FARMERFOCUS
FARMERFOCUS
Ian Brown
Ian Brown is a third
generation tenant on the
156ha (385-acre) Lee Moor
Farm, Rennington, Alnwick,
Northumberland. He grows
winter wheat, barley, oilseed
rape and spring peas on the
LEAF demonstration farm
I WILL start by apologising to breakfast cereal producers; demand dipped last month when my mugshot appeared on the front of FW on farmhouse kitchen tables the length of the country.
"Rain, rain go away come back another year." Yes, at over 600mm (24in) we have had our annual rainfall. I wish our 1998 cashflow was in such a rush to reach its conclusion.
Last year ADAS did a disease survey and we have just been given the results. To the credit of our independent crop consultant, Jim Callighan, our green leaf areas of 96.5% for the flag leaf and 91.4% for the second leaf compare well with national average figures of 88.7% and 77.7%, respectively. This is crucial to maximise photosynthesis and hence yield, particularly in wheat which has no awns.
I am now fully certified. Nothing to do with the 1989 mental health regulations, but the Assured Combinable Crops scheme. My only yellow card was for not keeping samples of loads leaving the farm. We are very trusting in these parts.
Harvest is a while away in Northumberland and we still have an ear spray to go on the wheat, although the tramlines are such I would not be surprised to see a Hoseasons holiday narrow boat on some of them.
My regards to YFC visitors from Great Smeaton, and NFU visitors from Hereford. I hope you enjoyed your time in this fine county.
I am planning to convert some more buildings on the farm and so spent a weekend surrounded by Leader II, objective 5b, and RDC-rbg forms. I came up for breath on Sunday and gave church a miss to finish my business plan. I think David, the minister, realises I want some of my rewards on earth. The way the industry is at present planning ahead for extra income from non-framing sources is going to be part of my survival package.
Building conversions are forming an increasing part of Ian Browns plans for income at Lee Moor Farm, Northumberland.
Trevor Horsnell
Trevor Horsnell, a former
Sugar Beet Grower of the
Year, part owns and rents
182ha (450 acres) at
Gorrells Farm, Highwood,
Chelmsford, Essex. Besides
beet, his cropping includes
potatoes and winter wheat,
barley and oilseed rape
DUST in May and a drip in June puts all things in tune, so the saying goes.
Well this Junes drip of 90mm (3.5in) meant little irrigation was necessary and I have not felt too guilty about sitting indoors watching the World Cup. So life is not all bad.
Recently there has been a distinctly international air around the farm, too, with visiting parties from France, Denmark, Poland and Holland. Consequently, the drinks cupboard is now well stocked and I have also been invited out to Poland to find a wife!
Our May-planted potatoes are making great strides. Having the cold store to hold the seed in during Apr has really paid dividends and they are some very even looking crops. The Mar-planted Estima and Piper are bulking rapidly considering the lack of sunshine and could be ready to burn off by the middle of the month.
This has definitely not been the year to have stinted on fungicide use. I was a little hesitant at first to embark on a four-spray programme on all our wheat varieties bar Soissons, but the effect is plain to see now. Any missed strips, or 6m buffer zones, have been devastated by yellow rust and septoria. By using quite modest rates of chemical, compared to what I have heard being used elsewhere, and getting the timing spot on for a change, we have kept costs down and ended up with some of our cleanest ever crops.
But the same can not be said on weed control, and we have a couple of fields with rather more blackgrass than I would like. A combination of heavy rainfall in December shortly after the IPU went on, a reduction in water volume, the use of low drift nozzles, and the absence of any real frost to finish off the kill, are all contributing factors, in my opinion.
May plantings of potatoes are coming on a pace at Trevor Horsnells Essex farm, thanks to holding seed in the cold store, he says.
Jim Bullock
Jim Bullock farms 283ha
(700 acres) in partnership
with his parents and brother
at Mill Farm, Guarlford,
Malvern, Worcs. Two-thirds
is rented or contract farmed,
the rest owned. Cropping is
winter wheat, winter oilseed
rape and winter beans
FLAMING June! I do not think we have had a 24 hour period without rain throughout the entire month. I can hardly believe it was wetter last year. Let us hope for a dry harvest.
The weather prompted us to put an ear wash on the wheat. Originally we were only going to treat the milling varieties, but the rain persisted, and we are hoping to sell the Riband for biscuit making, so quality will still be important. Having spent more on fungicides this season than we budgeted for, cost was a priority in my choice of product. We used a tebuconazole/mbc mixture, varying the rates depending on variety and yield potential.
The levels of take-all we have seen on the lighter land has made us alter our cropping programme for next season.
We will only be growing second wheats on our better land and we really need a third reliable break crop – perhaps we shall have to look at linseed again. Spring varieties are out of the question because of the late harvest, but I have not seen any winter varieties that have managed to remain standing.
I usually enjoy the Cereals Event, but this year I did not. The three-hour drive to Lincs was bad enough, but the two-and-three-quarter hour queue to get in was unreal. I really believe the event should be moved around the country more, perhaps with more regional emphasis.
In early June I was lucky enough to travel through some of the main wheat growing areas of the USA. Harvest was just beginning, wheat prices had fallen to about £65/t for grade 1 milling wheat, and yields were average at just less than 2t/acre (4.9t/ha). But the farmers were reasonably happy, because they have structured their businesses to cope with lower returns. Those of us in the UK, who are over-mechanised and paying high rents have a few lessons to learn.
Take-all is forcing a re-think of rotations for Worcs farmer Jim Bullock. Second wheats have been dropped on light land and a third reliable break-crop is sought.
Brian Hammond
Brian Hammond is farm
manager for Carnreagh
Farms at the 182ha (450-
acre) Ballyalloly Farm,
Comber, Co Down where he
grows 50ha (125 acres) of
potatoes as well as cereals
and oilseed rape
WE have a weather station on the farm at the moment, not to save me from watching the forecast every evening, but to reduce agro-chemical usage. The Department of Agriculture, Nor-thern Ireland, in partnership with David Martin Associates and Tesco, have embarked on a three-year project to evaluate computer based disease forecasting systems for potatoes, brassicas and carrots.
We were nominated by Wilsons to run the potato blight model, called Plant Plus. It is hoped these models will enable potato growers to target fungicide more effectively so current levels of disease control are maintained, or even improved, and also that fewer fungicides are applied.
Weather data is recorded every fifteen minutes. This is analysed along with the local forecast. I then receive instructions as to what product to use and when to apply it. At present the Plant Plus is showing the crop at severe risk. Not surprising, given the past 10 days of weather.
If the models prove to be reliable they will be incorporated into Integrated Crop Management protocols so the consumer will benefit from high quality crops that have been grown with minimum use of agro-chemicals.
Still on the subject of blight, just like last year, I think it will reach epidemic proportions. Two mild winters running have ensured there is a colossal population of volunteer potatoes locally, most of which will be left uncontrolled. Even when you maintain the best preventative programme possible, it is like boxing with one hand tied behind your back when all around you blight is left uncontrolled.
Harvest still seems a long way off and realistically I cant see a start being made to winter barley before the beginning of August. Everything is still standing, just, and looking reasonably well. All crops, including potatoes, are definitely in need of some hot, sunny weather, which seems to have been off the menu for a long time.
Everything is standing so far for Brian Hamilton on his Co Down farm. He hopes that potatoes will benefit from a pilot blight forecasting programme.