| CropTec
Impressive arable portfolio from the new Elsoms
Team at CropTec 2016
UK farmers and merchants now have a new source of
competitive agricultural varieties that challenges the
status quo of established suppliers.
lsoms Seeds and
Saaten Union have
an impressive
range of AHDB
recommended
and candidate
cereals and oilseeds varieties,
combined with a strong position in
the burgeoning energy crop
sector, a market leading hybrid
cereals development programme,
and a growing vining pea
business.
Over recent years, farmers have
seen a steady reduction in the
number of significant suppliers of
new products and varieties to the
market. Elsoms have reversed this
trend by working with similarly
innovative, independent, specialist
and technically strong businesses
across Europe to build a portfolio
of impressive arable varieties that
is now attracting strong interest
from across the industry.
“The strength of the Elsoms
programme is underlined by our
wide range of wheat varieties that
are available to farmers in 2017”
said Adrian Hayler, Head of
Elsoms Agricultural Division. “This
currently includes four AHDB
candidate wheats, Bennington,
Moulton, Freiston and Dunston,
early maturing & high yielding
AHDB recommended variety
Belgrade, specialist alternative
milling wheat Lennox as well as
E
hybrid wheats Hybery and Hylux.”
“The launch of Trinity oilseed
rape three years ago heralded the
resurgence of our agricultural
business,” commented Mark
Nightingale, Elsoms Oilseed Rape
Breeder. “This year we have built
on this success with Elgar, newly
recommended by AHDB, which
has taken a major share of winter
oilseed rape whilst AHDB
candidate Skye has made a good
start, being marketed exclusively
by United Oilseeds”.
The Elsoms portfolio now
encompasses oats, barley, spring
oats and spring malting barley.
AHBD candidate varieties of spring
oats and spring malting barley
were showcased at Cereals this
year and performed well in this
year’s official trials.
“Acorn spring barley
demonstrated impressive malting
potential combined with excellent
disease resistance, whilst
Chanson is a new null lox variety
that provides growers with a real
leap forward in terms of yield,”
said Elsoms Seed Sales Specialist,
George Goodwin. “Both oat
varieties, Harmony and Yukon look
promising and have attracted
promising interest from
merchants.”
The rapid growth of the energy
crop sector over the last three
years has driven one of the
biggest changes in arable
cropping since the expansion of
the oilseed rape market in in the
1990’s. Elsoms energy crop team
of Heather Oldfield and Jonathan
Baxendale, in combination with
Saaten Union’s Bio Energy
Division led by Dr Joachim
Moeser, have worked closely with
energy companies, merchants,
famers, advisors and contractors
to help develop the most efficient
way of producing crops for energy
production. Whilst maize remains
the foundation of most energy
crop programmes, many farmers
are realising the considerable
benefits that can be achieved by a
sophisticated and integrated
rotation that includes hybrid rye,
triticale, energy beet and catch
and cover crops as well as maize.
Heather Oldfield, Energy and
Forage Crops Manager, Elsoms,
commented “Our hybrid rye
varieties such as SU Performer
and SU Drive continue to take a
major share of this growing market
and we have developed an
exciting maize portfolio to combine
with our established triticale
varieties to provide farmers with an
extensive range of energy crop
options.”
Adrian Hayley, Head of the
Agricultural Division, Elsoms,
added “We have been delighted
by the support we have received
from across the agricultural sector
over the last few years as our
arable business has grown and we
are proud that we can offer UK
farmers a real alternative choice of
a wide range of competitive
varieties,”.
To find out more about the
Elsoms rapidly expanding range of
agricultural seed and the success
of our varieties in 2016 trials,
please visit our enthusiastic crop
management teams on stand 138
at Croptec 2016 on 29–30
November at the East of England
Showground, Peterborough.
AHDB opens door to arable advances at CropTec show
Growers will be able to discuss arable advances with a diverse range of experts, when AHDB opens its stand’s door at
the CropTec show.
aking place on 29
to 30 November
2016 at the East of
England
Showground in
Peterborough,
AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds stand
(A25) has been designed to reflect
the show’s main technical themes
– Crop Breeding, Crop Nutrition,
Crop Establishment and Crop
Protection.
This year, AHDB Cereals &
Oilseeds is the official supporter of
the Crop Breeding seminar
programme. The support sees Dr
Susannah Bolton, Director of
Knowledge Exchange at AHDB,
chair a seminar session aimed at
promoting advances in crop
genetics.
T
Dr Bolton said: “Through prebreeding investment,
Recommended Lists trials and inseason monitoring activity, we
work hard to make sure growers’
crops have the best genetic
underpinning possible.
“As our latest Recommended
Lists for 2017/18 will be launched
online the day before the event,
CropTec provides us with a timely
opportunity to discuss the latest
varietal developments with
growers.”
On the topic of crop nutrition,
Sarah Clarke and Susie Roques of
ADAS, will be available to discuss
AHDB’s extensive review of the
Fertiliser Manual (RB209).
Many changes to RB209 have
been proposed, including
16 | Farming Monthly | October 2016
recommendations for additional
crops and updated information on
the nutrient content associated
with organic materials. Visitors to
the event will be among the first to
hear about these changes and
plans to launch the AHDB Nutrient
Management Guide in 2017.
On the topic of crop
establishment, Dr Amanda
Bennett, AHDB, and Dr Andy
Whitmore, Rothamsted Research,
will focus on soil health.
In recent years, a range of
indicators for soil health has been
developed. Visitors to the stand
will find out about research
developing the guidance and tools
needed so the indicators can be
exploited by progressive arable
farmers. Soil organic matter will be
a particular emphasis on the
stand.
On the topic of crop protection,
Dr Jon Knight, AHDB Head of
Crop Health & Protection, will
outline AHDB’s investment in
resistance management, crop
protection trials and integrated
pest management.
The AHDB stand will also
include staff from the Knowledge
Exchange team – to discuss the
AHDB Monitor Farm programme –
and Helen Plant, AHDB Senior
Analyst (Cereals & Oilseeds), who
will discuss grain market
developments.
For further information on AHDB
Cereals & Oilseeds activity, visit
cereals.ahdb.org.uk
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk