| Arable
Nine new Monitor Farms for England
Nine new Monitor Farms have joined AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds’ innovative knowledge exchange programme in England
and Wales. The aim of the expanded network, to be launched in June, is to enable more farmers to take part in the
programme and to benefit from the discussions.
im Isaac, AHDB Cereals &
Oilseeds Interim Head of
Regional Development, said:
“These new Monitor Farms will
fill the gaps in our geographical
coverage, making it easier for
more growers to get to meetings near them.
Businesses across the country have already
benefited from the existing farms, but growing
the network to 24 will allow the programme to
better reflect a range of localised conditions
and help a wider cross-section of growers.”
From Dereham in Norfolk to Truro in
Cornwall, the hosts represent a range of local
farm sizes and enterprises. There are family
farms at just over 200ha and estates of over
1,000ha. Some have other enterprises, while
others are solely arable. Establishment
techniques in the new tranche of Monitor Farms
include ploughing and combination drilling
(Warrington), strip till (Kent), and a variety of
approaches to min-till.
The new Monitor Farms are:
• Blandford (Dorset): James and Georgie
Cossins, Rawston Farm
• Bridgnorth (Shropshire): Adrian Joynt,
Apley Estate
• Dereham (Norfolk): Simon Brock, Swanton
Morely Farms
• Leicester (Leicestershire): Jack Smith,
Stoughton Estate
• Newark (Nottinghamshire): John Miller,
Manor Farm
• Northampton (Northamptonshire): Tom
Banks, Courteenhall Estate
• Sittingbourne (Kent): Mark Bowsher-Gibbs,
Hempstead Farm
T
• Truro (Cornwall): Howard Emmett, Tregaire
Farms
• Warrington (Cheshire): Robert Cross,
Clifflane Farm
Howard Emmett, new Monitor Farm host in
Truro, said: “I’d been interested in the Monitor
Farm scheme from the word ‘go’ and got
involved with the Crediton group last autumn. I
saw how everyone was there to increase their
knowledge. If I can help in this process in our
area I will be very pleased.
“My own business aim is to sustain the
profitability of my farm in the current economic
climate. I’m hoping that the meetings will be
useful to others.”
AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Monitor Farms
bring together groups of like-minded farmers,
who wish to develop or expand their
enterprises, in an environment which
encourages them to share critical performance
details. This information is discussed and
evaluated by the group, encouraging and
facilitating business improvement through the
adoption of new technology and practices.
The programme of meetings at each of the
farms will be driven by farmers participating in
the Monitor Farm groups. In the first 12 months
of the Monitor Farm project in England and
Wales, over 2,400 people took part, with the
majority reporting benefits to their business. Of
those surveyed in April 2015, more than nine
out of ten valued the opportunity to openly
discuss issues and share experiences and 75%
improved their technical knowledge.
Topics covered in the last twelve months
include fixed cost analysis, crop establishment,
cover crops, grain storage, marketing, weed
control, soil health, nutrition, precision farming,
building resilient businesses, benchmarking
and more.
Get involved
Each of the new Monitor Farms will hold an
open launch day this summer before harvest.
Anyone interested in attending should contact
their AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Regional
Manager on the given email address.
Launch meeting dates:
East Midlands:
[email protected]
Leicester: 7 June 2016
Newark: 29 June 2016
Northampton: 1 July 2016
North: [email protected]
Warrington: 1 June 2016
East Anglia: [email protected]
Dereham: 6 July 2016
West & Wales:
[email protected]
Bridgnorth: 9 June 2016
South East: [email protected]
Sittingbourne: 23 June 2016
South West:
[email protected]
Truro: 21 June 2016
Blandford: 4 July 2016
Find out more about the Monitor Farm
programme at
cereals.ahdb.org.uk/monitorfarms or on twitter
with the hashtag #monitorfarm.
Scottish Farmers will also this year have the
opportunity to benefit from nine new Monitor
Farms, thanks to a collaborative project
between Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and
AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
BASF reaches major milestone in the global
development of its new fungicide Revysol®
Regulatory dossier submitted for approval in the EU for innovative active ingredient with outstanding field performance
against many fungal pathogens.
ASF has submitted the
regulatory dossier for a new
active ingredient, Revysol®, to
the European Union (EU). The
proprietary compound is
expected to be the company’s
new blockbuster fungicide from the chemical
class of triazoles (SBI). Extensive research has
shown its outstanding biological performance
against a range of difficult to control pathogens.
Revysol’s submission for registration in the EU
marks a key milestone towards the
compound’s global registration in row and
specialty crops.
“Undoubtedly, Revysol will be another
striking compound that delivers significant
benefits to farmers around the globe,” said
Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop
Protection division. As farmers continue to need
product diversity for mixing or alternating mode
of actions, Revysol is set to play a vital role in
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www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
future resistance management
recommendations. “Our ability to develop such
an excellent molecule definitely flags our
leadership position in fungicides,” said Heldt.
Fungicides from the triazole chemical class
have proven their value against diseases that
can severely damage crops and compromise
the quality of farmers’ harvests, such as
Septoria tritici and rust in cereals. Nonetheless,
no new molecule with this mode of action has
been introduced to the market for more than
ten years, thus increasing the risk of resistance
and leaving farmers with few alternatives for
disease control.
“We have applied our deep fungicide
expertise and invested best-in-class research to
create Revysol,” said Harald Rang, Senior Vice
President of Research and Development, BASF
Crop Protection. Already at the discovery
phase, the new fungicide was designed to meet
both the highest level of regulatory standards
“As farmers continue to need product
diversity for mixing or alternating mode of
actions, Revysol is set to play a vital role in
future resistance management
recommendations”
and outstanding biological performance.
“Farmers will have a new tool to ensure their
crops will stay disease-free and healthy for a
longer period of time, optimizing crop yields
and quality of the harvest,” concluded Rang.
Revysol will be available in customized
formulations to provide farmers worldwide with
high performing fungicide solutions. Pending
regulatory approval, first market introductions
are expected for 2019.
April 2016 | Farming Monthly | 13