April 2019 Farming Monthly National

INSIDE: Winners announced for RIDBA Building Awards ‘19 page 32

Farming

MONTHLY National

April 2019

Also in this issue...

ScotGrass

| ScotGrass 2019 page 24

Bees buzz back in growers green headlands Also inside this month..

Potato and vegetable growers are providing a hugely valuable habitat resource page 10

NBA Beef Expo 2019 p42

Cereals 2019 - be an early bird p18

Vertical container farms p39

PLUS: Arable | Livestock| Grain | Forestry | Buildings | Machinery | Energy | ATV | Motors

CONTENTS April 2019

FEATURES 15

22

12 Arable Industry poll highlights role for greater Septoria understanding

14 Grain

32

39 Feature

40

42 Livestock

Vertical container farms

40 Security

Beef Expo 2019

48 Forestry

Rural thieves target open farmyards

Bobcat roadshows forestry attachments

Ergot Alkaloids can move from infected to clean grain

18 Cereals Early Bird tickets now on sale

22 Potatoes New Strategic Potato Farm East

REGULARS 06 News Auction marts contribute to economy

24 ScotGrass ScotGrass 2019

10 On Topic Bees buzz back in headlands

32 Buildings RIDBA Building Awards 2019, Can sand really work?

04 | Farming Monthly | April 2019

20 Energy Latest energy news

38 Machinery Latest machinery news

49 ATV ATV news...covered.

54 Motors Latest motors news

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44

Agriculture. Covered.

EDITOR Andrew Poulton editor@farmingmonthly.com EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES editorial@farmingmonthly.com

Bees buzz back in growers green headlands

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ISSN 2044-0190 (print) ISSN 2044-0200 (digital)

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 05

| News

Livestock auction marts contributing £3.42 billion to rural economies of England and Wales Independent report details value of livestock markets to wider rural communities. ivestock auction markets across England and Wales are contributing at least £3.42 billion, and supporting over 3,000 jobs, according to independent economic analyst, Sean Rickard, in a report published today.

The report, commissioned by the Livestock Auctioneers Association, investigates the total economic contribution generated by livestock auction markets in England and Wales, and how this stretches beyond the direct support to the livestock industry and farmers.

The report also investigates the benefits to buyers, vendors and the livestock industry in general, as well as animal welfare within livestock auction markets.

Key findings Both buyers and sellers benefit from fair prices, accurately reflecting current demand Livestock farmers, as small businesses, gain the advantage of equality when selling in a public auction Without auction markets, cattle and sheep populations in England and Wales would be smaller Animal welfare responsibilities are essential to the success of livestock markets Livestock markets are at the centre of an agricultural network, providing both a social and business hub Contributing to the economy The 110 livestock auctions markets in England and Wales directly employ some 2,599 people, generating a turnover of £1.76 billion. By using Office of National Statistics (ONS) calculations, this direct expenditure injected into the economy is boosted by a further £1.66 billion of indirect and induced expenditure, totalling £3.42 billion to the economy.

Following the same ONS calculations, livestock markets contribute total employment to the equivalent of 3095 full-time jobs.

However, these figures don’t

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Sean Rickard

consider the total contribution of ancillary businesses, such as farm supply stores, located on-site or nearby.

“The estimated expenditure and employment set out in the report is a significant underestimate of the total contributions of auction markets, because the values do not include the expenditure and employment generated by businesses located within their sites, or in close proximity,” explains Mr Rickard.

Agricultural hubs Livestock auction markets are now increasingly found at the centre of a network of rural businesses that not only includes livestock related activities such as feed companies, farm machinery sales offices and land agents, but also non-farming activities including retail outlets, conference facilities and venues for social gatherings.

At the heart of these hubs, livestock auction markets also carry a social responsibility.

Farming has become an increasingly isolated and lonely

06 | Farming Monthly | April 2019

occupation, and the social networking the auction market provides should not be underestimated.

“Auctions not only provide an opportunity to socialise, but it is now common for auction markets to provide facilities where farmers can meet with trained social and/or health workers to share their concerns and if appropriate directly address issues raised by stress and illness,” adds Mr Rickard.

Achieving a fair price Central to achieving these wider benefits, is the success of the livestock market system in realising added value for both buyer and vendor.

Livestock farms are small businesses and as such have little market power when compared to large scale, corporate food companies. Put simply, they are weak sellers if entering into private negotiations with powerful buyers, and risk a transaction that undervalues their animals. In contrast, selling livestock in an open-cry auction market will guarantee a fair price.

“Auction markets are not only intuitive and transparent,” says Mr Rickard, “but as neither buyer or seller can unfairly influence the price, they ensure the price is ‘fair’ – it accurately reflects current demand based on available information.”

Chris Dodds, executive secretary of the LAA adds, “While

this report clearly confirms the importance of the live sales ring in securing fair prices, and a transparent and traceable marketing system, it also highlights the often-missed benefits to the wider rural economy.

“The report clearly identifies that without livestock auction markets, farmers would be in a far worse position due to lack of competition, and livestock numbers across England and Wales would inevitably fall. Knockon effects to the wider rural economy would be devastating.

The farming community must get behind and support its livestock auction markets.”

Mr Rickard says, “Investments by livestock markets in England and Wales to expand the boundaries of their operations to embrace other rural businesses are a welcome and necessary strategy in the face of challenges by rural economies.

“The concept of multi-function auction markets, acting as a catalyst for a broad range of additional business activities, offers not only new income earning opportunities for livestock markets, but also realistic and valuable scope for the generation of rural incomes and employment,” he concludes.

The full report is published on the Livestock Auctioneers Association website at https://www.laa.co.uk/news/

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| News

Are you using the right oils in your vehicles and machinery?

The lubrication demands and expectations for agricultural machinery is now greater than it has ever been. Heavy Duty Engine Oils, Universal Oils and Transmission Fluids provide reliability to the modern farmer whatever the age and size of their vehicles and equipment. Designed to maximise performance and fuel economy in tough operating conditions and minimise component wear and tear, using the right quality oil and finding the right type of lubricant for the many types of equipment and machinery is absolutely vital. ubricants are required for a variety of work horse applications from engines of course to hydraulic and brake fluids. Modern sophisticated equipment often requires high power at low speeds and also compliance to the latest emission standards. In order to meet this requirement, it’s important to have efficient, reliable lubricants.

Not having enough oil or using the wrong oil causes up to 10% of all machinery and vehicle break downs. This means down time in the field and unnecessary maintenance costs. When choosing the right oil, it’s vital to choose a supplier that conforms to the latest standards.

A trusted oil manufacturer has approvals from the OEM. This helps ensure that warranty conditions are not jeopardised, and servicing costs are kept to a minimum.

Have you got the right quality and type of oil for the right application?

Looking for endorsements such as

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membership of the UKLA (United Kingdom Lubricant Association), and signatories to the ATIEL European Letter of Conformance plus membership of the VLS (Verification of Lubrication Specification) provide a credible and trusted independent means to verify lubricant companies. By being a part of these initiatives brings transparency to the lubricant market place and protect and educate the end user.

Trading since 1921, Witham Group who specialise in agricultural lubricants and greases, offer a full range of approved oils and greases direct from their online shop. They also have an online Lubricant Finder which gives the latest recommendations to ensure you are using the right specifications and approved lubes for all aspects of your vehicles and machinery.

If you prefer face to face advice, they also offer a free assessment to have a look at all your vehicle and machinery fleet and make sure you have the right type of oil for all the

different aspects of the working parts and varying ages and models of equipment. From greases and engine oils, to hydraulic oil, brake fluids and anti-freeze, all your agricultural machinery is then recorded and recommendations made. This lubricant survey is then given to you in the form of a professional folder with easy to understand technical descriptions. Bulk storage tanks are also offered to help with safe and tidy storing of oils.

Bulk storage tanks are just one of the additional services from the Witham Group For everything under one roof, and quality first class service, you can also buy antifreeze & coolants, hand cleaning and workshop products along with barn and fencing paints. www.withamgroup.co.uk/online-shop/

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 07

| News

Further your shepherding journey with new Next Generation travel bursary The National Sheep Association (NSA) and the Company of Merchants of the Staple of England (the Staple) are excited to today open applications for a new travel bursary giving enthusiastic and aspirational young sheep farmers the opportunity to widen their shepherding knowledge and experience. he new NSA Samuel Wharry Memorial Award for the Next Generation comes in the form of two £2,750 travel bursaries to support two young people, aged 21 to 34, in study trips to explore the application of science in sheep production.

Samuel Wharry of Carnlough, County Antrim, a past NSA Chairman (pictured), was an advocate of applying science and technology on-farm – and NSA is grateful to the Staple for this new partnership to ensure a legacy for him and a boost for young sheep farmers.

Joanne Briggs, NSA Operations Director says, “Sam’s enthusiasm, curiosity and practical nature will live on through these travel bursaries. They are an incredible opportunity for two individuals involved in the UK sheep sector or ancillary industries to receive £2,750 each to design separate trips suited to their own situation. Having identified a subject they want to learn about, they can travel wherever they wish, pick up as much information as possible and then share their findings.

“Applications are online and involve young people answering a series of simple questions

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about the topic they want to study, why its relevant to them and the UK sheep sector, and where they want to go in the world. Support and mentoring will be offered to the two successful applicants, so all anyone needs at this stage is a good idea and plenty of enthusiasm.”

Stephen Fell of the Company of Merchants of the Staple of England Charitable Trust adds: “We are very pleased to work together with NSA to offer these two bursaries, providing two young sheep enthusiasts the opportunity to achieve their ambitions to travel while also viewing exciting sheep enterprises to the benefit of their own career/business and the wider sheep sector. We hope it will offer young sheep farmers support and inspiration discover the important roles that science and technology now play in the improvement of the worldwide sheep flock.”

The addition of the NSA Samuel Wharry Memorial Award to the NSA Next Generation project of activity is the latest step to further NSA’s commitment to supporting young people working in the UK sheep sector. Other work includes the NSA Next Generation Ambassador programme and NSA Next Generation Shepherd competitions, both of which have

highlighted and enhanced the fine calibre of young shepherds in the UK. Applications are open now and will close at midnight on Monday 22nd April, with shortlisted candidates informed shortly afterwards and invited for an informal interview with an industry selection panel. Find all the details and an online application form, as well as further information on the NSA Next Generation programme, at www.nationalsheep.org.uk/nextgeneration/travel-bursary.

Universal broadband can act as blueprint for positive action on rural 4G The CLA (Country Land and Business Association) has urged industry and Government to look to successes on rural broadband in a bid to end the rural-urban digital divide on 4G. esponding to the DCMS consultation on strategic priorities for telecoms, the body which represents more than 30,000 rural landowners and businesses and leads the #4GForAll campaign, highlighted the pledge for a full-fibre broadband connection to every home by 2033, as well as the adoption of a universal service obligation of at least 10Mbps in 2020, as key to improving rural connectivity.

CLA Deputy President Mark Bridgeman said: “Since 2002 the CLA has been campaigning for a universal pledge on digital connectivity and we’re delighted to finally see this on broadband. While we need to wait to see how this is met, great strides have been taken towards unlocking the potential of the rural economy.”

The consultation response also highlights a disparity between the consensus on broadband and the more divided approach with mobile where there are currently two conflicting targets. DCMS is working towards 95%

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08 | Farming Monthly | April 2019

geographic mobile coverage by 2022 while Ofcom has proposed 90% by 2024.

In addition, Ofcom has also recently rejected the CLA backed DCMS proposal to introduce rural roaming – where operators share bandwidth with users of all networks – as a means of increasing rural 4G coverage. The CLA believes that mobile operators will only invest in rural areas if they are forced to do so, and that rural roaming is the common sense solution to increasing coverage across the UK. Bridgeman added: “We need to learn the lessons from the successes with broadband where government and stakeholder consensus, as well as leadership by the regulator, achieved real wins for those who live or work in the countryside. There is no reason why a similar approach should not be applied to rural 4G, starting with forcing mobile operators to adopt rural roaming.

“The CLA is ready to work with operators and Ofcom to work on the tangible steps which need to be taken to ending the urban-rural digital divide.”

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| News

Adam Henson at the Bath & West Show Television presenter Adam Henson will be visiting the Royal Bath & West Show on Thursday, 30 May – we catch up with him to find out why the Show holds a special place in his heart, and to get his thoughts on the future of farming. dam Henson has become something of a household name since he was chosen as the new Countryfile presenter in 2001.

Watched by between five million and seven million people every week, the programme brings rural life into the heart of peoples’ homes. But he wasn’t always this famous, and he keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground at his tenanted family farm and Farm Park in the Cotswolds.

“My passport occupation says farmer, although it doesn’t feel that way at the moment,” he laughs. “But farming is my passion and true love. I grew up on this farm and my dad and I used to take animals to compete at the Bath & West Show, so I’ve been going since I was a boy.” More recently, he has been invited back as a judge, and this year he will be paying a VIP visit, exploring many other aspects of the Show.

“It’s a fantastic show; the head of shows Alan Lyons has got farming at his heart: My dad set him up with his first Cotswold sheep.”

So what is Adam most looking forward to at the Show? “As a livestock person I love going round the cattle lines - but the great thing about the Show is its diversity,” he says. “Shows are a very accessible face of agriculture to bridge the urban divide and help people to learn about food and farming. But most of all, it’s about having a fun day out.”

Young farmer celebrations Adam’s first port of call at the Show will be a visit to the Young Farmers Club marquee, to celebrate Somerset YFC’s 85th anniversary. “It’s a remarkable organization that welcomes those from inside and outside farming – it’s so much more than a farming club,” he explains. “It’s also about public speaking, events, and building confidence, relationships and communication skills.”

Next on the agenda is a visit to the food and drink area, including the British Cheese and Cider Championships. “Food and drink are a highlight at shows – I love the whole field to fork story and being able to talk to incredible producers and experience their passion,” says Adam. “Most of the food and drink at the Bath & West Show is from the South West region – if you’re buying from someone local then you’re putting money back into the area.”

Having his own farm shop, Adam often comes home from shows with ideas – new cheeses or ciders from award-winning producers. “I love cheese and I do like cider, although it makes my knees go wobbly so I better not drink too much!”

Protecting rare breeds Having sampled a tipple or two, Adam will then be visiting the Great British Dogs feature, which profiles some of the nation’s rarest dog breeds. “I’m a big fan of dogs – they’re my favourite animal, and my new book ‘A farmer and his dog’ tells the story of dogs throughout my life. It’s such a travesty that we have so many vulnerable breeds that are part of our living heritage and are falling by the wayside.”

Adam’s father was the founder of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, and the Cotswold Farm Park is doing its best to preserve and rejuvenate endangered native breeds. “Because of their genetic diversity they suit different climates, topographies and farming systems – and they also have a place in the future of farming,” he explains. “Also, more people want to know where their food comes from, and there are some very

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positive stories behind our rare and traditional breeds. But we can’t just preserve them as antiques – they need a market outlet and purpose.”

The farm has recently purchased an in-foal Suffolk Punch mare; one of the rarest horse breeds, so Adam is particularly looking forward to paying a visit to the Heavy Horse section of the Show. “They are just such magnificent animals.

The Safety Zone – next on Adam’s agenda may not sound exciting, but it’s a critical aspect of rural life, and an important factor in encouraging new entrants into the farming industry, he says. “We need to provide a professional and safe environment for our staff – farming is a dangerous industry and we are striving to do better. It’s also a great opportunity for the general public to learn about the countryside code and staying safe around animals.”

Tractor Ted For younger visitors, Tractor Ted is sure to be a hit, although Adam is a little old for mini tractor rides. “It’s a very good vehicle for educating kids about farming, and we sell Tractor Ted stuff in our shop,” he says. “My children are now 16 and 20, and they help out with lambing and with the farm park, although they’re both looking at careers elsewhere, too.”

For Adam, the pinnacle of the day will be commentating on the Grand Cattle Parade in the main ring. “It’s an honour to be asked, and I will really enjoy doing that, although it’s a bit nerve wracking. I better make sure I know all my breeds,” he jokes. “It’s an amazing sight, to get all those well behaved, huge animals being led by their proud owners and staff.”

Showing cattle is a great way to demonstrate individual breeds, and winning rosettes helps to add value to breeding stock - but it’s also a superb social hobby, explains Adam. “You get to learn from other breeders and compare your stock with others to see how well you’re doing.

It’s also a great opportunity to speak to the general public – the agricultural community is getting much better at communicating.”

Countryfile success Countryfile has been part of that success, triggering a spate of other farming and rural programmes on television. Although sometimes farmers criticise it for having a simplistic view, it’s important to remember the target market, he adds. “It could be an eight or 80 year-old, living in a flat in Hackney who’s never been onto farm.

There’s a real balancing act, informing the uninformed without insulting the experts!”

And when it comes to his own farm, Adam is anything but simplistic. “We have a joint venture which takes our arable acreage to 4,000 acres.

We share machinery and a good team of operators, and have tip-top technology because we can spread the overheads over a wider acreage,” he explains.

