Archive for 2014

Eagle Eye Innovations have just spent a few days at a big agricultural event in Peterborough UK called CropTec. It showcases all things technological that affect agricultural such as automated driving devices for tractors, sprayers, software for yield management and other fascinating state of the art gadgets that are designed to help ease the burden on the farmer.

We were there with some of our aircraft and a stand to talk to people in the farming industry and help show them the benefits of UAV’s. This was our first event at an Ag show so we arrived with a sense of caution and scepticism. It didn’t take long however before curious farmers, agronomists and trade people came by and started enquiring about our services and how it would help them. We of course explained all the benefits of UAV technology, such as the simplicity etc and slowly but surely started to win over a lot of the doubting Thomas’s.

I think what became apparent was that since the advent of UAV technology consumers were aware that there was a use for drones in agriculture but the big question was where? Of course the big reason why there was a little bit of cynicism and the fear of the unknown is of course cost.

Although it is far cheaper than conventional aircraft its still an additional cost for something like farming that has been done successfully for a lot longer than aircraft have been around. Of course we’ve had an agricultural specialist on hand who had advised us on the benefits for months, he was also well linked in to many key players in the farming world so it was a little easier to attract these individuals to our stand and chat to them.

As the technology behind farming and agriculture has accelerated over the last 10 years, with the drive for increased yields whilst reducing the application of fertilisers and chemicals, it is clear that drones and EE Innovations can offer a great opportunity to this market. Additionally, what sets EEI apart from other drone operators is that we are ‘battle proven’, and are professional operators with in excess of 3000 hours of UAV operations across 3 continents.

CropTec was an excellent experience and opportunity for us to spread the word. We look forward to building on this in the coming months as we prepare for LAMMA in Jan 15.

An urgent rethink in the way crops are grown and protected is needed to ensure the UK arable sector can overcome significant short- and medium-term challenges that threaten its economic performance.

Rob King, managing director of Adama UK, the principal sponsor of arable technical event CropTec, used his opening address at the show in Peterborough (Nov 19) to urge everyone involved in crop production to open their minds to technical innovation.

This was vital to protect the dwindling armoury of crop protection products essential to profitable production and to increase the resilience of arable farming systems to increased pest and disease threats.

“That well-known phrase ‘I’ve always done it this way’ should be banished from cropping circles in this country,” Mr King said. “The question should be: ‘What can I do differently – as a manufacturer, a distributor, agronomist or grower?’”

The sector could no longer rely on new molecules to replace frontline solutions that in some cases were becoming redundant at alarming speed, he added.

“Within the EU and particularly the UK we expect very few significant crop protection solutions offering novel modes of action to come to market in the next five years. Each new active ingredient costs an estimated £150m and there is clearly a limit on resources for this purpose.”

Development and regulatory budgets within the traditional big ‘R&D’ manufacturers had largely been diverted into seeds and traits, he added. “We are in a region where GM crops are currently not welcome, so this diverted investment will not help us much in the foreseeable future.”

Important groups of agrochemicals were under severe pressure from national and European regulators, he added. New legislation could result in further rules or bans being introduced in just a season or two’s time.

“UK crop protection manufacturers, distributors, agronomists and farmers need to take lead roles in innovation together. Manufacturers must develop novel products and solutions; agronomists should give more sophisticated advice in the field; and growers need to adapt to do things differently to keep irreplaceable actives in the armoury. Without them, arable farming will be almost impossible in some circumstances.”

Further ahead, new pests and pathogens threatened to overwhelm many key crop-producing countries including the UK, as outlined in new research led by Exeter University, said Mr King.

“The study states that over 10% of pest species can now be found in half of the countries growing host crops. If this spread continues at its current rate, it is feared that a major proportion of global crop-producing countries could be overwhelmed by new pests within the next 30 years.

“Experts have warned that unless we take measures to build up resilience in agriculture and adapt at national policy level, then we’ll be unable to react to these new pest and pathogen threats.”

