page 20 direct weed control - cpm magazine · 2016-12-05 · ‘pre-em herbicides now vital in the...

‘Pre-em herbicides now vital in the battle against blackgrass’

‘Pre-em herbicides now vital in the battleagainst blackgrass’

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How one Lincs farmer isachieving impressive

wheat yields

How one Lincs farmer isachieving impressive

wheat yields

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Crop Production Magazine September 2010

Profitable crops through better management

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Does your drill haveadded-value?

The second-hand value of a drill,together with the ongoing runningcosts, are key factors to consider whenlooking for a replacement, according toone farm contractor.

Train to gain combine efficiency

Combine operator training can reduceharvesting losses and lead to an earlierharvest finish –– with better fuel consumption into the bargain.

CPM Crop Production Magazine

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Publishing Editor Angus McKirdy

Sub Editor Charlotte Lord

Writers Andrew BlakeRobert HarrisRob JonesMartin RickatsonMick Roberts

Design and Production Brooks Design

Advertisement Sales Angus McKirdy

Advertisement Co-ordinator Peter Walker

Volume 12 Number 8

September 2010

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

Direct sowncereals suitLincs farm

One arable farmer is now achieving the same wheat yields using a Claydon Hybrid direct drill as his didwith his previous power harrow/drillcombination.

Tyres hold key totractor performance

A correctly-shod trailer can not onlyminimise soil compaction but helpreduce fuel consumption as well.

Combine harvester for hire?

Might hiring a combine be a morecost-effective alternative to owning one for next harvest?

Gambling on millingwheat?

One Wilts wheat grower believes thekey to success with breadmakingwheat lies in locking into a premiumfor at least part of the crop –– as wellas trying new varieties on a field-scale.

‘An exciting future forenergy maize’

A new maize-powered bio-energy plantis due to open in Norfolk next summer.Could it be the first of many?

Crop Production Magazine –– September 2010 3

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CPM Volume 12 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.

40

FeaturesFeatures

Dual disease target for this autumn?

With a significant level of disease carry-in from last season, OSR growerswill need to be on their toes during thecoming weeks, warn advisors.

14

Pre-ems vital in battleagainst blackgrass

Wheat growers will need to use pre-emherbicides wisely this autumn to slowdown the worrying spread of Atlantisresistance.

6

Cereals: volunteer bean control.46

Wheat price bonanza?Good old BBC Radio Essex were on the phone recently wanting a commenton, in the words of the researcher, “the spiralling price of wheat”.

The resulting conversation took meback to 2007 when I was amongst asanguine bunch of Essex farmers tryingto avert panic on the streets of Basildonby taking to the county’s airwaves toexplain that bread supplies were not, as was being reported elsewhere, aboutto dry up.

Three years on, the researcher on the phone had read somewhere thatwheat prices were “sky high” whichwould cause bread prices to rocket. I patiently pointed out that her memorywas possibly a little short-term in that,whilst the wheat price was indeed appreciably higher than it was twelvemonths ago, it was actually lower than it had been two years previously.

Indeed, taking an even longer-termperspective, some of us old curmudgeonscould recall it first touching three figures(in terms of £/t) as long ago as 1980,when Kajagoogoo were at the top of the charts and Notts Forest had a world-beating football team.

By sober contrast, wheat is currentlycommanding around £145/t, whichworks out at a gain of £1.50 or 1.5% a year. That’s nowhere near matchinginflation over the same period and onesuspects that, if the increment had been a steady and consistent £1.50/year,no-one in the press would ever havereported it.

Many of us might wish tractors wereonly 50% more today than they were in

4 Crop Production Magazine –– September 2010

1980. I remember Dad splashing out on a FW-30 in 1980 for the princely sumof £25,000. Today, the horsepowerequivalent would set you back aroundfour times that figure.

The problem seems to be that whenthe wheat price collapses as it did lastyear, the media sees nothing to report –– there certainly wasn’t any mention of “anticipated bread price reductions”.But when wheat bounced back from that collapse, you’d think that westerncivilization was standing on the brink of collapse.

As a result, some of the non-farmingpublic must get the impression that theprice us curmudgeonly old farmers get ispermanently rising at an astronomical rate.

But to give Radio Essex their due, they did give me ten minutes of air-timewhich hopefully put things in perspectiveamongst the local listenership who mightthen have stopped hoarding bread as ifits was the last time it were to be foundon the shelves of Tesco in Billericay.

Even at £150/t, wheat –– and thebread it goes into –– remain highlyaffordable staples, thanks to modernagriculture.

One of the trickier points I tried tomake to the Radio Essex presenter wasthat low cereal prices are probably a bigger threat to food supplies than highprices. When wheat falls below £100/t,as it did in autumn 2009, the result is that there’s very little incentive forfarmers to bother to grow it.

Couple that with an indifferent globalharvest, as in 2010, and then, justmaybe, you start to play a bit fast andloose with the future food supply.

Some people call this the “invisiblehand of the free-market”. Others, suchas the Russians, call it “time to slap a ban on wheat exports”.

It would seem that politicians love the thought of free-market economicsuntil it fails to deliver enough food to the electorate.

Email your comments and ideas [email protected]

SMITH’S

SOAPBOX

Goldilocks and thethree combinesThe 2010 harvest was a good one tocogitate on that old chestnut –– is mycombine too big, too small or just right?

When the mid-August deluge sweptin, we had most of our wheat cut and in the barn –– with excellent Hagbergs.At the time, I felt particularly smug thatmy combine was probably about theright size.

But as the sun shone from late Augustinto September and we had what seemedlike an eternity to get the last of the beansand linseed in, it crossed my mind that I was possibly ‘over-combined’ –– andsomething a little more modest would’vebeen more optimal in terms of my budgetand farm size.

As is often the case in farming,

it’s the combination of weather andhindsight that makes us good or bad at our jobs. One trend that does seemclear is that while we switch from barley to growing more wheat –– asmost of us have done in the past fewyears –– we’re no longer spreading theharvest workload which means we needa larger amount of combine capacityduring a shorter period of time.

The other trend is that larger machinesare having to cover more acres becauseof contracting and share-farmingarrangements. Being a thousand acreman myself, I increasingly question thewisdom of owning my own combine justfor my farm.

But on the other hand, by mid-Augustthis year, I was feeling rather smug that I had my own toy to play with –– and that I didn’t have to share it with anyone else.

http://www.mauk.co.uk/cinder

from applying the product at the optimumspray timing. Then came the long, coldwinter followed by a dry spring, whichdelayed applications even further.

But was the tough season entirely toblame? Or is blackgrass resistance toAtlantis starting to make its presence felt on a much bigger scale?

“It’s very difficult to say,” believesblackgrass specialist, Dr Stephen Mossof Rothamsted Research. “Atlantis certainly struggled last season, and Ithink that was due to a combination ofapplication difficulties and resistance.

Pre-ems vital inbattle againstblackgrass

Weed controlWeed control

‘Legal constraints, cost and cropsafety will ultimately dictate

what’s realistic.’

Putting an effective pre-emergence wheat herbicide strategy into practice this autumn

could help protect Atlantis’s efficacy and boostblackgrass control into the bargain.

By Robert Harris

rable farming’s vulnerability toblackgrass became all too clearlast season, when many growers

suffered the worst infestations they’dever seen.

Undoubtedly, Atlantis’s poorest performance to date was a key factor. A combination of slow weed growth andthe wet autumn prevented many growers

A

“But there’s no doubt the latter willbecome more important –– all the evidence certainly shows resistance to Atlantis is on the increase.”

Recent research highlights the risk. Last summer, samples of blackgrass seedwere collected from 12 fields, which hadbeen randomly selected and sampled firstin 2002. Seeds from both years weregrown and tested side-by-side.

Signs of resistance“In 2002, Atlantis killed all the blackgrasswhereas in 2009, four samples clearlyshowed signs of resistance, with marginalresistance in two more. This probablyreflects what’s happening across the country as these fields were chosen at random and not because there’d been a product failure complaint.”

The number of cases where growersdid report problems with blackgrass control continued to climb last year, and resistance is now confirmed in more than 300 fields across 23 counties.

“We’re not talking about a completebreakdown in control –– in many cases, it only occurs in a small proportion of thetotal population –– but the implications arethat resistance will continue to increasewhere Atlantis is used regularly.”

How quickly and widely it will spread ishard to predict, admits Stephen Moss.“But it’s not a question of if, but when,blackgrass eventually overcomes Atlantis.So farmers have to do as much as possible now to preserve its efficacy.”

There’s no simple answer to the problem, he continues. “Clearly, culturalcontrol –– including ploughing, springcropping, delayed drilling, higher seedrates and more competitive varieties –– can all help to take the pressure off the product.”

Robust pre-emergence sprays, using a combination of herbicides to keep on topof blackgrass right from the start, will alsoplay a key role, he adds.

Pre-em chemistry“In four trials carried out over severalyears, applying pre-emergence chemistryalone –– usually Crystal (flufenacet+pendimethalin) –– gave an average of 75% control of blackgrass,” saysStephen Moss. “That in turn helped prevent a potential yield loss of 70%.

“Of course, it could be argued that ifyou’re using an effective post-emergencespray, you don’t really need a pre-emtreatment but we know Atlantis is becoming less reliable and needs the right


s

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


“Atlantis is becoming less reliable andneeds the right weather at the time of application to work well,” warns Stephen Moss.

weather at the time of application to workwell, so going down this route increases therisk of incurring a substantial yield loss, aswell as selecting for resistance.

“Basically, there are fewer post-em herbicides available for use in cereals now and most are increasingly unreliable.”

However, pre-emergence actives sufferfrom resistance as well in varying degrees,he warns. “Used on their own, they aren’ta long-term solution to the problem –– they need to be used as part of an integrated weed management strategy.”

In the aforementioned trials series, the main message was that flufenacet, as in Crystal and Liberator (flufenacet+diflufenican), was least affected by resistance, notes Stephen Moss.

A new, sprayable formulation of Avadexshould be available to growers in eitherautumn 2011 or 2012 if trials this autumngo according to plan.

Two years of initial work have produceda liquid formulation, which is now beingtested by Rothamsted, ADAS Boxworthand various distributors.

One key aim is to see how it fits intoherbicide programmes –– especially froma compatibility point of view, says JohnEdmonds, technical manager for Gowan.

“We haven’t submitted a dossier toCRD as yet but we hope to have a liquid formulation available in the nextone-to-two years.”

If successful, the UK will be the first country to have access to the new formulation.

Rothamsted’s Stephen Moss reckonsthere’s a lot to learn in how tri-allate worksalong with other herbicides, and what synergistic effects it might have.

“It worked quite well as a granule insequencing last year, so it will be interestingto see how it fits in with other options andits potential for tank-mixing.

“But growers shouldn’t raise theirexpectations too high –– it will certainlybring something to the party but tri-allateis affected by resistance, just like all otherpre-em herbicides.”

New liquid Avadex formulation?

–– not far below what you’d expect ingood conditions.”

He suspects unusually high blackgrasspopulations may have given the impression that control had suffered.

To take as much pressure off Atlantisas possible, residuals should be ‘stacked’at the pre-em timing and followed by anearly post-em spray. This approach hasgiven up to 85% control in UAP trials,claims Will Foss.

“We build our pre-emergence programmes around full-rate flufenacet(i.e. (240g/ha) –– mainly Liberator andCrystal. We’ve also been trialling Movon,which contains 120g of flurtamone, as well as 240g of flufenacet and 90g of DFF.

“In trials over two years, it improvedblackgrass control by 10-15%, which is more than you’d expect from the extra flurtamone alone. It looks like the formulation is providing a synergistic effect.”

However, supplies are limited, so Movonshould only be used where the blackgrasspopulation is highest, advises Will Foss. “At about £45/ha, it carries a 10% costpremium, compared with Liberator.

‘Stacking worthwhile’“But whichever product you use, stacking additional chemistry is well worthwhile. On their own, they may notappear to be that effective, but they allcontribute when used as part of a mix.”

Diflufenican (DFF) can supply usefulextra control relatively cheaply, he continues. “But aim to use no more than 130g ai/ha to avoid residue problems –– especially if min-tilling.”

Liberator already delivers 60g of DFF at the full-rate, so an additional 70g will suffice, he advises. “Movon needsjust 40g more, but Crystal contains no


“My favoured approach is therefore to useflufenacet-based products at full rates, and to bring in other products as additions, rather than substitutes.”

‘Trust previous experience’Which of the herbicides to use willdepend on the location, he adds. “Someconsultants reckon one product will workbetter than the other in certain fields andthat seems perfectly feasible, so it makessense to be guided by past experience.”

But which additional chemistry to useis also open to debate since there’s nohard and fast blueprint, continues StephenMoss. “It seems to be that the greater thenumber of products in the mix and thehigher the application rate, the better thecontrol achieved.

“Legal constraints, cost and crop safetywill ultimately dictate what’s realistic.”

Will Foss, UAP’s eastern regional technical adviser, agrees that a robust pre-em strategy should be considered as part of an integrated approach toblackgrass control.

“Stale seedbeds will play a key rolewhen enough moisture is present, andploughing may be the only option wherethe blackgrass is really bad. But the message seems to be getting through togrowers, so hopefully we’ll get a muchcleaner start this autumn.”

A good seedbed is the first step to a successful pre-em programme, hemaintains. “Moisture is important butperhaps not vital.

“Dry seedbeds were blamed for poorcontrol last autumn and while we did pick up some reduction in performance in our trials, we still achieved 60-70% control from good pre-em products

Moisture isn’t essential for pre-emherbicides to work well, says Will Foss.

s

Blackgrass infestations arefalling on many of the fieldsmanaged by one Cambs-based agronomist, thanks tothe belt-and-braces approachhe adopts to grassweed control.

“Good farmers who don’t cut corners –– those who are prepared to take the longview –– have seen long-termbenefits,” claims Martyn Cox of Blackthorn Arable.

Although most of his areadoesn’t suffer from high blackgrass populations, hegives the weed no quarter. “Youhave to keep hammering awayto keep on top of it –– but getone thing wrong and you canbe back where you started.”

Good seedbeds are critical to get the best from pre-emsprays, he maintains. “We nowhave fields which have a lot lessblackgrass than 10 years ago,and we’ve achieved that mainlyby improving the seedbeds.”

Ploughing on heavy landcan often backfire, he believes.“It can be really hard to burythe seed properly, so you mightnot be doing as much good asyou think. More importantly, itcan be difficult to get a decentseedbed –– and a cloddy finishwill only compromise the levelof control.

“Min-till has helped achievebetter seedbeds and we definitely have fewer plantssurviving now thanks to thepre-ems. But you have toquestion whether we’reincreasing the selection pressure.

“We had patches of

blackgrass appearing followinga good pre-em and autumnAtlantis plus pendimethalintreatment in third wheat, sothese fields definitely need abreak. And the control of bromewas a bit worrying after usingthis approach last season.”

Martyn Cox believes theamount of autumn herbicidebeing used has increased significantly over the pastdecade. “We’ve been applyingfull-rates of Liberator and IPU,and more recently CTU and/orCrystal and DFF, on fields with problem blackgrass.”

