October 2020 Farming Monthly National by Farming Monthly Ltd

Inside: New Small Scale Seperator is big on results Page: 32

October 2020

Also Also in in this this issue... issue... | News

| Farmers invited to apply for Farm Productivity Grant page 06

Science Report highlights challenge in making UK Net Zero Carbon goals for Livestock page 41 | WinnersofADandBiogasIndustry Awards2020 page 33

New 2021 Yamaha ATV Line up

Sell out Sale for Kev Dennis

Mitsubishi Shogun Sport

CONTENTS

October 2020

FEATURES

15 Security

43 Buildings

Recycled plastic fencing

RIDBA Strives for the Highest Standards

18 Arable Tissue test crops ahead of winter

27 Cereals & Grain Grain systems

REGULARS

29 Pests Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eating your profits?

06 News 32 Sheep

Farmers grants scheme

New antibiotics usage survey

16 On Topic 36 Muck & Slurry

Low carbon footprint potatoes

Spread the load better

31 Energy 41 Livestock UK net zero carbon goals

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Winners of AD and Biogas Industry Awards 2020

46 Machinery Latest machinery news

50 ATV ATV news...covered.

54 Motors Latest motors news

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Agriculture. Covered. EDITOR editor@farmingmonthly.com EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES editorial@farmingmonthly.com ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Tel: +44 (0) 2476 353537 ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Shona Beedham s.beedham@farmingmonthly.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jenny Hughes j.hughes@farmingmonthly.com

Hanit recycled plastic fencing by Zedlock page 15

DESIGN & PRODUCTION studio@farmingmonthly.com SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@farmingmonthly.com ON THE COVER

Frolesworth Lodge

For editorial, general enquiries or to advertise please call +44 (0) 2476 353537 or email sales@farmingmonthly.com Farming Monthly National is published monthly in the UK by Farming Monthly Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 2476 353537 Printed in the UK No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission from the publisher. Whilst every attempt is made to ensure accuracy, the opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or publication. The Editor also reserves the right to alter or edit material as required and no responsibility is accepted for inaccuracies. Full copyright applies. All rights reserved. ISSN 2044-0190 (print) ISSN 2044-0200 (digital)

October 2020 | Farming Monthly | 5

£25 million available to help farmers boost productivity •

Farmers are invited to apply for farm productivity grants in round three of popular grants scheme

•

£25 million available to help farmers improve their efficiency and benefit the environment

able to apply for different pieces of equipment within this final round up to the scheme’s limit of £12,000 per farmer, meaning that they can streamline other elements of their business or start the move towards farming more sustainably.

•

Applications open until 4 November

Farming Minister Victoria Prentis said:

25 million has been made available in grants for productivity-boosting farming equipment in the third and final round of the government’s Countryside Productivity Small Grants (CPSG) scheme.

Under the scheme, farmers can apply for grants of between £3,000 and £12,000 to buy new and innovative equipment – from livestock monitoring cameras to precision farming technology – which helps businesses save time and money and improve productivity. Last year, new items were added to the list of the equipment available that will help farmers to benefit the environment, such as equipment designed to help minimise soil compaction in fields, monitor ammonia levels in farm buildings, and increase machinery precision when applying slurry. Farmers who have been successful in applying for grants in previous rounds of the scheme will also be

“Helping our farmers to boost their productivity is absolutely essential, and I’m delighted we’ve been able to make £25 million in grants available to farmers to invest in the latest technology. “Coming from a farming family, I have experienced first-hand the benefits that having innovative equipment can bring, including saving businesses time and money while improving yields and minimising the impact we have on the environment around us. “Our landmark Agriculture Bill sets out further measures to help farmers become more productive, efficient and resilient, with specific productivity grants expected to be available from 2021.” Rural Payments Agency Chief Executive Paul Caldwell said: “It’s fantastic to be able to announce a third round of the ever-popular Small Grants scheme. Having access to game-changing innovative technology can make a real difference to farmers and help boost the productivity of

the whole farming sector in England. “I would encourage all our customers to consider how this offer may benefit their business or help them to prepare for their future farming and apply for a small grant.” To date, £35 million has been allocated to farmers in the scheme’s first two funding rounds, with today’s announcement bringing the total funding made available under the scheme to £60 million. Although this is the final round of the Small Grants scheme, powers have been included in the Agriculture Bill to allow the government to provide financial assistance to support farmers to invest in equipment, technology and infrastructure that will not only boost their productivity, but also deliver environmental and other public benefits. Further detail on the support available from 2021 is due to be released later this year. Farmers will have until midday on 4 November to make an application to the Rural Payments Agency. More information on the Countryside Productivity Small Grants scheme and the handbook for this round of the scheme can be found here.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/countrysideproductivity-scheme

Sell-out sale for Kev Dennis collection of classic commercials the field, on the phone and on-line and eventually saw Bill King’s gavel come down at an amazing £42,500.

ast Anglian-based auctioneer, Cheffins, hosted an on-site sale of classic lorries, trailers and spares on Saturday 3rd October in Skegness, Lincolnshire. Owned by collector Kev Dennis, the sale included over 54 lorries and trailers and 100 lots of spares. Jeremy Curzon, Director, Cheffins, said: “A sodden Lincolnshire sky certainly didn’t dampen bidders’ enthusiasm in Skegness at the Kev Dennis Sale. Leyland was very much the marque in vogue and in demand, with a 1975 Mastiff making a worthy £15,500, whilst a 1980 Boxer tipper was pursued to £10,200, both well above presale expectations. A 1985 Scammell S26 made a tidy sum at £12,000 but top of the shop was the 1980 Leyland Road Train, an ex-Perkins Diesels test bed vehicle with minimal mileage and a cab interior that still carried its original plastic covers. Originally priced new at £24,995 this seemed a reasonable expectation on the day, the pre-sale buzz led to protracted bidding both on

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Amongst the 21 included lots from other vendors the highlights included a 2004 Volvo FH16 tractor unit which sold well at £22,500. The superb 1981 Scania LB141 V8 tractor unit and trailer which was beautifully presented in its blue and yellow livery saw another lengthy telephone versus on-line bidder battle which, eventually, yielded the top price of the day with a well-deserved £66,000.

not inclusive of 2.5 per cent buyers’ premium or VAT. Further prices achieved are reported below. For more information please visit www.cheffins.co.uk, or call Cheffins auctioneers on 01353 777767.

This was a fantastic sale which saw the Cheffins on-site team hot footing it from a successful sale in Somerset up to Skegness for Kev Dennis, and now a quick turnaround with the next sale in Somerset on the 10th October.” Prices reported are hammer prices,

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Dairy profits recover in 2020, says Old Mill

airy farmers' profits recovered in 2019/20 after falling in 2018/19, largely due to reduced purchased feed costs, according to the Old Mill Milk Cost of Production Report.

The report - conducted by rural accountant Old Mill and the Farm Consultancy Group - found that dairy farm profits averaged £233/cow in the year to 31 March 2020 - up from £141 the previous year. However, there remained a big gap between the top and bottom producers, with the top 10% averaging a profit of 12p/litre compared with a loss of 5.48p/litre for the bottom 10%, with 24% of the sample not breaking even. "This is a big reason why 2.5% of producers are ceasing production annually," explains Gerard Finnan, farm business consultant at the Farm Consultancy Group. "At the current rate, a lot of the bottom 10% could be gone in four-to-five years' time, unless they change their management decisions." This is the third year in a row that income has remained stable, with both yields and prices seeing little change on the previous season. Though the average milk price remained around 31p/litre, the subsequent challenges presented by Covid-19 meant a number of milk buyers instructed suppliers to cut production or dispose of milk. "This resulted in some producers capitulating, and though the distressed milk market is now behind us, the report highlights how finely balanced supply and demand is," explains Dan Heal, rural accountant at Old Mill. The top 10% of producers have once again outperformed the bottom 10% by over £1,000/cow, despite income levels only being £142/cow higher. Reducing costs has been a major driver for numerous producers over the past year, with producers cutting costs by an average of £124/cow, explains Mr Finnan. However, the effectiveness and impact of cutting costs is starkly apparent between the top and bottom 10% of producers. "Cost efficiency is about much more than requesting suppliers to reduce their prices," says Mr Heal. "It is looking into the expenditure of the business and adapting to suit the farm or milk contract. Or making timely investments if they will give a return." After the drought during the 2018/19 season, the favourable growing conditions of 2019 resulted in a £97/cow drop in purchased feed costs, says Mr Heal. Producers also spent less on seeds, fertilisers and sprays, with the weather allowing for the production of

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large quantities of quality forage. "However, the unpredictability of the weather does mean it is an aspect that is much harder to plan for." In contrast, machinery costs rose by 10% on the year, due to increased contracting costs, with a corresponding fall in depreciation as field operations are increasingly outsourced, explains Mr Heal. The top 10% spent £342/cow less on power and machinery than the bottom 10%, whose costs averaged £710/cow.

reduce these costs and get the whole farm team to buy into what

It's notable that yields, herd size and system are not driving profits. Yield per cow in the top 10% by profit ranged from 4,520 litres, to 10,393 litres, while in the bottom 10% it varied from 3,974 litres to 8,614 litres.

you are trying to achieve."

Though the top 10% of producers have double the herd size of the bottom, scale should not affect variable costs, explains Mr Finnan. Variable costs were 4.5p/litre cheaper for the top 10%, and though greater buying power might account for 1p/litre, it shouldn't account for 4.5 times that, he adds.

· The sample consists of Old Mill and Farm Consultancy Group clients who derive their income mainly or solely from milk sales, across a variety of farming systems.

Survey basis:

· Again, system has little impact on the profitability of a business. Of the top 10% in terms of profitability, 44% were spring calving, 28% were autumn calving and 28% all-year-round, with organic and non-organic enterprises represented across these. "The same applies in the bottom 10%," says Mr Finnan. "Profitability is not down to what you do, it is the way you do it."

All farms have a 31 March year-end.

· In order to make the businesses comparable, rents, interest payments, drawings, tax and capital expenditure have been excluded from the figures and a labour charge of £30,000 has been included per fulltime partner/director. Basic Payment Scheme income has also been excluded. Depreciation has been included in these figures.

Projections Budgeted profits for 2020/21 - based on an increase in milk output of 186 litres/cow, stable cow numbers, a 0.5p/litre fall in milk price and consistent costs of production – are predicted to remain similar to 2019/2020. Despite this anticipated stability, the report demonstrates that buyer security is volatile in times of oversupply and cost control is more effective when looking at the business as a whole. "It is not possible to control everything, but the most successful farmers adapt what they can control to suit the factors they can't," says Mr Heal. "Most of the above points are within a farmer's control if they need or wish to improve business profits," adds Mr Finnan. "Benchmark in detail against the best and focus on three-to-four key costs. Develop an action plan to

The projection for 2021 has been calculated by looking at actual costs incurred for this financial year to date along with national trends. To download your copy of the report go to https:// om.uk/dairy. About Old Mill Financial experts Old Mill employ over 300 staff in four West Country locations. The Rural team is headed up by Andrew Vickery, with offices in Yeovil, Wells, Exeter and Melksham. Looking after over 1,200 farmers they are one of the leading specialist farm accountants, financial planners and tax advisers, and are happy to help with any financial and tax-related enquiries from the media.

October 2020 | Farming Monthly | 7

PFCAgri Solutions increases productportfolio 2020 has been a strangeyear, notjustforthe coronaviruspandemic, butforweathertoo. There havebeen floods and PFC Forage Solutions hasbecome wellrespected withthe Balers Choice hay preservativeand HarvestTecmoisture sensors andapplication systems,butitdidn’treflect thenew product linesso afterlockdown videoscalls the name PFC AgriSolutions wassettledupon.long dryspells whichhave had a huge effect on silage makingforthe season.

FC Agri Solutions has increased its product portfolio during 2020 with the addition of 2 new product lines. The Elkaer Saw systems and Awemak cultivation machinery

are now fully available with some products available form stock. As harvest progresses it leads into one of our products allowing our end users to store a valuable livestock product - straw, for many years we have been importing the Performa series tarpaulin from Inland Tarp, these have proved time and again their ability to withstand the elements due to the rigorous quality control during production. The tarpaulins are available for all bale types, round and conventional stacks utilise under ropes or webbing, while steel “JHooks” are used to anchor into the twine on large square bales, then utilising the “SuperCinch” 200 kg’s of force anchors the tarpaulin to the stack. The ability to secure the tarpaulin massively improves lifespan, the tarpaulin is made by bonding 3 layers together, with a white outer side to reflect heat, the outer layer features a special 7-8 year UV protection layer, provides years of reliable service. Moving to one of our new line we have been appointed by the Danish manufacturer

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Elkaer Maskiner to represent them in both the UK and ROI. The Elkaer range is built to tackle the tough stuff be that a small reciprocating bar mounted to a Stiga style lawn mower to a 3.8m 5 disc cutting head mounted to either a fore end loader or rear linkage tool carrier capable of supporting a 2.5m heavy duty flail style mulcher. The HS2300 and HKL Fox headstock offer the balance of capability with 3 x 800mm cutting discs able to cut a maximum diameter of 250mm giving a 2.3 meter cut, the blades are belt driven by the tractor or telehandlers hydraulics, worth noteing is the slight blade offset to reduce the risk of pinching or stalling a blade. Working speeds of up to 8km/h are possible in real world conditions. The HKL Fox headstock can be supplied with a range of headstock mounting brackets, and is supplied with a weight frame carrier on its left hand side, the HKL Fox allows for a maximum of 1.5m offset allowing the tractor to remain clear of falling debris, this system is ideally suited to tractors with front linkage allowing the operator to push the brush into piles for disposal. Our cultivation range is designed and built by the Polish company Awemak, with over 30 years experience building high quality reliable machines for the European market. Focusing on one machine the Ares HD come in 5 sizes to suit farm size and

power requirements from 3 meters to 6 meters. The Aries HD series uses 120mm x 120mm x 8mm box frame, providing industry leading strength and longevity. The Ares comes as standard with 2 rows of reinforced legs carrying 560mm x 6mm discs with German built NSK reinforced maintenance free hubs. This allows the Ares to work in the harshest of conditions from heavy clay, flint and shale soil types. Straw tines aid levelling and spreading of large amounts of trash in the first pass to create a chit for stale seed beds. Breaker boards as another standard feature break down clods, consolidate and level the soil allowing the discs to work more efficiently to create a final seedbed. Breaker boards passively move soils to provide levelling and cultivation. The consolidated soil presented to the discs enables them to do a better job of cutting and slicing clods before the roller option consolidates. Active side screens are a standard feature. Optional front Depth wheels providing stability to enhances the consistency of seedbed. Lager 610mm discs are also an option to high trash conditions. The Ares BTHX range is available from £8,950 – £26,000 PFC Ltd - 01805 603 363 – www.pfc-eu.com – info@pfc-eu.com

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October 2020 | Farming Monthly | 9

Further free range egg expansion "unnecessary and unsustainable"

f the free range egg sector continues to expand at the current rate it will create a significant oversupply situation, driving down the price paid to farmers and reducing profitability yet further.