More investment in and an increased focus on sustainable farm practices was key, he believed. “We need to ensure agronomic strategies use the whole tool kit, including effective crop rotation, the use of fallow and break cropping, strategic spring cropping, carefully considered cultivation and judicious use of crop protection products.

“We need to be less reliant on a few disease-resistant genes across our most important crops – wheat and oilseed rape. We need to have access to a range of multi-site actives to reduce the pressure on single target site fungicides and herbicides.”

“Chemistry has contributed towards intensive, year-on-year monoculture but, with fewer new plant protection products coming through, we may have to take a break from this practice unless we preserve the tools we have now.”

Adama’s emphasis was very much oriented towards technological innovation, he said. “The company is focused on making relatively rapid improvements to the sustainability of crop protection practices. Already, our UK Oilseed Rape Foundations Programme and our Water Aware initiative are starting to attract attention.

“We must all examine new techniques using existing chemistry but in different ways, at different timings, at different concentrations to protect our crops and our natural resources in the short term and to help mitigate those pest and disease threats 30 years out.

“If we can tackle the short term we will survive to tackle the long term,” he concluded.

With a return to more normal cropping conditions this autumn, growers will have more time to consider their spring cropping options. However this season these decisions need to be made in the context of several key issues affecting many farms up and down the country – CAP reform, black-grass control and making the most of field margins.

At Croptec this year Limagrain will be running a spring cropping clinic to focus on these very issues; breeders and technical experts will be on hand throughout the two days to discuss the pros and cons of different cropping options for your farm and how to best manage these crops.

“As breeders we are always aiming to introduce new varieties each year that offer benefits to growers; increased yield, stronger agronomic characteristics and better disease resistance – and we have a wide range of spring crops to offer growers that suit a wide range of situations.”

“We also have to meet the needs of the end users when developing these new varieties to ensure that they have secure marketing options through improved quality, productivity, processability and added value,” says Lee Robinson, managing director of Limagrain.

“For example, Limagrain has a range of varieties that meet the requirement of the new CAP cropping proposals such as cover crop mixtures and maize for bio-digesters, as well as the more traditional spring crops such as spring barley and spring wheat that can be drilled late autumn if required.

“Where growers have left fields fallow or are using spring cropping as part of their black-grass control strategy, we are able to offer advice on varieties that will fit the later drilled autumn or spring sowing slot – be these cereals, pulses or maize, offer the best advice on these and how to manage them,” adds Ron Granger, arable technical manager with Limagrain.

With increasing interest in field margins the Limagrain forage team will also be available at the clinic to talk through any questions on choosing and growing varieties for these areas.

Robert Hiles, Head of Cereals, North Europe Syngenta.

“At CropTec I’ll be talking about the hugely important role plant breeding has to play in ensuring the growing world population and subsequent increasing calorie demand, are met. Quite simply, the challenge is enormous – the world must grow more crops from the available resources and one of the key sustainable approaches, is to unlock the potential of plants through innovation.

The enormity of the challenge is the responsibility of everyone, but closer to home addressing the cereal yield plateau is something where we can contribute. In the past perhaps we have looked at each aspect of crop growing in too much isolation and not fully appreciated the importance of an integrated approach. At Syngenta we have recognised this, bringing together expertise in plant breeding, agronomy, chemistry and application to ensure that our wide range of products and offers delivers as much value to the farmer and supply chain as possible.

The importance of taking an integrated approach to crop production has been demonstrated during the last 12 months. After two very different challenging years, crops were established well last autumn, but a mild and wet winter followed by a warm spring meant that it was not just crops that grew well but also the blackgrass, wild oats and a wide range of disease such as septoria and yellow rust. That increased the costs of production. Meanwhile, lower commodity prices have also increased pressure on growers, although higher yields may have compensated for some of that decline.

Plant breeding companies have a range of new techniques and technologies, complementing traditional breeding that has served us so well until now, examples such as marker technology helping the whisky industry, marker assisted backcrossing allowing FHB resistance to be introduced into European germplasm, Doubled Haploid techniques delivering varieties quicker and of course Hybridization of barley giving increased yield consistency.
With its focus on technology, CropTec is the ideal event for us to demonstrate how plant breeding will help us increase crop output against a backdrop of climatic and economic pressure.”

