Due to significant amounts of rainfall seen across the country throughout the early spring, most common wet weather diseases will already be found in barley, particularly in crops that have not been treated with T0 due to weather constraints, Hutchinsons’ head of ICM David Howard said.

“Traditionally the T2 fungicide application in barley has been regarded as less important than the T1 spray, since the ears and smaller upper foliage generally contribute less to yield than in wheat.

“However, in the case of most hybrid barleys, the larger upper leaves and ears mean that the later sprays in these varieties are increasing in importance compared to those applied at GS 30‐31,” he pointed out.

“As with wheat, the timing of the T2 application should be less than 4 weeks from the T1 if possible. Historically, many T2 applications have been applied at the ‘paintbrush stage’ as the awns begin to emerge (GS 49).

“However, it may be necessary to apply slightly earlier from flag leaf up to booting (GS 39‐45), particularly if application of an additional ethephon based PGR is necessary or if high levels of disease are present,” he advised.

According to Mr Howard, net blotch is already being detected in many barley crops this season, with Rhynchosporium also becoming evident. In addition, there have been reports of powdery mildew and brown rust also building rapidly in some crops.

With disease pressure from Ramularia on the rise, Mr Howard suggested farmers should consider bringing the timing of T2 application forward to ensure crops are sufficiently protected. “This also allows for an additional later spray at GS 49‐59 to top up the T2 spray, improving persistence of Ramularia control,” he added.

Product choice at this stage is also critical, Mr Howard noted, as there are an increasing number of Ramularia strains resistant to most fungicide groups with the exception of multi-sites.

“Folpet was recently granted moderate control of Ramularia on its label showing how consistently it can benefit against this difficult disease. Trials have also shown that mefentrifluconazole-based products have excellent broad‐spectrum activity including efficacy on Ramularia making them a useful T2 alternative,” he said.

“The stress reduction and plant health elements of Scyon have also been shown in trials to be useful when included with the T2 fungicide.”

Advice for Rhynchosporium and brown rust control

Where Rhynchosporium is the dominant disease, Mr Howard recommended including prothioconazole in T2 sprays to extend protection against most other diseases including mildew.

“The inclusion of an SDHI such as fluxapyroxad or benzovindiflupyr will broaden disease control as well as offering physiological benefits,” he said.

“The combination of fluxapyroxad + mefentrifluconazole offers a very rounded option with significant Rhynchosporium control from fluxapyroxad, which is the most potent SDHI on Rhynchosporium with the support of mefentrifluconazole for other late diseases like Ramularia.

“Recent AHDB trials have also shown that bixafen + fluopyram combinations with prothioconazole offer significant benefits over prothioconazole + bixafen alone,” Mr Howard added.

The inclusion of prothioconazole is even more important in crops where net blotch risk is high, he pointed out, since recent surveys confirmed the existence of strains with reduced susceptibility to the SDHI’s and strobilurins. However, pyraclostrobin is much less affected than other strobilurins and should be included in high‐risk situations.

“As with Rhynchosporium, AHDB trials have also shown that the high loading of prothioconazole in combination with bixafen + fluopyram offers significant improvements in net blotch control compared to prothioconazole + bixafen alone,” Mr Howard advised.

“Benzovindiflupyr+ prothioconazole can be utilised here due to its prothioconazole element but rates will need to be kept high to get suitable amounts of the key active.”

Meanwhile, in varieties susceptible to brown rust, he recommended using products containing the active Benzovindiflupyr as well as tebuconazole. Whereas, additional protection can be achieved with the inclusion of relevant strobilurins such as azoxystrobin or pyraclostrobin.

While mildew can be reasonably controlled by prothioconazole, where varieties are susceptible and disease is present, farmers should add cyflufenamid to the T2 mix but avoid using it sequentially, Mr Howard cautioned.

“Dose rates for T2’s are usually less than for T1’s but this may need to alter if disease pressure remains high or on hybrid barleys where the T2 spray is more important for yield,” he added.

“It is important to bear in mind timing and total dose restrictions on the use of fluxapyroxad in crops for malting crops; it must be used before GS45 and the dose rate should not exceed 62.5gai/ha.”

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The effectiveness of ADAMA’s unique trinexepac-ethyl formulation will be tested against other standard formulations.

