rows of Grange tines are spaced at 250mm centres for trash flow, with Bourgault coulters offering single band sowing or twin seed and fertiliser placement.
The toolbar also has hydraulic depth control and a pitch-adjustable following harrow.
Robotti precision drill and sprayer
JAutonomous implement carrier Robotti saw further adaptation incorporating a Kverneland front tank and Stanhay precision drill for the application of liquid feeds when establishing sugar beet. Adapted with leading tines to incorporate liquid starter fertilisers into the soil profile, Autonomous Agri Solutions has tested the machine with more than 200 hectares of beet established with the system.
It plans to follow on with an autonomous weeding system, which can use the tank to apply banded selective herbicides.
Growth in unit numbers has allowed the business to offer a contract weeding service for beet crops on blocks of land of 200ha or more.
With £150/ha currently offered under the Sustainable Farming Incentive for mechanical robotic weeding.
Hedgeweaver hedgelayer
JOperated from a telehandler or excavator, the Hedgeweaver combines manual preparation and mechanical hedgelaying.
Before its use, hedge plants are partially cut using a longhandled chainsaw, with all the standing brash left attached.
Lemken Thulit
JThe Thulit tine weeder is supplied in working widths of six to nine metres and provides hydraulically-adjusted tine pressure from 0.1-5kg, which Lemken says allows a consistent downforce regardless of tine angle.
This is said to allow the unit
The Hedgeweaver is then passed over in the direction of the cut up to three times, forcing the plants down and binding them into a laid profile.
It is said to allow an output of 150-200 metres per hour, including the manual pre-cutting.
to operate across potato ridges to remove weeds before crop emergence without levelling the field surface.
Hydraulic pressure comes from a full-width valve block, with each tine connected to an actuator, removing the need for individual springs.
FarmerMobil pasture poultry unit
JCapable of supporting a flock of up to 472 birds, the German-made FarmerMobil is designed to allow free-range egg production in a rotational pasture system.
Power is supplied from a roofmounted solar array, with bulk feed and water tanks for three days of consumption.
The fully-automated unit
conveys eggs from the nesting area to be collected at the rear for packing and distribution.
Openings on the sides allow the birds onto the pasture, with automated nighttime closure.
Relocation is carried out by tractor or handler, with hydraulic services used to power the onboard filling auger. Costs start at £47,000.
MACHINERY NEW PRODUCTS
Razorback Blade 500
JSister firm to striptillage manufacturer Mzuri, vegetation management manufacturer Razorback has added a refined version of its RT batwing topper.
The Blade 500 uses a semi-mounted design which Razorback says removes the risk of fouling the pto with the lower links when turning and allows tighter headland turns.
Providing a five-metre working width, the double-skinned deck
features a redesigned blade system which is claimed to operate at reduced horsepower, with a reduction in wearing parts. Working height is adjusted through folding stops on the wheel lift cylinders and the adjustment of the tractor lower linkage.
Machines are supplied with four, six or eight support wheels depending on requirements, with a maximum cutting height of 400mm.
Laumetris KP-4 hemp harvester
JBuilt by Lithuanian manufacturer Laumetris, the KP-4 is the first machine to be brought into the UK by British hemp processor Fibra.
It uses four folding cutter bars staggered along its length, with a 600mm vertical space between them. Belt-driven from a pto-powered drive system, the machine operates in a similar way to a trailed offset mower.
The four-stage cut is required to reduce the tough hemp
plants into manageable lengths for baling and processing.
A minimum up-front power of 180hp is required, with a cutting speed of 20kph.
Height control comes from a hydraulic lift on the rear axle.
Fibra says that changes to hemp growing licences offer greater opportunities to grow the crop, which can provide a low-cost, higher-margin spring crop within arable rotations.
Garford Rootwave
JShown as a prototype, the Garford Rootwave demonstrated the recent partnership of Garford Farm Machinery and Warwickbased electric weeding startup Rootwave with the demonstration of its highvoltage electric weeding system working on an inter-row cultivator chassis.
The system uses electricity to boil the plant and its roots and provides the ability to
remove weeds without the use of chemicals, and any soil movement.
The electrical charge is generated from a linkagemounted pto-powered system, with the prospective implement front- or rear-mounted.
Rootwave says that its patented high-frequency AC is significantly safer than DC systems, which have previously been used in electrical weed control.
Claydon front hopper and toolbar
JClaydon’s front hopper is a first for the brand and is designed to provide more flexibility for users.
The twin metering unit pictured offers a 2,750litre hopper capacity with a 45/55 volume split. The manufacturer claims this gives the flexibility to both sow companion crops or apply fertiliser alongside the main crop. The fully pressurised tank also features built-in cameras, work lights and a toolbox.
Additional options include a detachable passive steering
system or a weight pack to provide extra ballast. Control systems are offered with IsoBus functionality.
In addition, Claydon also launched the Evolution M-Mounted toolbar, aimed to work with the Suffolk manufacturer’s front hopper. Available in width options of three metres, 4m, 4.5m, 5m and 6m, the toolbar incorporates the brand’s single pass establishment system.
Several coulter points and trailing harrow configurations are available, with 330mm tine spaces and 180mm band width.
The eighth Groundswell event welcomed a record number of farmers looking to explore the economics and practicalities of moving to a more regenerative farming system. Alice Dyer and Teresa Rush report some of the highlights.
Regen can have instant economic results on-farm
Amove towards a more regenerative farming system does not have to coincide with a transition period of poor yields.
This was the view of worldrenowned agroecologist and Ohio farmer, John Kempf, on his first visit to UK soil as he opened the first day of Groundswell.
He told the audience: “There is this prevailing idea that we should expect to see yield declines [when moving to a regenerative farming system] due to increased pest, weed and disease pressure, but when you manage plant nutrition and agronomy well, you should expect to see the opposite.
“We want healthy plants that produce the highest yields possible and that have a functional immune system and are resistant to pests.
“When you have abundantly healthy plants you cannot stop yields from increasing.”
Although reducing synthetic inputs is a key part of this transition, growers must first ‘earn the right’ to do so, he added.
“Before we can have a conscientious conversation about reducing pesticide applications, we first need to increase plant health to the point where they do not require them.”
He said two key components to this were managing plant nutrition and the soil microbiome.
Mr Kempf said: “You will suffer from particular diseases or insects with particular nutritional profiles.
“I can say with complete confidence that if you have flea beetle on rapeseed you will have a deficiency of either magnesium, sulphur, boron or molybdenum, or a combination of the four.
Imbalance
“Your plants are not metabolising nitrogen or proteins properly, so there is an imbalance of those four elements. When you address those four elements well, flea beetle will be gone. The same is true of many other insect pests.
“With many diseases, we can correspond to a particular nutritional profile and we know what is happening within that soil plant ecosystem as a reflection of disease and insect pressure.”
In order to deliver immediate, consistent and reliable economic results in the first growing season, his mantra has always been ‘you cannot guess’.
“Do not guess whatever it is possible to measure,” he said.
His agronomy company, which now manages some 4.45 million hectares of crops in the US, conducts thorough analyses of the system including the soil microbiome using genomic analysis, nutrient analysis and sap analysis.
“Most farmers do not have a three- to five-year financial window [to make the transition] so there needs to be an immediate economic response,” he said.
Continues over the page.
John Kempf
Switching to regenerative farming need not lead to poor yields, visitors to Groundswell at Lannock Manor Farm, Hertfordshire, were told.
Soil competition success for market garden business
Buckinghamshire market gardeners
Tracy Russell and David Newman, of Bucksum, claimed the top spot in the 2024 Soil Farmer of the Year competition.
Gloucestershire arable/mixed farmer Ed Horton took second place, with Cornish organic dairy and pig farmer Ben Richards in third.
Growing up to 40 different vegetables in field and polytunnels, Bucksum operates a four-year rotation, taking a cash crop once every four years while building soil health and fertility using herbal leys grazed by sheep for the other three years in the rotation.
The couple employ a diversity of approaches to improve soil health, including
Soil Farmer of the Year
using chickens to clear the ground under agroforestry fruit tree lines and bringing more natural predators and beneficial insects to the farm with agroforestry and the introduction of sheep grazing.
Soil improver
They also make their own soil improver using their own green waste, composted wood chippings from a local tree surgeon and spent hops from a nearby brewery.
Ploughing still has a place
JRotational ploughing could play an important role in some regenerative farming systems in order to manage grass-weeds and other agronomic challenges.
Weed expert, Dr Stephen Moss, known for his ‘5 for 5’ black-grass campaign told a seminar: “Black-grass seed can only germinate in the top 5cm of soil, so cultivation has a clear impact on seed decline.
“Ploughing can be a good thing as a reset tool for black-grass and for many
other purposes. I truly believe rotational ploughing will come to be seen as an integral part of regen ag in the longer term.
Benefits
“Rotational ploughing has other benefits such as putting immobile nutrients down at depth.
“It can also be useful to take out surface compaction –probably once every six to eight years, but it will depend on the individual farm, and on some soils it will not be appropriate.
Ben Richards, Middle Trelan Farm, Cornwall
Speaking in a panel discussion during the awards at Groundswell, Mr Newman said he found inspiration in experimentation.
“We do not fear experimenting and, particularly when you are growing vegetables, you know you are always going to get some failures,” he said.
He cited an example of an experiment last year with living mulches.
“We went quite heavy with it [living mulch] and in some of the crops it did not work and
“[The caveat is] it has to be done well. If not done properly, it is not worth doing.”
Rotational ploughing will come to be seen as an integral part of regen ag
DR STEPHEN MOSS
so we did not get many leeks, celery or celeriac, but we learned a lot from that.”
Biggest challenges
Mr Horton said that one of the biggest challenges during his regenerative agriculture transition had been grazing his cereals with sheep.
Free
JThe UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is offering farmers a free and confidential farm environmental health check. CEH has been awarded funding from UK Research and Innovation to support the transition of UK agriculture towards net zero plus. Key to achieving this will
r First: Tracy Russell and David Newman, Bucksum, Shabbington Fields Farm, Buckinghamshire
r Second: Ed Horton,
SS Horton and Sons, Gloucestershire
r Third:
“One of the best things you can do for soil health is to reduce your fungicide and growth regulator usage and use livestock, but when you have got a good-looking crop of wheat, the last thing you want to see is wet lambs wandering around in the crop.
