Early seed ordering helps keep grower costs down
Early seed ordering helps keep grower costs down
COMPARED with most crops sugar beet seed orders are placed unusually early.
But that is generally to growers benefit, says sole supplier British Sugar. "The basic reason is that it helps keep costs down," says company seed manager John Prince.
"British producers have some of the cheapest seed in north-west Europe. It is not much cheaper than in Belgium and Holland, but it certainly costs less than growers pay in France and Germany."
Gathering orders early allows plenty of time for processing and treatment and avoids the logistical problems that often beset merchants supplying autumn cereal seed, he says.
At first sight such early decision-making means growers miss the chance to take account of latest trials results.
"In most seasons the trials are not concluded until January. So by the time the results have worked through we are usually into February. That would leave only a month or so for processing and delivery before sowing begins in March.
"But very rarely in recent history is it likely that waiting for the outcome of trials would have made any difference to growers choices – The Recommended List is based on three-year rolling averages," says Mr Prince.
It is possible that some people ordering Saxon recently may have wanted to change their minds when the latest results were known. But such instances are rare, he says. "Indeed, that variety might have been taken off the list a year earlier."
The other argument against ordering so early is that it prevents growers from taking virus yellows forecasts into account when choosing seed treatment. But delaying the ordering of treatments until after a Brooms Barn prediction is issued would make seed considerably more expensive. "Again that is because we would have such a tight window to apply the dressings and get the seed delivered."
This spring highlights how risky relying on forecasts to omit a treatment such as Gaucho (imidacloprid) might be, he adds.
The initial forecast suggested virus yellows would hit relatively few crops. But latest predictions suggest that for drillings in early May omitting Gaucho would have seen 40% of the East Anglian crop infested with the disease.
"This season has been exceptional," admits Mr Prince. "But it proves that we have to be very careful before we rely too much on forecasts."
British Sugar continues to look at ways to improve the way that seed ordering is handled. But if the company had to take a flier and judge what people might want, then they changed their minds, it would mean extra costs for everybody, he concludes. *
SEED PROCESS
• Early decisions save costs.
• UK seed some of EUs cheapest.
• 3-year rolling ave variety trials.
• More robust VY forecasts needed.
Sole processor
Although Kings Lynn-based Germains has processed all the UKs beet seed since the introduction of monogerm varieties in 1966, British Sugar is careful to ensure charges remain competitive, says Mr Prince. "There are plenty of other seed companies with pelleting capacity. So we do a benchmarking test every year. We ask them all to pellet some seed from the same batch and compare their efforts in trials. Clearly other firms could do the job, but we believe from those trials that Germains are best at it."