The actives are registered for use on a selection of spring and winter arable crops, with the trinexapac-ethyl formulation intended for spring and winter barley, durum wheat, grassland (seed crop), oats, rye, triticale, and spring and winter wheat, while the chlormequat formulation is registered for use on winter barley, oats, and spring and winter wheat.

Both active ingredients were marketed by Adama prior to the Syngenta Group merger, when they were divested to third parties as part of the merger process with an agreement that prevented Adama from selling them in the UK market for a period of five years.

Given that the five-year period has now concluded, Adama is free to re-commercialise the products starting from 16th March 2023.

Commenting on the updated portfolio, product manager Jonny Oosthuizen said: “With the addition of these two well-known active ingredients, we are amplifying our already significant range of ethephon-based plant growth regulators to provide ADAMA’s customers with a broader range of tools with which cereal growers can effectively and efficiently manage their crops.

“As part of our portfolio growth plans, we will be looking to develop new co-formulations of both actives and will be conducting trials to assess the efficacy of ADAMA’s unique and performance enhancing formulation of trinexapac-ethyl against other standard formulations,” he revealed.

“We look forward to updating our trade customers and growers accordingly.”

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Yellow rust visible in wheat.

While Septoria is widespread in winter wheat, yellow rust can escalate quicker, and the mild winter means the disease may have already progressed to younger leaves, Syngenta area business manager Peter Hawkins pointed out.

“Although Septoria will be the main wheat disease growers will focus on, it’s important not to let yellow rust slip through the net at the important T1 fungicide spray timing, which is typically during April,” he said.

Although the spread of yellow rust can be reduced by frost, temperatures need to be consistently under freezing for several days for the cold to take effect. “Don’t assume March’s cold weather will have been enough to eradicate rust,” Mr Hawkins cautioned.

“Depending on the weather, yellow rust can bounce back quickly – going through its life cycle in just 10-12 days, compared with 14-28 days for Septoria tritici. This explains why it’s so important to halt it early. It can also cause big yield losses of up to 50%,” he added.

Ensuring T1 fungicides target yellow rust and not just Septoria will be an important consideration for farmers this year, Mr Hawkins noted, and delaying control until the flag leaf timing (T2) could be too late.

“AHDB dose response curves show the SDHI fungicide Elatus Era has very strong yellow rust activity, with our own trial work showing T1 is the best time to apply it against yellow rust. This is in addition to the protection it provides against Septoria tritici.

“If you check crops at T1 and think there’s no rust and don’t include a yellow rust active fungicide, you can find soon after T1 that yellow rust has suddenly appeared. I’ve seen this happen.

“You then have the conundrum of do I go back in with a T1.5 spray for yellow rust, which costs more, or not? If not, then it can cycle again before T2 in suitable weather, so you’re in a real dilemma,” Mr Hawkins explained.

“A particular issue this season is that the mild winter means disease in some fields has developed at the same rate as wheat plants have been growing. So even if a lower, older leaf has been killed by frost, the disease may have already progressed up into a younger leaf, even though you can’t see it.

“The main aim of T1 is to control disease on leaf three, which is effectively a stepping stone between any disease present on lower leaves and the upper yield-building leaves. These top three leaves contribute about 75% of final winter wheat yield,” he noted.

If the crop hasn’t been treated with a suitable T0 fungicide before T1, or if there has been a long interval since T0, Mr Hawkins recommends making sure good yellow rust activity is included in the T1 fungicide.

“Inspect crops regularly for signs of yellow rust and take into account variety resistance ratings, but remember that other factors can lead to its rapid flare up, even in more resistant varieties. With heightened Septoria tritici pressures this season, I would also urge growers to look at including the multi-site fungicide, folpet,” he added.

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The crop plot area at Cereals 2023 is larger than last year, with both returning and new exhibitors.

So, what can visitors expect from the crop plots at this year’s event?

KWS

KWS has four new winter wheats, two new hybrid oilseed rape varieties and a new hybrid winter barley, which is currently the highest yielding in NL2 trials. “It’s very exciting, with very good disease resistance and standing ability,” said Olivia Potter, technical specialist at KWS.

