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Profitable crops through better management

Crop Production Magazine September 2009

Variable-rate seeding – a route to better yields?Variable-rate seeding – a route to better yields?

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Growing straw demandfor power generation

Growing straw demandfor power generation

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http://www.mauk.co.uk

CPM Crop Production Magazine

Editorial & Advertising SalesWhite House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury,Shropshire. SY5 8LP

Tel: (01743) 861122E-mail: [email protected]

Reader Registration Hotline 01728 622521

Advertising CopyBrooks Design, Scotts Mansion, 24 Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. SY1 1RD

Tel: (01743) 244403Fax: (01743) 244365E-mail: [email protected]

Publishing Editor Angus McKirdy

Sub Editor Charlotte Lord

Writers Tom Allen-StephensLouise ImpeyMartin RickatsonMick RobertsNiamh Tye

Design and Production Brooks Design

Advertisement Sales Angus McKirdy

Advertisement Co-ordinator Peter Walker

Volume 11 Number 8

September 2009

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

Precision route toagronomy perfection?

Could variable-rate seeding allow growers to unlock the true yield performance of their combinable crops?

High output – straw-walker or rotary?

Rotary machines offer more combinecapacity than straw-walker models –– yet the former has a reputation forspoiling the straw quality. CPM takes a closer look.

Sprayer replacementcuts time in the field

Lemken may not be thefirst name that springs tomind when thinking of sprayermanufacturers –– but one Essexfarmer is very pleased with his new trailed machine.

Combi cuts weed seed return

One Australian farmer has developed a novel system that feeds straw andchaff direct from combine to baler.Could it ever catch on in the UK?

FSS – better timelinessand cost-savings?

Achieving the right balance betweenseed quality and timeliness is always a tricky business. So which is best –– certified or farm-saved seed?

Crop Production Magazine –– September 2009 3

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FeaturesFeatures

Power demand sparksstraw rethink

Growers within a 100-mile-radius of the Drax power station have anopportunity to sell their straw for thegeneration of green energy. But is itworth the extra hassle?

Flower grower sleepssoundly with biobed

Building a biobed is lot easier than you might think. CPM visits a farm insouth-west Cornwall to find out more.

Controlled traffic on-track for success?

With high output machinery goinghand-in-hand with soil compaction,interest in controlled traffic farming is now growing.

Managing on-farmbiodiversity

One Yorkshire grower is managing to produce an impressive diversity of wildlife on his farm –– withoutaffecting his arable profits. CPMpays him a visit.

Focused on seedproduction

One Hants farm produces ten differentcrops and 27 varieties –– all of themfor seed. CPM enquires about thelogistics.

Britain’s biggest farmerplans to expand

Farming 28,000ha, the Co-operativeFarms has an economy of scale second-to-none. So how is the business planning to use its size tomaximise its competitive advantage?

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CPM Volume 11 No 8. Editorial, advertising and sales offices are atWhite House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury SY5 8LP.

Tel: (01743) 861122. CPM is published nine times a year by CPM Ltd and is available free of charge to qualifying farmers

and farm managers in the United Kingdom.

In no way does CPM Ltd endorse, notarise or concur with any of the advice, recommendations or prescriptions reported in themagazine. If you are unsure about which recommendations to

follow, please consult a professional agronomist. Always read thelabel. Use pesticides safely. CPM Ltd is not responsible for loss or

damage to any unsolicited material, including photographs.

Phoma still the targetOSR growers hoping to achieve consistently high yields need to reactquickly as soon as disease thresholdsare breeched.

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What price magic beans?Like most farmers I come across, I’mbroadly pro-GM. Given the popularity of the technology with our competitionabroad, it sounds like a bit of a ‘no-brainer’ to me. Farmers in the 24 countries where it’s already grownobviously like GM crops because theyprovide them with lower production costs through simpler, less expensivespray regimes.

The anti-GM camp does its best topatronise these farmers by suggestingthey’re in the grip of evil multi-nationalcompanies who want to take-over thendestroy the world with their dangerseeds. But having personally met quite afew GM growers from around the world,it’s clear these people are nobody’s fool.

Although they don’t exactly relish having to pay the tech fee for the seed,neither do I particularly enjoy paying royalties for new varieties –– but I do recognise that without honouring royalties and patents, you wouldn’t getany advancements in agriculture.

Furthermore, if farmers were of theview that they might be buggering up the ecology of their farms, or placingthemselves at a marketing disadvantage,GM seeds simply wouldn’t be as popularas they are in these countries.

At the end of the day, the fact thatfarmers in foreign fields have the choiceto grow either GM or non-GM seeds –– and the fact that they willingly choose

4 Crop Production Magazine –– September 2009

the former –– speaks volumes. At thelast count, there were eight million farmers worldwide growing GM cropsand to my mind, that’s eight million goodreasons why we should start growingthem here.

Having said all that, the currentdemands of the EU livestock industry for a relaxation of the consents on theimportation of GM protein is a bit of adouble-edged poser for the Europeanarable farmer. Ultimately, it’s crops likeimported soya beans which dictate the price of commodities like our ownprotein beans.

If the imported soya has the cost-savingbenefit of GM technology behind it ––and locally-grown beans do not –– we’llbe at a competitive disadvantage tofarmers in the GM-endorsing counties.You might even complain that it’s tantamount to treachery for politicians toallow foreign GM growers access to ourmarkets while denying our own farmersthe same cost-saving technology.

To my simple mind, if we can importGM crops into the UK, then it’s only right that we should be allowed to growthem as well. The trouble is, while protecting ourselves with this argument,we might find ourselves in bed with theanti-GM lobby.

The killer question is therefore whichshould come first –– the right to importGM feed, or the right to grow GM crops?

The growing costs of beans have shotup dramatically of late with the banning of simazine and paraquat. The herbicideswe’re left with are expensive and oftenstruggle to control the weeds they’reaimed at.

What a joy it would be if we could keepbeans clean with a shot of glyphosate inthe late spring. At current prices, it mighteven make them profitable to grow.

The miller’s taleRightly or wrongly, we’re persevering withour policy of concentrating on millingwheat on this farm. With premiumsaround 40% over feed last season, it made a lot of sense.

This year, we were lucky enough tobook-up some pre-harvest prices but I see premiums are now on the slide.

One interesting quirk from this year’scrop was, although the second wheatsyielded a worrying 30% less than the first wheats, they were much the same

in margin terms because of their higherprotein content.

We’ve recently been selling millingwheat on contract, with eye-wateringdeductions of £2 a point for proteinbelow 13%. If you crunch the numbers,it means a 7.5t/ha crop at 13% protein is actually worth more than a 10t/ha crop at 11%.

I have to admit that the low proteincontent of the first wheat comes down tomy own stupidity. The price of nitrogenlast year made me mess about trying tobuy cheap fertiliser and I took my eye offthe more important task of getting theagronomy right.

In short, we didn’t use any sulphurand we cut the nitrogen rate back to200kgN/ha in the first wheats and I nowsuspect this was a false economy ––especially because we’re growing millingvarieties. But when the nitrogen pricewas going into orbit, my mind went a bitspaced out with it.

Given the twin price roller-coasterswe’ve endured with nitrogen and grainover the past 24 months, working out the optimum fertiliser needs of the cropcan be a bit of a head-scratcher for themathematically-challenged like me……..

Email your comments and ideas [email protected]

SMITH’S

SOAPBOX

With just 4ha of spring beans left to do, we arrived on a Friday morning to findsomeone had removed the cab from ourcombine. It’s an old routine for creaturesof the night in the Clacton area ––stove-in the window, check the interiorfor anything of value then remove all fingerprints by torching the cab.Easier than wearing gloves, I suppose.Meanwhile, it looks like we’ll be buyinganother combine for 2010.

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

implications and opportunities from whichyou can improve day-to-day managementdecisions,” says Ian Beecher-Jones.

Yield and nutrient-mapping are justtwo examples of sets of area-specificdata which can be gathered. “Precisionfarming allows you to quantify any variability across a given crop –– and if you can measure that variability, youcan obviously manage it.

“Then, by using targeted agronomy to manage the variability, crop yields can increase or at least, become moreconsistent across each field.”

15% of cropped areaTurning this concept into a service whichcan be used by farmers is what SOYLhas been doing since it started precisionmapping in 1993 –– with the companynow claiming to have a customer basecovering 15% of the UK cropped area.

Its history illustrates the industry’s viewof precision farming, with the number ofcustomers growing relatively steadily in the early stages –– then doubling morerecently in less than two years.

This sharp rise in interest could be put down to the typical fertiliser savingsresulting from the nutrient-mapping andvariable-rate recommendations. But costsavings hardly feature as a benefit ofSOYLSeed –– a new variable-rate seedservice launched by the company at theCereals Event this year, according to Stuart Knight of TAG.

“Interest in the technique is indicativeof how growers are now seeking to makemaximum use of their precision farming

Precision route to agronomy perfection?

It’s not about gadgets, nor simply cost-savings.Variable-rate seeding could be an example of

how precision farming empowers growers with the potential to unlock a crop’s true

yield performance.

By Tom Allen-Stephens

‘This isn’t about re-inventing seed-rate agronomy –– we’re justspatially-applying the knowledge

that already exists.’

ttention to detail’ is probably themost overused expression in cropagronomy. Like a siren voice

that pulls on your conscience, you’re constantly reminded that ‘attention todetail’ is the Holy Grail that will delivermore tonnes per hectare, grammes per hectolitre and gongs from the localEnvironment Agency officer.

The trouble is, how do you deliver itwhen you’re expanding the area farmedyear-on-year thereby limiting the time thatcan be devoted to each hectare?

For an increasing number of arablefarmers, precision farming is providing a solution. Once a niche area, it seems that the technology has now proved itself to be an agronomic tool that can deliverenhanced crop performance.

“For too long, the agronomy of precisionfarming has been undervalued, underratedand underused,” believes Ian Beecher-Jones, project leader of HGCA’s BePrecise initiative.

“The perception is that it’s all aboutgadgets and technology. But when youstart to use it, the agronomic understandingof your land –– its limits and true potential–– naturally increases.”

The leap in fertiliser prices has been the prompt for a huge surge in interest inprecision farming –– with the input costsavings alone covering the GPS-mappingand capital cost in just 2-3 years in some cases.

But the majority of new converts havecome to realise that the real potential benefits of precision farming lie in its ability to gather and deliver huge amountsof cropping data.

“If you go into precision farming looking to save money, you’ll only get so far. If you want to maximise the potential of the technology, you need a full understanding of the agronomic

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http://www.deere.co.uk

Many growers are sceptical of the benefitsof precision farming, according to feedbackgleaned at a Potato Council East MidlandsPotato Day. A workshop session at theevent explored the potential of the newtechnology.

“A common problem highlighted is whatto do with contour-zone yield maps,” notesindependent consultant Fraser Milne, wholed the discussion. “Growers are looking forexamples of how to apply precision farmingfrom trusted sources.

“Without this information, it’s a gambleand few have the time or the knowledge tocarry out their own experiments.”

So what are the trusted sources of information? HGCA’s Be Precise initiative(www.hgca.com/beprecise) is currentlyaddressing issues of independent validation, as well as providing case studies and practical advice on precisionfarming in cereals.

TAG’s Stuart Knight warns that not alltechniques will provide a financial benefit.“Variable-rate seed is only likely to bringbenefits to those with large in-field variances in soil type, for example.”

A series of HGCA workshops areplanned for later this year to specificallyaddress how to make the best use of yieldmaps, says Ian Beecher-Jones. “Theseworkshops are more applied than the onesearlier in the year –– it’s really for thosewho have yield maps and don’t know whatto do with them. We’ll run scenarios basedon actual examples and have hands-on discussions with consultants.”

Some established commercial companies draw on extensive in-field experience. For example, SOYL claims to have introduced more growers to precision farming than any other company–– boasting a team with a combined experience of more than 150 years in precision farming.

Simon Griffin concludes: “We’ve got acomputer model based on our database of750,000 soil samples. This shows growersthe likely results that they’ll get from usingvariable-rate P and K on their farms, basedon actual results from same-sized farms onsimilar soil types with the same cropping.It’s about as close as you can get to a real-world scenario.”

Quest for a ‘trusted source’

capabilities.” He has put together acost:benefit tool as part of the Be Preciseinitiative. “Seed costs typically don’t represent a large proportion of the growing costs overall, so the extent towhich you can save money by varyingthe seed rate is relatively small.

Crop structure“Where you’re likely to benefit is by cutting down on the over-thick patcheswhere the seedbed is good, and the over-thin areas where crop establishmenthas been poor. The potential benefits from getting the right crop structure from the start are greater than the cost-savings on seed.”

The ideal crop is a uniform one sincethis makes it easier when deciding how tobest manage it to maximise its yield andquality, he continues. “Good agronomy isall about doing the best job you can atevery stage –– albeit that you’re often starting with a variable seedbed. The cropwill compensate to some extent but thevariation in the resulting crop structure can still lead to problems.”

For example, patches of heavy landmay produce a cloddier seedbed wherethe establishment will tend to be poorer

“Adopting precision farming techniques willhelp boost the agronomic understanding ofyour land,” says Ian Beecher-Jones.

Precision agronomy in actionLaunched at Cereals 2009, SOYLSeed isthe first commercially-available service tolink the agronomy of crop establishmentwith precision mapping. It consists of afour-stage plan that allows optimumseed rates to be delivered across thewhole field:

Stage 1 – A survey of the soil’s physicalproperties is undertaken through adetailed electrical conductivity survey.This gives information related to the soiltexture, depth, stoniness and moisturecontent – measured in both the topsoiland subsoil.

Stage 2 – A vital step in the evaluationprocess is the physical soil survey. Areashighlighted by the conductivity map areground-truthed by an experienced soil scientist. Each zone is assessed for texture, stone content, soil depth and compaction. This allows the creation ofpotential seed rate ‘zones’.

Stage 3 – Each zone is assessed for the potential seedbed quality and plant losses:l A high clay or stone content may have

more plant losses, so a higher seed rate is required.

l Lighter land may produce a less cloddy seedbed and plant losses will be lower, so the seed rate can be reduced.

The difference in potential establishmentcan be used to vary the seed ratearound the default rate.

Stage 4 – The variable seed rate map,once finalised, is then converted into adigital file compatible with the GPS kitused on a seed drill controller. CurrentlySimba Horsch, Väderstad, RDS,Amazone and Kverneland all have controllers capable of variable-rate seeding.

Key benefits:l Improved crop management – a more

even canopy with less lodging and disease

l Improved profitability – potential for seed, PGR and fungicide savings

l A permanent field record – once a fieldis ‘zoned’, the data can then be used for many years, with a range of different applications

Cost: The full service, including surveys andfirst-year advice, costs £15/ha. ContactSOYL on 01635 204190 for more details(or visit www.soyl.co.uk).


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http://www.dowagro.com/uk

Will Mumford dreams of the day he can takehis combine through a 14t/ha wheat crop.“The key thing we’re looking to do is to even-up the plant numbers so we can getthe optimum nitrogen into the crop without it going flat.”

He grows 250ha of winter wheat, barleyand oilseed rape at Great Staughton near St Neots, Cambs. Wheats typically achieve10t/ha on his predominantly heavy clays

but he reckons they have potential to deliver more.

“Yield maps have shown we were getting very variable yields across the fieldbut if we tried to increase the nitrogen, therewere some areas that we know would goflat. It was clearly some variation in the soilthat was at the root of the issue.”

So in 2008, the farm carried out a soilconductivity survey through SOYL. “The landis predominantly heavy but it’s the lighterareas within these fields that are the mostfertile where we have to be careful on ourplant counts.”

Using the ‘zones’ created as a result ofmapping, Will Mumford took a bold decisionto vary his seed rate by up to 100% last year–– with his early-drilled Claire going in at 60-120kg/ha, for example. “I figured that you wouldn’t see much of a difference at just 10%.

“I’m not saying everyone should vary it by such a large amount but we were confident of getting the right result.”

And it worked –– the plant count evened-up significantly and the yield

across each field was also more consistent,with no lodging, he says. “We’re getting very impressive results now, although we’relearning and there are places where we canprobably do an even better job.

“One thing you notice is how easy it is when combining because the crop is so even.”

This has given him the confidence to go for optimum nitrogen on his wheats ––with more scope to improve the quality andachieve a premium across a higher proportion of the crop, he believes. “We’reaiming for the premium local markets but wedo suffer from protein variation on the wheat–– while varying the grain nitrogen oftenloses us the malting premium.

“I’m convinced varying the seed rate willhelp take some of the quality variation out.”

Will Mumford believes he’s only seen thebeginning of what variable-rate seed canachieve. “It’s the area of precision farmingthat’s most overlooked. It may not have theestablished returns of variable-rate P and Kbut this is definitely where the secret lies inachieving a crop’s true potential.”

Pushing the potential

Will Mumford varied his seed rate by upto 100% last autumn.

–– with more slug damage as a result, he says. “For a standard seed rate, thismay lead to too low a plant population –– yet the soil should have good moistureretention and sufficient nutrient supply.

“So the yield could be limited by thenumber of plants if tiller production andsurvival is insufficient to compensate.”

The same seed rate planted in a lightsoil will tend to establish well but may pose

different agronomic problems, continuesStuart Knight. “If the plant population istoo high, it will tend to encourage diseaseand increase the risk of lodging as well.