That is according to the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) following the publication of an independent report into the impact of retailer cage-free 2025 commitments. Free range production has increased by 14% since 2017 to nearly 25m hens. The report published by agricultural consultancy ADAS forecasts a 2% production increase is required over the next five years to meet a predicted growth in free range egg demand of just 300,000 cases. BFREPA CEO Robert Gooch said: "There is an incorrect assumption from many in the sector that retailers moving away from colony eggs will lead to a surge in

demand for free range. That is simply not the case, and this report confirms that. "We have been warning for many years that rapid expansion will create a situation of oversupply, all the while the price paid to farmers has diminished and is now 20% lower than it was five years ago. "The trend is clear; as production has increased, the price paid to farmers has decreased. This situation is unnecessary and unsustainable." As well as existing producers expanding, BFREPA has seen new producers entering the sector, often encouraged by new contract bonuses which disappear over time. A model contract was made available to all free range egg producers last year to help secure sustainable prices for the long term. And to help producers understand the market better BFREPA has today launched a new online Costings

Portal allowing farmers to enter flock data and egg prices to compare their situation with others across the UK and Northern Ireland. Alarmingly, data shows that most free range egg producers are not breaking even.

"Our data from ADAS shows a break-even price of ÂŁ1.01 per dozen, but our members are submitting prices through our portal which show that they are being paid significantly less than that â&#x20AC;&#x201C; about 88p per dozen on average," Robert said. "There is a huge range of producer prices in the market, ranging from below the cost of production to good prices to tempt new entrants in to the sector. "Given this variability, this portal provides the sector with some transparency about what is happening in the supply chain, particularly for retailers who will be able to see if the cost of production price increases given to packers are being passed down to contracted producers." A webinar detailing the ADAS report and the Costings Portal is available here. The Costings Portal is available at www.theranger.co.uk.

Mini Berries Grown By Hugh Lowe Farms Launch into Waitrose and Ocado

ne of the UK's leading soft fruit growers has launched 'Mini Berries Grown By Hugh Lowe Farms' in Waitrose and Ocado. The grab-andgo sized punnets contain mini sweeter strawberries.

These mini heart-shaped strawberries are highly coveted by strawberry fans due to the incredible depth of flavour. You can add them whole to cereal rather than having to spend time preparing and slicing them. They're particularly beloved by chefs and home-cooking enthusiasts looking to give bakes and patisserie presentation that professional touch with whole perfectly formed strawberries. The Mini Berries can also

10|Farming Monthly| October 2020

be ideally positioned as healthy snack for children to take to school or a grab-and-go lunch time treat. Each recyclable punnet has 125g of class 1 fruit inside, in an easy to eat format perfect for snacking, baking and decorating. Whatever the requirement, the new branded 'Mini Berries grown by Hugh Lowe Farms' has wide appeal. "We're really pleased to be launching these new Mini Berries into Waitrose and Ocado. The mini strawberries are very popular and it made sense to offer them as a separate product to our usual offering. These strawberries have been expertly picked, it takes an enormous amount of skill to select them correctly and

we've got a very experienced team here," comments Marion Regan, Managing Director of Hugh Lowe Farms. Mini Berries grown by Hugh Lowe Farms can be ordered from Ocado or found instore or online at Waitrose stores now. Priced at ÂŁ1 for 125g. Hugh Lowe Farms is a family run soft fruit farm established over 125 years ago located in Mereworth in Kent, the Garden of England. The farm produces over 5,000 tonnes of fresh berries a year between April and November.

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Gressingham Goose Launches for Christmas

ressingham Foods has announced the launch of its new branded range of whole geese, ready for the festive season.

Once a staple of the Christmas table, goose is still a popular choice at Christmas and is renowned for its dark meat and intense flavour. Gressingham's geese start their journey at the very start of the year,. Born and raised in a small flock on the farm in Suffolk, they spend their days outside in the fresh air or in well-ventilated barns, where they graze the grass as well as eating a mix of wheat and soya with vitamins and minerals. The birds are looked after by experienced farmers who

are trained to care for these big but beautiful birds. “We are very excited to be able to offer our geese in branded packaging for the first time,” says Rebecca Alderton, Brand Manager. “Goose is a very popular Christmas product and now customers will be able to buy the best quality, straight off the shelf.”

For more information on the Gressingham Goose range visit www.gressinghamdfoods.co.uk

Gressingham Whole Geese will be available from Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco and Ocado in three weights: 3-5kg, 5-6kg and 6kg. Prices vary.

Pondering the future: Ancient historic ‘cow-pond’ revived in Epping Forest for toads hat do cattle and toads have in common? They both need and sometimes share water sources. They are also part of a ground-breaking project from Froglife in partnership with The City of London Corporation (that manages Epping Forest), who have cleared an historic, almost dried up grazing pond, cut down overgrown vegetation around the perimeter and deepened and re-profiled its interior, in order to create an open water habitat supporting a diversity of wildlife including Common Toads.

Common Toad populations have declined by 68% in the last 30 years. Historically, Cow Pond (near Leyton Flats) and some of the other 109 lakes and ponds in Epping Forest were essential drinking places for cattle that frequented the forest for over 1,000 years. Today, even with livestock long gone from the majority of its 2,400 hectares of ancient woodland, the forest provides important habitats for numerous species of fauna and flora. Five of our native amphibian species breed here and extensive populations across many ponds are recognised as “an outstanding assemblage of amphibians” under their Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) notification. Many of the ponds that remain hold significant populations of both frogs and toads – however amphibians are under pressure here as in other UK sites where they are at risk of being lost by www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

natural succession to wet woodland and eventual reclamation of the Forest. ‘Cow Pond’ is located in an area of the Forest identified as being in need of enhancement for breeding toads and not far from other sites where Froglife has been working, through their London Tails of Amphibian Discovery (T.O.A.D) project. Originally 6900sqm in size, surveys of Cow Pond in 1999 and 2013 recorded some Smooth Newts, but successive dry summers since then allowed Cow Pond to dry out for longer periods and the site was encroached by willows and sweetgrass, no longer providing suitable breeding habitat for the Common Toad which prefers large, deep ponds. Froglife, in co-ordination with Conservation team at Epping Forest, have been hand-felling selected trees and shrubs around the pond and creating hibernacula (amphibian shelters) with the brush, as well as restoring and re-excavating part of the pond depth and size to ensure an open water habitat to attract a sizeable toad population. They’ve also created a bank with the excavated silt along the northern edge to ensure the open water is retained for longer, which with its new depth should prevent the incursion of sweet-

grass or reed-mace. Kathy Wormald, Froglife CEO said, “The works we have already been doing across London to improve sites for toads have been very successful and I’m sure the Cow Pond will follow suit. It’s great when our natural heritage and wildlife conservation meet in this way.” Now completed the pond has been left to fill naturally with water and colonise with plant species already present in the seed bed and Froglife will return to carry out monitoring surveys and train site staff and volunteers on managing the restored habitats and on amphibian survey techniques to enable them to manage and monitor the site in the future.

October 2020 | Farming Monthly |11

COVID-19 presents opportunity for Europe's online agricultural retailers, McKinsey four million more farmers are ready to use online channels as their main sources of ordering than before the pandemic. study shows Almost OVID-19 is having a huge impact on farmers' purchasing practices, according to new research by leading global consultancy, McKinsey & Company. The survey of financial decision-makers at farms across Europe reveals that 95 per cent of farms are considering adjusting purchasing behaviour to minimise physical interactions in response to the global pandemic.

Digital purchasing may provide the answer, with McKinsey uncovering a 36 percentage point increase in both farmers' desire to use digital channels to make product-purchase decisions (up from 51 percent in 2019 to 87 per cent post-COVID-19) and their desire to use digital channels to make actual purchases (up from 33 to 69 per cent). Across Europe, that adds up to almost four million more farmers who say they are ready to use online channels as their main sources of ordering. Nicolas Denis, Partner at McKinsey, says: "The agricultural sector has a long track record of innovation in many areas, such as yield improvement, sustainability and animal welfare. However, the sector has quite low online retail adoption, with only 22% of farmers having made an online purchase over the past 12 months as of May. It is worth noting, though, that this is a large and recent increase over the 13% of farmers who claimed the same last August. As attitudes shift in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies in the agriculture industry have an opportunity to accelerate their online presence, work out omnichannel strategies, and

perhaps even change their business models to better meet farmers' needs. Now is the time to capture it."

•

Target consumers based on their stated propensity to use digital. Farmers who use agritech are almost five times more likely than those who don't to purchase online. Similarly, those who reorder online are twice as likely as those who don't to complete first-time purchases online. Companies should prioritise these cohorts and offer them specific digital services, such as bulk discounts, services and security.

•

Build trust. Many farmers appear not to trust company websites to provide complete information. While 68 per cent of survey respondents use a company website to identify new products, only 9 per cent use them to compare or evaluate products. However, trust can be built. If farmers have already used a product and trust that it is of high quality, 72 per cent are comfortable reordering the product online. Possible actions to build online trust include ensuring transparent pricing, embedding third-party product comparisons, and integrating university research—perhaps even partnering with universities to provide that information.

McKinsey estimates the European online farming market to have annual revenues totalling between €150m and €200m. However, this could grow to more than €10bn by 2025, out of a €138bn agricultural input and equipment market. To capture this opportunity, McKinsey suggests that companies take the following four actions: •

•

Improve the online experience. 33 per cent of survey respondents complain that it is difficult or impossible to compare products, and 31 per cent say pricing is confusing. Many of the farmers stop their online experience right there. The complaints continue even among those who continue on to purchase, with shared frustrations such as not being able to reach someone 24/7 (64 per cent), difficulty connecting with the right representatives (32 per cent), lack of real-time product availability (35 per cent), and unclear pricing (21 per cent). Companies need to focus on solving the biggest pain points as a matter of priority. Focus first on the highest-potential markets. Such markets are those that are large, with big gaps between a stated preference for and actual online buying. For example, fruits and vegetables in Spain make up a €17 billion market in which 38 per cent of respondents say they are willing to buy online—but only 12 per cent do so.

Julien Revellat, Associate Partner at McKinsey, concludes: "Retailers know very well that building a successful online strategy is complicated. It calls for new practices, the development of more sophisticated data analysis, and the implementation of seamless and cost-effective operations from the warehouse to the buyer. But such complexity is no excuse for delay. The COVID-19 crisis has already led to considerable changes in European farmers' behaviour – making the case for acceleration stronger than ever."

Root and yield-boosting seed treatment gains UK approval for spring wheat

K spring wheat growers have a new seed treatment option for this season’s plantings, with news that the SDHI-based fungicide seed treatment, Vibrance Duo, has gained UK approval for the crop.

This adds to the list of cereal crops that the seed treatment can now be used in, says Vibrance Duo producer Syngenta, a list that has increased since its launch in 2017, which was chiefly into winter wheat. “This new approval marks an important milestone for UK spring wheat, which can often be planted in challenging growing conditions,” says Gillian Colman, seedcare marketing manager for Syngenta. “Vibrance Duo controls a range of diseases that threaten crop establishment. However, as well as doing this and improving early vigour across a range of cereals in trials, it has also repeatedly been

12|Farming Monthly| October 2020

shown to boost root growth and, even more importantly, to increase yield. “In spring wheat specifically, independent university research showed that seed treated with sedaxane, the SDHI active ingredient in Vibrance Duo, produced plants with greater root and shoot mass, even in the absence of known disease. Improved rooting effects were also long-lasting, still evident when the crop was coming into ear.”

Establishing good root structures can be particularly important in spring cereals with their short growing season, says Mrs Colman. It is associated with improved access to soil moisture and nutrients, she notes, and greater resilience to drought. “In other trial work, Vibrance Duo gave an average of an extra 0.27 t/ha over an alternative seed treatment across three different varieties of spring wheat. This mirrored earlier spring wheat results, which showed a 0.23 t/ha yield increase over an alternative seed treatment,” she adds. “Ever since its initial launch in 2017, Vibrance Duo has grown in popularity, with the amount of winter wheat seed treated with it doubling each year. “As well as being available via static seed processors, Vibrance Duo is available from mobile seed treaters, so growers planting home-saved seed also have access to it,” Mrs Colman concludes.

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Harvest Home! Hogs Back completes first harvest of new hop garden fter two weeks of dedicated toil by a team of 22 workers, Hogs Back Brewery in Tongham, Surrey, has completed the first commercial harvest from its new hop garden, collecting and processing 1,500 kilos – or 30 zentners, the traditional measure of hops which are now in cold storage at the brewery, ready to be added to their range of beers.