He uses GPS and soil mapping to apply variable rate seed and fertiliser, and decent kit means he can be spot on in terms of timeliness and accuracy. “To succeed in anything you’ve got to try and be the best. Attention to detail is essential.”

Brexit thoughts However, with Brexit around the corner, it’s also important to spread the risk and avoid having all your eggs in one basket, adds Adam.

“I’m quite concerned that the Government won’t

put the checks and measures in place for cheap imported food that could be produced way outside the high standards that our legislation provides in this country. Our farmers won’t be able to compete. We’re going to have to be quick on our feet and able to move with the times.”

As well as the farm park, Adam has recently diversified into camping and hosting horse rides.

He also has his jobs in the media, has written three books with one on the way, offers farm consultancy, and adds value to his commodities by processing barley into beer and oilseed rape into cold pressed oil. “Not everyone can add new income streams to their farm, but it’s important to be open-minded.”

Adam Henson in a minute What’s your favourite moment on TV? Probably when they took me back to Australia to muster a huge herd of cattle in helicopters and then on horseback. That was amazing – as I child I always wanted to be a cowboy, so it was very special to do that.

Favourite moment off-screen?

Seeing my children born.

Last book you read?

I’m really bad at reading books. Does Farmers Weekly count?

Favourite food?

I love traditional home-made puddings – after a roast rib of beef.

Favourite place?

I love the Cotswolds – there’s no place like home. But I also love the coast – the Western Isles of Scotland are just stunning.

Tell us something not many people know about you I got an A in my ceramics ‘O’ Level and considered a career in pottery. My nephew’s actually a very good potter – Jack Bridges; look him up!

The Royal Bath & West Show will be held on 29 May – 1 June. Children - for the first time - can go free during the May half term, with a £5 discount on early adult bookings.

Tickets are available from the website: www.bathandwest.com or by calling 0844 776 6777

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 09

| On Topic

Bees buzz back in growers green headlands Potato and vegetable growers are providing a hugely valuable habitat resource for some increasing populations of solitary bees in the UK, with a novel Green Headland Mix planted around fields of growing crop.

onitoring of Green Headlands around highly productive fields in East Anglia last year has identified huge insect numbers and a vast array of biodiversity.

The Green Headland initiative was instigated by Syngenta and ASDA, in association with grower supply group, IPL, and specialist seed suppliers, Kings.

Independent ecologist, Paul Lee, assessed over 36,000 invertebrates, collected from sweep netting on six farms on just two occasions over the summer 2018. Some Green Headland margins contained up to 55 different species.

Identifying 199 different insect species overall, it was the beetles and bugs that dominated the mixtures, he reported. “But a number of insect groups that had suffered in successive cool wet summers, did particularly well in the warm dry conditions, particularly the flies and bee species.”

Some solitary bee species have been increasing in both number and range across the UK over the past decade, benefitting from the trend to warmer temperatures. “Last year’s record temperatures and prolonged dry

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conditions were particularly favourable for some solitary bees, and we have seen the numbers increase accordingly,” pointed out Mr Lee. Solitary bees are typically far more efficient as pollinators, compared to honey bees. The hairy bodies of some species can transfer dry pollen between flowers more effectively.

Studies have indicated that, as a pollinator, a solitary bee is three times more effective than a honey bee, and typically visits in excess of 100 x more flowers a day.

One of the key highlights of the Green Headland monitoring had been repeated sightings of the Squat Furrow Bee - on half of the assessed farms across the region.

Classified as nationally scarce, the solitary bee species has been doing well, moving further north and expanding its range.

The Squat Furrow Bee was one of the exciting finds on the Suffolk farm of the Geoffrey Mayhew Farms ltd, based at Pond Farm, near Erwarton, Ipswich - winners of the Syngenta Operation Pollinator Green Headlands Biodiversity Award 2018.

With between 41 and 55 different species in each of the farm’s Green Headlands assessed,

the biodiversity was consistently high. That included a Five Banded Digger Wasp, which is nationally rare and a key target for action to enhance biodiversity, but has a strong foothold in Suffolk.

Importantly the wasp can give positive control of crop pests, by hunting and collecting damaging weevils, which it buries and uses as a food source for its young. It was one of a large number of predatory insects identified in the Green Headland margins, which can beneficially help to reduce pest pressure on crops.

Geoff Mayhew highlighted that growing the brassica and phacelia rich Green Headland Mix brings a range of benefits to the farm, including plant biomass and rooting to protect and enhance soil structure on the headlands, as well as capturing nutrients and retaining them in the field, where they can be utilised by the following crop.

“Environmentally it delivers a real positive boost for the farm and, since we are growing the mix on previously uncropped headland, there is no loss in productivity from then field,” he enthused. “It’s also a great attraction for visitors to the farm.

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| On Topic

“We could now look to integrate each year’s Green Headlands with other environmental features on the farm, as well as the initiatives of other farmers in the area, to coordinate a truly exceptional and huge ecological resource for the Suffolk area, within a highly productive farming landscape.”

Syngenta environmental specialist, Dr Max Newbert, reinforced the role of the Green Headlands for their agronomic benefits. “The margins host a very high proportion of predators, compared to potential pest species.

That could significantly add to levels of biocontrol, and bring beneficial predators into the crop.”

He highlighted the monitoring had identified no major pest species harbouring in the margins, and few aphids that could risk the spread of virus into crops, particularly carrots and potatoes.

“In fact, the Green Headlands may have a beneficial function in delaying aphid migration into the crop, during which time the pests would lose the ability to transfer non-persistent virus they may be carrying.”

Dr Newbert reported his studies last year, that where Green Headland mix was planted

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around carrot fields there was a 70% reduction in visible virus effects, compared to no margin – albeit with a relatively low level in all the crop and a low risk year.

“The Green Headland had a significantly higher biomass of insect life and, whilst the crop received the same insecticide programme, it did demonstrate the potential for this IPM approach to give results over and above the conventional programme.”

He also believed that it could offer a viable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to Carrot Root Fly control, as sampling found no Apiaceae species in the Green Headland mix or build-up of Carrot Root Fly. Dr Chris Brown, ASDA Senior Director of Sustainable Sourcing, added: “It is incredibly exciting and positive to see the results of independent monitoring that validates the benefits of growers’ good practice and enhancing the farmland environment.

“Green Headlands is a genuinely sustainable initiative that can offer a cost effective and efficient solution to make better use of land, to improve the environment and to protect soil and water.

“We invest a lot of time and effort in assuring

the sustainability of food production; this initiative highlights the efforts of UK growers to work towards increasing biodiversity and protecting resources.”

Belinda Bailey, Syngenta Sustainable Farming Manager, said: “The on-going partnership with ASDA and Kings has demonstrated a practical and viable technique to both protect the soil structure and provide a valuable feeding and habitat resource for invertebrates and other farmland biodiversity.

“We are now really keen for more growers to get involved, and to see how it can be integrated more extensively throughout farm rotations and situations, as well as to explore new agronomic aspects of the Green Headland potential.”

The Green Headland Mix is available to growers now at a Syngenta subsidised cost of £35 per hectare pack, subject to availability.

Visit the website www.syngenta.co.uk for more information.

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 11

| Arable

Industry poll highlights role for greater Septoria understanding

David Ranner

Prevention is rated highly when it comes to tackling the UK’s major wheat disease of Septoria, but the ability to cure the disease may be overestimated. hose were key conclusions from a new industry poll of nearly 60 UK growers, agronomists and researchers conducted by Syngenta.

Results showed a massive 84% of respondents associated preventative control with the aim of a good disease control strategy.

In addition, three quarters of respondents (74%) recognised that over the years fungicide curativity had decreased.

However, when it came to the detail of curing infection, many could be overestimating the level of curative activity available, says Syngenta Fungicide Campaign Manager, David Ranner: half of respondents (49%) expected to get more than a week’s curativity from a full rate SDHI/triazole mixture and 39% expected to get two weeks or more.

“Triazole fungicides that are used widely do still have some curative activity against Septoria tritici,” says Mr Ranner, “but it’s now only about 20-30% compared with 80-90% that we were

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getting 18 years ago.

“SDHI fungicides also offer some curative activity. However, even with a combined SDHI/triazole mixture it is still expecting a lot to get curative control two weeks after infection has started, and possibly even a week after in some situations.

“Less than seven days is probably more realistic. Nowadays we should really be aiming for Septoria prevention. This is a function of applying fungicides on time and choosing persistent Septoria fungicides that offer longlasting protection.”

Encouragingly, Mr Ranner says 76% of respondents in the poll felt fungicide persistence was more important than fungicide curativity, with 88% of respondents expecting to get 2-4 weeks’ persistence from a full rate SDHI/triazole co-formulation, and 9% expecting longer.

“A good fungicide applied before infection at the right dose should indeed deliver a number of weeks’ protection,” says Mr Ranner. “Trial results with the SDHI/triazole co-formulation,

Elatus Era, for example, showed it was still maintaining green leaf area six weeks after application.

“Less than seven days is probably more realistic. Nowadays we should really be aiming for Septoria prevention. This is a function of applying fungicides on time and choosing persistent Septoria fungicides that offer long-lasting protection” “Curative activity is also heavily related to fungicide dose rate: the higher the dose, the greater the curative activity. The problem is people often look for the most curative product then apply it at a lower dose rate.

“Treating preventatively would make a bigger difference to Septoria control than treating curatively and selecting between different fungicide products.”

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| Arable

Contact your nearest dealer: Central Cropsprayers Limited Unit J Sandford Industrial Park Whitchurch Shropshire SY13 2AN 01948 840187 www.centralcropsprayers.co.uk Agratech NW Ltd Unit 8 Dale Mill Burnley Road East Lancashire BB4 9HU 01706 211399 www.agratech.co.uk

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April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 13

| Grain

Ergot alkaloids can move from infected to ‘clean’ grain Ergot alkaloids can move within cereal ears to otherwise ‘clean’ grain, according to new research published by AHDB. rain can also become contaminated with the mycotoxin after harvest, particularly through contact with broken ergot sclerotia.

The European Commission (EC) is reviewing the legal limits for sclerotia found in cereal grain and, for the first time, may impose a threshold for total ergot alkaloids.

The research findings will feed into the review process, help identify management solutions and prepare the entire supply chain for change.

The fungus Claviceps purpurea infects cereals during flowering and produces ergot sclerotia in place of grain. These structures contain ergot alkaloids that are highly toxic to humans and animals.

It was known that ergot alkaloids can be detected in grain that appears clear of ergot infection. AHDB commissioned the study to investigate the route(s) the toxin takes to contaminate clean grain.

As there is limited evidence to suggest that the fungus can grow past the base of the ovary, the researchers looked at whether the alkaloids can move between flowers.

A single fungal isolate was used to infect spring wheat, spring barley and winter rye ears. Mature ergot sclerotia of various sizes and weights were produced. Grain above and below the infected flowers was collected and tested.

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In wheat and barley, and to a lesser extent in rye, a broad range of alkaloids (up to 12 ergot alkaloids) was found in these grains. Mature ergot sclerotia were dominated by four ergot alkaloids, which were highest in rye, followed by wheat, then barley.

Dhan Bhandari, who manages grain quality research at AHDB, said: “Because ergot alkaloids were detected in apparently clean grains, it demonstrates the limitations of visual inspections.”

A sweet-smelling substance, known as ‘honeydew’, which carries secondary spores, is released by infected flowers. The researchers tested honeydew, produced following infection with several isolates, and found that it contained ergot alkaloids.

However, the levels were so low, it was deemed that this potential source of contamination could be ruled out.

Post-harvest sources of contamination were also investigated. Broken grain was found to be a potentially significant transmission route for ergot alkaloids during storage and transportation.

The presence of whole ergots at the current EU maximum levels (0.5g/kg or 0.05%) led to relatively low levels of alkaloid transfer (3–15 parts per billion). The presence of broken and damaged ergots at the same level, however, led to a much higher transfer (66–229 parts per billion).

Dhan said: “The higher ergot alkaloids levels associated with grain fragments are significant, as they could breach proposed

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maximum levels. We know the ergot fungus can infect a broad range of cereals and grasses and result in high levels of both ergot and associated alkaloids. So, it’s important that the industry looks at

management across the supply chain.”

Information on ergot and its management in cereals can be found on the AHDB website: ahdb.org.uk/ergot

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| Grain

Old for new, using ancient genetic variation to supercharge wheat A global, collaborative effort led by the Earlham Institute, UK and CIMMYT, Mexico sheds light on the genetic basis of biomass accumulation and efficiency in use of light, both of which are bottlenecks in yield improvement in wheat. heat is responsible for half of global calories consumed either directly or as animal feed and we need to make a lot more of it in the coming decades. Now, an important paper marks a step change in how breeders might approach wheat breeding using previously untapped sources of variation to increase yields to meet demand.

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Through analysing new variation in elite wheat lines, while looking for the genetic markers underpinning and linking traits such as radiation use efficiency, biomass, yield, grain number, grain weight, etc., the researchers have provided an important resource for scientists and breeders to exploit The recent paper, “Elucidating the genetic basis of biomass accumulation and radiation use efficiency in spring wheat and its role in yield potential”, firstauthored by Dr Ryan Joynson of EI’s Anthony Hall Group and Dr Gemma Molero of Matthew Reynold’s team at CIMMYT, presents a valuable step forward for researchers interested in increasing wheat yield potential: a crucial task if we are to sustainably feed the planet.

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The research, funded through IWYP (International Wheat Yield Partnership) shines light on the role of radiation use efficiency (RUE, how sunlight is converted into plant mass) in increasing the yield potential of wheat: how we can increase plant biomass without sacrificing grain yield - a major challenge.

This research highlights: • Identification of genomic regions affecting RUE and biomass accumulation in spring wheat • How increases in RUE can be achieved through strategic integration of 'exotic' wheat into breeding programmes • Identification of common genomic regions affecting yield, biomass and radiation use efficiency • Enrichment of genes related with photoprotection in genomic regions associated with RUE at various growth stages • Identification of untapped variation in wheat that can be harnessed and used by scientists and breeders Dr Ryan Joynson, co-first author on the paper, said: “It’s really gratifying to use my computational skills in such an applied project and to see this research being incorporated into important international breeding programmes.”

The challenge Thanks to Norman Borlaug’s green revolution, led from CIMMYT, the development and improvement of dwarf varieties of wheat have led to a drastic increase in wheat yields over the

better half of the 21st century. Yet, this consistent increase has wavered in recent years.

Continually increasing wheat yields is challenging, increasingly so when we must more-thandouble them if we are to sustainably feed 10 billion people by 2050, half of whom will rely on wheat as a staple for bread, noodles and more. At current rates, we are predicted to only get to 38% increased wheat yields by 2050, which would mean a significant shortfall.

The challenge is the well-known trade-off between things such as grain weight/number and biomass.

How do we reduce the leafy portion of a plant, or the underground portion, enough to boost harvestable product such that other aspects, including radiation use efficiency (hence photosynthesis) and nutrient uptake, are not disrupted or diminished?

Alternatively, how do we increase biomass and the relative efficiency of photosynthesis, without reducing the harvestable portion of the crop - the grain?

Photosynthesis itself is pretty inefficient, so it must be possible to find a happy medium between less biomass, more grain, and more efficient photosynthesis - so where better to start than to identify genes and genetic regions underpinning all of these traits in elite lines of wheat?

By growing 150 types of wheat, then mapping the differences in growth to differences at the genetic level, it was possible to understand areas of commonality

in desired traits for crop improvement.

A new resource for breeders Through analysing new variation in elite wheat lines, while looking for the genetic markers underpinning and linking traits such as radiation use efficiency, biomass, yield, grain number, grain weight, etc., the researchers have provided an important resource for scientists and breeders to exploit.

Namely, markers for use in marker-assisted breeding, that will help increase desired outcomes such as biomass, thousand grain weight and radiation use efficiency - while avoiding the trade-off between grain weight and grain number, or between biomass and harvest index.

The study represents the completion of two years of work looking at 150 wheat varieties, using a genome-wide association study to analyse 31 different traits.

Among the genetic regions identified, several were found in specific regions common to grain yield, biomass and radiation use efficiency.

Another important aspect of the work was the investigation of the effect of sources of new variation into elite lines of wheat.

Comparing elite wheat varieties alongside 'exotic' lines such as landraces and synthetic wheat, the researchers pinpointed areas of interest for future breeding programmes, i.e. where we can introduce more variation into our best wheat varieties for desired outcomes.

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 15

| Arable

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| Grain

Gibbons Agricultural mix innovation with time-tested manufacturing What better place than SIMA, one of the largest Agricultural shows in the world, for Gibbons Agricultural to unveil the latest additions to their Plug&Cool range? eld in Paris, and attracting around 232,000 visitors from 135 countries, the show was the perfect opportunity for Gibbons to showcase their newest innovations alongside their time-tested, best-selling crop-conditioning fans.

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“SIMA was a brilliant way to unveil our latest grain storage products, and it was fantastic to receive enquires from visitors from all over the world” Recognising that farmers need versatile, durable, affordable equipment that will give them more control over their grain pile temperature, Gibbons unveiled Plug&Cool Pedestals and Laterals at the show, which are manufactured from two types of polymer.