“Moreover, the soil may have poorer

“Growers will benefit most by cuttingdown on the over-thick and the over-thinareas within each field,” believes Stuart Knight.

moisture retention, and you may end up with a crop structure that can’t be sustained as a result. So the qualitycould suffer –– even if yield is unaffected.”

A previous HGCA review of the various

Choosing the correct seed rate is a constant compromise for Northants growerRoger Brown. Across the 320ha he looksafter at Tibbetts Farm near Brackley, his soil type varies from the lightest ofsands to heavy clay –– often within thesame field.

“You take the combine through with theyield monitor and what you think is a thickpatch of crop simply doesn’t yield.Meanwhile, you know your heavy land iscapable of producing a certain level of yieldand you want to do everything you can tomake it reach that potential.”

So last year, he planted three fields with a variable seed rate, using SOYLSeed(also see panel on p8). On the heavierland, the rate was raised above the standard by 20%, with a corresponding20% drop on the lighter land.

Plant counts taken earlier this yearshowed losses on the sandy land of just

30% –– and 50% on the heavy land.“It looks like we successfully managed to

even up the establishment which is just aswell as it was a difficult autumn and winter for heavy soils this year.” With thefirst harvest now complete, Roger Brownnow wants to get a few years’ results inbefore he can be confident of the best wayto achieve clear benefits for his crops.

“Returns from variable-rate N, P and Kare pretty black and white –– it definitelyworks. This is about taking the technologyto the next logical stage.”

The plan is now to use the maps as thebasis to make other agronomic decisionsaffected by the soil’s inherent qualities.

“We can variably apply slug pellets, forexample. It’s still a bit of an unknown, butI’m sure it’s the right way to go. We’ll beable to learn so much about how we canimprove the potential of the crop.”

Taking the crop to the next stage


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Once fields have been ‘zoned’, seed ratescan be fine-tuned according to variationsin the soil type.

factors affecting crop establishment foundthe soil texture can have a significantimpact, he confirms. “Slight variations inthe texture aren’t worth worrying about butdiscrete patches of heavy and light soil inthe same field provide a real opportunity to benefit from varying the seed rate.”

Conductivity surveyThe SOYLSeed service assesses thispotential through a conductivity surveyusing an EMI (ElectromagneticInduction) scanner. This provides information indicating the soil typeboundaries, explains the company’stechnical manager, Simon Griffin.

“Without proper interpretation, the scandoesn’t actually tell you very much on itsown, so the survey is ‘ground-truthed’ byan experienced soil scientist allowingpotential ‘seed-rate zones’ to be drawnup.” Existing soil surveys can be used butan interpreted conductivity survey providesthe best level of detail, he adds.

A conductivity survey will give informationon the clay content and soil depth, as well as the stoniness of the land and themoisture content, continues Simon Griffin.“Good interpretation of the data is crucial so light and heavy soils can be distinguished from compacted areas.”

Once fields have been ‘zoned’, theactual seed rate planted is decided in consultation with the grower andagronomist. “The thousand-grain weight,target yield and sowing date decide thestandard rate as usual, and this is variedup or down according to HGCAresearch-based recommendations.

‘Not re-inventing agronomy’“This isn’t about re-inventing seed-rateagronomy –– we’re just spatially applyingthe knowledge that already exists.”

The service has already been throughexhaustive field testing, he claims. “Initialwork goes back to pre-2000 but trialsover the past 4-5 years, combined withthe increased availability of drill controlsystems, gave us the confidence to roll itout as a commercial service.”

One of the key benefits is that the conductivity maps form a permanentmapped record which can be used notonly to vary the seed rate, but also toinvestigate other agronomy issues relating to the soil texture, he says.

“A further real opportunity is to use themaps to variably-apply slug pellets,” saysSimon Griffin. “The areas of a field wherethe slugs are worst are the same cloddyparts with a high clay content which are

picked out by the conductivity scan. “Targeting slug pellets will not only save

costs, but will also help keep metaldehydeout of surrounding watercourses.”

The conductivity maps can also be laid-over nutrient or yield maps to add a further depth to spatial investigation,says Stuart Knight: “It’s this element –– the ability to pinpoint and quantifycrop-husbandry issues –– that means the technology now has industry credibilityas a tool that helps to deliver attention to detail.

“Although the technology doesn’t actually tell you what to do, it does tell you where to do it –– and because manygrowers and agronomists are operatingon a large-scale nowadays, they don’thave the time to walk all of the fields andgather all the information they need toassess the individual requirements ofevery hectare of crop.

“Precision farming can do this readily

and automatically –– enabling growers tomonitor the impact of decisions they’vealready made. It doesn’t replace goodagronomy but it helps to ensure growersare fully aware of how their crops are performing –– allowing them to respond to their needs appropriately.” n

http://www.certiseurope.co.uk

High output – straw-walkeror rotary? High output – straw-walkeror rotary?

Which route should farmers take when they need a high capacity combine –– rotary or

conventional? CPM gets two alternative views.

By Martin Rickatson

‘We have a good relationship withthe dealer, and were impressed

enough to buy the combine.’

xon farmer David Markham has run a succession of straw-walkercombines, starting from his first

rotary machine –– bought almost twentyyears ago –– to the one he operates now.

He reckons it’s a mark of how farrotaries have come in terms of their capacity –– now representing the only realistic option available for the area ofland he farms with his brother, Michael, inco-operation with a neighbour, he believes.

The Markhams farm 360ha from a baseat Elm Farm, Newton Purcell on theOxon/Bucks border, with the rotationincluding winter wheat and barley, OSRand winter beans. For the past six years,the brothers have worked in co-operationwith a neighbour, sharing machinery overa combined total area of 880ha.

The two businesses aim to split theirmachinery costs by buying key items ofequipment without any duplication. For

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example, the other enterprise owns andoperates a Simba Solo ST, which is usedfor most of the primary cultivations acrossthe two farms. Meanwhile, the Markhams’combine is responsible for harvestingacross both units.

Pair of Masseys“Back in the mid-80s, we were running apair of MF 865s which, at the time, werethe largest of the firm’s straw-walker typemachines,” says David Markham. “MFthen bought the rights to a Canadian-builtrotary combine, made by White, and ourlocal dealer offered us the opportunity totry it.

“It was a very big combine for that time–– operating with a large, single rotor ––and was capable of harvesting 20ha a day in good conditions which seemedquite remarkable back then. We were particularly impressed by its throughputand threshing ability, and subsequentlybought the 8590 to replace our two 865s.

“We ran the machine for five yearsbefore it came up for renewal but at thatpoint, Massey Ferguson had withdrawnfrom the rotary sector and some alternativestraw-walker machines had come onto themarket from other manufacturers whichoffered much higher capacity than had


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With extra land to cover, David Markhamdecided to return to a rotary combine last year.

previously been possible with this type of combine.”

While assessing the options, theMarkhams’ local New Holland dealer, PATurney, suggested they try a TX68 –– amachine which, while using straw-walkersfor separation, had more horsepower anda bigger grain tank than the 8590, withgreater cleaning and separating capacityas well.

It was also available with 7.3m header–– almost 25% wider than the 6m unit onthe 8590, he recalls.

“We have a good relationship with thisdealer, and were impressed enough to buythe combine –– later switching to anuprated TX68 Plus when the originalmachine came up for renewal.”

Then, by the time the TX68 Plus wasdue for replacement, the Markhams had

begun their co-operation arrangement with their neighbour –– hence requiring a combine capable of harvesting a muchbigger area. Sticking with New Holland,the brothers decided to move up to aCX880, the successor to the TX68.

Too much to harvest“The CX was a good combine but we soonfound we were pushing the machine toohard to cut the total acreage of the twofarms. As a result, there were times whenwe were throwing too much grain out theback, while not keeping the drum fullenough –– especially in dry conditions. We also really struggled in the wet harvestof 2007.

“New Holland were very responsive toour problems, helping us to improve theset-up of the combine to address the issue

A few miles from Messrs Markham, Daniel Rooke, of D&P Rooke, based near High Wycombe, was one of the firstcustomers for John Deere’s T series straw-walker combines.

Daniel Rooke and his wife Penny havebeen managing their farming businesstogether since it started in 1997 –– currentlyrenting and contract farming around 680haof cropping, which includes winter wheatand winter barley, spring barley andoilseed rape.

They purchased their first JD harvester–– an AutoTrac-equipped T670 –– for harvest 2008, the decision being basedlargely on operating other John Deeremachines, and having a good relationshipwith their local dealer, Farol.

“I went to look at a pre-production T Series combine at a field demo in

Norfolk in 2007, and although the crop was flat, wet and horrible, I liked the lookof the machine.

“I wanted a replacement for our previouscombine that would give us increased output, but not necessarily a huge jump.And I wanted to stick with a conventionalmachine, rather than a big rotary, becausewe sell all of our straw, so we need it to beof good quality.

“The restrictions we have on field sizeand the significant amount of road work wehave to do, plus our limited drying capacity,also meant I didn’t want to make the jumpto a big rotary machine.

“Moreover, I was looking for a combinethat would cope well with working on hillsides since our land features a lot of banks and slopes.”

Daniel Rooke decided that, rather thanbuying a rotary, John Deere’s flagshipstraw-walker machine, the T670, fitted hiscriteria for a new combine being a six-walkermachine with a 400hp engine and an11,000-litre grain tank. Like the Markhams’combine, the Rookes’ harvester was delivered in time for harvest 2008.

“We’ve been really pleased with it so far–– it’s straightforward to operate, adaptableto all crops and conditions, and the poweris very well matched between the engineand the ‘guts’ of the combine. Working ingood conditions, we’ve managed outputsof around 46-48t/hr –– and even in poorweather, we’ve been able to achieve ourlowest ever sieve losses.

“Historically, we’ve always bought

second-hand machines, running the combines for three or more years beforereplacing them, so it was a big decision togo down the route of buying new. But afterlast year’s harvest in particular, I hate tothink what we’d have done without theextra capacity.

“We were doing 40ha+ (100 acres+)day-after-day in really difficult conditions,so we definitely made the right decision.”

Like the Markhams, Daniel Rooke wasalready making use of GPS guidance andsince he was already running a John Deere840i sprayer with AutoTrac automatic steering, he was familiar with the technologywhen it came to its application on his newharvester.

“AutoTrac made a tremendous differenceon the combine –– particularly last year ––with the extra stress of working long daysand nights to beat the weather. Out of all theapplications we have for AutoTrac on thefarm, I reckon this system made the biggest‘ease of management’ contribution.

“When you’re tired and sitting in thecombine at 2am, it makes such a huge difference when the job of steering is taken away from you, and you can see the combine covering the field with a fullbout width on every pass.”

Another very pleasing aspect has been the combine’s fuel efficiency, he says.“I reckon we averaged about 38 l/hr, but I expected it to be a lot higher than that to be honest. I believe we’re now getting a lot more output for a lot less fuel.”

Straw-walker machine suits Bucks farmer

Daniel Rooke stuck with a straw-walkermachine when replacing his combine ––one key reason being the need to maintainstraw quality.


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Farm FactsElm Farm Newton PurcellOxon

l Farm size: 360ha (machinery shared across this and 520ha farmed by a neighbour)

l Cropping: Winter wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape, winter beans

l Soils: Mainly Grade 3 clay

l Tractors:Case IH Magnum 335Fendt 818JD 6920S

l Combine:NH CR9080 Elevation with 9m header

l Sprayer: 36m Bateman, with 5,000-litre tank capacity

l Drilling equipment: 6m Simba Horsch Pronto

The Markhams try to limit soil compactionby only unloading on the headlands.

Rotary combines are simpler to set-up than conventional types, reckons David Markham. “The IntelliView III monitor is a great help on the CR9080.”

–– part of the solution being to raise therear of the machine to keep crop in thecombine for longer. But it was clear thatwe’d reached the limit of what we couldachieve with a straw-walker machine ––particularly as we were looking to acquirean extra 120ha of land at the time.”

Despite having developed a regulartrade selling straw off the field to a localcontractor for baling, the brothers decidedto look again at rotary separation believingthe technology had moved on sufficientlyto mean straw damage was less of a problem than it may have been previouslywith this type of machine.

So in 2008, they assessed a CR9080Elevation alongside two Claas Lexions –– a 570 and a 580.

Early decision“One of the things we decided early onwas that a tracked combine wasn’t whatwe wanted,” continues David Markham.“While they work well in the main body ofthe field, our main issue was that theycaused too much damage to the headlandstraw swaths when turning.” Road speed,ride comfort and cost were issues as well,he adds.

“However, we were conscious of theneed to reduce soil compaction, so wedecided to look at wide front tyres and apowered rear axle to help us in the wet.”

After trying the Claas and New Hollandmachines –– all of which use two rotors for separation, rather than a single unit, as fitted to the MF 8590 and some othermodern rotaries –– the Markhams choseto stick with New Holland, with a CR9080Elevation being purchased in time for harvest 2008.

“I liked many of the features of the New Holland and, apart from the internals,much of the machine’s design is similar to the CX880 we were using previously.”Staying with the same manufacturer, andbuying from a dealer on our doorstep whowe knew well, was also a factor in thedecision, he says.

Having now completed its second season, David Markham says he’s verypleased with the performance of theCR9080. “The extra power and capacitymeans we aren’t pushing the combinequite so hard to get the output we need,and a rotary is much easier to set-up thana straw-walker type machine.

“I use the IntelliView III touchscreenmonitor to select the right settings –– with a different rotor speed for each individual crop, fine-tuned according to the conditions. Moreover, I can now

transfer yield mapping data from the monitor to the fertiliser-spreading tractor to enable variable rates to be used andthis has enabled us to significantly reduceour input costs.

“Aside from threshing, I think the rotarysystem does a better job of separation ––sorting the crop from the chaff more effectively and producing a better sample.And our straw buyers have had no complaint with the material left behind the combine.”

The CR9080 is used with a 9m cutterbar, some 1.8m wider than the previous machine. In addition to the rotaryinternals, the extra cutting width goessome way to accounting for the additionaldaily capacity of the CR9080 over its predecessor, reckons David Markham.

“But GPS-assisted auto-steering issomething of a necessity with this width of header, helping to ensure that it’s cutting at full capacity at all times andallowing us to concentrate on maintainingthe output.”

Another big improvement over the previous header is the movable knife, hecontinues. “On the old header, we had touse Cheval extensions to account for theextra bulk in OSR –– with a fair bit of timeand hassle associated with attaching andremoving them. But now, extending theknife takes just a few seconds.”

One other factor David Markhambelieves has really helped the CR producehigh outputs over recent, difficult harvestsis the powered rear axle on the machine,combined with its 900mm front tyres.

Good job“I think this does just as good a job as a front track system in helping to keepthe combine going when conditions arewet under the crop,” he says. “It pushesthe machine forward when the going is difficult, but without causing it to dig in.

“I don’t use it all the time in the field butI have the option to put it in when I knowconditions are going to be soft or wet.Then on the road, we don’t suffer from the speed penalty that comes with havingfront tracks. Our furthest fields are aroundten miles from the farm and the combinehappily travels at 20mph on the road.”

In order to further reduce compactionon the farm’s Grade 3 clay soils, tractorsare kept off the body of the field, withunloading only taking place on the headlands –– and just one tractor beingused to drop-off and pick-up the trailers.

“All of these factors have helped us tokeep our outputs up in some pretty wet

soil conditions over the past couple of harvests,” concludes David Markham. “ButI think the rotary system itself is probablyresponsible for a large part of that.” n



There’s no shortage of UK sprayer suppliers, sobuying from a new name in the sector is perhapsa bold move. But for one Essex farming family, itprovided the precise specification package needed

to boost their spraying output.

By Martin Rickatson

‘I wanted a strong boom thatfolded compactly without

constricting the tractor cab when closed.’

key factor for Essex farmer, Chris Lofthouse, when he wasdrawing up a ‘most wanted’

specification list for his new sprayer was a package that would enable him to spend less time in the field spraying.

That resulted in him investing in a bigger capacity machine –– with wider booms to match the farm’s newtramline system –– and a set of designfeatures that has enabled him to minimise not only the time spent spraying, but also filling, washing out and cleaning the machine.

As well as farming around 320ha ofarable land from a base at Great TuckettsFarm, near Tiptree, Chris Lofthouse andhis brothers, Andrew and John, also run other enterprises which require

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just as much of their time –– notably agroundworks and concreting business.

With this in mind, a move to broadertramlines has enabled the family toimprove their spraying output –– andspray application quality too –– withknock-on time saving benefits for theirother business ventures.

Combinable rotationThis season’s cropping incorporates140ha of milling and biscuit wheats,52ha of winter malting barley, 60ha of oilseed rape and 24ha of winterbeans, in addition to a 7ha field trial for Masstock. The land is mainly a medium-heavy soil type, with small portions of lighter ground, located separately from the main farm.

Being close to the ports of Harwichand Ipswich, the brothers focus on cropswith good export potential –– with thewheat variety line-up being a mixture ofbreadmakers and Group Threes.

“But since we’re relatively high abovesea level for Essex –– more than 50m –– the number of spraying days canoften be fairly limited and that’s one of the main reasons why we wanted toincrease the sprayer capacity,” saysChris Lofthouse. “We’ve only had one full week of spraying this year, with stillconditions throughout.



The Spraydos terminal is ISOBUS-compatible allowing all sprayer functions to be controlled via the terminal screen –– or joystick, if preferred.

“That meant we’re often having tospray early in the morning or late in theevening. So when the weather is good,we need to be able to cover the groundas quickly as possible.”

