Significant improvements have been made to the scheme to make it simpler for farmers and land managers to apply.

Paperwork for the new offers is quicker and easier to get through, due to streamlined evidence checks and shorter application forms designed to help save farmers’ valuable time.

The scheme is also non-competitive, meaning that all farmers who meet the eligibility requirements can get an agreement to deliver as few as 3 options, or as many as 7 up to 14, depending on the offer applied for.

The four new offers are:

• Online Arable
• Lowland Grazing
• Upland
• Mixed Farming

Options for farmers coming out of existing schemes

If you are leaving an existing ELS or HLS scheme, the best way forward is to apply for one of the 4 offers. The secret is to keep it simple and choose environmental options and areas of land that work for you.

Reed Bunting on wire

A few options we feel are effective and easy to establish are listed below:

Crops to Support Pollinators

CSS Options AB1 and AB8

Bee mixture: (easy to establish) a prolific flowering mixture aimed at attracting bumblebees. Contains Phacelia, Red Clover, Alsike Clover, Sainfoin and Birdsfoot Trefoil.

EF4 seeds mixture: (grass free) contains 4 key nectar rich plants (Alsike, Red Clover, Sainfoin and Birdsfoot Trefoil) for both pollinators and natural predators.

Farmland Birds

CSS Options AB9

Jack Russell seeds mixture: (weed control friendly) supplying a fantastic feed source for one year. This mixture is also herbicide tolerant and contains Spring Triticale, Grain Sorghum, Millets and Large Headed Sunflower.

Grassland Creation

CSS Option GS4

EK 21 Seeds mixture: (Spring or autumn sown) Ideal for creating legumes and herb rich swards, perfect for pollinators and invertebrate’s habitats.

Grass Buffers and Field Margins

CSS Option SW1

CFE Field Margin seeds mixture: (perfect for field surrounds & buffers) designed in conjunction with the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, this mixture contains 13 varied species of grass and native wild flowers to create fantastic habitats for pollinators and nesting areas for farmland birds.

As a consequence of limited lodging data in the last few seasons, many of the newer varieties recently added to the AHDB Recommended List had not been really tested for lodging pressure, which meant that when the season became challenging and timings were missed, as in 2017, many crops went down.

However, this does not have to be the case as a good PGR programme will enhance stronger rooting, stiffen stem cell walls and shorten the distance between internodes, which results in increased straw stiffness and keeps crops standing.

Trials that Limagrain have carried out on new varieties; LG Sundance and LG Motown show that both varieties respond well to split PGR applications, resulting in good height reduction and reduced lodging risk, securing final yield potential.

We compared lodging performance of LG Sundance and LG Motown at two different seed rates, 300/m2 and 400/m2, and the effects of no PGR, versus a single PGR and a split PGR application.

First on the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) Recommended List in 2005, Fuego has been a leading variety choice for more than a decade.

It achieved another year of full recommendation for 2018, with a yield of 99% and a solid all-round agronomic package that has yet to be significantly outclassed by other top contenders.

Just west of Spalding, Ed Whitfield has been growing spring beans for 26 years and Fuego since its introduction in the mid-noughties on his 810ha arable unit.

Consistent Yields

About 50% of his 80ha is grown for seed, with the rest aimed at premium human consumption markets, and he is yet to see any reason to move to another variety across his farm.

“It has been a very consistent variety in terms of yield and quality and in some years, we have averaged 3t/ac (7.41t/ha).
“Last year, despite a poor spring and pulse crops struggling, we achieved 5.5t/ha and a thousand-grain weight of about 690,” explains Mr Whitfield.

He has discussed other options with his agronomist ahead of spring 2018, with Lynx (104%), Fanfare (102%) and Vertigo (101%) all sitting above Fuego with full recommendation and higher yields.

“I know farms that have moved away from Fuego, but have struggled to consistently improve yields with other varieties. I should add that it’s difficult to assess accurately though, as we haven’t done a direct comparison with other varieties on our own farm,” he says.

Good Package

Other than its yield and consistency, Mr Whitfield says the variety’s earliness and standing power have also been noticeable, making combining a doddle, even in a wet spring when spring beans can become leggy.

