“This season we have seen unprecedented levels of foliar disease from aggressive yellow rust races and some of the worst Septoria tritici pressure that has been seen for many seasons. On top of this high levels of take-all were seen at the end of the season affecting both first and second wheat yield potential.”

“Generally, the ability of wheat varieties to withstand this disease pressure has been very varied, with some genetics holding up well whilst other varieties have succumbed to the intense pressure.” 

The AHDB provisional harvest results for 2016 state that the average wheat yields for 2016 were 10.7t/ha, which is close to the five year average of 10.6t/ha, and Mr Granger points out that whilst there were not many stand out yield performances from wheats this harvest, it’s the consistency of a varieties performance over differing seasons that is key, and one that he encourages growers to understand better.

“If a variety has managed to hold its own and produce yields up around the five year average in what was one of the most challenging disease years, then you can be fairly confident that the genetics behind that variety are well tested and will continue to hold up to current “known” pressures, and the same principle would apply to quality.”

By looking at the five year average yield results on the AHDB RL, it is possible to see how a particular variety has performed over the last five seasons as well as this year. This is almost more important, especially as we would appear to be in cycles of erratic weather patterns that have produced very high disease pressure seasons – notably 2012 / 2014 and 2016, continues Mr Granger.

“Evolution has performed very well this season both in a first wheat situation and in the more problematic second wheat situation, and like KWS Santiago shows very good consistency for yield over many seasons which growers consider an important attribute for continual on farm performance. “

Yield Performance (Region, Rotation, Soil Type and Sowing Date)

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. ( ) = Limited data.

Sean Sparling, vice chair of the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC), agrees. “Genetics are based on a combination of factors that include parentage, varietal traits and breeding and it is how these respond to rotational position and seasonal factors that causes the variances in performance in varieties that we see from season to season.”

Evolution has been one of the best performing varieties for Sean Sparling’s clients.

“It has one of the highest five year average yields at 102% over control, and irrespective of soil type the variety has done very well this season, with one light, brashy, stony site in  Lincolnshire yielding over 12t/ha, which is pretty impressive for this harvest.”

“In my mind, it’s always better to grow a safe and consistent variety that you know is going to yield, rather than try an unproven variety on the promise of an extra 1-2%.”

Down in the south, the story is similar; the more consistent varieties certainly fared better overall than the more ‘temperamental’ varieties, and again this is where the five year mean is important to take into account as it’s possible to see how the variety has performed season after season, says Nick Wall, of independent agronomy group, Crop Management Partners.

“Although Crusoe would appear to be a lower yielding variety on the AHDB RL, the story on farm would appear to be very different with the variety performing very well with high yields and protein contents achieved. Whilst Crusoe is a Group 1 milling wheat, the variety is  successfully being grown as a feed wheat in regions of high disease pressure  indicating that security of on farm performance is critical for growers today in a very volatile market.”

Whilst it is easy to blame a dull and wet June and very dry July for the depressed yields there is also the impact of disease to consider,  and this is where the five year average also tells the full story when looking at the untreated yields, adds Mr Granger.

“Taking Crusoe for example, it continues to offer robust disease resistance ratings with a good 6 for Septoria tritici and fusarium ear blight, a 9 for yellow rust and a 7 for mildew. Growers are aware of its lower rating for brown rust and this is managed appropriately with fungicides and the variety’s performance this season when challenged by some of the most severe disease conditions has held out -demonstrating how robust these resistance ratings really are.”

“The reality is that we don’t know what the next season is going to throw at us, there are so many unknowns in this game – grain prices, weather patterns, disease pressure and even the impact of Brexit, so start by minimising risk wherever possible- and one of these areas is choosing the right wheat variety by looking behind the yield headlines.”

Disease Resistance Ratings

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. @ = Believed to carry Pch1 Rendezvous resistance gene to eyespot*

Where drilling has been delayed for either black-grass management, a second wheat situation or for those who are drilling wheat after sugar beet or potatoes, it’s critical to consider which varieties suit this late drilling slot, considered to be from mid-October onwards.

“Get it wrong and you could be facing fairly substantial yield penalties, and this is totally avoidable,” says Limagrain UK’s, arable technical manager, Ron Granger.

“Late drilling presents a unique set of challenges to the crop; soils will inevitably become cooler and wetter as winter draws in, so it is important to proceed with care and consideration in order to get the crop well established.”

“Crops will not have been in the ground as long as those drilled earlier on so once growing conditions are favourable in the spring, it’s important that the variety is quick off the blocks.”

“Translated into varietal characteristics this means that late drilled wheats need to be strong tillering, with a semi prostrate growth habit in the winter and have a faster plant development in the spring.”

“With regards to second wheats, the added pressure from high-levels of take-all inoculum about this season, mean it is even more important to choose a wheat that is suitable for this slot”

The latest AHDB harvest results continue to demonstrate Evolution’s suitability for the second wheat situation. Over 5 very different sites, Evolution stands out with an average yield of 103.4% over control, 2.2% over other suitable second wheat varieties such as KWS Santiago and 2.6% over JB Diego.

Colin Lloyd, head of agronomy with Agrii adds that as well as fast spring development, a later drilling variety should have good weed competitiveness for early vigour.” In our blackgrass variety trials at Stow Longa, we look at varieties in the later drilled slot of mid-Oct onwards, and measure for all of these characteristics before recommending that variety is suitable for the late drilling window, and we have found Evolution to be decently competitive with black-grass.”

Limagrain trials also show that even when drilled as late as November, Evolution still gives better yields than alternative or spring varieties. However Mr Granger recognises that once you get into mid-February sowing dates, spring wheats would be the preferred option.

However he points out that one of the single most important factors in getting a late drilled crop off to a good start is to increase the seed rate. “This is really important as the crop is at higher risk from poorer conditions and pests – so the seed rate needs to reflect this.”