Sprayer designYet it’s the design of the sprayer, asmuch as the capacity, that allows theoutput to be maximised, he reckons.“That’s the reason why we spent a bit of time looking at the various makes andmodels on the market before making thedecision to buy a Lemken last autumn.”

The farm was previously running afairly basic 15-year-old trailed Hardi withan 18m boom and 2,500-litre tank andChris Lofthouse was particularly keen tofind a sprayer that incorporated sometime-saving features.

“We recently replaced our drill with a 6m KRM Soladrill and had originallyplanned to increase our tramline widthsto 24m. But since our spreader is capable of applying fertiliser wider than this –– and with the additional cost of a 30m sprayer being relativelysmall compared with a 24m model –– we decided to go the extra 6m.”

He admits that 36m tramlines werealso considered but because of the difficulty in spreading fertiliser accuratelyto this width, they decided to opt for a 30m system instead.

Greater capacity –– allowing more time in the field and less in the yard –– was one of the primary reasons theLofthouses wanted a larger machine,eliminating the need for a bowser and a second man to run it. “Although mostof our land is no more than a few milesaway, we were looking for design featuresthat would help save time when sprayingand filling, as well as ease of transport.

Boom requirement“We considered a number of makes andmodels but one of the features I wantedwas a strong boom that folded compactlywithout constricting the tractor cab whenclosed –– and this wasn’t the case withall the makes we looked at.”

Sprayers from Amazone, Hardi, Knight and Berthoud were consideredbut certain aspects of the tank designleft Chris Lofthouse with doubts as to theease of cleaning, and whether the tankscould be fully emptied.

In addition, he was concerned with thelarge overall dimensions of the various4,000-litre sprayers on the market ––preferring a machine with extra capacity

but without sacrificing good handling inthe field and on the road.

Lemken offers two trailed ranges ––the key difference being the design ofthe boom. “Trading-up from a machinethat was 15-years-old, I didn’t particularlywant a replacement that was all-singingand all-dancing –– but I did want tomove up a stage to one that offered thelatest time saving technology.

“We considered going to a self-propelled simply so we could get on andspray in the right conditions but thatwould’ve doubled our spend. As it is, wehave sufficient tractors available, and thesprayer we chose is quick and simple tohitch up –– with just two hydraulic hosesand the control box to be connected, thelatter being in the tractor cab.”

Following a visit to Lemken’s factory in

Germany –– and having been impressedby the firm’s Z-profile boom design ––Chris Lofthouse ordered a 30m Albatros40, with a 4,000-litre tank and an


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Farm FactsR J Lofthouse & Sons, Great Tucketts Farm, Tiptree, Essex

l Farm size: 320ha

l Cropping: Winter wheat (milling and biscuit), winter barley (malting), winteroilseed rape, winter beans

l Tractors: John Deere 8310T, New Holland TM155, Claas Ares 697ATZ, Fiat Winner F115, Ford 7840

l Combine: 6.6m Claas Lexion 550

l Handler: New Holland LM430

l Spreader: KRM 30m

l Sprayer: Lemken Albatros 30m/4,000 litre

l Diggers: Takeuchi TB175 360°, JCB 3CX

ISOBUS TOP control terminal which was delivered last autumn.

“I was a little unsure at first that the Z-section boom looked strong enough –– either for the long term, or simplywhen it was working in the field –– butit’s proved to be an excellent boom sofar. There’s very slight movement in it inoperation but not enough for it to dive intothe crop –– with the dampers at the rearplus the pendulum stabilising springsdoing a good job of controlling yaw.”

He admits he was worried initially thatthe 30m boom would be too ‘whippy’ butthat hasn’t been the case.

“The machine looks –– and is –– a fairbit lighter, smaller and more compactthan some of the other sprayers on ouroriginal shortlist bearing in mind itscapacity,” continues Chris Lofthouse. “It gives us a learning curve in terms ofthe newer technology which we can addat a later date, if required.”

The Albatros uses a Lemken Spraydosversion of Müller Electronik’s ISOBUS-compatible BASIC-Terminal. This ismounted in the tractor cab and connectsdirectly to the sprayer via an ISOBUScable –– allowing all sprayer functions to be controlled via the terminal screen,on which is displayed a graphic of themachine and all its functions.

In addition, a separate joystick controller mirrors some of the functionson the screen but allows for faster control of some operations, such asswitching boom sections on and off during short work.

“The 30m boom has nine sectionsand I can deactivate individual sectionsvery quickly on the terminal or the joystick when required,” he explains.

“The pressure is instant with the sprayreaching the nozzles just as soon aseach section is switched on because the boom line is circular.

“The terminal also allows me to recordand store information so it’s helped us toimprove our crop and field records. Forexample, compared with the results fromthe area meter on our old 18m machine,we’re now spraying 0.1-0.2ha less croparea on average.”

He reckons this is mainly due toreduced overlapping from better section-switching on short work and onheadlands. “The information recordedcan then be transferred to a computervia a USB, which can be analysed at a later date.”

Retro-fil optionAt present, the farm’s Albatros isn’tequipped with Lemken’s automatic boom lifting and lowering system, whichraises or drops the boom when the lastsection is switched on or off. “But anupgrade is possible by updating the control system and adding anotherhydraulic valve at the rear of themachine to activate the lift/lower ram.

“It’s an option we’re considering –– particularly to make pre-emergence work easier.” So too is GPS-controlledsection-switching, he adds.

“We’ve taken a first step down theGPS route with a Trimble EZ-Guide lightbar for steering guidance. If wechoose to go further –– with automaticsection switching over sprayed areas, forexample –– the Albatros and the Müllerterminal are easily upgradable.”

However, it was the mechanics of the sprayer package that were themain driver behind his choice, headmits. “At the heart of the machine is a pair of 250 l/min piston diaphragmpumps which allow for rapid water intakewhere required.

“Both have got big filters, and it’s

Boom strength was a key requirement onChris Lofthouse’s ‘wish list’ for his newsprayer. The Albatros uses a Z-profile steel design.

possible to carry on filling with one while the other is being cleaned.

“At first, I wondered why the machineneeded such a big induction hopper ––with a 25-litre capacity –– but the reasonis that it’s got a high-pressure nozzle inits base. So when applying powdered formulations, such as Atlantis or Filan, I fill the hopper to just above the nozzlewith water, then put the powders in and turn on the nozzle for agitation.”

Can washing and rinsing of the hopperitself are also very good, he adds.

Slight gripes include the Germanlabelling system on the machine ––although English translations are due to arrive soon, says Lemken. “But this iscompensated for by having just one in-linefilter on the main pipework which onlyneeds cleaning once or twice a season.”

Chris Lofthouse also likes the fact that all the main pipework is external,allowing for easy maintenance and problem identification. Moreover, thedecision to move to wider tramlines hasbeen a great benefit, he admits.

“We have 45 fields in total, ranging in size from 1-25ha, and in one of our16ha fields, there are now just five tramlines in the main body of work.

“Despite having 1,500-litres morespray on board than previously, I canleave the yard and re-fill within just twohours. With our last sprayer, each loadwas taking half an hour longer –– despitethe tank being smaller –– and I neededto make more fills.”

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The German cultivation and drilling specialist, Lemken, entered the sprayermarket four years ago, following itsacquisition of two other German companies who specialised in this sector –– RTS and Jacoby. The company now offers two different trailedsprayer ranges. Visit www.lemken.co.ukfor more information.

The high-pressure nozzle in the base of theAlbatros’s 25-litre induction hopper is ratedfor its powder-processing capability.

Another benefit is that, with a 4,000-litre tank, he can afford to returnto the farm to re-fill, rather than needinga bowser and tractor –– and someone to drive it. “Most of our land is within afive-mile-radius of the farm but our field sizes are relatively small, so I’mhappy that I can cover maybe 80ha/day,which may involve visiting a dozen or so different fields.”

Not love at first sightWhile he admits he wasn’t initially ‘taken’by the simple design and appearance of the Albatros –– notably its tank –– Chris Lofthouse now concedes that whatlooks attractive from the outside doesn’tnecessarily make for a machine that’s easyto maintain internally –– and vice versa.

“For example, the tank is square, simple and straightforward, and thesmooth side of the GRP faces inside the tank make them easy to clean.”

One of the things he wasn’t convincedabout at first was the clean water tank –– incorporated into the middle of theupper portion of the main tank –– butthis acts as a baffle stopping part-loadsfrom surging, he says.

“I initially wondered if this would actually hinder the tank cleaning processbut it hasn’t done so far.

“The two rotating jet washers also do a very good job, added to which there’s a good-sized sump below the cleanwater tank, and an effective agitation

system with a 50mm pipe at the base.”Moreover, just 25 litres of water areneeded to clean the boom, he adds.

The sprayer uses a bypass hose system which combines all hoses returning to the tank, which keeps thenumber of tank outlets and the length ofpipework to a minimum –– which meansthere’s less pipework to clean, he notes.

Moreover, the sprayer uses a steeringdrawbar rather than a steering axle, andChris Lofthouse says he’s pleased withthis choice –– with the machine tracking‘true’ behind the farm’s Claas Ares 697ATZtractor in the headland tramlines.

“It’s not 100% accurate but it’s closeenough,” he concludes. “The ram pressures can be altered according tothe speed I want for the headland turns,and the sprayer’s drawbar cushioning

works well, with the tractor’s cab andfront axle suspension helping to makethe ride smooth.

“So far, I’m very pleased with thechoice of sprayer we made –– and withthe extra capacity the machine offers,there’s potential to increase the size ofthe farm still further if suitable landbecomes available.” n




A farmer-designed system which directly feedsstraw and chaff from the combine into a towed

baler is helping cut weed seed return on some pioneering Australian and US farms.

By Martin Rickatson

‘This was much less a factor than the desire to counter

the proliferation of herbicide-resistant weeds.’

rassweeds, and the developmentof resistance to the herbicidesused to control them, are issues

no less serious for Australian cerealgrowers than for their UK counterparts.

In an effort to keep problem weedsunder control by reducing seed return,one Australian farmer has designed a system which couples a big square baler to the combine –– allowing a highpercentage of the weed seeds to be conveyed directly into the baler.

The Glenvar Bale Direct System (BDS)achieves this without any material touchingthe ground meaning a large proportion ofthe weed seeds are removed from the fieldas the bales are carted away.

Now in full commercial production –– with units operating in both Australiaand the US –– the BDS is a bolt-on kit that fits onto both the combine andbaler, linking the two together via a drawbar that extends right through to the harvester’s front axle to limit thestrain on both machines.

Straw is dropped from the rear of thecombine via a hood onto a conveyor beltin place of the usual tined pick-up. Apartfrom that, the baler essentially remains

unchanged, albeit that it operates with a hydraulic drive system, rather than the pto.

Invented by Graham Shields, whofarms at Glenvar in the Wongan Hills,Western Australia, the BDS was designedin response to the onset of herbicide resistance in the late ‘80s.

Chaff cartsBy 1990, resistance had begun to have a major effect on the economics of arablecropping in the area and the initialresponse was the development of chaffcarts which were towed behind the combines to try to cut weed seed return –– although with fairly limited success.

Graham Shields therefore decided todevelop a system which packaged thestraw and chaff together in bales directfrom the rear of the combine.

The initial trials in the early ‘00sinvolved a baler fed by and towed behinda Caterpillar Lexion 480 combine and thetechnique was judged to be sufficientlyeffective, albeit that more output wasrequired by the baler to keep up with the combine.

By the mid ‘00s, the system had been refined to incorporate a bigger balerproducing fewer but larger bales and in2006, the design was licensed to PrimarySales Australia for manufacturing.

BDS is hydraulically-driven from anindependent pump powered by the combine with its own oil supply and cooling radiator. As well as overcoming the issue of a lack of combine power take-off, this is claimed to eliminate manyof the problem areas often associated with


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Australian farmer Graham Shieldsdeveloped the Glenvar Bale Direct Systemto reduce weed seed return.

pto drives, such as universal joints and slip clutches.

Moreover, with no need for a rotary-typepick-up to lift the crop from the swath, this device is replaced by a rubber-beltconveyor, feeding from a straw hood on the back of the combine, and transferring the material directly into the bale chamber.

Curbing weeds ‘main goal’Alan Fisher, of Primary Sales Australia,which manufactures and markets BDSunder licence, says that while the time,labour and fuel-saving benefits of combining the normally separate balingand harvesting operations are an obviousadvantage of the technique, this wasmuch less a factor behind the system’sdevelopment than the desire to counterthe proliferation of herbicide-resistantweeds.

“Harvesting and baling in a single operation obviously does produce substantial savings in fuel, time, labourand equipment use –– regardless ofwhether the straw would normally bebaled or incorporated –– but the main driver behind the creation of the BDS was weed seed removal.

“We can still burn straw and stubbles in Australia, which enables farmers toclean-up after harvest, but the process is only effective in destroying weed seeds if a really hot burn is achieved,” says Alan Fisher. “But in our dry climate, burning can be a very risky activity.

“Tests carried out by the University ofWestern Australia showed that by usingthe Bale Direct System, 98% of all weedseeds entering the combine are retained in the bales way –– meaning just 2%weed seed return. That helps significantly in keeping grassweed populations under control.

Added nutritional value“And where bales are used for livestockfeed, the weed seeds, chaff and damagedor small grains blown from the combineand packaged in the bales add to thenutritional value. The material addsaround 1% to the protein level of thestraw –– and the feed-straw buyers here are prepared to offer a premium on that basis.”

He claims that an extra 30% of thestraw residue is collected when balingdirect from the combine, compared withconventional baling –– with this proportionnormally being lost as chaff and shortstraw. “While the return generated from

selling the extra straw may be a lower priority benefit for Australian farmers, compared with reducing the weed seedreturn, it’s still an important extra source of income –– with no additional labour,tractor or time input required for baling.”

In addition, since the straw in the baleshasn’t touched the ground, there’s virtuallyno chance of contamination by soil, stonesor branches –– or dead animal carcassesthat can often be a hazard in Australianfields –– which can be drawn-in by tinedbaler pick-ups.

Moreover, there’s less need for machinery maintenance and repairsresulting from damage by foreign objectsor soil contamination –– whether that bewith the baler itself, or by the machinesoperated by the end users, such as strawchoppers used for bedding.

The BDS system was used on fivefarms in Western Australia last harvest,and two farms in the USA this year.

“We are multiple wheat croppers, and our weed burden is our biggest enemy,”


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explains Western Australian farmer, Terry Clune, who runs a 5,665ha mainlyarable operation, which is dominated bywheat. His crops are harvested using aClaas Lexion 580 combine, which is

coupled to a Massey Ferguson 187 baler.“The retention of weed seeds is the

main benefit of the system but the additional revenue resulting from the saleof the baled straw is also welcome. We’vebeen able to make significant savings on time, fuel and labour, compared withbaling the straw separately.”

With a direct drilling-based establishmentsystem, it means his fields are left readyfor sowing, with no need to burn-off theremaining trash residues. “We also findthe baler runs far more reliably using thehydraulic system, rather than a PTO.”

Roger Newman, who farms 2,800ha in Western Australia, and grows wheat,barley, oats and oilseed rape, baled7,700t of straw last season –– around21,000 bales –– using a New Holland

BB960A baler operating behind a CX880combine. This was the residue from atotal crop output of around 13,000t.

Dwarf varieties“We sow mainly dwarf wheat and barley varieties, and the straw is almostimpossible to retrieve using conventionalbaling. As well as being able to retain thechaff and weed seeds, we’ve been able toachieve a substantial supplementaryincome through the sale of the straw to a local stockfeed manufacturer.

“Moreover, retention of weed seedsand debris like the pod shells from theoilseed rape helps to supplement thefeed-value of the straw.”

In the US, Curtis Coombs from WallaWalla, Washington has been one of the‘early adopters’ of the system. HisHesston 4760 baler was coupled to aCase IH 8010 Axial Flow combine thisharvest –– covering 400ha of cropping in total.

“The system worked great. We cancompletely control our residue return andsince we operate a no-till establishmentsystem, that’s a major relief.

“One of the most important benefits isthe system’s ability to collect and removethe weed seeds. But it also assists in erosion control which is a big issue hereas there’s no need for us to burn stubbleto achieve a clean seedbed –– which canalso contribute to soil erosion –– savingfurther time, fuel and labour inputs.

“In addition, we’re now able to supplement our grain yields of around3t/acre (7.5t/ha) with 5t/acre (12t/ha) of baled straw which we sell not only for stockfeed, but also the production of straw logs for heating, and pellet manufacture for horse bedding. That allgenerates welcome additional revenue.”

Industrial usesBaled straw also has a range of uses in Australia, not only for stock bedding and feed, but also industrial uses, such as processing into ‘fire logs’ or ‘strawboard’ to use in straw-fired power generation, or even ethanol production –– a valuable renewable energy source,says Alan Fisher.

“BDS produces the sort of clean,uncontaminated bales that the buyersdemand. Bio-ethanol producers need tohave clean straw because contaminantsimpede processing, and straw-fired powerstations must similarly ensure that allmaterial is completely combustible.”

Installation and operation of the BDS

Roger Newman made 21,000 bales withthis combination last season.


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http://www.claas.com

Straw and chaff is fed via this hood onto aconveyor which replaces the baler pick-up.

While much heavier straw yields andsmaller fields –– not to mention higher-yielding crops –– may be a significant hurdle to the system’s adoption in the UK,in Australia’s drier and less dense crops,towing a baler behind the combine isclaimed not to slow its operation to anyextent under normal operating conditions.