Thousand seed weight is also consistently high, which is a useful quality and helpful in the proportion of his crop grown for human consumption, so long as bruchid beetle damage isn’t too severe. “Disease wise, downy mildew can be a problem and the variety might require an extra spray, but with the extra expense we do seem to get a yield benefit in return.”

For his 405ha of first wheats, Mr Whitfield has a handful of favourite varieties including Grafton, which is now sits towards the bottom end of the hard Group 4s on the AHDB Recommended List for yield.

However, it performs very well on the farm’s land under his management, producing reliable output and bushel weights that often exceeds 80kg/hl.

“It fits the way we grow and the same is true of Fuego for our spring beans. I don’t think we will switch soon either, as it is early days with some of the new varieties. “That will only change if we are asked to grow different varieties for seed or the newer varieties exceed expectations on a consistent basis,” he adds.

Trade View

Alan Hendry, sales manager at Peterborough-based Dalton Seeds, notes that the consistency shown on Mr Whitfield’s farm is something he sees elsewhere across the region.

Despite a more concerted effort by breeders in the spring bean market, he is yet to see any variety that will convert trials promise into the reliable on-farm performance of Fuego.

He adds that the pale skin, pale hilum type will maintain about 20-25% market share on Dalton’s seed sales this year, underlining its enduring appeal for spring bean growers.

“Although bruchid damage and staining have a greater say in where a bean goes these days, the market prefers a bigger bean and that’s what Fuego is. Size definitely helps,” he adds.

“This is the ideal opportunity to review cropping for the 2018/19 season,” says Limagrain’s Martin Titley, who reports that the latest results from the company’s gamecover and conservation crop trials on its site near Lincoln will help in selecting the ‘best crops for the job’.

“This year, the plots of millets produced exceptional seed yields and merit consideration, particularly when grown with or alongside maize,” he says. “Reed millets, blended with red and white millets, produce a more winter hardy stand and provide an abundance of bird feed, which helps to prevent the birds from roaming.”

Dwarf grain sorghum is another cover crop that Mr Titley considers a valuable addition to the cover crop mix due to its dense winter hardy cover and its ability to provide a windbreak and ‘warmth’ when grown alongside maize.

“Results from our demonstration plots show that the dwarf sorghum Shorty stood up to this year’s winter and contributed to the crop structure in many of the mixtures,” he adds.

Cover crop mixtures, that can be grown under one of the Countryside Stewardship options, are highlighted in the HiBird 2018 brochure. These include a range of wild bird seed mixtures and offer shoots a great way of introducing cover crops that are also eligible for the Countryside Stewardship scheme.

Also eligible for the scheme are the HiBird pollinator mixtures and grass buffer and field margin mixtures.

“We’ve also included a comprehensive guide of the Countryside Stewardship options in the latest brochure, and we’ve cross-referenced each crop to the particular option or options it applies to,” adds Mr Titley. “This gives land managers a very clear guide to the scheme and the choice of crops, depending on their land type and purpose.”

Details of the latest offers, introduced in January 2018, that are now available through the scheme are detailed in the HiBird brochure. “We want to highlight these new offers as they cover the full range of farm types enabling farmers and managers to deliver environmental benefits whatever their farm type. More streamlined evidence checks and the shorter application forms that are now being used should also make the scheme more attractive.”

Limagrain’s HiBird Gamecover and Conservation Crops brochure 2018 is available from Emily Short on 01472 370117 or emily.short@limagrain.co.uk or downloaded below

Whilst good establishment is all about making sure that the seed bed is the right quality and drilling conditions are favourable, getting the nutrition of the crop right from the very start makes all the difference, says Mr Lamyman of Worlaby Farms, Lincolnshire.

This approach was confirmed in 2017 when his 8.23ha crop of LG Stallion, a large blue field pea yielded 6.47t/ha with an average of 15.35% moisture, breaking the previous Canadian world record of 6.32t/ha.

“One of the key lessons that I learnt from last year was that my instincts were right and targeting crop nutrition throughout the growing season was the secret to success. “

“I carried out regular tissue sampling throughout the season in order to really understand what nutrient levels were at different growth stages. What this showed up very clearly was that the crop was deficient in magnesium, Zinc and Copper early season.

“Peas have responded extremely well to mixtures of liquid fertiliser so I used a liquid fertiliser, 1-4-All by Bionature to balance these deficiencies.  Boron and molybdenum were a major problem later on and I used the liquid product Rainbow Wave from Bionature to help with this.”