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Unique to any other pedestal on the market, the Plug&Cool Pedestal features a specially manufactured dual-adaptor sleeve, enabling farmers to connect any size of fan, for any size of crop store. The Pedestals also boast a supereffective vector-flow design, allowing hot air to move easily up and out of the Pedestal, giving farmers the quick, accurate results they need.

Additionally, Gibbons can offer farmers the option of Plug&Cool Laterals, which are available in a range of duct-size options. Easily adapted to existing air tunnels, the Laterals provide a sturdy cooling, drying and ventilation system, with air flow regulation doors and antiroll couplers and end caps. In short, they have been manufactured with farmers’ complete ease-of-use in mind.

Both the Pedestals and Laterals are manufactured from durable, twin-wall, foodgrade plastic, and feature as an integral component of the Plug&Cool Barn System – Gibbons’ packaged, complete grain storage

solution.

The response to Gibbons’ new innovations at SIMA was fantastic. Visitors from all over the world came to see the stand and find out more about how the Plug&Cool range could save them huge amounts of time and money and solve the problems they usually experience at harvest time.

“SIMA was a brilliant way to unveil our latest grain storage products, and it was fantastic to receive enquires from visitors from all over the world, from as far away as Canada, Colombia and Australia! It goes to show how important it is to listen to farmers and what they really need – the fact that farmers need equipment that is reliable and effective is universal”, says Gibbons Agricultural Sales Manager Matthew Gibbons.

You can get in touch with Gibbons Agricultural on 01621 868 138 or email them at fans@gibbonsgroup.co.uk

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 17

| Cereals

Early Bird tickets are now on sale for Cereals 2019, Europe’s leading outdoor arable event This week, Cereals announced the new content themes and theatres for the upcoming event to be held 12-13 June in Boothby Graffoe, Lincolnshire. he management team at Comexposium & Prysm Group are dedicated to infusing the show with energy through a series of enhanced features, seminar tracks, demonstration zones and networking opportunities.

Comexposium, the 3rd largest global event organiser, runs some of the largest farming and agriculture events in the world including SIMA, SIAL, SIMA ASEAN, SITEVI, SITEVINITECH, Cereals & Fruit Focus. The PRYSM Group is one of the fastest growing independent exhibition organisers in the world and hosts Farm Business Innovation in the UK, a leading event for the farming industry that has doubled in size annually since its inception in

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2013.

New for 2019 The International Farming Superstars presented by Farmers Weekly will bring together leading arable farmers from Australia, Netherlands, Germany, US & Canada: farmers who are pioneering new farming techniques and technologies, successfully tackling some of the most pressing problems facing the industry and delivering great results. Cereals attendees will hear what these international farming superstars are doing and the impact that it is having on their farms in a series of face-to-face sessions chaired by Farmers Weekly Editor Karl Schneider and other senior members of the Farmers Weekly editorial team.

Managing Innovation & Technology: Insights from the

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cutting edge is the theme of the Cereals Innovation & Technology Theatre. Forming a key part of the Cereals visitor experience and presented by some of the most forward-thinking farmers, suppliers and universities, the Innovation & Technology Theatre is an interactive area open to all visitors. The Innovation & Tech Theatre features the latest innovations, most recent product launches and newest technologies.

The new Cereals Conservation Agriculture Theatre is themed Conservation Techniques: Improving productivity and sustainability. The Conservation Agriculture Theatre will feature farming and soil management techniques that protect the land from erosion and degradation, improve its quality and biodiversity,

and contribute to the preservation of the natural resources, water and air, while optimizing yields and total farm output. The new Conservation Agriculture Theatre will cover topics from a practical point of view in order to help farmers navigate the changing landscape.

Portfolio Director Alli McEntyre said “We are hugely excited about Cereals 2019. The new team have given Cereals a complete revamp and are dedicated to showcasing innovation and technology throughout the exhibition and conference programme.”

Further information on the show can be found on the event website www.cerealsevent.co.uk as well as the link to purchase Early Bird tickets.

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| Grain

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April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 19

| Cereals

Cereals 2019 Themes announced Cereals 2019, hosted by Comexposium & Prysm Group on 12-13 June 2019, will include content around several major themes that are of concern to the UK arable farming industry including Preparing for Change: What can we do to safeguard UK farming?; Managing Innovation & Technology: Insights from the cutting edge and Conservation Techniques: Improving productivity and sustainability. he Cereals 2019 programme will also include a brand new content stream dedicated to sharing global best practices entitled International Farming Superstars presented by Farmers Weekly.

The Cereals AHDB Theatre themed Preparing for Change will include sessions that will address the short-term and potential longterm implications for UK farming and what the government and industry can do to safeguard the interests of UK agriculture. The Cereals AHDB Theatre will also include insights from a leading European grain analyst and from the International Grain Council in order to help attendees forecast for the coming five years.

The content offered in the Cereals AHDB Theatre will help farmers and growers build resiliency as well as benchmark progress during a time of market volatility.

New for 2019, the International Farming Superstars presented by Farmers Weekly will bring together leading arable farmers from

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Australia, Netherlands, Germany, US & Canada: farmers who are pioneering new farming techniques and technologies, successfully tackling some of the most pressing problems facing the industry and delivering great results. Cereals attendees will hear what these international farming superstars are doing and the impact that it is having on their farms in a series of face-to-face sessions chaired by Farmers Weekly Editor Karl Schneider and other senior members of the Farmers Weekly editorial team.

Managing Innovation & Technology: Insights from the cutting edge is the theme of the Cereals Innovation & Technology Theatre.

Forming a key part of the Cereals visitor experience and presented by some of the most forward-thinking farmers, suppliers and universities, the Innovation & Technology Theatre is an interactive area open to all visitors. The Innovation & Tech Theatre features the latest innovations, most recent product launches and newest technologies.

The new Cereals Conservation Agriculture Theatre is themed Conservation Techniques:

Improving productivity and sustainability. The Conservation Agriculture Theatre will feature farming and soil management techniques that protect the land from erosion and degradation, improve its quality and biodiversity, and contribute to the preservation of the natural resources, water and air, while optimizing yields and total farm output. The new Conservation Agriculture Theatre will cover topics from a practical point of view in order to help farmers navigate the changing landscape.

Per Alli McEntyre Gaharan, newly appointed Portfolio Director at Cereals & Fruit Focus, “Cereals is dedicated to providing unique content that addresses the changing needs of the arable farming community. The learning opportunities are not limited to the theatres but extend to every part of the event: from Cereals innovative exhibitors to the crop plots to the hands-on demonstration areas. We hope that our commitment to serving the industry shows in the expanded content available at Cereals 2019.�

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| Cereals

Quality vehicle seats from TEK Seating at Cereals 2019 If you’re looking for quality new and replacement seats for most agricultural vehicles, head for the TEK Seating stand (616) at CEREALS 2019, taking place from 12th - 13th June at Boothby Graffoe, Lincoln, Lincs. eople working in agriculture are susceptible to lower back pain with the amount of lifting, bending and carrying endured on a daily basis. Although there’s an array of equipment available to make some of the harder farming jobs easier, one simple change could be your seat.

TEK Seating, the UK’s largest independent vehicle seat distributor for the OEM and aftermarket, is displaying a variety of superior seats at Cereals, from a basic pan through to a full air suspension seat, from leading industry names such as Grammer, KAB, Milsco, United Seats and Isringhausen.

TEK is leading with the SCIOX Super and Super High seats from KAB Seating which offer quality variable damping technology, with a heater and mechanical lumbar available as standard. This make the Super and Super High an ideal seating choice for maintaining driver comfort and support.

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Also on show are the Grammer Maximo Professional and the Grammer Evolution seats.

Featuring low frequency suspension, the Maximo Professional is best suited for medium or heavy-duty tractors. This vibration-optimised air suspension seat is perfectly suited for use in vehicles with axle and cabin suspensions. Just for Cereals, TEK is offering this top-of-the-range seat at a special show price of £995 +VAT. The Grammer Actimo Evolution is a premium comfort seat for agricultural machines such as sprayers. It is equipped with a low-frequency pneumatic suspension to compensate vibrations and jolts even more effectively, plus a fore/aft isolator to minimize vibrations in driving direction.

Also available is the KAB 81/E6 - a mechanical suspension seat with lumbar support from the 800 series range which is suitable for most agricultural applications.

United Seats offer a good range of competitively priced seats including the CS 85/H90 and the MGV25. The CS 85/H90 is a

mechanical suspension seat ideal for smaller tractors featuring PVC or fabric trim, 3-step height and a foldable and adjustable backrest.

Its T600 AB rear suspension seat is also ideal for smaller tractors.

Milsco’s CE200 low profile mechanical suspension seat, designed for comfort and support, incorporates an ergonomic two-piece, durable, weather resistant foam-in place cushion. It’s XB180, XH110, XB200 allweather, multi-purpose, ergonomically designed static seats are competitively priced options for those on a budget.

TEK also supplies quality parts and spares, as well as an excellent and reliable trim service.

Our experienced staff are on hand to offer advice on the best seating solutions for all your agri needs, so come along to our stand (616) to find out more.

Established for nearly 50 years, and with branches in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rearsby, Leics, TEK has built a reputation for a dependable, competitive and personal service.

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 21

| Potatoes

James Foskett Farms to host new Strategic Potato Farm East Irrigation, desiccation, soil nutrition and disease management are all areas of interest for Mike Shapland, Farm Manager at James Foskett Farms Ltd who will host the new Strategic Potato Farm East. he business, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, will take over the reins of AHDB’s flagship Strategic Potato Farm programme in the East from April 1. Mike is already familiar with many growers having recently picked up Farmers Weekly’s Farm Manager of the Year in 2018.

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“The loss of actives such as diquat obviously poses a big challenge for growers” The Strategic Potato Farm programme aims to support potato growers throughout the UK through factual, evidence-based information and data gleaned from trials and demonstrations carried out on farm.

The objective of the programme is to inspire growers to adopt new technologies and make beneficial changes to their businesses.

Following on from the success of the programme at Elveden Estate, the new hosts will continue

some of the work carried out during the previous three years, as well as identifying new projects and opportunities for technical work in order to benefit the wider potato industry.

A family-owned business on predominantly sandy loam soils, James Foskett farms 900 hectares and, along with potatoes, includes onions, cereals and sugar beet among its arable crops. The farm also has an organic enterprise comprising carrots, butternut squash, green peas, onions and carrots.

Mike said: “We offer a good portfolio of soils and crops and are constantly striving to make improvements, so we really feel like we’ve something to offer the industry. Having read some of the reports from the previous Strategic Potato Farm programme at Elveden, we were interested in what was happening over there, particularly the work on PCN.” While the full programme of work at James Foskett has yet to be confirmed, Mike has a number of technical challenges that he’s keen to look at during the time he

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will be hosting the project: He added: “Irrigation is a big challenge in our region and we need to improve precision in our applications and obtain the maximum benefit for each millimetre applied. Currently we generally apply water to the crops once a week and feel our approach could be more nuanced.

“The loss of actives such as diquat obviously poses a big challenge for growers; we need to develop other strategies for haulm destruction. Nutrition is another area of interest, as is virus management in seed potato crops.”

As the new Strategic Potato Farm for the East, James Foskett Farms joins the wider Strategic Potato Farm network along with Heal Farms in Shropshire (Strategic Potato Farm West), Dillington Farm in Somerset (Strategic Potato Farm South), RJ and AE Godfrey in North Lincolnshire (Strategic Potato Farm North) and Bruce Farms in Perthshire (Strategic Potato Farm Scotland).

In a change to how the

programme was run at Elveden Estate, James Foskett will be hosting the new Strategic Potato Farm for a total of six years, rather than three. Mike thinks that the extended timetable offers a good opportunity for looking at rotational strategy and generating results that are more long-term.

David Wilson, Knowledge Exchange Manager (Potatoes) for East Anglia and the South East said: “The organic part of the business adds a different dimension and I will be interested to see what growers can learn from what Mike and James are doing without conventional crop protection products. This is particularly relevant given the recent and imminent loss of traditionally popular chemical options.”

AHDB Strategic Potato Farms form part of the Farm Excellence programme: a network of over 60 farms which includes Monitor Farms. Farm Excellence provides a channel for integrating farmers and their businesses into the wider AHDB research and knowledge exchange programmes.

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| Potatoes

Tong leave no stone unturned with new Jacuzzi PreSoak tank with integrated destoner Following the company’s recent launch of its next generation Barrel Washer, Tong Engineering is announcing the introduction of a new and uniquely designed jacuzzi pre-soak tank with integrated destoner, that now brings users three invaluable pre-washing processes in one advanced machine. uilt to combine destoning, presoak and floating debris removal within the machine’s heavy duty water-filled tank, the new system has been designed to provide a gentle way to effectively pre-clean heavily soiled crop prior to washing.

“We have been manufacturing jacuzzi pre-soak tanks for exceptionally gentle reception and pre-cleaning of crop at high throughputs, for many years,” explains Edward Tong, Managing Director at Tong Engineering.

“What makes our new pre-clean system different, is that it features an integrated destoning facility at the infeed end of the tank, as well as a built-in floating debris remover at the outfeed. By bringing these processes together in one tank, growers and processors not only achieve a more complete pre-clean system for enhanced washing results, but it also allows for reduced water consumption, combined water

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treatment and improved energy efficiency of the whole process,” says Edward.

Suitable for use on a wide range of root crops, including carrots, parsnips, swedes and potatoes, the new pre-soak tank features Tong’s proven integrated destoner system which is popularly fitted at the infeed of Tong barrel washers.

As crop is gently received into the new system’s water-filled tank, it enters the integral destoner. An impellor at the base of the destoner creates an upward pressure on crop, ensuring the vegetables float across the tank and into the jacuzzi pre-soak system. Meanwhile, any stones present within the crop drop to the bottom of the destoner, where a heavy-duty web elevator removes them up and out of the tank.

The high-performance jacuzzi presoak system gently receives crop from the destoner, where a powerful air-injection system creates a jacuzzi effect within the pre-soak tank to promote gentle crop agitation which helps to loosen heavy soil and debris from

crop. Floating debris sinks to the bottom of the pre-soak tank where it is easily removed from the tank via an auger and pneumatic dump valve system. These features help to prolong the life and freshness of the water by frequently removing sediment out of the tank, reducing the frequency of water replacement within the tank.

“Keeping maintenance to a minimum is always a key consideration when designing new equipment,” says Edward. “By integrating the new pre-soak tank at the infeed of a wash line, operators will not only experience a very low maintenance pre-clean process, but they will also see significant improvements in the

longevity of subsequent washing and polishing equipment down the line, as the system removes stones, debris and sediment at the beginning of the washing process.”

The innovative design of the new machine can be adapted to suit a wide range of throughput requirements, providing a complete pre-clean solution for root crop washing operations of all sizes. “The new machine is a valuable addition to our complete range of washing solutions which can be custom designed to suit small-scale crop washing facilities to larger-scale processing plants,” added Edward.

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 23

| ScotGrass

ScotGrass 2019 ScotGrass is set to return to Crichton Royal Farm at Dumfries in 2019 by the kind permission of the SRUC. The event, which takes place on Wednesday 15th May 2019, gives visitors an opportunity to see the latest grassland machinery in action on field scale plots at a commercial dairy farm. ScotGrass is once again kindly sponsored by Volac. he triennial event, which is organised by the AEA on behalf of industry exhibitors, attracts livestock farmers and grassland contractors from throughout the UK and is a popular showcase for major equipment manufacturers.

The event, which is organised by the AEA on behalf of industry exhibitors, attracts livestock farmers and grassland contractors from throughout the UK. Held on a commercial diary farm the working event is also a popular showcase for major equipment manufacturers such as New Holland, the company will be attending this year's event and are supported by their local dealer Lloyd.

Strong New Holland presence New Holland equipment on display will include two Foragers, a Centenario T5 tractor (a limited edition tractor part of the Centenario Range, which celebrates the 100 years anniversary of Fiat Tractors and has a characteristic dark red colour) and two T6 DCT specialty tractors – one in Ford blue and one in Terracotta, so both limited editions, homages to the Ford legacy of New Holland and the strong heritage of Fiat tractors, pioneering in agricultural technology

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for a century.

Additional New Holland grass equipment will include a Discutter F32P, MegaCutter 860P and Disccutter C320P Mower Conditioners, together with two rakes a ProRotor C660M and ProRotor C820 and a ProTed 880 tedder.

2019 Mower of the year to get its first UK outing Pottinger UK will be taking a pretty comprehensive range of machinery to ScotGrass this year. In terms of new products a highlight will be the companies new NOVACAT A10 CROSS FLOW mower combination, which was recently named 'Machine of the year' in the mowers category at the 2019 SIMA Show in Paris, France.

Pottinger's revolutionary technology enables swaths to be merged directly behind the cutterbar. Thanks to the new cross conveyor auger the swath is merged immediately after mowing without needing a conditioner, offering a cost-effective and lightweight system for merging swaths. Additionally its low weight and low power requirement reduce fuel consumption.