The Aus$110,000 (£56,000) price tagincludes all that’s required to fit the system–– including the drawbar, hydraulic pumpand all hydraulics, closed-circuit camerafor the knotter stack and the cabin monitorthat goes with it. However, the cost canvary according to make and model of thecombine and its dimensional variations,says Alan Fisher, of Primary SalesAustralia.

kit doesn’t interfere in any way with the operation of the harvester, claims Alan Fisher.

“The baler can be uncoupled from thecombine in a matter of minutes, by simplydisconnecting four hydraulic hoses, anelectrical connector and the drawbarretaining-pin. And two people can convertthe baler back to standard operation foruse behind a tractor in approximately fourhours, if required.”

Simple to fitIn simple terms, fitting the unit to thebaler and combine involves firstlyinstalling the drawbar that’s supplied withthe kit underneath the combine, which isattached along the length of the machineright up to the front drive axle, as well asat the rear, where it allows the baler tobe attached and to pivot.

The baler’s A-frame is then wholly or partially –– depending on the combinemake and model –– replaced with theBDS frame and conveyor, which is boltedinto position and can be detached, if required.

The hydraulic motor-drive is fitted tothe baler flywheel, and a hydraulic pumpto the combine engine output shaft. Anoil tank is then installed to supply thesystem, with hydraulic hoses routed tothe motors on both the baler flywheeland conveyor.

Lastly, to aid operation and allow monitoring of the baler’s knotters and theejection of bales, a camera is installed,with a cable harness feeding an in-cabscreen with coverage of what’s happeningat the rear.

The Bale Direct System was selectedfrom a large international field of

applicants for a prestigious AE50 2009Award from the American Society ofAgricultural and Biological Engineers, presented earlier this summer to its inventor, Graham Shields.

Compatible with a wide range of combines and balers, BDS units are currently being used with New Holland,

Case IH, John Deere and Claas/CaterpillarLexion combines, plus Hesston/MasseyFerguson/Challenger, New Holland, Claasand Case IH balers. n


http://www.newholland.com/uk

FSS – better timelinessand cost-savings?

Farm-saved seed now accounts for almost half of the national wheat crop area –– offering cost

and timeliness benefits, according to enthusiasts.But many growers still favour certified seed.

By Louise Impey

‘They need to delegate their seedmanagement so they can get on

with harvesting and preparing theland for the following crop.”

he most recent figures from theBritish Society of Plant Breeders(BSPB) show that 45% of the UK

wheat area is grown from farm-savedseed (FSS). The figure for winter barleyis slightly lower at 39%, while oilseedrape is a bit higher at 48%.

Little wonder then that the mobileseed processors report last season wasone of their busiest ever.

“Winter wheat seed has been between40-50% farm-saved for around the pasteight years,” says Dr Penny Maplestoneof the BSPB. “We see some seasonalfluctuations –– with big new varieties alsohaving an impact from time to time ––but overall, it’s been at a fairly constantlevel for a while.”

However, use has risen since 1996,when the figure for winter wheat wascloser to 30%, she admits.

Mark Taylor, Masstock’s farm-saved

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seed manager says that both farm-savedand certified seed have a place.

“Growers report cost and timelinessbenefits from saving some of their own seed,” he points out. “They oftenalso mention the peace of mind theyexperience from knowing what they’regetting and being in control of their ownseed production.”

Horses for coursesHaving said that, there are situationswhere farm-saving is inappropriate.“New varieties, buy-back contracts andhybrids are all situations which requirethe purchase of certified seed, so itdoesn’t fit every situation.”

Masstock runs nine mobile processingmachines covering England and Scotland,allowing farmers to clean and treat theirown grain. Each machine has an averagethroughput of 10t/hour, allowing them toprocess 70-80t in a day.

“We process around 15,000t of seedon-farm each year saving growers asmuch as £100/t in their seed costs,”says Mark Taylor. “But we also sellaround 60-70,000t of certified seed in the same time, so there’s a balance to the picture.”

A processing cost of around £110/tincludes the royalty and new bags, hereports. “Then you have to factor in theprice of the grain –– currently at around


“Just one morning on-farm can be enoughto sort a farmer’s seed requirements for theseason ahead,” claims Mark Taylor.

£90/t. That gives you a total cost of£200/t, compared with £280-£320 forcertified seed.”

“The flexibility of farm-saved seedshouldn’t be overlooked,” he stresses.“Just one morning on-farm can be enoughto sort a farmer’s seed requirements forthe season ahead. They only have to commit their time and labour for that session.”

Phil Loveridge of UAP says that cost is a good incentive for using farm-savedseed, but adds that it doesn’t mean thatquality is compromised.

“The evenness and boldness of thesample is something that growers talkabout and look for. Screenings can betaken out at 20-25% levels, without thisbeing an extra cost that the farmer hasto bear.”

UAP has eight mobile processors outand about at harvest and drilling time,each one processing up to 100t in a day.

“It costs around £100/t to clean anddress the seed,” says Phil Loveridge.“Including the royalty, the farm labour andthe cost of the seed treatment, growersshould save themselves around £70/t.”

He points out that the UAP machinesare fitted with batch seed treaters, allowingthem to be as accurate with seed treatments as static plants. “We processaround 11,000t of seed in ten weeks, sothere’s good demand for the service.”

No surprise?An upsurge in the OSR seed businesscame as no surprise last month, he continues. “There was a big swing intohybrids last year, without any real benefitto the grower. So this year has seen aswing back again in an effort to keepseed costs down and get the desiredyield performance.”

Anglia Grain Services runs 24 mobileprocessing machines, covering the maincereal growing areas in England.

According to the company’s Nigel Day,cost-saving is the major driver for the use of farm-saved seed. “As the price of certified seed has gone up in recentyears, the gap has widened. It’s hard forgrowers to ignore it.”

He puts the cost-saving from usingFSS at around £50-80/t. “And of course,the farmer owns his own seed. There’sno third party involved.”

That brings immediate cash-flow benefits –– something that has evengreater significance in the current economic climate, he adds.

“And having control over the quality

of the seed is a further driver –– thereare many instances where certified seed hasn’t lived up to the grower’sexpectations. But with their own seed,they know it’s free from contaminationand has been stored separately.”

‘Prompt processing’Dressing the seed allows them to pull outthe bigger and bolder grains, he notes.“And we can get onto farm and processthe grain very promptly. That’s seen as abig advantage –– especially by the largerfarms which are often left waiting fortheir seed delivery.”

He admits that farm-saving doesrequire some work from the farmer at a time of year when there are lots ofother work priorities. “But it’s a far


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Higher seed rates are often needed tocompensate for using farm-saved seed,points out Paul Taylor.

more environmentally-friendly process.We re-fill the farmer’s bags and we’re nothauling grain around the country andblocking up the roads.”

The flexibility of the service is veryappealing, continues Nigel Day. “We can apply a big choice of seed treatments–– occasionally three in one go –– and we can be on-farm at a time to suit the grower.”

Last year’s delayed harvest didn’t put a dent in sales, he claims. “It justdelayed the season, rather than reducingthe demand.”

Those farmers who want to have agermination test done can request one.“We do offer that facility but most of ourcustomers know that if it comes off thecombine in good condition, it’ll be fine.”

Paul Taylor of Openfield believes theargument for certified seed all hinges on whether growers view seed as a commodity or a service product.

“What really matters to most farmers isbeing on the end of a professional service.That applies to mobile processing just asmuch as it does to certified seed.”

In most circumstances, certified seedhas the advantage of being produced frombrand-new plants which have receivedconsiderable investment and often haveapproved laboratories on-site, he says.

“They do the job well, as you’d expect.“The calibration of the equipment isn’t

affected by having to travel around thecountry, and the capacity of the plants issuch that they can process big quantitieswith ease.”

He disagrees that growers are oftenkept waiting for seed. “The same logisticsapply to getting a mobile processing unitround all the sites as it does to deliveringbags of seed.”

Early deliveryFor example, all of Openfield’s Excaliburseed was on-farm by the third week inJuly this year, he points out. “And overhalf of our total rape seed book was onthe farm by 23 July before harvest evenbegan. Conversely, those growers whowere intending to farm-save still hadtheir crops growing at that time.”

Higher seed rates are often needed tocompensate for using FSS, points outPaul Taylor. “This doesn’t happen withcertified seed because you have all theassurances you need. Both a pre-uplifttest and a germination test are done ––and we also assess the disease loading.”

He reminds growers who save theirown rape seed that the seed crop has tobe grown a minimum distance of 0.5kmaway from other oilseed rape crops onvirgin land, or on ground that hasn’tgrown oilseed rape for at least ten years.

Moreover, new legislation will soon be introduced to protect the EU standards on glucosinolate levels afterthe widespread production of HEARcrops on many farms, continues Paul Taylor. “Volunteers are starting to cause problems with the palatability of animal meal.”

That means oilseed rape will need tobe tested on intake in the future, with amaximum level of 18Ìmols in the seedbeing set, he stresses. “The legislationwon’t have an impact here in the UKuntil 2012 but it’s a good example of aproblem that can arise with seed unlessthe very strict guidelines are adhered to.”

Paul Taylor suggests that farm-savingseed is not a business decision. “You’reignoring the better genetics and thechance to move onto new varieties withtheir associated agronomic benefits.

“It allows you to react in one year ifthe market changes –– otherwise it takesbetween two and three years to takeadvantage of new opportunities.”

Another point which he believes is often overlooked is the need to commitfarm labour to farm-saving. “Many

growers are just too busy at harvest.They need to be able to delegate theirseed management so they can get onwith harvesting and preparing the landfor the following crop.”

The need for provenance from end-users also requires the use of certified seed, he points out. “Wherebuy-back contracts are in place ––which is usually the case nowadayswith crops destined for human consumption –– then you have to use certified seed. It’s part of theirrequirement.”

Other crops with marketing agreements, such as HOLL oilseed rape, also stipulate the seed source.

“You need to think hard about usingfarm-saved seed for any crop destinedfor human consumption –– and you alsoneed to have the right loss insurance inplace,” advises Paul Taylor.

“If the wrong variety ended up beingsent to the mill, they’d be able to traceit back through ACCS.”

‘Service product’“Seed is a service product at Openfield,”he stresses. “Paying an extra £50/t forthe seed means you only need to make£1/t extra on the final product price, andthat can be achieved through effectiverisk management marketing.”

James Wallace of Daltons Seedsbelieves the small cost-saving associatedwith farm-saved seed should be considered on a cost per acre basis.

“Growers have to ask whether it’sworthwhile,” he notes. “Most farms aretight on labour already –– and if theythen have to commit some of that toseed handling, it takes them away fromthe prime task.”

Waiting for seed to arrive on-farm is no longer an issue, he says. “We deliver it when it’s required. Last year’spoor weather at harvest saw a number of growers having to buy-in seed unexpectedly –– and none of them were disappointed.”

The seed certification scheme haslegal backing, he continues. “The germination and purity information isall there. The seed has a germinationtest before it comes into the plant andit’s then fully tested before it goes out.”

With farm-saved seed, there’s no indication of disease or any damagewhich might have occurred in-store, or during the drying process, says James Wallace. “It’s a risk professionalgrowers can’t really afford to take.” n


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Power demand sparks straw rethink

The requirement for power stations to cut emissions by incorporating biomass into their

burners means they’re now looking to farms for biofuel.

By Martin Rickatson

Drax Power is looking to makegreater use of one of the UK’s

biggest potential sources of ‘surplus’ biomass –– straw.

mmediately after the burning ban,many farmers took to regarding straw–– especially from wheat –– as a crop

by-product that was of little value andnothing more than a hassle to get rid of.

However, incorporated straw is nowwidely recognised as a valuable sourceof nutrients and organic matter, eventhough effective chopping, spreadingand incorporation are often difficult to achieve.

As a result, straw-fired power stations,as well as coal-fired plants –– which arebeing forced to blend more biomass intotheir boilers’ contents to reduce theircarbon footprints –– have a big job ontheir hands to encourage farmers to consider baling straw to supply their burgeoning demands.

The priority on many modern-day arablefarms is to get the land worked-down assoon as possible after the previous crophas been harvested. Straw baling and carting –– usually the preserve of a contractor –– are often seen as a processwhich simply delays the cultivation processand causes additional soil compaction.

Yet Yorks-based, Drax Power, believes

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it offers farmers a financially-viable alternative to straw chopping and incorporation by buying straw to use inits coal-fired and biomass-fuelled powerplants –– albeit that the latter is stillunder construction.

Founded in 1974, Drax is reckoned to be the largest, cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power station in theUK –– supplying around 7% of the country’s electricity. However, to meetthe government’s CO2 emission reduction targets, Drax needs to source200,000t of straw per year to blend withthe powdered coal it uses in its burners.

Three new plantsWith plans afoot to build three additionalbiomass-only 300Mw power plants atnearby Immingham (with the first due to be completed by 2013), not only willDrax Power be responsible for around15% of the UK’s renewably-generatedelectricity, but the firm’s demand forstraw is set to increase significantly over the next few years, says the firm’sRob Wood.

“We’ve been incorporating biomass –– primarily wood pellets –– into a coalpowder blend for power generation forthe past 4-5 years to the point where we now use around 400,000t/year of biomass of various types,” he explains.“More recently, we’ve made a £90Minvestment in machinery to allow us toimprove the blending process which will allow us to raise this figure to 1.5Mt.

“What we’re looking for now is morestraw to reduce our dependence onwood pellets, which generally need to


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“We generally buy straw from within a100-mile-radius of Drax –– currently at £35/t ex-farm,” says Rob Wood.

be imported, and it has to be said that there’s a lot of potential fuel on our doorstep.”

Drax has a target to produce 12.5% of its total power output from renewablesources by this time next year –– a movewhich should help reduce its overall CO2

emissions by around 2.5Mt/year. Andwhen the biomass-only generators comeon-stream, their conception and designis such that their operation will be carbon-neutral –– with the CO2 they produce being off-set by that consumedby the crops used to fuel it.

Renewable technologyBut while co-firing renewable biomassmaterials with coal has emerged as acredible renewable technology –– and thequickest and most cost-effective way forDrax to cut its overall CO2 emissions ––biomass as a whole (notably woodchip)can be typically 3-5 times more expensivethan coal, particularly once transport costs are factored in as the majority has to be imported.

This is the key reason that Drax Poweris looking to make greater use of one ofthe UK’s biggest potential sources of‘surplus’ biomass –– straw.

Unlike the Ely power station, well-knownlocally for its straw use, Drax burns pelleted straw rather than entire bales.Big square bales are therefore transportedto the company’s pelleting plant at Goole where the straw is chopped and compressed under steam pressureto create dense pellets which are easy to transport to –– and handle at –– thepower plant.

“Because they’re a high-density

product, they burn more efficiently andenable more accurate boiler energyassessment,” explains Rob Wood. “The pelleting plant has the capacity toprocess 100,000t of straw/year and inorder to fulfil this potential, we want toencourage more farmers to consider selling their straw rather than choppingand incorporating it.

“We generally buy straw from within a 100-mile-radius in big square bales ofeither 2.4x1.2x1.2m or 2.4x1.2x0.9m ––currently at £35/t ex-farm. Wheat strawis our main source of supply but we’realso happy to take barley and rape straw–– though we don’t see a lot of barleystraw since this usually ends up goinginto the livestock sector.

“To ensure regular supplies, we’re keen to sign supply contracts with farmers,but we also buy on the spot market. Wedon’t work to strict minimum tonnages –– for example, I made a spot purchase of 100t from one seller earlier this year –– but regular supply is what we’re reallylooking for.”

The pelleting plant needs straw with a moisture content no higher than 17%which needs to be stored on-farm ––with access for a flatbed lorry and trailersince Drax doesn’t have the capacity tostore the straw itself. “It’s paid for on collection and delivered to the plantthroughout the year.”

Yet straw buyers such as Drax stillhave some work to do to convince farmers of the benefits of selling-off their straw –– particularly when the priceoffered barely covers the cost of thereplacement fertiliser required to offsetits removal.

But being involved directly in farmingoutside his day-to-day job, Rob Wood isquick to point out that selling straw offersmore benefits than simply hard cash.

“There are a number of other plusesthat compensate for the hassle of needingto get the straw baled –– mainly not havingto chop it,” he claims. “Combine dieseluse will be lower, as will need for cultivations, with no straw to incorporate.

“A lack of chopped straw also makesa less favourable environment for slugs–– and therefore a reduced need for slugpellets. Moreover, a lot of weed seeds arebaled rather than being blown back intothe stubble through the straw chopper.

“Lastly, the drill can virtually follow thebaler, with less cultivation required toincorporate the remaining trash.”

Some farmers who already supply Drax use a system of ‘rotational’ straw

removal (i.e. baling one year, then chopping and incorporating after thenext cereal), he notes. “This gives incorporated straw more time to breakdown, and reduces concerns aboutpotash offtake in particular.”

Aside from compaction concerns and having to wait for the bailer to arrivebefore cultivating, potash offtake andorganic matter removal are two of the key concerns raised by farmersunconvinced of the benefits of having their straw baled, notes Chris Dawson of the Potash Development Association.

“Particularly so with potash priceshaving more or less trebled in a shortspace of time –– and unlikely to return to anywhere near their previous levelsanytime soon due to massively increaseddemand from the developing economiesof China, India and South America.