Manganese deficiency is normally an issue with field peas as well. However, levels within the crop last year were adequate for most of the growing period and Tim put this down to the plant being better able to utilise available manganese in the soil as a result of other key nutrients being applied to the crop as required.

He also believes that to help retain seed size and pod uniformity under stressful conditions, applying a liquid foliar feed of calcium and zinc such as in Bionature’s Calflux can make a real difference as when the plant experiences stress, it will draw calcium from the flowering nodes and this can lead to pods/flowers aborting.

“By ensuring the crop has available calcium at this key stage we retain the maximum number of pods per plant, with a bolder more even sample of peas. “

Just before flowering last year Tim trialled a new product, which contains high concentrations of P & K – TipTopPulse to help boost pod numbers and sizes. “On the two tram lines where this was sprayed it boosted the pea yield by over 0.5t/ha, and this year I will be applying it to the whole field.”

Peas in 2018

Being up on the Lincolnshire Wolds does mean that most of the fields at Worlaby Farms are undulating and have a high stone content. “I would be concerned about combining peas on these fields. I’m not prepared to compromise on this, so only grow peas on the more level fields even if it means I am growing fewer hectares than I would like.”

“This year’s pea crop is being drilled into an 8.25 ha field which is a grade 2 chalky loam that will give the peas the free draining soil that they like, and this is vital to allow for well-structured root development for better nutrient uptake.”

“The field has been left as stubble so I will go in with roundup before cultivations in March. Last year, the field was worked with the Lemken Terra Disc and the Vaardestad Carrier, drilled with Vaaderstad Rapid System Disc, rolled and sprayed pre-emergence with Nirvana (pendimethalin +imazamoz), which is the plan again this year.

“However, I will pay more attention to early aphid numbers as I did not control them early enough last year, and definelty lost yield as a result of this.”

“I will only drill this spring once conditions are favourable in April with a seed rate of 250kg/ha, aiming for about 85 plants/m2 and will use LG Stallion seed treated with Wakil XA +GPA – to give early downy mildew control and phosphite.”

“LG Stallion has shown a consistent yield advantage over other popular large blue varieties since being added to the recommended list and with its good agronomic characters it is a strong perfomer on farm as found by Tim Lamyman in his world record last year,” says George Hunter, pulses product manager with LG Stallion breeders, Limagrain UK.

“It has good colour retention and protein levels, making it suitable for the human consumption, micronizing, export and animal feed markets.”

Cell wall digestibility (CWD) is becoming an increasing important factor for feeding high levels of maize silage in a diet. Over 50% of the total energy in maize is in the vegetative parts of the plant. In varieties with high CWD, more of this energy is available to the cow.

Varieties with high CWD provide a slow release of carbohydrate to the rumen, reducing the risk of acidosis from high starch content. This becomes more important as the proportion of maize in the diet rises above 40%.

Pinnacle is the new maize variety set to become a class leading First Choice variety on the 2019 BSPB/NIAB list. With a FAO of 190 it leads the very early category combining early maturity with excellent early vigour for rapid early season growth.

Pinnacle combines a very high starch yield of 112% with improved CWD to produce superb quality silage and a DM yield of 103%. The improved CWD of 58.5% maximises the energy yield and feeding performance. Book early to ensure seed availability for the 2018 growing season.

For the first time farmers now have access to heat unit data for their post code, allowing them to more carefully select varieties with the appropriate maturity class for their location.

Tim Richmond, maize product manager with LG explains that the new online system available at www.lgseeds.co.uk/heat-map uses Ontario Heat Unit data collated by the Met Office and shows the 10 years average across the country broken down into 5km blocks.

“Ontario Heat Units (OHU’s) are the internationally recognised system to show if maize can be grown successfully in a particular location and this new tool allows a whole new level of accuracy, helping ensure varieties are selected that are suited to the farm.”

He explains that maize is a sub-tropical plant and needs a minimum amount of accumulated heat over the growing period to mature. The OHU system is the most widely accepted system for measuring accumulated heat.