Spring milling wheats KWS Ladum and Alicium will also be in the ground. “There are no new high quality winter milling varieties, so it’s good to have some new high yielding spring varieties coming through.”

DSV

A mix of old favourites and new varieties will feature on the DSV stand, including Champion winter wheat and its descendant Oxford, which has a more consistent yield, stiffer straw and good resistance to both yellow rust and orange wheat blossom midge. “It’s a farmer-friendly variety,” said arable technical manager, Andy Hartley.

Farmers can view a range of Clearfield oilseed rape varieties, including Beatrix, a new unnamed high-yielding variety, and the hybrid Dolphin. “And we’ll be launching a new phoma blocking gene; Rlm7 is breaking down a bit so this is an improvement, and some varieties are now in NL2 testing.”

Natural England

Conservation mixes, regenerative farming and soil health will be the focus on Natural England’s stand, with enhanced autumn and winter bird seed mixes, pollinator mixes, and cover crops. These will include a clover living mulch for undersowing cereals, maize and oilseed rape, explained Mark Taylor, senior Catchment Sensitive Farming officer.

“Farming is changing, and as we move away from the Basic Payment Scheme a lot of people will be looking at ways to reduce inputs or generate extra money through environmental stewardship.”

LSPB

Oilseed rape growers will be keen to see LSPB’s Vegas, Murray and Flemming, which are new to the Recommended List, as well as some unnamed varieties still in the national listing process. “The new varieties benefit from RlmS phoma resistance and farmers can see the stay-green effect that has,” said pulse product manager Michael Shuldham.

Peas and beans will also be planted, including Carrington, which brings a new yield level to the pea market, and Yukon, a spring bean with very early maturity for growers further north.

PGRO

Cultural pest management will be PGRO’s focus this year, demonstrating the trials work it has been carrying out for the past two years. It will feature vetch, lucerne and winter bean trap crops, sown alongside spring beans to attract damaging beetles.

“We’ve had really positive results, especially with early sown bean trap crops as they draw the pests in and keep them there,” said research and development manager, Becky Howard. “We’re also looking at the impact the crops have on aphids and beneficial insects.”

Optiyield

In a first for the Cereals Event, one set of plots is being taken right through to harvest as a working replicated trial. Optiyield will be comparing applying Consortium Plus, a mix of beneficial soil microbes and biostimulants, with or without foliar nutrients and biostimulants throughout the growing season. The control will receive a standard fertiliser programme.

“Our foliar nitrogen can be applied at full rate without any scorch, giving 95% nutrient use efficiency,” explained CEO Simon Fox. It also works in dry conditions, unlike prilled fertiliser, and reduces losses into groundwater or the air.

Rothamsted Research

Visitors will have a rare chance to see some of the Watkins lines of wheat – grown from samples collected in the 1920s – in the ground at the Rothamsted plot. “We are applying different rates of nitrogen fertiliser and looking for traits that might be useful to breed into modern varieties to reduce the need for inputs,” explained head of communications, James Clarke.

The organisation is also looking at herbal leys, cover crops and reduced tillage to build soil carbon, in order to give practical advice to farmers looking to implement such techniques.

Premium Crops

Growers looking for something a bit different will find a range of alternative crops at Premium Crops’ site, including spring and winter linseed, high omega 3 varieties, high erucic acid rapeseed, high protein spring wheat, naked oats and spelt.

“We will also have a cover crop mix selected to be a precursor to spring linseed or canary seed,” said seeds and marketing manager, Nigel Padbury. “People are looking at cover crop mixtures and need to be careful what’s in them if growing spring linseed or canary seed. They need a fine seedbed, and many cover crops have a lot of dry matter, which is difficult to incorporate.”

Bionature UK

Foliar nutrition and micronutrients are becoming increasingly popular, and Bionature will be growing oilseed rape and winter wheat trials treated with varying rates of Delta K liquid fertiliser and Tiptop 20.20.20, compared against standard fertiliser treatments. “We’re pushing for rooting, stem strength, tillering and biomass,” said partner Steve Mowbray.

“Our products are based around NH2 not the normal NH3, as the plant uses less energy to take it up. It’s very cost effective and environmentally friendly, with no leaching or volatilisation, as uptake and conversion is very fast.”