P removal doubled“By removing the straw as well as thegrain from a field, potash removal ismore or less doubled,” he points out.“There’s nothing wrong with that inessence, but it’s something that needs tobe factored in when fertiliser plans aremade for the following crop –– particularlyas it now costs three times as much toreplace the potash.

“Deficiency not only affects yield, butthe straw strength and drought toleranceof the crop as well.”

As a rule of thumb, removing 1t ofstraw takes with it 9.5kg of potash, andfor every 2t of grain produced there’sgenerally a tonne of straw, he says. “So ifyou choose to bale and sell the straw, it’simportant to reallocate money from thatincome for replacement potash fertiliser–– otherwise the following crop is beingburdened with additional cost.

“If soil analysis indicates that a fieldwhich has had its straw removed is inthe middle of index 2, it’s not a big issueif potash application is missed for a season. But if a soil is at the bottom of index 1, it’s a different story.

“The more you allow the nutrient status to fall below index 2, the greaterthe danger that the soil reserves will beinsufficient to nurture the following crop.Remember that potash is buffered ––it doesn’t leach from the soil, and it isn’t lost through anything other thanplant offtake.

“That’s why it’s important to know yoursoils’ potash levels before consideringremoving straw.”

However, he concedes that the trend


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Selling your straw for powergeneration

Pros

Income from a ‘waste’ product

Less diesel used for combining

Fewer problems with straw in seedbeds

Less diesel and wearing metal costs for cultivations

Less favourable environment for slugs

Reduced grassweed seed return

Cons

Potential for compaction problems

Time delay after harvest before cultivations can start

Potash loss

Reduced OM return

Straw income may only offset replacement potash cost

Possibility of rain on straw swaths

towards shorter-strawed varieties, andthe tendency to cut stubbles longer tospeed harvesting, means losses fromstraw removal aren’t perhaps as high as they once may have been.

“In truth, compaction caused by the increased harvest traffic is likely tobe a bigger issue agronomically thanpotash offtake.”

But the idea that baling and bale-collection traffic causes big compactionproblems isn’t one that’s recognised byYorks contractor, Nick South, who isbased close to Drax and has been big-baling straw for the past ten years.

He runs both MF 185 SII and NewHolland BB980 balers behind MF 6499and 6490 tractors –– undertaking largesquare baling both on a contract basis,and also for straw which he purchases inthe field for sale to livestock buyers and,more recently, for use in Drax’s strawpelleting plant.

“Some farms are committed to chopping and incorporating their strawbut greater demand and higher pricesfor the commodity as a result of thepower station’s requirements will makestraw removal increasingly worthwhile.

“Employing a contractor to bale andcart straw competently and professionally

should mean compaction concerns areput to rest –– the days of running aroundwith converted lorry-trailers in the fieldare over with the handling equipmentthat’s now available.”

He subcontracts his own field clearingoperations to another contractor whoruns a Heath Superchaser bale trailer,which keeps field traffic to a minimum–– so there’s no need for a separate telehandler or loader.

Yet he acknowledges that, when fully-laden, balers such as his NewHolland BB980 are particularly heavyitems of machinery.

“However, my balers –– like any modern-day machines –– are shod on flotation tyres and will do no moredamage than a combine, tractor or trailer,” he points out. “And while somefarmers are anxious to get straight onwith their cultivations, baling and cartingtakes very little time with the rightmachinery.”

Mick Richards runs Manco Energy, a firm which supplies biomass fuels –– some of which go to Drax –– as well as Danish-built, biomass-burningdomestic and commercial stoves andboilers. One of his other current interestsis investigating the potential of burningstraw to dry grain.

He agrees with the claim that strawchopping adds a significant amount tothe overall cost of the harvest. “It’s notsimply a matter of engaging the chopperand forgetting about it. Chopping strawadds around £10/ha to the overall combining costs, according to the manufacturers’ calculations.”

His firm bales up to 6,000ha of strawper season, clearing as much as 400hain a day with his team of three MasseyFerguson 2190s and two Hesston 4900s–– both types producing square-sectionbales measuring 2.4x1.2x1.2m.

“Depending on the yield, if you’re getting£62/ha for your straw, you should be covering your potash replacement costs.”

He makes a particular effort to limitthe degree of traffic damage to the soil,using Heath Superchasers to gatherbales. “And when we’re loading lorries inthe field, we make sure it’s done only indesignated areas.

“All this helps to keep compaction to aminimum, and with the machinery that’savailable to the modern professional contractor, it’s an issue that shouldn’tconcern farmers considering selling their straw for energy use.”

David Johnson of Big Bale North,

Drax is investing £90M to improve thestraw pelleting and blending process.

Using a Heath Superchaser bale trailermeans no need for a separate telehandleror loader.

which sells and hires out big squarebalers –– primarily the square-sectionNew Holland BB9090 and MasseyFerguson 2190 models –– echoes Nick South’s claim that balers don’tcause any more damage than grain trailers.

“Some prefer to see balers with tandem axles used to spread the baler’sweight, but larger flotation tyres on singleaxles often do less damage on wet soils.”

Farmers or contractors consideringhiring a baler can do so for around£10,500-14,000/season –– dependingon the size and specification of the baler required.

“The highest priced machine we offer is the Hesston square-section type (e.g. a MF 2190 or New HollandBB9090) which is best-suited to strawbaling for power station use,” says DavidJohnson. Heath Superchaser hire pricesstart at £5,750/season and a deposit of£2,000 is required on signing the hireagreement –– with 50% of the balancedue on 20 June and the remainder by20 August, he says. n


Flower grower sleepssoundly with biobed

A biobed, used to filter sprayer washings, is thelatest measure one Cornish flower grower has

installed to help protect the water quality of aninternationally important wetland area close

to his farm.

By Mick Roberts

The farm received a grant of about £2,500 for the biobed

construction project.

inchester Growers’ Varfell Farm,near Penzance, specialises ingrowing a wide range of cut

flowers, bulbs and pot plants. While itssouthern location provides ideal growingconditions, the warm and wet weathermeans the sprayer hardly ever stops.

“Appearance is everything with flowersand without the sprayer, we simply wouldn’t have a saleable crop –– they really have to be perfect,” explains farmmanager, Arthur Andrews. “While farmingon a peninsula less than a mile from thesea is ideal for the early production of daffodils, the warm and humid conditionsand high rainfall mean the flowers arehighly susceptible to fungal diseases.”

The business grows about 760ha ofmainly daffodils for bulbs in addition to cut flowers, plus brodiea, gladioli and agapanthus, with about 2.5ha of coveredgrowing areas. It’s also home to theNational Dahlia Collection that features1,600 varieties in a single field.

The daffodil crop is grown on a nine-year rotation with the bulbs in the ground

for three years, followed by a six-yearbreak. “That’s why they’re produced mainly on rented land.”

But the majority of the fields are veryclose to the Marazion Marsh, which overlooks St. Michael’s Mount and is aninternationally important wetland reserve.

“We’re in the Marazion Marsh catchment area and for the past ten years, we’ve worked closely with theEnvironment Agency on a programme ofimproving the various wildlife habitats onthe farm. That’s included the creation ofreed beds and smaller additional sites forthe wildfowl to go if they’re disturbed.

Silt traps“We have also installed silt traps in thestreams that feed the marsh, and creatingthe biobed was the latest move to furtherprotect the site.” This was installed latelast year with the help of grant fundingand advice from the Environment Agency.

The biobed is adjacent to the mainspray store, which allows the sprayer to be filled and kept undercover, says ArthurAndrews. “This already had a concretefloor, sloping to the centre, to catch anyrun-off and washings in a 1,800 litreunderground tank.

“This ensures all washings and spillsare contained within the building, withabsolutely no risk of run-off.” Previously,this was pumped out at regular intervals,further diluted and sprayed ontouncropped areas, he says.

“But now the liquid is simply pumpedonto the biobed, using a paddle float andpump to empty the contents automaticallyonce it reaches a pre-determined level.”


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“A biobed is relatively easy and inexpensiveto construct,” says Arthur Andrews.

Varfell Farm’s biobed is unusualbecause unlike most others, it’s been constructed above-ground, rather than by digging a pit. “That’s mainly becauseit’s at the bottom of a slope which is proneto run-off.” This water is now channelledaround the bed and into a ditch.

Simple constructionConstruction was relatively simple, withfour banks of soil (reclaimed from the bulbcleaning line) forming 2m high walls intowhich was placed a large butyl liner toprovide an impervious barrier. In the baseis a large diameter perforated outlet pipeset in small gravel, which passes throughboth the liner and wall.

Into this was placed a compost mixtureof straw, peat and soil through which thewashings slowly permeate downwards.This mixture was then capped by a layerof turf, with water pumped onto the topthrough a trickle irrigation pipe which iscoiled across the surface.

“It’s really that simple,” explains ArthurAndrews. “The washings are pumped outof the collection tank and onto the top of the biobed. The compost works like afilter, with the microbial activity in the soilbreaking down the pesticides. Althoughyou wouldn’t want to drink the water thatcomes out of it because it’s fairly cloudywith soil particles, it doesn’t contain anypesticide residues at all.”

From most typical biobeds, this cleanwater is then routed onto a grassed areafor dispersal but Varfell Farm has goneone stage further by installing two largecontainers to catch the outflow. The firsttank allows any sediment to settle outbefore the water flows off the top into thesecond container. From here, it’s pumpedback to the filling area and stored for usein the sprayer.

“This approach isn’t common withbiobeds but we felt that recycling the waterfor reuse in the sprayer was the logicalway to go. It may be only a few hundredgallons a month but Cornwall has some ofthe highest water charges in the country.”

The farm received a grant of about£2,500 for the construction of the biobedand that’s about what it cost, continuesArthur Andrews. “But a simpler systemwithout the additional pumps and cleanwater storage could be built for muchless. It’s relatively simple and cheap todo and everyone wins.” He adds that thebiobed had to be listed as an exemptionon the farm’s Agricultural WasteRegulations form.

The majority of the spraying at Varfell

Farm is carried out by Chris Hosking –– a finalist in this year’s Farm SprayerOperator of the Year. Although themachine is a relatively small mountedCleanacres Airtec with a 1,200 litre tankand an 18m boom, he now chooses touse Amistar nozzles for most of his work.

“We’ve used Airtec sprayers for manyyears now, mainly for the extra penetrationand drift reduction they provide. But when the compressor needed replacing on the latest machine, I reckoned the 025 and 035 Amistar nozzles could offerboth the drift reduction and coverage werequire, without the complexity of theAirtec system.”

A Case IH 110X Maxxum tractor carriesthe sprayer on the rear linkage with the


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tank mounted on the front –– usually carrying clean water.The tractor runs on 14.9 R 38tyres all of the time, which fitwell with the crop rows, but thismeans stronger wheel centreshad to be fitted to cope with the load.

While this set-up staystogether for the majority of theyear, both Chris Hosking andArthur Andrews agree the workload and field sizesinvolved mean a dedicated self-propelled machine would be unsuitable. About a thirdof the entire area is in fields of 1ha or less –– with narrowlanes and restricted access –– so the mounted machine is found to be more suited to

What’s a biobed?

The farm’s 18m Airtec sprayer is stored and filled undercover ––with all washings and spills draining into a collection sump.

the farm’s operations. “Indeed, our largest tractor

is just 135hp and that spends a great deal of its time towingtrailers.”

Chris Hosking says there’s a lot of roadwork in-betweenfields. “If I’m working close tothe home base, I’ll fill up in the yard here but I won’t risktravelling with a mixed spray inthe tanks –– firstly, for safetyreasons but also because I can’t really be sure what theconditions will be like when I arrive.

“The trouble with farming in this location is the wind. The proximity to the sea meansthere’s always a lot of air movement which is made

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Biobeds are not only approved by the Environment Agency andScottish Environment ProtectionAgency, but are positively encouraged as a way of treatingtank remains and sprayer washings. In 2007, they were granted an exemption under theAgricultural Waste Regulations.

Research shows that 40% of pesticides reaching watercourses come from ‘point source’contamination caused during fillingand washing-down the sprayer. ButADAS trials show that capturingthis liquid and diverting it through a biobed can have a significantimpact in reducing pollution.

In these trials, extreme and multiple incidents were simulatedwith pesticide concentrations of up

to 100,000 parts per billion measured in the liquid entering the biobeds. Even in these conditions, up to 99% of the pesticide content was successfullyremoved.

A typical biobed comprises a 1m deep pit, which is lined with a heavy-duty butyl material. Thisis then filled with a ‘biomix’

comprising one part each of soiland peat-free compost, and twoparts wheat or barley straw. Thisshould be left to compost beforebeing used, then turfed over.

The microbial activity of the mixthen breaks down the pesticides.

This type of biobed is simple to construct and costs around£1,000-3,000 to build, dependingon its size and complexity. Funds

http://www.bayercropscience.co.uk

worse by sea breezes pickingup during the day. I can sometimes go out early in themorning on a calm day buthave to stop by 11am becausethe wind has picked up.”

During the season, the aim isto get over the whole farm every21 days with a routine sprayprogramme. But the wet weather and high humidityoften mean more frequentspray intervals are required toprevent damage to crops.

“The main problem withsummer flowers is botrytis.Moreover, daffodils get smoulder and ramularia whichcan erupt very quickly, andcontrolling disease can often be quite a battle. The warm

and wet climate is great forgrowing flowers but it can alsomean high levels of disease.”

The fungicides used to treatflowers are the same as thoseused on cereals, says ArthurAndrews. “But the Long TermArrangements for Extension of Use (LTAEU) which allowedtheir application has now come to an end.”

Amistar (azoxystrobin) isused extensively in flower production but now has to be approved with a Specific Off-label Approval (SOLA) for use on flowers, he notes.“The Horticultural DevelopmentCouncil is currently organisingthe SOLAs for the necessaryapprovals.” n

The biobed should be lined with impervious sheeting, with aperforated pipe to collect the filtered water (pictured above, left). A ‘biomix’ should then be added, comprising two parts straw and one part soil, finally covering the area with turf. Pictures courtesy of ADAS.

may be available through theEngland Catchment SensitiveFarming Capital Grant Scheme.

Discharged water can then be used for irrigation or spraying purposes without the need for aGroundwater Authorisation. However,the location of the biobed does haveto be registered with EnvironmentAgency, and an exemption must be obtained under the AgriculturalWaste Regulations.

Information on how to build abiobed, and all the restrictions andregulations involved, can be viewedon the Voluntary Initiative andEnvironment Agency websites (see footnote). Alternatively, advice can be sought from theEnvironment Agency’s AgriculturalWaste hotline on 0845 603 3113.

Yet crop advisers warn thatbiobeds shouldn’t be seen as asubstitute for good agriculturalpractice, and farmers should stillmake every effort to contain spillsof concentrate from induction hoppers and use drip trays.Moreover, concentrated chemicalshould never be disposed of in the biobed.

Similarly, first tank washingsshould always be sprayed out inthe field, as normal.l Guidance on building a linedbiobed to dispose of agriculturalwaste is published by theEnvironment Agency. Visit www.publications.environment-agency.gov.ukor www.biobeds.info for more information.

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http://www.biobeds.info

http://www.publications.environment-agency.gov.uk

The cold weather meant light leaf spot grabbedthe headlines last year –– but phoma is the OSR

disease expected to cause problems in England this autumn and winter.

By Louise Impey

‘Better disease resistance givesgrowers a wider window in which

to apply fungicides.’

he similarity between phoma inoilseed rape and eyespot in wheatis that both diseases are still

underestimated on-farm.That’s the opinion of Dick Neale of

Hutchinsons, who believes phoma isnearly always present and warns that lowrates of infection are often very difficultto pick up.

“Low-grade stem canker isn’t seenexternally, so there’s not much to indicatethat you’ve got it –– but growers chasingvery high yields need to do their utmostto control the disease.”

A clear warning sign is when plantssenesce earlier, resulting in a loss ofyield and oil content, he says.

“The best thing to do is to get out intoyour rape stubbles –– assuming it’s nottoo late –– and slice through the sectionwhere the root joins the stem.

“Look to see the extent of any blackening as this will tell you the level of inoculum that’s there for the coming

Phoma still the target

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Disease controlDisease control

season,” advises Dick Neale. “If it’swhite, there’s no disease.”

Getting rid of phoma infection willrequire two sprays in most situations, he continues. “There’s now ten years of HGCA data to show that the secondspray always gives an extra 0.25t/ha of yield, so it’s certainly worth doing.”

Variety resistance scores don’t make a huge difference in the field –– eventhough progress has been made by several plant breeders, he believes.“You’ll get worse leaf symptoms in a variety with a rating of five, comparedwith a seven, but that’s a bit of a red herring as it’s the stem canker which is the real issue.”

Ever-present disease?Just like septoria in wheat, the disease is ever-present, he says. “It’ll either bethere at a high or a low level, with theweather playing an important role in its spread.”

He believes the damp weather experienced at the beginning of Augustwill have wet the stubbles, allowing thespores to spread.

“If you get spore multiplication inAugust, then you’re usually looking at an early infection. This calls for the firstspray to be applied in good time –– oftenas early as October –– with the secondone going on around 5-6 weeks later.”

The arrival of the new seed treatments,Modesto (beta-cyfluthrin+ clothianidin)


Disease controlDisease controland Cruiser OSR (thiamethoxam), thisautumn –– both of which have some disease activity –– will help protect theseedlings and reduce the level of infection,but not enough to change the spray programme overall, believes Dick Neale.