Hogs Back staff, loyal customers from its Tongham TEA Club and local residents worked in the 8.5-acre plot next to the brewery, cutting down the 6,600 hop bines, which had grown up to a height of 18 feet. The bines were fed into a hop picker – which carefully separates the hop cones, required for brewing, from the rest of the bines. The cones were then dried in a kiln, quickly vacuum packed to capture their flavour, and are now cold stored at 5°C until needed by the brewing team. To harvest the hops themselves, rather than contract the task as in previous years, Hogs Back commissioned new equipment including a tractor, reconditioned Wolf hop picker and a new kiln. The picker and kiln were housed in the Hop Hangar, which functions as the Brewery Bar when not in use for hop processing. It is just yards from the hop garden and the brewhouse. Hogs Back managing director Rupert Thompson said: “Bringing in our first harvest is a real achievement, and we’re delighted that it went so smoothly. Its success is a testament to the hard work by our harvest team, who put in long hours in the garden and Hop Hangar. “We cut the hops at just the right time, then processed them quickly, so the hops we now have ready in storage are in optimum condition, which will translate into top quality, flavourful beers when they’re added to the brew. “By harvesting the hops ourselves, we made sure they never left the brewery site, travelling just yards from the garden to the brewhouse, or ‘from field to firkin in a

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furlong’. Cutting our carbon footprint and becoming a more sustainable brewer has been our ambition since planting the original hop garden six years ago and this harvest is a milestone in achieving that.” He added, “The hop plants are still establishing themselves, so the crop was light this year – but it still represents about 25% of our total hop requirements. When the garden is mature, and with the right weather, we eventually hope to harvest around 4,000 kilos.” The hop harvest team were rewarded for their labours with a supply of Green TEA – a version of Hogs Back’s flagship beer, brewed with newly picked hops rather than dried ones. Green TEA is available for just a couple of weeks after harvest, and a limited number of firkins were also distributed to local pubs and drinkers. Hogs Back harvested three hop varieties this year: Fuggles, used in its flagship TEA or Traditional English Ale; English Cascade, used in its Hogstar lager and Surrey Nirvana Session IPA and Farnham White Bine, a traditional local variety that the brewer saved from nearextinction. TEA Club member Ted Block said: “Helping to bring in the harvest was a wonderful experience. It was hard work, as it’s very physical, whether you’re pulling down hop bines onto the trailer, or feeding them into the picker or kiln. “After the year we’ve had, being able to get out in the fresh air and sunshine was a really welcome change of scene. It felt good to be continuing the tradition of hop farming, which has been such an important part of life in Farnham. I’ll definitely be volunteering to help with next year’s harvest.” Hogs Back Hop Garden – key points The September 2020 harvest was the first full harvest of

the hop garden planted in spring 2019, occupying 8.5 acres of prime farmland on Manor Farm, next to the brewery. Last year, most of the hop plants were left in the ground, as is good practice, to allow them to grow stronger for subsequent years Total of 6,600 hop plants harvested this year including 2,000 transplanted from the original hop garden. Harvesting took seven days in total, spread over two weeks The hop plants are supported with over 100 large posts and ten miles of high tensile steel wire, strung 18ft above the plants. A further 97 miles of string are then used to bind hop plants to the poles – the distance from Tongham to Leicester! Hogs Back planted its original, 3.5-acre hop garden in 2014, and completed four harvests before moving to the larger site in spring 2019. Farnham was historically one of the most important hop farming regions in the UK. The Farnham area is ideal for hop growing with a rich, loamy top soil over a chalky subsoil. The Farnham White Bine hop was originally developed in the early 1700s just a mile and a half from the current Hogs Back brewery. It was highly prized for its aromas and was the precursor variety to the better-known Kent Goldings. Hop farming in Farnham started to wane at the end of the 19th century in the face of growing competition from the Kent hops, which were preferred by London’s brewers, and the rising cost of agricultural labour. The industry declined and finally died out in the mid-1970s. www.hogsback.co.uk.

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Security product retailer Zedlock has introduced Hanit recycled plastic fencing to its product range. ince 1993 Hahn Plastics has been manufacturing recycled plastic products. Made from a blend of HDPE and polypropylene, their Hanit range of 2000 products comprise fencing, landscaping, ground protection, water management, and outdoor furniture products. Zedlock has compiled a selection of products from the Hanit fencing range, designed to appeal to the agricultural, equestrian, vinery and game rearing sector.

Zedlock had previously looked at metal fencing products as an alternative to wood, in response to the variable quality and lifespan of treated timber, but dismissed them on the grounds of aesthetics and ease of use. Hanit recycled fencing has a similar look to dark stained timber, can be handled like wood, and is guaranteed for twenty years with an expected lifespan of over fifty. Reducing the number of trees cut down for fencing, and recycling plastic that in many cases would be incinerated, addresses two issues to help the environment. Coupled with the energy and cost saving of not having to replace fence posts every 5-10 years brings further benefits. Hanit fencing is similarly priced to metal agricultural fencing and slightly dearer than comparable creosoted softwood timber but can be used in any environment

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because it is non-toxic and non-polluting. It is particularly suited to areas that are underwater for prolonged periods, and ideal for settings that cannot legally use creosoted timber. Cutting or drilling into the plastic will not compromise the life expectancy of the product as plastic is inherently durable. The recycled plastic posts are available in pointed rounds of 70-150mm diameter and up to 2.8m in length. For post and rail plain ended 100x100mm posts are available in 1.75 and 3m lengths, in brown or black. Rails are available in 35x100x3600mm profiles, and for penning areas a heavier 50x100x3000mm profile is available, again in brown or black. One of the advantages of the material is that animals don't find the material palatable so chewing/cribbing isn't a problem. Another is that because plastic is a natural insulator you can staple electric wire directly to the posts. In terms of driving the posts conventional post drivers can be used. It is recommended that a rock spike,approximatelyÂžthe diameter of the post, is used before driving. Box strainers are recommended because of the ductile nature of the posts. 120 & 150mm rounds are ideal as strainers and available in lengths up to 2.8m, and a 90x90x1000mm square pointed post is included in the range and ideal as a stob post or breast block. Staples are easily driven in by hand or with a staple gun. For hand stapling, staples of 4mm diameter are recommended. You can also screw insulators to the posts without a

pilot hole (it won't split). You can easily cut the plastic with a jack saw, mitre saw or cordless circular saw. Decking screws are ideal for post and rail. In addition to the fencing products, gravel boards, decking, outdoor furniture, landscaping, and ground protection grids are also available â&#x20AC;&#x201C; contact Zedlock for more information.

About Zedlock was incorporated in 2011 and is based in Petworth, West Sussex. Managing Director, Bruce Robertson, originally designed the Zedlock (Patent No. GB2489293) as a secure and practical alternative to a padlock and chain. Since its introduction, further models and a range of other products have been introduced. Zedlock Limited, Unit 5, Old Station Yard, Station Road, Petworth, GU28 0JF. www.zedlock.com +44(0)1798 342251 sales@zedlock.com

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Fairfields Farm HelloFresh ssex potato grower, Fairfields Farm, is excited to announce that it will be supplying HelloFresh with its low carbon footprint potatoes from October.

HelloFresh is the leading global meal kit player, operating in 14 countries, it has delivered 149 million meals worldwide in Q2 2020 alone. Fairfields Farm will be supplying HelloFresh in the UK with fresh potatoes from its family farm in Colchester, Essex, and helping the recipe box delivery service in its quest to become carbon neutral. “We are delighted to be working with HelloFresh, which is the UK's most popular recipe delivery service,” explains Robert Strathern, thirdgeneration potato farmer and owner of Fairfields Farm. “HelloFresh is currently working with those businesses that can offer strong sustainability credentials and we have a number of measures in place that 16|Farming Monthly| October 2020

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Set to Supply Leading Meal Kit Player, promise a much lower carbon footprint than many other potato farms,” he adds. Fairfields Farm uses fertiliser from its renewable Anaerobic Digestion site to help grow its potatoes, which results in a huge reduction in carbon being released into the atmosphere. It also powers the potato cold stores with renewable energy from both solar power and AD, which saves several thousand tonnes of carbon per year, the equivalent of 60,000 cars per annum off the road. Continues Robert, “Our packing facility is supplied daily with potatoes grown on the family farm, which means our food miles are the www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

lowest possible and we operate a green waste site which is working to develop new compostable packaging processes.Reducing our impact on the environment is one of our greatest objectives and it is fantastic to be able to work with another brand looking to do the same. ”Adam Hill, Director of Procurement at HelloFresh UK adds, “We have recently become the world’s first carbon-neutral meal kit company and are delighted to be working with Fairfields Farm to complement our on-going sustainability efforts, as we are committed to providing customers with a more sustainable way to enjoy delicious HelloFresh recipes. ” Fairfields Farm potatoes will be available in HelloFresh recipe boxes from October. For more information on Fairfields Farm visit www.fairfieldsfarmcrisps.co.uk

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Tissue test crops ahead of winter

issue testing crops is generally done in the spring, but FMC crop nutrition specialist, Chris Bond, calls for growers to consider its value this side of winter.

“Following the turbulent weather throughout this year, it’s likely we’ll see soils lacking in nutrients that we aren’t used to seeing deficiencies in,” says Chris. “So, combining both soil sampling and tissue testing ahead of winter means growers can get the full picture of what’s in their soil and available to the plant. “For example, magnesium is the most leachable large cation, meaning most soils will be lacking, after this year’s wet weather,” he says. “Our combined tissue sample results have shown that over the past three years magnesium levels in UK cereal crops have been consistently low, with 68% of samples in 2018 showing magnesium deficiency and 74% in 2020.” Chris adds it is not just about what the soil is lacking but how different factors can affect the uptake of certain nutrients, meaning that crops can be deficient even when the nutrients are present. “The weather, soil conditions, water levels, soil

temperatures and even the relationships between nutrients themselves can all have an impact on the plant’s ability to take up key nutrients. “For example, potassium and calcium can inhibit a plant’s uptake of magnesium, so if you have soils high in these, this could be an issue,” he explains. “Tissue testing, however, can allow growers to see if these issues are occurring and give an accurate picture of what the plant has access to.” Based on this, Chris recommends taking samples from crops at the three-leaf stage and onwards and sending these off for tissue testing. “Once you have the results, bespoke foliar applications are the best way to correct any deficiencies in-season,” he says. “This year has posed some serious challenges already for growers. To get accurate information to help make sure crops have the best start, combining both soil sampling and tissue testing, then correcting any deficiencies with foliar feeds, will be the key to success,” concludes Chris.

Vining peas project secures BASIS award win nvestigating cultural control measures to combat Bean Seed Fly in vining peas has led to Yorkshire-based farmer, Nick Lount, winning the coveted BASIS Paul Singleton Project of the Year Award.

“We can’t control the flies chemically, so we had to look at alternative methods of control,” Nick explains.

Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO, is delighted that Nick was able to analyse the data and use his initiative to deliver a practical business solution, combined with being an opportunity to support his BASIS course.

Usually presented at Cereals, this year’s award ceremony occurred virtually, where Nick, who works for vining pea and broad bean producer, Swaythorpe Growers, was able to give insight to the panel as to why he chose this project.

“The award is recognition of the hard work Nick put in to supporting both his employer and the wider sector. It’s a cutting-edge project that Nick will continue to run, and there’s no doubt the results will benefit growers in the future. He is a truly worthy winner of this prestigious award.”

“In 2018, Bean Seed fly was a major issue in our vining peas, damaging a lot of our crops and majorly impacting yield,” he says. “It’s not a pest that has been researched much, so, in 2019, in conjunction with Becky Howard from the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO), we decided to investigate and monitor the pest through trial work on the farm, using several techniques including sticky traps to gain a better understanding.

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research module of my BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection. I worked with my trainer Debbie Wedge to develop the project.”

For more information on BASIS and the Certificate in Crop Protection, please visit https://www.basis-reg.co.uk/

“The trials were set up and data was collected through 2019, so fitted perfectly with the

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10079830_15146361_GREATBRITAINAND NORTHERN IRELAND,BOOKLET-PAGE 1

New carfentrazone active answers calls from growers and agronomists

Aurora®40 WG Herbicide GROUP

HERBICIDE

MAPP 18703 A waterdispersible granulecontaining40% w/w carfentrazone-ethylforthe control ofbroad-leaved weeds in winterand spring wheat,barley and oatsand triticale. IMPORTANTINFORMATION FOR USE ONLY AS AN AGRICULTURALHERBICIDE WARNING Very toxic to aquaticlife withlong lasting effects. Avoid release tothe environment. Collectspillage. Dispose ofcontents/ containerto a licensed hazardous-wastedisposal contractororcollection site exceptfor empty clean containerswhich can be disposed ofas non-hazardouswaste. To avoid risksto humanhealth and the environment, comply with the instructionsofuse. Max Max No. total of treatdose: ments (percrop) 2

Latest time of application: Before 3rd node detectable stage

READ THELABELBEFORE USE. USING THISPRODUCT IN A MANNER THATIS INCONSISTENTWITH THE LABELMAY BE AN OFFENCE. FOLLOW THECODE OF PRACTICEFOR USING PLANTPROTECTION PRODUCTS. Technical Helpline: 01423205011 Emergency No.s-Medical IncidentsInvolving Crop Protection Products: England & Wales: 111,Scotland: 08454242424,Northern Ireland: LocalGP orPharmacist, Republic ofIreland: 01 8379964. Healthcare professionalsseeking poisonsinformation: www.toxbase.org. Emergency No.s-Transportation, Warehousing & After Sale Incidents: CHEMTREC help centreDiallingfromthe UK and NI: 0870 8200418,Dialling from Ireland: 01 9014670 ToaccesstheSafetyDataSheetfor thisproductscantheQRcodeor usetheweblink:https://data.fmcagro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/ Aurora-SDS.pdf Alternatively,contactyoursupplier

500g ℮

Adam Espir, commercial technical manager at FMC, explains following this increased demand from growers and agronomists, FMC has launched a new carfentrazone product, Aurora, to support the suppression of BLW, particularly ivy leaf speedwell, cleavers and bur chervil, to fill the gap in the market.

10079830_15146361_GREATBRITAINAND NORTHERN IRELAND

Crops/ Max Ind situa- Dose: tions: (g product /ha) Barley, 50 oats, triticale, wheat

ast season’s extremely wet weather meant that pre-emergence weed control wasn’t applied with some growers expressing the need for a new answer to halt the spring emergence of some broad leaf weeds (BLW).

“What became apparent in autumn 2019 was that when growers couldn’t get pre-em residuals on, weeds were appearing that would normally be controlled. Growers were in touch looking for other options, but if you look at the autumn herbicide market there are only about five actives and quite a limited number of products they can use,” he says. This new addition of Aurora adds a new mode of action (MOA) to the herbicide armoury which will also reduce the risk of resistance buildup. “As an agronomist’s tool, this product is exceedingly flexible as it can be used with residual herbicides where BLW are present in both the autumn and spring. It can also be tank mixed with a wide range of products, including insecticides. “It’s a contact acting herbicide which works very well against small weeds, but good coverage is important. To get the most out of this product, water volume is crucial so I would recommend at least 200 litres per hectare, while ensuring weeds are still at the two-leaf stage, will deliver the best results,” says Adam. “With unpredictable wet weather a regular occurrence for the sector to deal with, it is very useful for agronomists to know that if growers inadvertently miss the window to apply their pre-ems and have to rely on early post-em herbicides, they now have the security of Aurora. “With the addition of Aurora, growers and agronomists now have more choice and solutions to allow them the flexibility to successfully control weeds,” says Adam.

FMC Agro Limited, RectorsLane, Pentre, Flintshire,CH5 2DH. Tel: 01244 537370. Email: fmc.agro.uk@fmc.com; Website: www.fmc-agro.co.uk. www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

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Openfield Launches New App and Alexa Skill

penfield is really pleased to announce the launch of a brand-new App and a new innovative way to interact with the smart speaker Alexa.