“For Evolution, we would recommend a rate of 325-375 seeds/ m² for mid – late October drilling in the south, increasing this slightly in the north to 350-400 seeds/m².  For crops being drilled November onwards the rate should reflect the more challenging conditions again, so 375-450seeds/m².”

“Effective seed treatments for either root disease or effective slug and insect control should be considered as a valuable tool for good establishment, especially in known situations of high risk.”

“Soils are still relatively warm, so establishment at the moment should be good which is important.”

He notes that later drilled varieties often have the advantage of requiring lower inputs, and may not for example, require an earlier autumn herbicide. Varieties such as Evolution have robust disease resistances that help to combat and withstand early spring disease challenges.

“Evolution is proving to be a robust variety for on farm performance over seasons, regions and soil type and its added versatility for later drilling situations in either a second wheat or blackgrass situation are important attributes that should not be over looked.”

An up-to-date technical agronomy guide to support Evolution, which is worth 2 BASIS points, is available to download here:

Russell and Lorraine Gaw’s RG Contracting from Port William in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland is responsible for the grass crop for a number of dairy farmers. Among these, is 81 hectares (200 acres) for the couple’s neighbour who, like most producers, wants a high yield of top quality grass silage in a quest to maximise milk production from home grown forage.

“We do all the seedbed preparation, drill the sward, apply fertiliser and then cut the grass,” says Russell who set up RG Contracting in 1995 and has developed the business from almost a one-man band supported by his wife Lorraine in the office for a few hours a week to a team of 14 with Lorraine full time in the office. Their success earned them a finalist place in Farmers Weekly Contractor of the Year Competition in 2015.

“I’m really a machinery specialist first and foremost, but I do know that we have to make sure all parts of the process are right,” he adds.

And when it comes to grass and forage crops, this means that operations have to be timely and efficient, and the grass seed mixture has to be of a high quality, with a proven track record. “The seed mixture is an integral part of the operation. We’ve taken advice from our local distributor, Lindsay Ker of LS Smellie, who recommended Sinclair McGill’s Scotsward. I have tried other mixtures in the past but this one seems particularly suited to this area.

“Our soil really likes it,” he says. “Our climate is influenced by the Gulf Stream and is very mild and wet which I think suits Scotsward. We get exceptional growth which means that we get three good cuts of silage each year. This is really important for the customer – he’s looking for plenty of good quality forage.”

And its usefulness through the year is attractive. The land is grazed by cattle after cutting then once they go indoors it’s grazed by sheep until the end of February. Slurry and fertiliser applications boost growth ready for first cut silage at the end of the first week of May.

“It never seems to stop growing,” adds Russell, admitting that while this mixture suits one area, it might not be the one in another area. “We always carry out a soil test and lime if necessary to get the right pH then maybe add phosphates to make sure the soil is in the right condition. And we always check out the grass seed mixture to make sure it’s the right one for the job. If we tick all the boxes and grow a high yielding and productive crop year on year it reflects well on us as contractors.”

When it comes to the Scotsward, Russell is impressed with its longevity as well as the high yields, seeing in some cases 10 years of productive life. This comes as no surprise to Limagrain UK’s grass seed manager Ian Misselbrook “Most mixtures designed for cutting are short term leys but Scotsward is a mixture of varieties that are persistent and productive for a longer period,” he says.

Having been involved in developing grass seed mixtures for the past 35 years for Limagrain’s portfolio, that includes the Sinclair McGill range, Mr Misselbrook knows the difference that a good seed mixture can make.

“Establishment is vital,” he says, adding that seed quality is one of the key components. “Our aim is to deliver less weed seed and more live seed than any other supplier. And it’s worth selecting a mixture with a good track record and known to have tolerance to diseases. We treat many of our mixtures with Headstart Gold, a biostimulant, which, combined with quality seedbed preparation and the recommended fertiliser applications, will help with establishment.”

But it’s the composition of the mixture that holds the key to sward and feed quality.

Scotsward, for example, has 12% Timothy in the mix. “Contractors like this as it makes the grass erect and easier to cut – it holds the sward up for the mower, and it’s a variety of grass that grows well after a harsh winter so it’s ideal in a mixture for using in wet or colder condition.”

Adding to the mixture’s suitability for silage making is the 41% mid and late season tetraploid perennial ryegrasses which provide a high sugar content and make for good fermentation. And the white clover blend in this mixture adds to the feed quality, boosting the protein content and providing minerals and trace elements.

“It’s a good idea to select a mixture that’s recommended for the purpose; be it grazing, cutting or dual purpose, and make sure it’s suited to the area. For example, the Sinclair McGill range highlights some mixtures suited to England and others more suited to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“It’s ‘horses for courses’ when it comes to making the right choice of grass seed mixtures, but if the most suitable mixture is used, then it will not hinder the operation, and high yielding crops of high quality feed can be delivered to the customer.”

Limagrain’s Waterbird Scrape mixture is sown into a drained scrape area in summer. “It produces an abundance of seeds and nectar,” says Limagrain’s Ian Misselbrook. “This year supplies have continued well into the autumn.”

The scrape is flooded over winter and the rotting vegetation will provide food for a diverse range of invertebrates that then become an attractive and plentiful food source for over-wintering wildfowl and waders, as well as migrant bird species passing through during spring and summer.

Limagrain donates the Waterbird Scrape mixture as part of an on-going project. “We also provide the bespoke Wild Bird Feed mixture for reserves at Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore. This benefits declining farmland birds, such as corn buntings, tree sparrows and yellowhammers by providing an additional food supply.”

Frampton Marsh anticipates record-breaking visitor numbers for 2016 at 50,000 as the reserve’s reputation grows for attracting record numbers of wading bird species.