“My hardest challenge has
ental health check
be providing farmers with free access to accurate, impartial and reliable data on their greenhouse gas emissions, carbon stocks, pollution risk and biodiversity impacts. The health check comprises detailed farm mapping and inventories, environmental opportunity
been to make that shift from being a conventional arable farm, as it were, to what we do now.”
The Soil Farmer of the Year competition is jointly run by Farm Carbon Toolkit and Innovation for Agriculture and is sponsored by Cotswold Seeds and Hutchinsons.
mapping and an audit of farm operations, including nitrogen use efficiency, and greenhouse gas emissions.
rTo find out more go to agzeroplus.org.uk and click on the farm network tab, or email Richard Pywell or Grace Skinner at agzeroplus@ceh.ac.uk
Continues over the page.
Left to right: Soil Farmer of the Year finalists Charles Quick and Andy Wear, third placed Ben Richards, second placed Ed Horton and winners Tracy Russell and David Newman.
Compaction the enemy of productive soil
Soil and water expert Odette Menard provided a Canadian insight into soil health and management during her keynote ‘CROP concept and soil compaction’ session at Groundswell.
Managing soil compaction was essential for sustainable agriculture, she said, but too few farmers in the Quebec province in which she works dug a soil profile pit as a first step in tackling compaction. She said: “Compaction is something we should avoid if we
Top tips for protecting your soil porosity
rBalance your tractor
rAdjust tyre pressure to weight
rAim for a maximum tyre pressure of 12.5psi/0.9-bar
rSlow your speed
rWork in optimal conditions
rRespect a maximum weight of 3,500kg per wheel
want to have a better rate of diffusion in our soil. In a compacted soil, roots are not going to be able to grow and find all the space they need.
“Depending on our management practices, we can go from a very compacted soil to a very healthy soil, from a soil that will need a lot of intervention to a soil that will produce a lot of grain by itself.
“But we have got to look at our soil profile; we do not do that enough. We have got to get our shovel and dig at least 90cm deep to find out what is going on down there.”
Switching to approaches such as no-till and controlled traffic farming (CTF) was not necessarily the route to healthier soil, she said.
Instead, she advocated a system bringing together four components of soil health – the CROP system – where C is for cover crops, R for roots, O for oxygen and P for porosity.
“We need to move these four actions forward together,” she said.
She advocated a maximum
Making research work on-farm
JTimely and relevant research is needed to support the transition to regenerative farming at scale and to meet the challenge of striking a balance between food production and tackling the biodiversity and climate crises, visitors to Groundswell heard.
Yet farmers at the forefront of innovations across the regen sector can often move faster than research can validate new developments.
North Yorkshire farmer Fraser Hugill, and Tom Pearson, who farms in Cambridgeshire, shared their perspectives on research in the ‘Making Research Work in Practice for Regenerative Agriculture’ discussion at the event. They were joined by
Prof Richard Pywell, head of biodiversity research at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Cambridge University agroecologist Dr Katherine Berthon and Leeds University ecologist Dr Ruth Wade.
Mr Hugill is one of a group of 10 farmers in the North Yorks Moors National Park and the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty involved in a project testing the potential of cocksfoot, a grass species thought to be longer-lasting, higher yielding, more resilient and better for the environment than traditional grazing swards such as ryegrass.
He said: “We are only a year into the project, but I think one of the key things we are getting out of it is that we, as farmers,
Groundswell’s focus is on the five pillars of regenerative agriculture.
weight of 3.5 tonnes per wheel for farm machinery.
“Most of the time people going into a controlled traffic system keep heavy machinery,” she said.
“If I am working with something that weighs five, six, seven tonnes per wheel and I have killed 10% of my field, that is good for today, that is good for maybe the next five years, but in five or 10 years, if the machinery set-up changes for any reason, that 10% area is going to be dead forever.
“CTF is good as long as you respect tyre pressure and the weight per wheel.”
Initial yield loss need not be a consequence of moving to a more sustainable tillage system.
She added: “When I hear, ‘I am going to get into no-till and I know I am going to have some yield loss’, well I do not want to hear that.
“If you are having yield loss, it is because you did not find the right strategy to get you to a healthy soil.”
own it. If cocksfoot does not work, I do not really care; this is about us learning within our own landscape.”
Mr Pearson is chair of the West Cambridgeshire Hundreds farm cluster and one of the lead farmers on the H3 landscape scale regenerative farming research project.
He highlighted the importance of including a social science element in regenerative agriculture projects such as H3, which would ultimately influence Government food and farming policy.
“Ultimately this is transforming UK food systems, so it is important that we get over the farmers’ story and why it is not as simple as saying, ‘I need you to move to regenerative farming’,” he said.
He also suggested that on-farm research could be a diversification enterprise and could bring benefits in terms of farm staff recruitment.
“As farmers, we should really consider the idea that research can be a perfectly viable diversification on your farm.
“We are now a farm that is in a position to go and look for research projects and that makes it exciting for my team,” he said.
rh3.ac.uk
ragzeroplus.org.uk
rinnovativefarmers.org
rfixourfood.org
rukfoodsystems.ukri.org
Potatoes are one of the most widely grown crops in the world, with the UN listing more than 150 countries that grow commercial crops. A thousand delegates from more than 40 of those countries attended the World Potato Congress in Adelaide, Australia. Cedric Porter reports.
Potato power is shifting
The theme of the World Potato Congress was ‘Old World Meets
New’, which reflected a shift in potato production away from more established countries to other players, including Asia and Africa. Congress president and Canadian potato breeder Dr Peter VanderZaag said: “There has been a tendency for developed countries to try and introduce varieties and practices into less developed countries in the expectation they will improve production.
“I have been guilty of that myself when I tried to introduce large European potato varieties into Peru, thinking that they would be much better than the small local varieties that were susceptible to disease. Many years later, growers are still planting the local variety as
it suits the growing conditions and can fetch twice as much as the introduced types.”
Peru is one of the countries that has dramatically increased its potato production this century. In 2010, it grew 3.815 million tonnes of potatoes. By 2022, that increased by 57.9% to 6.021mt, according to figures from the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation’s statistics department. Other countries where there has been an increase of more than 50% over the last 12 years include India, Egypt and Kazakhstan.
The most impressive increase of the top 20 largest growers has been in Pakistan, with production jumping by 153% in the last dozen years.
That increase contrasts with large
Percentage of world population, potato production and trade by region
declines in Russia, Belarus, Poland and the UK. In 2022, the UK’s potato crop was 20.8% smaller than in 2010, at 4.800mt. The 2023 British crop was slightly smaller and the 2024 crop is very unlikely to reach 5mt.
Although many countries are increasing their potato output to help feed growing populations, it is only in Europe and North America where the share of world potato production is greater than the share of world population. Africa, for example, is home to 18% of the world’s people, but only produces 7.2% of its potatoes.
Europe and North America also outperform other regions when it comes to potato trade, with Europe accounting for a little over a quarter of the world’s potato production but nearly 70% of its potato trade by value.
Source: UN, UN FAOSTAT, WPM & Trade Data Monitor LLC
The most impressive increase of the top 20 largest potato growers has been in Pakistan, with production jumping by 153% in the last dozen years.
Peter VanderZaag, World Potato Congress president, speaking at the event.
Good carbohydrate
JAs a carbohydrate, potatoes have suffered from some negative nutritional press, but the Australian potato industry has been tackling this issue head on.
The Western Australia Potato Association launched a campaign saying: “Not All Carbs Are Created Equal. We call WA Potatoes ‘The Good Carb’ because not only are they good to eat, they are also good for your body, the planet and your budget.”
Australian nutritionist Jemma O’Hanlon agreed. She said that carbohydrates were essential to a healthy diet and potatoes had fewer calories, along with more
Climate challenge
JOne of the most significant challenges affecting potato industries across the world is the climate, with the world seeing record temperatures over the last year and extreme heat and rainfall impacting potato production.
At the congress, researcher Shiv Mangal Singh shared findings from the DST Mahamana Centre of Excellence in Climate Change Research in India. It showed that there had been a shift to more extreme heatwave and
NEW
nutrients, compared with other carbohydrates such as pasta and bread. She also said that the greater understanding of resistant starch within potatoes was very exciting.
Potato packer Mitolo operates just outside Adelaide, bringing in 200,000 tonnes of potatoes a year from as far as 200 miles away. It has pioneered the sale of low-carb potatoes and has a low-GI type too. It supplies the country’s largest supermarket Woolworths, as well as exporting to South East Asia. Regenerative farming is almost certain to feature at any farming conference anywhere
There has been an increase in the marketing of lowcarb potatoes.
in the world, and the World Potato Congress was no different. That approach can be seen in practice in New Zealand, although grower Chris Pescini has been an advocate for many years.
He and his brothers are fourthgeneration farmers and grow 28 hectares of potatoes and 28ha of onions every year.
Another 16ha of pasture is grown on an annual basis and is grazed by the farm’s beef cattle, adding nutrients to the soil.
It is a similar picture at Ian Corbett’s farm in the middle of the North Island. Planting takes
place from September, with harvest beginning in February. The farm averages 50t/ha, but some fields will achieve more than 85t/ha. The Corbetts adopt a one-in-five potato rotation, with oat crops and pasture within that.
The farm runs 400 beef cattle and produces 5,000 lambs a year. New Zealand has the highest average potato yields in the world. It was the only country to average more than 50t/ha in 2022. Australia averaged 42t/ha, while the UK average was less than 40t/ha.
rainfall events across India, with higher temperatures reported in the north east of the country. The work found:
rThree new heatwave hotspots were putting lives at risk
rExtreme rainfall events had been observed in river basins
rAn increase in daily mortality, which was associated with air pollution, extremely high temperatures and a decreasing diurnal temperature range
rExposure to black carbon could lead to premature mortality
rRising aerosol levels and
ADD WEIGHT WITH STYLE -
ROAD
temperatures were negatively impacting wheat, rice, sorghum, mustard, potato, pea and sugar yields and quality rStrategies including shifting planting dates, using conservation agriculture and developing highly resistant crop varieties had been proposed
Prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall were also big issues in Africa, according to Kenyan crop scientist Wachira Kaguongo. He said this was having a compounded effect on
potato production. Growers were turning to the use of earlymaturing and drought-resistant varieties, with rooted apical cuttings and aeroponics used to speed up crop breeding being very important.
He also said the use of hybrid true potato seed would help make potatoes more resilient to climate change.
During the congress, hybrid potato breeder Solynta announced that it had been granted access to the Kenyan and Indian markets.