“They’re not a replacement for aphoma spray but they will help a bit atthe very early stage of the crop’s life.”

There are a number of fungicideswhich can be used to control phoma,with his preference being Corinth (prothioconazole+ tebuconazole).

“You get both disease control and crop manipulation with this mixture of active ingredients,” he points out. “The tebuconazole helps to give betterrooting and a bushier plant, and the prothioconazole provides good persistenceagainst foliar disease.”

Another good choice is to use a flusilazole-based product, such asHarvesan (carbendazim+ flusilazole), he continues. “These have no effect onthe upper part of the plant but they willhelp to improve rooting and deliver gooddisease control overall.

“But you really need to have either prothioconazole, tebuconazole, flusilazole

or difenoconazole in the product you choose.”

Very dry autumn conditions won’t prevent the disease from making anappearance, he warns. “It’ll only tend to delay the onset.”

Phoma sprays will help to protect the crop against light leaf spot (LLS) at the same time, he comments. “Wesaw much more LLS last year and the disease did venture a bit furthersouth, so there’ll definitely be someinoculum about.”

Northern growers will be treating cropsfor light leaf spot as a matter of courseas usual, he acknowledges. “They haveto follow a different course of action andit’s important to treat crops before theonset of any sign of disease.

“Mid-October is the best time to sprayfor light leaf spot, which is why it oftencoincides well with the phoma treatment.The autumn spray is the critical one.”

Yet regardless of the disease risk at the time of spraying, the autumn treatment helps to produce more robustplants that are better at surviving thewinter months, concludes Dick Neale.“Working back, this can help achieve

lower seed rates at drilling with fewer,more robust plants –– which in turn will tend to produce higher yields.”

North of the borderIn Scotland, Dr Keith Dawson of SAC says the arrival of varieties with better

Last season’s stubbles should be assessed for stem canker where possible, says Dick Neale. “This will give an indication of the disease carry-over.”

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

“Spraying at the end of October will be awaste of time and money if the disease isn’tthere,” warns Richard Overthrow.

“Northern growers can expect to see highlevels of light leaf spot again this comingseason,” says Keith Dawson.

LLS resistance scores has been very welcome.

“We’ve now got two variety choices with 9s for light leaf spot –– Cuillin andEmerson –– which is a great developmentfor Scottish growers. Fungicides have really struggled to control the disease in the past couple of years.”

Having better disease resistance givesgrowers a wider window in which to applyfungicides, as well as the opportunity tosave on fungicide costs, he continues.

“However, it would be foolhardy not tospray for LLS as it’s important to protectthis resistance –– although growersmight consider spending less by usingtargeted doses and cheaper fungicides.There are definitely significant savings to be made.”

Another advantage of having goodinherent resistance in a variety is thatspray days can be “few and far between”in Scotland, continues Keith Dawson.“Having a resistant variety in the groundallows you to get other, more susceptiblevarieties covered first. These resistanttypes certainly have a head start.”

He says clear differences have beennoted in SAC’s fungicide performance trials. “Prothioconazole is the best performer on LLS. It has very strongdisease control properties but it doesn’toffer growth regulation. So for thatreason, mixtures with tebuconazole ormetconazole are often advised in moreadvanced crops.”

He reminds growers that they need to

use a higher dose rate if growth regulationis required. “The savings that are possiblefrom a disease control perspective won’tgive you the crop manipulation effects thatmay be required, so you have to decidewhat the priority is.”

A two-spray programme for light leaf spot will be required in more northerlycrops this autumn –– even on resistantvarieties –– with the first applicationbeing made in the autumn and the second at stem extension in the spring,advises Keith Dawson.

‘Still worth spraying’“There’s been speculation about omitting the autumn spray on these varieties but growers should be lookingto protect the plant breeder’s efforts byusing a well-timed fungicide –– not putting them at risk.”

Last year was a bad one for LLS as the disease thrives in cold conditions, he notes. “The wet summer then kept itgoing, and it was even present in cropsas they went into harvest.

“On that basis, we can expect to see high levels of the disease this coming season.”

Further south, Richard Overthrow ofTAG advises growers to use treatmentthresholds to determine when their OSRcrops need targeting for phoma.

“Last year, the disease appeared late,with many crops being sown in Septemberand with the plants being relatively small,”he recalls. “But it can still appear at the cotyledon stage, which is why it’simpossible to give general spray timingadvice ahead of the actual treatment.”

Using thresholds means fungicideswon’t be wasted, he says. “The guidelineis one-plant-in-ten showing signs of disease but if you’re growing a moreresistant variety, then one-plant-in-fiveshould be used as the threshold.”

Disease onsetThe number of sprays required willdepend on how early the disease comes into the crop, believes RichardOverthrow. “If it’s there in September, thena two-spray programme will be needed butif the first signs show in November, onespray should be enough.”

Infection arriving from mid-Januaryonwards doesn’t have time to form astem canker, which is why it’s only freshinfections coming into the crop beforethat time which need treating, heexplains. “That’s why there isn’t anyneed to spray for phoma in February.”

Growers should keep a particular eyeon their crops as they come though the ground, he suggests. “There’s nosubstitute for checking and monitoringcrops as the season progresses.Applying a fungicide at the end ofOctober will be a waste of time andmoney if the disease isn’t there.”

The new insecticidal seed treatments–– some of which will be used with a fungicidal seed treatment as well –– areloading more active ingredient to theseed than was possible before, notesRichard Overthrow. “These will makesome contribution to early phoma control –– but only weeks rather thanmonths –– so in practical terms, they’llsee the crops through to just beyond thecotyledon stage.”

TAG trials have shown a clear north/south divide when it comes to fungicidechoice, he continues.

“Proline is the best autumn productfor the north but south of Lincolnshire,there’s no significant difference betweenProline (prothioconazole), Punch C (flusilazole+ carbendazim) and Plover(difenoconazole) –– so growers will see the same results from any one of these three.”

Dose rates should be maintained since crops grow fairly rapidly in theautumn and fresh foliage is forming all the time, he notes. “It’s best to use therecommended rates as there could be anextra need for persistence this autumn.”

In the north, light leaf spot will requirea different approach, says RichardOverthrow. “Spraying has to take placebefore any signs of the disease are seen,so routine treatments are the norm.

“Symptoms don’t appear untilDecember,” he concludes. “Phomatreatments will cover light leaf spot in areas where both diseases feature –– otherwise an October spray will be required.” n


Disease controlDisease control

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Controlled traffic on-track for success?

One of the main downsides with high outputmachinery is the compaction caused by its weight–– a key driver behind the growing interest in controlled-traffic farming.

By Martin Rickatson

The OutTrac system allows tractors to work within the combine wheelings, making their imprints on the inner edges.

hile both tyre and track technologyhave made great strides over the past couple of decades in

reducing the impact of heavy machineryon soils, the corresponding rise in capacityhas meant an inevitable increase in weight–– leading some to question whether thelatter has to some extent cancelled out theformer in terms of reducing compaction.

But increased machinery output has in many cases come about because ofwider working widths and this –– togetherwith the widespread acceptance of GPSnowadays –– has revived interest in controlled traffic farming.

“The benefits of keeping field traffic to aminimum have been recognised for a longtime,” says Tim Chamen of ControlledTraffic Farming Europe –– a body set up topromote the technique, with co-ordinatorscurrently spanning Germany, Denmark,Netherlands and Slovakia, as well as theUK (www.controlledtrafficfarming.com).

“The first recorded use of CTF was in the1850s when farmers started experimentingwith rail systems, in response to problemswith soil compaction and poor field accesswith heavy steam-driven machines.”

Since the 1930s when horses were still in use, there’s been a fourteen-foldincrease in the level of soil stress measured at 0.4m depth, he claims. After that, fromthose initial 19thC experiments designed toreduce steam-driven field traffic, little morewas heard of the idea until the ‘80s and’90s when the gantry system –– which set out to achieve the same principles –– gained some UK publicity, notablythrough its development by Warwicksfarmer, David Dowler.

But subsequent transport and

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implement compatibility issues acted asbarriers to its more widespread adoption.

“Over the past decade, the driving forcesbehind the renewed interest in limiting thefootprint left by field traffic are chiefly thecost of compaction, environmental issuesand a need to boost farm profitability,”believes Tim Chamen. “But a lot of thedevelopment stems from Australian experiences in the early ‘90s of the sustainability of no-till systems –– mainlydriven by water, field inefficiency and energy input issues.”

Use same tracksThe aim is to confine working machinery to the least possible area of permanent traffic lanes, keeping all vehicle tracks in the same place each year, he says. “Two key things make this possible –– theavailability of high quality narrower tyreswhich allow track widths to be kept to aminimum, and GPS auto-steering systems–– specifically those that work by usingRTK (real time kinematic) signals –– which steer machines to the 2cm accuracylevel required.”

For those farming in countries wheremachinery transport width is of little concern, CTF is relatively simple to

adopt –– the only requirement being thefunds to invest in vehicles whose trackwidth matches that of grain harvesters,continues Tim Chamen.

“But where machinery movement ismore of a problem, such as in the UK andmainland Europe, different principles canbe employed –– with two finding particularfavour on UK farms.”

The OutTrac system allows tractors to work within the combine wheelings,making their imprints on the inner edges.Alternatively, the TwinTrac system requiresthe width of the implements to be equal to the harvester-track width plus the tractor-track width.

“Research shows that even low levels of compaction can cut crop yields by up to 15% –– mainly because crops can’textract nutrients from these damagedsoils,” he explains. “While min-till techniques keep traffic on the surface


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“Narrow tyres and RTK-based auto-steering systems allow machines to benavigated to the required 2cm accuracy,”says Tim Chamen.

Research shows that even low levels ofcompaction can cut crop yields by upto 15%.

drill that would suit a controlled traffic system to be used in CTF trials at Unilever’s R&D farm at Sharnbrook in Bedfordshire.

“We subsequently supplied a specially-adapted 8m Dale drill with 3m wheel centres which sows around 120ha/yr atthis demo site.

“On our own farm, we run an 8m All-Tillunit –– a model which was introduced lastyear –– but with 2m wheel centres, whichis common to most tractors on the market.We also run a 24m sprayer, with everythird traffic pass being a tramline.

All-round duals “The drill is usually operated behind a150hp JD 6920S on 710 dual wheels all-round and running within the samewheelings as the combine. Not only doesthat spread the tractor-track width over a wider area, it represents the best compromise between the working and transport width.

“Tall, narrow wheels are ideal for thissystem to keep tracks to a minimum width, but on our soils the tractors wouldsimply sink out of sight if the conditionsgot really wet.”

To achieve the accuracy levels necessary to work in the same tracks during the season –– and from season-to-season –– the tractor is equipped withJohn Deere’s cab-mounted StarFire GPSreceiver, backed by a tripod-mounted RTKreceiver placed in the field. Co-ordinatesare then saved for use when the crop isbeing combined, for example.

Whilst accurate enough for some fieldoperations, the firm’s SF1 and SF2 signalsare insufficient to give either the level ofrepeatability, or the sub-2cm accuracyrequired to put wheelmarks in the sameplace each year, says Edward Dale.

“We originally tried using the Starfirereceiver on its own –– subscribing to the SF2 signal –– but we soon realisedthat satellite drift meant we weren’t finding the same wheelings each season–– and we were actually about half awheeling out.

“We therefore had to make a considerable investment –– around£15,000 –– in the full RTK service plus base station, giving the sub-2cmaccuracy we needed. But the station hasto be moved to wherever we’re workingacross our three farms, with the landspread over about 17 miles.”

The drill and tractor do relatively littledamage to the soil, compared with thefarm’s JD 9880 STS combine, reckonsEdward Dale. “But I’m sure it would be thesame for any combine make or model.”

Combines are the main cause of compacted soils, he believes. “Before weadopted the principles of CTF, we weresubsoiling whole fields after harvest ––chiefly because of the combine.

“Our current combine’s front tyres have been replaced with 750mm Grecavtrack units and, at the rear, we use big

Farmers considering adopting precisionfarming techniques, but unsure of the potential costs, are the target of an HGCA-developed decision-making toolwhich calculates the cost benefits of adopting the technology.

The tool uses information about specificfarm operations –– including a farm’s size,cropping and estimated levels of variability in its soil and yields –– to calculate whetherthe return on investment in the technology is justified.

A ‘pick list’ of precision farming

techniques is available, and growers canchoose which ones they’re most interestedin, and then combine them within an overallsystem for their farm. Users can thenchange the information that they enter, orselect/deselect different techniques, thenrecalculate their cost/benefits allowing aseries of ‘what if’ scenarios to be investigated.

TAG’s Stuart Knight developed the toolfrom information collected as part of thecost:benefit analysis published in an HGCAResearch Review earlier this year.

“The cost:benefit tool is intended to guide

growers towards the precision farming techniques that might be most relevant tothem, prior to a more detailed discussion on requirements and costs with equipmentsuppliers or service providers.”

The tool is a part of the HGCA’s Be PRECISE ‘precision for efficiencies, savingsand the environment’ initiative, the aim ofwhich is to introduce precision farming and its benefits to growers through a seriesof activities.

The tool can be accessed online atwww.hgca.com/beprecise

Precision tool identifies cost benefit

of the soil –– unlike in-furrow ploughing –– they still have the effect of compactingthe soil below the tillage depth.

“Using a CTF technique backed by a GPS system using RTK technology cancut the tracked areas within a field toaround 25% –– which should result in a 9% net yield gain, in addition to othercost-savings.”

Lincs farmer, Edward Dale, uses an 8m OutTrac CTF system across the wholeof his 1,360ha of medium-to-heavy clayand medium-bodied Wold loam farm atHowsham near Market Rasen. Havingused controlled traffic principles since2005, the system has helped him reducehis trafficked areas from as much as100% to as little as 25%, he believes.

Edward Dale also runs a company manufacturing min-till and direct drillsunder the John Dale banner.

“Tim Chamen wanted to introduce theconcept to the UK and contacted me toask whether I’d be prepared to make a


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Edward Dale has recorded significant yielddips as a result of tramline compaction.

Establishment cost comparisonsA. Plough-based system £/ha

Ploughing 42

Cultipress (x2) 40

Power harrow 26.50

Roll (x2) 22

Drill 19

Total 149.50

B. Min till-based system £/ha

Disc 27

Shallow level-lift 30

Cultipress 20

Roll (x2) 22

Drill 27

Total 126

C. Direct drilling £/haLevel-lifting and rolling headlands 6.15 (@ £41/ha on 15% of cropped area)

Drill 27

Roll 11

Dose of slug pellets 13

Application of slug pellets 3

Sub-total 60.15

Plus level-lifting harvest wheelings 10.25 (@ £41/ha on 25% of area)

Total 70.40

D. Controlled Traffic Farming £/ha

Capital cost of Autotrac 3.75 (includes maintenance)

Level-lifting and rolling headlands 6.15 (@ £41/ha on 15% of cropped area)

Level-lifting harvest wheelings 10.25 (@ £41/ha on 25% of cropped area)

Shallow discing @ £20/ha 14(@ £20/ha 70% of cropped area)

Drill 25 (lower draught with CTF system)

Roll 11

Total 70.15

Source: Edward Dale

Farm FactsJE Dale (Farmers) LtdPepperdale House FarmHowshamMarket Rasen

l Farmed area: 1,360ha Contract drilling also carried out on a further 400ha

l Cropping (for harvest 2009): 520ha winter wheat140ha oilseed rape96ha spring barley138ha red spring wheat160ha spring beans140ha spring oats

l Mainline machinery:Tractors: 2x John Deere 6920S

John Deere 7920

John Deere 8530Combine:John Deere 9880 STS

l Cultivation equipment: 8m Bush Hog discs

Seven-leg Philip Watkins subsoiler

2x 8m John Dale drills – one All-Tilland one Zero-Till

Bateman 24m SP sprayer (every thirdtraffic wheeling is a tramline)

Kuhn Aero 24m boom fertiliser spreader

750 tyres running –– like our tractor anddrill wheels –– at just 0.7 bar. We hired-inan additional wheeled-combine last seasonwhich left noticeably more damage.”

Yet the biggest –– and perhaps mostunusual –– adaptation to Edward Dale’ssystem to achieve full CTF status is onemade mainly because of a peculiarity of the combine. “As with other manufacturers’flagship combines, the cutterbar options for the 9880 STS combine were either7.5m or 9m –– with no 8m option to fit our system.

“So to keep to our CTF wheelings, thecombine is equipped with a 9m headerand we only cut 8m with each pass ––guided by the StarFire RTK receiver, whichis mounted on the combine for harvest.

“It may raise a few eyebrows but it wasthe only way we could precisely match thewidth of the tramlines, and we make upfor the reduced intake by increasing theforward speed of the combine until it’susing its full engine power.” Harvestingcan be around 10% faster than with a full 9m header, he adds.

‘Need for compromise’But compromises have to be made in other areas to maintain the output, concedes Edward Dale. “The combine is emptied on the move but trailers have to run with at least one track making awheeling outside the wheeling paths.

“I’ve measured the difference in yieldalong the wheeling paths after a wet season where no remedial action is taken,and it ranges from 25-39% less than themain body of the field. That shows thevalue of keeping them to a minimum.

“And if the harvest is wet and we’reforced to travel on the field, at least weknow where the soil damage hasoccurred, and we only need to rectify the damage on this area.”