Greenfinch on Limagrain bird feeding mix, at RSPB Frampton Marsh

The new products will be of great interest to greenkeepers and course managers alike, who are devoted to improving both the quality and the aesthetics of golf courses. The demand and pressure placed on the modern day greenkeepers to produce a consistent playing surface continually grows at a pace. Seed quality, purity and vigour are the essential ingredients of a first-class golf course and Limagrain’s MM range of seed mixture provides exactly these.

The all new MM7 is a heavy-duty golf green renovation mix where fast establishment and coverage is needed along with heavy duty wear tolerance. A visit to the Limagrain stand at BTME will offer visitors an ideal opportunity to find out more about this much anticipated mixture.

For a number of years, golf courses throughout the UK and beyond have benefitted from Limagrain’s Wild Flower mixtures. They have not only provided a rich, colourful and diverse ecological habitat but they have also wowed members by offering great aesthetic value to enhance the natural beauty. Course managers and greenkeepers will be pleased to see the addition of AWF 9 – a new 80/20 grass and wild flower mix designed to provide an array of low growing wild flowers and AWF 10 – a mix designed to provide a rich canopy of wild flowers that is particularly attractive to pollinating insects. Both of these mixtures contain an assortment of beautiful British native wild flowers.

Limagrain’s new Colour Splash Butterfly Mix is a brand new annual, biennual and perennial mix specifically designed to attract butterflies at a time when butterfly numbers have been declining. This mixture is an ideal solution for those wanting to bring a splash of colour to their golf course as well as attracting some fantastic wildlife.

The Colour Splash range of mixtures are extremely easy to sow and the resulting flowers are vigorous plants which are more than capable of competing with weeds. Their vigour is equally matched by robustness; resisting long periods of drought. They are also fast flowering and cost effective.

Limagrain’s amenity seed specialists will all be on hand at BTME to discuss these new mixtures in more detail and will also be available to offer their expertise on any queries you may have.

For further information, please contact us on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.limagrain.co.uk/amenity. You can also follow us on Twitter: @MM_Seed

The Dutch Limagrain customers consisted of groundsmen, contractors and turf growers. The three day tour began at the Grasslands turf farm in Romney Marsh, Kent – the South’s largest turf grower, where the group had a tour of the farm which has 1,000 acres of turf production. Its quality turf has graced some noteworthy landscapes such as the Tower of London, the Natural History Museum and the beautiful Kew Gardens.

The second day started at the venue which hosts the world’s most legendary tennis tournament – Wimbledon. After being shown round by head groundsman Neil Stubley, the group received a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put Wimbledon on each year.

The group then made their way to Tottenham Hotspur FC’s training ground in Enfield, where they were met by Darren Baldwin – ‎head of playing surfaces & estates. As well as showing them round the superb facilities, Darren delivered an in-depth insight into the club’s new unique stadium plans.

The tour was then concluded as the group visited Wembley Stadium on the third and final day.

Job Steunenbprg, Limagrain Holland commercial manager, who helped to organise the trip was delighted with the experience:

“We came to the UK to learn more about amenity grass, and if you look at Wimbledon and Tottenham – they are two of the best venues in the world. I think the maintenance of the pitches we see here in the UK is on such a high level, which we don’t quite have in Holland yet. The UK is the centre of the amenity world so visiting these two venues really was an eye-opener.

“We brought with us a number of clients from all over Holland who work in amenity. It’s been a great trip and has helped strengthen our relationship. I think it is very important that we show our clients how certain things are done – that they are in fact possible. In Holland there are so many artificial pitches because people think it is an easier and cheaper option – but it really isn’t. I believe that this trip showed exactly how to get the very best out of turf.” 

Commenting on the successful tour, Matt Gresty – amenity sales manager for Limagrain UK said:  “We were delighted to host a group of Dutch turf professionals and colleagues to show them some of the world class facilities that we have in the UK and are privileged to work with.

“The group were extremely impressed by the standards of groundsmanship and the attention to detail of both. Overall, it was a very successful event and I’d like to thank Neil and Darren for their time and expertise, and also Simon Baxter from Grasslands who gave us a tour of the stunning farm.”

For further information, please contact us on 01472 371471 or visit www.limagrain.co.uk/amenity. You can also follow us on Twitter: @MM_Seed

“In trials, LGAN mixtures have consistently delivered more energy across the season than the conventional control mixtures,” says Limagrain’s seed specialist John Spence. “Importantly, this energy is derived not just from high sugars, but also through high protein and digestible fibre levels.

“And animal feeding trials using LGAN mixtures showed that these improvements in feed quality lead to better feed efficiency and milk production. An extra 1.4 litres of milk was produced by cows fed the LGAN mixture compared to a conventional grass mixture. This additional milk production is worth £92 per cow per year, based on a milk price of 22p/litre.”

The 2017 Monarch includes the LGAN-accredited intensive and extended grazing mixtures and cutting mixtures. Many of the range’s mixtures have also been improved with the addition of the latest grass varieties Pensel and Timing; both bring improvements in yield, disease resistance and forage quality to the existing tried and tested range.

“We also include straight-forward details on reseeding and the financial justification, including the latest trial work from Teagasc in Ireland that links reseeding to farm profitability. The work shows that farms that carry out more reseeding each year return a greater net profit; around 5 euro cents (4p) more margin per litre when 10% of the farm is reseeded annually.

Copies of the Monarch Grass Ley Mixtures 2017 are available from Limagrain marketing, 01472 370117 or Sophie.li@limagrain.co.uk.  The new brochure can also be viewed on www.lgseeds.co.uk/monarch

With an eye on how to improve farm margins, this year’s AHDB recommendations reflected the increased importance for varieties not only offering higher yields but also better disease resistance, grain quality and agronomics such as standing power.

“This approach reflects the strategy of the Limagrain breeding programme that has always aimed to produce high yielding, robust varieties that perform consistently on farm whilst meeting market specifications with varieties such as Crusoe and Revelation, and malting barley market leader Concerto”, says Les Daubney, cereals marketing director for Limagrain.