POTATOES AGRONOMIST OUTLOOK
Hutchinsons technical manager Darryl Shailes highlights some of the disease threats in sugar beet and potato crops.
Product choice will be key in late season
Well, the year is rolling by, and as we all know in farming, the weather and subsequent soil conditions have a large part to play. The challenging and stressful spring are being reflected in yields in some situations.
However, we have the calmness of the garden to help us de-stress when time allows.
Many saw the Northern Lights in May; I was unfortunately fast asleep after a long day walking fields, but the stars did align on a different day.
The saga of the cuckoos is ongoing and this year we had a huge number of cuckoos in the Waveney Valley calling out day and night and flying around.
Sunday lunch
Best of all, Dad was over for a Sunday lunch and the cuckoos were calling and for once he had his hearing aid in and it was turned on.
We also had a huge show of mayflies dancing for a few days bobbing up and down in the evening and, as a biological indicator of good water quality, it says a lot about the River Waveney.
There has been plenty of blight around in potatoes, but so far the Fight Against Blight has not reported any of the mainland Europe genotypes which are resistant to either oxathiapiprolin or the CAA group of chemistries which is good news.
The Fight Against Blight, which we help to sponsor, is
About the author
JDarryl Shailes has been a potato agronomist for more than 20 years with a nationwide remit. He works for agricultural and horticultural inputs and supplies advice company as root crop technical manager.
essential in potato production and hopefully it will continue going forward.
We had an excellent demo day at Worths Farms, with around 75 growers discussing a range of topics, covering potato cyst nematode, wireworm, post-em herbicides and cover crops.
The topic of cover crops was at the forefront of discussion and the PhD we are sponsoring on the effects of cover crops on plant parasitic nematode populations was well received.
Blight, especially tuber blight, will be high on the agenda for many as we get into maincrop and storage, so product choice will need to be at the forefront of this late season management.
Sugar beet has been largely virus-free; the continuous rain probably had a lot to do with this and now attention turns to disease control and the ongoing threat of cercospora.
While the weather has not been hugely favourable for cercospora – wet, hot and humid with very warm night
many this season.
temperatures – it is still being found in crops.
So, adherence to a strong programme, with not too long a gap between the applications, will be needed for the rest of the season.
For 2025, there will be a new variety from KWS with much stronger resistance to cercospora, giving growers in hotspots a better choice.
Ongoing topic
Cover crops in sugar beet are also an ongoing topic of discussion, especially with the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
In the recent British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO) podcast they were mentioned and will no doubt be on the agenda at the BBRO roadshows.
While there are undoubtedly soil benefits for cover crops in many rotations, the management and choice of species is still not well understood for all situations and is an area of some discussion within our business and no doubt will be for some time to come.
Blight, especially tuber blight, will also be high on the agenda for
Growers are seeing positive results from the Nitrogen Climate Smart (NCS) Project which seeks to help farmers reduce agricultural emissions by 1.5 million tonnes CO2e a year. Arable Farming reports.
Farmer-led projects search for new recruits
One year ago, the Nitrogen Climate Smart (NCS) Project set off on a journey to demonstrate how pulses can play a huge role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from UK agriculture.
Funded by Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and delivered by Innovate UK, the consortium, led by PGRO, aims to increase pulse and legume cropping in arable rotations to 20% (currently 5%), and displace up to half the soya
imported into the country for use in animal feed.
NCS is one of three projects with farmer-led trials at its core, coordinated by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN). With harvest underway for the project’s first cohort of farmers, work has begun to assess the results from samples taken during the first year.
Oxfordshire farmer and founder of BOFIN Tom Allen-Stevens says: “We have had a hugely successful year over the three projects. Farmers have proven across the trials and
monitoring that they can deliver scientifically valid data, adding real value to the progress we are making towards a more sustainable agriculture.”
While the NCS trials focus on maximising the benefits from peas and beans in the rotation, Thriving Roots Underpinning Total soil Health (TRUTH) applies intensive sampling to explore soil and root health. The Strategies Leading to Improved Management and Enhanced Resilience against Slugs (Slimers) trials are validating patch-location and forecasting
Pulse Pioneer Rob Waterston is farm manager for the Welford Estate Partnership.
of slugs, with the aim to precision apply pellets.
“We are now bringing together the data and delivering it back to the farmers. The infield feedback builds on the data to give a more rounded picture than you get from the average field trial. To build on this success in 2024-25, we are looking for more farmers wanting to help shape the future of our industry to register their interest via our website,” Mr Allen-Stevens adds.
The NCS project currently has 10 farmers carrying out trials and BOFIN is looking for an additional 10 for the 2024-25 season. Participating farmers, or ‘Pulse Pioneers’, are paid to undertake crop trials comparing the effects of pulse crops on the health of their soil and subsequent crops.
Collaborative
Pulse Pioneer Rob Waterston believes that being part of a collaborative project will ultimately help him produce a more reliable and profitable bean crop.
Farm manager for the Welford Estate Partnership, near Newbury in West Berkshire, Mr Waterston oversees a rotation which includes winter oilseed rape, winter wheat, winter beans, spring oats and spring
TRUTH is an ambitious, farmerled project to quantify and evaluate soil/root interactions.
barley. In total, 670 hectares are cropped on the 1,000ha estate which also features woodland, water meadows and some permanent pasture.
Since arriving on the estate in 2007, Mr Waterston has gradually moved away from high input production and turned his attention to soil health and plant nutrition, reducing fertiliser use and adopting practices including cover cropping, companion cropping, strip tilling and direct drilling.
He became interested in becoming a Pulse Pioneer after his experience of being an AHDB Monitor Farmer came to an end.
He says: “I got a lot out of that process, it was invaluable for talking things through with other farmers and networking.
“Farmers do not do that enough – we are all guilty of doing things a certain way just because that is the way we have always done it.”
Mr Waterston has grown winter beans for the past six years on his farm, with varying results.
“In that time, we have had one good year, a couple of average years and some absolute disasters,” he adds.
He has adapted the way the beans are planted, but is keen to explore other options.
“We used to be paranoid about not drilling too early, but actually the best approach we have found is to get them in early and plant them a bit deeper, that way they go into the winter better able to tolerate the wet conditions,” he says.
Mr Waterston is keen to continue growing beans, despite the difficulties he has faced, as he recognises the advantages they deliver in terms of soil health and weed control, black-grass in particular.
“The wheat crop that follows our beans always looks good, so they must be leaving some nitrogen in the soil, but how much? The trials should give us a clearer idea of how much nitrogen beans fix in the soil and what the benefits are to soil health.”
To help assess this, Mr Waterston has been closely monitoring his bean crop and a field next door growing spring oats. The wheat crop in both fields will be monitored through ADAS’ Cereal Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) next season.
In addition, he has undertaken a tramline trial of nutritional products in his bean crops, putting these through the Bean YEN to get a thorough understanding of any benefits.
Mr Waterston has also established a carbon baseline
for his farm, with the help of the Farm Carbon Toolkit – the NCS Project is aiming for 200 farmers to track their greenhouse gas emissions.
The TRUTH about soils TRUTH is an ambitious, farmer-led project to quantify
and evaluate soil/root interactions. Spanning three-years, with £1 million of Defra funding through Innovate UK, TRUTH brings together experts in soil and root health, sensor technology and wheat genetics.
Led by BOFIN, farmers recruited by the project are X
Extracting a soil core for the TRUTH project.
NITROGEN CLIMATE SMART PROJECT
paid to conduct trials on their own farms in order to identify the tools they need to assess their crop roots and quantify the impact of their farming system.
Farmer Rachel Holmes was keen to be involved, hoping it could provide evidence as to whether the innovative methods she has adopted to revive lifeless soils following decades of intensive arable production have been successful.
Manor Farm, on the Isle of Wight, has been farmed by Ms Holmes’ family for more than 70 years since her grandfather moved to the island from Lincolnshire in the 1950s.
Out of the 350ha total land area, half currently produces winter wheat, a quarter oilseed rape and another quarter rye,
Compost tea sounds a bit kooky but it is something that has been used by gardeners forever
RACHEL HOLMES
which is grown for a local anaerobic digestion plant.
Farming more regeneratively led to Ms Holmes and her son, Jacob, with whom she now farms, cultivating less, using cover crops and adding organic matter including incorporating all straw. However, she was convinced there must be more they could be doing.
Experimenting
Ms Holmes says: “For the past two years we have also been experimenting with using compost tea from our JohnsonSu bioreactors.
“Compost tea sounds a bit kooky but it is something that has been used by gardeners forever – it is a traditional method of making compost that we are trying to scale up so it is suitable for the large-scale environment we are working in.
“We are also experimenting this year with some vermicompost, the worms being fed with bokashi, which we hope to incorporate with our compost tea this year.”
Invented by Dr David Johnson, the Johnson-Su bioreactor consists of a frame of an IBC filled with a mixture of rye, manure, coffee and woodchips. The aim is for a 1:1 ratio of brown and green matter.
“We then put drainage pipes
in it – the idea is that nothing is further than 30cm from air, so it is all aerated,” Ms Holmes adds.
“We leave this for at least a year and water it every day. After a year it will hopefully have good microbial and fungal content, which we check regularly under the microscope. The mixture is then put in a giant teabag.”
This teabag is put into an IBC and aerated with a pump for 24 hours, before being put in the sprayer.
Ms Holmes says: “We have not used the compost teas enough yet to be able to notice a difference visually, so I am
looking forward to the trial results telling us if it is working.”
Ms Holmes and her son have taken around 22 samples across a field of first wheat and sent these into the John Innes Centre for microbial analysis. Ten soil core samples have gone to the University of Nottingham for CT analysis of the intact roots, and the Crop Science Centre is analysing eight root samples for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi activity.
MORE ONLINE
Any farmers interested in taking part in trials and playing a part in the future of farming can find out more and register interest by visiting bofin.org.uk
Farmers recruited by the TRUTH project are paid to conduct trials on their own farms.
Dr Maria Hernandez-Soriano demonstrating the length of a young plant’s roots.
BASIS news Healthy soil foundations
Soils are increasingly being recognised as one of the most important and valuable resources on any farm or estate. BASIS now offers a range of opportunities to understand the complexities of soils, but also how to manage them for optimum and sustainable production combined with environmental benefits.