AminoA

Seed treatments are another area of interest, and AminoA is growing oilseed rape, triticale and winter wheat plots treated with STAART versus untreated plots. “We did a demo last year and the oilseed rape had more pods and more seeds per pod, while the wheat and triticale had more ears/m2,” said managing director Richard Phillips.

The firm is also looking at the impact of artificial nitrogen on soil microbiology. It’s running trials using up to 150kg/ha of nitrogen with a range of products containing amino acids, biostimulants and nutrients. “Treated plots were friable with reasonable microbe levels, even at 150kg/ha of nitrogen. But the conventional plots with 220kg/ha were hard to dig and had no protozoa. It’s so important to maintain the soil microbiology.”

Syngenta

The ever popular birds and bees pollination mix will provide the photogenic backdrop to the Syngenta Sprays and Sprayers arena. Syngenta’s stand will also feature low and no-till cultivation trials, a new BYDV tolerant hybrid barley and a new winter milling wheat.

The company will be unveiling findings from the nitrogen reduction and nitrogen use efficiency work with hybrid barleys. And visitors can also take a look at its new 3D90 nozzle, which is the next step in nozzle technology and drift reduction. As ever, the prestigious Farm Spray Operator of the Year Award will be presented at the event, for which applications are now open.

Early bird tickets for Cereals 2023 are available to book now.

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The two-day event is being held at a new site this year –  Thoresby Estate in Nottinghamshire – on 13th – 14th June. The 4,860ha estate has been in the Pierrepont family since the 1590s – and the current incumbent, Gregor Pierrepont, had no hesitation in choosing the charity.

“It’s very close to our hearts as it was set up by my aunt Sarah, who was afflicted by this very rare disease,” he explains. The Trust provides specialist nurses and research to support people living with the disease, and Cereals will host a special fundraiser at Sarah’s Wood on 13th June.

New features at Cereals 2023

As ever, Cereals will showcase the latest developments in arable agronomy, machinery, technology and business advice. Exhibitor numbers are already 30% up, year-on-year, and the event will include four new features, says event manager, Alli McEntyre.

These are an Energy and Biomass Hub; hosting seminars on how to navigate rising energy costs, the AgAnalyst Academy; which will explore how to get the most from precision agriculture, the Cereals Stories Stage; featuring guest farmers talking about how social media has changed their business, and the Bednar Arrive and Ride experience; this will give visitors the chance to ride alongside a selection of Bednar’s towed implements to see them up close and in action. And if that isn’t the preferred horsepower, back by popular demand is the Isuzu Off-road Driving Experience.

Of course, crop plots remain at the heart of the event, and this year will see five new crop plots as well as the returning wheat and winter barley feature. Curated by Ceres Rural, the feature will allow farmers to see a selection of leading Recommended List (RL) varieties side-by-side.

Visitors will once again be able to get a worm-eye view in the NIAB Soil Hole; giving a unique insight into cultivation effects and crop growth below ground. Also focusing on matters underground will be the NAAC Drainage Hub, featuring lively, informative seminars and offering an opportunity to meet exhibitors from this important sector.

Back above ground and all the big names will be demonstrating in the sold-out Syngenta Sprays and Sprayers Arena and expanded Drill Demos. But that’s not all the demos the event has to offer; visitors will be able to check out Garford’s mechanical weeding demonstrations, as well as working demos by Bednar, Case, IH, Hardi, and New Holland. There will also be expanded Robotics and Automation Demos including the autonomous field robot Agbot by AgXeed.

And, the popular seminar programme will take place at the Cereals Mainstage, covering key topics including agricultural policy, net zero, regenerative agriculture and the latest technology and innovation.

“Cereals is set to host an impressive 400 exhibitors with 115+ new bookings,” says Ms McEntyre. “These include machinery specialists Weaving Machinery, Alpego, Vogelsang, and Bednar, as well as seed breeders RAGT, crop protection specialist Berthoud, and agri-business consultants Brown & Co.

“Cereals is a key event in the arable calendar, evidenced by the 30% increase in bookings. It brings together people from across the industry to share specialist knowledge, innovation, and a determination to tackle the key challenges which farmers are facing.”

Head to the Cereals website to book your Early Bird tickets.