For more on CropTec see www.croptecshow.com

Farmers are invited to meet up with their local BASF Agronomy Manager and BASF market sector experts to learn more about the key elements of farming – profitability, efficiency and stewardship – at CropTec 2014, to be held on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th November from 8.00am to 5.30pm at the East of England Showground, Peterborough.

BASF Agronomy Managers from across the UK will be there to welcome farmers to their stand (No. 256), in the heart of the Exhibition Hall. “As a company we are wholly committed and involved in this event, with exhibits on our stand looking at how farmers can tackle lower crop values, how they can protect and maximise margins rather than simply minimising costs, and how they can tackle the key specific issues of controlling difficult weeds in oilseed rape and cereals, managing resistance to cereal diseases and weeds, as well as how to use inputs profitably in a range of crops,” says Rob Gladwin, BASF Head of Business Development and Sustainability in the UK.

He says there are two lunchtime briefing sessions – one on recent cereal fungicide trials results and the second, by Andersons, on the Three Crop Rule. “We are also actively involved in the seminar programme with papers on Profiting from Positive Stewardship by BASF’s Head of Global Sustainability and Product Stewardship, Joachim Leyendecker and another on Managing to resist resistance by Jonathan Blake of ADAS. Growers are currently facing some difficult challenges related to commodity prices, but these will not be overcome by simply cost cutting. Investing in the right products and technology is key to delivering profitability. Optimising crop management is at the heart of it and this is what we will be demonstrating,” says Rob.

Garth Bretherton, BASF’s AgSolutions Manager, will also be on the stand to discuss with farmers how best to interact with them. “To make the right product development decisions, we need to know exactly where farmers’ practical and business pain points lie. We can’t make the best R&D decisions isolated from our market, so we are calling on farmers of all types and sizes of farm to get in touch if they would like to work with us, developing new products, undertaking trials or being the first to try our latest innovations.”

“Our conversations with farmers may well focus on practical issues such as evolving rotations, resistance to chemistry and crop storage as well as matter related to farm profitability, succession and skills. We want to hear and understand it all. So I would be delighted if farmers could come along to the stand and let me know what they are thinking and maybe get involved in a Focus Group or farmer panel.”

To find out more and to meet your local Agronomy Manager, farmers are invited to come to the BASF stand and help the company to continue to support farming, the biggest job on earth.

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Matthew Clarke, Dekalb UK & Nordics OSR Breeder

Breeding varieties with a high output potential isn’t difficult. But combining this potential with the greatest performance ability under less-than-ideal conditions is far more challenging.

Monsanto has identified major differences in the ability of high output winter OSR hybrids to tolerate nutritional as well as other environmental stresses.

Our screening of more than 60 advanced breeders’ materials across a number of sites has revealed that even tolerant modern hybrids with their superior ability to compensate for environmental stresses typically lose 22% of their yield when nitrogen inputs are cut from

180 kg/ha to 120 kg/ha.

While the least tolerant lines suffer yield losses of 25% or more, however, we’ve found the most tolerant lose just 15% or less, opening up the prospect of substantial improvements through breeding to further boost the resilience and reliability of winter OSR.

We’ve been able to extend this resilience significantly in recent years by introducing vigorous establishment, double phoma resistance, pod shatter resistance and low biomass traits into our Dekalb hybrids To these we are currently adding robust light leaf spot and even stronger phoma resistance.

Employing no fungicides on sites with the greatest disease pressures has been instrumental in enabling us to develop robust varietal resistance. In the same way, delaying harvesting on particularly exposed sites has been vital in identifying pod shatter resistance; growing nurseries in the most extreme continental locations in ensuring high levels of winter hardiness; and drilling later than normal and into difficult seedbeds in pinpointing the most vigorous-establishing lines.

We’ve always appreciated the impressive powers of recovery oilseed rape possesses and the clear superiority of hybrids in this respect. But only by strictly limiting nitrogen inputs on a number of breeding sites are we seeing just how widely high output hybrids differ in their ability to tolerate nutritional stress. This has opened some very exciting doors for future variety development.

