Over 40 farmers flocked to a recent briefing hosted by Dalmark Grain, near Grantham, to hear how a better understanding of managing markets, varieties and agronomy and a close attention to costs could influence profits this season.Opening the session, Ruth Stanley, Agronomy Manager from BASF, underlined the benefits of a well-planned and robust fungicide programme, âone that allows for some measure of flexibility as the season progresses.ââUsing the new BASF SDHI, Adexar, it is possible to match the dose to the risk and maintain the highest levels of protectant and curative disease control, as a result of the fungicideâs unique movement characteristics within the plant.âAvailable in 10l Ecopack containers for ease of use and rinsing, Miss Stanley reminded growers to make buying decisions early so that all requirements would be met for this launch season.When choosing a milling wheat variety the most critical characteristic is to choose a variety that is consistent in its milling and baking performance, was the advice of Lee Robinson from plant breeders Limagrain. âConsistency of quality will ensure good markets and better premiums, and thereby reduce risk. Look carefully at a varieties performance over a number of years, as this will show how it responds across a range of conditions. For example considering Group 1âs, if you look back at the data from 2009 -2011 it is possible to see that Crusoe has a more consistent yield of 98-100 over Gallant which fluctuates from 93 to 97.âThe messages on managing costs from Joe Scarratt of Andersons, were hard hitting as he challenged farmers to run their farms with a well-planned strategy, focussed on reducing risk and cost. âLooking ahead this season, costs need to be as tightly managed as possible as forward wheat prices only offer a small profit before subsidy receipts. Overheads are critical areas to address, however, donât forget that yield remains king as costs of production on a per tonne basis are heavily determined by yield.âIf you can see profit now then take it, and avoid panic trading! advised Dalmarkâs, Charlotte Richmond. She added that the current volatility that we are seeing in markets is here to stay adding that âwith so many external influencing factors where the markets will end up is difficult to answer. ââItâs all about managing risk, knowing your costs such as storage and understanding the marketing options available from futures based contracts to fixed premium based contracts, options and buybacks.â