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Group 3 winter wheat Bamford outyielded LG Astronomer, despite early N sampling tests recording the Astronomer crop as containing a higher amount of N.

Independent seed breeder Elsoms Seeds, in collaboration with German seed breeder Saaten Union, launched a series of trials in 2020 looking at N efficiency in all their candidate varieties and near market lines, Elsoms technical manager George Goodwin confirmed.

“Elsom’s company ambition is ‘Grow more from less’ and the best way to achieve that is to observe how varieties react to Nitrogen in response to differing timings and volumes,” he said.

According to Mr Goodwin, the trials aimed to identify how far N inputs could be reduced without having a drastic effect on yield or quality. Other than determining which varieties are the most N efficient, the findings also revealed the reasons for this increased efficiency, enabling the team to isolate specific genetic traits for future cross breeding.

“The key benefit to our growers is that we can then offer them specific husbandry advice when the variety becomes commercialised, saving them money on the cost of N and potentially time, if we can reduce the number of N applications from 3 to 2 on certain varieties,” he added.

Having run the trials across two sites over the last three years, Saaten Union UK cereal product manager Andrew Creasy believes the data set will enable arable farmers to increase crop productivity while reducing artificial inputs.

“Over the last 3 years, we’ve annually assessed 10 different winter wheat varieties including 3 controls, across 4 different Nitrogen regimes. The rates we looked at were zero N, 85kg of N – early applied, 150kg of N applied in 2 splits, and finally 200kg of N applied in 3 splits of 50, 100 and then 50kg.

“Trials were replicated twice each year, on heavy soils at our Cowlinge trial site, and then on lighter soils at our site near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk to give us the widest performance comparison across different soil types,” he added.

While the research is still ongoing, Mr Creasy revealed several important discoveries that have already been made.

“One significant result is that of the varieties we’ve trialled, many with French and German parentage, have yielded better when 150kg of N is applied early in the season in 2 splits, than under the longer 3-phase approach of applying 200kg of N.

“Given the recent predominance of dry spring and summer weather it’s clear that much of the late applied N is not getting into the plants due to a lack of soil moisture. However, there’s also enough evidence in the data to suggest that the varieties with German and French parentage perform much better when N is front loaded, regardless of weather conditions – given that not every year has been consistently dry between 2020 and 2022.

“The 2021 N efficiency trials also gave us a revealing insight into optimising yields from the Group 2 milling wheat Mayflower. When 85kg of N was applied early, Mayflower outyielded competitor variety KWS Extase and when both varieties received 150kg of N, applied early across 2 splits, there was no difference in yield between the 2 varieties,” he explained.

Alongside Mayflower, other varieties have also demonstrated positive effects, Mr Creasy added.

“In the 2022 trial, the Group 3 wheat Bamford outyielded LG Astronomer, despite early N sampling tests recording Astronomer as containing a higher amount of N than Bamford at the early flag leaf growth stage.

“This demonstrated that Bamford was able to make better use of its N than Astronomer in the same growing conditions, and across all input regimes, in 2 different sites,” he remarked.

The performance of Bamford and LG Astronomer in the 2022 trials is illustrated in the graph below:

Graph comparing Bamford and Astronomer yield based on 2022 trials.

Commenting on the results, Mr Creasy said: “Taking varieties out of their comfort zone to find their optimum level of N for yield and quality is a significant step forward when looking to develop new varieties that are able to express the same use efficiency characteristics.

“Our future objective will be to pass this key husbandry advice onto agronomists and growers to support them in their variety decision making process,” he concluded.

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Corteva Agriscience says crop protection products targeted at eliminating key problem weeds can be applied earlier than usual where active growth can be identified. However, growers are advised to ensure programmes cover the full spectrum of weeds.

“Those who have used cinmethylin-based products for the first-time last autumn will have been predominantly aiming to control blackgrass and ryegrass,” says Alister McRobbie, cereal herbicides category manager for Corteva.

“But it is important to look out for the other key weeds which may already be present or will emerge in the coming days and weeks. Cinmethylin will not control every weed that grows in amongst the crop.”

Met Office data shows temperatures in September, October and November – the key months for winter cereal drilling and emergence – were above the long-term average.

However, December and January saw cold snaps, frosts and localised flooding which has checked some crops.