Our studies suggest environmental stress tolerance is linked to a superior capacity for branching in general and branching from low down on the stem, in particular; a capacity which depends on a number of hormonal factors – primarily those involved in apical dominance.

We are well-advanced in developing hybrids which combine the highest possible output under optimal nitrogen levels with the least output penalties when nitrogen supply is seriously constrained – whether intentionally or in challenging seasons.

For more on CropTec see www.croptechshow.com

58007_2013 Teamfoto + Porträts Li 444 Dachgarten

BASF’s Head of Global Sustainability and Product Stewardship, Joachim Leyendecker will be presenting a seminar on Profiting from Positive Stewardship at the CropTec event.

“CropTec provides a great platform to focus on and to discuss the challenges that face oilseed rape growers and to share solutions to those challenges together,” says Joachim. “Oilseed rape remains the most profitable break crop in the rotation and it plays a key role in the control of problem weeds, such as black-grass, right across the rotation. This is especially so on heavy land where spring crops are difficult to grow. Growers should not underestimate the value of rape in their rotation.”
But Joachim warns that the greatest threat to growing oilseed rape today is water regulation, both in the EU and in the UK. “If we exceed the set amount of chemical in water, we stand the risk of less herbicide use, lower dose rates, a poor image for the industry and the possible removal of important active ingredients from the market. Our challenge as an industry is to be technically innovative and to think agronomically, whilst always protecting water resources.”

Dr. Leyendecker advises that BASF has made a step-change in promoting product Stewardship. “Product Stewardship is needed to keep a broad toolbox of active substances and solutions on the market. We need a pro-active approach. We need to listen to farmers. We must encourage them to support sustainable practices.”
He point outs that early establishment of oilseed rape enables effective management of fixed costs and labour. “It also plays an essential role in stewardship.”

“If you establish your oilseed rape crop early and well and also look after soil conditions and cultivations, this is an automatic start to a stewardship programme as it will allow early use of herbicides. Well managed crop protection is part of the solution, not the problem. This should be accompanied by measures to protect biodiversity to maintain the ecosystem in a favourable state.”

Growers should be thinking agronomically, paying attention to soil structure and seedbed preparation, establishing oilseed rape early by the first week of September, avoiding the use of metazachlor on drained land after the end of September and establishing biodiverse vegetative buffer strips.
This advice forms the key messages provided by the BASF and Adama Metazachlor Stewardship campaign, a proactive collaboration with the Voluntary Initiative and industry stakeholders. Additional measures will be added in the 2015/2016 season to avoid or minimise movement of water.

For more on CropTec go to http://www.croptecshow.com

Advancing and simplifying arable farming to the benefit of growers, their suppliers and advisers is the prime aim of the UK arm of a global agrochemical company which staged its UK launch in London (Nov 6). Adama Agricultural Solutions UK, one of 50 subsidiaries of what was previously known as Makhteshim Agan Industries, established in 1945, supplies arable solutions to farmers across the full value chain, including crop protection and novel agricultural technologies.

It manufactures fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, growth regulators, seed dressings and non-crop products. The business has traded in the UK for 25 years. Ranked seventh biggest agrochemical manufacturer and distributor in the world in 2013 and fifth in Europe, which accounts for 37% of group revenue, the US$3.07 billion / year revenue group has its UK offices at Thatcham, Berkshire.

Presently privately owned – 60% by ChemChina, 40% by Koor Industries – the company this week launched the new UK business with what it described as a new brand architecture for its 120 active substances, now available to major distributors and their customers in two distinct ranges: Advanced and Essentials. New, easy-to-identify, colour-coded packaging with QR codes, clear labelling and measurement strips on cans is designed to provide farmers, contractors and spray operators with a major safety feature and environmental safeguard.

Additionally, the Thatcham-based company is developing apps for mobile devices which will further support the provision of in-field product data for farm and spray contractor staff. Adama has invested in R&D hubs in China, Israel, India and Brazil to help deliver innovative, environmentally-sustainable solutions for farmers and growers in over 120 countries.