Working debut for new John Deere forager John Deere’s new 9000 Series self-propelled

forage harvester will be making its UK working debut at this year's ScotGrass. It will be demonstrated alongside the company’s latest wrapping baler and 6R Series CommandPRO tractor.

The 9000 Series combines the latest forage harvesting technology with several efficiency enhancing developments to form the basis of John Deere’s new HarvestMotion concept, which significantly increases throughput and enables industry leading fuel economy.

Performance improvements of up to 10 per cent have been verified through numerous field tests conducted by John Deere and several independent research institutes.

There are four models in the new series from 625 to 970hp, with the flagship 9900 powered by a new 24.2-litre V12 Liebherr engine with striking twin exhausts. This provides outstanding torque capacity and copes easily with peak loads at lower engine speeds, even beneath 1400rpm. The large crop channel width of 850mm is designed to handle the foragers’ higher throughput, to ensure the best possible forage quality and chopping efficiency.

John Deere has also extended its range of kernel processors by introducing the XStream

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| ScotGrass

KP model for the 9000 Series range. This high performance processor has been developed together with the US based company Scherer, an experienced leader in kernel processor technology, and increases processing intensity by 10 per cent at all cutting lengths.

Kernel processor rolls are available with a standard sawtooth design on the Premium KP unit, and either the sawtooth or a new XCut design on the XStream KP, which features a spiral cut groove across the roll surface. Both roll designs are also available with the proven Dura Line heavy-duty coating for increased durability.

The kernel processor can be removed in just five minutes for quick changes between maize and grass.

The new 9000 Series selfpropelled forage harvesters are also available with John Deere’s complete range of AMS precision farming systems, for improved operator comfort and cutting quality. These include AutoTrac automatic steering and the latest HarvestLab 3000 near infrared constituent sensing system with AutoLOC automatic length-of-cut settings and silage additive dosing on the move, based on dry matter content – this three-in-one system will also be highlighted and demonstrated at ScotGrass.

The same sensor system can be used in stationary mode for analysing clamp silage in order to

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manage feed rations more accurately, and for analysing the constituents in manure (eg N, NH4, P & K) when operating a slurry tanker. Other advanced technology features include RowSense feeler guidance, which allows the forager to automatically follow maize rows; Active Fill Control for automatic filling of trailers; and the MyJohnDeere Operations Centre web portal, which can be used for machinery fleet management and for displaying detailed, up to the minute machine and harvest data.

Knowledge trail for quality forage: In additional to the machinery demonstrations there will be a series of Knowledge trail stations covering Grassland Conservation, quality forage, Soil Structure, and the use of precision farming for forage.

Industry experts will also be on hand to answer questions on technical subjects affecting the livestock industry, together with numerous product and service suppliers.

ScotGrass is a one-day specialist Grassland event held once every three years, attracting several thousand visitors connected with grassland production. This year's event is taking place at the SRUC's Crichton Royal Farm, Dumfries DG1 4AS on Wednesday 15th May 2019.

10am – 3pm Demos 9am – 4pm Statics

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 25

| ScotGrass

New Galvanised Chassis on display at ScotGrass All new Strautmann forage wagons are now fitted with a galvanised chassis, new rear door load sensors and improved ISOBUS connectors to improve the longevity and reliability of machines and the new, upgraded model can be seen on the OPICO stand at Scotgrass. ommenting, James Swan, Strautmann Sales Specialist, OPICO Ltd said, “Forage wagons are exposed to significant corrosion risk and the new galvanized chassis will provide superior protection, whilst also making the machines more resistant to mud and adverse weather, especially if stored outside.

The new package of improvements aims to make the forage wagons tougher and more reliable, whilst further increasing their life and functionality.”

New rear door sensors are more robust and, combined with improved ISOBUS connectors to prevent the ingress of water and dirt, the wagons will be more resilient and capable of providing

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trouble-free operation to their optimal working capacity.

The new package of improvements aims to make the forage wagons tougher and more reliable

The improvements can be seen on the Strautmann Giga Vitesse which will be on display on the OPICO stand at Scotgrass, Wednesday 15th May 2019, SRUC Crichton Royal Farm. Or, for more information, farmers and contractors can visit www.strautmann.co.uk or contact their local Strautmann dealer – details of which can be found on the website, or by contacting OPICO on 01778 421111.

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| ScotGrass

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| ScotGrass

Clingseal: designed to maximise silage quality and minimise waste Typically, forage consists of between 40% and 80% of the diet in most dairy and beef production. So, considering that feed as a whole represents a significant element of costs, it is clear that maximising forage quality and minimising waste are critical in terms of reducing costs and ensuring livestock are presented with a feed which will stimulate intake and be efficiently converted into meat or milk. In recent years, many farmers began using Clingseal, a thin, flexible, low permeability film (that sits directly beneath the traditional black silage sheet) to make the most of their clamp silage. o, how does it work? Being thin and flexible Clingseal clings more closely to the contours of the clamp surface and tucks in more at the sides. As such it helps eliminate air pockets and provides a close fitting air barrier to significantly reduce top and shoulder losses from aerobic spoilage. In doing so it helps to create the right anaerobic conditions for a faster, more efficient fermentation process that can deliver enhanced silage quality.

Using Clingseal during the clamping process is especially beneficial when ensiling moist feeds like brewers’ grains and crimped maize which are not only higher value crops, but are also more susceptible to wastage.

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While Clingseal is flexible enough to mould itself to the clamp surface, it is tough enough to be handled robustly and can withstand being walked on whilst it is being laid.

Clingseal is manufactured right here in Scotland using the latest blown extrusion manufacturing techniques. Visitors to next month’s Scotgrass event can meet the team behind the product on the Visqueen stand at this year’s show.

Cutting Your Losses Clingseal can help maximise returns from your forage harvest.

IBERS have calculated that in-silo losses can range between 5% and 18% of the total crop during the fermentation process, so it is not hard to see why Clingseal is a worthwhile investment.

Applying Clingseal…. some top tips for better application.

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• It is essential to ensure the clamp has been filled and compacted correctly before applying the product.

• Do not overfill the clamp as this can make the problem of surface waste worse.

• Apply Clingseal to the clamp surface as soon as possible after filling.

• Take care to finish, seal and cover the pit to a high standard.

• Ensure the film tucks in well where it meets the clamp walls.

• Use a high quality silage sheet such as Visqueen Agri-S to cover the clamp.

• Sheets should be firmly weighted down.

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| ScotGrass

New CLAAS baler and mower on display at ScotGrass First launched in 1973, the CLAAS JAGUAR forage harvester has gone on to become the world’s leading self-propelled forage harvester, with over 40,000 machines having been produced in that time. he JAGUAR forage harvester always attracts a large crowd when working at grassland demonstrations and visitors to this year’s Scotgrass event will be able to see two of the latest JAGUAR models being put through their paces. Both machines will bear special 40,000 branding in celebration of this latest production milestone.

In addition to machinery from the extensive CLAAS Tractor and Green Harvest product range, on display at a working event for the first time will be the latest addition to the ROLLANT fixed chamber round baler range, the ROLLANT 540, and the new DISCO MOVE front mower, which can move over a range of 1000mm independent of the tractor linkage.

40,000 JAGUAR forage harvesters Over the 46 years that it has been in production, the JAGUAR forage harvester has consistently led the way in the development of innovative solutions and outstanding efficiency, resulting in it becoming the world’s leading selfpropelled forage harvester.

Since the introduction of the first JAGUAR 60SF in 1973, powered by a 120hp engine, the JAGUAR range has grown and developed to where there is now a total of 11 models offered, in two ranges, with power outputs from 884hp down to 408hp.

As CLAAS continue to lead the way in forage harvester technology, the latest development is the announcement of the JAGUAR TERRA TRAC, which uses an

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innovative version of the long established rubber tracked TERRA TRAC crawler system originally introduced on LEXION combines.

New ROLLANT 540 round baler New for this season, ROLLANT 540 fixed chamber round baler range features new rollers and a stronger chassis, with the choice of net or film wrapping. A new drive concept and outstanding ease of maintenance ensure high performance and a long service life.

The redesigned baling chamber on the ROLLANT 540 has 15 rollers and makes bales with a diameter of 1.22m and width of 1.25m. The serrated profile of the rollers maintains optimum bale rotation even under moist conditions. The rollers are fitted with specially hardened 50mm stub shafts, which are bolted to the roller body and can be individually replaced if necessary. The rollers which have the most load are fitted with new double race bearings for a longer service life.

The tailgate closing rams are horizontally mounted, resulting in high baling pressures. For maximum bale density, pressure of up to 180 bar can be applied to the rams.

Options include the MPS II system, where three of the chamber rollers pivot into the chamber for additional bale compression, early bale rotation, and a perfectly uniform bale shape.

The baling rollers are driven from the left side of the machine and each roller has direct drive, resulting in uniform force distribution to the rollers with a lower power requirement. The rotor and main

drive have 1.25-inch drive chains, and the tailgate rollers are driven with a 1-inch chain.

The chains are lubricated via an eccentric pump and all the lubricating nipples of the MPS and tailgate are combined on the righthand side. A central lubrication option is also available.

On ROTO-CUT versions the chopping mechanism has 15 knives, with a theoretical cut length of 70 mm. The knives have individual protection against foreign objects and can be swung in from the cab, and should a blockage occur, the cutting floor can be lowered with a command from the control terminal.

Both film or net can be used with the ROLLANT 540 and a ramp on the right side of the machine simplifies the task of loading the wrapping system. For operating the baler, there is a choice between the CLAAS COMMUNICATOR, the OPERATOR terminal or a tractor ISOBUS terminal.

New DISCO MOVE front mower Also on display will be the new DISCO MOVE front mower, which incorporates an innovative new design that allows the mower to move over a range of 1,000mm independent of the tractor linkage, so ensuring optimum contour following in the most uneven of fields.

The DISCO 3200 MOVE has a working width of 3.0m and is available both with (FC) and without (F) a tined conditioner. The DISCO MOVE mower incorporates a completely new design of headstock giving up to 600 mm of upward travel and 400 mm

downward for improved contour following. The mower unit is also able to pivot laterally from the central pivot point, which is set at a 30-degree angle. As a result, the mowing unit can swing backwards at a slight diagonal angle to avoid obstacles.

The mower bed is able to respond very quickly to finer ground contours thanks to the tried and proven lower pivot point from the current PROFIL range. The new headstock combined with the low pivot point assures excellent contour following, especially for larger tractors and at higher speeds.

The tractor’s front linkage remains in a fixed position and has no effect on the ground contour following. The headstock can be coupled either directly to the tractor front linkage or using an A-Frame and the hydraulics integrated in the headstock also take over the function of raising the mower bed at the headland using a single acting hydraulic service from the tractor.

The headstock also includes integrated ACTIVE FLOAT hydraulic suspension as standard, eliminating the need for suspension spring coupling points on the tractor and the suspension pressure can be adjusted at any time while working.

On request, the DISCO MOVE control mechanism can be incorporated into the control unit of large-scale triple mowers. The mower is then controlled centrally via the operating terminal, and the rear mower takes over the function of regulating the ACTIVE FLOAT suspension.

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 29

| Energy

New Landia slurry pump works wonders at dairy farmer’s AD plant A Shropshire dairy farmer/AD operator remembers the day when his sorrow turned to joy over what he thought was a faulty flowmeter – only to later discover that it was the output created by a new slurry pump that had sent readings soaring to numbers previously not recorded by the site’s instrumentation. e didn’t believe it at first”, said Paul Davies from Landia.

“He wasn’t happy to begin with but didn’t mind admitting later that he thought it had been his flowmeter playing up”.

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“We’ve worked with the farm for a long time and wanted to help them optimise their new AD process. We were faced with several challenges, but we’ve put our heads together and were determined to achieve the required result” The reason for his welcome surprise was that a new pump from Landia had produced an unprecedented throughput. Some had told the farmer that it wouldn’t

work for the very tough AD/feedstock application – and initially he agreed with them – but they were all proved wrong.

‘Maximum Output’ Davies added: “Prior to the installation, he couldn’t run at maximum output, which was very frustrating, but now all of a sudden, what was previously taking an hour to process has been reduced to just 25 minutes – enough to make any AD operator/farmer happy”.

Designed for a very specific application, directly on from the digestate feeder, the farm and its AD operation were almost immediately able to reduce the cost of its energy-rich feedstock.

Established over a century ago, the 2,000-acre farm first invested in Landia slurry pump (a submersible 7.5kW) in 2003, which is still in operation. It continuously mixes what has now become a valuable feedstock, rather than a waste that must be dealt with.

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Investing in its own AD plant four years ago, the farm’s annual electricity bill was around £55,000 – but the 1.5MW of power now produced easily covers that now historic outlay, with a healthy surplus sold on to the National Grid – and excess heat put to good use for drying the farm’s bedding.

The feedstock of cow slurry, maize, rye and sugar beet is topped up with fruit and vegetable food waste from local wholesalers – which after being held in a 500m3 buffer tank, is pumped to a heat treatment tank, before it is sent to the primary digester. The resulting digestate is pumped to two storage tanks of 240m3 and 500m3 – before the final liquor is sent to the farm’s slurry lagoon.

‘Benefits the entire process’ The high pressure 22kW Landia Chopper Pumps are designed with an external knife system that stops any solids from entering the pump’s casing. Throughout the

operation, the Landia pumps at the farm (which all run on variable speed drives to maximise the life of the impellers) continuously reduces particle sizes, which benefits the entire process. In total, there is now one mixer and nine pumps from Landia, including three longshaft designs and four dry-installed pumps.

Paul Davies from Landia added: “We’ve worked with the farm for a long time and wanted to help them optimise their new AD process.

We were faced with several challenges, but we’ve put our heads together and were determined to achieve the required result.

“In the end, we found a way of boosting the pumps with an extra loop in the pipework. ‘Live digestate’ can cause problems for many pumps and pipework, with so much extra gas being released, but our design and the robustness of the pumps means that nothing has tripped out”.

www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

| Energy

Green energy moving beyond incentives for farmers as on farm production increases About 50 per cent of AF Group farmers have invested in or have access to green energy, and renewables are becoming more core to the business as the benefits become more valuable than government incentives. The role of renewable energy within the farming mix is to be discussed at an Agri-Tech East meeting, ‘We’ve Got the Power; On-Farm Solutions to Energy Demands’ on 23 May, which is comparing experiences and considering new developments. r Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-Tech East, comments that renewable energy always attracts interest from its diverse membership. “The amount of kit directed at on-farm energy generation was notable at Cereals this year and so was the interest in crops grown specifically to feed anaerobic digestion (AD) so discussion about the pros and cons of the approaches and innovations in the technology seemed timely.”

Speakers are drawn from both the farming community and the technology developers, offering a number of perspectives.

Jon Duffy, AF Group Chief Executive, comments that: “Although early installations focused on taking advantage of incentives to help farmers diversify their businesses and create extra revenue, more recently our members have been designing and installing systems according to their own consumption patterns.

“Solar is by far the most widespread due to its lower entry costs and certainty over performance, which benefits from the predictive science available in terms of sun or wind hours etc. The proportion investing in wind and /or AD is much smaller.

“The perception is that AD has been oversold in the main, with some AD plants not performing as expected either due to construction, design or feeding issues.

“One of the main concerns, highlighted by our members, is that the systems do require quite a lot of time and effort to keep the systems running, from monitoring PH levels through to maintenance of the CHP (Combined Heat and Power) engine.

“Originally it was expected to fit in with other farming practices, but it has becomes a role in itself to achieve the expected output and associated revenue.

“There are also various issues related to the disposal and utilisation of digestate, especially within nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ), but members are adapting and we are seeing an increasing number of contractors specialising in this area.”

Many of the initial issues are being addressed, however Innes McEwan, Head of Farming for Future Biogas, agrees that feeding an AD can be similar to feeding dairy cows!

“They need consistent, quality, repeatable feed delivered hourly. On 2.2MW, crop-fed AD plants might feed 100 – 120 tonnes per day,

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Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-Tech East (c Agri-Tech East)

depending on type of crop included.

“However, depending on its size the farm does not need to grow crops to feed the AD and indeed should only do so if planned cropping is sustainable.

“Green waste from councils and food waste can generate gate fee income and produce high levels of energy, although this can be unreliable in quantity and consistence. Food waste “soups” are becoming available, but often the problem can be that the source of origin of the food waste can be a long way from rural AD sites.”

Alex Parnell, also from Future Biogas, believes that the industry is moving beyond incentives but is still operating on an uneven playing field. “Although there is potential for renewables to compete effectively with fossil fuels, the need for subsidy will continue until genuine carbon cost of fossil fuels is reflected in energy prices.

“To me, the future of renewables, including biogas, will be guided by the infrastructure that exists to distribute the renewably generated power or fuel on a national scale. The grid as it stands would require sizeable and onerously expensive reinforcement and upgrading to deliver the required peak demand. Transportwise the current charging infrastructure is also in relatively early stages of development.”