“OHU’s are calculated for the maize growing season from mid-April to mid-October combining maximum daytime temperatures above 10°C and night time minimum temperatures above 4.4°C, at which maize actively grows. If there are too few OHU’s, then crops will struggle to mature which can lead to a number of problems, especially with increased environment concerns regarding maize stubbles.”

Mr Richmond says a delayed harvest will potentially lead to harvesting in more difficult conditions, increasing the risk of damage to soil structure. In addition, it will reduce the opportunity to establish a successor crop, leading to stubbles being over-wintered with a greater risk of soil run-off. From a herd point of view, a delayed harvest will mean maize silage is later going into the diet.

“Varieties differ in the number of OHU’s they require to mature (see table) and this is why it is important to choose varieties that will mature within the heat units typically achieved in your area.

“Using the online system, farmers will be able to more accurately assess the maturity class of the variety they should go for and it can help manage the risk when choosing varieties.”

The map shows the national results. The red areas are where there is usually plenty of OHU’s to grow maize successfully. The blue areas are those unsuitable for growing maize, while the marginal areas are shown in the bordering lighter colours. When a postcode is entered, the 10 year OHU average is displayed.

“It is important to appreciate there can be significant swings around the average. For example, 2012 was a bad year with lower accumulated OHU in all parts of the country. Conversely, 2016 was an outstanding year when maize could have been grown in majority of England, Wales and parts of Scotland.

“We believe the data can help choose possible varieties and recommend farmers to look for varieties which can be grown comfortably within the average OHU. It is better to err on the side of caution than to stretch the point. If the average OHU postcode score is close to 2750, it may be better to select a variety with a lower score like Ambition (2,720 OHU’s) that will mature earlier, rather than a higher scoring variety like Equity (2,780 OHU’s) that is slightly later maturing.

“Once a shortlist of varieties have been selected that will mature within the average OHU’s received, look to choose the variety which combines good levels of starch and high cell wall digestibility with high dry matter yields to deliver a high quality silage to drive production and intakes.

“It is important to remember that the map only records OHU’s. Factors such as soil type, altitude and topography will all impact on the actual OHU’s accumulated. For example, in a warmer part of the country and on a south facing site with good soils it may be possible to choose a variety with a later maturity class and higher OHU score, such as LG31.211 (3,010 OHU’s) than on a north facing site with heavy soils.

“Whichever variety is chosen it will be essential it is not drilled until soil temperatures have consistently reached 8-10°C over a five day period.

“Armed with this new information farmers can increase the prospects of high quality feed from a variety suited to the farm and location,” Mr Richmond concludes.

“We grow in some pretty harsh conditions but by selecting varieties carefully we are able to produce a good quality feed which is essential for our all year round calving mixed breed herd producing on a constituent based contract,” James explains.

A well-known Guernsey breeder and Chairman of the English Guernsey Cattle Society, James farms at St Buryan five miles from Land’s End in partnership with his mother Rosemary. The herd currently comprises 105 Guernseys, 110 Jerseys and 90 Holsteins.

“We started introducing black and white cattle a few years ago as our milk contract at the time wasn’t paying enough for the high milk fat and protein the Channel Island breeds were producing,” James continues. “They were a good way to increase litres and dilute constituents. However, in April 2017 we moved to a constituent based contract with Roddas, a local business best known for producing Cornish Clotted Cream, so are now pushing for milk quality. In November, milk sold averaged 5.28% butterfat and 3.72% protein which meant over 25p of the 38.24ppl received was directly related to butterfat payments.

“The Jerseys are currently averaging 6750 litres at 5.3% fat and 3.85% protein, the Guernseys are doing 7000 litres at 4.92% and 3.73% while the Holsteins are producing over 10,000 litres at 4.1% fat and 3.37% protein.

“Our aim is to produce high quality milk all year round as Roddas want level production, hence the all year calving.”

The herd is run as one principle milking group along with a small fresh cow group. Dry cows are run as two groups. The cows are still grazed by day from early March until early November. At night they graze but have access to a partial TMR in the yard, in part to support production and in part due to their being a limited grazing platform with only 100 acres around the buildings. Dairy cake is fed through the parlour.

The herd is fed a single TMR with diets developed by Matt Jenkin from ForFarmers who says the challenge is ensuring adequate energy intakes for the high quality milk.