For new entrants to the industry and those with little formal training in relevant topics, the BASIS Soils Pathway begins with the BASIS Foundation Award – Soils. This course provides an understanding of the relationship between the physical, biological and chemical processes that contribute to soil quality and productivity. It also deals with how farming practices can influence soil functions both positively and negatively.
The Foundation Award is taught by BASIS-approved training providers over a five-day course followed by an examination lasting one-and-a-half hours.
Successful candidates will be able to recognise the characteristics of a good quality soil; the role of soil organic matter; how to interpret a soil profile and have a working knowledge of the main UK soil types. They will gain an understanding of the key factors that determine soil texture and structure and be able to evaluate how physical properties affect plant growth, particularly how they can affect the risk of erosion, root access as well as water infiltration, retention and availability.
An understanding of soil chemistry will include the effects of soil pH on nutrient uptake, the importance of macro and micronutrients and how soil biology affects the transfer of nutrients from soil to plants.
Healthy soils are full of living organisms which are vital for soil
fertility, productivity and structure. Students gain an insight into what is required to maintain healthy biological function in the soil.
The course also explains how organic matter content can be manipulated both in terms of content and quality. Good farming practices that maintain and improve organic matter can help promote nitrogen and phosphate availability.
In the final section of the award many aspects of management are brought together, including the risk of erosion by rain and wind; the effects of capping, drainage, compaction by machinery and livestock; cultivation frequency and intensity; cover cropping and nutrient management.
Sound understanding BASIS environment manager
Thomas Vaughan says: “This short course will provide anyone with an interest in land management with a sound basic understanding of how to identify soil characteristics, then manage and improve them.”
The next step on the soils pathway is the BASIS Soils and Water certificate which is intended to give advisers an in-depth understanding of how to best manage soil and water to both maximise crop performance while minimising the impact of agricultural practice on the environment.
Farming is facing considerable changes which will need to be addressed through good soil and water management. For instance, there is an increasing area of forage maize being grown and the introduction of the Environmental Land Management scheme – both of which may require changes in how soil is managed.
Students of the certificate will gain insight into the increasing legislation that applies. This includes
The latest news for BASIS and FACTS-qualified farmers and advisers.
understand the complexities of soils.
cross-compliance requirements, as well as the Defra Code of Good Agricultural Practice, Countryside Stewardship and regulations regarding minimising pollution from both arable land and livestock units.
There are insights into agronomic practice, particularly concerning options for cultivations based on an understanding of how soil type and structure, as well as weather, topography and cropping can influence choice. The different types of cultivation machines are explored in some detail, including how they impact soil structure, organic matter and the risk of erosion.
One module focuses on soil water, drainage and irrigation. Knowledge of best practice helps minimise the risk of soil run-off and diffuse pollution from plant protection products and nutrients into water courses.
The sustainable crop nutrition module teaches the importance of sustainable crop nutrition to optimise crop performance. How to take account of nutrients in soil reserves and manures, as well as applied fertilisers is covered. Making the most of organic manures to enhance crop produc-
tion and soil health, while minimising associated environmental risks forms a final module.
The examination for the certificate extends over two days and includes a multiple choice test; the completion of a Farm Management Plan; and two vivas, including an in-field discussion on practical areas of soil management.
Final step
The final step in the Soils Pathway is the BASIS Advanced Quality of Soils certificate. Students will gain knowledge in greater depth on all aspects of soil management and how they interrelate in order to advise or manage land beneficially for cropping, environmental protection and to secure the long-term sustainability of soil.
Both certificates gain points towards achieving the BASIS Diploma in Agronomy, a highly respected recognition of expertise for advisers and consultants.
“The Soils Pathway is proving popular with a wide range of people,” adds Mr Vaughan.
BASIS now offers a range of opportunities to
Limited evidence of the financial impact of regenerative agriculture has been identified as a barrier to uptake. Teresa Rush reports on the experiences of three farming businesses adopting more sustainable farming practices.
Exploring the financial landscape of regen
In the field Toby Simpson, Cambridgeshire
JA farming system change in 2019 convinced Cambridgeshire farmer Toby Simpson that regenerative farming was not ‘all about the drill’.
The shift signalled the end of a 15-year focus on min-till at the family farm with a new approach based around cover crops and reduced input use.
Mr Simpson says: “We
quickly learned that it wasn’t about the drill; it wasn’t about how we established the crop; it was about adapting the whole system.
“In the wet autumn of 2019 when, for the first time, we planted wheat into what were very basic mustard catch crops at that time the resilience it brought us in that really wet
year was phenomenal compared to where we had used shallow cultivations, or just drilled straight into last year’s stubble.
“However, the following spring, I tried doing exactly the same thing. I direct drilled spring barley into an oat and oil radish cover crop, and we lost about a tonne per hectare of spring barley yield. I was suddenly
X Toby Simpson
BUSINESS RESILIENCE SUSTAINABLE FARMING
In the field Toby Simpson, Cambridgeshire, continued...
questioning how we could make this system change work.”
That questioning led to a Nuffield scholarship looking at catch and cover cropping opportunities in UK arable agriculture, which culminated in recognition of the importance of cover crops as system enablers. What has emerged on the farm since is a system based around no-till and the use of companion crops, intercrops and cover crops ‘at every opportunity’.
And while the business is moving ‘some way’ towards reducing inputs, the entire system is underpinned by a desire to maintain output.
“Our yield average before we moved to a fully no-till system with cover crops was about 8.6t/ha. In the last four years it
has averaged 8.59t of wheat per hectare,” says Mr Simpson
“However, in that same period, we’ve made some major changes within the system. We’ve been able to reduce our artificial nitrogen, we’ve reduced the amount of fungicide we’re using and we haven’t sprayed insecticides in that time.
Savings
“While we’ve been maintaining our output, we’ve been making savings within the system.”
Nitrogen costs have fallen by around £50/ha, with N inputs being trimmed by 50kg N/ha on average, while spend on fungicides fell to £65/ha in total for T1 and T2 sprays if needed, saving £80/ha.
There is a desire to cut herbicide costs, although the
need to control black-grass presents a challenge in this respect.
“We’re trying to use different tools and different methods; we’re using rotation; we’re also starting to use an inter-row hoe to reduce our dependence on pre-emergence herbicides, but a year like this just proves their worth,” adds Mr Simpson.
Spending on catch and cover crop seed has risen to £55/ha.
“I’m saving £75/ha on my variable costs, which certainly isn’t to be sniffed at,” says Mr Simpson.
“Depreciation is going up because I have two very expensive drills sat in the shed.
“Interestingly, if I look back on the data that we’ve got on our establishment costs over the past 15 years, it hasn’t really
In the field Sentry Farming, Cambridge
JRegenerative farming practices are deployed to some degree across all of the 23,000 hectares farmed by Sentry Farming around the UK.
The business has three key areas of focus, says Sentry business adviser Lottie Hudson – to continue to integrate regenerative farming practices; to adapt the business sustainably and profitably; and to improve soil health and biodiversity while maintaining productivity.
Transition
On one Sentry heavy land farm near Cambridge, which is currently in its third season of transition to a regenerative farming system, this has seen oilseed rape dropped from the rotation, the introduction of SFI AB1 as a rotational break crop, integration of livestock into the rotation in the form of sheep, which graze
cover crops ahead of spring cropping, and a move from a one-pass crop establishment system to a stubble rake and direct drill approach.
‘Wins’ to date have been a halving of fuel use in year one, a significant reduction in horsepower requirement and maintenance of wheat yields at an average of 9.26 tonnes per hectare.
Future plans, meanwhile, include the purchase of an inter-row hoe, an increase in muck applications and bringing the farm’s own livestock, rather than a neighbour’s stock, into the system.
Ms Hudson adds that the aim across all of the Sentry farms is to incorporate SFI options wherever possible and also take advantage of grants, such as the Farm Equipment Technology funding.
Source: Sentry Farming and variable rate nutrient application SFI options are set to bring in an additional £100/ha across the farm, amounting to £24,000 in total, says Ms Hudson. She adds: “We want to
changed a whole lot per hectare, which when we factor in inflation is suggesting that we are making some fairly significant savings.
“We just haven’t seen them on the bottom line because everything is costing a lot more now.
“Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) income, which in our view is nice to have when we’re doing it anyway, can soon stack up to be a very substantial amount of money when we’ve already factored those costs into our system.”
Mr Simpson questions whether any farming business can afford not to adopt regenerative farming-led approaches.
“The more resilience we can build into our soils and into our system the more it will pay us back in the long-term,” he says.
keep incorporating other options such as bird and flower mixes as well and we’re making use of stacking those options to maximise the income that we can get from the schemes.”
In the field J. and W.K. Fisher, Nottinghamshire
JJoe Fisher farms 560 hectares of mainly arable land in the East Midlands, 70% of which is rented from the Crown Estate.
An extensive cropping plan on the farm’s sandy to clay loam soils would typically include cereals, beans, quinoa and oilseed rape.
The farm’s transition to a regenerative farming system has seen a progression from a plough/combi-drill establishment approach through a one-pass min-till system and, since 2021, the introduction of no-till, across most of the farm.
Mr Fisher says: “But it has evolved beyond that in terms of reducing fertiliser and agchem inputs, widening rotations and building a healthier system and biology into the soil using catch and cover crops.”
Benchmarking with AHDB Farmbench provides a steer on progress and performance.
Savings have come via reduction in variable costs, more so than fixed costs (see table) and yields have remained fairly static across the changes in farming system.
“We’ve kept the yield but tried to go a lot harder on cost control. We are spending a lot less on fuel because we’re not cultivating to then form up a seedbed to drill into. We’re not
rolling because the drill is doing that for us.
“But we are spending a lot more on catch and cover crops, which hopefully will pay us back and build towards the longer term system we were trying to aim for.
“Where we’re seeing the major benefits now is being more in control of our own destiny in terms of what we’re applying to crops. We’re using a lot less nitrogen; we used to be 240kg N/ha milling wheat growers, spending a lot of money on fungicides, whereas now we are feed wheat growers spending a lot less money.”
Reducing the farm’s nitrogen inputs has been an easy win, says Mr Fisher, adding that insecticides are no longer used, nor are bought-in P&K fertilisers. However, these savings have been accompanied by an increase in risk within the business, he
Fixed costs
Slugs and BYDV are threats to Joe Fisher’s regenerative system.
says, citing barley yellow dwarf virus and slugs as particular threats. Stacking SFI options will provide £154/ha additional net income across the farm this year, helping to deliver a much more resilient business model and growing for premium markets also adds to the farm’s income stream.