The UK business is already seeking and developing long-term crop solutions within tight European legislative, regulatory and environmental surroundings. Its commitment to innovative product development in a bid to protect yields and farm margins in the absence of new active ingredients being developed by the industry is recognised by agronomists. It does this by developing solutions from its substantial portfolio of high volume off-patent active ingredients, high value complex active substances, unique mixtures and formulations and its approach to innovative and novel solutions.

The business operates five synthesis and 14 formulation centres in Europe, China, the Middle East and in north and south America and in-country technical development facilities. In the UK, the company works with research organisations such as ADAS and NIABTAG to ensure innovative and environmentally-acceptable crop protection solutions are made available to arable farmers. It brings products to market through its established network of distributors and agronomy companies with branches throughout the country. Future plant protection solutions from Adama, it is claimed, will bring new introductions which will provide growers and their advisers with benefits over existing programme solutions.

Dr Cristobal Uauy, Project Leader Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre – Dr Uauy will be speaking at CropTec 2014.

“I’ve been in the UK at the John Innes Centre for five years. When I saw the post advertised I knew that I had to apply because of the international reputation that the institute has. We are focused on exploring how better understanding of plant genetics can be used to improve crop production.

What I want to convey at CropTec is that using new genetic markers and sequencing technology is helping to speed up the development of crops that deliver higher yields, can resist pests and disease and have improved quality. The development in genetics has been dramatic with new techniques allowing us to identify more markers at lower and lower costs. So while a few years ago identifying markers may have taken several years of a student’s life now it can be done in an afternoon.

In the past traditional genetic crossing has allowed breeders to develop resistance to disease, but often that has relied on one gene delivering that resistance. Now we can breed resistance into a crop using multiple resistant genes which means that protection against disease is more resilient. Other areas we are looking at include midge resistance and improving protein content in wheat.

Much has been spoken about a plateau in UK wheat yields and while there may be a number of agronomic and economic reasons for that, genetic markers should play an increasing role in helping deliver improved on-farm yields. Wheat was one of the later food crops to have its genome mapped because it is more complex than other crops such as rice and maize. That complexity has meant wheat has been more adaptability compared to other crops, allowing it to be grown in extreme conditions across the world, but that complexity also means that genetic progress has lagged behind that for maize and rice. But now we are gaining a better understanding of the genetic make-up of wheat and are optimistic that it will lead to significant gains in sustainable yield.

My presentation at CropTec gives us a great opportunity to share our work with the farmers who are starting to witness how the technology we are developing is being incorporated into wheat varieties. It also provides us with a great opportunity to learn from them about what they expect from the latest crop genetic developments.”
For more on CropTec see www.croptechshow.com

With arable farmers facing a number of challenges currently – such as black-grass control, disease control and plateauing yields – the forthcoming CropTec event will see Syngenta showcasing its role in developing a number of technologies to help growers respond to such challenges.

The event is being held on 19 and 20 November 2014 at the East of England Showground, Peterborough. As well as hosting a show stand, the company is also sponsoring a seminar on plant breeding at the event.

According to Syngenta, the cereal disease landscape is changing – with increased difficulty controlling Septoria tritici if it starts to establish, and aggressive attacks of rust.

Accordingly, the company will continue with its ‘prepare, protect, succeed’ initiative this season. This focuses on the argument for protecting yields by getting on the front foot against disease, by placing greater emphasis on prevention rather than cure.

Among attractions on the Syngenta stand, therefore, will be latest information on using the isopyrazam-based range of winter wheat and barley SDHI fungicides to achieve longer-lasting, preventative control – rather than risking disease getting out of hand.

In addition, given concerns about Septoria tritici, the growing case for including the multi-site fungicide Bravo in programmes will also come under the microscope. With its built-in Weatherstik formulation designed to boost rainfastness, the company says this is particularly relevant, since Septoria is a wet weather disease.

