United Kingdom
December 23, 2014
Building yields will be the focus of a series of winter events being organised jointly by HGCA and Scotland’s Rural College. The one-day Agronomy 2015 events will consider, pest and disease control, variety choice and management, in addition to reviewing the impact of world markets for grain and the new CAP regime from Europe.
“We’ve put together a programme designed to help growers and their technical advisers drive arable businesses forward,” says Gavin Dick, HGCA Scotland Manager. “The presentations are based on the latest research and will be of real interest and practical use. In addition this year we’re featuring a presentation from a local farmer to stimulate debate on how to use this information on farm.”
Disease management in crops is becoming harder and in the morning session Neil Havis and Fiona Burnett from SRUC will present the lessons learned in 2014 and the best strategies for the new year.
“Although generally good, yields in 2014 were compromised by disease pressure and we saw issues with fungicide resistance really start to bite, especially in wheat,” says Fiona. “So it is vital that 2015 management options use the best of what is available, and that they are used in the best possible way.”
With the same pressures in mind, SRUC expert Dr Steve Hoad will review the latest list of approved cereal varieties and discuss the choices between varieties offering the highest yield and those with the best disease resistance. From HGCA, Paul Gosling will consider the best ways to control weeds and how to avoid problems in England spreading north of the Border.
Finally, before the free lunch, SRUC’s Dr Andy Evans will add to the debate with the latest information on “Integrated Pest Management”, which combines conventional and natural pest controls to best effect. Andy will highlight need to adhere to treatment thresholds to avoid issues with resistance, consider unnecessary insecticide applications and include a brief review of the pest issues in 2014.
The afternoon programme will look at the “crop option” choices for farmers based on global markets, EU legislation and local conditions. There will be keen interest in the review by Julian Bell of SRUC considering cereals prices around the world and the effects of recent weather on the plans of farmers in the southern and northern hemisphere. Just as important will be his steer on the new CAP regime. The current uncertainty about interpreting the rules is making it hard for farmers to plan ahead.
Another crop option concerns cover crops.
“Cover crops have been used by farmers for generations for controlling disease, avoiding weed build up, improving soil structure and conserving water,” says Gavin Dick of HGCA. “But there are lots of different choices depending on the specific on-farm conditions and what benefits you want to achieve. A presentation by David Lawson of SRUC will look at different cover crop options and the decision-making process to ensure they deliver real benefits to the farm.”
The meeting will finish with a talk by a local farmer who will outline his approach to getting more from his farms resources, including the detail on rotations and farm management.
The Agronomy 2015 events take place at Carfraemill on 13 January, Perth on 15 January and Inverurie on 20 January.
Please book your place by contacting HGCA at
www.hgca.com/events orevents@hgca.com or phone 0247 647 8724/26
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