Jon Swain, Senior Consultant for NFU Energy, comments: “All energy generation, onfarm or not, is affected by government policy.

We must however accept that both Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Feed in Tariff (FiT) are incentive schemes designed to popularise

renewable energy, not support them in the long term. The most successful form of energy generation is a scheme that is appropriate to the business – that off-sets onsite demand and allows the farm to generate additional income.”

Stretham Farmer Luke Palmer, Director of FC Palmer and Sons, agrees. He comments that sustainability has been the driver behind a number of innovations adopted by the farm: “The farm has been trying to seek technical advantages for years, be it from water management, precision farming techniques, or using less staff for more output.

“Solar panels were a conscious decision to diversify income and we were lucky to install 50kw solar panel arrays before the Feed in Tariff dropped to such low levels; these have been very successful but they are not without their foibles – inverters breaking, tripping, over heating etc. We have had a seven year payback on the initial investment.”

When asked what advice Luke would give to his younger self he comments: “We aren’t really a farm that shouts about what we do but I want people to learn from our experiences. My advice would be ‘don’t believe the hype’ – there is too much technology being offered. Also, if something is working well ‘don’t be revolutionary, be evolutionary’.”

The Agri-Tech East Pollinator “We’ve Got the Power; On-Farm Solutions to Energy Demands” is being held on 23 May 2019 at 1:30 - 5:00 pm at Hethel Innovation, NR14 8FB. Find out more at www.agritecheast.co.uk/events

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 31

| Buildings

RIDBA Building Awards 2019 The winners of the RIDBA Building Awards 2019 have been announced at a glittering Dinner & Awards on 15 March. he Rural and Industrial Design and Building Association (RIDBA) runs the awards biannually, this year hosted by star of BBC Springwatch, Lucy Cooke at the De Vere East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottinghamshire.

The 2019 finalists has showcased innovative and revolutionised work that has been recognised within the industrial and agricultural building industry.

Members who has shown outstanding individual achievements throughout their projects and are recognised for the award below: Overall Winner The Dojima Sake Brewery, Fordham – M D Anthony Highly Commended Centre of Diary Science Innovation, University of Nottingham – Haston Reynolds Special Recognition The Tin Coo, Bishopston Farm – Shand Building Design RIDBA Chairman, Mike Hammond said: ‘It has been a pleasure to be RIDBA Chairman during this fantastic work, and yet again the RIDBA Building Awards showcase

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excellence in our trade.

Congratulations to RIDBA Building Awards 2019 Overall Winner, the Dojima Sake Brewery.

The project showed how M D Anthony Ltd balanced the challenging planning and design issued of a Grade II listed building with delivering a culturally appropriate building – a real testament to expertise, creativity and aesthetics.

Finally, I would like to thank all of our sponsors, without their support, these awards would not have been possible.’

There were a total of 33 recognised members at the award ceremony and announced in RIDBA promotional materials.

Overall there are 8 winners Venison Lairage and Processing under the categories below: Facility, Dovecote Park Commercial Winner Public Services M D Anthony A.C Bacon Engineering The Dojjima Sake Brewery, Cedar Hall, Norfolk Fordham Residential General Agricultural & Storage M D Anthony A.C Bacon Engineering Y House, Cambridge Hinton Lodge Work Shop & Recreation & Leisure BioMass Building, Suffolk M D Anthony Livestock The Orangery – Rushton Hall Haston Reynolds Rushton Centre for Dairy Science The RIDBA Training Award has Innovation, University of Overall Champion TA & LCShufflebottom Lyon & Son - British recognised for their Nottingham Blue x Heifer commitment to the industry Industrial training, with over 1,024 hours of S&A Fabrications

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Overall Winners - M D Anthony

training completed between 2017 and 2018. Shufflebottom has dedicated their strategic objective of continuously improving their training provision to ensure it is high-quality, effective and efficient.

RIDBA would like to take this opportunity to thank its sponsors for helping to make the RIDBA Building Awards 2019 a great success: AJN Steelstock, Eternit, Joseph Ash Galvanizing, Kingspan, and Steadmans.

Full details of all the entries can be found at www.ridba.org.uk

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| Buildings

Overall Winner: The Dojima Sake Brewery, Fordham M D Anthony

RIDBA Chairman Michael Hammond

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Livestock Winners Haston Reynolds

RIDBA Awards

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 33

| Buildings

Can sand really work?

One of the commonest questions that dairy farmers ask Haston Reynolds is whether sand based cubicles can be made to work with a new or existing dairy herd and how should the slurry handling system be designed. and is rapidly being considered by many farmers and academics as the gold standard for bedding materials because it has been proven to increase cubicle use, greatly enhance udder health, reduce lameness, whilst helping to increase milk yield and improve fertility rates.

Ian Reynolds, director of Haston Reynolds said: “Of course, in terms of the way that a farm operates and functions, the choice of sand as a bedding material has wide-reaching implications. When the sand is kicked out of the cubicles by the cows, it mixes with the manure and this can cause problems with the effective handling of the slurry which has to be cleared from the buildings on a regular basis.”

“The sand-laden slurry is difficult to move by electric pump and the sand has a tendency to settle out of the slurry, silting up traditional channels and pipes”.

The detailing of the cubicle beds, the overall building layout and the slurry handling system are consequently of critical importance.

Ian Reynolds adds: “Good design will greatly improve the proper management and easy handling of the sand and it is important to remember that the principles behind this will vary greatly between dairy units using

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robotic milking systems and those that have more traditional parlours”.

Haston Reynolds has recently completed the planning, design and project management of the University of Nottingham’s new Centre for Dairy Science Innovation. The farm is run on a commercial basis using sand based cubicles and the results have been impressive when compared to the older farm which used traditional mattresses and sawdust.

The farm’s staff have been amazed by the improvements they have witnessed to the health and productivity of the herd. Average milk yields have increased from 31 litres a day to 42 litres a day which can only be attributed to the new buildings because there haven’t been any nutritional changes to diet of the commercial herd.

The fertility of the herd has increased with the 21 day pregnancy rate increasing from 14% to 21%. Mastitis has decreased from 50 cases per 100 cows per annum to 15 per 100 cows per annum and digital dermatitis and hock legions have almost been eliminated since the cows have been housed on sand.

Haston Reynolds is a multiaward winning planning and design consultancy which specialises in advice to farmers and land owners. They can also assist in identifying and designing diversification opportunities such

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as equine developments, barn conversions, residential schemes,

canal marinas, industrial developments and much more.

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| Livestock

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April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 35

| Buildings

Ventilation: Protecting animal welfare & saving money through good design

Jamie Robertson, RIDBA Livestock Consultant.

resh air is valuable: It kills airborne bacteria and viruses faster than 50% fresh air. As fresh air enters a building it will typically accumulate heat, moisture, gases and bugs as it passes through. In animal housing, the continued throughput of fresh air is vital to prevent the accumulation of these by-products.

When they do start to accumulate, the next throw of the biological dice is a decrease in production, as animals adjust to a less favourable environment of more heat, moisture or bugs. What follows is a predictable increase in chronic health loss and associated costs of time, welfare and money.

The delivery of fresh air is often described as ‘ventilation’, associated with the terms ‘good’, ‘adequate’ and ‘poor’. These are meaningless and determinately ignore what is known about the design of ventilation systems. Competent ventilation might be defined by the delivery of fresh air by air movement, in proportion to need, and with uninterrupted supply. Wind is the predominant driving force for fresh air delivery in naturally ventilated buildings. It is predictable and free, and the first area that needs an application of common sense and design.

Common sense tells us that fresh air cannot get through a solid wall, and as the wind comes from all points of the compass at some time during the year. It is therefore predictable that solid walls are not part of the solution. Solid walls may be required to be slightly above animal height, but no higher. However, whilst it is not possible to have more than 100% fresh air, it is easily possible to have too much air

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speed, and the design requirement is to facilitate fresh air movement while controlling air speed. The need is for porous walls that control air speed, keep most of the rain and snow out, and give a wide distribution of fresh air throughout the building. The design requirement is for 0.2-0.5m/s air speed within livestock buildings, with the lower speed a target for youngstock.

The assessment of ventilation competency in existing buildings, or the design requirements of a newbuild, require a basic calculation of how much inlet area is needed in the sidewalls for the maximum liveweight of livestock inside.

Here lies the first basic rule of ventilation: all systems need inlets and outlets. Wind will provide energy to drive fresh air delivery for 90%+ of time, but design should aim to let air in one side and out the other in equal volumes.

Failure to have some degree of balance between inlet and outlet areas will always create areas of stagnation or wind-chill within a building, sometimes both.

The correct calculation of the minimum inlet area in a sidewall starts with the calculation of the area of outlet required in the roof. This is because the predictable absence of wind, increased in many situations by building location beside other structures, means that fresh air delivery by wind may be restricted.

At this point the ‘stack effect’ can take over, whereby the energy emitted from the stock warms the surrounding air, which rises within the building and leaves through the outlet in the roof.

For each volume of warm, moist, dirty air that leaves through the roof, an equal volume of fresh air must be drawn in through the

sidewalls. The area of the outlet is calculated based on the stocking density of the building, the maximum liveweight of the stock (effectively the energy density that drives the ‘stack effect’), and the slope of the roof.

Low slopes are not productive, and 15degree pitch should be regarded as a minimum. A calculation method is available online from Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), but a rule of thumb (for assessment only), the roof outlet should be 0.1m2/adult, 0.04m2 per calf.

Whatever the calculated outlet area, the building needs the same area as inlet in each sidewall as a minimum, and twice as much for higher yielding animals.

With the inlet area based on a calculation, the final design requirement is to select a cladding (or mix of) that is appropriate for the site. Exposed sites may need Yorkshire board that provide protected inlets, while space board might be suitable for more protected walls.

Mesh fabrics control air speed and provide excellent natural light but do not entirely eliminate rainwater ingress. An overhang on the roof will protect a clear opening immediately below the eaves, but whatever the choice of sidewall design, none will provide year-round competence without an adequate size of outlet in the roof.

BEWARE: young calves do not create enough body heat to create a stack effect in buildings. Calf housing needs mechanical ventilation to ensure fresh air delivery 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Outlet designs and calculator can be found in the AHDB website: www.ahdb.org.uk

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| Buildings

What could be simpler than a farm building?

By Jim Rogerson of FarmPlus Buildings. here’s nothing simpler than a farm building, yet why do the majority of people get this wrong? Sure farm buildings are simple, everyone can do a simple basic building, and we probably all can and do.

The biggest problem with getting a good job done comes down to a bit of time and money.

In this instance time should play the biggest role, because if you are controlling the job yourself then you probably aren’t paying yourself anyway. So if you spend extra time getting it right, it probably doesn’t cost you anything. Yet the benefits can be far reaching.

Simple mistakes can be made, especially late in the year: “We are desperate to get some cows undercover”.

“I need the cheapest option to get some cattle off the land”.

“We have a gap here close to the house, its wasted space, we might as well use it for now, and we’ll use it as a garage/workshop later”.

Yet mostly, once cattle go into a building, it is very difficult to turn the building back to anything other than cattle housing.

Did you stop and think is it in the right place to get rid of all the muck?

Does the ground slope away from or to the house?

Water runs downhill naturally, so does dirty water and muck....

With this adage in mind and a bit of thought, a simple well designed farmyard will help to wash itself with every bit of rain. To put it simply, if you can keep the farmhouse and yard at the top end and direct all the muck to the low end, cleaning will be a lot simpler and life a lot more pleasant with a lot less ear-ache from the housekeeper!

Just because you wear wellington boots to walk through the cattle field and gateways, it doesn’t mean it’s alright to need them around the farmyard. When you are designing your building make sure you know what you really want and design it for the real use. £2,000.00 goes nowhere with vets bills, antibiotics and loss of growth rate or even lost/dead animals. All too often these factors are just put down to a fact of life, especially on a farm, just by buying/using the cheapest options at the beginning.

Very few open sided buildings work well for animal housing as far as ventilation and air exchange work and people say to me, “oh it will be alright with one side open”.

After buying a smoke machine some 5 years ago and testing buildings I can assure you they don’t work. They may work reasonably well on a cold, wet, windy day when all of us are glad of shelter but if you get a good spring

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day with the sun shining, with a bit of warmth in the building you will find there is probably no air movement at all and if there is any, it is going out through the back side of the building.

Animals need basic simple shelters: • Shelter from the wind.

• Shelter from the rain.

• Shade from the sun.

• Plenty of fresh air movement above animal height.

Left alone in nature, animals will always find natural shelters, behind a wall, hedge, shelter belt, in a hollow, all with movement over the top of them so they always have fresh air to breathe in.

So the starting point for animal housing has to be shelter and air exchange.

Animals like having a wall to shelter behind but need plenty of air movement over the top of them.

All of us probably understand about trying to keep the prevailing wind and rain to the closed side of a building, yet we all fail to leave enough openings in the ridge to allow warm stale air to rise up naturally and exit the building as soon as possible.

I hear all too often that we need a big tall building with lots of air for all these animals. The basis of this is totally wrong. What is needed is a high rate of natural air exchange to keep your animals healthy, which overall will reduce vets visits and antibiotic use (possibly saving you thousands of pounds annually), all for a bit of time planning and no more expense than a couple of thousand upfront to begin with.

All too often I get told we have to put a fibre cement roof on livestock housing to stop the condensation, I put it to you that this idea has had a disastrous effect on animal health because it absorbs the condensation and hides any ventilation problems.

You only get condensation through a build-up of humidity and if this is happening there is a ventilation problem.

You have to do something to increase the air exchange.

A bigger volume of air won’t increase the air exchange it will probably only exasperate the problem.

Your starting point needs to be air exchange and getting the correct number of air exchanges per hour.

This needs to happen every day of the year, not just on windy days. The cheapest solution is always the stack effect from warm air rising, and, in reality a lower ridge height will allow the air to leave the building quicker. In a tall building the warm air rises, cools and comes back down before reaching the ridge.

Fresh air is free, where else can you get free animal health.

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 37

| Buildings

Graham Heath Construction’s first apprentice wins Apprentice of the Year 2019 On 28th March 2019, Graham Heath Construction celebrated Alex Critchley’s (Apprentice CAD Draughtsman) win of the Apprentice of the Year 2019 award at The Sentinel’s annual Business Awards. raham Heath Construction is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of steel framed buildings for the agricultural, industrial & equestrian industries.

With great success not only comes great responsibility for the manufacturing & supply of premium builds, but also great opportunities for YOU to help support us.

With the continuous growth of the company, Graham Heath Construction have always looked to expand their team by utilising apprenticeships; it’s a fantastic way of bringing in new, fresh talent

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to the company who can kick start their career by getting hands on experience in their chosen field and in an exciting industry. Alex Critchley was employed as the company’s first ever apprentice in 2017 and is set to complete his studies in summer 2019. From then, Alex will be offered a permanent, full-time position with the company to continue expanding his skill set and building on his experience.

The team attended the awards ceremony at Kings Hall in Stokeon-Trent on Thursday 28th March 2019, where they celebrated the announcement of Alex’s win. Alex was greeted with some fantastic prizes to take home and cherish;

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an A3 plaque of his award, a lovely planter engraved with his latest achievement by Wedgewood, a bottle of Champagne and complimentary tickets for a show at the new Vic Theatre.

As much to Alex’s shock at his achievement on the night, his colleagues knew he had the best chance of winning the category, despite the tough competition. The company would also like to say a big thank you to the category sponsors, KMF Group, who presented the award.

With Alex’s win and his progression within the company, Graham Heath Construction are now looking to employ their third Apprentice CAD Draughtsman to

join their team. Tom Richardson is the second apprentice to join the team in summer 2018, but with Tom’s lightning speed development, the team are now ready to start expanding the team further.

Should you want to apply for the Apprentice CAD Draughtsman opportunity, or find out more information, please contact Paul Hanson, General Manager, at Graham Heath Construction.

Call: 01270 781158 Email: info@gh-construction.co.uk Visit: www.ghconstruction.co.uk/careers/

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| Feature

Vertical ‘container farms’ can produce bigger and better natural crops Two vertical ‘container farms’ capable of producing natural crops which are more nutritious, have far bigger yields – and are ready to harvest in at least half the time – have been created by Nottingham Trent University. he farms, thought to be the first of their kind in the UK and housed inside two converted shipping containers, use a variety of innovative and automated feeding and environmental control systems to create perfect growing conditions all year round.

Each container farm is capable of producing three to five tonnes of crops a year.

Scientists in university’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences plan to use them for teaching and research – and to showcase the potential for ‘precision agriculture’ in a time of global challenges for food security and safety.

Nearly 70% of the UK’s fruit and vegetables currently comes from outside the UK and there is concern that food imports could become more expensive postBrexit and that there could be significant disruption to the UK’s

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food supply chain.

An increasing world population, climate change, and pressure on natural resources which threaten global food security, are other major challenges.

The farms, located at the Brackenhurst Campus, have been created as part of a project with scientists at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China.

Produce is grown vertically on racks using various LED light and nutrient ‘recipes’ to stimulate growth, depending on the particular species, variety of crop and its different developmental stages.