J. and W.K. Fisher cost savings
Less HP and cultivations [-£48/ha]
Less rolling [-£12/ha]
Fewer spray passes [-£16/ha]
Variable costs
Groundswell
speaking in the Groundswell 2024 seminar ‘Harvesting prosperity: Exploring the financial landscape of regenerative farming and practices’
Average 50kg/ha less N [-£58/ha]
No seed treatments [-£12/ha]
No insecticides [-£11/ha] –
Reduced fungicides [-£48/ha]
No P&K fertilisers
More catch and cover crops [+£42/ha]
More time management (planning seedbeds, targeted loosening, crop drainage works)
Source: Joe Fisher
More OM/compost [+£18/ha]
More risk – BYDV and slugs and more time (seed testing, crop walking SAP analysis)
JToby Simpson, Lottie Hudson and Joe Fisher were
REGIONAL
We catch up with eight agronomists from different UK regions to discuss how crops are looking and what the next steps might be for growers.
Early drilling plans a concern
Phil Warham Agronomist for Agrovista in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire
JPersuading some growers to delay drilling winter wheat for as long as possible is proving a challenge, given their experiences last autumn.
Many growers struggled to get crops in at all, let alone decent ones. But to pull the drilling start date forward to September 15 this season to avoid a repeat scenario, as many say they will, is asking for trouble where black-grass is present – and there is a lot about this season.
Even with a full herbicide stack costing about £150/ hectare – and commodity prices do not support this sort of
spend – enough black-grass will survive to hit yields and, equally important, to add to the seed burden in soils, leading to yet more problems in years to come.
The ideal start date for sowing wheat is October 15, although growers do need to be geared up for that to work. I would suggest being able to drill wheat in a six-day window.
Those who cannot need to be realistic about how long drilling will actually take and bring the start date forward accordingly. But I would suggest by only a week at most; be sure to drill your cleanest land first and be prepared to switch any area left, hopefully the dirtiest
fields, into spring cropping if the weather closes in.
Slugs are plentiful after the cool, wet season we have had. They could well be more of a problem in later-drilled cereals, but that is no reason to go earlier – unlike black-grass we can still control them if we manage the programme properly, and that means getting bait points out early to see what is going on.
One other area of concern is subsoiling. Many soils are wet and plastic at depth and dragging a leg through this will damage the structure further rather than repair it.
Harry Gibson Agronomist for Spunhill in Cheshire and Staffordshire
JI am sure many growers across the region will be relieved harvest is finally here. As I am writing this, combining of winter oilseed rape and winter barley is very nearly complete, with yields as to be expected given the season.
Anything grown on lighter land has performed better than crops drilled into heavy soils. OSR, in particular, has suffered on waterlogged soils with yields being less than exciting (on the areas of crop which actually made it to harvest, despite the best efforts of the flea beetle).
This poor performance of the crop, combined with the
availability of Sustainable Farming Incentive options, may lead more growers to stop producing OSR.
For those still persevering, there is a myriad of opinions on how to establish the crop in the key early growth stages.
Options
Options have included drilling into a longer stubble, companion crops, organic manures to ‘hide’ the crop, drilling earlier, drilling later after peak migration of the flea beetle and various biostimulant products.
All of these have been tested with various levels of success. The key seems to be weather
conditions at drilling, getting seedlings up and growing away quickly, with adequate moisture in the forecast.
Winter wheat does not look as bad as originally feared. Its slightly higher tolerance of sub-optimal conditions has allowed it to compensate. Growers who have persisted with the crop throughout the season may be surprised by how it performs, albeit not a record-breaking year.
The sunshine over the last couple of weeks will have helped with grain fill and will improve the quality of the sample.
AUTUMN FORECAST REGIONAL AGRONOMY
Stevie Gray Agronomist for Scottish Agronomy, Angus to the Scottish Borders
JHarvest results have so far been mixed for wholecrop rye, winter barley and oilseed rape for most growers.
Crops which have been sitting in saturated soils for a prolonged period of time have had a reduced tillering ability, while a lack of sunshine hours has led to poorer specific weights in winter barley.
Winter wheat has had better weather for grain fill and has the ability to compensate for reduced tillering by producing extra grain sites.
Spring crops continue to show potential, as they have done all season, and a good run in to harvest should help to fill out grains and reduce instances of screenings.
Oilseed rape establishment is now underway for many, and the showery conditions mean there should be no shortage of moisture to drill into.
Flea beetle
Pest pressure will be at the forefront of the mind as usual. So far, we have seen few reports of flea beetle in harvest trailers or grain stores, so it looks at this point as though pressure will be lower this year. However, crops should be monitored regularly.
Slug numbers, however, have remained high throughout the season and moist seedbeds will provide ideal conditions for them. Early and regular applications of slug pellets
will be necessary on known high pressure fields.
Grass-weeds are expected to be a problem in winter cereals again next season. Factors include: an inability to apply residual herbicides in many fields in 2023/24; a lack of crop competition for a long part of winter and spring; and contaminated seed introducing new grassweed species to farms.
Growers with a known issue may have to look to a combination of cultural control methods and the inclusion of novel residual herbicides to achieve an acceptable level of control and prevent some of these grass-weeds gaining traction in Scotland.
George Swann Independent agronomist in
South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and North Lincolnshire
JAfter a challenging year, growers are looking forward to starting again this autumn. With significant areas of fallow and Sustainable Farming Incentive options in 2024, there is the opportunity to establish plenty of first wheat crops this autumn.
application. Ideally aim for 3.5-4cm seed depth.
Pre-emergence herbicides must be applied as soon as possible after drilling and within 48 hours if possible. Uniform herbicide application is essential, so keep the boom at the correct height and drive at an appropriate speed.
Increasing the water volume above 150 litres/hectare alone will not really improve herbicide performance, but using either alternating forward and backward nozzles or using twin cap nozzles may help with coverage, particularly if there are small clods present.
Although agronomists will stress the importance of delaying wheat drilling for grass-weed control, I fear it may be difficult to stop growers drilling before September 25. There are a number of requirements which need to be understood and acted on to have the best chance of achieving satisfactory grassweed control, even if the drilling date is earlier than it should be.
Seed depth and consolidated soil coverage are essential to protect the crop from herbicide damage, particularly if heavy rain follows herbicide
Independent trials have shown the benefits in stacking multiple actives, so use a sensible amount of chemistry. Consider including glyphosate with the pre-emergence herbicide if not applied in the previous seven to 10 days.
Continues over the page.
REGIONAL AGRONOMY AUTUMN FORECAST
Will Vaughan-France NIAB regional
agronomist for the South West, based in Somerset
JWith the progress of harvest, we are now seeing the results from one of the most difficult seasons in memory, and while they are highly variable, not all is bad. In general, the results are telling us about the land – those sites that have high fertility and are free-draining or well drained have yielded surprisingly well. Conversely, the wetter and heavier land where crop establishment was most compromised has resulted in variable and generally poor yields.
While septoria was the principal driver behind the wheat disease challenge, brown rust was also notable, and often in the varieties which are cleaner for septoria. When considering that most wheat crops went through grain fill with only the flag leaf and part of leaf 2 clear of disease, it is remarkable how many crops have yielded. Sunshine was above average in June for much of this region alongside temperatures slightly below –this will have supported the
limited green area to work at maximum efficiency and probably also helped some winter barley crops to yield.
Other crops, such as winter barley and oilseed rape (OSR), also reflect the conditions of the land well – the best performances are from freedraining soils, the worst from the wettest land. Neither of these two crops like wet feet in winter and that is not something we could avoid on heavy land.
Next season
While we can review the year and harvest at length, we are now at the start of the next season. OSR is starting to be sown into dry seedbeds in the expectation of forecast rain. Soils are generally very dry, many well cracked. However, we need to look carefully at the legacy of the wet season. A spade will be the best tool to decide on appropriate cultivations to start the process of repairing land and setting up the potential for what must be a better season to come.
Kevin Knight Agronomist for ProCam in Devon and Cornwall
JIt is with some relief that combines are rolling and we can close the gate on the 2024 arable season, have a reset, and plan for 2025 and hopefully more favourable conditions.
Winter OSR was fair –most yielded 3.5-4 tonnes per hectare – a fine spell during the yield building phase helped.
Winter cereal yields have shown a wide variation – marginal ground and compromised timings due to tight spray windows (often out of kilter with crop development) combined to
deliver some disappointing results.
Where timings were close to the correct growth stage, and fungicide/PGR choice and rates adjusted accordingly, some respectable results were achieved.
Barley ranged 5t/ha to just under 11t/ha, with most falling closer to 7.4t/ha. Hybrids led in terms of yield and bushel weight.
Wheat is coming in at 7.512t/ha, and given the rough start, it mostly recovered well.
Maize is in dire need of strong sun. We can do everything right, but for a
C4 plant, photosynthesis needs strong sunlight.
Nutrition is key to get the best out of the crop, and eyespot risk is high this year (worst where rotations are tight and there is gamecover about).
All systems go
Coupled with disappointing late silage cuts, it is all systems go to get fodder crops in, such as Italian ryegrass/ rye catch crops, or brassica based mixes, to ease pressure on silage clamps.
This does not sit well with cultural weed control for following crops, but a
careful selection of mixes can fit the remit for Sustainable Farming Incentive options to offset costs.
The focus is now soil testing, stale seedbeds and establishment for the 2025 harvest – starting with OSR.
Looking at several years of data, it seems the ‘traditional’ drilling around August bank holiday is one to avoid, so selecting varieties suited to the earlier or later drilling is key.
‘Well sown is half grown’ as they say, so attention to detail now will reap dividends next year.
AUTUMN FORECAST REGIONAL AGRONOMY
Peter Carr Agronomist and strategic adviser in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire
JI do not think I can ever remember such a variable year of harvest results, with some of the highest and lowest yields recorded on farms.
The impact of wet-lying fields and poor nutrition timings has seemingly been the unkindest to growers.
Quality wheat is variable without real rhyme or reason, but no doubt lack of UV interaction, and high nitrate leaching and yield will have played a role where the target has been missed.
Malting barley looks to all have hit the spec
PETER CARR
Malting barley looks to all have hit the spec with good yields to go with it. Good or bad, I think everyone will be glad to see HY24 in the barn and set up for next year.
As harvest makes good progress, our attention turns to the condition of soils after last winter, and the impact of all the rain has, as expected, taken its toll and the cultivators have been deployed to deal with tightly compacted soils.