This is followed up whereverpossible by autumn Atlantismixed with pendimethalin.“Spring Atlantis will kill a lot of blackgrass but it also acts a very effective plant growth regulator. Applications ontillered weeds often result instunted plants which soonrebuild the seed bank.”

Late-drilled crops need special care, he believes.“Although the blackgrass burden is likely to be less aftersugar beet, growers shouldn’tassume they can wait until thespring to control it. Full-rateCrystal plus CTU, applied atthe peri-emergence stage, canwork well achieving up to 95%control in good conditions.

“We now have a lot of fieldsthat used to be bad where wenow don’t need to use Atlantis.But we’ve had to pay a lot ofattention to cultural control thanin the past –– and we’ve had toput a lot of chemical down overthe years to achieve it.”

‘Belt-and-braces is best’

DFF at all, so the full 130g can be added.”

Chlorotoluron (CTU) is another relatively low-costoption, notes Will Foss. “You’rereally governed by crop safetyand varietal tolerance, so check carefully on these areasas there are some subtle differences between products.”A maximum 3 l/ha will deliver

2100g ai/ha and can improveperformance quite considerably,he adds.

However, straight CTU is no longer available, so a co-formulation like Steel (containing 620g/l of CTU and 22.5g of DFF) will need to be used instead, he says.

“At about £20/ha, theseadditions take the total spend s

http://www.dowagro.com/uk

BASF recently launched the results of a comprehensive arable grassweed survey –– with 316 farmers and 68 advisors taking part.

The survey, conducted on the company’sagriCentre website, confirmed that blackgrass is still the number one weedtarget for 65% of farmers and 78% of advisors, with annual meadow grass and sterile brome also important.

“Although 37% of farmers and 25% ofadvisors thought weed control this year wasabout the same as last season, a further38% of farmers and 51% of advisors thoughtit was either worse or significantly worsethan previously,” says survey coordinator,Sarah Mountford-Smith.

Where levels of grassweed control were poor, the weather was blamed for disappointing herbicide efficacy –– withAtlantis performance considered to be poorby 30% of farmers and 46% of advisors.

“The ideal conditions for pre-em herbicides to work well is a moist and not too cloddy seedbed –– and for a post-emherbicide, dry conditions are needed withsmall, actively-growing weeds.”

Poor weed control was associated withsituations where herbicides were applied too late (by 22% of farmers and 34% of advisors); where crop competition was poor(by 30% of farmers and 22% of advisors);and where no stale seedbed was used (15% of farmers and 25% of advisors).

Respondents were also asked to identifythe pre-em products which they preferredbest –– with 83% of advisors and 42% of farmers declaring their preference for Crystal.

When quizzed about the role ofpendimethalin, 81% of advisors and 78% of farmers said it was still very valuable oruseful in their grassweed control strategies.

Finally, both groups were asked what single thing they would change to tackle the increasing challenge of grassweedresistance –– with 28% of advisors and 23%of farmers saying they would adapt theirrotation or use more break crops; 22% offarmers saying they would use more staleseedbeds; and 27% of advisors stating theywould increase their reliance on residual herbicide stacking.

Weed survey highlights shifting weed patterns

Reasons for good grassweed controlFarmers Advisors

no of farmers % no of advisors %

Atlantis worked well 111 35% 11 16%

Good crop competition 42 13% 9 13%

Herbicide applications made at the optimum timing

Combination of factors 52 17% 8 12%

Nozzle choice and optimised application technique

Robust application rates 50 16% - -

Low grassweed population 14 4% 5 7%

Use of a robust pre-em herbicide 136 43% 43 64%

Use of min-till 9 3% - -

Use of the plough 90 29% 16 24%

Low or no resistance on-farm 34 11% 4 6%

Use of a robust herbicide programme 71 23% 27 40%

Source: BASF (agriCentre survey)

Reasons for poor grassweed controlFarmers Advisors

% %Robust herbicide programme not used

Robust pre-em not used 14% 30%

Atlantis performance was poor 30% 46%

Dose rates cut 2% 4%

Herbicide applications too late 22% 34%

No stale seedbed 15% 25%

Nozzle choice and application not optimised

Poor crop competition 30% 22%

Grassweed population very high 20% 16%

High/very high herbicide-resistance on-farm

Weather not conducive 54% 57%


Preferred pre-em herbicideno of farmers % no of advisors %

Avadex 7 3%

Chlorotoluron 19 7% 1 3%

Crystal 117 42% 54 83%

Defy 17 6%

Firebird 7 3%

Lexus 7 3%

Liberator 84 30% 9 14%

Stomp 25 9%


150 48% 40 60%

38 12% 9 13%

6% 3%

14% 18%

4% 4%

up to £60/ha but even still, it may beworth spending a further £20/ha on half-rate Crystal or Liberator at the earlypost-em timing where there’s an Atlantisresistance issue, or where there’s a concern

about achieving good spray application.“The pre-em treatment will have

sensitised the weed, so you’re missing anopportunity if you don’t go at that timing,”says Will Foss. “Just remember to a use a

different flufenacet product from the oneyou used at the pre-emergence stage.”

Dr David Ellerton, Hutchinson’s technicaldevelopment director, believes growersshould view Atlantis as a back-up, rather



s

“Mix, match and stack to ringthe changes,” advises DavidEllerton.



than an “essential weapon”.“It’s no longer a get-out-of-

jail-free card. We now realisehow critical the weather conditions are for Atlantis towork well, and resistance isbuilding. We should view it as a useful tool to use whenabsolutely necessary.”

Growers still need to aim for98% control but there are arange of techniques available to get there, he notes.

Residual chemistryThat means using non-chemicalapproaches to reduce blackgrasspopulations right from the start, then employing residualchemistry to get on top of what’sleft, he explains. “The key thingis not to rely on just one active–– or even a limited range ofactives. Mix, match and stack to ring the changes.”

Growers shouldn’t delay thespray by waiting for moisture, he continues. “Chemicals stillwork reasonably well in the dry.Once the crop is through theground, you’re on the back foot–– the whole programme canstart to drift and you lose all the benefits of early control.”

His favoured additions to the core full-rate flufenacet treatment include pendimethalin,prosulfocarb (Defy), tri-allate(Avadex) and flurtamone –– with flumioxazin (e.g. Sumimax),DFF and CTU being his other choices.

“All are valuable, but there

are resistances to each product, so some actives willwork better than others onsome fields. If you know whichones aren’t effective, substitutesomething else –– but makesure you use a range of chemistry to provide two or three modes of action.”

Two good starting points are prosulfocarb at a rate of4-5 l/ha or full rate tri-allate,suggests David Ellerton. “But if you’re using prosulfocarb atthat sort of rate, make sureyou’re drilling deep enough tocover all the seed –– and don’tapply it ahead of heavy rain.”

Tri-allate gave good results inthe dry conditions last autumn,he says. “It has a different modeof action and can give usefullevels of blackgrass control. Thedownside is that you have to usespecialist equipment to apply it,which also means making anextra pass.”

Hutchinsons is trialling liquidAvadex this season to helpdevelop possible pre-emoptions for the future.

Moreover, David Ellerton has seen beneficial results from using the new flufenacet/flurtamone/DFF formulations(as in Movon and Vigon).“Compared with Liberator,we’ve seen increases of up to20% in blackgrass control.”

Growers with lighter blackgrass infestations and no history of resistance whotraditionally controlled theweed with a “cheap andcheerful” IPU/trifluralin mixshould try to avoid usingAtlantis, he advises.

“They need to preserve theproduct in case they really need it in future. A cheaperand more robust option couldinclude the use of residuals pre or early post-emergence, as mentioned previously, butwith less need for multiplestacking or higher rates.

“Let your knowledge andyour agronomists’ experienceguide your choice of activesand rates –– but bear in mindthat there’s no such thing as‘one size fits all’.” n

http://www.agriguard.ie

A new low-rate herbicide for controllingbroadleaf weeds in winter wheat, rye, oatsand triticale is a “welcome addition” to theincreasingly limited herbicide armoury,believes one well-known agronomist.

Oriel 50SX (flupyrsulfuron-methyl) waslaunched following the withdrawal of IPUand trifluralin, when restrictions were beingimposed on the autumn use of mecoprop–– leading to the withdrawal of over 50products, notes Hutchinsons’ Dick Neale.

“IPU/trifluralin products were used on over1.5Mha of wheat for controlling grasses andbroadleaf weeds and, as a result, some keybroadleaf species, such as volunteer oilseedrape, mayweed, groundsel, and cranesbillhave become harder to control.”

A key advantage of Oriel, compared with Lexus, is that it can be tank-mixed

and/or used in sequence with mesosulfuron/ iodosulfuron-based herbicides (e.g. Atlantis, Othello and Pacifica), he says.

“But to avoid increased selection pressureon weeds –– particularly blackgrass ––that practice should be adopted only where you’ve applied a robust non-ALSinhibitor-based herbicide programme in the autumn.

“As an alternative, you can tank-mix or sequence Oriel with Atlantis, but youmustn’t then follow up with a further ALSproduct, such as a spring sulfonylurea orflorasulam-based product.”

Oriel –– recommended at a rate of just10g/ha –– is compatible with a wide rangeof residual partners and insecticides, notesDick Neale. “These include Crystal, Defy,

Liberator, PicoPro (pendimethalin+ piclinafen) and Stomp, plus a range ofchlorotoluron-based products.”

DuPont and Hutchinsons’ trials over several years have highlighted Oriel’sstrengths, and the benefits of adding it to these other herbicides, he continues.

“It helps plug gaps in their weed controlspectrums, is additive to annual meadowgrass control, and represents good valuefor money.”

Moreover, it fully controls groundsel,mayweed, shepherds purse and volunteeroilseed rape and gives robust control ofcranesbill when combined with other products, says Dick Neale.

Oriel must be applied before the firstnode detectable stage of the crop (GS31)and shouldn’t be used on barley.

‘Oriel helps plug broadleaf gaps’

A switch of emphasis from min-till back torotational ploughing, coupled with greateruse of robust pre-em herbicides, is formingthe backbone of a strategy for sustainableblackgrass control for Wilts grower,James Hussey.

With 728ha arable cropping at WeirFarm, Broad Hinton near Swindon, resistance to sulfonylurea chemistry hasn’tbeen a problem to date for the farm –– asituation which he’s keen to maintain.

“For that reason, we’ve moved back to apolicy of ploughing one-year-in-four for thepast three seasons –– despite switching toalmost 90% min-till six years ago to speedup our cultivations and save costs.”

Combined with effective blackgrass control in break crops and the use of

robust pre-em herbicide mixtures in cereals, it’s a strategy designed to minimise levels of the weed across therotation as a whole –– which featureswheat, barley and oilseed rape.

“That in turn is designed to ease thepressure on Atlantis (mesosulfuron+iodosulfuron) in the wheat.”

James Hussey believes rotationalploughing is agronomically better thanannual ploughing. “If you leave the blackgrass seed buried for four years, youend up ploughing fairly sterile ground.”

By building as much cultural control aspossible into the programme, his aim is toprolong Atlantis’ effectiveness for as longas possible.

The performance of different pre-emherbicide mixtures against blackgrass havebeen carefully assessed in trials on thefarm over the past couple of years –– with one split-field comparison of differentmixtures in 2008 and a further Syngentatrial last season.

Treating tramlines alternately with either 5 l/ha Defy (prosulfocarb) plus 0.11kg/haDazzler (diflufenican), or 4 l/ha Defy plus 0.4 l/ha Liberator (flufenacet+ diflufenican),the whole trial area received a follow-uppost-em treatment of 1.8kg/ha IPU in 2008.Unsprayed areas were left in each treatmentto allow comparisons to be made.

“In doing so, we were able to comparethe various pre-em sprays without using

Atlantis, whilst retaining an element ofpost-em control.”

By mid-June, an estimated 100 blackgrassheads/m2 remained in the sections whereno pre-em treatment has been applied ––despite the IPU overspray. “That comparedwith a 98% reduction where the Defy mixtures has been used.

“The level of blackgrass control weachieved was staggeringly good,” saysJames Hussey. “It showed how successfulpre-em treatments can be –– reducing thepressure hugely before the post-em spray.

“Defy plus Liberator was our standardtreatment across the rest of the farm andwe’ve used it again in our winter wheat thisyear. It’s as good as most of the others andit’s reasonably priced –– leaving enoughmoney in the budget to be able to spraywith Atlantis.”

Despite rating rotational ploughing veryhighly against blackgrass, he admits that itdoes increase his costs. “Compared withthe two-pass min-till and drill system wereusing before, the four passes needed withploughing (i.e. plough, power harrow, ringroll then drill) adds around £50/ha.”

In addition, although a plough had been retained by the farm, it was “verysecond-hand”, concludes James Hussey.“So we recently bought a Kuhn Vari Masteras a replacement –– partly to give usmore output in terms of hectares coveredper day.”

Key to sustainable blackgrass control

“The level of blackgrass control weachieved was staggeringly good,” says James Hussey.



http://www.bayercropscience.co.uk

‘If the treatment threshold hasn’tbeen reached by mid-October, it

might be worth using a singleinsurance spray.’

Disease controlDisease control

Dual disease target for this autumn?Dual disease target for this autumn?

Oilseed rape fungicide sprays will have to be up to the mark this autumn where phoma and

light leaf spot threaten.By Robert Harris

any oilseed rape crops are likely toface a stiff disease challenge overthe coming weeks.

The relatively cool summer and wetAugust, coupled with fairly trashy stubbles,will lead to plenty of inoculum –– potentiallyposing a higher-than-normal risk to unprotected rape crops, say advisors.

Phoma is the main concern for DavidParish of TAG Consulting. Although thedisease may have been scarcer-than-usuallast season, conditions up until the end ofAugust were ideal for its development andfor its spread from stubbles, he explains.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if phomacomes into crops a bit earlier than usualthis autumn.”

Although less important, light leaf spothas increased over the past couple ofyears in his Beds/West Cambs patch, he says. “Our strategy is now based on theneed to control both diseases –– although

M

we try to ensure we don’t compromisephoma control in the process.”

That generally means using a two-sprayprogramme –– especially in a year when early infections are likely, believesDavid Parish. “You need to prevent phomafrom becoming established as the fungalmycelia grow down through the leaves and into the stems –– beyond the reach of fungicides.”

Smaller crops are especially vulnerable–– and allowing the mycelia to developunhindered can lead the damaging stemcanker phase of the disease becomingestablished, he adds.

Growers therefore need to keep aneye open for grey-green spotting on theleaves with black pycnidia scattered withinthe spots. “Once 10% of plants have thesesymptoms, I like to make sure crops aresprayed with a suitable fungicide.”

However, the spray timing can sometimes be a compromise, he admits.“Farmers tend to slot in treatments withtheir herbicide programme, so the spraytiming can often be governed by volunteerand grassweed control, rather than theamount of disease present.

“That’s fairly understandable because

it’s a difficult time of year to get across theground, and an extra pass or two obviouslycosts money. On a big crop, it may notmatter so much but smaller crops may be worth treating separately.”

Autumn fungicide options includeProline (prothioconazole) –– usually at 0.3-0.4 l/ha, with the higher rate typicallybeing applied where light leaf spot isexpected as well, he syas.