Suitable wavelengths of light enhance plant growth, giving crops higher yields, more flavour and increased nutrition.

Plants are also grown using include hydroponics – growing plants without soil in a nutrient-rich solution – and aeroponics, whereby plant roots are suspended mid-air in high

humidity, whilst being intermittently misted with a nutrient solution.

Unique recipes of the 17 different nutrients which control crop quality and flavour are automatically monitored and delivered to each plant via a software-based control system.

Delivering these directly to the roots ensures almost all nutrients are taken up by the plant – hence bigger yields, faster growth and improved nutrition.

Only about 30%-40% of nutrients are taken up by the roots when grown in soil.

In addition to this, the project tackles the need to increase efficiency of nutrients and the protected conditions of the container mean there is no need for pesticides or fungicides.

“We want to address food security and sustainable agriculture issues by developing new farming systems which can provide an improved crop quality and yield,” said Chungui Lu, Professor of Sustainable

Agriculture in the university’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences.

He said: “We believe that there is enormous potential for urban agriculture and ‘”vertical farming to meet these emerging challenges.

Container farms have optimum growing conditions from germination right through to harvest. It is a hugely efficient and sustainable way of growing very fresh vegetables and some fruit all year round.

“Container farms the size of ours would be able to produce three to five tonnes of crops per year. Producing natural and sustainable local food under such protected conditions could be very attractive for a range of organisations, such as supermarkets and restaurants. The system is also completely autonomous so people wouldn’t need to know how to operate it.”

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 39

| Security

Rural thieves target open access farm yards warns NFU Mutual Thieves driving round the countryside looking for easy targets are increasingly targeting open access farm yards, warns leading rural insurer, NFU Mutual. t’s the opportunity to drive in, quickly pick up anything of value and make a quick exit which appeals to criminals and is making it making it more important than ever for farmers to install – and use – security gates to protect their farm yards.

And if farm yards have two or more entrances, it’s an even greater opportunity for thieves, as they have more chances to get away if they are challenged or a farm vehicle enters the yard behind their vehicle while they are committing a crime.

“Easy access to farm yards makes life a lot easier for farmers and delivery drivers alike, but increased raids by criminals are making it essential to restrict access – whether it’s by using manually operated gates of electronically activated barriers,” said Tim Price, Rural Affairs specialist at NFU Mutual.

“As every farm is different, there is no standard solution. It’s a case of finding a practical and affordable solution which will deter thieves without making day to day

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farm vehicle movements overcomplicated.

“In addition to good physical security at yard entrances, it’s wellworth putting up warning signs, floodlights and security cameras to show any would-be thieves that security is a high priority on the farm.

“Alarmingly, the whole of the UK countryside is now in the grip of a rural crime wave with thieves travelling many miles to steal from farms and rural properties. It’s happening everywhere, from the South West of England to the North of Scotland with theft claims coming in thick and fast from both farms close to urban areas and those in very remote locations.

“NFU Mutual’s provisional theft cost figures for 2018 are showing a double digit increase in theft from farms – and reports for the first three months of 2019 show the rise continuing.

“After four years when rural crime was held in check by farmers increasing security and rural security initiatives like the SPARC scheme in Scotland it’s hugely disappointing to see rural crime on the rise again.

“The increases we are seeing in

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rural crime appear to be broadly in line with rising levels of theft in urban areas – so it’s not something that’s just affecting the countryside. This does mean that even more pressure is being put on police resources – and criminals are all too aware that police can take a long time to respond to calls from farms.

“While many farmers have stepped up security on their farms, the new breed of determined thieves now at large across the countryside is finding ways to overcome alarms, locks and basic immobilisers. In this climate, farmers need to spend time and money continually updating security to stay one step ahead of tech-savvy criminals.

“There’s no doubt that good security measures do reduce the risk of being hit by thieves – and also increases the chances of property being recovered. Criminals pend time watching farms to spot easy targets and avoid those where there are obvious signs that good security is in place.

“We’re convinced that without rural policing initiatives such as Scotland’s SPARC and NAVCIS -

which coordinates reports of stolen agricultural vehicles across all police forces and Border Control – we would be seeing even higher levels of rural crime.

We are therefore continuing our financial support for those initiatives and working with police forces, the NFU, and security firms to find ways to tackle the current rural crime wave and prevent it from becoming an epidemic.

“Thieves are targeting anything that they can sell on for a profit – and that means high value tractors, older ‘yard’ tractors, classic tractors, telehandlers and quads disappearing from farmyards. Other farm property is also being targeted, with thefts of livestock, tools and equipment and even solar panels rising. The full picture, including detailed rural theft figures for 2018 broken down to county level, will be available on August 5 when NFU Mutual publishes its annual Rural Crime Report.”

For more information on rural crime and farm security, visit: nfumutual.co.uk

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| Security

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April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 41

| Livestock

The annual celebration of British Beef is heading to the North West!

The National Beef Association has announced their renowned Beef Expo will be held on Thursday 23rd May 2019 at North West Auctions, J36 Rural Auction Centre, Kendal.

he National Beef Association, a member led charity who represent beef farmers in government organise the event annually, in different regions, to bring together farmers, exhibitors, agricultural companies and interested members of the public to network, do business and share knowledge.

Over the years the NBA Beef Expo has become a highlight in the beef farming calendar.

Representing all the industry has to offer in terms of new developments, breeding expertise and celebrating the work of all beef farmers across the UK regardless of breed or method. The event attracts experts and industry leaders looking to educate both the farming community and the public, encouraging respect and innovation from all corners of the market.

NCCS organiser Julie Sedgewick said “we are really looking forward to this year’s event at NW Auctions and welcoming the best of show cattle from across the

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country. We are expecting a record number of entries this year, with the event being held in such a prime location”.

Entries are now open for the NCCS, please visit www.beefexpo.co.uk or contact juliesedgewick@btinternet.com for more information.

The Beef Expo, for the fourth year running, will also host the South Devon Herd Book Society Performance Championships in which performance recording breeders from across the country are invited to compete. This technical event is a showcase for Breedplan performance recording South Devon herds, to highlight the importance of Estimated Breeding Values as a tool for breeding selection. Each class will be judged on inspection of the animals, and on their performance (Quality Beef Index for each bull and Suckler Replacement Index for each female) and will be placed accordingly. From these winners will be selected the Male, Female and Breed Champions.

The show, which is the largest technical beef event in the UK, will

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encompass the entirety of the beef industry with over 120 indoor and outdoor trade stands and demonstrations, covering nutrition, genetics, machinery and technologies, highlighting the strength and progression of the industry.

Industry seminars and workshops will be held throughout the day, discussing policy, health, future proofing, profitability and sustainability. With high profile, industry specialists taking to the stage, the seminar timetable is set to be a must see.

Event organiser Katie Pearson said “We are delighted to be able to host our event at NW Auctions this year, the state-of-the-art mart facilities are superb and a perfect back drop to what is set to be one of our largest Beef Expo’s to date” Visitors will be invited to join the NBA for a day of Beef Expo farm tours on Wednesday 22nd May, giving guests the opportunity to view exceptional beef farms handpicked from across the region. This forum for knowledge exchange has sold out four years running and is not to be missed - early booking is

highly recommended! Coaches will depart from NW Auctions at 9:00am on the 22nd May, taking visitors around the selected farms, the day will also include a hot beef lunch!

The farm tours will be followed by the prestigious Beef Expo Industry Dinner, which this year will be held at the Castle Green Hotel – this has become known as the ultimate networking event for those within the industry. A drinks reception, three course dinner, after dinner speaker and charity raffle make it an evening not to be missed!

Online applications are now open for trade stands, breed societies, cattle exhibitors and visitors wishing to attend the event.

Please visit, www.beef-expo.co.uk to make your booking or email katie@nationalbeefassociation.com The NBA would like to thank their Gold Sponsors for their support; AHDB, Armstrong Watson, Barclays, Boehringer, Breedr, British Simmental, Caltech Crystalyx, Dunbia, Farmers Guardain and NW Auctions.

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| Livestock

Comfort Slat Mats - ‘The best on the market” When Jim Orr, a beef farmer was researching mats for his new slatted shed, he wanted to get “the best on the market”.

A mat that was safe for the animals, long lasting and giving the cattle a soft, dry, clean non-slip floor. im had a look at all the black rubber slat mats on the market, visiting a number of farms, and the one recurring feature he saw was “all the mats come up and/or curl up and expand”. Then a neighbour from Scottish Borders introduced him to COMFORT SLAT MATS. Once he saw the mats in situ, Jim was convinced that Comfort Slat Mats were “the best on the market”.

One unique feature of Comfort Slat Mats, apart from the green colour, is the snap-lock fixing mechanism which grips the side walls of each slat and requires no bungs or screws to hold the mat down.

A curved surface on top promotes the animal waste away from the floor creating a dry, clean environment and when the cattle walk on the mats, their weight creates a flat surface to walk upon.

Once the cattle move off the mat it always returns to a curved surface which aids with displacing the waste.

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Amanda added “we pride ourselves on giving a great service from the first phone call until the mats are fitted and farmer is satisfied. The feed-back we get from our farmers is phenomenal and our repeat business tells me that Comfort Slat Mats are the BEST”.

Come along and see us at Beef Expo 2019!

For further information contact: Johnnie Pierce at ICE Comfort Slat Mats T: 00 353 1 8643494 E: sales@comfortslatmat.com www.slatmats.com

See us at Beef Expo 2019

Jim says the cattle are “less stressed” than before and there is “definitely a big difference between concrete and Comfort Slat Mats” Also, by developing a unique air-cushioned core in the mat, Comfort Slat Mats created “grip” through the cattle’s hoof sinking into the mat.

Since installing Comfort Slat Mats last year, Jim reports his “cattle seem very comfortable” on the mats and has “a lot less bother with their feet” than previously. He is happy to report that the Comfort Slat Mats have “not moved an inch” since they were installed which was one of Jim’s main concerns with alternative black mats.

Jim says the cattle are “less stressed” than before and there is “definitely a big difference between concrete and Comfort Slat Mats”.

Amanda of D. Birch Milking Equipment, agents for Comfort Slat Mats said that “the curved shape of the mat, the wings which grip the slat keeps the gap between each slat clear ensuring a clean floor. The mats are measured and tailor made to fit each slat insuring a perfect fit every time”.

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April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 43

| Feature

Looking ahead - the 2019 land market With the Brexit date looming and the latest votes causing confusion in the House of Commons, many are finding it difficult to get a clear handle on how leaving the European Union will affect the land and farming industry. ichard Gadd from the National Country Agency Team at Fisher German has been looking ahead to what 2019 is set to bring.

Whilst awaiting further clarity around the Agriculture Bill, and specifically the proposed Environment Land Management Schemes, it is expected that the farmland market will remain calm.

Progressive farmers and diversified farming businesses will continue to invest, as will those looking at land from a sporting, amenity or taxdriven perspective.

With the phasing out of direct payments from 2021, we will start to see many land owners considering their medium-term business objectives. The ability to delink these payments from the requirement to farm will see some invest in new technology, some diversify into non-agricultural ventures and some look to capitalise the payments upfront and retire from farming.

We expect further discussions through 2019 with farmers and landowners regarding these various options as we plan ahead, and whether their existing land holdings are suitable both in terms of scale and quality for their individual objectives.

As soil health, productivity, environmental enhancement and greater animal welfare take priority under new farming policy, we predict

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buyers to demand more in-depth evidence of farming practices when looking to acquire new holdings in 2019.

Natural capital has been the key phrase in this area and those with a clear understanding of where environmental value can be enhanced through better soil and water management should certainly find adaptional to new policy more streamlined.

The key drivers in the marketplace will continue to dictate supply and demand levels.

Any increase in borrowing costs, with a future reduction s in direct payment from 2021, will require farm businesses to really stress-test their operations from for long-term stability. We expect lenders to start requiring more regular business performance figures from borrowers to ensure continued financial strength.

It is anticipated the volume of farmland on the open market will increase again in 2019, based predominantly on further retirement sales and a move away from bare agricultural investments for long-term and institutional investors. Some receipts will be circulated back into farmland where strategic opportunities can be forecast.

Our initial forecast places a 5-10% increase in supply of land to the open market in 2019, against 2018 levels.

With such disparity and parochial variances in values recorded, the forecast for values must be provided on a holding-by-holding basis.

Generally, we consider those well located, diversified and productive holdings will retain value on the back of increasing demand. We expect a slight softening in values across poorer livestock holdings or where holdings are sited in less favourable locations.

We forecast a continued and strengthening interest in smaller residential farms that provide amenity value and non-agricultural development opportunities.

Strategic holdings including those with long term residential and commercial development prospects will continue to attract great interest, as will land with mineral opportunities and mixed-use holdings with opportunities to add value.

Rollover buyers will of course continue to drive farmland values in certain areas. Where such funds have been created, those monies are generally directed towards local opportunities, often within 20 or 30 miles where possible.

We do not expect the current buyer/seller profile in the marketplace to alter drastically through 2019. Farmers will continue to represent the greatest proportion in both camps. We do not expect increased demand from the lifestyle/amenity and some overseas buyers, closing the buyer profile in their favour.

Farmers and institutional investors will likely represent the majority of vendors through 2019.

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| Machinery

New Holland launches new TH Series telehandlers with extended offering and new transmission

More user-friendly knife sharpening system For the 2019 model year, CLAAS is fitting the AQUA NON STOP COMFORT knife sharpening system with LED interior lights and a sharpening chamber rinse function, for an even more user-friendly knife sharpening operation for balers and self-loading forage wagons.

New Holland Agriculture extends and upgrades its six to nine meter telehandler offering, which introduces the new naming and livery. he new naming consists of the TH letters, for Telescopic Handler, and the numbering based on the key machine specifications: this combination provides a quick and easy product identification, a hallmark of New Holland products.

The bright yellow of the new livery fully integrates the telehandler range into New Holland’s Harvesting family, benefiting from its well-known expertise in the sector, while the new dark grey color of the lower part of the machine confers a sense of solidity and strength. The cab interior has been refreshed with a new look for the seat.

“The new extended TH Series offers solutions tailored to the business and operational requirements of different farming operations, ranging from the entry level S version all the way up to the Elite version ideal for the large scale livestock farmers and contractors, as well as biomass operations,” says Sean Lennon, Head of Tractors.

Extended offering to match the specific requirements of the different farming operations The TH Series has been extended to offer 6 models and 14 versions. The entry level S version, available on the TH6.32 and TH7.32, delivers a powerful performance with its 133 hp engine and simple specifications for a small investment.

The Classic version, available on six, seven and nine metre models, is ideal for small livestock farmers and farmyard use. It features a limited-slip differential in the rear axle to increase the tractive effort in demanding conditions, variable displacement hydraulic pump and reversible cooling fan for high efficiency allday-long.

The Plus version, perfect for livestock and mixed farming operations, adds a host of comfort features, such as the air-

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suspension seat, telescopic steering column and HVAC system. A hydraulic quick coupler makes it very easy and fast to change attachments, and rear cab lights enhance safe operation after dark.

“The new extended TH Series offers solutions tailored to the business and operational requirements of different farming operations, ranging from the entry level S version all the way up to the Elite version ideal for the large scale livestock farmers and contractors, as well as biomass operations” The Elite version is the best choice for large scale livestock farmers, contractors and biomass operations. It features a more powerful 146 hp engine and additional advanced features such as hydraulic pressure release, heated air-suspension seat with integrated controls, and rear cab and boom lights maximize productivity even when dark.

New transmission with electronic modulation delivers smooth shifting The TH Series features a brand new transmission with electronic modulation that ensures enhanced shifting and shuttling modulation.

The 4x3 version on S and Classic models improves third gear travel on slopes and second gear operation for silage work. The 6x3 version on the Plus and Elite models offers two forward/reverse shuttling modes, resulting in easier and more efficient operation and an automatic gear shifting mode for travelling. The Elite model also features an additional automatic gear shifting and shuttling mode, further enhancing performance in yard operations.

harp knives for good forage quality The AQUA NON STOP COMFORT knife sharpener from CLAAS ensures uniform sharpening of knives for balers and self-loading forage wagons. This results in high forage quality, saves fuel and protects the drive line of your forage harvesting machine.

This is the first fully automatic knife sharpener on the market. The device accommodates up to 51 knives per cycle. More than 90 templates are available, providing precise sharpening along the knife contour for the knives from practically all manufacturers. It can also sharpen straight-edged knives.

A sharpening emulsion circulating in a closed circuit ensures a precise wet sharpening operation, with virtually no loss of knife hardness, and perfect chopping quality even after multiple sharpening operations.

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Operation of the system is simple and user-friendly. There is no need for time-consuming adjustments, and no manual interventions are required during the sharpening cycle.

New equipment features from 2019 For 2019, the AQUA NON STOP COMFORT is fitted with integrated LED interior lights. This provides optimum conditions for monitoring the sharpening operation, to check that everything is running as it should. The lights are resistant to water, cooling emulsion and dust, and are easily switched on and off from the terminal.