“The net result is that most winter cereals went in the ground in favourable conditions and emerged well,” Alister says.

“Farmers who avoided the worst of the recent heavy rain and flooding will be pretty happy with how their fields are looking.”

Autumn residuals had the optimum environment to do a good job, but a spring clean of weeds will still be necessary.

Broadway Star is a mainstay of spring weed control programmes and will be among the first products applied if an early opportunity to get sprayers working presents itself in February.

It gives excellent control of brome species, ryegrass, wild oats and a range of broad-leaved weeds in winter wheat and also has approval for use in spring wheat.

“Early applications for sterile brome control will benefit from tank mixing with pendimethalin to provide some residual control where there is potential for further germination,” Alister added.

Broadway Star also controls a range of difficult broad-leaved weeds, including cleavers, charlock and cranesbill, so there is usually no need for a broad-leaved weed follow up spray.

The product label specifies a maximum rate of 265g/ha and a single application per crop. It can be used on crops between growth stages 11-32 inclusive.

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High inflation, lack of flexibility in the labour market and the impact of the cost of living on consumer demand will continue to impact farm business margins this year, according to AHDB’s latest Agri-market Outlook.

Farms are facing a combination of higher input costs and a price sensitive consumer market for their produce.

Beef, lamb and dairy production are all forecast to grow, while consumption is expected to decline due to cost of living pressures on consumers.

Pig meat production, however, is set to decline by up to 15% year on year in 2023, while a gradual recovery in the breeding herd is expected. Imports are set to grow to make up for reduced domestic supplies, while exports are predicted to decline.

Meanwhile global price strength for cereals is expected to continue, while price volatility is forecast to continue with the war in Ukraine ongoing. For oilseeds, a sizeable increase in area for harvest 2023 is expected as a response to historically high prices in the last 18 months.

 AHDB economic strategist Sarah Baker, said: “The main issue with inflation is it drives down the real rate of growth in an economy, erodes households’ disposable income and leads to more cautious spending patterns. Coupled with rising input costs for farmers, the industry will face ongoing dual challenges this year.

“As inflation subsides, it doesn’t mean that prices are dropping, rather that they have stopped rising as quickly as they were before. Therefore, peoples’ living standards will take some time to catch up, depending on income growth. Consumer confidence, along with demand, will take some time to recover, despite inflation dropping as it is expected to during 2023.”

Global dairy demand is likely to remain challenged by low economic growth, although there is potential for improved import demand from China later in the year. Domestic demand is also expected to be impacted by a squeeze on consumer incomes, with all products seeing lower sales.

Key findings from the report:

Beef:

Production is forecast to grow slightly in 2023, by 0.6%, due to higher availability of cattle. But as consumers face pressure on budgets due to the cost-of-living crisis, consumption is expected to fall by 2%. It’s predicted that imports will fall by around 2%, driven by easing domestic demand, while exports could grow by about 3%.

Lamb:

An increase in production is forecast for this year, driven by higher carry-over and a broadly stable lamb crop. Consumption will weaken, again linked to tighter consumer budgets, according to predictions. Imports are expected to ease year on year as a result of weaker domestic demand, whereas exports will grow, supported by continual demand from the EU.

Pork:

AHDB predicted that pig meat production will decline by up to 15% year on year in 2023, driven by a reduction in clean pig kill in the first half of the year, following a significant drop in the breeding herd. A gradual recovery in the breeding herd is expected, with numbers predicted to increase by 7,000 head between June 2022 and June 2023.

Imports are expected to grow to match the gap left by reduced domestic supplies, while exports are projected to decline as available domestic supplies tighten. Domestic demand continues to ease, driven by the cost-of-living crisis reducing retail sales and eating-out demand.

Dairy:

Forecasts suggest GB milk production will record marginal growth this year, in the region of 0.3%. However, there is some risk of a contraction in production if margins deteriorate.

Despite some recent signs of lower inflation in agricultural input costs, replacement costs through 2023 will remain high, putting pressure on cash flows.

Global dairy demand is likely to remain challenged by low economic growth, although there is potential for improved import demand from China later in the year. Domestic demand is also expected to be impacted by a squeeze on consumer incomes, with all products seeing lower sales.