Cheaper alternativeAlternatively, a slightly cheaper alternative,such as 0.25 l/ha difenoconazole (e.g. Plover) or 0.4 l/ha flusilazole plus carbendazim (e.g. Punch C, Contrast),should give about four weeks’ protectionuntil the second spray is due to beapplied, continues David Parish.

“At that stage, a repeat treatmentshould be made to see the crop through toChristmas, by which time growth will haveshut down.”

Alternatively, metconazole (e.g. Caramba)or tebuconazole (e.g. Folicur, Toledo)may feature if a growth regulator is needed, he suggests. He tends to mix a“half-to-two-thirds rate” of prothioconazole,difenoconazole, or flusilazole plus carbendazim, together the same rate of either metconazole or tebuconazole.

“If the treatment threshold hasn’t been reached by mid-October, it might be worth using a single insurance spray to see the crop through the winter –– perhaps tank-mixing the fungicide withKerb (propyzamide).”


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He adds that there’s little opportunity for cultural control of the disease, with the rotation being driven by the need tomaximise the number of first wheats.“However, block cropping rape fieldstogether to help separate new drillingsfrom the preceding crops may help.”

Varietal resistance to phoma is also generally fairly similar, continues DavidParish. “There’s little difference betweenphoma resistance scores, with most keyvarieties rated either 5 or 6 for the

The rapid uptake of light leaf spot resistantvarieties north of the border means manygrowers are now omitting autumn oilseedrape fungicides entirely.

“Resistance to light leaf spot is the firstconsideration for most farmers whenchoosing what varieties to grow,” saysAndrew Gilchrist of Scottish Agronomy.“Phoma isn’t a problem up here –– we tendto see it but don’t get too worried about itas it rarely develops into the canker phase.

“Light leaf spot has been a big concernfor us in the past but over the past threeseasons, Catana, Cuillin and Emerson –– with their ratings of 8 and 9 –– havechanged the picture completely in thisarea. Cracker looks set to be another bigone, especially in the north-east as it hasgood club root resistance as well.”

Any variety scoring 7 or above rarelyneeds treating, he advises. “We take aview and give growers the information, but we’ve found that varieties like Cuillinaren’t at all responsive to treatment.

Moreover, fungicides have become a lot less effective in recent years, continuesAndrew Gilchrist. “We’ve had to increase ourtebuconazole rates to get the same level ofcontrol –– and the same has happenedmore recently with prothioconazole. At best,we’re probably only getting 60% control fromthe treatments.”

Only about one-fifth of Andrew Gilchrist’scustomers apply an autumn fungicide toOSR nowadays. “Some don’t like takingrisks, but most either have tight rotations or are still growing varieties like Castilleand Excalibur and want to have a bit ofextra insurance.

“In this situation, we recommend 0.5 l/ha

of Proline, with the timing being somethingof a compromise –– when the sprayingconditions are half-decent, and when disease is starting to appear. Anything less won’t even touch light leaf spot.”

Scottish Agronomy doesn’t rely solelyon RL disease resistance information, hepoints out. “We do a lot of variety scoringourselves so we can see how robust thesevarieties are first-hand.”

That’s particularly important in Scotland,which suffers from heavy volunteer problems of the older, more light leaf spot-prone varieties following years ofploughing down OSR stubbles –– apractice which has only recently declined.

“That definitely increases the pressure abit, but so far the new varieties are holdingup well. We reckon Catana now merits a 7 rather than an 8 for light leaf spot resistance, which is still pretty good. ButCuillin and Emerson are definite nines.

“We’re certainly taking full advantage of their resistance commercially –– we’venoticed no difference between treated and untreated crops in trials, and the last couple of years have produced some bumper commercial yields, without needing any autumn fungicides.”

Scottish LLS resistance

Varietal LLS resistance is the firstconsideration for most Scottish OSRgrowers, says Andrew Gilchrist.

disease. And light leaf spot isn’t seriousenough in this area to warrant growing a resistant variety.

“Gross output remains the most important factor governing variety choice,with most growers believing they can deal with phoma and LLS adequatelygiven the armoury they have –– so resistance comes well down the list.”

Peter Riley of Prime Agriculture is gearing up for a “pretty intensive” OSRdisease control campaign this autumn.

Phoma remains the most important disease for his East Anglian customers,although light leaf spot is becoming more of a concern, he believes. “We’vecertainly seen it at relatively low levels inrecent seasons.

“But when you look at the way it’sspreading and increasing nationally, weneed to be more mindful of it than we’vebeen in the past.”

He admits that he’s taking morenotice of varietal disease rating scores as a result and fortunately, DK Cabernetand Sesame –– his preferred choices –– have “reasonable” ratings (6 and 7 respectively), which he backs-up


with a strong spray programme.Prothioconazole will be his number

one autumn fungicide choice this season–– especially given the likely disease pressure. “Except for late-drilled resistantvarieties in areas where little rapeseed is grown, we’ll be recommending a two-spray programme –– spaced about 4-6 weeks apart.”

Half-rate applications of Proline are thenorm on his farms, although he may substitute Prosaro (prothioconazole+ tebuconazole) on the more forward crops.“The tebuconazole provides some usefulgrowth regulation, and the combinationprovides a little bit more activity againstlight leaf spot than straight prothioconazole.”

And where the disease pressure is low, he plans to use either Punch C orstraight tebuconazole.

He advises his clients to apply fungicides “only where needed,” based on actual field observations andRothamsted’s light leaf spot forecast,rather than on compromised timings.

“That might mean spraying fungicideson their own. Although it may be moreconvenient to apply them at the same


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Phoma remains the main autumn diseaseconcern for David Parish.

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You can end up compromisingboth the weed and diseasecontrol if you try to combine the two treatments.”

Further to the north, phomais also the main disease challenge for Andrew Fisher

Light leaf spot continued itsinexorable march southwardslast season, affecting overseven out of 10 crops in thecountry –– making it the UK’smost prevalent OSR disease in 2009/10.

The figures, taken fromCropMonitor –– a recordingand advisory service involvingseveral industry partners and led by the Food andEnvironment Research Agency–– show the incidence of thedisease in the spring has beenon the increase nationally since2006, says Dr Faye Ritchie of ADAS.

“The results show that 71%of crops were infected in thespring, compared with 65% lastyear. As expected, the northwas hit hardest, with nine outof ten fields affected –– butabout 60% of fields were alsoaffected in East Anglia.

“And on average, over 21% plants were infected inthose fields. So given that thethreshold for treatment couldbe as low as 15%, a lot ofcrops needed to be treated last year.”

In exceptional cases, yieldlosses can reach 1.5t/ha from

LLS, she notes. More typically,growers can expect to loseover 1t/ha in severe cases andaround 0.3t/ha if 25% of plantsare infected at early stemextension. “At current oilseedrape values, a two-spray programme will produce a pretty good return.”

HGCA trials carried out in 2006-2008 showed prothioconazole gave the best control, closely followedby tebuconazole, flusilazoleand metconazole in that order.And advice on rates stemmingfrom that work still holds true,she adds.

“Half rates are generally sufficient –– there doesn’tappear to be any reduction indisease above that level.”

However, the same workshowed fungicides control just 50-60% of light leaf spotinfections “at best”, notes Faye Ritchie. “So if it continuesto spread and increase in severity, more growers will needto follow the Scots’ lead andswitch to resistant varieties.”

However, varieties will still need protecting againstphoma, she warns. “AlthoughCropMonitor shows the incidence of crops affected by the disease was slightlylower in the autumn than the previous year (i.e. 66%compared with 68%), there will still be plenty of inoculumready to infect new crops –– especially given the wetweather in August.

“As a guide, 20 days of rainfall in August raises therisk of an early epidemic, somany regions may well seephoma earlier than in the pastfew years –– especially wherecrops were drilled in good time.

LLS marching south

“If LLS continues to spread,many English growers will need to follow the Scots’ lead inswitching to resistant varieties,”predicts Faye Ritchie.

time as a herbicide, neitherof these diseases are easy tocontrol so it’s important to getthe spray on when it’s actuallyneeded.

“That goes for herbicides too–– particularly propyzamide.

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“Don’t compromise the autumnfungicide spray timing toomuch as phoma and LLS are both tricky to control,” says Peter Riley.

of Yorkshire Arable Advice.“The disease has become a bitmore prevalent over the pastcouple of seasons, favoured bywetter weather from Novemberonwards.”

‘Rarely troublesome’Light leaf spot is rarely troublesome in his area, preferring cold weather interspersed with warmer periods –– a combination that hasn’t been seen untillater in the winter in recentyears, he adds.

Popular varieties among hiscustomers include Catana andExcalibur, with some Compassand Palace also being tried this season.

“Consistency of yield drivesvariety choice more than anything else,” believes AndrewFisher. “Phoma scores don’tmake a lot of difference –– if the pressure is on, we’ll spray it –– regardless of whether a variety scores 4 or 6.”

However, his fungicidetactics, although primarilyaimed at phoma, providesome light leaf spot protectiontoo, he acknowledges. A one-spray programme is generally deemed sufficient –– usually 0.5 l/ha of Punch C.

“It seems to be as activeagainst phoma as any otherspray, and the carbendazimprovides reasonable activityagainst light leaf spot. We makesure we have both diseases

covered as much as possibleand if we see light leaf spotdeveloping later in the winterwhen the spray has run out, we go back again in earlyMarch to control it.”

Proline is another option, but this tends to feature morewhere product is left over fromthe T3 spray timing in wheat,rather that a need to pep-uplight leaf spot control, he says.

Fungicides are most oftenapplied with herbicides inNovember whenever theground conditions allow, continues Andrew Fisher. “We look for disease developingin October, and observeCropMonitor and RothamstedResearch forecasts to makesure the timing is right.

“Most rape stubbles areploughed in these parts –– thecereal harvest tends to drag on, so we don’t have the time to do a proper job with staleseedbeds, hence there’s notmuch min-tilling. But thatmeans there’s less inoculumfloating about, so the diseasetends to come in later than inthe south.

“Once phoma gets towardsthe treatment threshold levels–– 15-20% of leaves infected–– that starts to spark sprayrecommendations. But on most decent stands, you canwait to spray –– it’s the small,backward crops that are mostat risk which may need treatingmore quickly.

“We use a robust rate to seethings through until well intoDecember, by which timethings are quieting down.” At about £10/ha, it’s a pretty cost-effective treatment, he notes.

More lush stands sometimesneed reining-in, he continues.“We have a fair bit of earlydrilled rape this year that mightneed a bit of growth regulation. In this situation, we’ll switch toCaramba or Sunorg Pro (bothcontaining 90g/l metconazole),so we’ll use around 0.4-0.5 l/hato control growth and maintaingood disease control for about£20/ha.” n



http://www.agriguard.ie

Direct sown cerealssuits Lincs farm

While direct drilled OSR is becoming more commonplace in the UK, the area of no-till cereals remains relatively small. CPM visits

a farm in Lincs where that isn’t the case.

By Martin Rickatson

‘We were fairly happy with theyields we were getting –– but not

with our establishment costs.’

lthough initially sceptical of theidea of no-till crop establishment,Tom Ireland and his father, Peter,

soon realised the technique could behighly successful following some ‘repairwork’ carried out by a contractor’s direct drill.

The father-and-son team grow 400haof arable crops from a base at FenwayHouse, Helpringham, near Sleaford,Lincs, together with assistance from full-time tractor driver, John Bird.

“At first, I wasn’t particularly convincedby the idea of direct drilling the farm as a whole,” admits Tom Ireland. “We wererunning a system based around ploughingand combination drilling, and were fairlyhappy with the yields we were getting –– but not with our establishment costs.

“Then five years ago, we had someoilseed rape on an area of heavy landthat had patches suffering badly fromslugs. Rather than give up on it and re-drill the whole area, we asked a

A

contractor who owned a Claydon V-drillto come in and patch them up ––saving us having to re-cultivate thegrazed areas.

“I was still sceptical even after the re-drilled bits started to grow and wondered whether we’d made the rightdecision. The crop didn’t look very prettyat all through the winter –– particularlybecause of the drill’s wider rows.”

But what changed Tom Ireland’s opinion was the crop’s yield performancethat year.

No noticable difference“By the spring, it was getting harder to see the difference between the conventionally-sown and direct drilledcrops, and at harvest, there was no significant yield difference between the two.”

Tom Ireland was sufficiently impressedby the results to go ahead and investigatethe technique further –– arranging to visitthe Claydon’s family farm in Suffolk tolearn more about how the techniquemight work longer term.

“While ploughing and combinationdrilling is cost-effective on our lighterground, I was keen to find a way ofreducing our establishment costs on the stronger land, given that the directdrilling ‘trial’ had worked so well.”

What he particularly likes about theClaydon design is the way in which the


Tom Ireland reckons he can sow as muchas 32ha of wheat per day using theClaydon Hybrid drill –– with no previouscultivations required in most situations.

leading tine creates a soil structure thatprovides free-movement for both waterand roots. “At the same time, I wanted totry and find a system that prevented usfrom losing too much moisture from our lighter soils –– hence the appeal of direct drilling.”

100% commitmentImpressed by both the yields and costings from the Claydons’ farm, Tom Ireland felt he’d seen enough to warrant investing in his own drill –– thereby committing to establishingmost of his combinable cropping usingthe no-till approach.

And although the power harrow/drillcombination has been retained as a back-up, the bulk of the farm’s combinable cropping has been directdrilled for the past four seasons.

“Rather than sell our six-furrowDowdeswell plough and our Lely Polymatcombination drill –– the former being 25 years old –– we chose to retain them,mainly because we receive a quantity ofpig muck from a neighbouring farm eachautumn, which is applied to fields inrotation, so we obviously need the

plough to incorporate this. But themajority of our winter cropping is stilldirect drilled.”

The farm’s cropping is spread across275ha on the home unit, with a further125ha of contract-farmed ground –– thesoil type mainly being a medium loam,together with some fen silt hills andheavy hollows.

“The first season with our 4.8m V-drillsaw us move straight into direct drillingour cereals and oilseed rape. Although weuse a Flatlift subsoiler where necessary –– on around 16ha last autumn –– mostof our land doesn’t need deep looseningtoo regularly.

“In dry seasons, strong land tends toself-structure anyway, and we make apoint of trying to minimise compactionby keeping trailers to the tramlines withinfields –– using flotation tyres as well.”

‘Steep learning curve’He admits to being “on a steep learningcurve” for the first 2-3 years with regardto sowing dates and seed rates. “But thecrops established well, and the yieldshave remained on a par with those we’dbeen achieving previously under the

plough and combination drill system –– around 10-11t/ha for winter wheat.

He notes that the soil’s load-bearingcapacity became noticeably better by s


http://www.sumo1.com

The new ski-board press fitted to theHybrid is reckoned to work better than a tyre press.

the second season of direct drillingallowing him to get onto the land sooner for spraying and spreading, aswell as carrying the combine and trailersbetter at harvest.

“The only issue we had with the V-drill was with chopped straw pushingup in front of the leading tines in wetconditions –– especially where the strawhadn’t been chopped and spread verywell.” But this issue was overcome byrunning a double-press over thechopped straw in front of the drill.

“We were also keen to increase our output by way of a wider drill but Claydoncouldn’t offer us one at the time.”

