July 2023 Newsletter
Agronomy
August marks not only the peak of the harvesting season but for some crops such as Oilseed Rape it’s the time to prepare and plant for the next season. The post-harvest period also provides an ideal opportunity for soil sampling and general soil health assessment allowing plans to be put in place for any additional cultivation requirements and addressing nutrient requirements for the next crop.
Oilseed Rape establishment
Rapid establishment is vital for the OSR crop to grow away from pest pressure as soon as possible and to set out a strong root system and to maximise the usage of available moisture and nutrition. To aid this process there are various choices available to us, first the use of a starter fertiliser applied either before, during or immediately after drilling can give a vital early boost 150 kgs Ha of our Phosphate D provides a balanced delivery of key macro and micronutrients to aid every part of the early development process and build the crops natural defences.
Slugs
Slugs can be a major threat in the early establishment phase of Oilseed rape and to help combat this it is important to establish the threat level. This is best done by trapping either in the previous crop stubbles or in the crop itself. Equipment needed is 4 or 5 plastic circles, frisbees or picnic plates are ideal, place them in a W pattern across the field away from the headland areas with a small quantity of layers pellets/mash or grain under them, do not use slug pellets, and assess results after 24 hrs.
Thresholds are 1 slug per trap or more in previous stubbles or more than 4 in crop to consider making an application of slug pellets, please talk to your Bartholomew’s agronomist or the chem office for more details.
Flea Beetle
Monitoring and observation is key for effective control, treatments with an appropriate product can be considered from the first signs of damage depending on severity. The same methods above should be used for any fodder crops being established as well. Please don’t forget to record all of your observations/actions as a part of your integrated pest management plan
Soil sampling and testing
As we know soil sampling for nutrients has always been a cornerstone for planning and with the ever-increasing focus on this vital area in addition to our standards, we have enhanced our range of testing to accommodate this wider requirement and it is now possible to assess Organic Matter, Cation exchange, Texture, microbial activity and carbon content as well. We are also able to offer a GPS enabled grid soil sampling service taking one sample per Ha for precision application of nutrients.
As a reminder:
Standard soil test ids for P,K,Mg,Ph and S
Solvita is a full spectrum soil health assessment which includes all Macro and Micronutrients, soil texture, microbial activity, CEC, O Matter, and a whole lot more
Active Carbon testing indicates soil carbon content, sequestration, and carbon cycling to establish any rising or falling trends
Cover cropping
We have already ready gained a large amount of knowledge from our ongoing cover crop research programme indicating some useful mixture options where certain objectives need to be met, including the new SFI options. If you are planting cover crops for the short medium or long term, we would be pleased to discuss our findings so far with you. Cover cropping is the quickest way to rebuild organic matter, structure and general soil health and we have options for all requirements.
-Andrew Stilwell, Crop Nutrition Technical Manager
For further details on any of the above please contact your usual Bartholomew’s representative, the Fertiliser department or Andrew Stilwell (crop nutrition technical manager) 07920134992
Seed
The Autumn Cereal campaign is now well under way and, although at time of writing harvest is interrupted by rain we are hopeful of a swift return to dry conditions.
Our Winter Barley sales have so far been led by Caravelle which has now sold out as availability has been limited in its first year. We still have good availability to Tardis from KWS and Bordeaux which has seen some particularly encouraging harvest results.
Wheat sales are being led by Milling varieties with Extase, Crusoe and Skyfall all selling particularly well. Our Group 3 sales have been led by Illuminate and Graham Dawsum and Champion are leading the Feed wheats.
Despite the graminicide challenges for Winter Oats they continue to sell well but availability is now becoming a challenge with Cromwell Sold out and Mascani coming under pressure.
We have plenty of autumn sown forage and cover crop mixes in stock, ready for post-harvest options.
Please contact the seed team for any seed enquiries.
-Christian Maltby, Seed Manager
Please contact the Seed department on: 01243 755620 seed@bartholomews.co.uk
Crop Protection
Glyphosate as an active is currently approved in the EU until 15th December 2023, with a renewal extension in the UK until 15th December 2026. The scientific dossier submitted is the most comprehensive to date. The documents include assessments regarding biodiversity, environmental and societal benefits. In addition to all of this data, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced on the 6th July 2023 that it could not identify any critical areas of concern in its peer review of the risk assessment of the active substance glyphosate concerning the risk it poses to humans and animals or the environment.
Glyphosate based herbicides have been used safely and successfully for nearly 50 years and because of their widespread use globally, these are among the most thoroughly studied of their kind. Although residues have been detected, the levels are well below any threshold and are regarded as so low in concentration that they do not pose any risk to the environment or human health.
Why is glyphosate an important ‘tool’ in moder day agriculture?
The active is an essential tool for sustainable farming systems such as Conservation Agriculture and Regenerative Agriculture. When used in accordance with the label instructions, it allows farmers to achieve long-term invasive weed control without the need for ploughing or no till regimes, which in turn means farmers can reduce soil erosion, improve water holding capacity and soil structure, and invigorate soil ecosystems.
We will not know the outcome of the vote until later this autumn regarding renewal in the EU and we are sure that the UK authorities will be watching the proceedings in Europe over the coming months.
-Graham Phillippo, Crop Protection Manager
Please contact the Crop Protection department on: 01243755610 or cropprotection@bartholomews.co.uk
Fertiliser
Nitrogen markets up
Global Urea markets have firmed with the increase in trade and the disruption to Urea production in Egypt. European Nitrogen supply continues to be affected by the volatile natural gas prices, with reduced capacity for exports. CF UK have announced proposal to permanently close the Ammonia plant at Billingham. The company will continue to produce ammonium nitrate fertiliser, by using imported Ammonia. The production of ammonia at Billingham was not cost-competitive for the long term with the high gas prices.
After months of softening PK prices, the markets have now found stability.
We recommend you look to cover your PK & Nitrogen requirements asap.
-Simon Joyce - Fertiliser Trader
Please contact the fertiliser department on 01243 755630 or fertorders@bartholomews.co.uk
Lab
Harvest is having a slow start this year, dictated by the summer showers of rain. Izzy Thatcher has started in the Lab as a Laboratory assistant and is going through all the sampler sampled samples and farmers drop ins. She will be joined soon by Matar and Teddy when we have sufficient samples. The farm samplers, this year we have 5, one of whom is returning from last year’s harvest. We have, Charlotte, James, Abigail, Ella and Thomas covering all areas are out on the roads and are ready.
If you would like a farm sampled, please ensure the job is on the system by 3pm, we will endeavour to assign these to the samplers for sampling next day.
Hopefully, we will have a successful harvest, with the great team we have ready to go. Any queries regarding the harvest sampling and testing process please contact me. aliceappleford@bartholomews.co.uk