“It’s exciting to be in a position to offer new varieties to growers that take these offerings a step on with even higher yields and more robust agronomics.”

Wheat

Joining the soft wheats on the AHDB Recommended List (RL) are LG Sundance and LG Motown. LG Sundance is a very high yielding soft feed winter wheat, with initial official testing suggesting that the variety meets the specifications for distilling and animal feed markets.

LG Sundance offers a yield of 104%, which is the joint highest yield of any wheat in this category, however LG Sundance also offers the highest Septoria tritici resistance of any variety on the whole list (7.3), well over the previous highest rating of 6.8 from Siskin, says senior wheat breeder, Ed Flatman.

“This is the first time that a variety has joined the list as both a highest yielder and with the highest Septoria resistance, so it is very exciting news for the industry, and something that we have been working very hard to achieve.”

“LG Sundance also has excellent resistance to yellow rust, with a rating of 9. Mildew and brown rust are rated 6, so it’s an all-round package in terms of disease robustness.”

“The value of the overall resistances of LG Sundance are clear to see when you look at the untreated versus the treated yields as there is only a difference of 14%,  with the added bonus of OWBM resistance,” he adds.

He points out that these resistances have been extensively tested under very high disease pressures such as those in the 2015/16 season, so growers should have confidence in the ratings.

UK Yield (% Treated Controls)

Data from the AHDB Recommended List 2017/18.

“LG Sundance offers flexibility in where and when it can be drilled; agronomic type and trials data to date have shown its suitability for the earlier drilling situation and also good performance in the second wheat slot. “

“With regards to quality, LG Sundance offers additional distilling market opportunities over standard feed wheat varieties; a valuable proposition for northern growers.”

The second soft wheat to be recommended from Limagrain is LG Motown, also a very high yielding variety with a yield of 103% offering a very good disease resistance profile, and is the earliest maturing of the soft feed wheats.  Its quality specifications suits both the distilling and animal feed markets.

“This early maturity of -1 for LG Motown against the standard of JB Diego is of significant value to oilseed rape growers or those in the north,” says Mr Flatman.

Mr Flatman points out that as with LG Sundance, the difference between treated at 103% and untreated at 89%, is only 14 % and is one of the lowest on the list, demonstrating how robust LG Motown is with regards to disease resistance.

“This is reflected in its excellent disease resistance package having a rating of 9 for yellow rust and 7 for brown rust, as well as 5.8 for Septoria resistance with the bonus of OWBM resistance.”
“As far as testing the variety on farm, we have carried out trials over the seasons and locations to determine where our varieties sit best within the farm rotations and LG Motown has shown itself to be a very consistently performing variety both in the 1^st and 2^nd wheat situation. It is also suitable for the later drilling slot as it has a faster speed of development in the spring.”

Oilseed rape

The trend for producing higher yielding varieties that offer improved disease resistance has also been reflected in the oilseed rape recommendations. This year has been a particular success for Limagrain’s oilseed rape varieties, with two of the four varieties recommended coming from the UK-focussed breeding programme.

“The restored hybrid Aquila has shown very good gross output of 108%, and treated yield potential comparable to Elgar. On the basis of this has been placed onto the east/west list, although it’s worth noting that is has also performed very well in the north (107 %.), “ says senior oilseed rape breeder Dr Vasilis Gegas.

“Its agronomic characteristics make it suitable for a range of situations both in the south and further north, he says.

“ It is a vigorous variety, with a stiff stem and a very good disease resistance package with a 6 for light leaf spot and 8 for stem canker. This is one of the best combinations of yield and disease resistance on the RL, and makes the variety stand out well above over other hybrids such as Windozz, Alizze and Wembley.”

“Aquila has very good pod shatter tolerance which is an increasingly important characteristic when growers are looking to make the most of their oilseed rape crops, and avoid losses at any stage of the season.”

Agronomic Performance Data

Data from the AHDB Recommended Lists database 2017/18, E/W region. On the 1-9 scales, high figures indicate that a variety shows the character to a high degree.

After its excellent performance last season, in both north and east-west trials, Nikita has gained recommendation on both lists, after initially being approved just for the north, proving that is a UK-wide top performing variety.

“Despite the challenges of the last season, Nikita still managed to take a top position on the RL in terms of Gross output at 108% in the east-west and 109% in the north, and this is down to its solid seed yield and excellent oil content, being one of the highest on the RL in this category, at 46.3%.”

“Nikita has had a consistently high yielding performance over the past two years and this is because the variety is backed up by robust genetics that suit a range of diverse conditions,” notes Dr Gegas.

“It’s light leaf spot (LLS) rating of 7, makes it one of the highest on the Recommended List. Varieties with high LLS ratings show significantly better natural resistance compared to other varieties providing that bit of breathing space required to treat the crops, and should be selected as an important element in the fight against this very damaging and increasingly high threat disease.”

“We have seen from the results of last season, that whilst the variety has a lower rating for Phoma, this can be easily controlled with a  good autumn spray programme, with no detrimental effect on yield.”

“Nikita is a short stemmed variety, shorter than the other top yielding varieties Elgar and Flamingo, and combined with good lodging resistance, and a medium earliness to flower and mature, as well as good vigour, it really is a very farmer friendly variety.”

Spring Barley

LG Opera is one of three new spring barleys that have been added to the RL; LG Opera is an exciting dual purpose, non GN prospect for the malting market, which means that it is suitable for brewing and distilling.

“We have seen LG Opera produce consistently high yields over seasons and regions, in both treated and untreated national list trials. It offers comparable or better yield potential against the market leaders in all three IBD malting sectors , with a 15% step up in yield over market favourite Concerto, which remains the most popular variety in Scotland.” says Mr Daubney.

LG Opera is moderately short strawed, with good lodging resistance and earlier ripening -an important trait for growers in the north.  The variety also has a good disease resistance profile, with a rating of 5 for the major disease, Rhynchosporium.