To reduce the compaction effect, thewheeling paths are ‘lifted’ at the end ofeach season using the JD 7920 pulling a specially-made seven-leg subsoiler. “Thisis designed so the four outer legs are inwork most of the time to lift the traffickedareas. Then on the area where the trailershave run –– with deeper wheelings toremove –– I can lower the three middlelegs into work.

“Deep tramlines are subsoiled as well,but on some fields we tend to leave themalone –– depending on their depth and thesoil type involved.”

The ultimate aim is to direct drill allcrops wherever possible –– albeit normallywith two shallow disc passes followingoilseed rape to reduce the slug population.“Similarly, spring-sown crops are precededby shallow cultivations in the autumn tostimulate straw breakdown.”

For both tasks, a set of 8m Bush Hog discs is used before the subsoilermoves in. “But from a cultivation point of view, that’s about as complex as it gets and the results are illustrated in our crop establishment calculations”(see table, left).

“It’s difficult to make fair comparisonswithout managing areas of fields under

both CTF and non-CTF systems whichwould be impractical. But the 25-39%lower yields that I’ve measured on thewheeled areas which aren’t repaired,clearly show the advantages of minimisingtrafficked paths.” n


Managing on-farm biodiversity

As much as 50,000ha of arable land in Englandwill be forced into voluntary environmental

management next season as an alternative to 5% compulsory set-aside. So how should

it be managed?By Niamh Tye

‘No summer aphicides have beenused in winter wheat for the

past 12 years.’

t first glance, the Hinchliffe’s 140hafarm at Rawcliffe Bridge nearGoole, E Yorks is nothing more

than an efficient, productive arable farm. But when you take a moment to look

and listen, you enter a vibrant world ofdiverse bird, insect and plant life –– a perfect balance between intensive farmingand highly-effective wildlife management.

The biodiversity initiatives developed arehighly practical and have already providedvaluable information to fellow farmers during numerous farm walks held byJames Hinchliffe. The farm is due to beused as a venue for ELS workshops andtraining days this autumn.

This initiative is timely given HilaryBenn’s announcement in July that anadditional 30,000-50,000ha of arable land in England must go into voluntaryenvironmental management in a compromise agreement to hold off acompulsory 5% set-aside proposed by theGovernment earlier this year. Meanwhile,the fate for Scottish farmers is yet to be decided.

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The Hinchliffe’s farm has a wheat-dominated rotation, with much of it beinggrown under contract for seed. Most of the soil is known as ‘warp land’ –– a highlyfertile alluvial plain extending to depths of250-450mm, resulting from the intentionalflooding from the adjacent Dutch Riversometime between 1820 and 1850.

Perfect location?Consequently, the farm is the perfect location for top-quality commercial wheatproduction. In addition, the farm is usedfor extensive wheat fungicide, seed treatment and variety trialling in a jointventure between BASF and several leadingplant breeders.

The working relationship betweenBASF and the Hinchliffes has alsoextended over the years to include thecreation of wildlife habitats. Independentannual counts of birds, bats, moths andbutterflies have also been undertaken togauge the effectiveness of the measures(see panel on p44).

Graham Hartwell, environmental stewardship manager for BASF, believesthe species counts have been veryvaluable in planning what needs to bedone on-farm.

“Our focus has been on enhancing thewildlife features around the farm usingsimple techniques, and standard farmequipment and labour. One of our maingoals has been to establish year-roundfood supplies for birds, as well as roosting/nesting sites.

“James Hinchliffe has planted and


nurtured a range of plant species whichhave in turn attracted amphibians andinsects –– particularly those species fed to fledglings during the nesting season.”Simple approaches used include:l ‘Tail corn’ harvest screenings have

been fed to wild birds over-winter on headlands, in the yard and on-farm tracks

l Up 30 nesting boxes were put up in 2003 to encourage bird species, such as tits and tree sparrows. By 2006, a further 50 nesting boxes been erected –– helping to significantly boost blue tit, great tit and tree sparrow numbers, withthe latter starting to re-colonise farm woodland nearby

l Two barn owl nesting boxes were put upon the edge of established woodland

l Winter corn feeders have been placed adjacent to woodland

l No summer aphicides have been used in winter wheat for the past 12 years

l Direct cutting oilseed rape has been employed as an alternative to swathing to give resident reed buntings an extra 10-14 days to fledge their last broods ofyoung birds

l Ditch and dyke management have beenadapted to encourage water voles to re-coloniseNearly every field has a ditch around

one side which provides good wildlife corridors, and the annual dredging andcutting is delayed until October and is now used on a rotational, rather than anannual basis, to encourage the tussockygrasses favoured by voles, notes Graham Hartwell.

James Hinchliffe has also planted 3haof native broadleaf trees and berry-bearingshrubs alongside a 100-year-old oak wood.To extend the wildlife corridors further, 6m set-aside margins have also beenestablished.

“Planting a mixture of plant species onthe field margins is obviously the best wayof providing a range of wild bird food andcover from season-to-season but to takeour understanding further, we startedworking with Limagrain UK (then calledAdvanta Seeds) several years ago to better understand what bird species fedon which wild bird cover crops and atwhat times.”

Four years of trials have now been conducted at Rawcliffe Bridge –– including 30 different wild bird crops sown at eight drilling dates.

“The trials were designed to be as practical as possible with the goal of looking at what food can be provided

through the different seasons –– then looking at the seed rates, drilling dates and establishment of different wild birdfood crops.

Herbicide interaction trials“Moreover, we wanted to include herbicide interaction trials to determinewhich sprays could be used to help control the pernicious arable weeds which often out-compete the wild bird and cover crops during the first season ofestablishment.” Crop structure was alsoinvestigated in the trials, he adds.

The results showed some marked differences in the lifespan of individualplant species –– an important considerationgiven the costs associated with establishingfield margins and cover crops, notesGraham Hartwell.

“The aim has been to create some

“The trials were designed to be as practicalas possible with the goal of looking at whatbird food can be provided through thedifferent seasons,” says Graham Harwell.


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Biodiversity statistics Rawcliffe Bridge is a 140ha intensivearable farm near Goole, E Yorks.

Since the biodiversity work commencedin 2002, the practices have achieved thefollowing:

l 103 bird species, which is above-average for a lowland farm – including57 species on the ‘conservation concern’ list

l 25 skylark territories which is nearly twice the UK average lowland density

l Tree sparrow numbers increased from six to 38 pairs between 2003-2008 following the introduction of ‘bed and breakfast’ nesting boxes and feeding stations

l Corn bunting numbers 1.5x higher thanthe UK lowland average

l Grey partridge numbers 7x higher thanthe UK lowland average

l Meadow pipit territories around the field boundaries 3x higher than the UKlowland average

l Yellow wagtail territories 13x higher than the UK lowland average

l Successful habitat creation for kestrels, tawny owls and little owls

l 154 plant species on field boundaries

l 165 species of moths, 22 species of butterflies, eight species of dragonfliesand two species of bats identified to date

l 56 species of water plants surveyed –– including five rare types

l Good water quality proven by the presence of common stonewort, dragonflies, damselflies and sticklebacks

undertaken at Rawcliffe Bridge has been‘outreaching’ to local schools, the publicand key influencers to UK agriculture. “The trials have been an invaluable way of communicating how intensive farmingcan achieve great strides in encouragingbiodiversity.”

The farm has had 650+ visitors in each of the past two years including Defra, Natural England, the ChemicalsRegulation Directorate (CRD), theNational Association of British and IrishMillers (NABIM), the Royal Society forthe Protection of Birds (RSPB), VoluntaryInitiative (VI), National Farmers’ Union(NFU) and the Game and WildlifeConservancy Trust, as well as several of the major UK supermarkets and international visitors from Ireland,Sweden, Denmark and the Baltic States,he says.

“The Hinchliffes have also openedtheir farm gates to groups from localschools, local residents and the media to show just how much can be done topromote wildlife using normal farmequipment, sensitive farming practicesand a passion to see the countrysidebuzzing with biodiversity.

“Managed right, British farms are a farcry from the sterile environs depicted byagriculture’s critics –– you only have tocome to Rawcliffe to see what’s possible.”

The Rawcliffe Bridge site has been sosuccessful at marrying intensive arablefarming with biodiversity that the conceptwill be extended to a site near Ketteringnext year. n

22 species of butterflies have beenidentified to date.

feed and cover value from crops over thedifferent seasons –– then adding-in someflowering species to encourage insects onwhich the birds can then feed. After that,it’s about putting mixes together that attractthe birds you actually want to encourage.”

The work conducted allowed Limagrainto develop a mixture of vetch, triticale,phacelia, fodder radish and linseed –– nowmarketed as Magnet –– which can be sownin the autumn.

“This species combination has a plantstructure that doesn’t compete and, most importantly, it provides food for birdsat different times of the year.

“The benefit of sowing a mix such as Magnet in the autumn is that it getsestablished in better soil conditions inOctober. Then, when the spring comes –– when the breeding cycle for birds isstarting –– there’s an established habitatalready there, complete with flowers, toencourage insects for feeding fledglingbirds and to provide a very useful area toattract and encourage bees.”

The same mix sown in the spring onlystarted flowering in June which is too late for early fledglings –– but it’s still veryuseful for latter broods, he continues. “This balance between autumn and springdrilling is particularly useful to deliver acontinuous supply of food for the manyinsect and bird species.”

Establishing field marginsTrials were also conducted using a combination of spring herbicides, and mowing at the end of the first growing-season.

“Our goal was to put just enough herbicide on to take out any competitiveweeds –– but allowing the bird food cropsto establish.”

The herbicides trialled on crops drilled on26 April –– applied pre-emergence two daysafter drilling –– were Stomp (pendimethalin),Pyramin DF (chloridazon) and Springbok(metazachlor+ dimethenamid).

“Of those products, Stomp andPyramin DF seemed to do the best job on the light land trial site, with Stomp 400SC taking out a variety of grass species –– including meadow grass –– along witha range of other broadleaf weeds, whilstbeing kind to the cover crop.”

It’s important to ensure that any products used are approved for this purpose, stresses Graham Hartwell. (Full details can be obtained from BASF’stechnical department on 0845 602 2553.)

In addition to encouraging and assistingother farmers, a major goal of the work

Eighty nesting boxes have been erectedaround the farm since 2003.


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Specialising in large-scale seed production callsfor close attention to detail in every aspect of the job –– from crop establishment right through to storage.

By Mick Roberts

‘The seed-growing regime imposesa heavy harvest workload.’

Focused on seed production

or many arable farmers, the risksinvolved in trying to attain a milling or malting premium are enough

to send them scuttling back to the relative simplicity of growing ‘barn filling’feed varieties.

It’s therefore difficult to imagine thestresses involved in producing ten differentcrops and 27 varieties –– all of them for seed.

But that’s exactly the task that facesRichard Monk, farm director and owner of AF Monk Rookley Ltd, based at RookleyFarm near Stockbridge, Hants. The business started down the specialist seedproduction route in the mid-‘60s and thisseason, it will be harvesting 971ha of seedand 271ha of commercial crops.

The enterprise has an assortment ofland –– owned, tenanted and somefarmed on a contract basis –– and overthe years it has gained a huge amount ofexperience in the production of pre-basicand basic seed, as well as C1 and C2seed lots –– all on contract to various merchants and plant breeders, explainsDavid Whatley, who assists Richard Monk.

“There’s obviously a huge amount ofattention to detail required through theentire process,” says David Whatley. “It starts with preparing the ground, then continues through growing the crop –– hand-rogueing volunteers, where necessary.

“Moreover, the combine needs to becleaned out after every different variety,along with the storage intake pits and bins, and we don’t even allow a trailer-load

of one variety to cross land growing a different variety.”

Despite the emphasis on crop hygieneand growing to the strict seed certificationrules, the farm also tries not to sacrificeyield in the process, he continues. “We doaim for above-average yields in all crops.When you consider the time and effortrequired to grow a crop –– and the premiums involved –– it makes sense to produce as much as we can.”

No fixed rotationWith so many different crops and varieties in the ground at any one time, it’s difficult for the farm to stick with anyspecific rotation on land which varies from thin puffy chalk, to light loam withflints over chalk, plus a few clay caps, he admits.

“However, the wide variety of croppingdoes provide plenty of opportunity to growgood breaks –– albeit with a main requisitebeing a good gap between crops to prevent any risk of cross-contamination.

“We need fresh, clean ground for anynew variety or crop and while we don’t

F

stick to an established rotation, all the winter cereals will generally follow rape,poppies, linseed, grass or peas.” The farm does grow second oats and secondwinter barley but there is no secondwheat, he adds.

Field cleanliness is paramount whengrowing seed, continues David Whatley.“The land needs to be completely clear ofthe previous crop and variety. There’s a bigemphasis on establishing at least a coupleof stale seedbeds to encourage chittingbefore spraying off with glyphosate toreduce the risk of volunteers surviving.”

While many commercial farmers avoidgrowing herbage seed and oats because ofproblems with volunteers, both crops areincluded in the Rookley cropping plan.“However, oats and other cereals in cerealseed crops are a very big problem for us–– with oats being particularly persistent.

“We simply have to hand-rogue them if


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“With ten different crops and 27 varieties,it’s difficult to stick with a set rotation,”says David Whatley.

we don’t catch them all with the sprayer.Every crop has to pass regular in-fieldinspections and removing them by hand is often the only solution.” The farm alsorelies more heavily on stale seedbeds inthis situation, he adds.

Balanced workloadThe diverse cropping plan helps to splitthe farm workload fairly evenly betweenwinter and spring types, which currentlyaccount for 656ha and 529ha respectively.But the need to harvest 231ha of winterwheat and 278ha of spring barley –– plusthe cleaning-down required in-betweeneach different variety –– means the pressure mounts at harvest.

Unsurprisingly, the farm runs two combines –– a Claas Lexion 570 and aClaas 560. “We need the two machinesnot just because of the large areainvolved but also due to it taking at leasttwo hours to clean-down between eachcrop and variety.

“Moreover, we try not to harvest anything at more than 18% moisture –– although the past three harvests have made things tricky!” 16% is idealbecause seed crops need to be driedvery carefully to avoid affecting the germination, he adds.

The crops are all stored separately in bins, or in divisions, in an on-floorstorage set-up. “We’ve recently investedin a relatively new Svegma drier, withventilated bins and several underfloorventilation stores with stirrers to maintaincrop quality.

“The seed-growing regime does imposea heavy harvest workload but splitting theproduction almost half and half betweenwinter and spring varieties does help

spread the combining –– and the followingestablishment workload too.

“At least we’re not having to establishthree-quarters of the land in the autumnlike some people.” The goal is to haveeverything into the ground by mid-October,he adds.

“We won’t exceed our winter croppingallocation because –– even if the sowingconditions were ideal –– the areas arealready fixed by the seed contracts.”

As well as dividing the farm almost in half with winter and spring crops, theestablishment technique changes at different times of the year, continues David Whatley. “All the winter crops areestablished using a min-till regime, and allthe spring crops go in after the plough.”

Work begins by subsoiling the tramlines,after clearing the oat and barley straw.This removes any ruts caused during theyear and any compaction that may havecome from grain carting –– with thehaulage teams running in the tramlines to protect the soil elsewhere.

“We then move the stubble as quicklyas possible using a 6m Kongskilde VibroFlex winged-cultivator, followed by a 5mVäderstad Carrier working deeper ––inverting the land and incorporating thestraw and trash at the same time.”

The land is sprayed off with glyphosatebetween each pass, with the aim of gettingthe land as clean as possible, as well asleaving an open soil structure, he stresses.“We then leave the weeds in the staleseedbed to chit, then spray it off again.

“The number of cultivation and sprayapplications very much depends on theseason, and the amount of volunteers andweeds present. We use around 1-2kg/haRoundup Max (glyphosate) granules looking to hit the volunteer cereals at the one-leaf stage for an easier kill.”

The land is usually fairly free-flowing,with little compaction or deep consolidationto worry about, says David Whatley. “Butif there’s any doubt about the seedbed,we’ll always run through it again until it’s right.

“If it needs further passes, that’s what itgets –– you don’t get a chance to improvea seedbed afterwards.” Subsequent passes aren’t so costly after the land has already been moved once, he notes.

The crops are then sown using an 8mJD 740A drill, with the tractor using anoriginal (i.e. smaller) GreenStar terminaland AutoTrac –– with fully-automatic steering plumbed into the JD 6920S tractor. The farm also has an AutoTracUniversal assisted-steering system that

can be used with the same GreenStar control box for improving accuracy on the cultivation work on the other tractorsas well.

“Although we’ve got plenty of capacityand use min-till in the autumn, we stillhave a frantic workload and it alwaysseems to take longer than we expect. Butthe priority is to get the fields clean andthe seedbeds right before our self-imposeddrilling deadline of 20 October.”

He believes it’s essential to get a goodestablishment and strong crops going into winter.

With the autumn work over, the focusthen switches to the spring cropping,which involves a totally differentcultivation regime. Ploughing starts inNovember –– usually after sewage cakehas been applied –– and continuesthrough until February.

Although more than 500ha goes underthe plough, field work only takes placewhen the conditions are right, stressesDavid Whatley.

Sewage cake“We tend not to move the land beforeploughing because it can turn into a quagmire when it’s wet. We apply sewagecake to all the spring crops as well, exceptthose which have restrictions, such aspeas.” The undisturbed land helps thelarge spreaders to travel without causingdamage, he adds.

Ploughing is the preferred spring cultivation method for a number of reasons, he continues. “First, it incorporates the sewage cake, and also aerates and inverts the soil whilebreaking up any pan left by the min-tillequipment.