Farmgate prices are expected to decline in the first half of 2023, with some potential for this to abate in the second half if inflation subsides and demand recovers.

Exports are forecast stronger year on year for wheat and barley, due to increased domestic grain availability.

Cereals:

Despite an increase in domestic wheat and barley availability this season, global price strength continues to provide a support level for domestic grain values. Price volatility is expected to continue, with a finely balanced global supply and demand, and the war ongoing in Ukraine.

Domestic winter crops for harvest 2023 are faring well, though fertiliser cost and application remain a key watchpoint.

Exports are forecast stronger year on year for wheat and barley, due to increased domestic grain availability. Oat export forecasts remain historically strong, though this season’s levels will be led by farmer selling and competitiveness on the global market.

Animal feed demand, and cereal usage, is expected to fall this season considering sector challenges – from high input costs to avian flu. Brewing, malting, and distilling cereal usage is forecasted to be strong, with increased capacity coming online. A key domestic demand watchpoint remains bioethanol cereal usage, considering high costs and lower ethanol prices.

Oilseeds:

An increase in domestic production for rapeseed will slightly reduce the demand for imports. However, imports are forecast to remain historically high due to the UK domestic demand outweighing domestic production.

A sizable increase in area for harvest 2023 is forecast in reaction to the historically high prices over the past 18 months. Crops are faring well although there are reports of area loss due to on-going pest pressure.

Global supply and demand of rapeseed have both increased on the year. Increased availability in the EU is adding to price pressure and improving processor margins. EU crush demand is increasing on the year. Domestically demand is expected to remain strong despite the closure of Hull at the end of 2022.

Ultimately rapeseed prices over the next six months will largely be driven by the direction of the soyabean market, which await a historically high South American crop.

The post Cost of living crisis to hit farm business margins in 2023, AHDB predicts appeared first on Farmers Guide.

Record-yielding winter wheat variety DSV Champion growing in a field.

According to Tim Lamyman of Worlaby Farm in Lincolnshire, the incredible 17.96t/ha yield was the result of a focused team collaboration and learning from past errors.

“Having looked at the amazing all-round disease attributes of DSV Champion in 2020, Robert Lamyman decided we should try it that year. Unfortunately, we drilled it way too thinly,” he said.

“Despite achieving only 83 plants/m² at establishment, the crop recovered amazingly and went on to produce up to 20 tillers/plant achieving a yield of 15t/ha at harvest 2021.”

With results from the 2021 season indicating good potential, the collaboration decided Champion had the specific traits needed to push UK wheat yields to new boundaries. Backed by a special agronomic programme developed by Frontier and BASF alongside Bionature smart nutrition, the 2022 crop lived up to expectations.

Clear potential from the get-go

The breeder of DSV Champion, Dr Matt Kerton, explained the variety’s potential was clear from an early stage in its breeding journey.

“The breeding process for DSV Champion started in 2012, and its outstanding yield potential was clear as soon as we started trials from 2016 onwards.

“But as the selection process continued, its exceptional disease resistance package and versatility were also increasingly in evidence,” he added.

Matt Kerton, breeder of DSV Champion.

Dr Kerton said the variety performed well in a range of growing conditions, such as early or late drilling and on light or heavy soils. He explained the key to the variety’s popularity has been a combination of high outright yield, flexibility and strong agronomics.

Reflecting on the Champion’s success, Dr Kerton commented: “It’s been an exciting journey to reach this point and it’s great to see DSV Champion do so well in growers’ fields as well as taking the world record for yield.

“But it’s very much a team effort with key players such as Michael Koch in our molecular laboratory, Graham Urquhart on the maintenance and agronomy side and Cindy Watts in grain quality, being fundamental to this achievement,” he added.

“As for the future, our focus is still very much on yield, practicality and disease resistance but other key traits such as improved Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) and drought tolerance are increasingly in our sights.”

The journey to success

According to Tim Lamyman, the record-breaking crop of DSV Champion was drilled on 22^nd September at 125kg/ha and on 24th September at 150kg/ha with Vibrance Duo seed dressing.

“This was still 20% below our standard rate to take account of Champion’s fantastic ability to keep tillering. By February 2022 both crops looked on target to achieve the perfect 600 to 650 heads/m²,” he added.