“Of course recommendation is just the first stage in the uptake of a new spring barley, further testing and approvals by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling will have implications on how well the variety is taken up by the end –users, and this is critical for the success of a malting barley variety.”

“A recent survey showed that more than 40% of farmers still select varieties based on experience, sticking with what they have grown before” comments Tim Richmond, Maize Manager with Limagrain UK. “This means they are missing out on the huge advances that have been made in plant breeding, particularly in terms of the feed quality produced.”

“In the last 24 years, the milk production potential of maize varieties has increased from 30,900 litres/ha to 44,800 litres.  That is an increase of 45% and demonstrates why farmers need to commit to new varieties rather than sticking with varieties that might have been successful in the past.  We have seen advances in yield, feed quality and agronomy, which combined mean new varieties can give a better return on investment.”

He maintains that maturity class must still be the primary selection criterion but says that once a shortlist of varieties has been developed that meet the agronomic demands of the farm site, it is then vital to select varieties deliver the highest quality forage to ensure maize supplies the maximum benefit in terms of reducing feed costs and improving margins.  He says clear breeding objectives have helped deliver varieties better suited to UK conditions, in particular with earlier harvesting.

“Early varieties were unpopular initially as they tended to come with a dry matter yield penalty.  You got the crop off earlier but there was less of it in the clamp.  This penalty has now gone and the new early varieties also have excellent starch and total energy content.  Much of the UK is classified as less favoured sites for growing maize, which means it can be a struggle getting later varieties to maturity or, as recent years have demonstrated, harvested at all.

“An early variety can be harvested in good time, usually in better conditions and because the leaf and stover are harvested greener, the crop will have higher digestibility and consolidate better in the clamp.  They also have the distinct advantage that being harvested sooner it will be easier to establish a successor crop, improving total production per acre and reducing soil erosion risks.

When looking at production characteristics, Mr Richmond explains that it is important to look at total energy yield rather than just starch content, commenting that up to 50% of the total energy available is in the leaf, stover and other vegetative material.  He says that the Limagrain breeding programme is the only commercial programme which places particular emphasis on cell wall digestibility.

“The cob is 92-100% digestible so there is little opportunity to influence energy yield.  However, the rest of the plant is 40-70% digestible, meaning if cell wall digestibility (CWD) can be improved so the energy available will increase.  The only way to significantly increase energy production per hectare is by improving CWD, and improving CWD improves more than just energy content and yield.”

He says research by Professor Mike Wilkinson from the MGA shows that each 1% increase in fibre digestibility will increase dry matter intakes by 0.12kg/day, giving another benefit from selecting varieties with higher cell wall digestibility.  This compares well with American research which showed each 1% rise in CWD increased total dry matter intake by 0.17kg/day resulting in a yield increase of 0.25 litres per cow per day.”

By selecting varieties with a good balance of starch and CWD, he says farmers will optimise production from forage and reduce purchased feed requirements.

“Farmers should look closely at starch content, CWD and energy yield when refining their initial variety shortlist, as there is a significant difference in milk yield per hectare between average and top varieties ranked on energy yield.”

Mr Richmond explains that Limagrain has identified varieties which have the genetic potential to deliver superior nutritional value.  “Our Limagrain Animal Nutrition (LGAN) varieties are evaluated for all the key parameters affecting nutritional value, namely starch content and yield, ME content, and yield, CWD, dry matter yield, dry matter percent at harvest and early vigour.  We combine five years of BSPB/NIAB data with five years of our own data to ensure only robust information is used.

“Currently there are seven LGAN accredited varieties on the descriptive lists.  Some are well established such as Glory and Ambition while others such as Reason are new to the list.

“A high quality variety, Glory will supply sufficient energy to produce an extra 630 litres per hectare compared to the average variety.  This equates to a concentrate feed saving of around £65/ha.  For a farm growing 30ha of maize, selecting Glory over the average variety would cut the purchased feed bill by £1950 with no increase in growing costs compared to an average variety.  With feed costs on the rise, this financial benefit of selecting varieties shown to support higher milk production will only increase.”
One farming family who has made the switch from selecting varieties based on dry matter yield to selecting on the basis of feed quality and early maturity is the Wainwright family from Ellesmere in Shropshire.

Phillip Wainwright farms in partnership with his two brothers David and Stephen and his two sons George and Charles, running a herd of 200 all year round calving cows averaging 9000 litres.  High yielders are housed all year with access to a loafing area while low yields will usually graze from mid-April to mid-October.

Until eight years ago the herd was housed on two farm near Macclesfield, one owned and one rented, where they used to run a retail milk round.  They decided to move out of retailing and to focus on the cows so they sold the farm they owned, took on the farm at Ellesmere and doubled the herd size while retaining the rented farm which is now used for heifer rearing.

“When we took over the farm there was a standing crop of maize and this was our first experience with the crop,” explains George Wainwright.  We were really pleased how it fed and have been growing it ever since.

“The forage in the TMR is typically two thirds grass and one third maize, but we can’t feed maize all year round as we don’t have the clamp capacity and layout to allow us to do this.  For the short period when we are out of maize we feed wholecrop but never get as much milk.”

For the first four years the Wainwrights tended to grow later maturing, high yielding varieties but since 2014 they have been working with Mark Hancock from Spunhill Farm Sales and have changed their selection criteria

“As the farm isn’t all suitable for maize and because they want to get maize in the diet as quickly as possible, I advised George and Philip to move to early maturing varieties,” Mark Hancock explains.  “At the same time we looked to move to higher feed value varieties to improve forage quality and production from home grown feeds.

“They had been growing several varieties each year but now grow just the one which has benefits at harvest as the crop all matures at the same time.  We first moved to the Limagrain variety Yukon but for the last two years have grown Glory very successfully.”

