WHEAT GROWER CHALLENGE

30 March 2001




WHEAT GROWER CHALLENGE

ARE you a dab hand at growing wheat? If you know which variety to grow for which market and how to match sowing rate to variety, seed-bed and drilling date then why not try your hand at our Wheat Grower Challenge?

All you need do is correctly answer the questions on the coupon and you could soon be well on your way towards winning the top prize of a study/holiday trip to Portugal for you and your partner next winter. Closing date is April 20 – so why not put pen to paper now?

Organised by farmers weekly and sponsored by major UK breeder PBIC Seeds the aim of the competition is to identify and promote best practice in cereal production.

A high yield is not the sole criteria. Instead, we are looking for a clear understanding of the processes involved in growing a top cereal crop and an awareness of market needs, plus an appreciation of environmental issues and careful control of inputs and overheads.

Entrants who successfully complete the questionnaire stage of the competition will enter a round of more detailed judging, from which a short-list of three finalists will be chosen.

WHEAT GROWER CHALLENGE 2001 – ENTRY FORM

Tick correct answer

1 Which quality of UK wheats has the widest market potential?

A Group 1 o B Group 2 o C Group 3 o

2 At what growth stage does leaf three emerge in a late-November sown wheat crop?

A GS 31 o B GS 32 o C GS 33 o

3 Which varietal characteristic is most important for early drilling?

A Mildew resistant o B Low tillering o C Slow development o

4 How much of the UK wheat crop is typically exported?

A 15% o B 25% o C 35% o

5 Which break crop gives the best gross margin potential for the following wheat?

A OSR o B Peas o C Beans o

Name……………………………………………………………………………………………

Address………………………………………………………………………………………..

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……………………………………………… Post Code……………………………….

Tel,…………………………………………. Fax…………………………………………

Send to: Wheat Grower Challenge, farmers weekly, Quadrant House, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. Fax 020-8652 4005. Closing date Fri Apr 20, 2001.

Win a study/holiday trip to Portugal

Finalists will be invited to a special awards presentation, where the winner will receive a glass trophy to keep and all finalists will receive a special framed certificate. The winner of the FW/PBIC Seeds Wheat Grower Challenge 2001 will also win a study/holiday trip to Portugal in the winter.

Sponsored by:

Wheats for markets

EFFECTIVE marketing has become as important as first class agronomy in modern wheat production. And effective marketing means choosing and growing wheats for the markets available to you rather than merely finding markets for the wheats you grow.

You may grow a consistent high protein Group 1 variety like Hereward favoured by all UK millers. You may go out-and-out for the feed market with a reliable trailer-filling Group 4 like Napier. You may opt for yield with biscuit-making potential through a Group 3 stalwart like Consort. Or you may keep your marketing options as wide as possible by choosing multi-purpose Group 2 varieties like Charger and Option for their combination of high yields and excellent baking qualities for export and home markets.

Whether you concentrate on relatively few varieties or keep your eggs in rather more baskets, the keys to success have to be threefold:

&#8226 establishing your best local market opportunities;

&#8226 selecting the most suitable varieties for these markets under your system; and,

&#8226 growing them in ways which meet the target market specifications as reliably and cost effectively as possible.

Thats why we are putting more emphasis than ever on these critical aspects of wheat growing in this years Challenge, hoping to share the experiences of growers who are truly at the forefront of modern wheat production.

READTHERULES

1 The competition is open to all bona-fide farmers and farm managers in the UK. One entry per farm.

2 Complete the entry form in ink and post or fax to the address on the coupon.

3 Closing date is Fri Apr 20, 2001.

4 Late, incomplete, mutilated and ineligible entries will be disqualified, as will any which do not comply with these rules. No responsibility will be accepted for entries delayed or lost in the post.

5 The judges will be appointed by farmers weekly and PBIC Seeds. Their decision will be final. No further correspondence will be entered into.

6 The winner and finalists will be invited to an awards presentation. They must agree to attend this and co-operate in subsequent publicity.


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