The new Openfield App includes many favourites from Openfield's Farmer Portal, Insight including access to contracts, loading schedules, Track My Truck, Futures prices, a handy chat function and the seed selector. New Openfield App Accessible on a tablet or smartphone farmers can view three years' worth of account details, including movement periods, contract prices and tonnage. The loading schedule brings up a smart way to view all planned collections, including variety, tonnage, timing and haulage contact details. This ensures all the information needed is available for each and every collection helping farmers to plan their time much more effectively. Track My Truck allows farmers to anticipate when a lorry, which is using Openfield's tracking tool, is on its way to the farm. This feature allows growers to set email or text alerts, informing them exactly how far away a collection is from their farm. This means that farmers can pinpoint where the driver is and ensure everything is ready to make the collection as quick and efficient as possible.

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Farmers can access the London wheat futures and send chat messages so the Openfield team can react quickly to any questions or information that's required by the farmer. Openfield's seed selector is a simple to use interactive tool. It enables farmers to select seed varieties by answering a few quick questions. The easy to use functionality reduces the stress of the seed selection process and helps farmers to identify varieties that meet their specific needs. Alexa, Open Field Portal.... If the App isn't enough, the team has also introduced a way for farmers to ask Alexa to access a number of the new App's features. Alexa is now happy to tell farmers how the wheat futures are doing, what their Openfield Crop Fund value is and how their loading schedule is looking. There's also a way to listen to any chat messages which have been received. Michael Goodyear, head of IT at Openfield said; "Our inhouse technology team has worked with farmers to

deliver our innovative new App and a brand new way to interact with Openfield using Alexa. We're proud of the depth of information available and we're already working on some fantastic enhancements, including Price Alerts and a new Fertiliser Selector tool which will be added very soon." The Openfield App is now available to download from App Store or Google Play by searching for "Openfield Insight". The Alexa skill can be accessed by downloading the Alexa App.

October 2020 | Farming Monthly |23

Grain handling solutions from Perry of Oakley Ltd With over 70 years experience in manufacturingof handling, drying & storage equipment, Perry of Oakley Ltd. provide high quality machinery to a wide varietyof industries, including farms, commercial grain stores, waste & aggregate industries, feed & pet food, pharmaceutical & biomass industries, and manyothers. Perry have supplied machines to over 25differentcountries across 4 continents. erry of Oakley Ltd., a 3rd generation family business established in 1947, have significant experience in materials handling, having supplied over 11,000 chain & flight conveyors in over 25 different countries across 4 continents. Perry agricultural chain & flight conveyors come with heavy duty chain, fitted with deep faced flight, perfect for handling cereals, pulses & granular products. The three-piece trough & durable galvanised steel construction provides an exceptional life span, backed up by the Perry 10 year guarantee*.

In 1949, Tom Perry built the very first Perry belt & bucket elevator with a capacity of 5tph. Perry equipment can now reach capacities over 1,000tph with an extensive range of handling equipment which includes: reception hoppers, trench intakes, levelling & travelling conveyors, twin trace conveyors, belt conveyors, screw conveyors, and of course chain & flight conveyors and belt & bucket elevators. All Perry products come in three main ranges: agricultural (8-60tph), lightindustrial (60-150tph) & industrial machines (150-1000tph) - each

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purposefully designed to meet specific requirements. The Perry range of agricultural belt & bucket elevators, can come in either single or double lift, meaning only one elevator is required to transport wet & dry grain, and are supplied with oil resistant low stretch belting as standard. Slatted pulleys help with movement of grain, with the product able to fall through the elevator without creating product build up. Perry elevators are supplied in a galvanised finish (painted optional) & 3mm thick head and boot shell for long life durability. All elevators are available with an access platform using a ladder & hoops to meet all safety standards. Alongside the extensive product range, Perry also hold just over £1,000,000 worth of stock, a valuable asset during harvest. This includes over 45,000ft of chain, enough to cross the Grand Canyon five times! This allows Perry to respond to breakdowns and spares requests. Perry also supply an extensive range of SiloMasters silos that include flat bottom silos, with 3m to 32m diameter, and storage capacities ranging from 27m³ to 26,000m³. Hopper bottom silos range

from 3m to 13m diameter with either 45° or 60° cones. The hopper silo ranges can be manufactured with either a heavy-duty hip ring or with an internal light weight hip ensuring we can supply the most costeffective solution for you. All of the silos within our range come with Z600 galvanising and S450 steel construction. A wide corrugation profile of 106 mm pitch for only 13 mm profile depth is our standard, helping to reduce product hang-up ensuring a cleaner bin. With over 70 years’ experience in the manufacture of materials handling, drying & storage equipment Perry have provided a solution for a significant range of projects. Perry provide high quality machinery to a wide variety of industries, including farms, commercial grain stores, waste & aggregate industries, feed & pet food, pharmaceutical & biomass industries, and many others. To find out more about Perry’s range of handling & drying equipment call +44 (0)1404 890300 or email sales@perryofoakley.co.uk *Terms and conditions apply

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www.perryofoakley.co.uk sales@perryofoakley.co.uk +44 (0)1404 890300

Perry of Oakley Ltd. The UK’s Most Experienced Manufacturer of Grain Drying, Handling & Storage Equipment • • •

Continuous Flow Grain Driers Belt Driers Chain & Flight Conveyors

• • •

Belt & Bucket Elevators Aspirator Cleaners Augers & Screw Conveyors

• • • •

Belt Conveyors Ducting & Valves Levelling Conveyors Twin Trace Conveyors

Belt & Bucket Elevators • Over 3,200 belt & bucket elevators sold internationally. • Agricultural & industrial applications. • Single & double lift models. • Slatted pulleys fitted as standard. • Low stretch rubber oil resistent EP belting.

Chain & Flight Conveyors • Over 11,200 chain & flight conveyors sold internationally. • Agricultural & industrial applications. • Heavy duty specification. • Stainless steel, galvanised steel or mild steel powder coat painted construction. • Heavy duty roller chain with deep plastic flights. Mr Doug Dear of Osgodby Grange, Selby, Yorkshire said: “Our new system by Perry of Oakley Ltd & Thompson’s Engineering Ltd is so quick, easy & simple now that it’s made life so much easier. We are more than happy. The build quality is excellent, I’ve seen the compe��on, there’s more metal in it & its just good gear!” www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

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| Cereals

Make sure your Grain System is working its hardest for you Ensuring your cereal grain makes it through the winter without quality damage is a necessity for every grain farmer. Thankfully, modern-day storage systems can make this worry disappear. his year has been difficult with the harvest being collected in such challenging conditions. Both the wet and dry crops from this season needs to be closely managed to avoid spoilage over winter. Farmers should have confidence that their system can manage this for them, without having to worry about it unnecessarily.

One of the best things about the Gibbons’ Plug&Cool™ range is the simplicity of it. They designed it so you can set it up, and then forget about it. The control panel is mobile, it just hooks onto the wall. This means if you need to control several different barns at different times you can just pick it up and plug it in. If your barn is bigger or smaller than a standard barn you can also have a panel customised to your needs. As Gibbons is an engineering company, they build the control panel in house, so you can have one that perfectly suits your needs. They only sell the best quality aluminium fans, which they make to meet their high www.farmingmonthly.co.uk

standards. Gibbons are a family run business with over 50 years’ experience, spanning three generations. So, they make sure they have the highest confidence in their products before putting their name to it. That’s why all Gibbons’ fans come with a five-year warranty – to give you peace of mind. They also refurbish fans in house – significantly saving on the cost of buying new. As for the pedestals, Gibbons gives you two sizes of adapter sleeves. This enables you to use different fan sizes, therefore if your barn is smaller you aren’t going to be wasting extra power on a bigger fan. By using plastic pedestals, they eradicate the risk of rust ruining the surrounding grain. As for removal, they won’t dent or

become misshapen. So, you can use them year after year. Finally, the new generation Airspears® are super lightweight and portable. This gives you greater control over humidity and temperature levels in all areas of the barn. Keeping grain degradation to a minimum and keeping grain worth as close as possible to when it went into your barn. These are particularly useful after this year’s harvest, where different areas of your cereal grain will need cooling at different levels. Call Gibbons today to discuss how they can uniquely help you with your barn cooling system on 01621 868 138. Or drop them an email at agricultural@gibbonsgroup.co.uk. October 2020 | Farming Monthly |27

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What’s eating your profits? Colder weather conditions and the lack of food left in the fields encourages the increased movement of pests towards farm buildings and grain stores. BPCA Technical Manager, Dee Ward-Thompson investigates the pests that can cause the most damage to profits.

odents - We are all ware of the

damage that crops. For consumed by

rodents (mainly rats) can do to stored every kilogramme of produce actually rodents, a further 10kg destined for human or animal consumption is contaminated with their urine and droppings, rendering it useless.

for information. If you are permitted to use rodenticide, ensure you are using enough to control the infestation, and you are visiting the bait regularly to ensure that it is replenished as required and there has been no spillage likely to contaminate non-target species.

When rats gain access to and settle in farm buildings, many issues arise that make their presence unacceptable. Rats are capable of spreading a vast number of viruses, bacteria and parasites that can have a detrimental effect on the health of both humans and animals.

Grain storage pests

What action can you take to help discourage rodents from your farms and buildings?

Infestations of grain pests, such as the sawtooth grain beetle and grain weevil, can be devastating. Unchecked infestations will decimate stored grain and render it useless. As always, in such situations, prevention is better than cure.

Remember that rats are animals of habit. They like to feel comfortable in their environment, and the less it is disturbed, the better it is for rodents. If you have been meaning to tidy up or have some long-standing items around the farm to throw away, now is an excellent time to remove such items. By doing so, you will start to remove areas where rodents can live, and you’ll deter them from moving into the farm areas by continually modifying their environment. When you do get signs of activity, act upon them as soon as possible. If you do use rodenticide to control infestations, make sure you are legally permitted to do so. The CRRU Code of Best Practice is a legal requirement to follow as well as obtaining the relevant qualification for the safe use of rodenticides. See thinkwildlife.org/training-certification/

The principal causes of spoilage in stored grain are fungi, insects and mites. Any pests found must be correctly identified, monitored and controlled appropriately.

By cooling the grain to temperatures of 15°C, you can slow down and eventually stop insect breeding and development. Complement the cooling of grain with regular inspections to product and storage areas by a suitably qualified person. This will ensure that infestation will be spotted early and that insect activity can be dealt with before any significant damage occurs.

hands of an unskilled operator, these products can be deadly. Gassing compounds for invertebrate control carry legal requirements to be qualified and trained. You must ensure the process of fumigation is dealt with by a skilled contractor who understands the pest, the product and the treatment site.

Get qualified or get help Dealing with pests is a highly specialist job. To use professional use rodenticides and fumigants, you need special qualifications and training. BPCA can support you with these qualifications, but proper pest management comes with a significant investment in time. A pest professional can add just as much value to farmers’ operations as an agronomist—consider enlisting a professionally-trained and audited pest management company to offer their advice. BPCA members only employ qualified technicians and are audited to the British Standard in Pest Management (BS EN 16636). You can search for a BPCA member on our website at bpca.org.uk/find or call 01332 294 288.

If you do find evidence of insects, rapid action is required, and fumigation with a metallic phosphide will usually be the most suitable course of action. However, remember that the fumigants currently available for treating grain are highly toxic and can kill humans if not used correctly. There is no antidote to phosphine (the gas that is released by metallic phosphides) and in the

Additional biosecurity for rat and mouse tail samples dditional biosecurity measures rat and mouse tail samples for resistance testing have been Farmers, gamekeepers and pest controllers are asked to follow new packaging guidance at thinkwildlife.org/downloads.

when sending rodenticide introduced.

Two main changes are to double-bag the samples and include a UN3373 label, which can be downloaded from the website, on outer packaging. This free service is run by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use. The DNA testing is conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, Surrey. CRRU chairman Dr Alan Buckle says samples from freshly killed rats and mice are wanted from pest controllers, farmers and gamekeepers who either think they may have resistance problems or who may just want to learn more about rodents in their area. “The spread of resistance can only be tackled if we know where it is and where it isn’t,” he explains. “We are entirely dependent on people using this service for the necessary data.”

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October 2020 | Farming Monthly |29

Biocow relaunches as Adapt Biogas and unveils UK expansion plan iocow Ltd, a leading producer and innovator in the UK biogas industry, has today relaunched as Adapt Biogas Ltd – unveiling a new logo, website, and brand to support its UK expansion plans. Since 2012, Adapt Biogas has pioneered the use of agricultural waste at scale within the UK energy sector through anaerobic digestion, where waste is broken down by naturally occurring micro-organisms and turned into biogas. The company currently operates four plants across Murrow, Ellough, Attleborough and Holton with a combined capacity of 2,460 standard cubic metres (sm3) per hour. Adapt Biogas recently developed the UK’s first anaerobic digestion (AD) plant connection into National Grid’s high-pressure National Transmission System (NTS). The pipeline connection will support biogas flows of up to 15,000 sm3 per hour, which is equivalent to the annual gas consumption of 10 average UK households every hour. Today’s brand relaunch comes as Adapt Biogas positions itself for further expansion as a provider of operations and maintenance (O&M) services, and as a capital and strategic partner to both new developers and existing plant owners – building on the progress it’s made so far in creating the UK’s leading green gas production platform.

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Chris Waters, Managing Director of Adapt Biogas commented: “Since 2012 we’ve brought passion and dedication to the UK anaerobic digestion industry. We’re excited to expand further and continue to help decarbonise UK agriculture and gas network, while improving the country’s energy security. To achieve our growth ambitions we’re now actively seeking new partnerships in several areas including at greenfield, turnaround and performing plants that manage agricultural, food and other waste feedstocks across the country.” Realising the firm’s growth potential, in November 2019 Macquarie Capital Principal Finance acquired the company, with the goal of building a platform of multiple AD plants that enables each facility to drive cost efficiencies, share operational best practice, drive innovation and better monetise biogas production. Patrick Ottersbach, a Managing Director at Macquarie Capital Principal Finance said: “The team at Adapt Biogas has made great progress since our acquisition last year, deploying our capital to scale this carbonneutral energy source whilst leveraging our expertise across

energy and infrastructure. The technology could make a significant contribution to the UK’s energy transition and we look forward to continuing to support growth in the sector, expanding through new partnerships to achieve our goal.” About the Adapt Biogas rebrand Adapt is passionately driven to perfect the anaerobic digestion process for a truly green fuel supply. We push the boundaries of innovation to heat homes and businesses, power emissions-free bus fleets and nurture the bacteria that makes it all possible. Through our journey we have constantly learned, iterated, and challenged everything we’ve been taught. Now our brand has adapted too, with our new name and logo reflecting our unique dynamism, persistence, and purpose to nurture the growth of green energy generation. With our reinvigorated brand, we are excited to continue helping our clients, partners and communities adapt with plant financing, expanded O&M services, consultancy and support, creating a more sustainable future for the UK and beyond. Learn more by visiting us at www.adaptbiogas.com

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Wyke Farms Open UK's First Fully Solar Powered Cheese Storage Space Growing Wyke Farms saves an additional 31 tonnes of carbon per year in Wincanton yke Farms, the UK's largest independent cheese producers and producers of renewable energy have further invested into their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;100% Green' sustainability plan, with a new 65kw solar array, positioned on their new cheese storage dispatch building at their Wincanton site.