In 2016 they grew 54 acres of Glory which was drilled on the 1st may, as soon as soil temperatures were suitable.  The crop was harvested on 16th October, yielding 16 tonnes per acre.

“To help get the maize off to a good start it was drilled with 8kg of a micro-granular 12:52:00 placement fertiliser, followed by 50kg N/Ha and 100kg/Ha of Potash,” Mark Hancock continues.  “All fields also received an application of slurry.”

For weed control all fields had a pre-emergence herbicide, with post-emergence sprays used on specific fields as required.

“This year the weather were ideal and the crop came off early in excellent condition and has analysed really well, giving us a high quality feed.  Last year, as we had made wet grass silage we harvested the maize later so we had a drier feed to balance out the grass.  It still analysed and fed well.

“Early varieties certainly suit the farm and allow us to grow maize on more fields.  This combined with the higher feed value means we can produce more from forage and we would look to feed maize all year round if we could,” George concludes.

The Wainwrights 2016 Glory analysis –

“However this does mean that variety choice must be made carefully with a clear understanding of particular characteristics on offer, and not just an eye on final yield.”

“We have heard time and again the importance  of ensuring that a variety suits what the market wants; choosing a dual purpose spring barley will give you the flexibility of growing for more than one market. If in addition to this the variety has good straw characteristics then that is another significant output from the crop, be it for your own use, or for sale.”

Mr Daubney points out the superb opportunity offered by Sienna this spring, a dual purpose malt distilling and feed barley, which also produces high yields of good quality straw.

Sienna has the highest specific weight on the AHDB 2017/8 Recommended List at 70.4kg/hl; a trait strongly desired by the distilling industry. “Specific weights for spring barley would appear to be falling in newer varieties compared to older historical varieties, says Ron Granger, arable technical manager for Limagrain UK. “This has come about as breeders drive to produce higher yielding varieties but at the cost of grain quality – not dissimilar to the scenario seen with winter wheats a couple of years ago”

“Sienna bucks the trend in that it has the best specific weight on the AHDB recommended list and this is strongly supported from internal Limagrain agronomy trials over several years.”

“We know that farmers like to grow big, bold samples, and like wheat varieties, a good specific weight would appear to be more robust especially in time of stress or erratic weather patterns, and we have seen this effect from Sienna.”

Sienna also offers many of the positive traits associated with the high yielding feed variety Westminster, offering farmers a higher yielding alternative particularly in the north and west, where it has done very well in trials due to its large bushel weight and robust disease resistance profile.

Disease Resistance

All data is from the AHDB Recommended Lists database. * Westminster data from AHDB RL 2016/17.

“Sienna is a tall variety (79cm), with a 7 rating for lodging and brackling, and we know that this translates into good quality straw.”

Work carried out by Agrii in 2015 suggests that there are differences between varieties for straw yield. Mr Granger points out that grain yield does not always relate to straw yield, although the greater the yield potential on farm with a single variety the higher the return on straw yield.

“It’s clear that variety height does have an influence on high straw yield in most cases but more importantly Limagrain data suggests that varieties like Sienna with high tiller counts produce higher straw yield, he says”

Comment from an end-user

Mike Dagg of Simpsons Malt in Berwick-upon-Tweed, has seen good results from the internal testing that Simpsons have carried out on Sienna. “Last harvest the variety performed very well in terms of yield and harvested quality. Sienna comfortably produced the best sample of all the varieties we purchased; good colour, good weight, a good skin and a very even grain size.”

“Sienna also showed itself to be a good variety in terms of grain nitrogen content as it did not appear to be a grain nitrogen grabbing variety and this is obviously attractive to us as maltsters, and will also appeal to growers.”

Grain nitrogen content is important in distilling barley as the lower the grain nitrogen content, the better the spirit yield will be to a distiller, explains Mr Dagg. “lf the grain nitrogen content is higher, then the distiller will not receive as many litres per tonne spirit (spirit yield) as a lower grain nitrogen barley. The distiller is looking to maximise his production and he will do this with lower grain nitrogen barleys as opposed to higher ones.”

“We will be putting Sienna through production in early 2017 with a view to sending it onto a few distilleries in early February. We will know more then about how Sienna meets our and our distiller customer aspirations in terms of processability, efficiency and spirit yield. The same is true of other popular varieties such as Laureate – until a variety is given full IBD approval we have to be cautious in our approach.”

Sienna is under testing with the IBD (Institute of Brewing & Distilling) and should receive its full approval in May.

Choosing a variety with good distilling characteristics that also performs well as a feed wheat is the approach of Russell Black of West Cash Farm, Starthmiglo, Cupar.

Whilst Mr Black would consider a malting contract, he believes that if he can get good enough yields off his crop, selling it as feed is just as profitable. “There are none of the concerns of meeting the malting spec and a good contract for the feed is a safer way to guarantee your returns.”

Last year Mr Black drilled 110 acres of spring barley, of which he put down 24 ha to Sienna on the recommendation of his seed rep, Douglas Bonn of Nickerson. At harvest Mr Black was thrilled with the results from his Sienna. “The crop produced a bold sample; yields averaged out about 7.4t/ha, and the straw quality was excellent as well.”

The crop was drilled with the fertiliser in one pass after ploughing on the 29^th March and a second nitrogen application went on at GS 31. “We are in an NVZ area so are limited to how much nitrogen we can apply when pushing for yield.”

“We applied two fungicide sprays, one at GS 31 and the second at flag leaf emergence and despite the challenging disease conditions last spring, the crop remained pretty clean, showing that the disease ratings will hold up under pressure.”

• Fertiliser Plan
  • At drilling,370kg/ha 16/15/15+sulphur
  • At 3 leaf,125kg/ha 33.5% nitrogen
    At GS31,125kg/ha33.5% nitrogen.