“Producing such high quality milk requires more energy per litre and we have to also address the reduced intakes of the Channel Island breeds,” Matt explains. “The base of the diet is high quality forage. James has been investing in the quality of grass swards grown and while four cuts of grass silage are made, the milking herd is fed predominantly on first cut.

“To achieve a consistent ration we also feed maize all year round, believing it is better to feed a bit less per day if this means it can be fed every day. It will usually be around 30% of total forage intakes.”

The milking cow diet comprises grass and maize silage, whole crop, fodder beet, potatoes, a bespoke blend, molasses, minerals and a protected fat. The M+ value of the diet is adjusted for the different breeds to reflect the milk quality and an 18% high starch compound is fed to yield in the parlour.

“We have always fed fodder beet as it is great for milk quality and we have recently added protected fat to drive butterfat further this year. Since adding the fat this autumn, herd butterfat has increased by 0.45% to 5.25%. Keeping the diet consistent and feeding high quality forage should mean we can maintain these levels.”

Maize is an integral part of the system and James has been growing the crop for 15 years, starting with a modest 15 acres but now growing 110 acres as he looks to feed more maize to more cows.

“We are not in a brilliant maize growing area being five miles from Land’s End but manage to get respectable yields at 14-15tFW/acre and importantly get a high quality feed,” James continues. “A large proportion of the crop is grown on rented land, usually rotated between potatoes and cauliflowers which are grown by local vegetable contractors.

“There is a lot of competition for land so we work closely with the vegetable producers and it works well. They appreciate the large amounts of slurry we apply, while the soil pH after vegetables is around 6.5 which is ideal for maize. By comparison soil at home is closer to 6.0.

“In total we rent around 250 acres on a mix of long and short term arrangements with maize grown on this ground, meaning we have a number of different soil types and growing conditions.”

Variety selection is essential and James works closely with Louise Woolacott, Forage and Arable Specialist from ForFarmers.

“James looks for Group 9 maturity class as he does not want a late maturing crop. Then it is all about forage quality and we are looking to produce a crop at around 35% dry matter and 35% starch,” Louise explains. “So we look closely at dry matter yield and the factors affecting quality, particularly starch content and cell wall digestibility.

“While 100% of the starch in the cob is digestible, half the total energy is in the vegetative part of the plant. So it’s also important to consider how much nutrition can be derived from the rest of the plant which is indicated by cell wall digestibility. Cell walls make up a large part of the maize plant structure and the higher the cell wall digestibility, the greater the availability of nutrients.

“LG Ambition has been a consistent and reliable performer and this year James tried 20 acres of Pinnacle, a new LGAN accredited variety and one of the highest starch yielders, combined with high cell wall digestibility. This means it provides an excellent balance of energy from both starch and digestible fibre, leading to high ME content in the silage.”

LG Animal Nutrition (LGAN) varieties have the genetic potential to deliver superior nutritional value, whilst maintaining excellent agronomic qualities and yield, thereby improving ration performance.

James doesn’t expect to drill the crop early in the year and waits until soil conditions are suitable. Being close to the coast, the wind and exposure mean he has to wait rather than going early. This year it was May 8^th but can be nearer the end of May. By delaying drilling he got good establishment and early growth setting the crop up well. Harvesting was on 22^nd October and the Pinnacle has analysed at 33.7% dry matter, 11.4MJ ME and 32% starch.

“It wasn’t the best maize growing year but the Pinnacle always looked good,” James comments. “It got away well and despite the wet weather from July onwards it matured well with full cobs. In the diet it is complementing the grass silage which is 36% dry matter, 11MJ ME and 13.1% crude protein really well.

“Our focus now is a constant supply of high quality milk to make the best of the contract, and quality forage will be a major factor in how well we achieve this,” James Warren summarises.

A variety bred to improve utilisation of both leaf and stem, Bombardier kale has a digestibility of 72.2% and a dry matter content of 13.5% based on trials carried out by Limagrain UK. It has a relative dry matter yield of 18% above the control variety.

“Marrow stem kales are highly digestible and have better dry matter yields than intermediate and shorter stem varieties,” says Limagrain UK’s forage crop manager Martin Titley. “This makes them suitable forages for beef and dairy cows.

However, poor stem quality has often limited the value and attractiveness of kale as a forage for livestock. “The stem proportion may be 60% to 70% of the total yield,” adds Mr Titley. “Poor stem quality therefore can reduce the utilisation of the crop and its feed value.