Field cleanliness is paramount when growing seed, stresses David Whatley.


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Farm FactsAF Monk (Rookley) LtdRookley FarmStockbridgeHants

1,184ha – owned, tenanted and contractfarmed

l Soil type: Light chalk loam with clay caps (and flints)

l Staff: David Whatley, plus four full-timers

l Cropping and varieties:See panel, left

l Mainline machinery:Combines:Claas Lexion 570Claas Lexion 560

Tractors:2x JD 6920S New Holland TM 175MF 6490MF 6495

Forklifts:2 x JCB TM310S

Fertiliser spreader:Kuhn 32m Axera EMC

Sprayer:Sands 4,000 litre, 32m boom

Cultivations:8m Kongskilde Vibro Flex5m Väderstad Carrier8m Väderstad NZ levelling harrow5m Kuhn Manager Plough2x 5f Kverneland mounted ploughs (back up)12m Twose Rollers

Drill:8m JD 740A

Seed crops and varieties at Rookley FarmCrop Varieties Area

Spring barley Publican, Tipple, Concerto, Quench 278ha

Winter wheat Scout, Solstice, JB-Diego, Sherborne, Alchemy 231ha

Oats Gerald, Mascani, Dalguise, Tardis 137ha

Linseed Abacus, Birdseye 122ha

Winter barley Flagon, Suzuka, Cassata, Maris Otter 97ha

Winter oilseed rape Vision, DK Cabernet, Expert 95ha

Spring peas Profit, Mascara 79ha

Herbage seed Aberavon 61ha

Poppy Kite 41ha

Spring oilseed rape Ritz 9.3ha

“Second, we don’t use any deep tinedimplements because there’s only about150-175mm topsoil –– below which ischalk –– so the plough has a big role toplay in controlling grassweeds, which areobviously a real issue in seed crops.

“We do have some small areas of blackgrass on the farm, and meadowgrass is also a problem following theherbage seed crops. Sterile brome is alsocreeping in –– probably as a result of min-tilling –– but the spring rotation helpsto control the weeds, although it doesn’teradicate them entirely.”

Semi-mounted ploughA recent addition to the farm’s machineryfleet is a new seven-furrow Kuhn Manager,semi-mounted plough which now handlesthe majority of this workload. “The aim is to incorporate the sewage cake on theday it’s spread and the plough will coverabout 350ha/year on its own in the spring–– equivalent to around 24ha/day workingat about 8-10km/hr.

“It’s the right size to work with our170hp to 190hp tractors,” says DavidWhatley. “The 175hp tractor is quite capable of pulling it at 175mm deep,although it does use all of its availablepower. But it’s not too big to lift or handleand it works very well.”

The configuration features four furrowsbefore a break for the undercarriagewheels, followed by three more. “You don’treally notice the join and the wheel runs inthe furrow –– providing good stability andgreat manoeuvrability.

“The turnover sequence also works well–– you raise the undercarriage wheels ona single spool, then use the same lever tosteer the plough by turning it slightly toone side or the other.”

Although all the tractors have the same1.8m wide wheel-settings, the Managerplough has a hydraulic front furrow off-set,

David Whatley won’t allow a trailer-loadof one variety to cross land growing a different variety.

which would normally be used to set thefurrow width. “But we find it useful to liftthe furrow right out of the ground whenworking around obstacles and finishingheadlands.”

The mid-mounted undercarriage alsomakes road transport easier and more stable than single-furrow, semi-mountedploughs, he adds.

After the plough has incorporated thesewage cake, the furrows are left to settlebefore working with an 8m Väderstad NZlevelling harrow. “This knocks down theclods and produces a level seedbed viathe crumblers on the back.”

This is good enough for drilling cereals,but the seedbeds for the spring-sownoilseed rape, linseed and poppies needmuch more work, he says.

“The seeds are so tiny that they need a finer tilth to achieve a good soil-to-seedcontact. In this case, we’ll probably gothrough with the leveller a couple moretimes and we may even roll ahead of thedrill –– and possibly afterwards as well –– but never for poppies.

“That’s because the minute poppyseedlings –– about the size of a particle of dust –– benefit from the protection provided by the small ridges left by thedrill.” This illustrates another small, butsignificant element of the attention to detail shown by the farm.

Once the crops are established, the remainder of the season is fairly conventional, with a spray regime fairlysimilar to that used by a commercialgrower, concludes David Whatley. “We’refinding that the T0 timing is becomingincreasingly valuable in wheat.

“But the agronomy obviously variesfrom season-to-season. Nonetheless, our spraying programme is probably very similar to that used by many other growers.” n


Not only is the Co-operative the UK’s biggestfarmer, it also has a network of about 4,000

shops in which to sell its produce. Having recentlybought Somerfield, the farming side of the

business is now broadening its range of crops to meet growing demand.

By Mick Roberts

‘These are just two examples of the tangible benefits that come

from using telemetry.’


rown by Us’ is the brand beingsold in The Co-operative Foodstores to promote its ‘home grown’

produce. The logo may be new but theconcept has been around for more thana century.

The original Co-operative WholesaleSociety bought its first 285ha farm atRoden in Shropshire in 1896 with thesole purpose of providing potatoes andother crops to its local store. This wasquickly followed by investment in a farmat Marden, Herts in 1909, and anotherat Coldham, Cambs three years later ––with the farming operations continuing to

expand with more land purchases untilthe late 1950s.

The business now farms a total ofabout 28,000ha and still retains many ofits original farms. Indeed, the ColdhamEstate is now spearheading the latestGrown by Us campaign.

Big undertaking“The estate is currently about 1,520hawhich isn’t actually that much larger thanthe 1,200ha farm first purchased,” saysfarm manager, Russell Armstrong. “But100 years ago, farming that kind of areawould’ve been a massive undertaking.

“Since I’ve been here, we’ve increasedthe range of crops we grow for our storesfrom grain and potatoes, to onions, broccoli and sweet corn as well ––including the business’s entire supply of shallots. I see this as being the wayahead and –– subject the food buyers’agreement –– we intend to add morecrops in the future” (see panel on p51).

Russell Armstrong is part of a teamthat manages and runs the day-to-dayoperations of The Co-operative Farms’ 16 units –– from Aberdeenshire in thenorth through the Scottish Borders andthe Midlands to Essex in the east and


‘G


David Watson was the driving forcebehind The Co-operative Farms’ combinepool idea.

Gloucs in the west. In addition to theowned land, the business also has arange of contract farming and FBTarrangements, and a 20,000t grain storage facility in Berwickshire.

As well as growing a large area of arablecropping, the company also producesstrawberries, raspberries, apples, potatoes,onions, peas, broccoli, sweet corn, shallotsand beetroot –– and even honey and ciderfor sale in its shops.

Moreover, its wheat is milled for flourand sold in the stores, with an own-brand bread line due to be launchedsoon to add value to this commodity.

Future successDavid Watson, operations manager forthe business’s southern region, believesprovenance will have an increasinglyimportant influence on the business’sfuture success. “I’m very excited about the renewed emphasis on home-produced crops under the Grown by Us programme.

“We started losing the link with ourshops after the Second World War, so I’m pleased we’re now working moreclosely again.”

However, he stresses that the

businesses’ 16 farms are treated no differently to any other supplier. “We still have to negotiate with the shops’buyers and work to the same standardsas anybody else –– if not higher –– as wehave to set a good example in everythingwe do.” That ranges from employees’terms and conditions, to environmentalpractices, he claims.

“The Co-operative is currently experiencing something of a renaissanceand, having just bought Somerfield, itmeans more produce will be required forour expanding retail base. The society’sethical policy, with locally-produced foodtraceable back to our farms, is really intune with customer demands.

“What farmer wouldn’t be proud to see their produce named and promotedin nearly 4,000 stores across Britain?”

This ‘vertical integration’ strategy isnow expanding and the business isinvesting heavily in new pack-housesand storage facilities to process its ownfruit and veg, he continues. As part ofthis realignment, The Co-operative Farmsis also actively looking to buy more land.

It recently sold two arable farms andaims to invest the proceeds in land moresuited to growing a wider range of crops.

“The idea is to grow more produce forsale through our own stores. We’re alsowilling and actively-seeking further contract farming arrangements, FBTsand partnerships.”

Each unit is run by its own managerwho’s ultimately responsible for the

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http://www.simba.co.uk

The firm would like to pool its cultivationequipment as well but hasn’t found awinning formula –– as yet.

bottom-line –– operating the farm totheir own specific and agreed businessplans, says David Watson. “While theyhave no automatic ‘right’ to supply theshops, they can still decide on the cropsthey want grow for the stores and negotiate with the buyers individually.”

Overall planDespite, or perhaps in harmony with, this autonomy at farm level, the individualunits also work to an overall plan –– as illustrated by the Grown by Us programme. “It would also be ludicrousfor the farms not to exploit their positionas part of a 28,000ha agriculturalleviathan and all the economy of scalebenefits that can bring.

“But it would be totally unworkable for the individual farms, with their various rotations and soil types, to be managed centrally and following a single prescribed policy. Moreover,while it’s equally ridiculous to expect the managers to use exactly the sameequipment and farming techniques, allthe farms now use N-Sensors and haveGPS automatic steering on their tractors,for example.

“And although there’s a general policyto use min-till where possible, it’s stilldown to the managers’ individual choiceand most do it simply because they’relooking at minimising their costs andmaximising their bottom-line.”

One significant advantage to farming on such a large scale is that the businesscan use its buying power to secure thebest price for all inputs. “The managersare FACTS and BASIS qualified, and don’tuse any central agronomy advice.”

However, the business also has a

national agreement for the supply of pesticides with Agrovista, with whom it runs trials at the Stoughton Estate near Leicester.

Machinery-wise, the farms use mainlyJohn Deere or Claas tractors, Batemansprayers, and a variety of Simba andVäderstad cultivators and drills, he continues. “While it’s difficult to rationaliseor pool this type of equipment, we realisedthat –– with such a wide geographicalspread –– it would be a viable way of notonly saving money, but also boosting theharvesting capacity of each farm.”

In 2001, the business had 40 combinesof various different makes and ages, eachcutting between 500ha-600ha of cropping.But by 2004, it had reduced that numberto 21 –– all Claas machines –– each harvesting about 1,008ha and costingaround £38/ha to operate.

The combine pool strategy took two harvests to put in place and has produced a total saving of £166,000,equivalent to £8/ha across the wholebusiness, claims David Watson.

Large investment“Forming the combine pool was the firstand most obvious target because theyrepresent such a large investment,” hesays. “It was an ‘easy win’ because if youadd up the total farming area and dividethat by the number of machines we wereusing, it was obvious we weren’t makingbest use of our total capacity.

“Although each machine has a ‘homebase’, because it’s in the pool, it has to be available for work elsewhere when it’savailable. Previously, each farm’s combinewould remain in one place and while theydid move occasionally, it wasn’t a plannedoperation.”

Since the pool has been in existence,it’s had to cope with two of the worst harvests in living memory, notes DavidWatson. “But it’s simply not economically

feasible to plan a farm’s combine capacityaround conditions that occur just onceevery ten years because it means thefarms are carrying fixed costs which aretoo high in nine-out-of-ten years.

“It costs just £500 to transport a combine from Essex to Berwick-upon-Tweed.”

With the high cost of mainline cultivation tractors, it might seem tomake sense to ‘pool’ these as well, but the logistics of moving cultivationequipment from one part of the countryto another are a lot more complicated,he explains.

Logistical challenge“We’ve looked closely at doing this –– ifyou can save the cost of one combine at£40,000/yr and a tractor at £25,000/yr,it quickly adds up to significant savings.But the difficulty is that you can’t justmove a tractor –– it needs to have it’simplement with it as well.

“Similarly, you can’t send a 6m SimbaSolo to a farm that doesn’t have a tractorto pull it. The equipment also has to fitwith the other farm’s cultivation strategyand that usually means having to moveits operator as well –– yet they might still be needed on the original farm.”

The plan is currently to move andshare equipment whenever it’s feasible,he says. “For example, we had two tractors from the south working up in theBorders planting potatoes this spring.”

In 2001, when The Co-operativeFarms first started investigating the combine pool concept, its machineryfleet was valued at an eye-watering£33M million. “So a cost saving of just 5% amounts to £1.65M.

“That illustrates quite clearly why we set up the combine pool and areconstantly seeking ways to cut costs. Thescale of our operation certainly highlightsthe impact of fluctuations in input costs.”

For example, the total annual fuel consumption for the business is 2.2M litres and at 40p/l, that equates to £924,000. “But at 70p/l, that figureincreases to £1.54M –– a difference toour bottom-line of £616,000.”

The upward movement in the price of nitrogen to £1/kg N for harvest 2009(from about 36p/kg N previously) represents a change of £141/ha ––equivalent to more than £3M over thetotal farmed area, says David Watson.

“We’re currently having a drive on fuel efficiency, with every tank and bowser fitted with a meter so loads


s

Managers are able to select their ownequipment but ‘big tickets’ items such ascombines, tractors and sprayers aresourced from just one manufacturer.

can be properly logged. With bettermeasurement, we intend to relate fueluse down to specific operations so thetrue cost of growing each crop can beproperly evaluated.”

Related to this is the adoption of GPSguidance and automatic steering on allfarms, with the use of either the JohnDeere StarFire system or the Claas RTKset-up. “The improvement in precision isobvious and we’re already seeing savingsof 9%-10% from simply eliminating overlaps.

“It also brings significant fuel savingsand makes it easier to work after dark ––further improving our levels of efficiency.”

The Claas combines are also equippedwith telemetry, which relays a constant

feed of information about the location,settings and operating efficiency to anoffice PC via the internet –– informationthat can be accessed by his machinerydealer.

“We once had a technician come out to the field to fix a problem we didn’t evenknow we had with one of our combines!

“We’ve also used the trace of the pastharvest to assess how we can improveour combining operations. In one case, it was clear two Lexion 600s on one farmwere both working well-below capacityand these were subsequently replacedwith two 570s instead.

“These are just two examples of thetangible benefits that come from usingtelemetry.” n

A £2M investment in grain and potato storage helped to ease the workload significantly this harvest for RussellArmstrong, who manages The Co-OperativeFarms’ 1,520ha Coldham Estate.

“It’s a bit like having to juggle with 12 balls in the month of August. We oftenhave several gangs of men and machinesworking at the same time –– combiningcereals; starting the autumn cultivations; harvesting onions and salad potatoes; and drilling rape.

“But thanks to our new storage facilities,the cereals harvest is now almost a ‘non-event’. Six staff go out in the morningand combine 80ha, then put 800t of graininto store –– and I usually don’t hear fromthem again until the evening.”

The new, 6,000t capacity grain store is in a central location and has under-floor drying and fans built into the roof space. “It replaces four outdated units ranging insize from 700-1,400t –– all dotted around the estate.

“Last year, I was spending half of my time trying to decide where to put heaps

of grain. Also, the previous set-up meant we sometimes had to move the same consignments of grain three or four times.It was totally unworkable, so I put forward a fully-costed business plan to the management.

“Thankfully, it was accepted and I cannow concentrate on running the rest of the farm.”

In addition to the new grain store, theestate now benefits from having a new potato store and grading line, which is divided into three sections –– with the goalof filling each 1,200t section within just tendays to prevent tuber degradation.

The storage investments are part ofRussell Armstrong’s plan to reduce thefarm’s emphasis on cereals to include awider range of field vegetables and roots(see cropping box). “Having recently introduced shallots, we now grow The Co-operative Food stores’ entire annualthroughput of the crop on just 3ha of land.”

However, demand for the crop isincreasing and he expects to expand thearea again next season. The farm’s Grade1 silt land –– with some clays and lightersands as well –– are well suited to fieldveg production, he believes.

“Shallots are a good example of how I plan to produce more crops for the Grownby Us range. We’re well placed to grow alliums here and already supply around 20-30% of the onions sold in our stores. I proposed expanding the area of shallotsbecause a lot of TV chefs are using themnowadays and this has helps to fuel thedemand.

“It also fits with the changing demographicprofile of our customers, who are generallyyounger and care more about locally-produced food.”

While wheat remains the main crop onthe Coldham Estate –– with 668ha this harvest –– it’s now increasingly becoming a break for the cash crops, he says.

“We used to grow pumpkins here butbecause the Halloween market is so short, I felt it would be better to have a crop thatstayed in-store for longer to provide a better provenance benefit for the Grown By Us range. I suggested a few crops to the buyers and we eventually settled on sweetcorn.

“We have to agree at the outset what thebuyers require –– we can’t just put a crop in the ground and hope they’ll buy it.” He believes this is the way forward for the industry in general.

“I read how other supermarkets are nowworking directly with farmers for supplyingmilling wheat for their bread. It’s a big shiftthat can’t be ignored –– we need to growmore of what the market requires. It’s thebest way to avoid having to rely on the commodity markets.”

Cropping change to match shop’s demand

Russell Armstrong is eager to becomeless reliant on commodity crops.

Coldham Estate – cropping diversityl 688ha – winter wheatl 258ha – oilseed rapel 207ha – spring beansl 60ha – maincrop potatoesl 23ha – salad potatoesl 45ha – onion setsl 32ha – calabresel 60ha – drilled onionsl 4ha – shallotsl 4ha – sweetcornl 82ha – sugar beetl 50ha – letl GAEC12 – 5.5ha


http://www.challengerstore.com

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