From a plant breeding perspective, the Syngenta stand will highlight the company’s Hyvido® hybrid barley technology. This will include key information on agronomy principles to help growers and agronomists maximise the high yield potential of Hyvido® crops in the ground this season, as well as latest information on the Hyvido® optional cashback yield guarantee. Earlier this year, Hyvido® was also shown in ADAS trial work to deliver up to a 91% reduction in black-grass seed numbers per metre squared compared with winter wheat. This added benefit of the vigorous growth of Hyvido® has implications for helping to reduce all-important black-grass seed return within rotations, Syngenta points out.

Meanwhile, as part of the plant breeding seminar, Syngenta will examine the issue of a growing world population and the role that modern techniques, such as doubled haploid and marker assisted breeding, can play in accelerating traditional plant breeding, to bring better varieties to growers, faster.

LearN-ing about nitrogen farm by farm. Prof Roger Sylvester-Bradley, Head of Crop Performance, ADAS

“CropTec provides an opportunity to discuss the results of an important project being carried out by ADAS, NIAB TAG, GrowHow and Agrii for HGCA called LearN. It is using on-farm experience to improve nitrogen management.

Three basic questions underpin nitrogen management – how much nitrogen will a crop need; how much nitrogen will come from the soil and how efficiently can I close that gap? In the past, nitrogen experiments were conducted in small plots on farms spread throughout the country on different soil types, using different varieties and cropping techniques. But in 2010 we started to run trials that took a farm-by-farm approach where five hectare blocks were analysed. This showed the huge importance of soil variation. Now we have 18 farmers who are applying three levels of nitrogen in three adjacent strips – one strip using a standard application of nitrogen, another using more than that standard, say an extra 60kg of N per ha and the third using less, say 60kg less than the standard.

We have been analysing the results of the 2014 harvest and hope to be able to present them at CropTec. What we expect is that these relatively simple trials will increase our understanding of nitrogen management as well as providing invaluable data for the farmers themselves – helping them improve their own strategy. Tramlines mean that growers can apply different rates easily across soil zones while yield monitors in combines mean they can assess the difference in output easily.

Although we cannot run trials on a large number of farms ourselves, we suggest that farmers could conduct their own trials for their own information and would be delighted if they shared that data with us. We’ll be demonstrating how farmers can get involved in the trials at CropTec.”

Prof Sylvester-Bradley will be presenting to the Crop Nutrition seminar on Day One of CropTec, while his colleague Dr Daniel Kindred will present on Day Two.

For more on CropTec go to http://www.croptecshow.com

Calum Murray, Lead Technologist – Sustainable Agriculture and Food, Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board)Calum Murray

“CropTec presents us with an ideal opportunity to let farmers know about the work undertaken by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, in the AgriFood sector and highlight some of the projects we have funded as well as ask them about their priorities for future innovations.

The Technology Strategy Board was set up in 2007, with theSustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform was established in 2010 with an initial budget of £90m. Since August of this year we have been known as Innovate UK to better reflect our role in supporting business-led innovation. With industry support, we have been able to fund in excess of 130 agricultural and food projects with further significant investments made through the £70m AgriTech Catalyst, part of the UK Government’s AgriTech Strategy.

As well as speaking in the Managing with Precision Seminar at CropTec, we will also be supporting the R&D Innovation Hub that will demonstrate some of the projects that we have helped fund. There will also be the opportunity at the hub for visitors to give their feedback on the projects and suggest what might be needed in future projects. Since the beginning, our aim has been to support the development of innovative, business led solutions that will improve production on the ground; feedback from farmers is essential in this process.

To date, there have been six main food and farming areas that Innovate UK have supported. These include: – new methods of crop protection; sustainable protein production (reducing the UK’s reliance on imported protein crops); food processing; trait measurement technologies, agricultural engineering solutions and tackling animal and crop diseases. Projects are identified through a competitive application process. They must be collaborative and have to be both led and match funded by industry. We often have three or four times as many applications for funding than we can support, which clearly indicates the depth of innovation potential there is in UK agriculture. The first projects we have supported will be coming to fruition very soon, with some of the exhibitors at CropTec referring to the projects they have been involved in.