“In the past, farmers have faced a bit of a dilemma when it comes to kale. If the kale crop is grazed well, then crop utilisation is good but the poor feed value in the stem will limit liveweight gain. A less well-grazed crop, where a proportion of the stem is left, will achieve better liveweight gains but poorer crop utilisation.

“Bombardier, that offers more digestible stems with added feed value and utilisation potential, can overcome this dilemma.”

Trials in New Zealand have shown that Bombardier has a high ME for the whole plant of 12.6 MJ per kg DM. But, more importantly, the ME at the bottom of the stem is 12.1MJ per kg DM; considerable higher than many other varieties.

Bombardier can be grazed or cut and zero grazed. It is expected to produce between 70 tonnes to 80 tonnes of fresh yield per hectare and between nine and 11 tonnes per hectare of dry matter.

It is best drilled in May or early June at a seed rate of 5kg per hectare. Bombardier is club root resistant and the seed can be supplied Cruiser treated for Flea beetle protection.

“The great benefit of a kale crop is its flexibility,” says Mr Titley. “It can be used any time from September to February, so it is ideal for outwintering production systems and it is a popular choice for dairy young stock, beef cattle and sheep. The added value of Bombardier will make many growers re-consider this valuable crop.”

Limagrain is offering a 500g trial pack of Bombardier free of charge to the first 50 farmers registering through the link lgseeds.co.uk/comps

Further details and growing advice are available by visiting lgseeds.co.uk/kale

These mixtures, along with technical advice and services, will now be available throughout Scotland, extending and complementing the existing supplier in south western Scotland through Lanarkshire-based L S Smellie.

“The agreement with Agrovista in Scotland means we can offer a distribution network   throughout Scotland,” says Ian Misselbrook, grass seed manager for Limagrain. “Agrovista, with its team of 20 agronomists operating nationally, will help us meet the strong demand for the Sinclair McGill range throughout Scotland.”

Agrovista has already been working with Limagrain in promoting its amenity grass seed, cereal and maize ranges. “Getting involved in the premium agricultural grass seed brand Sinclair McGill is a logical progression,” says Peter McDonald, Agrovista’s head of strategy. “Our agronomist network will give us a great opportunity to build this business.”

Sinclair McGill grass seed and forage crop range are available from L S Smellie’s Country Stores in Strathaven and Campbeltown, Agrovista’s store in Newton Stewart and, with 24 hrs notice for direct delivery, anywhere in Scotland from Limagrain’s mixing facility and store in Forfar.

Farmers and contractors can contact Agrovista’s Scottish seed office – Lynda Bryson or Diane Treadaway – on 01848 331416 or 07801 290587 or email: sws.orders@agrovista.co.uk or LS Smellie on 01357 520211.

Click here to view the full Sinclair McGill product range

Depending on where you are in the UK, maturity plays differing roles in rotational management according to Scottish Rural College’s cereal variety expert Steve Hoad.

He says that in the south and east, growers may use late maturity to chase extra yield, while in the west and north early varieties help to avoid poor harvest conditions later in the summer.

With the possibility of both early- and late-maturing varieties being hit with wet weather, a spread of maturity will also hedge bets and, in most seasons, ensure at least one crop is cut in good weather.

In addition, early maturing varieties that tiller, flower and ripen sooner can be useful on light land where dry and stressful conditions can cut the potential of later-maturing varieties short.

“Mixing maturity can also give you a spread of harvest dates to ensure the wheat doesn’t interfere with the harvest of other crops. You don’t want to be too early, as you can clash with barley,” he adds.

Significant development

There has been a trend over recent seasons for new higher yielding feed wheats added to the Recommended List to be later maturing, limiting the ability to spread harvest dates.

However, Dr Hoad says the burst of new additions to the feed wheat line up for 2017-18 brings a significant development, with Shabras (-1), Freiston (0) and KWS Kerrin and Dunston (+1) offering a spread of ripening scores in the hard group 4 category.

Similarly, in the soft group 4s, LG Motown is early maturing (-1), Savello, Moulton and Hardwicke in the middle ground (0), and LG Sundance and Bennington a fraction later (+1).