The new cheese storage is a state-of-the art building where the temperature is controlled at 12 degrees and highly energy efficient. Rich Clothier, Managing Director and third generation family member at Wyke Farms, says: "my grandmother's stone maturing barn on the farm stayed at a steady 12c with some small seasonal variations, in our new stores we have replicated that closely in order to keep the recipe as close to hers as possible". There is space for 1762 pallets of cheese, amounting to approximately 2000 tonnes of additional storage capacity that is required

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to meet the demands of growing export sales in vintage flavour profiles. The new store is 2500 times the size of Ivy Clothier's original cheese store on the farm in Wyke Champflower.

Rich Clothier, Managing Director and third generation family member at Wyke Farms, comments further: "this is our fifth business solar array set and moves us closer to fulfilling our commitment to position solar on all of our South facing roofs where we use daytime power. Reducing carbon is essential for all businesses and this is an easy, cost effective way to do just that." He continues: the principles of sustainability' are at the heart of all of our business decisions as we can see from the continual development of our green portfolio over the last 10 years" Cheddar is a natural food produced from grass; using the power of nature to age it in a way that has a positive impact on the environment is intuitively the best way to do it.

Wyke Farms' continual investment and commitment to green energy forms part of the companies â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;100% Green' sustainability plan, through which, they have dramatically reduced their carbon footprint and become the first national cheddar brand to be 100% self-sufficient using their own energy generated from solar and biogas. This latest development is all part of Wyke Farms' journey to become a net positive cheese business. Wyke Farms' cheese and butter is made with the milk from their cows grazing the lush pastures of the Mendip Hills in the centre of the Cheddar making region in Somerset. Wyke Farms products are available in selected Lidl stores and in South West UK ASDA, CO-OP and Tesco stores. All products are available online at: www.wykefarms.com/shop

October 2020 | Farming Monthly |31

New Small-scale Separator is Big on results ollowing the success of its acclaimed Separators since their launch in 2016, Borger has released anew,affordable,25m³/h model, suitable for dairy farmers with herds of up to 150 - and for small-scale biogas operators. The launch of this compact new Bioselect RC 25 (which complements Borger’s existing rangeofupto40m³/h,75m³/h and150m³/hSeparators), provides easy and highly effective separation of slurry. Reducing storage volume and creating effective fertilization with the liquid phase or use of solids as bedding material, the Borger Separator can be fully

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installed or used as a mobile unit, consistently achieving Dry Solids (DS) content up to 38%. TheBorgerBioselect25m³/h model also benefits from a new feature that enables the user to adjust the length of the dewatering chamber to their specific requirements for enhanced separation efficiency. To ensure optimal utilization of the Separator, as well as a long service life, Borger manufactures ready-to-connect, complete units with Separator, Borger rotary lobe pump and control unit that synchronizes the operation of the components. Upon request, Borger can also take care of the construction of the frame or the trailer.

In addition, Borger has developed a new frame concept for its separators – customized, using a modular principle depending on the amount of space available at the customers’ premises. For the new Bioselect RC 25, the frame can be equipped with a three-pointhitch frame. This makes it possible to relocate the entire unit easily and quickly by using a tractor. Borger UK 01902 798977 www.boerger.com uk@boerger.com

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Winners of AD and Biogas Industry Awards 2020 celebrated The winners of the 2020 AD and Biogas Industry Awards were announced yesterday (8 October) in a virtual Awards Ceremony hosted by the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) and the World Biogas Association (WBA). The ceremony concluded three days of intense industry activity at the 2020 World Biogas Summit and Expo - which were also held virtually. very year, the Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in the global anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas sector, and this year's winners and highly commended across 12 categories illustrated the increasingly international nature of the competition - with the successful entries ranging from the UK, Germany, Italy and France to Norway, India and Thailand.

"Congratulations to all this year's winners for their success", said Charlotte Morton, ADBA Chief Executive. "They come from far and wide and perfectly represent the global growth of our industry and its dynamism in

all aspects of the industry. Many highly commended entries also illustrate the increasingly high standards by which AD and biogas professionals operate . Commiserations to our other finalists but they can also stand proud of their achievements and we urge them to continue their great work in delivering the huge benefits our industry can bring to society." "I'd like to also take this opportunity to thank our panel of judges for their wise choices and our sponsors, SGN and SHV Energy for their support", she concluded. "We're looking forward to next year's event hopefully when we can all safety gather together to celebrate."

Judge Dr Keith Simons, Principal Scientist at SHV Energy, added: "Congratulations to the finalists and winners. The excellence of all the entries reflects positively on a robust sector, which is not only improving on the basics such as safety and stable operation, but also developing viable solutions for traditionally unmet challenges through innovations. More so than in previous years, the strength of this robustness shone through in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. This really does provide confidence in the future."

And the AD and Biogas Industry Awards 2020 winners (and highly commended) are.... Health and Safety Award sponsored by •

Winner: Granville EcoPark (UK)

Best R&D Innovation

Best Anaerobic Digestion/Biogas Support •

Winner: Alpheus Environmental (UK): supporting Glenmorangie

•

Highly commended: Advantage Biogas Limited (UK) ; Granville Energy Supply (UK); SGN Commercial Services (UK)

Award sponsored by •

Winner: BioBANG (Italy) – How to get the max efficiency from straw (and waste biomass)

•

Highly commended: Huesker (Germany and global): Huesker Flexcover Combi Plus

International Knowledge Exchange & Collaboration •

Winner: Gas Metrology Group: The Metrology for Biomethane project

•

Highly commended: Tampere AD Site (Finland): AD Sans Frontières

Best Medium to Large Biogas Plant •

Winner: Granville EcoPark (UK)

The Circular Economy Award

•

Highly commended: Weltec Biopower: Lanes Farm Energy (UK) ; Amur: North Yorkshire AD Plant (UK)

•

Winner: Krieg & Fischer Ingenieure (Germany): Rio Cuarto biogas plants-cooperation in integrated biogas and bioethanol production in Argentina

•

Highly commended: RE Power Group (Thailand): RPG Impact Project

Most Improved Plant •

Winner: J V Energen LLP: Rainbarrow Farm (UK)

Clever Use of Outputs

Best Small-Scale Biogas Plant

•

Winner: Azola S.A.S. (France)

•

Winner: Gegan Solutions (UK): compactAD

•

Highly commended: N2 Applied (Norway)

•

Highly commended: GPS Renewables (India): Bio-Urja modular system design and remote bio process management – Enabling decentralized biogas generation at scale in urban areas

AD Hero of the Year •

Winner: Colin Small, SGN Commercial Services

•

Highly commended: Christine Parry, Amur

Best Financing Award •

Winner: Iona Environmental Infrastructure Limited Partnership (UK)

AD Rising Star Award •

Winner: Laura Fonseca Aponte, Process Engineer, SUEZ

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October 2020 | Farming Monthly |33

New antibiotics usage survey seeks sheep farmers' views

Sheep farmers views are being sought for antimicrobial usage survey

armers and vets are being asked to take part in a survey which aims to establish the amount of antibiotics used in the Scottish sheep industry.

Last year, the Sheep Health and Welfare Group developed a set of metrics which could be used to benchmark farms and provide a national reporting figure on antimicrobial usage. This survey has been developed by researchers at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) to inform discussions, both at industry and a national level, about the adoption and development of these metrics in Scotland. Initially, it will investigate how feasible and practical it

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would be for sheep farmers and their vets to provide these core metrics. Hannah Bishop, of SRUC's Epidemiology Research Unit, said: "Although we know that overall antibiotic usage in the British sheep industry is not high, little is known about the exact quantities of antibiotics used in sheep flocks. "This makes it difficult for the sheep industry to demonstrate that usage within the sector is low and to support claims that antibiotics are being used responsibly in sheep. "This is becoming increasingly important both to

facilitate trade and to meet statutory reporting requirements at a national level." The survey is aimed at sheep farmers and will take around 30 minutes to complete. A separate survey is being sent to large animal veterinary practices across Scotland. The project has been funded by the Scottish Government's Strategic Research Programme 2016-2021, delivered through SEFARI. For more information, or to complete the survey if you are a sheep farmer, visit: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/

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Sheep farmers encouraged to update their nutritional knowledge with NSA webinars ollowing a successful transition from face to face seminars to online webinars this summer, the National Sheep Association (NSA) will be continuing its offering of timely, valuable advice in its next extensive programme of Autumn webinars to be held as part of its ‘Virtual celebration of sheep farming’.

NSA’s programme of webinars will this time be mostly themed to fit with the Autumn online event’s focus ‘Feeding the flock – and getting it right’. The nutrition focussed discussions will provide sheep farmers with the chance to hear from industry experts in the comfort, safety and convenience of their own homes as Covid-19 restrictions continue to limit the opportunity to join traditional evening meetings often held by NSA regions at this time of year. Many of NSA’s long-standing supporters will be joining

the webinars to deliver interesting and useful information. Sponsors and speakers for the two-day series include AHDB, MSD Animal Health, Rumenco, ForFarmers, The Woodland Trust, Agriwebb, Bimeda, Carrs Billington and British Wool. All webinars will be open to everyone to join, with free registration for each webinar available in advance from the NSA’s new online event website www.nsavirtualevent.org.uk. There will also be an opportunity for all who register and attend a webinar to win a fantastic prize from event sponsors Rumenco; One tonne of new Rumevite feed blocks. The opportunity to view new products and demonstrations will also run alongside the webinar programme as trade stand exhibitors and breed societies are able to deliver information to interested sheep farmers through their own dedicated area of the website.

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker says: “We have been thrilled by the success of our webinars since this new way of sharing information was somewhat forced upon us earlier this year. Now, as a permanent feature of the knowledge exchange NSA is proud to deliver alongside some incredibly experienced and interesting speakers we hope that our new line up of Autumn webinars will appeal to sheep farmers, students, veterinary professionals and more who are looking to update their knowledge on flock nutrition and other topics.”. Details of the webinar programme and registrations links can be found below as well as on the NSA website – www.nsavirtualevent.org.uk. Recordings from previous NSA webinars can be viewed at www.nationalsheep.org.uk/webinars.

NSA questions motives as supermarket ambitions for growth in plant-based food sector revealed ollowing this weeks' media coverage of supermarket giants Tesco and Asda's intentions to substantially grow their ranges of plant-based foods the National Sheep Association (NSA) is today questioning the retailer's motives and disputing the sustainability claims being used in their reasoning.

As Tesco announced plans to grow the sales of plantbased meat alternatives by 300% over the next five years and Asda revealed plans to feature dedicated vegan aisles in many of their stores NSA is reminding consumers that there is often more to the environmental message that is used to promote such moves. NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker says: "We are now seeing mass-produced industrialised and processed foods being dressed up as sustainable food options, and here we have two of our biggest retailers setting growth targets based on them being better for

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consumers health and for the environment. Unsurprisingly there are no targets for increasing the sales of fresh fruit and vegetables and it looks as though this could be another means of increasing profit margins through adding 'value' through intensive food processing and highly packaged products. “If this is not being done for profit reasons and is truly an altruistic decision then I would strongly question the sustainability criteria being used. The NSA supports moves to improve diets and part of this for some people will mean having to moderate the amount of meat they eat, but for Tesco to blandly say that plant-based foods are more sustainable infers that meat production is unsustainable, and we know that is not the case. "Plant-based enthusiasts conveniently avoid using holistic metrics to measure the sustainability of the full life cycle of food production and processing – and in terms of British lamb once you look at nutrient density, the unprocessed nature of our product, land use, the ability to produce mainly from grass alone, the semi-

natural, extensive method of sheep farming, the thousands of family farms, and the symbiotic relationship with nature both within and above the soil, then lamb starts to look like a highly sustainable food. "Even if the decision is based on the assumption that vegan foods don't 'take a life' then people need to be reminded that this is untrue. It may help peoples conscience, but even plant-based foods result in the death or the destruction of life – whether this is through habitat destruction in the case of palm oil or almond production, or pest control in crop production - whether it's chemical or biological. "If Tesco and Asda are serious about driving sustainable food production and consumption then the NSA challenges these retailers to set targets for increasing the market share for British lamb within its overall meat and protein category."

October 2020 | Farming Monthly |35

Spread the load better with twin floor chains

two, a well-known British manufacturer of innovative and lasting farm machinery, design their muck spreaders with twin floor chains to ensure an increased longevity, exceptional reliability, and a better spread of product along with many additional benefits over a single chain design.