However, a 6m folding version of thedrill (i.e. the Hybrid) was introduced thisspring fulfilling two of Tom Ireland’s keyrequirements –– more working capacityand greater clearance between the tines.

“The addition of ski boards to replacethe press wheels has also reduced thecorrugated seedbed effect we were seeing previously.”

He reckons the direct drilling systemhas now proved itself by reducing thenumber of establishment passes andcutting costs as a result –– with no effecton the yield. “But we wanted to havemore working capacity, with an antidoteto the blockage problem in the wet ––and the Hybrid looked as if it would provide both of those things.”

The fully-mounted Hybrid also usesnew leading loosening tines which meanshearbolt or hydraulic auto-reset protectionsystems can be incorporated. Coulters

are A-hoe types which plant the seed in180mm, 150mm or 75mm bands set300mm apart –– aiding both light penetration and machinery travel,according to Claydon.

The Irelands’ new drill was actuallydelivered on-farm in time for drilling lastseason’s winter wheat and beans, andhas also been used for sowing springpeas. It was the second prototype builtby Claydon.

“We direct drilled all but 20ha of ourwheat last autumn,” says Tom Ireland.“The reason for that was a problem we’dhad in the previous rape crop wherewe’d omitted to use Kerb (propyzamide)and there was a high blackgrass population in the crop, so we decided to plough instead.”

Average wheat yields this year were8.6t/ha for Solstice, 11t/ha for Gallantand 10t/ha for Cordiale –– the farm’sonly second wheat –– with Oakley still tocut at the time of going to press. Excelwinter rape averaged 4.3t/ha this harvest, with Catana coming in at 5t/ha.

“Not having to plough, disc and presstwice before drilling means we’ve beenable to cut around £120/ha from ouroperating costs,” calculates Tom Ireland.He costs-in the Claydon at £42/ha.

The Irelands have off-set the cost oftheir drill by offering a contract drillingservice to neighbouring farms. Last season, that was carried out for £46-52/ha –– depending on the areainvolved and whether the customer was supplying the diesel.

“From just 60ha or so in 2005 whenwe first started contract direct drilling, we were asked to do almost ten timesthat area in the wet autumn of 2008.”However, the demand did drop back a fair bit last season, he admits.

Some poorer crops“Some farmers see direct drilling as a‘fire brigade’ job, just as we did when we first tried it, I suppose. Unfortunately,some of the conditions we were forced todrill in during 2008 led to some poorercrops, which may have been blamed on the system, rather than conditions.”

Operated behind a Challenger MT765,the drill has proved relatively cheap torun, reckons Tom Ireland.

“Compared with some min-till drills,there are far fewer bearings and wearingparts, which is obviously an advantage.And in most situations, we’re only havingto make one pass.

“Occasionally, we use the Flatlift on

compacted areas, and we sometimes runa set of cut ring rolls over our heaviestground a day or two after drilling.” Hereckons the new drill produces a morelevel finish, thanks to its ‘ski-board’ press.

“I wasn’t a fan of the corrugation effectcreated by the tyre packers used on theprevious drill as they tended to ride onthe ridges where we followed up with aset of rolls –– leaving a less firm finishwhere the seed was actually placed.”

Crop establishment Drilling begins in mid-August, with conventional OSR sown at 80 seeds/m2

and hybrids at 40-50 seeds/m2 ––depending on the conditions. By thefirst week of September, they move onto wheat, starting with Solstice on thelight land, followed by Gallant after themiddle of the month.

Wheat on the fen land, whereblackgrass tends to be more of a problem, generally isn’t drilled untilmid-to-late September. Similarly,second wheat tends to be sown fromthe second week of October onwards.

“With early wheat, we start at 225-250 seeds/m2 rising to 300-350seeds/m2 later on. The only variety wetend to make any extra allowance for isSolstice, which tends to tiller less well.”He adds that sowing was a bit later lastautumn because of the dry weather.

Tom Ireland reckons to be able to drillas much as 32ha/day of wheat with theHybrid –– slashing his establishmenttime. He reckons that with larger fields


The design of the Claydon’s leading tinecreates a soil structure that allowsuninhibited root growth, believes Tom Ireland.

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Conventional rape is sown at 80 seeds/m2,with hybrids at 40-50 seeds/m2.

and less travelling, this figure would beeven higher.

“Sowing a similar area under the old system would’ve involved two days of ploughing, two days of discing andpressing, then one and a half days ofcombination drilling.”

Direct drilled wheat looks much less tidy than crops drilled conventionally, rightthrough until about March, but he’s cometo realise this isn’t a major issue. “Theirgrowth rate is very much the same.”

Indeed, there are some significantagronomic advantages in the way thecrop is planted, he believes.

“It’s noticeably easier to keep thelower leaves free from disease in thedirect drilled crops. I reckon there aretwo main reasons for this –– firstly, the300mm band spacing improves the airflow around the plants, allowing betterspray penetration.”

Better tilleringThe wider rows also facilitate better tillering making it hard to see the difference between direct drilled and conventional crops late in the season, he adds.

“And secondly, because the only partof the soil profile that’s disturbed iswhere the seed is placed, blackgrassand other weed seeds aren’t stimulatedto grow.”

Trash is no more of an issue than it would be for a min-till drill user,continues Tom Ireland. He’s used a setof discs ahead of the drill occasionally on some stubbles, but more to aid traction than to incorporate straw ––for example, last autumn when theChallenger’s rubber tracks struggled to cut into the soil.

“We bought a Claydon Straw Rake lastautumn to aid trash dispersal and to helpwith slug control. But slugs can be aproblem after oilseed rape whatever thecrop establishment system used, and wesuffered under our old system on someof the heavier land where we producedcobbly seedbeds.”

A rake pass helps to destroy the eggs and damage the slugs’ habitat, he believes. “After rape and first wheat, we try to rake as soon after harvest aspossible to speed up the rate of strawbreakdown –– reducing slug egg numbers and maximising the chit ofweeds and volunteers in the top inch of soil.”

Following rape, there’s generally enoughtime for a second pass to create another

weed flush before spraying-off, he says.“But we back this up with a pre-sowing

application of pellets after rape ––applying another half-rate after drilling.”

Tom Ireland is currently consideringthe potential offered by the Hybrid’sArtemis electronic metering system toallow variable rate sowing –– puttingmore seed on in the heavy hollowspatches and less on the silt hill areas.

“Our fields are mostly square, so wetend to drill the same way each year and try to put tramlines back in thesame place.

“The soil surfaces have improved a great deal –– they’re definitely more friable now and tend to ‘absorb’ the previous harvest’s trash very well. There’snot much more trash with direct drillingthan under a min-till situation, and theworms seem to pull it in quite happily.

“My only concern with the greateramount of surface trash is mycotoxindevelopment resulting from decayingresidues from the previous crop. But I reckon this won’t be an issue in mostseasons since much of it depends on the weather.

“It’ll take time for direct drilling tomake a big difference to the farm as awhole but adopting this type of systemhas undoubtedly saved us both time andmoney. Despite the wheats’ appearanceearly in the season, we’ve seen no fall-offin yields.

“The main difference is in the time,fuel and labour savings we’re makingnow. Even where we’re putting in a pre-drilling soil-loosening or rake pass, or having to press afterwards, we’re stillnot spending the sort of time that we didpreviously. Nor are we using the sameamount of fuel.” n

Farm factsCooper Bros (Butterwick) Fenway HouseHelpringhamSleafordLincs

l Farm size: 275ha plus 125ha contract-farmed

l Staff: Peter and Tom Ireland, plus tractor driver John Bird (and sons Christopher and Joshua in the holidays)

l Soils: Medium loam, fen silt hills and heavy hollows

l Cropping: l 180ha winter wheat – Solstice,

Cordiale, Gallant, Oakleyl 23ha spring wheat – AC Barriel 75ha oilseed rape – Excel, Catanal 16ha peasl 15ha winter linseedl 38ha spring linseedl 21ha sugar beetl plus ELS And Countryside

Stewardship Areas

l Mainline machinery: Tractors: l AGCO Challenger MT765, l Massey Ferguson 350, 390, 6120,

6190 and 5475

Combine: l 6m New Holland TX66

Cultivations: l Claydon straw rakel Simba double press with leading

tinesl Taylor Gent five-leg Flatlift

Drill: l 6m Claydon Hybrid

Sprayer: l 24m Frazier Stealth

Spreader: l Vicon Rotaflow RS XL


Tyres hold key to tractor performanceTyres hold key to tractor performance

It doesn’t matter how advanced a tractor’s drive-train might be, its engine and transmission

are only as efficient and effective as the tyrestransferring its power to the ground.

By Martin Rickatson

‘Central tyre inflation systems are now becoming more

widely available.’

yre construction, the pressuresthey’re set at for different jobs and the ballasting of a tractor all

play big parts in helping to maximise the potential of an owner’s investment –– in both tyres and tractor.

And many of the same principles apply to what that tractor pulls behind it, according to tyre experts.

But few owners specify a tyre size and type when ordering a new tractor –– and fewer still seem prepared to go to the expense of equipping their graintrailers with the sort of tyre equipmentthat could quickly pay for itself throughreduced soil compaction.

Manufacturers claims that at harvest,a correctly-shod trailer can not only minimise compaction but also –– by way of reduced rolling-resistance and improved flotation –– help cut fuel consumption.

“If a trailer is only being used in-fieldvery rarely –– for example, where a chaser bin is unloading from a combineat harvest and transferring grain into

T

trailers on the headland or roadside ––then super singles are ideal,” suggestsJason Hoare of Goodyear.

Flotation tyres are obviously a betterchoice if the trailer is doing a lot of in-field work, he adds.

Corn carting preference“But when ferrying grain back to thestore, super singles take the upper handagain. The main advantage they offer foron-road use is that they keep their shapeand offer lower rolling resistance ––making the trailer easier to pull andreducing fuel consumption at the same time.”

Jonathan Cole is chairman of theMichelin Agricultural Contractors Panel–– a group of tractor users with a collective interest in tyre technology.

The need to reduce operating costs –– mainly because of high fuel prices –– has motivated the group to encouragetractor and tyre firms to prove, by way of independent analysis, what their product combinations are capable of when set-up correctly.

“What we wanted was clear evidenceto show how good tractor operation –– using the right tyres operated at thecorrect pressure for the work they’rebeing asked to do –– can help protect the soil and improve fuel consumption”(see tables on p28).

Jason Hoare believes most tractor usersare paying insufficient attention to runningtheir tyres at the correct pressure for the


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http://www.michelin.com


The right tyre choice for tractors used on cultivations can make a significantdifference to the fuel consumption, says Jason Hoare.

work in-hand –– primarily because ofthe time constraints involved.

Two key factorsHe notes that two key factors affect the tyre pressures required for each particular task –– payload and travelspeed. “But while every job has its ownideal tyre pressure, a compromise isusually necessary with tractors having to be moved frequently on the road in-between fields.

“It’s not the be-all and end-all of fuel efficiency but if you’ve got the time andability to lower the pressures before starting fieldwork and to raise thembefore travelling home, a difference in fuel use is likely to show.”

With heavy mounted implements, therear tyres tend to come under pressureduring road travel, and the front tyresduring work, he continues. “As a compromise, the rear tyres often end up

Poor trailer tyre choice, such as thesuper single types commonly found on used grain trailers, can result in significantly deeper ruts than thosecreated by flotation-tyred trailers,according to Michelin tyre trials.

“Super singles result in tyre sinkagebecause of their narrower tread width,which in turn leads to greater motionresistance –– leading to higher fuel consumption,” suggests Philip Wright of the machinery consultancy firm, Wright Resolutions.

In tests, two soil-laden 14t trailerswere towed a fixed distance acrosscultivated land behind a strain-gauge-equipped Claas Arion 640 (see tableon p28).

“Super single tyres do nothing forsoil compaction as they’re unable toflex, with their steel casing designedfor road work on lorries,” saysMichelin’s Peter Debenham. “That’swhy, when these develop a problem at speed, they get hot and break upwhich is why you often see shreddedtruck tyres at the sides of motorways.

“There’s no hiding the fact that flotation tyres aren’t cheap, at around£1,500 for a set of four. But the soilcompaction they help avoid and thefuel savings they create –– both when carting grain and during the subsequent cultivations –– means theycan very quickly return the investment.”

In-field haulage

“Super singles cause much deeperrutting than flotation tyres,” says Peter Debenham.

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Flotation trailer tyres cut draughtrequirement, wheelslip and fuelconsumption, claims Michelin.

being set harder for road work, and thefronts softer for the in-field work –– andthat limits their performance.”

One way around this is the type ofcentral tyre inflation systems which isnow becoming more widely available,suggests Jason Hoare. However, heacknowledges that these remain relativelyexpensive, and as such, may not be theanswer for all but the largest farms.

He also warns users not to abuse theability of many modern tyre types to withstand a range of pressures.

“Tyres have a horsepower-relatedcapacity and as the speed decreasesunder load, the torque through the tyresincreases. To prevent them from movingon the rim, they may need more pressurethan that which is required to take theload they’re being asked to bear, sodropping the pressures to boost tractionwon’t always work.

“In addition, the lugs can retreat into the tyre carcase at low pressuresrather than penetrating the soil moredeeply –– further reducing the grip,instead of increasing it. So low pressuresaren’t necessarily the answer toimproved traction.”

Farmers are often inclined to buy thebiggest model of a particular implementthey think their tractor can handle, andto add weight to the tractor and drop itstyre pressures in an effort to get it to pull.

“All too often, this results in the tyresbeing destroyed fairly quickly –– andbeing given the blame themselves.

“It’s better to match the cart to the horseinstead of the other way round.” Similarworkrates can be achieved with smallermachines at higher speeds, he notes.

65km/hr speed ratingGoodyear’s latest Optitrac DT818 high-hptraction tyre has a 65km/hr speed ratingbut can be fitted to standard rims, continues Jason Hoare. The firm claimsthat bead design improvements mean it can work with increased payloads of up to 9.5%, or carry the same loadwith a lower inflation pressure than previous designs.

“Either way, that could mean 20%fewer trips back to the yard.”

In the past, working up through the gearbox and keeping the rpm to a minimum was viewed as being the most effective way to try to minimise

fuel use and maximise workrates, saysDr Andy Scarlett, formerly of SilsoeResearch Institute, and now running his own independent machineryresearch business.

“But recent developments in tractordesign –– or more specifically, in transmissions and engines –– have given us other ways of achieving thesame result with much more success.Nonetheless, tyres are still the mediumthrough which this power is applied tothe ground, so they have the ultimateeffect on the quantity of diesel used relative to the area worked.

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http://www.simba.co.uk

Inflation and deflation can be done on themove with Fendt’s latest 900 series tractors,says Richard Shelton.

“For heavy cultivations, the draughtrequirement depends on the workingwidth and depth, as well as the soil conditions –– with the required drawbarpower equal to the draught multiplied by forward speed.

“Tyres obviously determine how muchengine power delivered to the axle endscan be converted into drawbar power. So no matter how efficient the engine

and transmission are, they can onlytransfer power as far as the axles. It’s the tyres that do the rest.”

Field trialTo illustrate the influence tyre choice can have on tractors performing draughtwork, a Claas Axion 820 tractor wasrecently coupled to a Lemken 7freversible plough in a field trial.