Regular removal of sharpening dust in the machine provides a clearer view of the operation, and enhances sensor performance. With the new, fully integrated sharpening chamber rinse function in the AQUA NON STOP COMFORT system, users can also clean the machine quickly and easily, immediately after use.

April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 45

| Machinery

Machinery innovation delivers efficiency and forage quality Significant opportunities to boost production from forage are possible through use of some of the more advanced grassland machinery technology available, according to speakers at an open event staged by Francis Bugler Ltd at its Beaminster depot. t the Dorset-based company’s ‘Quality Forage Solutions’ evening this week, visitors were invited to view a new belt merger machine, capable of rapid windrow formation whilst minimising soil contamination in the crop. They also had insight into an award-winning film binding system that is available on the latest baler wrapper combinations; this system uses wrap instead of net binding, thereby improving bale conservation quality whilst simultaneously reducing the burden of recycling. Film binding technology, patented by KUHN and available

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on models in their range, received the accolade of a silver medal at the recent LAMMA Show Livestock Innovation Award.

Speaking at the event, KUHN product specialist Katie Calcutt highlighted the role of new grassland machinery technology in the ongoing quest to boost production from forage.

“Innovation in machinery technology is creating opportunities for livestock farmers to improve the efficiency of forage conservation and increase the quality of the silage,” she said.

“The Merge Maxx 950 belt merger is a machine that combines efficiency of output and improved forage quality and is not surprisingly

attracting a lot of interest.

“Film binding is another new development that combines efficiency and increased forage quality. We’re seeing improved nutritional value in film bound bales. In addition, overcoming the downtime of having to separate net from wrap in order to meet recycling requirements is a great bonus for farmers.”

The ‘Quality Forage Solutions’ event was organised by Francis Bugler Ltd in conjunction with KUHN Farm Machinery, RPC bpi Agriculture and Solway Recycling.

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| Livestock

Andrew Symons South Molton, Devon EX36 3L T: 01769 574455

Holsworthy, Devon EX22 6HL T: 01409 254040

Crediton, Devon EX17 1FB T: 01363 720430

Sharnford Tractors Ltd Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 5EH T: 01455 209300 www.manitou.co.uk

www.andrewsymons.co.uk

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April 2019 | Farming Monthly | 47

| Forestry

Bobcat roadshows forestry attachments in the UK Providing true working demonstrations of the company’s forestry cutter attachments for the first time in the UK, Bobcat has completed an exciting tour of Customer Roadshow events to promote Bobcat products for forestry, agriculture, construction, landscaping and estate management. he three Roadshow events were held at a variety of venues including an orchard farm, a woodland farm estate and woods alongside an airport car park. Held near Canterbury in Kent, Harrogate in North Yorkshire and in Greater Manchester, the demonstrations were hosted by Bobcat authorised dealers, Bobcat of London, Grays Machinery and Norwest Plant, respectively.

Alastair Jones, Bobcat Attachments District Manager (UK, Ireland, Nordics & Baltics), explains: “Bobcat prides itself on driving the market, leading the way and being best in class with innovative new products and being active in demonstrating a full range of equipment to provide solutions for customers’ requirements in a wide range of market sectors. This latest successful Roadshow Tour was organised with this in mind, focusing on solutions for customers in the forestry, agriculture, construction, landscaping and estate management industry.”

A steady stream of existing and prospective customers at all three events were able to see Bobcat compact track loaders and Bobcat attachments working in a variety of different scenarios. Highlights included the first demonstrations

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in the UK of Bobcat’s recently launched FRC150ST standard torque and FRC200HT high torque forestry cutters.

Three Different Roadshow Venues in the UK At the first event held on the 150 acres of orchards at Newborn Farm in Grove outside Canterbury, visitors could see how effective the forestry cutters are for reducing old trees in minutes, leaving a carpet of material behind that can be absorbed back into the ground.

Host for the day was Bobcat of London, based in West Thurrock in Essex (www.bobcatoflodon.co.uk), the Authorised Bobcat Dealer for London, Essex, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, Hertfordshire and Middlesex.

After the day in Kent, the Bobcat Roadshow truck travelled north to set up for the next event at the Follifoot Ridge woodland farm estate near Harrogate. This was organised by Grays Machinery (www.graysml.co.uk), based in Bedale, the new Authorised Bobcat Dealer for North and West Yorkshire.

Visitors from Grays Machinery were joined by those invited by AMS Bobcat Limited, the Bobcat dealer based in Scunthorpe, which has just expanded its existing areas of Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire with the addition of South Yorkshire. The audience on the day was able to see Bobcat equipment being used to clear and

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remove unwanted undergrowth, shrubs and trees next to a public pathway on the edge of the woodland farm estate.

The last stop in the UK for the Bobcat Roadshow was at Hunters Airport Car Park in Heald Green in Greater Manchester. The car park is nearby to and serves the very busy Manchester Airport. The compact track loaders and forestry cutters were used to clear an extensive area of woodland to make the way for new car parking space for the airport.

The event was hosted by Wigan-based Norwest Plant Ltd (www.norwestplant.com), the Authorised Bobcat dealer for North-West England and North Wales.

Providing cutting widths of 1.5 and 2.0 m, respectively, the Bobcat FRC150ST and FRC200HT forestry cutters are designed for continuous work on bushes and trees 100 to 120 mm in diameter, intermittent use for trees with a diameter from 150 to 220 mm and occasional use on trees 220 to 300 mm in diameter.

The FRC150ST is designed for use on the smaller Bobcat S630/H and S650/H skid-steer loaders and T590/H and T650/H compact track loaders. Like Bobcat’s smaller 1.5 m FRC150HT high torque model, the FRC200HT is compatible with the Bobcat T770H and T870H compact tracked loaders and S770H and S850H skid-steer

loaders.

Multiple Applications for Bobcat Forestry Cutters Mounted on T590H and T770H loaders at the Roadshows, the Bobcat forestry cutters have very varied applications, ranging from those in agriculture including vineyards, orchards, nurseries and tree care including those with compact or limited site access; forestry including cutting fire breaks in woods and forests, clearing work and removing/thinning unwanted undergrowth, shrubs and trees; wildlife, national park, leisure, golf club and country estate management; perimeter maintenance of facilities such as schools and military bases; to site development in construction for removing undergrowth and trees before site and hazardous waste survey work.

The forestry cutters can also be used to maintain vegetation, brambles and shrubs next to Path and Ride areas, pathways and other right-of-ways, including removal of invasive species such as Rhododendron plants; utilities (electric lines, walkways, bridges, canals and riversides); rail lines and embankments and roadside verges and banks next to highways as well as clean-up work after storms and floods. They can also be used in delicate and/or environmentally sensitive areas where precision cutting/low

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| Forestry

ground disturbance are required.

As is mandatory, the Bobcat T590H and T770H compact track loaders were both equipped with the Forestry Applications Kit from Bobcat, to ensure safe operation of the forestry cutters, protecting the machine and operator from flying objects and debris. The Kit includes an impact resistant front door, which must be installed in order to operate the forestry cutters. The forestry cutters do not work at all if the loader door is not installed.

For work in the confined spaces in woodland and forests, front and rear light guards are added to the loader to protect the lights. A guard protects the hydraulic quick couplers, hoses and wire harness from falling trees and branches. A level II FOPS (ISO 3449) protects the operator and the cab from falling trees and objects, while top and rear polycarbonate windows provide additional protection for the operator. All functions of the forestry cutter can be fingertip controlled from the operator seat without requiring the operator to remove their hand from the loader steering levers.

Shields protect the lift cylinders against debris and help to reduce material build-up in the engine compartment. Although daily maintenance is essential in this type of work, a debris screen on the radiator ensures continuous operation and makes cleaning up easier.

Based on feedback from the field, the FRC150ST incorporates many improvements over the previous FRC150 model. Among the improvements, the FRC150ST is manufactured almost entirely

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from Hardox, with a specially designed new fixed motor offering greater output and efficiency. The enhanced design also offers a new, lighter drum, with carbide teeth, new hose routing and greater performance and manoeuvrability.

The FRC150HT and FRC200HT have been enhanced with a new variable, high torque motor providing 40% more power and several other updates to improve performance. The latter include a new drum design, new routing for the hoses, a reduction in weight, improved visibility and much more, increasing efficiency and improving manoeuvrability.

With the new high torque motor, the FRC150HT and FRC200HT provide much better fuel efficiency compared to the previous models.

When the forestry cutters encounter something hard, the high torque motors provide the power required, but when light brush is being cut for example, the same power is not needed and the machine recognises this and as a result, adjusts the motor accordingly to provide huge savings on fuel.

The forestry cutters mulch trees and underbrush in minutes − leaving a carpet of mulch behind when clearing trees and bushes for any kind of application. They have hydraulically-adjustable front gates that can be opened while cutting debris and then closed to retain material and to provide the coarseness or fineness of mulch that the finishing requires.

The forestry cutters form part of the comprehensive Bobcat range of attachments for forestry, woodland and estate

management, amenity and landscaping work, which includes stump grinders, wood chippers, brushcutters, flail cutters, augers and tree transplanters.

At the Roadshows, as well as the forestry cutters, a stump

grinder and a flail cutter, other attachments being used included the Bobcat Brushcat rotary cutter, the root grapple, the brushsaw, pallet forks, a 184 cm skeleton bucket, a 178 cm digging bucket and a 183 cm soil conditioner.

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| ATV

Polaris

Ranger Stories: Showcasing SXS versatility throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa

Durable. Dependable. Capable: The Polaris RANGER is one of the bestselling utility side-by-sides across the globe and has earned its reputation as the ultimate utility vehicle with over one million vehicles built to date. o showcase the versatility of the RANGER and the diversity of its customers, Polaris have embarked on a journey across Europe, Middle East and Africa to discover and film how customers are using the Polaris RANGER in their day-to-day lives.

The initiative, called Ranger Stories, is set to demonstrate the many ways in which the RANGER line-up is servicing customer lives worldwide, over and above utility use.

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Episode 1 – Norway Life can be tough for a resident in the northernmost part of Norway and getting around can be very difficult, although not for Sven – a Polaris RANGER 570 owner – who uses the off-road vehicle to carry on with his day-to-day life, even in the harshest conditions.

Kicking off the first of the Ranger Stories series, Polaris filmed with a customer in Alta, Norway, who uses his Ranger 570 for daily travel when conditions are too treacherous for a conventional car. Sven lives in Alta, a town known for its spectacular

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views of the Northern Lights and home to the beautiful Sorrisniva Ice Hotel, which is on the northern coast of Norway and only around 1,400 miles from the North Pole.

The winter conditions can be extreme; temperatures can drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius and the landscape can be completely covered in deep snow in every direction.

With its dependable 44 HP Prostar® engine, the RANGER not only delivers reliability when it’s needed the most, but also has excellent fuel efficiency and ease of

maintenance for everyday use. For driving in thick snow and ice, the RANGER 570 has on-demand allwheel drive that means all four wheels engage automatically when the vehicle needs more forward traction and reverts back to 2WD when it doesn’t. Paired with handy accessories like the built-in winch mount, easy-to-install Lock & Ride Glacier Plow system, and weatherproof Pro Shield Cab system to keep the elements out, the RANGER is the ideal vehicle for an unforgiving climate like Norway.

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| ATV

Honda ATV Not just for field tasks

Honda’s Pioneer utility vehicle has quickly gained a reputation for practicality and efficiency since its launch just over two years ago.

heir popularity with both livestock and arable farms is partly due to their comfort and ease of use, but also because of their ability to transport people and loads more efficiently and cheaply than many other farm vehicles.

Large flotation tyres, generous 27cm ground clearance and selectable 2 or 4wd with diff locks ensure effortless travel over demanding terrain, and power from a 675cc petrol engine driving through a mechanical 3-speed automatic torque converter transmission and drive shafts means heavy tasks are no problem.

There are two versions; the Pioneer 700-2 with two seats and a large rear load bed capable of transporting loads up to 386kg, and the 700-4 with 2 additional fold out seats at the rear. Using Honda’s innovative QuickFlip seating system either one or both rear seats fold away below the rear platform when not required, leaving the bed available for load transport.

Ideal for yard tasks Although the Pioneer offers excellent off-road performance allowing it to perform field transport tasks with ease, it is just

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as well suited to yard work.

Superb manoeuvrability plus its compact size and low height make it ideal for use in and around traditional farm buildings and its tipping rear load bed is suitable for loose loads such as sand or gravel as well as boxes and sacks. For transporting larger or heavier loads an optional rear trailer hitch can be specified to tow trailers up to 680kg.

The smooth, quiet petrol engine is one of the Pioneer’s biggest attractions, not only improving operator comfort but also making it far less obtrusive than dieselpowered alternatives. For working in sensitive environments such as stable yards or near to farm shops Honda’s side by side UTV is proving especially popular.

Like Honda’s conventional ATVs, a wide selection of approved attachments and implements is available for the Pioneer too. Saving time and effort compared to manual brushing, front-mounted powered or static brushes manufactured by UKbased Logic make it easy to keep yards and farm drives clean and tidy, and are available through most Honda main dealers.

Attached using a purposedesigned front mounting bracket, the powered 1.68m rotary brush is driven by an integral 5.5hp Honda

petrol engine. Full control is from the driver’s seat including electric lift and lower, and the brush can be angled progressively to either side to direct swept material.

Logic’s static brush uses the same front mounting bracket but has vertical nylon bristles which are ideal for materials from gravel or sand to cereals and feed. Other front-mounted attachments sharing the same mounting bracket include yard scrapers and snow blades.

Comfortable operation Honda genuine accessories for the Pioneer include weather protection products, from simple front screens to a fully enclosed cab with an effective heater and powered windscreen wiper. With low noise and vibration levels from the smooth petrol engine, operator

comfort is excellent.

All new Honda ATVs and Pioneer UTVs come with free of charge operator training through the industry approved EASI scheme, and to improve security and reduce likelihood of theft a complementary Datatool GPS tracking system is also available, supplied and fitted free of charge with only a monthly £9.95 subscription to pay.

To find out more about the bestselling range of Honda ATVs and Pioneer UTVs as well as offers currently available, just call or visit your local main dealer who will be pleased to help you identify the most suitable model for your farm or estate.

Visit www.honda.co.uk/atv for further information.

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Kawasaki Leon Haslam takes on Kawasaki MULE PRO-DX

2018 British Superbike Championship winner and current World Superbike Kawasaki Racing Team star, Leon Haslam has added to his collection of Kawasaki machines by taking on the Kawasaki MULE PRO-DX utility vehicle. ou might usually associate Haslam with projecting a two wheeled Superbike rocket ship around a race track, but when it comes to life at home on his Derbyshire farm, he needs something with a wheel in each corner something that’s tough and capable of handling serious hard work. With selectable two and four-wheel drive plus rear differential lock, power steering, 907kg towing potential and a tipping cargo bed capable of holding 453kg, the Kawasaki MULE PRO-DX makes light work of tough jobs. Haslam plans to put it to work straight away and said: “We’ve got wild boar, deer and horse liveries on the farm so transporting food and hay for the animals is really important and having the MULE PRO-DX with its large cargo bed will

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make that job a lot easier and quicker. I also do a lot of training here on my motocross bike so I’ll be using the MULE for moving dirt along with towing rollers and trailers.”

“Unlike a lot of utility vehicles I’ve used previously, with my MULE you’re fully enclosed with windscreen and doors, which means that when the winter months roll around, I’ll be better protected from the weather while I’m at work using it to move things around the farm.”

With a high torque three-cylinder diesel engine, the MULE PRO-DX isn’t quite as potent as the 200+bhp Ninja ZX-10RR Haslam races in the British Superbike Championship, but after a short initial test drive, he was impressed and said: “The land that we’ve got here is very undulating so being able to get up the hills while carrying things and towing heavy loads is

really useful. From what I’ve experienced of it so far, the MULE makes light work of climbing up banks and hills. Getting through bogs and troughs doesn’t seem to be an issue and I’m keen to get it out on the MX track and am looking forward to getting things done with minimal fuss.”

Simon Riches, ATV and MULE Product Manager at Kawasaki UK, said: “With the introduction of the MULE PRO models into the UK market, it’s now becoming the choice of many professionals with its strong MULE heritage stretching back over 30 years.

The Mule PRO-DX and DXT models have rapidly gained a reputation for reliability and performance and it’s fantastic to see Leon has recognised this in his choice of utility vehicle for use at home on his farm.”

Southam Agri. Services Southam, Warwickshire CV47 2DH 01926 813426 http://southamagri.co.uk

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| ATV

Suzuki ATV Equestrian champion Will Furlong “couldn’t do without” his Suzuki KingQuad

Will Furlong is a professional Event Rider and has been part of the Nations Cup Great Britain Team; he is also a longstanding Suzuki ATV ambassador and has emphatically stated he “couldn’t do without” his Suzuki KingQuad 500. he KingQuad 500 is an extremely versatile ATV. With a 493cc fuel injected engine, this great power and torque allows for heavy loads and demanding terrain, whilst the fuel injection increases the power in a controlled manner. It also has a push button for either 2 or 4-wheel drive allowing for the rider to tread carefully or storm over obstacles. Combined with a fully independent suspension, it ensures the most comfortable ride all day long even over tough terrain. The KingQuad 500 has a true off-road capability with the ideal balance of features and of course, Suzuki’s renowned reliability.