The floor chains in muck spreaders convey the material towards the rotors and require a constant and even feed to ensure all the load is spread accurately. All leading manufactures now use heavy duty, mining conveyor chain systems which are far superior to the early light weight, flat link agricultural chain systems of the past. Traditionally the market saw larger “trailer type” 2m wide muck spreaders designed using single floor chain systems, but when a large amount of material was tipped into them it did not support the floor well and it would bow and eventually stove in, impinging the conveyor system .The twin floor chain system naturally gives a more robust floor slat, but permits support to the centre of the spreader floor. Ktwo muck spreaders have a flared body throughout which gives an increased volume

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capacity but also allows a stronger floor design. By starting to taper from the floor, the innovative design acts as a funnel to help move materials down to the chains increasing volume and allowing for easier emptying with less bridging. Even with the central gap between the two chain systems, the nature of the manure itself ensures complete emptying of the spreader. ‘’A single chain is a simple system that allows for easier slat bending and requires a bigger and more clumsy chain to achieve the required pulling capacity.’’ Explains Ashley Knibb, Ktwo Senior Design Engineer. “And suffers from inherently more chain wear on the gearbox drive side”, As observed over the years by Stewart Freeman Ktwo Service and Parts Manager. ‘’Spreading the load” across a twin system with four chains and two runs of slats, means it is not imposing such a big load onto the slats, a smaller more compact chain can be used and the floor is supported better. With the exception of the Ktwo Bio which has more slats to give a very accurate rotor feed,

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Ktwo models have staggered chains to further help feed the rotors and ensure an even output and accurate coverage of the looser, lighter product, which is especially noticeable when spreading high value materials such as lime with the use of the slurry door to meter the load. Ktwo muck spreaders include a sprocketed front roller with integral cleaning scrapers. This gives positive engagement with the chain ensuring the chains remain timed and aligned, with a consistent flow of material and preventing the chain derailing should a foreign object get into the drive roller, thus every slat bending if one should fail. Another consideration is the difference between the use of a bearing or composite bush. Ktwo have always fitted high quality ball flange bearings which are self-aligning allowing accurate individual chain tension and high-pressure bearings which are much more resilient to wearing out. The composite bush produces resistance with its thin wall and its friction contact when under heavy load, unlike the ball flange bearing which eliminates this. Robbie Polson, Ktwo Managing Director, says ‘’We have had great feedback from

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customers moving from a single slat spreader to our twin floor chain spreaders. Not only does it help spread the load better it allows for easy maintenance.’’ ‘’A single slat system has a no tool change design. These are a loose fit and then wear and become covered in product and corrode. This system also eventually corrodes solid. We often have customers comment on our four chain design, on its ease to maintain because they can get their tools in and around it and it is simple to remove bolts and slats no matter how worn and embedded they get.’’ Ktwo continue to stay ahead of the curve with their innovative and high-quality machines that are designed to perform and built to last. The extensive Ktwo muck spreader range includes vertical and horizontal beaters all designed to give maximum output with consistent and accurate spreading. Contact the Ktwo team today on +44 (0)1844 299290 or email sales@ktwo.co.uk For more information visit: www.ktwo.co.uk

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Forget horsepower, Britain's farmers are turning to cow power in a bid to be more sustainable • • •

Arla unveils UK's first dairy farm 'fuel station' as new trial transforms cow poo into power Trial will use poo from around 500 cows to create 27,000kg of biofuel to power dairy delivery trucks The three-month trial will reduce Arla's carbon impact by 80 tonnes

he UK's leading dairy cooperative is getting in gear with its sustainability efforts and transforming cow manure from its farms into vehicle-friendly fuel in a major new trial.

Arla's initiative will mean that for the first time, farmers will send their cows' poo to a nearby anaerobic digestion plant where it will be broken down into different components, including clean bio-methane, and converted into usable fuel. The trial makes Arla the first UK business to use waste from its own farms to generate power for its fleet. The process will also create nutrient rich, natural fertiliser which Arla farmers can put back on to farms, making it an entirely closed loop, something that hasn't been done before. The three-month test will involve two special Arla tankers

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that have been adapted to run on biofuel transporting milk between dairy processing sites. Together they are expected to cover around 90,000km and help reduce Arla's carbon impact by 80 tonnes – the equivalent to 23 car journeys around the world. Proving that muck is just as important as milk, Arla will use manure from 500 cows – that's around 190 tonnes of slurry each week – to create a staggering 27,000kg of biofuel to power the trial vehicles. To mark the launch of the initiative, the farmerowned cooperative has launched the UK's first cowpowered fuel station on one of the farms taking part in Winslow, Bucks. Ian Barker, an Arla Farmer involved in the trial said: "Many of us recognise how valuable a cow's milk is, but many aren't aware that manure is just as important. Processing cow manure in this manner provides us with a limitless source of energy, plus the digestate, or solid matter, left over after the process makes an even richer fertiliser for

my fields, so it's a win-win." Graham Wilkinson, Agriculture Director at Arla said: "Using manure from our farms is helping us reduce our waste and rely less on air-polluting fossil fuels so it's a no brainer for us. With the help of our farmers and partners, we have a fully closed loop which at scale, could be revolutionary in helping fuel a greener future." Arla is using the trial to assess opportunities for scaling poo-powered transport opportunities across its value chain. If it proves a success, it will lay clear foundations for how the dairy industry can join forces with Government and other partners to enable new fuel solutions that reduce environmental impact. For more information, head over to https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/ forward-thinking-dairy/

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Cheshire Farmer Karen Halton Wins Dairy Industry Woman of the Year Award Dairy farmer Karen Halton from Cheshire has scooped this year's prestigious Dairy Industry Woman of the Year award at the virtual Women in Dairy (WID) conference held today (30 September).

aren is the fourth woman to win the award, sponsored by HSBC UK, beating off stiff competition from two other finalists: Abi Reader from Glamorganshire, and Hannah Lawrence from Haverfordwest.

The award aims to celebrate the achievements of women in the dairy sector and is presented to the individual who has demonstrated the core values of Women in Dairy of connect, share, and inspire. Karen is a partner in Halton Farms with her husband Tom. Together they rent 550 acres in Congleton and milk their 530 three-way cross all-year-round calving herd three times a day. They also have a raw milk vending machine and, just this year, decided to expand the operation by pasteurising milk and selling it directly to customers.

Starting out in legal recruitment Karen joined Tom dairy farming 11 years ago and, in that time, has been passionate about showcasing dairy farming. She is not afraid to share her learnings- good and bad, and as an AHDB strategic farm Halton Farms has regularly opened their doors to those within the industry as well as outside. Karen was chosen as the winner as she is a great allround industry ambassador giving a lot to the sector. Award judge and WID Patron Di Wastenage said: "Karen is a passionate advocate for British farming who is an effective communicator at all levels and enjoys mentoring the next generation.

Ms O'Dwyer said: "All the candidates demonstrated fantastic commitment to their businesses making them as strong as they could be. In addition, the obvious drive to support the wider farming and rural community came across loud and clear. "HSBC UK Agriculture has had a long association with the event, which we believe demonstrates our commitment to the sector. It is a positive activity to be recognising individuals who push themselves and their businesses to achieve as well as be spokespeople for the dairy sector in our wider communities," Ms O'Dwyer said. This year's Women in Dairy virtual conference attracted 100 delegates and included sessions on the state of the dairy market, sustainability, animal health, and marketing. News from the event can be found at https:// www.womenindairy.co.uk/conference

"She is an early adopter who brings new skills into our Industry and is happy to challenge, question, and lead change.

About Women in Dairy and RABDF

"This year's competition was the hardest one to judge yet and when you have this calibre of entrants in one competition, we know the future of our dairy industry is in good hands," added Mrs Wastenage.

Women in Dairy is an RABDF initiative, designed to bring women working in the dairy industry together through regional discussion group meetings. The aim is to connect women, share knowledge, develop skills, and inspire by encouraging innovative thinking and vision for the future of UK dairy.

The judges which consisted of Mrs Wastenage; HSBC UK's Regional Agriculture Director Grace O'Dwyer, and Rachel Bowcutt, RABDF Operations and Project Manager, said all three shortlisted candidates are exceptional ambassadors.

RABDF is the sole UK charity focussed on the unique needs of milk producers. They are the only dairy organisation holding a Royal Warrant, with the influence and access to funding that brings.

Tissue test crops ahead of winter issue testing crops is generally done in the spring, but FMC crop nutrition specialist, Chris Bond, calls for growers to consider its value this side of winter.

“Our combined tissue sample results have shown that over the past three years magnesium levels in UK cereal crops have been consistently low, with 68% of samples in 2018 showing magnesium deficiency and 74% in 2020.”

“Following the turbulent weather throughout this year, it’s likely we’ll see soils lacking in nutrients that we aren’t used to seeing deficiencies in,” says Chris.

Chris adds it is not just about what the soil is lacking but how different factors can affect the uptake of certain nutrients, meaning that crops can be deficient even when the nutrients are present.

“So, combining both soil sampling and tissue testing ahead of winter means growers can get the full picture of what’s in their soil and available to the plant. “For example, magnesium is the most leachable large cation, meaning most soils will be lacking, after this year’s wet weather,” he says.

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“The weather, soil conditions, water levels, soil temperatures and even the relationships between nutrients themselves can all have an impact on the plant’s ability to take up key nutrients. “For example, potassium and calcium can inhibit a

plant’s uptake of magnesium, so if you have soils high in these, this could be an issue,” he explains.

“Tissue testing, however, can allow growers to see if these issues are occurring and give an accurate picture of what the plant has access to.” Based on this, Chris recommends taking samples from crops at the three-leaf stage and onwards and sending these off for tissue testing. “Once you have the results, bespoke foliar applications are the best way to correct any deficiencies in-season,” he says. “This year has posed some serious challenges already for growers. To get accurate information to help make sure crops have the best start, combining both soil sampling and tissue testing, then correcting any deficiencies with foliar feeds, will be the key to success,” concludes Chris.

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Science report highlights challenge in meeting UK net zero carbon goals for livestock

n independent report assessing the carbon intensity of all UK livestock production systems has identified that currently available technologies cannot deliver even half the industry’s 2050 carbon emissions reduction goal.

Commissioned by CIEL (Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock), written by environmental, climate and livestock scientists from eight renowned UK research institutions and endorsed by a further six, the ‘Net Zero Carbon & UK Livestock Report’ will be used to inform the debate about climate change and the role livestock can play to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming. “The report represents a widely agreed summary of the current research available on greenhouse gas emissions from the main farmed livestock species in the UK - with interpretation and a number of recommendations from leading livestock, environmental and climate scientists,” says Lyndsay Chapman, CIEL Chief Executive.

need for new innovations to further reduce emissions beyond the levels that currently known mitigation strategies will deliver. “The report has identified that even if all known methods for mitigation of carbon emissions were taken up rapidly, the industry could only deliver 19% of the aspirational carbon reduction target by 2035, highlighting the urgent need to advance technologies and develop new innovations to address this critical issue,” he says. “Livestock farming is an integral part of UK agriculture, our landscape and food

“We wanted the report to review current knowledge and identify areas where there are gaps in our ability to measure or achieve the target reductions in emissions set for UK agriculture. We also wanted to provide benchmarks for the carbon footprint of farmed livestock, hotspots where the greatest emissions occur and where there are opportunities to focus future efforts to reduce emissions.”

Dr Elizabeth Magowan, AFBI “And for that we need more innovation, collaboration and widespread adoption,” he adds.

The need for innovation Call to action

Lead scientist, Professor Bob Rees, from Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), stresses the

Dr Elizabeth Magowan, from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), coordinated the report, and says the intention is for it to be used as a baseline to drive change throughout the livestock supply chain. Prof Bob Rees, SRUC systems, but it’s a complex system involving flows of carbon, nitrogen, water and atmospheric gases. “In order to help balance the reduction in emissions with the production of high-quality nutritious food, a combination of strategies is needed. These must consider all dimensions of sustainable agriculture including carbon efficiency, soil health, animal health and welfare, and much more.

“The report should be used by all parties in the wider supply chain and policymakers to inform debate and complement the good work already being carried out elsewhere in the sector. “It is a call to action. While the industry is making steps in the right direction, the ambition to achieve the UK’s target is huge and known technologies and practices can only get us part of the way. The report concludes that a combination of greater investment (resources, intellectual capital and financial), improved carbon accounting and education resulting in adoption, are required for the UK livestock industry to achieve its net zero carbon goal within the next 30 years,” she concludes.

Lyndsay Chapman CIEL CEO

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RIDBA Strives for the Highest Standards with CE Marking Campaign Last year, the Rural and Industrial Design and Building Association launched a campaign to promote the importance of CE marking, not only as a reminder of the legal obligations but also as a pillar of compliance in the industry. or fabricated structural steelwork, CE marking became mandatory on 1 July 2014 and even six years on, there is not always an even playing field. RIDBA’s campaign outlines four key reasons why CE marking is valued by RIDBA members, and why clients can have confidence when choosing a RIDBA member:

Levelling the Playing Field RIDBA wants to ensure all companies in the sector can compete on equal footing. Large or small, steel frame manufacturers must meet the same standard – EN 1090-1. Having the CE Mark also ensures unscrupulous traders cannot undercut on price nor sacrifice safety. A Fully CE Compliant Industry RIDBA is raising the bar across the industry, supporting new members to achieve the CE mark, as well as supporting members through Brexit and through trade across the EU and the pending introduction of the UKCA mark early next year.

Client Peace of Mind Clients, Customers and Specifiers can be confident that RIDBA frame manufacturing have all achieved the CE mark, meet BS EN 1090 Parts 1 and 2, and designed to the latest design standards. Consistent Enforcement Trading Standards are now enforcing CE marking across the Country. RIDBA’s Primary Authority Agreement with Trading Standards ensures that enforcement of the CE Mark is consistent across the UK and providing a simple way for companies to report. RIDBA continues its efforts to tackle noncompliance in the sector through its partnership with Dorset County Council Trading Standards Service, in which a legal agreement is in place to investigate reports from RIDBA members of non-compliance of the Construction Products Regulation/ CE marking. A criterion of RIDBA membership is that CE marking must be achieved, to assure clients that members work to the highest and safest standards. In addition, RIDBA has also recently

introduced a Provisional membership category, designed to help start-up companies achieve their CE certification before coming a full member. To read more about RIDBA’s CE marking campaign, visit www.ridba.org.uk/ce-marking-campaign where you can download our campaign flyer. RIDBA Chairman, Neil Fox said: “A huge issue that our members face is having to compete with companies who are not complying with the Construction Products Regulation, and are cutting costs and safety measures by doing so. With this campaign, we work towards a more equal, safe and compliant industry for all, and will continue to strive or the highest standards by supporting and informing members with the changes to come.” For further information, contact: RIDBA The Building Centre 26 Store Street London WC1E 7BT 0844 249 0043 ridba.org.uk admin@ridba.org.uk @RIDBA_Office

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October 2020 | Farming Monthly |43

Selecting the Cor teel is a remarkably versatile construction material and has so many uses within modern agricultural and industrial buildings. In addition to the structural frames, which are usually made from hot-rolled carbon steel, galvanized cold-formed steel is often used for the purlins, cladding rails and the roof and wall cladding, while steel bolts hold the structural elements together and reinforcing mesh prevents the concrete slab from cracking. This versatility is due to the unique combination of properties that enable steel to be formed into useful shapes, while possessing sufficient strength to withstand the heaviest snow or strongest winds. Despite this, steel is usually regarded as a commodity to be bought at the lowest price possible from wherever it is available, often with little thought to the precise specification required for a particular job or the potential consequences of getting it wrong. The aim of this article is to shine a light on the hidden metallurgy within the humble steel beam or column and explain the how its properties determine its suitability for certain applications. Most engineers recognise the importance of specifying the correct steel strength, although ‘washing machine’ grade (commonly known as DX51) still finds itself used in structural applications, but how many engineers think about fracture toughness or specify the correct steel sub-grade? What about weldability or the impact of heat treatment or

44|Farming Monthly| October 2020

other fabrication processes on the steel’s properties? All of these issues should be considered routinely, but this is seldom the case in practice. Steel composition At its most basic, steel is an alloy of iron and a small amount of carbon (up to 1.67% by mass) plus small quantities of other elements. As the carbon content is increased, so the strength increases but the ductility reduces and it becomes more difficult to weld. By keeping the carbon content low and adding other elements, steel manufacturers are able to maintain the desired strength without losing ductility, but with other potential disadvantages. The steel composition is, therefore, a critical factor to consider when selecting the appropriate steel grade for a particular application. In practice, this is dealt with by a complex classification process resulting is a range of steel ‘grades’. BS EN 1993-1-1 contains a list of suitable steel grades for structural applications, such as beams and columns, along with the corresponding product standard for the steel, e.g. BS EN 10025 for structural steel. Provided that the engineer specifies the steel to the appropriate grade and the steel manufacturer makes it to the corresponding product standard, there should be no need to consider the composition any further. If, however, there is any doubt regarding the grade, for example if it is not clearly stated on the

documentation or there is no mention of the product standard to which it was manufactured, the engineer should check the stated composition on the mill certificate against the composition prescribed in the standard, e.g. does it conform to BS EN 10025 S355? It is worth noting at this point that hot rolled steel sections should be supplied with a CE mark, which should include the necessary information.