Fuel consumption was found to be 9%less when the tractor was working onMichelin’s Ultraflex XeoBib tyres (710/60R42 rears at 12psi, 600/60 R30s at 9psi)than on standard Michelin AgriBib tyres(520/85 R42 rears at 25psi, 420/85 R30fronts at 21psi).

“The former tyres produce a largerfootprint and can work at pressuresdown to half those the AgriBib is limitedto.” A 5% reduction in wheelslip, and ahigher forward speed in the same gear at the same rpm were also recorded.

The key to this difference in performance is having tyre sidewalls that flex to a greater degree than normal –– a characteristic whichMichelin calls ‘Ultraflex’, says the company’s Andy Balfour.

“These help increase the footprint ofthe tyre at higher loadings –– with thegreater the load imposed on them, thewider the spread area of the tread. Weproduce a tyre guide which gives usershelp to assess tyre loading by measuringthe distance between the centre of the

hub and the ground –– the variable factor being that sidewall deflection.”

Michelin has taken some of theseprinciples further with the AxioBib –– adevelopment of the high-hp MachXBib,which itself evolved from the XeoBib –– for heavy draught tractors in the 250-500hp bracket.

Recognising that an increasing numberof machines of this size are being askedto multi-task, Michelin has designed the AxioBib as a tyre that can operate at a single pressure with a higher aircapacity/volume –– regardless of the forward speed.

“This helps the AxioBib put 15% more tread on the ground, comparedwith a MachXBib of the same size,”explains Andy Balfour. “That ultimatelymeans better transfer of tractor power to the soil.”

20% lower pressuresIt also has a higher carrying capacity and speed index, and once inflatedaccording to the load in question, can be used at speeds of up to 65km/hr, he continues. “Moreover, it can carry the same load at pressures of 20% lower –– or 0.8 bar –– than theequivalent MachXBib.

The operating pressure can be as low as 1.0 bar depending on the load,with lower rolling resistance and bettertraction, he claims.

Andy Balfour also stresses that tractor operators need to become more competent in correlating theweight-carrying capabilities of their tyres with each job in question.Moreover, he recommends the use of rear wheel weights rather than waterballast for those looking to gain the maximum traction.

“With modern tyres, you won’t get asmuch tractive gain with water as youwould with weights, and you lose muchof the tyre’s ability to flex. Rememberthat it’s the air, and not the casing itself,that carries most of the weight.

“If you really must ballast with water, doso to just 75% of the tyre’s capacity whenthe valve is at the 12 o’clock position.”

However, solid weights are preferablein all circumstances as they don’t affectthe tyre’s physical characteristics, he adds.

Claas tractor specialist, Alistair Tulloch,points out that the power-to-weight ratioshould be about 60-65kg/hp for primarytillage, as a general rule, and 50kg/hp forsecondary tillage –– although the figure


Fuel use/tyre comparison Ploughing

Tractor/ plough: Claas Axion 820/ Lemken 7-furrow reversible

Tractor tyres: Michelin AgriBib Michelin XeoBib

Rear size & pressure: 520/85 R42 @ 25psi 710/60 R42 @ 12psi

Front size: 420/85 R30 @ 21psi 600/60 R30 @ 9psi

Draught loads kg: 5,500 5,500

Speed km/hr: 6.82 7.52

Wheelslip %: 14 9.22

Drawbar power: 141hp 156hp

Fuel use litre/ha: 12.76 11.61

Haulage

Tractor: Claas Arion 640 on Michelin MultiBibs

Trailer tyres: Bulldog remould Michelin CargoXBib

385/65 R22.5 @92psi 560/60 R22.5 @32psi

Draught loading: 2.2t 1.1t

Tractor wheelslip: 14.2% 7.5%

Drawbar power requirement: 50hp 27hp

Rut depth: 240mm 165mm

Fuel use reduction: - 45.8%

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will be lower for tractors fittedwith tyres such as AxioBibs.

“Be sure of your tractor’sweight distribution before making any sort of adjustmentsto try to get more power to theground. Conventional tractorsare designed so that, when on draught work, their weightdistribution is split 60:40 rear-to-front as smaller fronttyres and wheels will never beable to achieve what the largerrear tyres can.

Weight distribution“Weigh cells may help todetermine how your tractor’sweight is distributed when at astandstill but they’re obviouslyno good when in work. That’sbecause the distributionchanges with the draught loadbeing imposed on the tractor.

“Wheelslip is therefore thebest measure, with most modern arable tractors havingthe capability to monitor andrecord this.” He adds that, it’s simple enough to calculatewith a second person measuringwheel revolutions and relatingthis to the distance travelled ifa tractor isn’t equipped withthis facility.

“With tyres inflated to the recommended pressure for the combined weight of thetractor plus implement, 12-15% wheelslip should be the target to balance theworkrate with the optimumfuel use. Traditionally, the idealpower-to-weight ratio was50hp/t but with today’s higherhorsepower tractors that isn’tenough –– with at least 60hp/tbeing preferable.

“Adding front weights foradditional traction simplytakes more weight off the tractor’s rear wheels ––exacerbating the problem.Rear wheel weights are thebest bet on higher hpunequal-wheeled tractors.”

The tractor operator’s driving style can also have a big influence on fuel consumption, continuesAlistair Tulloch. “The dayswhen ‘flat out’ was the only

way to get a large area coveredin a short time-frame are longgone. CVT transmissions –– andto some extent powershifts ––have been among the biggestadvances here, meaning tractors can be operated at higher forward speeds withoutnecessarily working at higherengine speeds.

“It’s also worth rememberingthat working just one centimetredeeper than necessary across1ha of ground moves an additional 150t/ha of soil. Thatmeans the implement depthsettings, as well as the tractordraught control sensitivity, needclose attention if fuel wastage isto be avoided.”

Fendt’s latest 900 seriestractors were among the firston the market capable of60km/hr. Product manager,Richard Shelton, says tyrechoice needs to reflect a tractor’s working tasks, as well as its capabilities.

Cultivators and drills“Few 900s do much work withlinkage-mounted equipment–– the main job for most ispulling big cultivators anddrills. But the weight rating ofthe rear tyres is still important,as implements in-work transferthe load onto the rear of the tractor.

“To benefit from the versatilityof a high-hp wheeled tractor, itneeds to be properly ballastedaround the rear axle for maximum grip. Raising the tyre pressures may then be necessary to maximise traction.”

Fendt offers an on-the-moveinflation system for its latest819-828 models, and a similarsystem will be available on900s later this year.

“It’s completely integral,with an in-cab controller whichoffers the ability to set upperand lower limits, and differentfront and rear pressures, aswell as storing settings for different implements.

“Moreover, inflation anddeflation can be done on the move.” n


http://www.kuhn.co.uk


They sit gathering dust for about eleven monthsof the year –– with depreciation heavy and breakdowns fairly costly. So might hiring a

combine be a more sensible alternative to owning one for next harvest?

By Martin Rickatson

‘These details are essential if aninformed decision is to be made.’

ith the list price for even thesmallest combine now well intosix figures, and with high-capacity

machines now costing around £250,000,the decision to purchase a new harvester is one that few farmers take lightly.

Even though the list price often bears little relation to the sum actually paid, the cost of an average combine has risen comparatively steeply over the past couple of decades.

Most of the increase is due to the extra capacity engineered into the latestmachines but other constituents, such as advanced electronics, have also had a part to play.

Aside from financing any new purchase, a common frustration forfarmer-owners nowadays is that they’reunable to carry out their own servicingduring the off-season –– or repairs at

harvest-time –– due to the sheer complexity of modern combines.

Even with good mechanical skills, theaverage farm mechanic has great difficultyin performing most maintenance jobs –– tasks that were easily achievable onmachines built 15-20 years ago –– havingto rely on dealers instead.

So does hiring a combine make moresense than owning one nowadays, giventhe cost and complexity of new machines?For smaller growers, the consensus, perhaps surprisingly, seems to be ‘no’,with two leading hirers suggesting thecosts simply don’t stack up.

Below a certain acreage, they suggestthat using a contractor is generally a morefinancially-attractive alternative.

But for mid-size and larger farms,there are a number of benefits to begained from hiring, according to two hire companies.

“Amongst our most popular hire combines are the high-capacity machines,such as the New Holland CR9080/980s,and the straw walker-based machines,

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like the CX8080/8090/880/860s,” says Steven Hiller, of APH (AgriculturalPlant Hire).

“We also have some Claas machines inthe fleet, and here again, we focus on thehighest-capacity combines, such as theLexion 600, as machines of this size are in good demand.

“But ultimately, it’s the older, mid-rangemachines which are in the greatestdemand,” he says. APH runs six CRs and 10 CXs, and there are over 20 TX60-series machines in its hire fleetwhich are 10-15-years-old.

Smaller acreage“But for anyone farming a smalleracreage and looking for a lower-costmachine, we have two or three smaller4.5-5.1m machines –– and we can alsooffer older combines, such as a TX36 or34, as lower cost alternatives.”

Even farms considering spending perhaps £50,000 on a second-handcombine will face average costs of£7,000-8,000 in interest and depreciationover an ownership period of say fiveyears, suggests Steven Hiller.

“And that’s before factoring in maintenance, servicing and repairs.Around three-quarters of our enquiriesare from farms of less than 240ha.

However, contractors are often a more economic option for smaller farms, he adds.

While farmers who wish to do theirown combining are one group of targetcustomers for APH, others include those looking to work with neighbours



“Most farmers rent on a multiple-season,long-term deal giving them the opportunityto fix their combining costs in advance,” says Steven Hiller.

for cost reasons or logistical advantages.“In this case, hiring rather than

buying often means being able to run a higher-specification combine than a single farm could justify on its own.

Fixed-share cost“It represents a fixed-share cost that caneasily be allocated on a £/ha basis, andthere’s no need for any one farmer tomake a large capital investment, or commit to a long-term finance deal.Moreover, we can purchase from themany existing combines in the grower group–– with cash payments made to eachowner, or respective trade-in values setagainst the hire rental.”

APH claims to have hired-out 45 combines during harvest 2010, andwhile a handful are one-to-two-year-old harvesters –– the firm buys all of itsmachines nearly-new –– more are around10-years-old, says Steven Hiller.

“This gives customers more price flexibility –– with the whole fleet beingmaintained to the same high standard.”

The typical hire-out charge for a 9-14-year-old 6m TX66 would be around£16,000/season, depending on the exactage, he continues. “That’s a machinewhich should be capable of a 320ha harvest and on a farm that size, the hirecost would work out at around £50/ha.”

This year, just one-third of APH’s hirecontracts are on a part-season basis, hesays (i.e. where the machine is required tobe returned by an agreed end-of-harvestdate). “Most farmers rent from us on amultiple-season, long-term deal givingthem the opportunity to fix their combiningcosts in advance for up to five years –– and obtaining a better deal at the same time.

Scope for change“We offer them the flexibility to changecombine models during the hire term iftheir circumstances evolve –– for example,if they end up taking on more land.”

The firm has six engineers of its own,plus a number of independents, to back-up its machines through harvest,and to service them through the winter months. “Combines can be fully-maintained, or run on Harvestcarewarranty hires, with the option of adetailed on-farm appraisal covering everyaspect of the combine and header.”

Once the APH engineer has completedthe appraisal, it’s returned to the firm’soffices at Peterborough for a parts andlabour cost to be calculated. The firm

also maintains and services machines for third-party customers.

“With a Harvestcare warranty, the customer is under no obligation to goahead with the appraisal recommendations,and can choose the extent of any work to be carried out,” says Steven Hiller.

“For anyone prepared to carry out theirown repairs, we can sell them the requiredparts from our own stores.” Clients for this type of service don’t have to be hirecustomers –– independent combine owners can also use APH’s service department, he notes.

For hire customers, the firm offers arange of maintenance options which breakdown into two primary schemes. With a fully-maintained combine, fixed-price harvesting will include out-of-season servicing and maintenance carried out

either on-farm or if the hirer is close to Peterborough –– or if major work isneeded –– at APH’s workshops.

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“Most of our combines are serviced in this way, but we recognise that many farmers are looking for a reducedfixed-rental price wherever possible andmay be happy to either carry out some, or all of the necessary maintenance work themselves –– or only pay for work as required.”

Unexpected expenseHowever, with more advanced machines, alot of unexpected expense can be involvedwhen major components like gearboxes,engines and hydraulics fail, and machinescan be out of action for some time ––meaning the harvest gets behind, with cropquality being lost and contractor chargesoften resulting, he continues.

“To counter this, we offer a Harvestcareextended warranty package which covers

the repair or replacement of major components –– including hydraulicpumps, rams, valve chests and motors –– plus the gearboxes from the maindrive unit to the unloading auger, shakershoe and knife drive.

“And if it’s obvious that a machine isgoing to be out of action for some time,Harvestcare allows for a replacement combine to be provided while the originalis being repaired.” Moreover, the machinewill also be checked thoroughly out-of-season beyond the usual service checks,and given a full appraisal, together withadvisory notes, he adds.

But hiring doesn’t relieve customersentirely of the responsibility of running a combine, with the onus remaining onthe farmer to keep the machine well maintained on a daily-basis throughoutharvest period, he warns.

“As an extra cost option, combines can be despatched with a ‘service pack’ of maintenance consumables to make this process easier.” He stresses that customers need to ensure they keep their combine as clean as possible to limit the risk of fire –– insuring the combine themselves.

Full repair serviceAPH offers a full insurance repair service and will deal direct with a hirer’sinsurance company if required. “And wedeliver the combines with minimal diesel in the tank as this seems to be the leastcomplicated arrangement for both parties when the machine is returned.”

Hire customers are offered full operator training, with a one-day course held at the firm’s Peterborough base in June tohelp drivers to not only maintain and operate their machines properly, but to get the full potential out of them.

Kevin Kirby Ltd has an exclusive dealwith one manufacturer to hire-out thatfirm’s combines alone. The company,based at March, Cambs, has been working with AGCO for the past five years, offering a range of Massey FergusonActiva, Beta and Centora combines –– tobe joined by 4-5 of the firm’s new DeltaHybrid machines next season.

One of the primary differences between the Kevin Kirby business model and APH is that the former useseach customer’s local Massey Fergusondealer for servicing and support ––rather than employing its own serviceengineers and sending them out aroundthe country from a central location.

“But it very much depends on the

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“Smaller farms will generally be better offbringing in a contractor than hiring acombine,” believes Kevin Kirby.

strength of the local dealer,” acknowledgesmanaging director, Kevin Kirby. “If they’restrong on tractors but not so much on the parts and service necessary for comprehensive combine back-up the, we support the customer directly.”

One-to-five year contractsLike APH, he offers one-to-five-year hire agreements and having originallyfounded the firm on buying and sellingused combines, he’s more than happy to take in part-exchanges from farmsswitching away from ownership to hiring.

“We hired-out 28 machines this harvesthaving purchased 45 new MasseyFerguson combines over the past fiveyears, and our fleet is pretty up-to-date,”he reckons. With a good stock of second-hand combines, Kevin Kirby is able to provide a 48-hour machinereplacement where breakdowns aren’tcurable within that time.

While some might see hiring as something only for the smaller farm, themore you can put through a combine,the lower the cost will be, he points out.

