Stourbridge through and through, Ian’s involvement with his beloved club, who are also known as the Glassboys, goes back a long way. When he attended his first game as a seven-year old boy, little did he know that one day he would become a director and a groundsman. “My dad started taking me to watch
LG Monarch has published its 2020 grass mixtures catalogue, ready for the sowing season. Particularly relevant is the recent addition of the top performing Italian ryegrass variety Messina to its Quality Silage mixture. Available exclusively through Limagrain, Messina is a tetraploid Italian ryegrass with the highest yields in the year of sowing and the first
However he is concerned that the recent prolonged spell of dry weather may impact further on the later drilled crops that have struggled with poor establishment. Drilling started well, with winter wheat planted after vining peas around October 10, he points out. “However, the constant wet weather delayed lifting the sugar beet, so, as a
It includes phosphite, the highly mobile form of phosphorus that can be transported through the plant much faster than conventional fertiliser phosphate. It also contains a package of essential amino acids and natural compounds from seaweed that are readily taken up by the young roots. Limagrain has trialled Start-uP on forage rape and kale hybrid
Melprimo is a diploid Italian Ryegrass and is recommended on both the RGCL (England and Wales) and the SRUC (Scotland) lists. It exhibits by far the best early spring growth on the list achieving 107% of the mean, and very high digestibility in both first and second year harvests. The second new variety is Messina;
What is Start-Up? Start-uP® consists of a unique combination of soluble nutrients and bio-active compounds and is specifically formulated for use as a concentrated seed treatment for crops. It contains a highly mobile form of Phosphorus known as Phosphite – a molecule which is able to move through the major transport routes of the plant
It’s worth remembering that the wheat yellow rust resistance ratings on the AHDB Recommended List for cereals, are based on assessments of the performance of varieties at the adult plant stage. The scale of 1-9, where a high figure shows high resistance – isn’t a guide to likely disease levels on seedlings and juvenile plants
The advice is often to drill early to increase yields by giving a longer growing season. This has largely been overtaken by the development of early maturing varieties which yield well in a shorter season and will mature over 14 days earlier than the latest varieties. RISKS OF EARLY DRILLING Early drilling is higher risk:
A scientifically formulated multi-species mixture or herbal ley consisting of 40% productive forage grasses and 30% each of forage herbs and legumes. This four year mixture is suitable for sheep and lambs, beef cattle and dairy young stock. Mixtures of this type have the potential to out-yield perennial ryegrass leys receiving up to 250 kgsN/ha.
Tuatara Forage Plantain is a new forage herb developed in New Zealand, and used for summer and autumn grazing where early plant growth can be utilised. Tuatara performs extceptionally well in drier conditions through it deep rooting system. Plantains are high in essential minerals and can be used by rotational grazing or mixed with other
Making the right decisions regarding variety, site choice, drilling date and seed treatment will all contribute to successful and rapid establishment of the maize plant. Paying careful attention to the variety is crucial. There are a number of risks that can be managed to improve the success of the crop. These include field selection, choosing
There’s nothing ‘usual’ or typically’ when it comes to grass growth and cutting dates in some parts of the country if the past few years are anything to go by. We’re seeing more volatility in weather patterns and we’re warned that this is a sign of things to come. So, say two leading grassland specialists,
LG Antigua has the highest gross output on the AHDB Candidate List 2020/21. LG Antigua winter oilseed rape has a comprehensive agronomic traits package. It combines TuYV, pod shatter resistance and good disease resistance, with excellent plant vigour characteristics, in both the autumn and spring. The variety is medium to flower offering protection from late frosts
What choices are there for sheep producers who want to mitigate the risk of a grass shortage and have a fresh high feed value forage to hand when finishing lambs later this year? According to Limagrain’s Martin Titley, there are plenty of options. And not only do they offer a low-cost forage option, but they
Richard Camplin, LG’s technical manager for forages, says making the right decisions regarding variety, site choice, drilling date and seed treatment, will contribute to successful and rapid establishment of the maize plant. He says this will help the plant quickly reach the critical size when birds will not be able to damage it: “With more
Yielding a massive 5% more than any other variety on the 2021 BBRO Recommended List, BTS 1915 leads the pack, with an adjusted tonne yield of 108.1% and a high sugar content of 17.7%. Bred by Betaseed and marketed by Limagrain UK, BTS 1915 leads the Recommended List by a considerable amount – 5% over any
“For many years Mesurol (methiocarb) has been the ubiquitous seed dressing on maize seed but has now been withdrawn and only limited Mesurol-treated seed is available for 2020 drilling. “Most seed this year will be treated with a replacement dressing with the active ingredient ziram and farmers need to be clear what dressing has been
“The 2019 growing season was a good example of the potential risks faced by maize growers,” he comments. “Where harvest was delayed, the quality of the resultant feed was reduced, while in some cases crops were never harvested at all. In addition, many successor crops were not drilled, affecting rotations and leaving stubbles over-winter. “In
Bird damage can be an issue for some maize growers leading to virtually all maize seed being sold treated with a maize repellent, primarily Mesurol (methiocarb) which has now been withdrawn with only limited Mesurol-treated seed available for 2020 drilling. But according to Richard Camplin, Technical Manager with LG Seeds, bird repellents may have become
For six months of the year the Derbyshire-based Hollyhurst Holstein herd tucks into fodder beet as part of their ration. It’s a firm favourite among his 200 cows, and it’s a feed that producer John Chamberlain rates highly. Fodder beet has been part of the ration for the past six years on this dairy unit
From a farming background, and holding a degree in microbiology from Sheffield University, Mr Charlton brings a wealth of experience to the position, having held roles within the commercial agriculture team at British Sugar and latterly as campaign manager for Bayer’s combinable fungicide portfolio. Mr Charlton is delighted to be joining the Limagrain UK team
Available online or in print, the LG Conservation and Gamecover Crops brochure assigns each of its 17 sowing options – from beetle banks to wild bird food and crops for pollinators – to the particular Countryside Stewardship options that it is suited to, and lists its particular environmental benefits. All options, apart from the EFA fallow
The seed has been primed using the Germ’activ system that encourages faster germination and crop establishment. “Fodder beet is at its most vulnerable when seedlings are in their early growth stage and can be affected by pest and disease damage,” says Limagrain’s forage crop director Martin Titley. “The aim is to get the crop to