Photo credit: AC Bacon Engineering - Isle of Ely Primary School

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rrect Steel Grade

teel properties

Specifying the steel to BS EN 10025 will ensure that it is suitable for structural applications, while specifying the correct grade, e.g. S355, will ensure that it has the correct strength. However, there are three other properties that need to be considered: • Ductility • Fracture toughness • Weldability When steel is loaded in tension it follows the stress-strain relationship shown in Figure 1. Initially, the steel stretches in a reversible elastic fashion and carries the load without permanent deformation or damage. This is the state that all structural steelwork should remain in throughout its working life. If, however, the stress reaches the yield strength of the steel (fy in Figure 1), plastic deformation will begin to occur as the steel stretches with no corresponding increase in load (the horizontal portion of Figure 1). Importantly, the load is maintained in this condition. If steel in a structural frame started to yield, the rafters would sag, but would not collapse at this point. The extent to which a material can plastically deform

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without failing is known as its ductility, and it is this property that ensures what when steel structures become overloaded they give plenty of warning before collapsing. Beyond the plateau, the steel actually becomes stronger through a process known as work hardening before reaching its maximum tensile strength (fu) and, ultimately failing. The difference between the load at which the material begins to yield and the failure load provides a very useful safety margin in the case of an engineer’s miscalculations or the overloading of the frame by exceptional storms or snow drifts. Figure 1 Stress-strain curve for carbon steel Although steel can generally be regarded as a ductile material, its ductility is dependent on a number of factors including temperature and rate of loading. For example, a standard sample of S275 JR structural steel loaded slowly at 20°C will be ductile in nature, but the same piece of steel at -40°C loaded suddenly is likely to suffer a brittle failure. Such steel would therefore be unsuitable for use as a crane stop or crash barrier in cold climates. The difference between the brittle and ductile failures is related to the amount of energy that the steel can absorb during the fracture process and this property is referred to as the material’s fracture toughness. It was a lack of understanding of this basic principle that led to the tragic loss of the Liberty ships and numerous failures of bridges, marine and

offshore structures. The standard way of measuring the steel’s fracture toughness is with a test known as the Charpy Vnotch test. In this test, a small sample of steel with a 10 mm square cross section is given a 2 mm deep V shaped notch on one side. The sample is then placed in a test machine in which a pendulum is swung at the sample to break it. Having passed through the sample, the pendulum rises to a level corresponding to its resultant energy after the impact. Subtracting this value from the initial energy of the pendulum gives the amount of energy absorbed by the fracture process. By repeating the test for a range of sample temperatures, a picture can be built of the suitability of the steel for various applications. As a general rule, any sample absorbing 27 Joules of energy or more at a given temperature, may be regarded as being ductile at that temperature, while samples that absorb less than 27 Joules are brittle. The third property, weldability, is related to the composition of the steel and is measured by the steel‘s Carbon Equivalent Value (CEV). This is a measure of the combined content of carbon, manganese, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and copper. The CEV determines the welding procedures that need to be followed in order to obtain a reliable weld. All weld procedures must, therefore be qualified by a maximum CEV and should not be used beyond this limit. For further information contact: Dr Martin Heywood

October 2020 | Farming Monthly |45

Safety first for employees, dealers and customers John Deere will not attend international trade shows in 2021

in these uncertain times.

n order to ensure the safety of customers and employees, John Deere has announced that it will not attend any international agricultural and turf trade shows in Europe and the CIS during the company’s 2021 fiscal year (1 November 2020 to 31 October 2021), as this would require extensive international travel. Instead, the company will use a new marketing mix of traditional and digital tools to deliver information to customers.

Events of the last few months have profoundly changed everyone’s working and social lives. The protection of people’s health and safety is now more critical than ever, while maintaining close contact with customers is still important to provide reliable services

46|Farming Monthly| October 2020

“Farmers have done an excellent job in the emergency phase of COVID19 to ensure food supplies. For that we wish to express our appreciation to all our customers,” said Denny Docherty, John Deere Vice President Sales & Marketing, Region 2. “The pandemic has changed the world and our industry is undergoing a period of great change too. This also applies to our marketing activities.” The need for a new approach to communications with customers has therefore prompted John Deere to reduce its participation in trade fairs for the time being, and the company has decided not to exhibit at any international agricultural or turf show during the company’s next fiscal year, which ends on 31 October 2021.

organisation, in order to build a more customer driven and streamlined business. This is one of the biggest organisational restructurings in the company’s 183year history, which requires a change of marketing approach and an extended focus on Precision Ag technologies. “We are also expecting a major change in the exhibition landscape, driven by COVID-19 and digitalisation,” said Andreas Jess, John Deere Director Marketing, Region 2. “In the medium term, our company would welcome a new timetable to be implemented by the international trade fair organisations, to free up the show cycle across Europe. However, we will continue to support our John Deere dealers if they decide to participate in their local agricultural and turf shows, always based on the fact that the health and safety of both customers and dealers can be ensured.”

John Deere’s key focus in 2021 will be the change in its operating model, to become a ‘smart industrial company’. As previously announced, Deere is moving towards being a production system-based

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MB-trac Man Turns to Rygor to Help Restore Tractor to Former Glory

hen a passion for the MB-trac,

“I use my own MB-trac for

stemmed from sunny days spent on

light duties around my 30-acre

a Devonshire farm in the 80’s, turned

farm. I have a couple of the

into a fully-fledged business, Paul

original MB-trac 800 and a

A restored MB-trac by MBtracman.co.uk

James of MBtracman.co.uk needed a reliable and

later 900 turbo, as well as a mighty Mercedes-Benz

trusted Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts supplier to help

Unimog. I do have some customers who obviously

bring his love of this vehicle to life.

have invested in the MB-tracs as something to be admired and to take to shows, as the vehicle has a

“I grew up driving these incredible vehicles in the 80’s

strong following. They offer a great sense of nostalgia to

on a friend’s farm in Devon and about eight years ago I

many and are very desirable.

got into restoring them for myself. What very much “The key of course is being able to still get the relevant parts for these incredible vehicles. I have worked with Rygor Commercials for many years as they look after the Sprinter Vans I have, so it is was natural for me to deal with them for this too. It is always my preference to use Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts, as these are quality pieces designed specifically for these vehicles. Ashley in Rygor’s started as a passion project, soon piqued people’s

parts team at the Dealer’s Westbury site is brilliant. He’s

interest and I had requests to restore other MB-tracs.

always helped me and keeps me up to date with stock

service and taking the time and care to restore vehicles which customers hold close to their hearts. We invest in Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts as it is part of our commitment to providing a quality service. These restorations normally take around nine months, as we have a dedicated team member who works on each one, lovingly restoring it to its former glory. We’ve also just had two more arrive this week, which will be with us for a year, so there is always an exciting project on!” Ashley Bryant, parts advisor at Rygor Westbury said: “For us, it’s not about simply selling our customers a part, it’s about building trusting and reliable relationships with them. Only then can we ensure that we are not only providing them with the highest levels of service, but we are helping get their vehicles back on the move, whether to maximise vehicle uptime, or bring a classic back to its former glory.”

levels. He gets on the case quickly when I am requiring “I really think that these vehicles were lightyears ahead

a part and comes back to me

of their time. Even though production finished in 1991, I

with all the necessary

work with customers who are still using them for daily

information. He has sourced me

agricultural purposes because, like most Mercedes-

everything from mirrors, lights

Benz commercial vehicles, they are real workhorses and

and windscreen seals to badges,

are dependable. I work with customers in the UK and

filters and internal cab parts. He

Republic of Ireland, as well as on the Continent. Owners

also finds the data cards for the

know that it is a reliable tractor and it can be repaired

original build codes, which my

and maintained as required, as you can still get

customers find really interesting

Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts for them. People invest in

to view. I have been impressed

these vehicles, because they know they retain value,

with how many parts I can still

they are sought after, still a pleasure to drive and offer

get hold of for vehicles that are

long term value,” Paul added.

more than 30 years old!” Paul said.

Paul has put his money where his mouth is and not only restores MB-tracs for customers, but has also

For Paul and the team at

invested in his own over the years.

MBtracman.co.uk it’s all about providing a quality

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October 2020 | Farming Monthly |47

48|Farming Monthly| October 2020

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REESINK AGRICULTURE EXPANDS SALES TEAM FOR FARMTRAC TRACTOR BRAND

raig Bradshaw has been appointed to work as UK area sales manager for the Farmtrac tractor brand to

FullyCharged

continue its growth in the market and

and has quickly

secure dealers for the franchise.

secured a number of dealers across the UK. Craig

Craig was welcomed to the team in February, just before lockdown began, to

is on board to make sure the success continues.

build the Farmtrac brand in the UK. Despite the hiatus, conversations with

Craig says: “Not only have I got

interested dealers have continued post-

experience in farming, but sales too. I

positive. I think this will be a hugely

lockdown and as someone who has

spent nine years with two national banks

rewarding role, it has all the right

worked on a farm for five years, Craig

in a sales role, and then went to work at

ingredients – a reputable, established

says it’s easy to understand why.

an agricultural dealership for eight years

international distributor, bringing a

to combine farming and sales, selling both

competitive, good quality brand to the UK,

groundscare equipment and tractors. So, I

with the support of competitive warranties

importance having a reliable, quality

can see the appeal of Farmtrac from all

and finance available.”

tractor plays in getting the job done

sides – it’s not only a sound investment

quickly and efficiently. Farming is tough

for a farmer but it’s a sound business

If you are interested in the Farmtrac

work and not all tractor brands are the

opportunity for a dealer too.”

brand,

He says: “I know only too well the

same. Having worked as a farmer for five years after leaving school I am aware of

call 01480 226800, email Steven Haynes, tractor sales manager

what constitutes a good tractor and

at Reesink, says of the appointment:

Farmtrac brings everything you need to

“Craig’s role is to build the brand in the

the role. I was delighted to join the

UK and grow a dealer network essentially

company and be part of something I think

from scratch. His experience and

is going to be big from the beginning.”

credentials across many aspects of our

info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk, or visit reesinkagriculture.co.uk.

industry stand him in excellent stead for Since its launch at LAMMA in January, the Farmtrac range has been

this. It’s going to be exciting to see what opportunities this brings to the business.”

endorsed by dignitaries from the world of technology, engineering, agriculture and

Craig concludes: “I rely on first

politics, has appeared on BBC’s

impressions and my first impressions of

Countryfile and the world's number one

Steven, the team behind him and Reesink

clean energy and electric vehicle channel

as a business to work for were entirely

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October 2020 | Farming Monthly |49

Pioneer user story- Andrew Johnson farmer/ gamekeeper Suffolk

Suffolk farmer and gamekeeper who invested in a Honda Pioneer 700 M2 side x side UTV two years ago is convinced he selected the best machine for the job.

Andrew Johnson and his father David farm near Bury St Edmunds, growing traditional arable crops. There is also a very successful commercial shooting business known as Lodge Farm, Hunston Shoot which is run by Andrew, and which offers guest, commercial and individual sold days as well as syndicate shoots and walk-up days. Associated diversification activities include a shooting range in a disused quarry, deer stalking and hosting major clay pigeon shooting events each year. Honda ATVs have been used on the farm for many years, and were also shared with the shoot, but two years ago Andrew decided that a dedicated shoot vehicle was needed, with additional load capacity and offering greater year-around comfort. “I use a 4x4 pick-up truck, but its suitability for off-road use is limited, partly due to its size, and also because it would cause unacceptable damage to farm and woodland tracks when it’s wet,” explained Andrew. “Our Honda TRX500 Foreman ATV has been excellent, so we decided we would keep that but also look for a suitable load carrying UTV as the main shoot vehicle.” The UTV’s primary tasks were expected to include; general off-road transport, daily feeding from autumn until spring across the whole shoot, pest control, transporting clay pigeons, and it also had to be capable

50|Farming Monthly| October 2020

of abstracting deer carcases during culling to control numbers. Ideal size Several brands of side-by-side UTV were considered and Andrew sought advice from other local gamekeepers and farmers using a variety of makes. He also borrowed a Honda Pioneer demonstrator from his local main dealer to assess its suitability. “Size is key for us and although some other brands have larger load beds and carry more weight, they also tend to be wider which means they won’t fit between some of the mature trees on our daily feeding route. The Pioneer is light and nimble to ride and its manoeuvrability is excellent, so we bought the demonstration machine from our local main dealer MKM Agriculture.” Capable but economical The Pioneer’s use averages 90 minutes per day from autumn to spring, and Andrew said typical fuel consumption was 20 litres per week last winter in the wet, muddy conditions which required 4wd to be selected for much of the time. During the previous drier winter average fuel use was slightly less, and Andrew says that overall the Pioneer is extremely economical and uses little more fuel than the Foreman, despite its generous load carrying capability. “It’s interesting that because we were used to the excellent economy of our Honda Foreman ATV we didn’t even consider the petrol versus diesel argument when choosing the UTV,” he added. “Our focus was purely on the machine’s suitability for the task, and the

Honda was clearly the best of the alternatives considered. Almost two years on we are delighted with our decision, and we know that if we had opted for a diesel machine it would have been noisier, slower and less comfortable. Many of my friends who have travelled in the Pioneer or seen it working have commented how well it performs compared to their own UTVs, and I believe that several will add the Pioneer to their lists of potential successors when their current machines are due for updating.” Because most of the Pioneer’s use is during the winter, Andrew specified a fully enclosed cab which he said was a good decision. “It protects against the worst of the weather and improves year around comfort, but even with the relatively quiet petrol engine it can be a bit noisy when the doors and windows are shut, so some additional sound-proofing would be useful. We opted for a heater but haven’t needed it as the cab receives some heat from the engine. However, the blower is really useful as it prevents the windows from misting up when we get in with wet clothing.” Until August this year the Pioneer had worked 350 hours and travelled just over 5,000kms whereas the TRX500 Foreman ATV’s workload has halved. The ATV is used on the farm mainly but is also brought in to help with transport during the clay pigeon shooting events which attract up to 500 entrants over two days. “Our main event is the Cheddite Sporting Championship which we run every year and that includes 12 stands and 24 traps which all have to be kept supplied with clays,” Andrew explained. “It’s the only time that we need a trailer behind the Pioneer for extra load capacity.”