• Fungicide Plan
  • GS 31-Fandango 0.5l/ha & Bravo1.l/ha
  • Flag leaf-  Siltra Xpro0.4l/ha & Bravo 1.0 l/ha
  • Grain quality .69.9 bushel weight & 1.65 nitrogen & 0.9%skinning.

It’s all about the straw

For dairy farmer James Wilson of Caskerdo Farm in Cupar, growing a crop of barley is all about the straw. Yield is still important, but with 330 dairy cows and 110 suckler beef to bed down each winter, he needs to know that whatever variety he grows that he will be able to harvest the volumes needed.

Most of the 270 acres of arable at Caskerdo Farm is put down to spring barley each year, with a small acreage of wheat put aside for whole cropping.

“Each year I will put in about 20 acres of a new variety just to see how well it performs in situ. Last year Douglas Bonn of Nickerson recommended trying Sienna on the basis that it was a high yielding, vigorous variety that would produce good quality straw with little brackling.”

“Well he was right –I was delighted with how the variety performed. The crop wasn’t drilled until the end of April, and it looked good through to harvest in September.  I don’t weigh the grain, but there was plenty of it, and more importantly the volume of straw that came off the field was excellent, I make 4.5-5ft bales and we were getting 8 bales/acre!”

Mr Wilson was so pleased with how Sienna performed that this year he plans to drill the whole of his spring barley acreage with Sienna.

Running the mixed unit at Caernarfon-based Glynllifon College has its challenges – with beef, sheep, dairy and pig enterprises all requiring tip-top management to keep them viable. No mean feat in the current economic climate. But farm manager Rhodri Owen has an additional remit – the unit’s management system also has to educate the producers of tomorrow about the importance of
sustainable farming that, not surprisingly, also includes maximising the use of home-grown forage.

Rhodri took on his current role in August 2014 and in just 18 months has already made considerable changes at the college farm. Most notable are a cropping policy shake up and switching the breeds in the beef, sheep and dairy enterprises.

“We had to adapt to thrive,” he says. “Changes were needed to keep the college’s farming business both viable and sustainable – in the short and long term. And the enterprises that we run here also need to reflect what’s happening on farms across the UK – particularly here in Wales, where many of our students come from the west of the UK. We must provide our students with experience and knowledge that will equip them to run productive, efficient and sustainable enterprises and businesses when they leave here,” he explains. Sounds daunting, but Rhodri has grasped the nettle and his changes are already making an impact – particularly on the cropping side.

Gone is the forage maize, which used to form part of the winter ration for both the beef and dairy enterprises. And in are short-term grass leys, kale and swede crops for out-wintering beef cattle and freshly lambed ewes.

‘Colossal crop’

“Our final maize harvest was in 2014 and we followed that ground – 40 acres in total – with Sinclair McGill grass seeds mixture Colossal, which is a short-term, high sugar, top yielding grass ley. “We were really pleased with the resulting grass crop and it certainly was ‘colossal’ in terms of yield and contributed to us having a lot of grass for grazing and silage in 2015,” says Rhodri.

It was grazed in spring by the college’s 300-strong flock of Lleyn ewes plus 300 Welsh mule ewes, which are turned out once they’ve lambed. “And we graded lambs a month earlier than in 2014 –that’s how well the ley performed. It also highlighted the additional grass yield to be had from a reseed. We took a lot of silage from the reseeded leys – three cuts. We could have taken a fourth cut, but decided to graze livestock later into the autumn instead. We didn’t rehouse young stock until late October.”

They introduced the Lleyn breed because they wanted to develop a highhealth-status and closed flock, capable of producing lambs off forage. The ewes are from easy-care breeding and are prolific and not too big, weighing around the 65kg liveweight. “We have 300 pure breds and our aim is to breed our own replacements utilising EID technology to source the most suitable ewes.”

Rhodri also believes that the lambs, just like the beef cattle from what is steady becoming a Stabiliser beef herd as opposed to a more traditional Welsh Black x Limousin suckler herd, are more saleable.

The suckler herd consists of hardy Welsh Black cattle with outstanding foraging capability. “And we have introduced some Stabiliser bloodlines, through cross breeding, as a trial. The suckler herd is out wintered and calves are reared on milk and forage to eight months old. All male calves are left entire and are finished in a feedlot off farm,” explains Rhodri.

Stabiliser is a composite ‘concept’ from the US, comprising Hereford, Red Angus, Simmental and Gelbvieh. “And the breed is meant to be more fertile, easy calving and not too big – just 550kg.” Again, its size and grazing ability – not to mention hybrid vigour – make it well suited to the Welsh climate. And we can breed our own replacements.”

“The volatility seen in our commodity markets influences our future breeding and farming systems, so we’re looking to build herds and a flock that is better equipped at handling the lows and making the most of the highs,” he says. “It’s not something that can be done overnight, but we’ve made a start and I feel that we’re moving towards a more sustainable future.”

He wants to manage livestock that are less reliant on high inputs and better able to utilise the cheaper home-grown feeds, such as grass and other forage crops. And that low-cost system is only sustainable if you have the genetics to support it. That’s the directions we’re taking by introducing new breeds and crops.”

Kale is now grown to over-winter in-calf sucklers, which will calve in April. “Eight acres of variety Caledonian were sown in late July,” says the college’s crop production lecturer and Sinclair McGill merchant Esmor Hughes, who is working closely with Rhodri to develop a rotation that offers more home-grown forage to all three livestock enterprises. “It was direct drilled into a ‘sprayed off’ field of permanent pasture. Direct is effective because it saves on establishment costs, compared to ploughing and cultivation. And slug pellets and fertiliser were applied post drilling.”

Kale success

The sucklers, which have previously always been housed during the winter, began strip grazing the crop, with an electric back fence, on December 1. “And they have done extremely well on it,” adds Rhodri. “They have maintained body condition and they look well and clean too. Their performance is all the more impressive when you consider what a wet winter it has been – one of the wettest on record.”