With a nice amount of soil moisture, they seem
Simon Roberts
Managing director
JWith the warm settled weather, wheat harvest is progressing well. Results so far show the more fertile, higher organic matter locations are yielding better and lighter land is performing better than heavier on both yield and quality. This is hardly surprising after a season with endless rainfall and lower-than-average solar radiation.
Disease pressure will have played its part, too, including where earlier-drilled, thicker canopies with higher disease pressure have resulted in lowerthan-expected yields. But until all the results are gathered,
to be doing a good job, and the myriad cover crops for the Sustainable Farming Incentive are going in whether in conventional or regen systems.
Flea beetle
OSR, where still being grown, is either planted and emerged or will wait now until the end of August to avoid the onslaught of flea beetle which sometimes coincides with the bank holiday.
Where rotational NUM3 mixes are being removed, the impact of black-grass seed return in them will need close attention going forwards.
of independent agronomy firm CCC Agronomy in the South East
it is unfair to draw any clear conclusions.
Spring crops have enjoyed the season with some excellent spring barley yields with malting quality being met, and bean crops looking full of potential.
Attention is starting to turn to preparation for next season’s crop and the continual challenge of keeping on top of grass-weeds. Where we have sufficient moisture, stubbles have been cultivated to get a chit of volunteers and grass-weeds which can be dealt with outside of a crop situation.
Where cover crops have been sown, they have emerged
quickly due to the warm, moist seedbeds. OSR will also establish well in these conditions, but will also feel the full force of the flea beetle invasion if established in the next few weeks.
In the last few years, the best approach has been to wait until after the main migration has taken place (usually early September) and sow when there is sufficient soil moisture. Some of the better yields have been from September 17-22 drillings. The omnipresence of slugs this season has been a constant reminder to be vigilant and do everything possible to reduce their impact on the new crop.
An integrated approach is vital in paying attention to trash levels and seedbed preparation which reduces the potential impact on crop establishment.
Spring crops have enjoyed the season with some excellent spring barley yields
SIMON ROBERTS
With the past season’s heavy rainfall having hammered the soil structure of many fields and often overwhelmed drainage systems, what can be done to begin putting things right before establishing 2025’s crops? Martin Rickatson sought advice from soil specialist Philip Wright.
Assessing soils ahead of next season’s crops
Repairing the damage done to soils by the wet conditions that have marred much of the 2023-24 growing season will be uppermost in many minds ahead of autumn and spring drilling for harvest 2025. Before rushing in to lift and loosen land, though, an accurate assessment of actual conditions is essential – and it may not necessarily begin where you might expect.
Philip Wright, whose company Wright Resolutions provides consultancy on soil management, says: “The message that a spade is the best tool to take out and assess compaction is one many will be familiar with, but it is where you dig first that is important.
“Before digging down into the soil profile of problem areas where crops have been compromised, it is best to dig first where there actually is not an evident issue, going by the health of the crop and the condition of the soil surface. This will give you an idea of what good soil structure should look like, and provide a comparison when you dig in areas where there is clearly a problem.”
Despite the amount and intensity of the rain that fell at times through winter-spring 2023/24, unless land was moved and trafficked intensively at the time then most compaction present on heavier soils should be relatively shallow, adds Mr Wright.
“In some areas, the early summer period did see some drier weather that helped soils start to dry out, and beginning natural restructuring of heavier land through vertical cracking and fissuring,” he says.
Recover
“But, of course, that was not the case everywhere. Land where the upper soil layers have been destabilised and deconstructed, and the aggregates – particularly silt particles – in them have broken down and been washed into the pore spaces beneath, reducing the soil’s water and air-holding capacity, will need help to recover.”
After assessing the best-looking areas to get an idea of how the least compromised structure should appear, looking for vertical root pathways and a crumbly soil structure, move on to assess field
parts where there is clearly a problem, says Mr Wright. Use obvious indicators of surface soil smearing, stunted crop growth, yellowing, and – potentially –premature ripening.
“Factors such as surface soil moisture levels and how easy it is to get the spade in the ground will provide a first indication of the severity of an issue, but again you should also assess root direction and depth to get an idea of the depth of compaction.
Mr Wright adds: “This shows where you need to be with any remedial work to put it right – or whether nature can be fully relied on for the restructuring job via natural summer/autumn cracking and strong roots passing through the ground.
“Only consider serious restructuring of min-/no-tilled ground if really necessary, as unnecessary soil over-stimulation can cause over-aeration, affecting structure, and excessive stimulation of the soil biology through over-oxidisation.
“Soils which are over-oxidised and, clearly, those with compaction which are less aerobic, both restrict the availability of readily accessible nutrients to plants,” he says.
While there is nothing that can be done about rainfall amounts, frequencies and intensities, ensuring excess water can exit the soil profile unimpeded is crucial to keeping soil aerated and well-structured and plant roots in just the right amount of moisture, adds Mr Wright.
“Last season’s rainfall made evident the need for more regular drainage maintenance in many cases, and so many farms will see land drainage improvements through simple good drainage maintenance.
“Poorly-drained soils cannot be successfully min-tilled or direct drilled, and jetting drains, clearing outlets and cleaning ditches are crucial to getting problem fields back in order. When this is properly managed, it is likely that heavier winter rains will actually then help to flush through field drains.”
Moling
Many farmers may be asking themselves whether moling post-harvest may improve field water flows, Mr Wright says.
“But much will depend on soil moisture at moling depth. Soils that are dry on top and plastic at moling depth are at the ideal stage. Fields that were not cropped may well have soils that are sufficiently plastic at depth to hold a mole, but on cropped fields where roots have drawn much of the moisture that may not be the case.
“Again, dig to assess, in the
Mr Wright recommends digging in unaffected areas to first assess what the soil structure should look like.
Philip Wright
growing crop if necessary. If the field is going into a spring crop, and especially a fallow option, it will allow moisture at depth to become most appropriate before moling, particularly if the sub-surface or surface conditions are not right.”
Depending on the identified depth of any clear compaction issue, rectifying it mechanically will likely be best done with a dedicated low-disturbance shallow-working cultivator, adds Mr Wright.
“With a compaction layer identified at 125-200mm, a shallow cultivator working with narrow point tips and low rake-angle wings to just below this depth should lift and aerate sufficiently to help the restructuring process ahead of the next crop’s roots.
“The amount of vertical lift imposed by the wings is directly related to working depth, and you should look for vertical cracks being created through the compacted layer by sufficient ‘stretching’ at this depth. Inadequate lift leads to the
Depending on its depth, rectifying compaction mechanically is best done with a dedicated low-disturbance shallow-working cultivator.
soil not being cracked regularly down at this level.
Solution
He says: “If the layer lies shallower – at 100-125mm – a low disturbance implement may lift and disturb the soil surface too much, resulting in the profile being unstable. One solution is to use half-worn, shorter wings to reduce that effect.
“Some might advocate working with closer-spaced legs in this
situation, but having done a lot of work on this lately I would strongly advise against it. The unmoved soil strips between the legs are important support zones not only for subsequent field traffic. They also provide an undisturbed haven for soil biology such as filaments of essential fungi that can then network back through the moved profile.
“If your compaction issue is shallower still – at 75-100mm –
PROVEN PERFORMANCE
then a tine drill may actually do the alleviation job for you at the same time as establishing your next crop. That is particularly true where a crop is a cover ahead of a spring or later autumn cash crop.
“If you have a seed/fertiliser tine drill, it may be possible simply to use the deeper-set fertiliser points to work below drilling depth and do a loosening job, whether or not you are placing fertiliser,” Mr Wright adds.
STARTER FERTILISER LIQUID APPLICATION
There has been an increasing interest in and uptake of liquid applicators to apply fertilisers and biological amendments in-furrow or directly onto the seed. This could be a significant factor in the recent Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) offer of up to 60% of a maximum unit cost of £14,800 for farmers wishing to fit a liquid application kit to their seed drill. Unfortunately, the application for FETF has now closed.
However, with the election of a new Government, there remains the potential for the scheme to be reopened this year, aligning to its original funding plans. In addition, further funding streams could be in the pipeline for this type of productivity investment, as the
Applying liquids to seed during drilling can provide growers with a flexible and convenient way to maximise seedling development and improve soil function. FACTS adviser Rob Beaumont reports.
Liquid application using seed drills
Government places environmentally focused investments in the top tier of its funding strategy.
For users considering investing in a liquid applicator kit for a drill, it is worth spending some time to understand what it is they are trying to achieve, how it fits into their system and what type of products or amendments they
intend to use. Users also need to factor in how much they are willing to spend. Some of the applicators and tanks with full bells and whistles can cost upwards of £15,000, which is no small amount if it is something used for a year and then left in the nettles.
However, if the business can accommodate a winter workshop project, then users can make a basic system for about £2,000£3,000 for a three-metre drill, which should be perfectly good enough to experiment with and to make sure they are happy with the concept.
There are several different methods of pumping the liquid from the
tank to the seed coulters. What users intend to apply will have a bearing on the type of pump used.
Peristaltic pumps
For applications that contain a large amount of organic material, such as compost extract, a peristaltic pump would be preferable. This is because they are less damaging to fungal hyphae and other endophytes that might be attached to composted organic matter that would otherwise be destroyed by a high-pressure mechanical diaphragm pump.
Peristaltic pumps are typically better suited to tolerate materials that might be of a higher viscosity Continues over the page.
There has been an increase in farmers using liquid applicators with seed drills.
STARTER FERTILISER LIQUID APPLICATION
or contain particles of solid material. However, for users applying a more homogenous fertiliser product, then a hydraulic or electric diaphragm pump should be acceptable.
Benefits
So, what are the benefits of applying products to the seed at drilling, and what options are available?
The main advantage of applying liquids directly to the seed through the drill is that it enables growers to place fertilisers or other amendments directly in the zone where the first roots will emerge, and this means that it is available as soon as the seed germinates. It also allows the application of less fertiliser overall, as product does not need to be wasted on the soil surface where nothing is growing. Seeds that have the right nutritional and biological start in life should emerge with vigour, and will be much more resilient to climatic, pest and disease pressures.
For growers who are into using compost extracts and teas, using an applicator on the drill is a much simpler way of getting biology onto the seed, rather than applying it at the time of bagging or cleaning.
Compost teas are a great way of making a highly biological and cost-effective product without having the expense of spreading large quantities of bulky material directly onto the field.