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Not put a foot wrong Andrew says that since purchasing the Pioneer it ‘hasn’t put a foot wrong’. “I really like it. It’s comfortable and its ability to carry larger loads than the ATV saves us time, and reduces wear and tear on the 4x4 pick-up. Last winter’s wet conditions highlighted just how versatile it is, and if we hadn’t had it to transport feed and other materials around the shoot then we would have had problems, as it was definitely too muddy for other vehicles. “Having used Honda ATVs for many years we have the utmost confidence in the brand’s reliability, but it’s also very good to know that with the sales and service team at MKM Agriculture just a few miles away there is always excellent back-up available.”

Honda Pioneer 700 M2 Load bed capacity - 386kg Trailer capacity - 68kg Seats - 2 Engine - 675cc, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, petrol. Transmission - Torque converter, 3-speed mechanical drive, fully automatic Drive - Shaft to front and rear axles, selectable 2/4wd. Locking differentials Tyres - 5-8-12 front, 25-10-12 rear

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October 2020 | Farming Monthly |51

New 2021 Yamaha ATV line up announced Yamaha has announced a new ATV line up including the new Kodiak 450 EPS which includes diff lock and a winch as standard. he Yamaha Kodiak 450 ATV has been updated for 2021 with diff lock as standard on all electric power steering (EPS) models and includes a safer, utility focussed rear braking system throughout the range. “This machine is nimble, easy to handle and now offers greater off-road traction, stability and safety,” explains Yamaha ATV manager William Kay.

Yamaha has also announced the release of a new Kodiak 700 EPS which will be available before the end of 2020. The 700 and the 450 Kodiak models will both benefit from a wet braking system. “Our multi-disc wet rear brake is designed for farm work. The sealed, oil

The addition of diff lock to the Kodiak will enable the operator to lock in power to all four wheels for better off road traction. “This is especially advantageous in wet and muddy conditions. The locking differential forces all wheels to spin at the same speed, regardless of traction, helping the ATV to maintain drive momentum,” explains Mr Kay. All Kodiak models will be specified with Ultramatic® transmission which maintains tension on the drive belt to provide a consistent throttle response. “The constantly variable transmission (CVT) provides the correct gear ratio as the ATV speeds up and also acts to provide engine breaking when the ATV is going downhill,” he explains. The rider is also able to automatically switch between 2WD, 4WD and diff lock settings with the push of a button.

cooled brake cannot be inhibited by dirt and debris that can get stuck in conventional disc brakes. This makes the ATV better suited to year round farm use, more predictable in braking and will reduce the need for costly brake repairs,” says Mr Kay.

The range topping Grizzly 700 ATV is being relaunched in a range of new colours and will be supplied with alloy wheels as standard for the first time. Yamaha has committed to fitting Warn VRX 25 winches as standard on all Kodiak and Grizzly models. The 15-metre winch has a 1,134 kilo pulling capacity and a rocker switch mounted to the handlebar. “Modern winches are used by farmers on such a regular basis, for jobs like pulling cut trees, fencing, or recovering vehicles. It is a vital piece of equipment for farmers and should therefore not come at an additional cost,” says Mr Kay. Yamaha has kept the unique compact design of its ATVs in the new models to offer farmers machines that are easier to manoeuvre in, and through, tight spaces. “We understand farmers need a stable ATV, but we don’t believe this should come at the cost of versatility. It is important that an ATV can go anywhere, and our streamlined design enables riders to pass through tight gates and operate in small spaces,” says Mr Kay.

Alloy wheels and Warn VRX 25 winches will be fitted as standard on all Grizzly 2021 models

52|Farming Monthly| October 2020

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Suzuki ATV protects its customers with Datatag

he CESAR Security System, powered by Datatag, is the official security initiative of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) and is fitted as a standard feature on all new Suzuki utility ATVs.

premiums.

However, this outstanding security system is anything but standard.

With Datatag installed, your Suzuki ATV becomes four times less likely to be stolen and six times more likely to be recovered. The latest statistics from the latest Suzuki ATV registration and theft report back this up too. Out of all Suzuki’s ATVs sold, there is only a 1.9% theft rate and crucially, a 24.5% recovery rate, which matches any tracker system.

Datatag is a unique security system comprised of layers that will never wear out or need servicing. Once fitted, it gives your ATV a unique ‘fingerprint’ with an identity that cannot be erased, however hard a criminal may try.

With a security system that’s easily installed and acts as both a powerful deterrent against theft and an invaluable aid in recovery in the event of loss, protecting your Suzuki ATV has never been easier!

It is virtually impossible to defeat this multi-layered system, giving you peace of mind plus the added benefit of up to 12.5% reduction in insurance

Head of ATV for Suzuki GB, Mark Beeley, said, “We have been working in partnership with Datatag for 6 years now and we are confident that we are providing

our customers with a robust anti-theft solution to give them even more peace of mind that a Suzuki KingQuad is the best ATV for them.” Dave Luscombe from Datatag said, “We have been very proud to work with Suzuki over the past 6 years helping them provide their customers with industry-leading security.” To find out more about Suzuki KingQuads and all their other rider benefits visit: www.atv.suzuki.co.uk To find out more about Datatag, visit: www.datatag.co.uk

TGB BLADE 1000 FIT FOR PURPOSE

he Blade series from leading Taiwanese manufacturer TGB comprises a number of high-spec, sensibly-priced road-going agricultural and utility ATVs. Sitting right at the top of the range is the flagship TGB Blade 1000 LTX.

With its line-up of mid to high-capacity machines, TGB offers a solution for most agricultural and utility situations where a tough but nimble machine is required. And, when a shot of additional muscle and power is needed, the Blade 1000 is more than ready to step up to the challenge.

Cooling; Liquid cooled

Gear selection; L/H/N/R/P

Drive type; 2/4-wheel drive, selectable

Gearbox; Automatic gears

Dry weight mass; 380 kg

Ground clearance; 295mm

Electric power steering; Yes

Max power; 86hp (off-road)

Electrical outlet connector; DC 12V 10A 120W

Max Torque; 77.7nm

Engine braking system (SBS); Standard

Overall height; 1290 mm

Engine Type; 4-stroke V-Twin

Overall length; 2330 mm

Upfront, a full LED headlight system is set in a stylish and aggressive front wrap-round body panel, with a removable front grill and strip indicators, all topped off with a roomy and strong front rack. The TGB is a full-size, two-up machine with a comfortable passenger seat that features pillion grab bars, back rest and rear rack. A digital dash, tow hitch and electronic winch completes the Blade 1000 LTX package. It is also fully Euro 4-compliant.

Final drive; Shaft

Overall width; 1200 mm

Front brakes; 230mm dual hydraulic disc

Start type; Electric

Front differential; Electric lock Front rack (max loading); 30kg

Tow hitch; Yes

Front shock absorbers; EVO hydraulic 220mm wheel travel

Unbraked towing capacity; 894kg

With an unparalleled five-year manufacturer warranty, and a price point under £9000 plus VAT, this is one machine that is truly fit for purpose.

Rear brakes; 210mm dual hydraulic disc

Winch: Yes

Rear differential; Electric lock

SRP: £8,749.00 excluding VAT

Combining a powerful 997cc V-Twin EFI engine with reprofiled camshafts designed to increase low-end torque and give a more linear power curve, the big Blade gives the rider more usable power in all riding conditions. It has front and rear differentials to provide confidence-inspiring on and offroad handling, together with three-mode adjustable electric power steering and hydraulic shocks.

Specifications; Bore/stroke; 92 x 75.0mm Capacity; 997cc Clutch; Automatic - CVT Compression ratio; 10.2

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Transmission type; V-belt CVT automatic Warranty; 5 year manufacturer limited warranty

Rear rack (max loading); 50kg Rear shock absorbers; EVO hydraulic 242mm wheel travel Front/rear suspension; Independent double A-arm Fuel system; Electronic Fuel Injection

For further product information and stockist details, contact the UK distributor for TGB: Dualways T: 01623 708607 www.dualways.com

Fuel tank capacity; 23 litres

October 2020 | Farming Monthly |53

VOLVO XC90 RECHARGE PLUG-IN HYBRID WINS LARGE SUV OF THE YEAR TITLE IN THE NEWS UK MOTOR AWARDS •

Volvo flagship praised for its “performance, practicality, frugality, technology and luxury”

calming, minimalist interior seats seven in comfort, the ride quality is class leading and the powertrain really packs a punch. Performance, practicality, frugality, technology and luxury in one package – we were really impressed.”

•

Plug-in hybrid technology delivers strong acceleration and exceptional efficiency

Market-leading electrification strategy

•

Luxurious seven-seater can travel up to 30 miles on electric power, without emitting any tailpipe emissions

•

Benefit-in-kind tax rates from just 15% for company car drivers

olvo’s XC90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid has been named the Large SUV of the Year in the News UK Motor Awards. This fourth major honour so far this year for the flagship of the Volvo range reinforces the success of the company’s ambitious electrification programme and the strong market appeal of its seven-seat SUV.

Announcing the award yesterday, Will Dron, Driving.co.uk Editor, said: “Plug-in hybrids really can be the best of both worlds when topped up with electricity every day, but the Volvo XC90 Recharge offers a lot more besides potential fuel savings and ultra-low emissions. The

54|Farming Monthly| October 2020

Volvo has taken a market lead in making plug-in hybrids available across its entire UK model range, giving customers access to a wide choice of ‘part-time electric cars’ to suit their

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needs. This move prefaces the company’s roll-out of a series of fully electric vehicles – spearheaded by the new XC40 Recharge Pure Electric – supporting its corporate goal of becoming a carbon-neutral global business by 2040. Power with efficiency The T8 petrol-electric powertrain in the XC90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid is not only the most powerful in the line-up, with a 303hp petrol engine and an 87hp electric motor, it also delivers exceptional efficiency, giving an all-electric range of up to 30.4 miles, CO2 emissions from 63g/km and fuel economy of up to 100.9mpg (WLTP Combined cycle).

Kristian Elvefors, Volvo Car UK Managing Director, said: “We are honoured to receive this award for the XC90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid, a model that sits at the pinnacle of our range and which represents the core qualities we are building into all our cars – not least cleaner and highly efficient new electrified powertrains. We’re proud to be making these available to our customers without compromising the safety, quality, performance and practicality upon which we have built our success as a brand.”

For more information on the XC90 range, and to use the online configurator, please go to https://www.volvocars.com/uk/car-configurator/suv/xc90

The XC90’s impeccable performance credentials are matched by its luxurious equipment level, advanced safety and driver-assistance systems, comfort, seamless connectivity and designed-in practicality for day-to-day use.

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MITSUBISHI SHOGUN SPORT: THE UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MOST CAPABLE SEVEN-SEAT 4X4 IS NOW EVEN BETTER VALUE

Underpinning its sure-footed dynamics is a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, fully coil sprung, while the mount points and the structure of the lateral rod mounts have been engineered to provide straight line and cornering stability.

he Mitsubishi Shogun Sport is now available from just ÂŁ29,975 OTR, including three years free servicing, representing outstanding value for money for customers in need of a truly tough and rugged 4X4 vehicle.

Built with some of the toughest environments in the world in mind, the Shogun Sport remains the most capable full-size off-roader ever produced by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), combining a powerful 181PS 2.4-litre turbo diesel engine with an advanced Super Select 4WD-II system that has been engineered to take on even the most challenging terrains. Every Mitsubishi Shogun Sport, including a dedicated commercial version, is equipped with four transmission hardware settings, four Terrain Control System traction modes, a switchoperated locking rear differential as well as several additional software systems to help with extreme off-road or towing situations, including Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, Uphill Control, Downhill Control, Throttle Release Control and Rapid Kick-down Control.

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And yet despite being so capable in the harshest of driving environments, Mitsubishi Motors’ off-road flagship also delivers bold and distinctive styling; ample interior space with seven seat capacity and high levels of luxury including an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, a touchscreen infotainment system with DAB and smart phone connectivity, leather upholstery with electrically-adjusted front seats and dual-zone climate control on all variants.

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Shogun Sport range now priced from £29,975 OTR including three years free servicing

The Shogun Sport is also equipped with a number of key safety technologies as standard including LED headlamps, tail lamps and DRLs; Hill Start Assist; rear view camera, reversing sensors and speed sensing automatic door-locking. Top-of-the-range Shogun Sport 4 models are additionally fitted with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM), Blind Spot Warning (BSW); Ultrasonic mis-acceleration Mitigation System (UMS) and a 360° camera.

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Two variants available, both with a 181PS, 430Nm 2.4-litre turbo diesel engine and eight-speed automatic transmission

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Long list of advanced off-road driving features help make the Shogun Sport Mitsubishi Motors’ most capable full-size off roader ever

In addition to more affordable pricing and three years free servicing, the Mitsubishi Shogun Sport is also available with extremely attractive finance offers including three years 0% APR HP and 2.9% APR PCP. Full details, including eligibility criteria, terms and conditions can be found on the Mitsubishi Motors in the UK website: https://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/ owners/service-plan#msp and mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/buy/finance

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High equipment levels and comprehensive array of safety equipment means it is also a luxurious and sure-footed on road vehicle too

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Available with attractive finance offers including three years 0% APR HP Finance or 2.9% APR PCP for eligible customers

The new Mitsubishi Shogun Sport range is available to order now from Mitsubishi showrooms and is also available to purchase online via the Mitsubishi Motors’ Buy Online service: mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/buy

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October 2020 Farming Monthly National

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October 2020 Farming Monthly National