Soft feed wheats such as Viscount (0), Leeds (+2) and Revelation (+3) have been popular choices for northern growers for their consistent yields and distilling potential.

As the earliest of the new soft feed varieties, Dr Hoad believes LG Motown could be a useful alternative, spreading risk and workload at harvest, plus providing high output and distilling potential.

He adds that varieties such as LG Motown also offer high untreated yields, something that has been lacking in the group 4 category and represents a major step forward for breeders.

“In the past, there has been a trade-off, with high yielding feed wheats having low untreated yields, but this new group of varieties offers both.”

Light land

Limagrain arable technical manager Ron Granger agrees that LG Motown will add excellent value in the north, but notes that it can also provide a good option further south.

Yielding 106% of controls on light land, it can suit growers on more drought prone soils where a variety with quicker spring growth, combined with good specific weight and early maturity can hold on to its yield, even after a hot and dry June.

“In addition, people are also getting earlier and earlier with oilseed rape drilling, so it could offer an early entry to the crop.

“For those with a blackgrass problem, it can also allow stale seed-beds to be chitted quickly, which is now an important part of grassweed control strategies,” says Mr Granger.

Another key characteristic for further south is orange wheat blossom midge resistance, which is lacking in the new batch of feed varieties – only LG Motown, LG Sundance and KWS Kerrin have the trait.

LG Motown’s perceived weaknesses include eyespot susceptibility and a moderate PGR-treated lodging score of 7, but Mr Granger says these characteristics are not dissimilar to other varieties on the Recommended List and can be managed.

“We have products with good activity on eyespot at the T1 fungicide timing and the standing power can be addressed with a robust split PGR programme,” he says.

How is maturity scored?

On the AHDB Recommended List, ripening is expressed as days earlier or later than a control variety and in the case of winter wheat, this is feed variety JB Diego.

Scores are an average across the UK and are designed to give a benchmark, but might not be reflective of performance in a specific region.

For example, a variety with a +3 might be a week to 10 days later in the north, or slightly earlier in the South East, so this variation should be taken into consideration.

Maturity a “major factor” in Perthshire

Perthshire grower Andrew Stirrat is growing a suite of wheat varieties that offer a wide spread of harvest dates to help even out his workload during a busy summer.

He highlights maturity as a key factor in his decision making and looking for an early variety to fit in to the range of soft wheats on his 100ha unit just south of Perth has been a priority.

“I wanted to try both Motown and Sundance this year…and now they’re senescing, Motown is easily five to six days ahead and will be the first cut this season,” explains Mr Stirrat.

Mr Stirrat offers a contract harvesting service and hopes he will be able to cut his Motown, head out into his two neighbours’ spring barley, before returning home and finishing his later wheats Sundance, Zulu and finally, Revelation.

This spread also allows him to process grain that has already been harvested – which often requires drying in Scotland – and keep the wet store clear for the next weather window.

“You can also think about moving some stubbles, so it keeps things moving and allows you to start getting ready for next year’s crop,” he adds.

Mr Papworth is delighted with his 21.3 ha crop of California winter barley which came in at just over 11t/ha, 14.7% moisture and specific weight of 65.7, which was harvested on the 5th July.

Drilled on the 20th September at Sco Ruston near, Coltishall, the crop had established well as it followed beans so had access to good autumn nitrogen, followed through the season with 200kgN/ha and a comprehensive 3 spray programme, he says.

National Results

Results from the AHDB Recommended List and NIAB TAG trials show that the two row winter barley has performed very well across the UK this year to date.

California was launched back in 2013, by breeders Limagrain UK as a high yielding feed barley, well suited for the feed barley growing areas of the UK. It has found favour particularly with livestock farmers in the west due to its straw length (92cm with PGR) and high resistance rating for lodging (8). California produces a bold sample with lower screenings than most feed barleys.

California also has a good disease resistance package with nothing rated below a ‘5’. It has a better resistance rating than KWS Cassia to Rhynchosporium, an important disease in the wetter regions of the UK. California is also resistant to the commonly occurring strains of Barley Yellow Mosaic Virus.

Agronomic and Quality Data

*All data is from the AHDB Recommended Lists database. See www.cereals.ahdb.org.uk for full dataset. On the 1-9 scales, high figures indicate that the variety shows the character to a high degree.