The need for sustainable intensification of agriculture is now an established concept with farmers challenged with feeding a growing UK and world population against a background of climate change and pressure on resources. If they are to meet that challenge on both a national and a global basis, they will need more innovative technical and system based solutions. At CropTec, we will demonstrate how Innovate UK is supporting agricultural technology and how farmers can help shape that technology.”

Two brand new feature areas at CropTec 2014 focussing on the key areas of innovation and business have been introduced to help forward thinking growers reduce their unit cost of production. Visitors will be able to see some of the latest crop technology being researched and developed and will have the opportunity to influence future research priorities. They will also be able to discuss the business performance of their own farms and compare it with units of similar size.

The R&D Innovation Hub will showcase the latest technological developments for arable growers and give an insight into some of the novel ideas that are currently in the pipeline. The feature is supported by Innovate UK, the new name for the Government’s Technology Strategy Board, designed to help business develop technology.

“All the products and ideas on show are designed to help UK growers become more competitive in an increasingly global marketplace,” says Stephen Howe, CropTec’s Development Director.

“But this is an interactive feature where visitors will be asked for their views on which areas of technology deserve further development and investment. That is what CropTec is all about – it is a knowledge exchange forum where farmers can learn about the latest technology and those responsible for developing and marketing that technology can interact with farmers to learn from their ideas and ensure what they are working on is what growers need.”

The second new feature is the Business Hub which includes a business advice area and the CropTec cost clinic. The hub will allow visitors to discuss their farm business with a range of business experts and advisers.

“Managing the cost of production is essential in a short-term market where prices are volatile and there remains much political uncertainty. But growers need to take a strategic approach when they look at reducing unit costs of production to avoid any long-term damage to their businesses,” says Mr Howe.

“Advisers at the business hub will help farmers ensure that the decisions they make are made in a way that strengthens their businesses for the future.”

The R&D Innovation and Business Hubs will complement a full range of seminars covering the key topics of Crop Nutrition, Crop Protection, Plant Breeding and Managing with Precision. There are also more than 100 exhibitors at the East of England Showground venue in Peterborough.

“There are three Cs currently driving arable production in the UK – CAP reform, Compliance and Cost of production. A visit to the fourth C (CropTec) is essential for any farmer or their advisers seeking to strengthen their businesses to meet the challenges ahead,” says Mr Howe.

CropTec will be the first face-to-face opportunity many growers will have to discover how one of the UK’s newest agchem distributors aims to make a difference on farm.

Having recently added on-farm agronomy support to its range of services Zantra is exhibiting at Crop Tec for the first time and will be using the event to highlight agronomic approaches to some key issues affecting UK arable farms.

One of the largest independently owned agricultural merchants in the UK, Zantra has recently opened two new depots in Kent and Shropshire. It is also recruiting a team of experienced agronomists and has a new regional trials programme.

This, claims the company, will allow it to add to its core existing supply business and respond to increasing customer demand across England.

Over the last ten years, Zantra has grown to a position of sixth largest agrochemical distributor in the UK largely servicing the farmer group and independently advised market sector.

The new business direction will allow the company to continue its rapid growth and expand its customer base, while giving farmers more choice of crop protection products in a consolidated market.

Providing the best service for both customers and suppliers has been a main focus for the company and that will continue with the investment in our agronomy division, explains Zantra’s managing director Murray Mackay.

“Zantra’s aim is to be the benchmark for technical agronomy advice and services,” he says. “Our business to date has been built on reputation, trust and unrivalled customer service standards, so we are now in a position to offer a wider advice-based service to those customers who have been asking for it.”

Crop protection solutions for combinable, vegetable and root crops are provided, he continues, with products being chosen for their ability to provide the farmer with a good return on investment.

“Having a comprehensive product portfolio, backed up by technical advice and an efficient delivery service, means that we are in a position to meet local needs on a national basis.”

With the company’s headquarters in Cambridgeshire acting as a hub, there are BASIS approved depots in Yorkshire and Hampshire as well as Kent and Shropshire, operating a 24 hour delivery service.

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