UK farmers face an increasingly uncertain and volatile global market
place, exacerbated by the country’s decision to leave the EU. Factors outside
their control, such as commodity prices, weather and politics, are set to have
even more influence on the bottom line.
Reducing unit production costs and increasing productivity through
technical excellence is becoming even more relevant to remain competitive. With
that in mind, this year’s CropTec seminars highlight key areas farmers can
influence that directly affect business performance, says CropTec development
director Stephen Howe.
“The programme focuses on four areas affecting
profitability that are well within growers’ control – crop establishment, crop nutrition, crop
protection and crop breeding.
“These seminars, in conjunction with CropTec’s specialist hubs and the
wide array of technical exhibits from leading suppliers, provides the ideal
catalyst for more detailed discussion to help visitors increase yield, improve
efficiency and reduce the all-important unit costs of production.”
09.30-10.40
Crop Establishment Sponsored by
Horsch and Alliance Tires
Session chair: Hertfordshire farmer Andrew Watts
Soil organic matter – the root
to profitability Andy
Whitmore, Rothamsted Research
Soil organic matter holds the key to consistent and higher yields. Raising
levels can improve soil workability, nutrient release and yields.
Controlled traffic farming Tom Hawthorne, Flawborough Farms, Lincs
Can the advantages of controlled traffic farming outweigh the
investment?
Taking the risk out of oilseed
rape Andrew Blazey, Prime
Agriculture
Key pointers to help oilseed growers mitigate the uncertainty of poor
establishment.
Good soil structure and factors that affect it, such as soil organic
matter levels, cover crops and cultivation systems, are key to good
establishment, says session chair Andrew Watts.
“People accept that soil organic matter is a critical component of
soils, but there is still a lot of confusion about managing it.
“I, along with many visitors I’m sure, want to hear more about current
thinking and how this will help maintain our soils in the best of health.
11.30-12.40
Crop Nutrition Sponsored by
Yara
Session chair: Mark Tucker, head of marketing and
agronomy, Yara UK
ADAS - RB209 - What to expect in the next edition
RB209, the long-established guide for crop nutrition, is being revised
to accommodate changing requirements, higher yielding crops and more
nutritional uptake.
Day 1: Sarah Clarke, ADAS Day 2: Susie Roques, ADAS
Nutrient issues - Learnings from 'Big Dataset'
Nitrogen is the #1 nutrient for achieving average yields, however, consistent high yields are the consequence of understanding and reacting to other seasonal limitations – some we can manage, some we can’t. Jonathan Telfer will explore some findings from a ‘BIG DATASET’ held in the Yara Analytical Laboratory.
Jonathan Telfer - Yara Analytical services
Nutrient management - Measuring to manage and apply - A farmers view
Collating and managing a
practical nutrient strategy is a challenging task for any grower. Here’s how
one large-scale farmer balances nutrient demand and nutrient supply by
integrating soil and crop knowledge with the application of nutrients from AD
residue and mineral fertilizers. Here’s how the strategy is implemented at
Bedfordia Farms and a description of some of the tools used to fine-tune crop
management
Ian Rudge – Bedfordia Farms
The purpose of the crop nutrition
seminar is to help farmers to make the best use of crop nutrition products and
support services so that not a fertiliser granule or droplet more – or less –
than required is applied, says Rosie Carne, communications and PR manager at
Yara.
“The RB209 revision is about to be
published. Researchers responsible for the rules will describe them, and other
speakers will discuss the findings and implications for UK arable farmers.”
13.30-14.50
Crop Protection Sponsored by
Belchim
Session chair: Andrew Ward, Lincolnshire farmer
Forces for change: Crop
Protection Think Tank Panel:
Bill Clark, technical director, NIAB TAG; Guy Gagen, NFU chief arable
adviser;
Jon Knight, AHDB
crop protection specialist; Simon Leak, development and marketing manager,
Belchim Crop Protection; Rob Edwards, Newcastle University (Weds); Catherine
Tetard, Newcastle University (Thurs).
The crop protection arena is undergoing rapid change due to tightening
regulatory, legislative and environmental pressure while pest, disease and weed
resistance escalates. What does the future hold?
One area session chair Andrew Ward is keen to see discussed is the
interaction between resistant varieties and cereal fungicide use.
“We have some fantastic varieties with high disease-resistance scores, but
we are still being told we need very robust disease control programmes to get
the best out of them.
“I am growing cleaner, newer varieties and have cut back on inputs.
Comparative on-farm trials tell me I’m not currently losing out, but it’s an
area I’d like to see explored further.”
15.30-16.40
Crop Breeding Sponsored by
Bayer
Session Chair: Susannah Bolton, knowledge exchange
director, AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds.
Risk-proofing the rotation
Planning the following year’s rotation with regard to cash-flow and
longer-term implications for black-grass control and other management
constraints.
Will Gemmill, head of farming, Strutt & Parker
High hopes for hybrid wheat
Why hybrid wheat might provide the answer to more profitable times for
UK growers.
Bill Angus, independent wheat consultant
Hopes for the future – New
breeding technologies
How new breeding technologies could improve growers’ competitiveness and
profitability.
Helen Sang, Roslin Institute
A good understanding of variety performance and the
options that variety choice offer is critical in making the best decisions for
farming businesses, says session chair Susannah Bolton.
“This session explores those options, ranging
from rotation planning through to the potential of hybrids to manage sowing
date and the exciting future that new breeding technologies could offer in pest
and disease resistance and resource-use efficiency.”