However, before brewing up a compost into a tea, it is highly recommended that the product is professionally tested to understand exactly what organisms need to be present, or not, to make a usable amendment.
Poorly made compost can contain pathogens, which could be detrimental to the seed. In addition, if the material is not fully composted then it might not contain the beneficial organisms, particularly fungi, that are required.
Several agronomists around the country provide this service, and
seeking the best advice on how to use homemade products effectively is well worth the time. In addition to compost, humic/ fulvic products or fish hydrolysate can be used as a food source for the biology in your soil to help it recover from any tillage or chemical events that might have been detrimental. Fish hydrolysate is also a fantastic source of nutrition for young seedlings. However, if users want to keep things simple, or just want to apply standard fertiliser to their seed, then there are plenty of products out there.
Phosphorus
For most seeds, it is essential to ensure an adequate supply of phosphorous is available to encourage rapid root development. Unfortunately, some of the traditional sources of P, such as triple super phosphate or diammonium phosphate, can be bound up quickly in the soil and become unavailable to the crop.
By using a liquid source of P fertiliser and combining it with a source of humic acid, phosphorus can be buffered and chelated, therefore remaining available to the crop for a longer period.
This is a great way to use a liquid applicator as it provides the option of mixing products that might otherwise be more challenging when applying solid products.
It also reduces the amount needed in kg per hectare to get the same level of response. Not only does this have an environmental benefit, especially in sensitive water catchments, but also has a significant potential cost saving too.
In addition to traditional NPK fertilisers, liquid application also offers the opportunity to give the seed some of the key micronutrients such as copper, zinc and manganese, but also calcium, silicon and boron.
A simple manifold mounted onto the drill can be used to distribute the product to each leg or coulter.
Making sure the seedling has the correct macronutrients available, as well as micronutrients, will help it grow and form complete proteins and lipids, making it more resilient to pest pressures.
Soil conditioners
Finally, there is also the possibility of using an applicator to apply soil conditioners such as gypsum (calcium sulphate) in a liquid form. This can be especially useful for growers drilling into highmagnesium clay soils.
Gypsum helps open up the soil by displacing magnesium with calcium, a much larger molecule which helps with root and water penetration.
Having a means by which liquids can be applied to the seed at drilling gives growers a flexible and convenient way to maximise seedling development and improve soil function.
If growers are looking to modify their drilling setup, it can be sensible to try and find local farmers who are already doing it, with many simple systems successfully fabricated on farm.
Liquid application enables growers to place fertilisers or other amendments directly in the zone where the first roots will emerge.
The Rapid A… a powerful drill for future farming
Rapid A
Compost teas are a great way of making a highly biological and cost-effective product.
Rapid A offers great design and a series of innovations which reduce the maintenance, improves the performance and makes drilling simpler. Rapid can be equipped with the unique SeedEye counting technology. Farmers can now set the number of seeds per square metre without needing to perform calibration tests.
FODDER CROPS MAIZE
It has been a difficult year for maize growers, with harvest delays ‘inevitable’ and few expectations that yields will break any records when results are analysed. Arable Farming reports.
Maize crop recovers as season progresses M
any new maize growers have come on board in the arable sector following issues with autumn cereal
planting, coupled with spring cereal seed shortages.
Tom Turner, of seed breeder KWS, says maize was one of the most viable spring crop alternatives this growing season,
and although it may not have been the best introduction for first time growers, the situation improved as the season progressed.
He says: “It has been encouraging to find that most backward crops have managed to recover, after an extremely challenging
start. The biggest surprise was that even crops which suffered waterlogging appear to have recovered to an extent.”
Disappeared
Early signs of environmental stress, which includes deep purpling across the entire X
Tom Turner
Maize has been one of the most viable spring crop alternatives this growing season.
FODDER CROPS MAIZE
leaf surface, have all but disappeared, he says.
“This symptom can be confused with phosphorous deficiency, but in fact the effect was caused by the poor conditions. There were also indications of general nutritional stress, as the continued cold conditions limited root growth, leading to nutritional deficiencies of zinc, manganese and boron, for example. Growers who reacted swiftly and applied a foliar nutrient in later season will have reaped the rewards.”
The risk of weed infestation was heightened with the limited opportunity for herbicide application, he adds.
“Wet soils precluded the standard spring application of a pre-emergence herbicide on some farms. This was a cause for alarm, because young maize
plants do not respond well to early competition. Fortunately, there was a window of opportunity for a post-emergence treatment, which in general brought weeds under control.
“In the small number of cases where one of the two spray timing options were omitted to save on input costs, it brought into sharp focus the general advice to apply both treatments as a ‘belt and braces’ approach.”
Yet another factor was the high soil moisture content at planting time, which affected rooting.
“The catchy spring weather restricted the chance to get on with sowing as usual, forcing growers to bring out the drill between periods of rain. This led to ‘lazy rooting,’ as the young maize plants did not have to reach deep into the soil to find
moisture. The effect was exacerbated because of the poor soil structure following the wet winter and few options for rectifying the issue in good time. Not only does this shallow rooting present a risk in drought situations, it can also make crops more prone to lodging as they mature.”
Disease
On a more positive note, he has seen few signs of disease in the 2024 crop.
“In early season there was some concern that eyespot would have a serious impact on yields,” he says.
Cutting maize at the correct point of maturity is critical, so splitting harvest dates could help to offset the negative effects caused by the poor season
TOM TURNER
“The disease, which is different from the eyespot that is found in cereal species, can severely reduce crop yields. It favours the combination of high rainfall and low temperatures which typified the early and mid-season. Eyespot was building up, but the risk dissipated as the weather improved and I have not seen a case on my travels.”
Despite the progress that has been achieved through improved weather conditions, he predicts that cutting will be put back by at least a fortnight. In some regions, lack of crop maturity may mean that harvest has to be delayed until late October and into November, he adds.
And he says, as always, the best results will be achieved where growers have spent time on seed selection, to ensure that their chosen varieties have been matched to the site.
growers consult an expert to discuss the potential benefits of applying for one of the autumn options within the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) initiative.
“I would urge growers to remain flexible and prepare for making adjustments to their programmes. In some situations, it may be worth looking at making an application for the CSAM2 option within the SFI. The three-year scheme offers £129/hectare for establishing a cover crop following the maize harvest.
“Even early varieties, which take as little as 130 days to reach maturity, compared with 160 days for a mainstream type, are unlikely to be ready to harvest during the target week for individual farms. This will have a far-reaching effect, especially where a following cereal crop has been planned within the rotation.”
Mr Turner recommends that
“CSAM2 is designed to protect the soil surface over the winter and improve its structure at rooting depth. There is no cut-off date for establishing the cover crop; the wording of the agreement simply states that it must be well-established over the winter months and fall between the harvesting of one cash crop and the sowing of the next cash crop.
“It could offer the chance to generate a payment, in instances where it is unviable to sow autumn cereals. In addition, the crop can be grazed by livestock once well established, or incorporated in the spring to boost soil organic matter.”
It is difficult to make an
Careful assessment of cob and stem dry matter will help maximise performance this harvest.
accurate forecast of yield and quality results for the coming harvest, he says, but production is expected to fall below the five-year average. In a year where harvest is delayed, results are influenced by autumn weather, sowing date, location and soil type. A lot will also depend on
the heat unit numbers during September, as high temperatures will bring forward maturity.
Harvest policies
He also has some advice on harvest policies.
“It may be useful to consider making initial preparations for a
staggered harvest, whether that means factoring it in to staffing arrangements or alerting the contractor to the possibility.
“This tip would be particularly appropriate on farms with large acreages and/or where a range of varieties have been sown.
“Cutting maize at the correct point of maturity is critical, so splitting harvest dates could help to offset the negative effects caused by the poor season. The careful assessment of cobs and stem dry matter will help to maximise performance this year,” says Mr Turner.
The Klinea Hoe features adjustable tine angle to improve penetration in hard
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Mr Turner has seen few signs of disease in the 2024 maize crop.
John Deere launches 6M range
Occupying a base power band from 105 to 275hp, 17 new models will be offered with either 4.5-litre four-cylinder or 6.8-litre six-cylinder engines. Depending on the specific model, a 20hp boost will be provided during transport or high-load pto activities.
Across the range, hydraulic outputs of 114 to 195 litres per minute will be available.
More choices
Not offered on the outgoing M series, the new range now provides more transmission choices, including mechanical PowrQuad, powershift AutoQuad, and CVT AutoPowr.
Following its preview earlier in the year, John Deere has released the full range and specification options for its new 6M series of tractors. Toby Whatley reports.
All models are provided with a 50km/h option, which was previously not offered.
The range aims to provide a lower-spec tractor offering without the standard data and control technology integrated with the R Series.
Internally, the cabs have been refined with the dashboard replaced with an A-pillar-mounted display and a choice between a
right-hand console or a new compact CommandArm.
Mechanical cab suspension and TLS front axle suspension will be offered.
Users looking to add precision farming systems to the series can choose either a 10.1” or 12.8” G5 terminal, which can include Autotrac guidance, IsoBus control and variable rate applications, and will be mounted to the cab A-pillar.
John Deere’s 6M range comes in five frame sizes.
The dashboard is replaced by an A-pillar-mounted display. G5 terminals, Autotrac guidance and IsoBus control can be added.
Users of multiple machines can choose to integrate the JDLink telemetry system as optional.
The M series roughly reflects the existing R series with several models mirrored in R or M designations.
Five frame sizes will be offered:
short (2,400mm), small (2,580mm), mid-frame (2,765mm), large (2,800mm) and extra-large (2,900mm).
Small frame
The introduction of the small, 2,400mm frame is new for the
M series and provides a smaller wheelbase option for M buyers over the existing R versions.
Operators of existing 6030 and 7030 series tractors will find several similarities between the new range and their existing models.
In a market where several
manufacturers have launched increasingly technology-laden tractors, there may still be demand for functional machines for users carrying out general farm and contracting tasks that do not require complex precision farming and data-gathering services.
ECO GREEN COMPOSTING MACHINERY
The 6M range occupies the 105 to 275hp power band.
MACHINERY TILLAGE
No establishment method is perfect and although direct drilling does offer benefits regarding carbon sequestration, and reduced nitrous oxide gas emissions, compaction can undoubtedly become an issue over time.
Often the most committed direct drillers say a healthy cycling soil will provide the answers to soil compaction, but each farm and field is different with variabilities in soil type and rainfall. Sometimes even deeprooting cover crops can lack the might of metal when it comes to alleviating compaction.