“A 200ha farm is probably the lowerlimit for hiring to make financial sensesince the cost per hectare will be too high otherwise.

“But on a farm with say 600ha of cropping to harvest, and with an MFCentora 7280 costing £27,000/year on afive-year-hire basis, a cost of £44.48/hastarts to look very favourable against anowned-machine when the associated running, repair and depreciation costs are factored in.

“On a maintained 3-4-year-oldmachine, that figure would drop to£22,000-23,000/year –– although theservice and repair costs would obviouslybe higher.

‘Less than £20k’“And for a Beta 7260 capable of harvestingup to 400ha, that yearly figure woulddrop even further to less than £20,000.However, the cost per hectare wouldobviously be higher for smaller farms –– hence it will generally be better in this situation to bring in a contractor.”

But he recognises that there are somefarmers who want to maintain their independence regardless, and there are some significant downsides to usingcontractors for combining –– “particularlyhaving to wait until they can fit you in totheir schedule,” says Kevin Kirby. “Orbeing rained off and having a contractorwho’s under pressure needing to be

somewhere else when it’s dry.”But before making a decision on

whether to carry on running an owned-machine, as opposed to contracting-out orhiring, farmers need to calculate exactlywhat their running costs are, he advises.

“It’s easy to spend as much as£6,000/year on servicing a 3-4-year-oldcombine, and even a one-year-old harvester can cost £1,500 in maintenancein its first year when labour is added to allthe consumables.

“Yet very few farmers know exactly what their machine is costing to run on an annual or per hectare basis –– and relatively few know the true value of theircombine until they come to sell it. Butthese details are essential if an informeddecision is to be made.” n


http://www.newholland.com

Growing breadmaking wheat is often likened togambling. CPM finds out how one Wilts farmer

and his agronomist stack the odds in their favour.By Andrew Blake


‘That’s a serious concern –– andone that would need careful

consideration.’

ock into a premium for at least partof the crop and be prepared to giveit the attention it’s added-value

potential merits. That’s the strategy adopted to maximise

returns from wheat at Cley Hill Farm,Corsley, near Warminster.

For grower, David Burroughs, andagronomist, Simon Trenary of Countrywide,it’s a policy that’s paid-off more often thannot for a decade on 344ha of Grade 2 and 3 land, including about 65ha of land 16 miles away at Wylye.

Selling early –– some before the crop iseven sown –– and remaining flexible oninputs, as well as testing new varieties infield-scale comparisons, are the keys tosuccess, they believe.

“We started off ten years ago withMalacca but I just didn’t like the variety,”says David Burroughs. “We then had alook at Xi19 but found it to be inherentlytoo low in protein.”

That was at a time when the standardtactic to meet milling protein specificationswas to apply late liquid nitrogen, notesSimon Trenary. “But we’ve since moved onand our split nitrogen treatments –– this

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season we used four –– mean we cangenerally get the required protein withoutneeding late foliar N.”

The two men work closely together,with regular communication by mobilephone helping to drive last-minute agronomy decisions.

For the past five years, Solstice hasbeen their main wheat choice, with theGroup 2 Cordiale joining it for the first timelast autumn on the lower yield potentialsites. They also had a 24ha field split50/50 between Solstice and the newGroup 1 variety, Gallant, as a ‘look-see’.

The soils at Cley Hill, from which David Burroughs runs his farming operation, together with his father, Roger, and two casual part-timers, are either sandy or mainly clay.

“We have two basic rotations. On theheavy ground, we grow two wheats followed by either oilseed rape or springbeans. But the light land just won’t support second wheat because of take-all –– exacerbated by an often trickymanganese deficiency –– so here, wegrow wheat then spring barley, followedby a break.”

A target milling wheat yield of 10t/ha is usually achieved on the heavy land,with the lighter land generally nearer to9t/ha. In the latter situation, a differentagronomic approach is taken.



Guaranteeing the prospect of a premium and achieving the optimum yieldis particularly important, the pair stress.The premium –– £20/t this year –– isespecially valuable when growing a newvariety like Gallant, notes David Burroughs.

Last season’s newcomers, Viscount and Marksman, both failed to live up toexpectations –– with neither attracting apre-drilling premium –– reinforcing theneed to be cautious with new varieties,believes David Burroughs.

“When we grow wheat, we aim toachieve a milling quality sample withoutgoing over-the-top with our inputs andwe accept that in some years, we mayget a fall-back on the quality payment. But our aim is still to achieve a consistenthigh yield, with an extra half a tonne perhectare always worth more than an extra 0.5% protein.”

Both men have been keen to see how Gallant performs alongside Solsticein the same situation –– in this case, a heavy land field with a fairly uniformsoil type to ensure neither variety hasundue advantage.

“They’ve both had a fair crack of thewhip and if anything, the Gallant has been on the better bit of land.”

Identical inputsGiven that the two varieties’ straw characteristics and disease resistance ratings are very similar, the fertiliser andfungicide programmes were the same for both.

Both were sown on the same field usinga Horsch CO4 drill, following a single passwith a Sumo Trio cultivator. The previouscropping was winter rape, preceded by an unusual run of three wheats.

David Burroughs (left) and Simon Trenaryassess disease differences in the split-fieldtrial between Gallant (pictured, left) andSolstice at Cley Hill.

“We switched from ploughing to min-tilling about ten years ago,” saysDavid Burroughs, who became an agentfor Sumo equipment two years ago.

Yet Simon Trenary says the pair wouldn’t class themselves as “min-tillzealots” noting that the farm’s springbeans were ploughed-down this season.“We aim to farm for the long-term andrecognise that the profitability of our futurearable rotation will be under-pinned byminimising our production costs overall.

“So we adapt our cultivation approachto suit individual fields and challenges.”

Although Gallant is suitable for drillingfrom early September –– unlike Solstice–– the fact that it didn’t go into theground until 25 September shouldn’thave counted against it, believes David Burroughs.

“I don’t think early drilling is particularlyimportant, and we tend to stick with thetraditional end of September/early Octobersowing slot. We generally start our wheatdrilling programme around 25 Septemberand typically have it all in the ground within 10 days.”

Only for second wheats, at particularrisk from take-all, is anything other than a single-purpose seed dressing justified,notes Simon Trenary. On the light andpuffy soils, delayed drilling is supportedwith Latitude and manganese seed treatments.

“I know both Solstice and Gallant havepoor rust resistance ratings, but I’m waryof using seed treatments to guard againstrust –– and the low doses involved couldalso add to the shift in triazole sensitivityon septoria. I prefer to apply a good rust-active triazole at T0.”

The seed rate, based on the thousandgrain weight, was 250/m2 last autumn, hecontinues. “If anything, we tend to sow onthe shy side because it’s easier to build-upa thin crop than to deal with an over-thickone –– especially when you’re dealing withquality varieties.”

There was no apparent difference inemergence between the two varieties, butGallant definitely tillered more freely, notesSimon Trenary. “That could help on farmswith bad blackgrass.”

Although some patches of the weed are present, blackgrass isn’t particularlytroublesome at Cley Hill thanks to the varied rotation. The winter wheat herbicide programme consisted of 4 l/ha of Ice (flufenacet+ pendimethalin)pre-emergence last autumn, followed by a low-dose combination of pendimethalinplus mecoprop-P post-emergence.

“Then in the spring, we sprayedBroadway Star on the headlands to control brome, and Starane XL (fluroxypyr+ florasulam) on the remaining area to tidy up charlock.”

The pair aim to spend as little of thebudget as they can on weed control, saving as much as possible for fungicides–– tailoring their plans as the season goeson. “A four-spray disease prevention programme is the norm on milling wheat.”

Soil mineral nitrogen testing –– practised for several seasons to guide Nfertiliser dressings –– was dropped a yearago. “The results were much the samefrom year-to-year and we’re still very muchlearning how to interpret the results.”

However, tissue testing continues andhas shown that, in some seasons, crops s


http://www.nufarm.com/uk

Gallant (pictured, left) had a marginalyield benefit over Solstice in the trial.

haven’t been taking up enough potash, he continues. “That was the case eventhough soil indices for both potassium and phosphorus were around three.”

Currently, all of the nitrogen is appliedas a compound –– Yara’s Greencrop(27:6:6 + 6 SO3) –– via a 20m Kuhnspreader.

Three splits (providing a total of240kgN/ha) are generally enough toensure the optimum yields and proteins,says Simon Trenary. “But the effects of last winter on our plant stands justified a change of tactics in the spring, so weincreased to 260kgN/ha in four splits –– starting on 20 March and finishing a bit later than usual on 18 May.”

With a soil pH as high as 8 in places,copper and manganese are also considered to be essential inputs.

Septoria ‘a key focus’“When it comes to disease control, it’s a case of ‘septoria, septoria and septoria’–– although eyespot can also be a problem,” he continues. “However, if we opt to grow a larger area of Gallantalongside Solstice, we’ll have to be veryfocused on the yellow rust risk as well.Both are relatively weak for the diseaseand are susceptible to the same race.

“That’s a serious concern –– and onethat would need careful consideration.”

Given both varieties’ rust susceptibility, a combination of the rust-active fungicide,cyproconazole plus chlorothalonil(applied at 0.65 l/ha as Alto Elite) wasthe T0 fungicide spray in the spring. “A well-timed application, combined with the effects of having a more opencanopy, often allays the need for a

specific mildewicide –– helping to reduce input costs overall.”

Neither variety is particularly lodgingprone, so 0.6 l/ha of Adjust (chlormequat)was deemed adequate as a T0 PGR tank-mix, along with 0.6 l/ha of Route to give the crop an initial nitrogen boost.

“And although the T1 fungicide programme is focused principally on septoria, we’re always mindful of the riskposed by eyespot. The approach is tailoredto the disease pressure at the time of treatment and is therefore finalised at T1 –– allowing the spend to be tailored to the challenges faced by each crop atthe time.”

This season, a reduced rate of Whistle(epoxiconazole+ boscalid) was partneredwith “a sniff” of Proline 275 (prothiocona-zole), notes Simon Trenary. “Prolinepunches above its weight on septoria, andwhere we’ve used this mixture previously,it’s given better yields than the equivalentrate of Whistle applied alone.”

Added to the T1 fungicide mix was 1.2 l/ha of Meteor (chlormequat+ imazaquin) as a follow-up PGR treatment–– with the imazaquin helping to maintainthe growth regulatory effect and to evenup the tillers.

“This is a key part of our approach. We try to avoid small, unproductive tillerswhich use up the plants resources,whilst contributing relatively little to the overall yield.”

A Diamant (pyraclostrobin+ epoxiconazole+ fenpropimorph) plusBrutus (epoxiconazole+ metconazole) mix was then applied at T2, partnering“arguably the strongest triazole mix in the form of Brutus” with some added rust protection, he continues.“This treatment was very much complemented by Diamant’s greeningand yield promotion effect.”

The T2 was then followed by a T3 spray of Swing Gold (epoxiconazole+dimoxystrobin) plus Brutus. “Thisapproach added good cover for fusarium–– albeit more as an added benefit, ratherthan the main disease target. Our key goalis to top-up the flag leaf fungicide, and tohelp maintain the green leaf area for aslong as we can.”

Gallant, with its 4% yield edge over

Solstice, offers a potential extra return of £50/ha over the latter, thanks to itslocked-in premium, he notes.

However, his main concern in the run-up to harvest was the low level of eyespot which could be found in both varieties (albeit not penetrating the stems).“There was already some lodging in theGallant, although this was confined to aheadland corner close to a wood.”

Combine monitorThe final yields of the two varieties, harvested on 8 and 9 August, won’t beknown until everything is sold but thecombine’s yield monitor showed Gallant“comfortably the right side of 10t/ha”, withSolstice only marginally less, says SimonTrenary. “But to be objective, we need tobear in mind that the Solstice was on theslightly thinner end of the field.”

The latter’s slightly lower yield suggeststhe nitrogen level was “slightly on the rich side”, he believes “But if we hadn’thad such a prolonged dry spell in latespring/early summer, experience suggestswe’re not far off the most appropriate dosefor Solstice on that particular site.

“The Gallant looks to have had someprotein dilution as a result of the extrayield, although 13.1% is still a good result.It’s interesting to note that this came froma total of 260kgN/ha –– with the cropbeing grown after rape –– adding credence to the yield monitor’s suggestionof Gallant having a small yield advantageover Solstice.

“Importantly, the approach to growingboth varieties looks to be very similar.Added to this, with late foliar nitrogenapplications increasingly being called intoquestion, it’s important to know we canachieve respectable yields of the rightspecification of wheat consistently withoutthe need for this in future.”

As growers move towards life in thepost-Single Farm Payment era, it’sbecoming increasingly important to examine the growing costs per tonne of wheat sold, rather than simply perhectare, he suggests.

David Burroughs agrees and wasencouraged by the newcomer’sperformance. “Given the results, Gallantlooks as if it should fit into our croppingvery well.”

Despite being slightly shorter in stature,it produced only marginally less straw ––and this autumn’s expanded wheat areacould be split nearly 50:50 between it andSolstice, mainly at the expense of Cordiale,he concludes. n

Cley Hill wheat quality averagesSpecific weight Screenings Hagberg Protein

kg/hl %

Solstice 79.9 1.36 315 13.44

Gallant 80.6 1.4 345 13.09


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by next summer, with the fermentorbeing fed chopped maize using a sheargrab-equipped telehandler.

£4M investmentPhilipp Lukas of Future Biogas is overseeing the development of the 1.4MWdigester/energy plant in a £4M investmenton the farm just outside Norwich.

“The Germans grew 1.76Mha of energy crops in 2008 and biogas provides over 1,600MW of power to theGerman electricity grid –– representing a 2.5 billion market. He’s currently trying to recruit other farmers to havebiodigesters installed on their farms.

“The potential is certainly there tobuild a similar-sized renewable energysector in the UK.”

He acknowledges that there are severalkey political issues to be overcomebefore electricity generation from

An exciting future for‘energy’ maize?

Growing maize as a source of renewable energycould lead to an increase in plantings outside theUK’s traditional livestock-dominated areas. One plant breeder is already developing varietiesspecifically for this sector. By Martin Rickatson

‘There are still several key political issues to be overcome.’

ermenting organic materials to produce methane gas which isthen used to power an electricity

generator is a practice still in its infancyin the UK. But on farms in someEuropean countries –– Germany in particular –– biodigesters, which break-down organic matter anaerobicallyto produce gas for small-scale energyproduction plants, are now a fairly common sight.

With the Government’s push for moreof the country’s power to be producedfrom renewable resources, the samething could happen here, with farmshaving the potential to feed their owndigesters to produce electricity –– with a national grid connection enabling surplus power to be sold.

Experience has shown that relying onwaste products for the process can leadto problems with the consistency of the‘fuel’ and its supply. But growing cropsspecifically for inclusion in biodigestersovercomes this issue.

That’s how one of the UK’s first on-farm biogas plants will be workingwhen it’s completed next year –– with a number of local farmers committed togrowing just over 650ha of maize nextseason to fulfil its fuel requirements.

With the construction work having started in March this year, the facility ona farm in Norfolk is due to be operational

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biogas takes off in the UK. But with a number of farmers already signed up to produce maize for the Norwich bio-digester next season, this first operation is now well underway.

