Huntingdon Snifters are third-time trophy lifters
Huntingdon Snifters are third-time trophy lifters
By Andrew Swallow
HUNTINGDON Snifters have won the Lloyds TSB Farmer Group Challenge competition for an unprecedented third time.
Their winning plots of wheat, grown on the Cereals 99 site at Velcourts Vine Farm, produced a profit of £15.34/t before area aid payments, more than double the nearest teams result (see table).
Careful management allowed a tight lid to be kept on variable costs, and a timely sale for milling use made a big difference to the end result, says team member Ray Woolway.
"From the costs it may appear we havent done much, but we spent more time on the competition than ever before – it took us three meetings just to decide on the variety to grow."
Malacca was the eventual decision, for its added value potential and with the aim of capitalising on its disease resistance through reduced inputs. Both goals were achieved, though the weather could have spoilt the quality had the combine arrived a day later.
"We were lucky it was cut on the Friday and not the Saturday – that would have meant a three week delay to combining."
The teams next decision, to omit autumn herbicides as there were few weeds, is branded as criminal by the host farm manager, Tim Whitehead. "What they are doing would undo ten years of work to get on top of weeds in that field," he says.
However, the Snifters maintain they were reacting to what could be seen in the plot, be that with herbicides or any other input. "We did just what was needed – on our own farms we have got to look harder at everything we do," says Mr Woolway.
Fungicides were limited to a late flag-leaf application of 0.5 litres/ha Amistar (azoxystrobin) plus 0.4 litres/ha Opus (epoxiconazole). Adjuvant Arma was added at 0.15 litres/ha. "We like to think it made more of the low rates," says Snifters team agronomist Nick Myers from Procam.
No T1 spray was deemed necessary due to the low disease pressure in the plots, and the late flag-leaf application meant the ear-spray was dropped. "The ear was 60% emerged when the flag spray went on – it was ideal," says team member David Brown.
The only other team to try a one-hit fungicide approach was Writtle College, which went with 1litre/ha of straight Opus.
Having decided to omit the T1 fungicide, the Snifters felt the cost of a pass just for a pgr was extravagant, and opted to rely on Malaccas standing ability. Nitrogen was split, 66kg/ha (53 units/acre) on Apr 9 and 125kg/ha (100 units/acre) three weeks later.
"We had planned to put 200kg/ha on in one go in the 2nd week of April, and had that happened we would have considered a late nitrogen application to boost protein. But as it is the results speak for themselves," says Mr Woolway.
Yield was a pleasing 9.8t/ha (4t/acre) average across the three replicate plots and quality easily met milling specifications, at 13.5% protein, 323 Hagberg and 79kg/hl specific weight.
But selling near the peak of the post harvest market, with a full Grade 1 milling premium on Sep 13, is what stood the Snifters returns apart from the pack.
"Knowing when to pick up the phone and sell is the most difficult bit," concludes Mr Brown.
• Next years competition, on the Cereals 2000 site at Nocton, Lincs, will include an assessment of the long-term viability of each teams actions.
Budget performance
Runners-up in the main profit per tonne competition, Littlington discussion group, took the prize for the team most closely matching their budgeted performance. "That is very important for us if we are lending to growers," says Tim Porter, Lloyds TSBs senior manager for agriculture. The discussion groups actual profit/t, including area aid payments, was £28.64/t, just £4.37/t above their budget. Host farmer Tim Whitehead, and the Clayland Farmers budgets were also very close to their actual results. All bar the Essex Young Farmers team budgeted for yields lower than those actually achieved. "That is the right way to be from our perspective," comments Mr Porter.
Lloyds TSB Farmer Group Challenge 1999 results
Variety Yield Sales V.Costs Profit
t/ha £/t £/ha £/ha
Huntingdon Snifters Malacca 9.8 92 159 15.34
Littlington D. Group Rialto 10.8 83 208 6.60
Clayland Farmers Charger 10.7 76 150 5.98
Essex Young Farmers Rialto 9.9 86 190 5.03
Tim Whitehead (host) Equinox 11.4 73 197 2.59
Writtle College Charger 9.7 74 153 -5.03
Budget performance
Runners-up in the main profit per tonne competition, Littlington discussion group, took the prize for the team most closely matching their budgeted performance. "That is very important for us if we are lending to growers," says Tim Porter, Lloyds TSBs senior manager for agriculture. The discussion groups actual profit/t was just £4.37/t above their budget. All bar the Essex Young Farmers team budgeted for yields lower than those actually achieved. "That is the right way to be from our perspective," comments Mr Porter.
Lloyds TSB Farmer Group Challenge 1999 results
Variety Yield Sales V.Costs Profit*
t/ha £/t £/ha £/ha
Huntingdon Snifters Malacca 9.8 92 159 15.34
Littlington D. Group Rialto 10.8 83 208 6.60
Clayland Farmers Charger 10.7 76 150 5.98
Essex Young Farmers Rialto 9.9 86 190 5.03
Tim Whitehead (host) Equinox 11.4 73 197 2.59
Writtle College Charger 9.7 74 153 -5.03
*After standard fixed costs of £385/ha and operational costs according to number of passes. Excludes area aid.