Will trains and breeds horses on a 60-acre family farm in East Sussex near Battle. In total there are 22 horses on the farm, seven of which are used for breeding purposes and ten are used for competing professionally.

Will’s passion for horses began at the young age of 12 with The East Sussex Pony Club, which quickly progressed to him competing in

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his first affiliated competition in June 2008 at the age of 13, just one year later.

He was part of the U18 European GB team, securing individual bronze and the U21 European GB team where he won double gold.

In 2017 he was the National U25 champion and a part of the Nations Cup GB for Seniors. Will also hopes to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on behalf of Great Britain.

Throughout his professional career, Will has made leaps and bounds to reach the top - pun intended!

Will is a consistently high-achieving competitor, and he needs an ATV to match.

On the farm during winter, temperatures can drop to -5 degrees or more and the terrain can become extremely muddy. The Suzuki’s fully automatic QuadMatic CVT gearbox delivers a smooth power transfer to the wheels which in turn gives superior traction and helps Will easily reach the mares that are used for breeding, which are kept in the outer fields and need to be checked on twice daily to make sure they

have food and fresh water.

In addition, the arena needs to be levelled with the edges raked and harrowed to maintain its perfect condition as well as delivering a steady supply of hay to the horses. The reliability, durability and efficiency of Will’s KingQuad 500 is an essential factor to completing these tasks. Will commented saying, “I’ve never had a problem with my Suzuki KingQuad, and even though I have had it for a lengthy period of time it is still in top condition and never fails me”.

As well as having a reliable steed in his Suzuki KingQuad, Will’s main competition horse is a beautiful grey mare, Collien P 2, affectionately known as Tinks. The pair also make a great team, as will be seen when they return to Badminton this May to tackle one of the world’s toughest cross-country tracks.

For more information on Suzuki ATVs visit: www.atv.suzuki.co.uk

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| Motors

Chequered Flag special editions join updated range Jaguar has announced two distinctive special edition models for its award-winning F-PACE; the performancefocused 300 SPORT and the feature-packed Chequered Flag. hey further enhance the World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year‡ awardwinning F-PACE range, which offers the unrivalled dynamics and everyday versatility customers expect from a Jaguar performance SUV. Updates to the entire F-PACE range also include the addition of Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™as standard equipment, while improvements to efficiency have seen CO2 emissions reduced by as much as 8g/km.

300 SPORT Special Edition The 300 SPORT comes with a choice of two 300PS AWD engine options; the 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol and 3.0-litre V6 diesel. The former has 400Nm of torque and can accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds (060mph in 5.8 seconds) on its way to a top speed of 145mph, while the latter offers 700Nm torque and can accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds (0-60mph in 6.2 seconds) and is capable of 150mph.

Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design, said: “The Jaguar F-PACE has established itself as the ultimate performance SUV. Not only does it combine sports car DNA with the practicality of a larger vehicle, it does so with a great aesthetic.

The latest special editions build on this visual appeal by enhancing the model’s sporting character to each create something unique. The F-PACE line-up has something for everyone.”

The 300 SPORT is identified by 22” Grey alloy wheels and distinctive Dark Satin Grey exterior detailing. Starting with the front grille surround, this extends to the side window surrounds, side vents, mirror caps and door finishers, as well as the rear valance. With 300 SPORT badges on the

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front grille and rear tailgate, it is available exclusively in Yulong White, Indus Silver and Santorini Black.

Step inside and the yellow contrast stitching on the instrument panel, centre console and leather seats provide a unique feel to the interior.

The 300 SPORT logo is badged on the treadplates, carpet mats and steering wheel and is also embossed on the front headrests.

Comfort and convenience features include Touch Pro Navigation with Connect Pro that enables the driver to control essential features remotely. Jaguar’s 12.3-inch Interactive Driver Display provides a customisable and intuitive driver interface. A Meridian sound system, panoramic roof and 14-way heated electric front seats with memory also form part of the standard specification.

Customers buying the 300 SPORT will have the option of upgrading the standard specification with a number of additional features. This includes 18-way seats, with the option of heated rear seats. Adaptive Cruise Control, Adaptive Dynamics and an opening Panoramic Roof are some of the other features also available.

The 300 SPORT also brings better value for customers than ever, with £8,430 of added extras compared with the petrol 300PS R-Sport but at a price of less than £5,000 more. In the case of the diesel 300 SPORT, buyers get £4,555 of added value over the F-PACE ‘S’ for just £500 more.

Chequered Flag Special Edition The Chequered Flag is based on the R-Sport model and comes with a distinctive exterior that includes a sport front bumper and striking Gloss Black detailing on the front grille, door cladding, side vents, and roof rails. 20” Gloss Black alloy

wheels are standard, but customers can option all the way up to 22” alloy wheels for even more striking looks. The Chequered Flag is available in Yulong White, Santorini Black and in the newly introduced colour, Eiger Grey.

Inside, the cabin has a seamless blend of luxurious materials and crafted finishes, with features including leather trim, meshed aluminium detailing and Chequered Flag treadplates. Occupants also benefit from a range of features such as 10-way electric front seats, Panoramic roof, Touch Pro Navigation, Meridian Sound System, reconfigurable 12.3-inch Interactive Driver Display and the Touch Pro infotainment system as standard.

A range of 2.0-litre AWD powertrains are available with the Chequered Flag, beginning with the more performance-focused 250PS 2.0litre AWD Ingenium petrol, which powers the FPACE from 0-62mph in 7.0 seconds (0-60mph in 6.6 seconds) and to a top speed of 135mph.

Diesel powertrains are available in 240PS and 180PS form, with the latter providing up to 41.9mpg (6.7 l/100km) †.

Chequered Flag models include £5,810-worth of additional equipment compared with the FPACE R-Sport, but with a price that is less than £3,400 more expensive.

F-PACE Range Every F-PACE features a lightweight aluminium intensive construction and driving dynamics that deliver the ideal balance between ride and handling. All-Surface Progress Control enables smooth, effortless traction on low-grip surfaces, while on-

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demand all-wheel drive and Intelligent Driveline Dynamics deliver optimum performance and capability.

Rawdon Glover, Jaguar Land Rover UK MD, said: “The Jaguar F-PACE remains the fastest selling Jaguar ever, but we always strive to offer our UK customers the best possible package.

With this latest raft of updates to F-PACE, buyers have more choice, better value for money and the addition of the latest infotainment technology as standard. Rather than drastically alter what is already a very successful formula of best-in-class driving dynamics, luxury materials and sports car styling, we’ve simply made changes where it

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matters.”

The F-PACE’s high torsional stiffness enables its F-TYPE-derived double wishbone front- and Integral Link rear suspension to deliver a truly rewarding driving experience. Torque Vectoring and an Electric Power Assisted Steering system – both standard – further enhance agility and response.

A range of powertrain options can be specified, from the efficient 163PS RWD 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel that delivers up to 46.8mpg (6.0 l/100km)† and emits as little as 140g/km of CO2*, all the way to the astonishingly quick, performance-orientated F-PACE SVR with a 5.0-

litre 550PS Supercharged V8. Efficiency tweaks, including the addition of ultra-low rolling resistance tyres, mean CO2 emissions have been reduced by up to 8g/km.

The latest model year F-PACE gains enhanced smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ as standard.

The Jaguar F-PACE is priced from £36,820 (OTR) in the UK. The special edition models are available from: • 300 SPORT: £53,980 (OTR) in the UK • Chequered Flag: £46,995 (OTR) in the UK

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV continues success in Europe The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has become Mitsubishi Motors Europe’s (MME) best-selling vehicle, out-selling all other models in the Mitsubishi range. n 2018, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was the best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle in Europe across all segments, an accolade it claimed for the fourth consecutive year. During this time, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has also gradually become MME’s best-selling vehicle.

In November 2018 more Outlander PHEVs were sold in Europe than any other model in the Mitsubishi range, and this has continued every month since.

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In total, between October 2013 and January 2019, 126,617 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs have been sold in Europe. This success has been boosted by significant growth recorded in markets like Germany and France along with the launch of the 2019 model during September 2018. A new 2.4-litre petrol engine produces 135ps (up from 121ps) with greater torque (211Nm vs 190Nm). Increased output of the rear electric motor, drive battery and overall battery capacity resulted in WLTP combined fuel economy of 139mpg

and WLTP emissions of 46 g/km.

Key to the success of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is that it doesn’t ask its owners to make any compromises. For people wanting an SUV with green credentials it offers a combination of space and practicality, 4WD ability and an EV driving range of 28 miles, which is in excess of the average daily commute.

Commenting on this performance, Bernard Loire President & CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Europe said: “Today, to our many European customers, the

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the true go-anywhere vehicle, equally at ease in zero-emission restricted access city centres, on long distance family driving and on twisting mountain roads with its twin motor 4WD system.”

He added: “The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is our brand flagship, our best seller in Europe, a trend-setter that the industry is watching carefully and a pointer to MMC’s long term strategy, blending adventurous SUV heritage with progressive electrified technologies.”

Stepway models and 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels on Duster.

Special Techroad badging can also be seen on the bodywork on all three models.

On the inside the Techroad boasts unique upholstery; the seats are recognisable thanks to their red and grey detailing and stitching,

plus the ‘Stepway’ and ‘Duster’ logos embroidered into the fabric in the same colour on the respective models. The same red detailing is on show throughout the cabin, including on the air vents, around the gear lever and the door handles and even the front and rear protective mats.

Dacia unveils TechRoad special editions Dacia has launched its new top-of-the-range Techroad special editions, now available to order with deliveries from April. evealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the cross-range special edition is available on All-New Duster, Logan MCV Stepway and Sandero Stepway. Sitting above the Prestige trim for All-New Duster and above the Comfort trim for Sandero Stepway and Logan MCV Stepway,

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the Techroad trim is offered exclusively in two new colours: Fusion Red and Highland Grey.

On the outside, the Techroad editions on the Sandero Stepway and Duster feature special side decals with a grey and red motif and red detailing on the door mirror housings. A red centre cap also features on the new two-tone 16inch ‘Flex Expression’ wheels for the

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Sportier and more efficient: The new Hyundai Tucson becomes first SUV with N Line treatment With the New Tucson N Line, Hyundai Motor offers European customers a growing range of attractive N Line choices – and its first SUV with the sporty N Line look and feel. The new model combines the iconic strength, safety and comfort of Tucson with the dynamic styling and attitude of N Line. fter successfully launching N Line in 2018 with i30, Hyundai is expanding its dynamic trim level: “With the New Tucson N Line, Hyundai now provides the sporty feeling to customers who also want the versatility and comfort of an SUV,” says Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, Vice President Marketing and Product at Hyundai Motor Europe. “Tucson is our bestselling model in Europe and it is positioned right at the heart of our brand, so we are excited to introduce the N Line character to our customers in this segment.”

Available in three powertrain variants* and in both 2WD and 4WD*, the New Tucson N Line provides consumers with a familyfriendly vehicle that suits their daily driving needs.

In addition to the 2.0-litre CRDi 48V* diesel engine introduced in the New Tucson in 2018, Hyundai has now combined its efficient and responsive 48V mild hybrid technology with the 100 kW/136PS 1.6-litre CRDi diesel engine, offering reduced fuel consumption

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up to 11% (NEDC 2.0).

The mild hybrid powertrain contributes to Hyundai’s global efforts to improve fuel efficiency.

The technology comprises a 0.44 kW/h 48-Volt lithium-ion polymer battery, a Mild Hybrid Starter Generator (MHSG), an LDC converter (Low Voltage DC/DC) and an inverter. With this 48V technology, Hyundai reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on the New Tucson by up to 11 per cent.

Offering an output of 136 kW/185 PS, the 2.0-litre CRDi 48V mild hybrid engine* is the most powerful in the New Tucson’s powertrain line-up. Another wellbalanced option is the 130 kW/177-PS 1.6l T-GDI petrol powertrain. All engines meet the new Euro 6d Temp emission standards.

More than a new look: N Line sporty feel with updated suspension and steering Tucson N Line is a unique combination of a family SUV and N-inspired sportiness. The new trim features exterior and interior elements inspired by N, Hyundai’s high-performance range. The

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dynamic design features are complemented on the turbocharged petrol model and the strongest diesel model by refined MDPS (motor driven power steering) and adjusted suspension settings so customers can experience a more sporting drive.

Suspension springs on these top Tucson N Line trims offer 5% greater rigidity in the rear setup and 8% more in the front, while software changes in the steering give a slightly more direct, linear feel at the wheel.

Redesigned bumpers and a dark mesh-pattern grille framed by dark chrome provide a strong first impression. Furthermore, dark 19” alloy wheels as well as side mirror housings and a rear spoiler in glossy black emphasize the car’s

sporting attitude. Black-bezel headlamps, unique daytime running lights and LED design and darkened window frames in combination with body-coloured door handles also create a more dynamic look for the Tucson N Line.

Inside the car, consumers can enjoy N-branded leather-suede sport seats and red accent stitching on the steering wheel and seats. Alloy pedals and the leatherwrapped, red-accented N gear shift lever are also part of the N Line enhancements.

The New Tucson N Line is designed, tested and built in Europe and it is available across Europe in nine different body paint options.

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Watt a feat! Land Rover installs the UK’s most remote charging point Land Rover has installed the most remote electric vehicle charging point in the UK, ideally situated for Range Rover and Range Rover Sport P400e drivers that might need a mid-adventure top-up charge. ocated around 15 miles from the nearest road, the new charging point – in Scotland’s picturesque Isle of Skye – is easily accessible under electric power, thanks to the P400e’s 30-mile electric-only range. And getting there will give drivers quite a buzz; with steep traverses and muddy plains requiring all of the engineered capability of a Range Rover.

The specially fitted rapid charging point will allow Range Rover and Range Rover Sport P400e models to charge up in as little as 2 hours 45 minutes, allowing plenty of time to take in the electrifying view.

Max Watts, Jaguar Land Rover Head of Vehicle Charging, said: “We really have gone above and beyond, and ohm-mitted nothing in our quest to ensure that eco-minded Land Rover owners are able to adventure in zero emissions comfort. It may only be one single

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charging point that we’ve installed, but we’re not expecting there to be much of a queue…”

The Range Rover P400e plug-in provides sustainable performance by combining a 300PS 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine with a 116PS electric motor. The 404PS total available power output – available through the permanent four-wheel drive system – delivers 0-60mph in 6.4 seconds Performance, comfort and capability are taken to new heights in the Range Rover Sport P400e, making it the current all-round electrified luxury off-roader of choice. Land Rover engineers have delivered a set-up in the Range Rover Sport PHEV that maximises interior space, provides ideal weight distribution and easily handles shocks when traversing off road.

From 2020 all new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will offer the option of electrification, giving our customers even more choice. We will

introduce a portfolio of electrified products across our model range, embracing fully electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles as well as continuing to offer the latest diesel and petrol engines.

This is the latest in a journey of constant innovation from Land Rover, with one recent particular stand-out technological advancements being the self-levelling tax disc, debuted to the world in 2011. Full details of the innovation can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImSlgHaG U6k Ted Lightly, CEO of Skye High Club, said: “We’re extremely glad that some bright spark at Land Rover has decided to install a charging point in the wilds of Skye. It’s a business that understands the need to maintain the beauty of nature, and this new charging post is so discreet that it’s almost as if it’s not even there at all.”

SsangYong at Commercial Vehicle Show SsangYong Motors UK is delighted to confirm its presence at this year’s CV Show, taking place from April 30th to May 2nd at the NEC in Birmingham.

Specialising in 4x4 pick-up’s and SUV’s, the brand will showcase vehicles that illustrate diversity and versatility, ideally suited to the fleet market. sangYong’s dedicated fleet support team, and the multipurpose, awarding-winning Musso pick-up truck and Rexton SUV - both of which has been extremely well received by retail and fleet operators - can be found in Hall 4 on Stand 4F80. They will also showcase examples of vehicle adaptations that are completed both in-house, and with its conversion partners, ranging from simple racking solutions to comprehensive

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conversions.

Nick Laird, SsangYong Motors UK, said: “Over the past 18 months, we’ve implemented a dedicated fleet support team and a strong fleet strategy to strengthen our fleet business, and to develop relationships within the fleet marketplace. And to confirm the confidence that we have in our product, we’ve recently introduced the best 7-year warranty available in the UK market, which is always very appealing to fleet operators and fleet managers. The CV Show is a high-profile event and we are looking

forward to a busy few days.”

The Commercial Vehicle Show is the largest and most comprehensive road freight transport, distribution and logistics event staged in Britain, catering for every operator's requirements and purposely designed to give a truly rewarding and informative day. The show attracts close to 20,000 business visitors and its central location in Birmingham ensures a nationwide attendance.

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