“I know of several biogas projects thathave gone a long way down the line onlyto discover that the cost of connecting to the electricity grid made the wholeoperation unviable.” Investment in a biogas plant is likely to be the single

biggest purchase a farm will ever make,so “having an understanding bank manager is a must,” he says.

Philipp Lukas believes renewableenergy incentives are too low in the UK, compared with countries such asGermany. “There’s currently no supportstructure in place to encourage the production or use of energy crops.”

Government spending reviewHe also points out that many such industries which require a level ofGovernment “encouragement” are currently awaiting the results of itsspending review to see what it mightmean for energy crops.

“And because the EnvironmentAgency had lots of problems with large-scale compost plants a few yearsback –– mainly from bad odours andflies –– it’s naturally cautious about bio-digesters. We’re now working hard to overcome this, making clear that it’s a sealed process –– retaining and usingthe gas emitted by fermentation and notallowing it to escape or to smell.”

With a maize-fed digester such as this,the feedstock store is no different to anyother maize silage clamp, he says.

“Moreover, the technology is well-provenand the feedstocks are readily availablewhether they be waste or, in our case,specifically-produced crops. The only by-product is the bio-fertiliser which goesback onto next season’s crops –– making

an excellent replacement for what themaize originally removed.”

But biodigesters have a significantmanpower requirement, stresses Philipp Lukas. “The need to be fed regularly and monitored closely, and theycan’t be neglected during busy timessuch as harvest. They’re like concretecows and need to be treated as such.”

The German plant breeder KWS,whose UK division is based at Thriplow,Herts, has been developing plant typesspecifically for biogas production since2002 –– with maize and sugar beet having been identified as the most suitable for the process.

The company now has four specificallybred ‘energy’ maize varieties in its evaluation programme –– selected fortheir high biomass and energy yields.

Recruiting local growersOliver Arnold owns the farm whereFuture Biogas’ new energy plant isbeing built. He’s been working with thecompany to recruit growers and to findsuitable land for growing maize for energy (see panels opposite). Operating as a contractor as well as farming in his own right, he was already running apair of maize drills and a self-propelledforage harvester.

“This has been a really difficult season for growing maize –– both for forage types and the high biomass varieties we’ve been growing and triallinghere for KWS. It was very dry when wesowed the crops in the spring, then we

Oliver Arnold has sown maize behind a variety of crops –– including strawedcarrots –– without any problems, he says.

Philipp Lukas suggests biogas maize couldgive farmers another break crop option.

KWS is also heavily involved in developingsugar beet varieties for biogas production.

Biogas beet is still lifted in the conventional way, although precise topping isn’t so critical as the crown can be also used for biogas production(excluding the green leaf material) ––adding around 9-14% to the yield. Cropsare then clamped until they’re required for processing.

“Sugar beet offers a very high biomassyield and excellent energy efficiency,which makes it well-suited as an energy crop,” says KWS beet specialist,Simon Witheford.

“Its methane yield –– both per hectareand per cubic metre –– sits ahead ofmaize, and sugar beet is quicker torelease its gases, with a retention time in the digester of 30 days, rather than 70-90 for maize.” That makes it the fastest

raw material for biogas production, he adds.“We’re also involved in research work

looking also at how blends of differentcrops enhance each others’ performancein the digester. Trials have shown that ablend of 25% chopped beet with 75%maize silage has proved effective.”

The beet’s amino-N content is irrelevant for biogas production, so higher nitrogen rates can be used than for standard beet, he continues. “But theroots need to be free from soil residues.

“Early research looks promising but the sugar regime makes things a bit complicated. But biogas could be a valuable outlet for C quota beet –– and it could re-utilise some of the capacity and knowledge that was lost when thebeet factories shut in Yorkshire and theWest Midlands.”

Beet biogas trials

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Future Biogas has invested £4M in anbiogas plant near Norwich. The fermentoris fed chopped maize to produce methanegas for electricity production.

Future Biogas aims to be flexible with its contractual arrangements to fit in with different farming and landholdingarrangements.

Land rental by way of ‘crop licences’have proved to be the most popularoption to date –– with the company paying up to £400/ha where a farmer is prepared to plough and spray theland himself.

This figure includes a ‘wheat escalator’payment of £1.25/ha for every £1 theaverage feed wheat price rises above£100/t. The payment also incorporates a ‘yield bonus’ which rewards growerswhen their maize yield exceeds 50t/ha.

What’s it worth?

Biogas and forage maize comparedForage maize Biogas maize

Minimum methane production in Maximum methane production/hathe rumen

Maximum feed value (starch and Maximum biomass (yield and dry digestibility) matter)

30-35% dry matter (for feed intake) 27-31% dry matter (for fermentation)

had some late frosts which affected themquite badly.” Wind erosion also causedproblems subsequently on some of thelighter land, he adds.

“But in spite of all that, the crops were 2.5m high by the first week in September –– with some fairly decent-looking cobs.” He believes maize is well-suited to his light soils and relatively low rainfall.

Oliver Arnold’s drills are equipped withDAP fertiliser applicators –– helping toget the crop off to a “flying start” andhelping with weed suppression, he says.“But achieving good weed control earlyon is still crucial.”

Rotational benefitsFrom a rotational point of view, there are a number of benefits from growingmaize, he continues. “The main one isthe fact that it provides more of anopportunity for grassweed control ––being a spring crop and one that isn’t a cereal.”

Having maize in the rotation also helps to overcome the following croprestrictions with some sulfonylurea herbicides, he adds.

“We’ve even fitted it in to some rotations after carrots and, despite theamount of straw present on the soil surface from the carrot bedding, we hadno germination issues at all.”

Oliver Arnold’s energy maize will becut and clamped this autumn, ready forfeeding into the digester as soon as it’scomplete. He’s hoping to double thatarea next season, he says.

But because of the logistics of havingto cart large quantities of harvested

maize from field to digester, all crops will need to be a maximum of 15 milesfrom the farm, he adds.

To help spread his drilling and harvestworkloads, Oliver Arnold planted 20% of his maize area with early-maturingvarieties this year. “The bulk of theremaining area was then put down to a mid-early maturing variety, Ronaldinio,with the remainder drilled in lateApril/early May.

KWS has four ‘energy’ varieties readyfor commercial sale –– the early-maturers,Kadenz and Fabregas; and the later type,Francisco, in addition to Ronaldinio.

“We drilled the crops a little deeperthan normal on our lighter land as theywere going in fairly early –– hence I wanted to protect them from frost.” He typically uses a seed rate of 42,000 seeds/ha, with a goal of achieving 40,000 plants/ha.

“It’s a slightly lower rate than for forage maize as the varieties are tallerand need a bit more room for the light to penetrate.” Seeds are sown 10cmapart on a standard row width setting,although he plans to trial closer rowsnext spring.

Harvesting will begin around 6-7 weeks ahead of the forage maize in mid-September to early October.“The bio-digester requires a very finelychopped product –– 6-7mm versus the16-17mm usual for forage –– so that’s akey consideration.

“Moreover, the lignin at the base of

the stem won’t ferment, so I aim to cutthe crop at just above its first node.Depending on the customer’s rotation,the stubbles are then ploughed-downbefore the following wheat crop is sown.

“With the high levels of trash left by maize, that’s essential to preventproblems with mycotoxins in the following wheat crop.”

KWS is conducting trials with firstmaize, continuous maize and afterwheat, so it can give guidance to farmerswho’ve never grown the crop before.

Unlike forage maize, high starch isn’ta requirement for energy maize, so thebreeder’s efforts are instead targetedtowards selecting high biomass varieties.

“For example, Fabregas has a 15%yield advantage over the very early foragetypes,” says KWS’s John Miles. “Whatwe’re selecting for in particular is yieldsecurity and cold tolerance so the cropmay in future become an option forgrowers outside the current UK maize-producing area.

“Conventional forage maize, with itshigh starch content and dry matter, hasa self-imposed yield limit but energymaize varieties support considerablyhigher yields which are optimised for biogas production.” n

Replacement parts costs (over a four-year period)Väderstad RDA 400S drill

Item Sets Quantity per set Unit cost (£) Cost (£)

System discs 2 32 25 1,600

Drilling discs 3 32 25 2,400

Following harrow 2 1 158 316

Total 4,316

Cost/year 1,079Source: Dominic Robertson

Does your drill haveadded-value?

The second-hand value of a drill –– and the costof repairs over its lifetime –– are key aspects to

consider when looking for a replacement, believes one farm contractor

Rob Jones

‘About 80% of my work is on medium soil which is perfect

for the RDA drill.’

rable farmers looking to changetheir drill shouldn’t be put off by the high purchase price of some

of the more expensive machines on themarket, believes one arable contractor.

Dominic Robertson of RobertsonAgricultural Services, based nearAbingdon, Oxon, bought his first cultivatordrill in 2000 –– a 4m Väderstad RDA S –– but it wasn’t until he traded it in for a replacement machine four years laterthat he discovered its retained value.

“Its second-hand value wasn’tsomething I paid much attention to at the time,” he admits. “Call it naivety if you like –– but now beingwiser, it’s this value that dictates myreplacement policy.”

Dominic Robertson originally set himself up as a contractor back in 1993when he joined the local machinery ringand bought a 4m power harrow/drill combination for contract drilling. He alsotook on a 202ha block of land under acontract farming agreement and did some ploughing for Thames Water where sewage sludge had been applied.

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His second RDA –– a 400S bought in 2004 for a cost of £32,000 –– was subsequently sold in 2008 for £23,000having drilled 3,600ha of land –– equivalent to just over £2.50/ha. “And our repairs and maintenanceworked out at an average of just £1,079 a year” (see table, below).

Dominic Robertson believes some farmers baulk at the initial purchase price of a Väderstad drill and its highpower requirement. “But what they must remember is that they’re actually lookingat a complete cultivation unit and not just a drill.”

He believes some farmers are at risk of over-working the soil by ploughing,power harrowing, drilling and rolling. “The advantage of cultivating and drillingat the same time is that it obviously

requires just one operator, tractor andimplement.”

Added to that is the fact that moistureretention is maximised when the land isbeing drilled and consolidated in a singlepass, he notes.

Sowing rates“Depending on the number of acres to be drilled, and the soil type and crop to be sown, we charge between £15-£17/acre (£37.50-42.50/ha), and wearrive and leave with a full tank of diesel.”He also operates auto-steer so the seedplacement is as accurate as possible.

“We fell into owning a Väderstad drill by accident really. The key was that wewanted to move away from the power harrow and drill approach –– but wantingto retain the ability to work on any soiltype, more or less under any conditions.

“Sometimes, I’ve got no idea what thesoil condition is going to be like when I arrive on-farm –– it could be eitherploughed land or unmoved oilseed rapestubble. But the drill’s System Disc module means a seedbed can always be made.”

With the contracting business expandingand requiring more output, Dominic


“Being able to cultivate and drill at thesame time is a big advantage –– requiringjust one operator, tractor and implement,”says Dominic Robertson.

Robertson purchased an ex-demo RDA600 model for £43,500 from his localdealer, Lister Wilder, almost two years ago.

“The drill can comfortably cover inexcess of 40ha/day at a forward speed of 7-7.5mph.” Last autumn, the businessdrilled 707ha of winter cereals, plus a further 246ha of cropping in the spring.”

He went from a 4m to a 6m drillbecause it meant only requiring onemachine, rather than having to buy another 4m drill and needing to employ an extra operator.

He also owns a winter gritting businesswhich runs independently from the farm’sagricultural contracting operation, andlikes to ensure that all his autumn drillingwork is out of the way before commencinggritting in the winter months.

Offset wheelsSwitching from a 4m to a 6m RDA also coincided with the availability of offset wheels fitted on Väderstad drills.“Up until that time, we’d relied on the traditional straight-wheel configuration but the big difference between the two is there’s no sledging or smearing nowwhen drilling in the wet.”

The new 6m drill has already drilled2,020ha of cropping, ranging from smallclover seed to winter beans –– includingcereals, hemp, vetch, maize, peas anddirect drilled grass.

“We’ve only changed the following harrow once so far,” says DominicRobertson. The heavily abrasive soilsacross most of his operating area meanhe’s more concerned about cutting histyres than he is about wearing the metalparts of the drill.

“But it obviously depends on what’sbeing drilled and when. Some seed needsto be drilled deeper which means moremetal coming into contact with the soil.”Moreover, if the conditions are very drywhen drilling, the level of wear tends toincrease, he adds.

The 6m RDA needs about 50hp ofpower per metre but this depends on the drilling depth, hopper size andwhether the ground is flat or hilly,believes Dominic Robertson.

Before buying the RDA, he tested several drills including a Horsch Pronto,Amazone and Rabe. “The latter two were priced very similarly to the RDA butthe second-hand value of the Väderstadwas much greater, so that was the deciding factor.”

The RDA operates a very simple design based on two coulters to one

wheel, he says. “Occasionally, a split-pinsnaps but that’s about it. Moreover, thedrill also copes well with undulatingground –– and I particularly like its simplicity.

“I prefer the single disc with the seedcoulter next to it, rather than having a ‘V’ shaped coulter. With the discs on theRDA being in-front of the wheel, it ensuresgood consolidation and helps to overridethe ‘disc stall’ that can be a problem onsome light soils, or where land has beenploughed to bury the trash and a light cultivation is needed to level the ground.

“In my view, having the disc in-front ofthe packer wheel is better –– about 80%of my work is on medium soil which isperfect for the RDA. But on very light land,a Väderstad Spirit drill would probablycope better.” n


http://www.wherryandsons.com

‘Extendable cutterbars andpower flow tables offer a bigimprovement in feeding and

reductions in header losses.’

Train to gain combineefficiencyTrain to gain combineefficiencyIf you’re disappointed with your returns from thisyear’s harvest, it might be worth investing in some

specialist combine operator training next season.

By Mick Robertst a discreet ceremony at this year’s Cereals Event, Norfolkfarmer Nick Gowing received a

cup, gold pen and certificate to mark his achievement of becoming the UK’sCombine Driver of the Year.

Out of the 71 operators coached by New Life Training last season, Nick Gowing was deemed to be achieving the best results in the field.

“That means he’s taken on-board allthe advice I’ve given him –– ensuring his eight-year-old John Deere CTS isattaining the maximum output with the minimum losses,” says trainer,Anthony Gardiner. “That includes producing a good sample with the optimum degree of safety.”

New Life Training offers five differentcombine operator courses, starting fromthe basic NPTC Craftsman standard up to NVQ level 3 –– with each one lasting 2-5 days. Together, the trainingprovides drivers with a more thorough

A

understanding of a combine’s setting and operation, he claims.

“With the right training, operators can increase their output by at least 33% –– reducing their losses by 80%and saving nearly one-third off their fuel bill at the same time, as well as finishing their harvest up to three days earlier.

“Put together, these add up to verysignificant savings.”

Indeed, the average losses from the71 combines checked last harvest fellfrom 256kg/ha pre-training to just45kg/ha, claims Anthony Gardiner.“That’s a saving of 23t of wheat fromeach combine –– every day.”

Worthwhile investment?Anthony Gardiner claims that investing in combine operator training often allows farms to realise the extra capacityresulting from trading-up to a largermachine. “Alternatively, it may save having to invest in a new combine bysimply operating an existing machinemore effectively.”