With 1,000mm of rainfall exerting one tonne of pressure onto soil per square metre, for some direct drillers it may be time to bring the plough back out of the shed to alleviate compaction, but for others it just is not an option.
The test was carried out in Lancashire in an area generally unassociated with direct drilling due to high rainfall. The test farm is well-established with reduced cultivation planting and has been building direct drilling into its system for the last five years.
Heavy rainfall
The autumn/winter of 2023/2024 presented heavy rainfall well into spring, which created a number of challenges establishing winter crops. With the test farm’s annual rainfall pushed up to 1,700mm, it created a number of compaction challenges.
Direct drilling offered a timely
The 2.5m Sumo GLS variant has four legs spaced at 580mm, compared to the brand’s LDS variant offered at 500mm row spacings.
Is it reasonable and feasible to subsoil a growing cereal crop?
James Huyton takes a look at the viability of using a lowdisturbance subsoiler in spring wheat.
Subsoiling within a growing crop put to the test on-farm
method of establishment in a short window, KWS Chillam wheat was sown at 180kg/hectare with a TGW of 38 and a target plant population of 400 plants/sq.m.
Although surface conditions were suitable for drilling, subsoil conditions were less favourable to get the soil fracturing required from subsoiling.
disturbance needed to be kept to a minimum.
Giving the wheat time to establish to growth stage 20-26 also gave the subsoil time to dry out and the opportunity to trial a low-disturbance subsoiler in a growing cereal crop.
A 2.5m Sumo GLS, operating four low-disturbance legs on a 580mm spacing, was the favoured option for the trial, based on its ability to lift grass swards with limited disturbance.
As the Sumo GLS would be crossing the rows of drilled wheat in a diagonal fashion
Four 450mm-diameter cutting discs made the initial cut into the crop and soil insertion, with the low-disturbance legs following. Setting the depth of legs was relatively simple, with the legs locked in place with a single pin.
Single depth
During the trial, the GLS was operated at a single depth of 300mm, allowing shallow fracturing around the rooting zone and just below.
The Sumo GLS offered simple depth adjustment with a pin-based system providing depth adjustments in 60mm increments.
The Sumo GLS has individually selectable depth control with pinbased systems on the leading discs, packer roller and working legs.
A series of depth adjustment holes on the packer allowed for further depth control adjustment, but this was not necessary for the purposes of the test.
The GLS is also fitted with auto-reset legs as standard; for operator use, breakout pressure was clearly indicated on the machine’s hydraulic pressure gauge.
Working the soil profile at this depth aimed to encourage increased root growth, while the packer roller encouraged extra plant tillers.
Crossing the rows of wheat did inevitably take out a percentage of growing plants, but soil boiling around the subsoiler legs was minimal and the auto reset legs and packer roller helped give a level soil surface following cultivation.
Undoubtedly timing is important with such an invasive method of cultivation in a growing crop, but during the
tested period the GLS offered minimal plant and soil disturbance. However the disturbance that was caused has shown throughout plant growth and stem extension.
Only time will tell if this has compromised potential crop yield, but the conclusion is that drilling and subsoiling on RTK would be the preferred option.
With careful consideration on seed drill row spacing and corresponding leg spacing on the low-disturbance subsoiler it may also be possible to offset the subsoiler on RTK to work between the plant rows, in turn this should reduce potential plant losses.
Following crop
The spring wheat followed a cash crop of oilseed rape, which was subsequently planted with a cover crop of red clover, vetch and black oats. Even with an autumn nitrogen fixing cover
crop and 40kg/ha N starter fertiliser, the direct drilled spring wheat struggled to access the available N through a compacted soil profile.
Subsoiling the crop allowed air into the soil profile which may have provided better nitrogen accessibility to the crop and notably encouraged greater root mass on the subsoiled crop. This in turn showed a considerable increase in overall plant growth when compared to the un-subsoiled crop.
Leg tracks remained visible in the canopy throughout the growing season.
The wheat developed a greater mass of root hairs two weeks after the low-disturbance subsoiling.
New Holland says the CR10 shares less than 10% of components from former machines.
New Holland CR10: First drive
Arable Farming gets in the seat of New Holland’s latest CR10 combine and takes a closer look at some of the machine’s more technical advancements. James Huyton reports.
Following the launch of the larger, goldenliveried CR11 at Agritechnica in November 2023, New Holland has expanded its high-capacity combine offering with the introduction of the smaller CR10.
Set to be sold alongside the
Cabin
JThe cabin has been revised for the CR10 and CR11, incorporating two Intelliview 12-inch touchscreen terminals. The primary monitor on the right-hand console is used to track the combine’s key controls, with the secondary monitor on the A-pillar
existing CR10.90 for the immediate future, the CR10 shares significant styling, mechanical and electrical technology with the larger CR11. New Holland says fewer than 10% of the machine’s components are shared between the CR10 and the current CR10.90 model.
Specification
JPrice as tested was £832,000 plus header, including following options:
rRemote stone trap
rRemote rotor gear
rRemote chopper
rRemote counter knives
Drivetrain
configured for mapping and guidance.
Other cab changes include new-style brake pedals and foot pegs, a luxury steering wheel and premium cloth or leather seats, alongside multizone climate control with floor level air ducts.
The revised cabin offers a spacious and familiar operating environment.
JDrivelines for UK machines will all include the manufacturer’s SmartTrax half-track drive with a two-speed hydrostatic transmission and semi-automatic differential lock. Machines will be offered with three track belt width options of 660mm, 810mm and 910mm, with rubber or hydraulic cushioning.
Overall machine widths are 3.49 metres, 3.79m and 3.99m respectively. Wheeled variants will not be offered to UK customers.
The CR10 and CR11 feature a two-speed hydrostatic transmission and TerraLock
r360-degree camera
r210-litre sec unloading auger
rNIR sensor
rAuto U-turn
rField Sync
r810mm-wide suspended tracks
semi-automatic differential lock, which is engaged manually and disengaged automatically depending on steering angle and forward speed. All drives are taken via a transmission connected directly to the rear of the engine, minimising power loss.
Filters
The engine oil filter is sited on the engine’s right for easy accessibility, while the air filter is located conveniently at the left side of the combine frame and can be removed from the ground without climbing to the engine deck.
Threshing
JThreshing is carried out by a pair of 600mm diameter rotors in a design shared with the larger CR11. To increase machine throughput, New Holland has made significant changes to the size and design of the CR10 intake and threshing system, starting with larger feeder housing which can also be specified with a cabin-controlled, hydraulically-operated stone trap.
The crop is transferred from the intake by the Dynamic Feed Roll system, with the crop flow being split and fed into the threshing system and its separating rotors. The larger diameter rotors increase the threshing area with an increased length compared to the smaller models. Each rotor features a formation of 40 standard rasp bars, eight HX rasp bars and 12 spiked rasp bars.
The HX rasp bars take the height of spiked rasp bars and merge with the profile of the standard units, providing a greater sidewall angle which helps accelerate crop flow.
Cabin-controlled vane angle adjustments along with higher vanes in the separation area allow for greater crop movement, improved separation and enhanced power efficiency, says New Holland.
The concave area comprises two sets of three lightweight threshing concaves and separation grates, and two sets of six lightweight grates.
New Holland has introduced the TwinClean cleaning shoe on the CR10 and CR11, claiming this improves throughput while minimising grain loss. Using a two-sieve system, each incorporates its own upper
Threshing is provided by a pair of 600mm rotors in a design shared with the larger CR11.
and lower sieve and clean grain auger.
Based around a large grain pan, the fall step has been increased to the first upper sieve, with airflow provided by a high-power cleaning shoe fan. The CR10 uses two sets of pressure sensors – one on the grain pan and one on the upper sieves – to continuously monitor the cleaning shoe load while checking distribution between left and right.
This layout provides a claimed 8.76sq.m cleaning area and consists of two sieve systems operating in sequence.
A side-shake mechanism provides lateral movement to the grain pan and sieves, which is claimed to even out material over the cleaning shoe and compensate for uneven feeding and side slopes of up to 28%.
Continues over the page.
A new route to market
MACHINERY COMBINES
Engine
JPower is supplied by a 635hp 12.9-litre FPT Cursor engine, which has been installed in-line with the chassis and mounted at an inclined angle to match the position of the twin-rotor threshing system.
New Holland says that this driveline layout significantly reduces mechanical losses as driveshafts now run parallel to the rotors and directly from the
gearbox mounted to the back of the engine. The machine’s twin-fan cooling pack has been repositioned between the engine and grain tank, occupying the full machine width.
The layout change allows the unit to draw air from the front of the machine and exhaust through the engine bay, which New Holland says prevents any dust or chaff building up.
AF verdict
JThe CR10 provided a smooth and comfortable feel in operation, with the contour following ability of the MacDon header ensuring ease of operation. Operators of existing New Holland products would undoubtedly feel at home with the familiarity of the latest combine derivative.
The size and scale of the machine did not get in the way of its all-round visibility, with the CR10 also equipped with an optional 360-degree overview camera system.
In operation, the machine’s enormous capacity was quite astonishing, and yet, due to its ability to cover the ground it was not a necessity to continually push it to its limit.
The Intelliview touchscreen terminals gave clear operator indications of harvester output and losses. The latest generation of the threshing system had phenomenal
A design link-up with MacDon allows the optional fitment of headers ranging from 10.6 to 15 metres across the two models.
Header and tank
JThe test machine was equipped with a 13.7-metre MacDon flexible header. The MacDon headers have been specifically developed with CNH for the CR10 and CR11 using ground following wheels and a flexible cutter bar to provide terrain following.
gearbox that allows the header speed to be varied depending on crop and field conditions.
Power is supplied by a 635hp 12.9-litre FPT Cursor engine.
Three header driveline options will be offered, including a CVT drive unit on the engine
A 16,000-litre grain tank is supported with a 159litre/second pivoting spout unloading auger, which can be supplied in different lengths to accommodate the 10.6-15m header range offered across the two models.
Swath widths can be adjusted to suit requirements, and chopper units can be specified with hydraulic engagement.
grain-cleaning capabilities when adjusted correctly.
For those who still value straw as a commodity, the rotary unit with adjustable swath width handled and placed the straw
well, especially when considering the overall design of the machine and the reputation rotary
machines have historically had for users looking to maintain straw quality.
harvesting
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