This crop, which the cattle finished grazing in mid-March, will be followed by Colossal Red – a grass mixture with red clover – to produce high protein, big-bale silage. The lambed ewes are also doing well this winter on a 12-acre crop of Gowrie swedes. They were turned out in mid-January, post lambing, and again this crop will keep them fed until mid-March. “There was a phenomenal amount of feed there,” says Rhodri. “They ate the tops first – we abandoned our strip grazing plans and gave them the run of the whole field because weather conditions were far from ideal and they needed to be able to seek shelter. But it’s still worked really well and they’ve eaten the roots too. The lambs have also enjoyed a nibble.”

This crop was sown in early July, into a ploughed field. “It established really quickly and got off to a flying start,” adds Esmor. “The college has grown swedes for over-wintering ewes in the past, but has used the same variety for many years. I recommended something new in 2015 and we’ve been thrilled with the results. We ended up with a field full of good sized swedes with plenty of fodder on the top too.” Rhodri freely admits that the ewes have thrived on it and he will definitely be growing Gowrie again this year – 2016 – for next winter.

Grazing cows

One the dairy side, pure Holsteins are out and cross breeding with Norwegian Red and British Friesian sires is in. “Again, to try and mitigate some of the market volatility,” says Rhodri. Hybrid vigour is one plus, which certainly helps to improve herd fertility – vital when we’re looking to move to block calving in the autumn: “So the students all get a chance to get involved with both calving, milking and fertility management,” he adds.

The breed also has a quieter temperament – again essential with so many students handling the cattle – as well as better health and longevity and good feed conversion efficiency. “They’re certainly designed for grazing and so we’ll look to make more of the grass for more weeks of the year. Block calving and a switch in breed is helping us to achieve this extended grazing season.”

The herd’s annual average yield stands at 8,000 litres, of which 3,000 litres is from forage. And Rhodri sees great scope to improve this and hopes to push it up to between 3,500 and 4,000 litres. It’s about survival too. “We’re price takers – like most other farm businesses. “We need to take control of our costs of production. The challenge is to produce top quality produce at the least cost, utilising the best genetics, forages and grazing techniques available to us.”

The right forages

Selecting the right forage depends on location, timing and resources, but to help growers decide on the forage combinations that suit their farm, Limagrain includes this table in its Essential Guide to Forage Crops which is available to download from the website (see below) or if you would like a hard copy please email enquiries@limagrain.co.uk

The Warrior 3 race of yellow rust was identified at several sites across the UK by Limagrain breeders at the end of the 2015 growing season when yellow rust suddenly exploded on a number of varieties, despite their high resistance ratings, levels of infection very quickly reached significant levels.

Cereal pathologist with Limagrain, Paul Fenwick explains the findings: “We had some ‘very different and unusual yellow rust sightings’ last year in Scotland, Lincolnshire and Suffolk; varieties that were previously clean and resistant to known rust races were suddenly covered in rust. For example, Invicta had over 50% of its leaf area infected, despite its AHDB rating of 8.”

“From our geographically extensive trials, we have made our own isolates and tested them on seedlings and found all of them to be consistent with coming from the Warrior 3 group, as recently defined by the UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS).”

 “This was not what we expected, as if we reference the findings presented at the UKCPVS stake-holders meeting in March, Warrior 3 pathotypes were found to be much less frequent than Warrior 4-6 type in 2015.”

“However, if our findings are correct, and Warrior 3 has increased its frequency in the mix of yellow rust types out there now, it’s possible that we could be seeing some real surprises in varietal resistances in 2016, and most probably before the latter part of the season”, he says.

It is believed that all the Warrior group of races originated in the Himalayan region, and the fact these are from a sexual population goes some way to explaining their variability and atypical characteristics compared to the clonal, European population that we’ve been used to for so long. The Warrior groups of yellow rust are now totally dominant within the UK population and also across Europe.

“Limagrain is routinely running seedling tests – as it is important for us to characterise both seedling and adult plant resistance to the various strains of yellow rust. We’ve recently found that seedlings are generally more susceptible to new races compared to isolates from the old population – some of the new ones appears to be particularly aggressive in our seedling tests, and could be one explanation for why we are seeing such high levels of yellow rust in fields currently,” adds Mr Fenwick.

“We know that the Kranich race has been detected for the first time in the UK (a single  occurrence in 2014), but much like the Warrior 3 race, the actual risk posed by it is still unknown at this stage. It might be that we need to be equally concerned about this race, as the Warrior 3 races.”

“As breeders, we are constantly working, with the help of genetic markers, to gain a better understanding of the genetics underlying the rust resistance in our varieties. Whilst many important resistance genes have become less effective against the Warrior races, we are also seeing that some, previously overcome genes, are now working again.”

“The reality is that we don’t know where it will be seen again or how the Warrior 3 race will behave, but we do know that it appears to be more aggressive than the Warrior 4 race, so the message for growers is that they need to be extremely vigilant in checking their crops and don’t take any varietal resistance ratings for granted,” adds Ron Granger, technical manager with Limagrain.

Manufacturers BASF say that if yellow rust symptoms appear in crops, growers should take a zero tolerance approach. “There is a lot of uncertainty about which varieties are likely to develop rust and we are seeing active disease in a range of varieties which would not normally be considered high risk,” says agronomy manager Louis Wells.

“There is still a versatile and effective toolbox available so growers should feel confident about control; epoxiconazole is the best rust triazole, pyraclostrobin the best strob. Where using an SDHI ensure you choose an SDHI which is partnered with epoxiconazole – in practice this means Adexar.”

“Chlorothalonil (CTL) should also be included to boost Septoria control and as an anti-resistance strategy. In our trials, the potential for antagonism from adding CTL can be even greater when treating rust than septoria, but we have never seen an issue of this with Adexar,” he says.