He likes to warn farmers attending the course that they need to prepare tohandle a higher grain output –– “as ifthey’d bought a bigger combine.”

“When you’re having to handle one-thirdmore grain than before, you need to


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Nick Gowing (left) receives the New LifeTraining Combine Operators’ challengecup from Anthony Gardiner, who trained and assessed 71 drivers last season.

ensure you have enough trailers available–– and a handling system that can cope.”

The course takes place at New LifeTraining’s purpose-built training schoolon Anthony Gardiner’s own 40ha farm atShelfanger near Diss, Norfolk. Operatorsare asked to bring with them straw fromtheir combine –– ideally, a single bale –– as well as a typical grain sample.

“These are important because we cantell from the straw whether it’s beingover- or under-threshed, and amount ofgrain damage in the sample. This canreduce the price simply because thereare too many cracked and broken grains present –– also reducing the level of germination.”

Before covering combining losses, the course looks first at combine maintenance, which involves starting atthe front of the machine and checkingevery single element which can help liftthe overall efficiency.

“The threshing system is the mainpower sapper, so it’s important this is kept in good condition. The enginealso needs some attention becausesomething as simple as failing to cleanthe air filters restricts power and increasesthe level of fuel consumption.”

Take care when fillingFuel filling is another area that needsclose attention, he notes. “You shouldn’tfill up from a recently-moved bowserbecause of the stirred-up sediment fromthe bottom of the tank. It’s best to leave itto settle during the day and to fill up at night.”

The fuel should always be filtered out of the bowser and into the combine,he stresses.

Straw choppers are relatively powerhungry and while many farms make theeffort to change the rotating knives, or at least to swap the side-knives, manyneglect to sharpen or change the staticknife, says Anthony Gardiner.

The course also looks at grain lossesduring combining and how these can be reduced. “First, I ask operators toconsider their pre-harvest losses ––often caused by the weather and wildlife–– before looking at actual harvestinglosses. Extendable cutterbars and powerflow tables offer a big improvement infeeding and reductions in header losses–– particularly in oilseed rape.

“But grain loss monitors don’t pick-upwhat these leave behind, so it’s importantto learn where to look to determine thetrue level.”

Moving up to the threshing system, he not only explains how to set this to minimise losses, but also to improve overall throughput. “Threshing is the combine’s main power requirement andmost people set the concave far too close.

Straw and grain“It’s important to remember what you’re trying to do here –– the jobinvolves pushing 50t of straw and grain through a gap measuring just 1.2m x 10mm every hour.

“So if you’re looking to increase youroutput, you need to widen the concavegap and drive faster to keep it filled up –– but without overloading the machine.This will improve the threshing efficiencyand reduce the level of damage becausethe grain is being rubbed out by straw

–– which is ultimately how it’s designed to work.”

The same principles apply to rotary,


http://www.desangosse.co.uk

Training speeds harvest for top operator

The GreenStar 2600 terminal providesGPS for automatic steering as well as yield mapping.

is that the existing combine’s engine horsepower is its main limiting factor onoutput. “I wasn’t quite sure before but now I know it physically can’t handle any morethan it’s dealing with at present.”

Nick Gowing particularly enjoyed gainingan insight into combine maintenance, settings, losses and output management –– and in particular, how to increase his output.

“I took some straw along to the courseand it was interesting to learn about what tolook for to improve performance, and howto calculate the losses.

“It was particularly good to discover how to stop a combine in full motion. Thisprovides a ‘snap shot’ of what’s actuallyhappening at that precise moment andwhere to look for the highest losses ––which isn’t where you might expect.”

Delegates are asked –– most being fairlyexperienced combine drivers –– where theythink the biggest losses are on a combine.The answers are usually from threshing orfrom the sieves.

“But I was surprised to learn that headerlosses are by far the largest source of losses.

twin-separator or single rotor machines,he adds.

“Uneven feed is also a big output sapper, which combined with driving tooslowly reduces the overall performanceof the machine. Operators on our trainingcourses often know how to drivemachines but lack the confidence towork at faster speeds.

Nick Gowing learned how to adjust hissieves –– not just to provide a cleanersample but also to ensure they canhandle the extra throughput.

Nick Gowing, the UK’s Combine Driver of theYear 2010, believes the training course was a worthwhile investment –– partly because it helped him finish the harvest three days earlier than before.

He operates on 760ha of land –– a mixtureof owned and contract-farmed ground ––the majority of which is close to his base at Kenningham Hall Farm, Mulbarton near Norwich.

Combinable cropping includes 270ha ofwinter wheat, 129ha of winter barley, 100ha of spring barley and 54ha of oilseed rape, with the combinable area expanded this season to include 46ha of spring beans (mainly as a result of the closure of the local Bird’s Eye factory).

Sugar beet and potatoes are also grown by the farm (140ha and 21ha respectively) but the combine workload is nevertheless significant. The farm runs a single, eight-year-old John Deere CTS, with a 7.5m header (with Zuhn extensions for OSR).

“Although the combine was two-years-oldwhen I bought it, it was well maintained andcame with a reasonably high specification

that allowed us to increase its output. Withgradually taking on more land in recentyears, I was looking for a natural progressionwithout the expense of moving to a brandnew, or much bigger combine.

“At the time, we didn’t have any specialistdrying capacity and I figured that increasingthe combine output would be cheaper thanbuying a new grain drier. On reflection, thestrategy must be working well because we’venever left anything much behind in the field.”

He’s since installed a new grain store withon-floor ventilation, which can be used forbatch drying.

This season, the harvester was equippedwith a John Deere AutoTrac Universal steeringsystem, which can be transferred to the farm’stractors. “This was powered by a GreenStar2600 terminal –– supplied on a new sprayer we bought this year –– which has been invaluable on the combine for auto-steering and yield-mapping.”

Since going on Anthony Gardiner’s trainingcourse, he says he’s been working at muchfaster speeds, with the auto-steering helping to reduce driver fatigue, as well as making sure the header is taking in a full cut. “It’s difficult to put a percentage figure on it but it’s definitely been a significant help.”

By having the confidence to operate faster,Nick Gowing has been able to reduce his ‘normal’ harvesting time by three days. “This alone proves the course has been worthwhile but it’s also provided the answer to a vexing question.”

He’d got to a stage when he suspected hisexisting combine was due for replacement –– probably to a larger model. “But I wanted to be sure we were getting the maximum performance out of the existing one.”

The main thing he’s learned after attendingthe course, and during the last two harvests,


s

“In some cases, their working speedisn’t set by the combine but by the lack of back-up. If they have to wait 20-30minfor a trailer, they slow down.

“In this situation, simply providingmore grain carting capacity would speed up the harvest dramatically.”

All operators have the opportunity for a visit mid-harvest to assess their rate ofprogress. “Before training, the biggestproblem is that they’re usually driving too slow. Drivers think they’re being conscientious but they’re actually reducingtheir output by being over-cautious.

“On the course, I teach them to look for

Combine operator training can mean anearlier finish to the harvest –– providingone-third more output, with better fuelconsumption as well.

A StarFire receiver unit and GreenStarterminal are swapped between combineand tractor to provide automatic steeringfor all field operations.

When you think about failing to lift barley upproperly and missing the heads, there’s a lotof grain in a whole ear.”

As a result, he now uses a Zuhn extensionfor harvesting rape –– designed to gather the crop and catch the seed before it entersthe elevator.

“I’ve certainly paid a lot more attention to detail since attending the course but themain change was to work with a wider concave setting. In the past, I probably had ours set too tight –– a bit like putting a handbrake on the car.”

Opening the gap has a big effect on harvesting performance, believes NickGowing. “In essence, it allows you to workfaster, with the threshing being carried out bystraw-on-straw –– reducing the amount ofgrain damage. And because the straw isn’tbeing broken up, the sieves are cleaner andcan handle more grain.”

He also took on board Anthony Gardiner’smantra about even feeding being the route tohigher output –– subsequently discovering thatthe distance between the auger and the back ofthe header on his combine was a little too wide.

“I’ve also increased the drum speed byabout 100rpm, which is quite a lot, but I thinkit compensates for the wear on the rasp barswhich are still the original ones and may needreplacing soon.

“I’ve also made adjustments to the cleaningelements and sieves. For example, I nowhave the pre-cleaner open as far as it will go,as well as increasing the air flow. That’sbecause they work together, and one shouldn’tbe changed without the other.”

He says he was doing this before but sincegoing on the course, he now makes smalladjustments more frequently. “It’s not aboutbig changes but lots of little things that all add up.”

Since attending the course, Nick Gowingnow reckons to be working 25% faster thanbefore (5km/hr vs. 4km/hr). And although the losses from his combine haven’t fallendramatically, he believes they’re “a lot lower now”.

“The higher output from the faster forwardspeed has been accompanied by a bettergrain sample, which is simply down to thehigher volume of straw in the machine protecting the grain better.

“With malting barley, we’re trying to get thesample as clean as possible and there arenoticeably fewer split grains now. In itself, this isn’t a big thing but one of the many contributors to a better overall performance.”

Nick Gowing reckons that as well as saving time, the combine’s overall fuel consumption is now lower than before. “But most importantly, it’s allowed us to getmore capacity out of our existing machine,rather than having to buy another one.

“It’s all about making the most of whatyou’ve got. As Anthony Gardiner says:Anybody can make a noise with a violin ––it takes skill and experience to make it sing.”


warning signals and identify the symptomsof overloading before slowing down.”

He reckons the best setting and lossmonitor tool on the combine is the steps.“You need to get off and have a look atwhat’s actually happening –– not whatthe monitors ‘think’ is happening.

“Many of the combine operators I’vetrained have included their trailer driversand/or manager on the courses so theycan check the losses without having tostop the combine.”

As the harvesting day progresses, goodoperators will increase their forwardspeed by 40%-50% as the crop dries

Companies providing trainingfor combine operators l New Life Training

Tel: 01379 [email protected]

l APHTel: 01733 840691www.aphltd.co.uk

l Assorted combine manufacturers

out, he says. “The conditions will bechanging all the time and it’s importantthe combine settings are adjustedaccordingly.”

He adds that the grain loss monitorshould be recalibrated regularly. “And ifyou increase the forward speed –– as youshould –– the monitor needs to bechecked and reset.

“Many operators fix the settings for the combine in the morning and don’ttouch them again during the day ––even though conditions in the late afternoon are very different to thosewhen you start.

“You need to also consider bringing inmore trailers during the day to match thehigher output.” n

Farm FactsE. B Gowing & SonKenningham Hall FarmMulbartonNorwichNorfolk

l Area:760ha total

l Main cropping:Wheat: 270ha Alchemy, Viscount Winter barley: 129ha Flagon, Cassata Spring barley: 100ha Oxbridge, Tipple Spring beans: 46ha Fuego (human consumption)Oilseed rape: 54ha Helico (HEAR), Vision Sugar beet: 140ha Potatoes: 21ha

l Mainline EquipmentCombine:l John Deere CTS with 7.5m header Tractors:l John Deere 8400l John Deere 7530l John Deere 6920sHandler:l JCB 526 Loadall

Sprayer:l 24m trailed John Deere with

3,200-litre tank

Fertiliser spreader:l 24m Amazone ZAM

Establishment:l 5m Väderstad Carrier Sl Sumo Trio (shared with neighbour)l 5f Kverneland plough

Drill:l 6m Väderstad Rapid

(shared with neighbour)

olunteer beans are likely to be a problem in cereals again thisautumn –– with lots of beans

being left on the ground following therain-delayed harvest in many areas.

In fact, the issue may’ve arisen much earlier in the year as difficultweather conditions during the winter and spring resulted in a later-than-usualpod set in winter beans in many fields.The mainly dry weather from April to July resulted in relatively short plantswith variable ripening –– leading to premature shattering of many pods.

Subsequent changeable weather patterns (i.e. high temperatures andheavy rainfall) caused uneven ripening of many crops making pre-harvest treatment and combining more difficult.

Uneven maturity within a bean fieldleads to uneven shatter patterns acrossthe width of the combine header leadingto a variable distribution of volunteers –– with the risk of large accumulations in the tramlines where the crop tends to mature more readily.

Large, dense patches of volunteerscompete vigorously for nutrients and moisture –– crowding out the

V

Agronomy NotebookAgronomy Notebook

newly-germinated following cereal crop, reducing the plant population and subsequent yield potential. Whilebirds will happily remove seeds from the soil surface –– and slugs will bedelighted to dine on the volunteerseedlings –– this rarely solves the problem entirely.

Volunteer beans are fairly resistant tocultural control pre-drilling. Pre-sowingcultivations –– including ploughing ––will certainly reduce the problem byremoving the first flush of volunteers butit’s not a fail-safe option by any means asburied bean seeds will germinate at thesame time as the following cereal crop.

And where min-till is the preferredestablishment approach, volunteers can often flourish.

Small seedings Pre-emergence herbicides may go some way to help control volunteers and other early weeds, but as the activeingredients tend to lie in the top 1-2cmof the soil, only small seedling beans will be controlled.

Any buried bean seeds are very likelyto survive until after drilling and go on to cause significant shading and heftycompetition for the emerging cereal crop –– particularly where the bean population is high.

An early post-emergence herbicide isoften the best solution and in the past,growers would’ve used a mecoprop-pherbicide to provide control of broadleafweeds at this stage. But since the use

of straight mecoprop-p was revoked in the autumn, the choice has beenmore limited.

In fact, the only product containingthis active for use in the autumn andwinter period now is Pixie (mecoprop-p+diflufenican). The combination of thesetwo actives provide excellent broadleafweed control, together with some residual activity –– with the added benefit of reducing the sequencing problems associated with sulfonylureas.

And depending on the post-em spraytiming, a tank-mix with a pyrethroid forBYDV control can also be applied at thesame time.

Although volunteer beans and oilseedrape aren’t specified on the label, Pixiecontrolled these two weeds well lastautumn while also removing a widerange of troublesome broadleaf weeds –– including chickweed and speedwells.

The product has the added benefit ofhaving a different mode of action to thesulfonylureas –– ensuring that theincreasing number of ALS-resistant chickweed and poppy populations canbe kept under control.

Moreover, by ‘stacking’ diflufenican(i.e. together with a DFF-containing pre-em treatment), it means Pixie canmake a valuable contribution towardsblackgrass control by sensitising grassweeds ahead of subsequent post-em treatments.

Pixie is an easy-to-handle formulation,with excellent tank-mix flexibility. It’sphysically compatible with a wide rangeof products making it an ideal fit withmicronutrients, pyrethroids and manyother autumn-applied herbicides.

Last autumn, growers reported thatthe formulation was easy on the cropproviding excellent weed control in itsown right –– and broadening the overalllevel of control of broadleaf weedsachieved in tank-mixes.

Timing can be an important factor inmaximising its efficacy, so growers areadvised to act early to achieve quickcontrol –– ideally, before the first frostsarrive, when the soil is still warm andweed growth is active.

Seumas Foster is a independent agronomist, based in Hants.

Cereals

Volunteers are likely to be more prevalentfollowing crops of beans this autumn,believes Seumas Foster.


Volunteer bean control

http://www.getpelletwise.com

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

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