Crop nutrition took centre stage in the agronomy programme implemented to maximise the performance of DSV Champion, Mr Lamyman explained. Among the products featuring in the 2022 programme were Chlormequat, Toledo, Modus, Revystar, Mysea, Syrex, Xstress, Calflux, Proline and Azofin Plus.

Moreover, Mr Lamyman said the farm’s fertilizer strategy is typically adjusted to weather conditions experienced over the winter and the amount of moisture available in the soil at the time of first application.

“Due to the last three springs being dryer than average, we have applied three or four even splits of Nitrogen but this changes back to five even splits if we are experiencing a wetter than average spring.

“For 2022’s Champion crops, we applied 3 x 103.5 Kg/N totalling 310.5kg N/ha of bagged Nitrogen. By applying some Bionature Delta K, to activate the root structures, and TipTop, the total N applied to the crop came to 314kg N/ha,” he added.

Due to the Champion’s high tillering and high biomass nature and ability to produce outstandingly long ears of over 15 cm, the Bionature smart nutrition program was tailored specifically to the variety, Mr Lamyman said.

Ultimately, it was the higher seed rate crop that recorded the highest yield and also delivered a specific weight of 83.2kg/hectolitre, he noted.

Commenting on the outcome of the 2022 season, Mr Lamyman said: “It has been a fantastic experience working within a collaboration team, who have all helped achieve these fantastic yields.”

DSV Champion growing at the Cereals 2022 event.

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Ian and Tom Jackson at Bowsden West Farm.

Ian Jackson farms a 1,000-hectare arable farm with son Tom in and around Bowsden in Northumberland, with cropping split 60/40% between winter and spring crops.

Having recently invested in a new grain drying system, the father and son team now work with an increased capacity for temporary storage of wet grain and higher levels of automation around drying crops before storage.

The Mecmar SSI 28 T electric mobile drier, supplied by McArthur Agriculture, continues to play an integral part in making the system cost-effective, flexible, and adaptable to the farm’s needs.

“When we took the decision to invest in a new 5,000t grain store to house a small grain drying plant which would allow us to add further automation features, we capitalised on the initial investment by refreshing our existing Mecmar with a new Mecmar SSI 28 T, electric, automatic, mobile drier with aspirator cleaner,” said Ian Jackson, adding her couldn’t fault either the drier or the supplier.

“The new grain store gave us the space to increase our capacity for the temporary storage of wet grain. We already had one 30t hopper and we purchased a second, enabling us to hold 60t of wet grain in front of the drier,” he continued.

When the new Mecmar and the two hoppers are full, the Jacksons can now dry and cool 84t of grain without operator intervention, allowing them to save on labour expenses during harvest.

Initially, the new Mecmar was located at the gable end of the grain store, which exposed the unit to the elements. To minimise losses due to bad weather, the Jacksons upgraded the store with an open-sided extension to provide shelter for the drier and the hoppers.

Other than providing a cost-effective grain drying solution, the Mecmar also conditions the grain as it is constantly moved around during the drying and cooling process, which helps improve bushel weight. Once dried, the grain is discharged into a heap inside the store and then pushed up with a loading shovel.

The Jacksons have plans to increase the automation of the plant in the future by introducing an incline conveyor, which would transfer grain from the drier to a top belt conveyor to ultimately deposit the produce at the required location within the store.

The new plant represents the initial step towards building a more automated grain handling solution at Bowsden Farm as it provides the opportunity to add further automation units without the need for a large capital outlay.

“I had worked with DMI Mechanical Engineers since 1996 and had a long and trusted relationship with its senior management which has carried on without interruption with the transition to the McArthur Agriculture team. The installation and ongoing services they have delivered has been faultless,” said Ian Jackson.

He added that working closely with McArthur Agriculture has delivered a plant that meets the farm’s exact requirements and that can also be adapted to future needs.

“But importantly, it is a flexible and adaptable solution, which, should the farming landscape significantly alter due to the unprecedented changes that are currently taking place across the agriculture sector, we could pack up the entire grain drying system and sell it, which would not be the case with other solutions.

“We really do have a plant that will allow us to take the business forward in whichever direction is necessary,” Ian Jackson concluded.

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