Henry Louth gave visitors to the maize demo day a tour of the Limagrain variety trial where the latest forage, grain and energy crop varieties are being assessed in real-world conditions.

The pre-harvest tests, analysing dry matter; starch; non-digestible fibre; cell wall digestibility and metabolisable energy content; were carried out at a maize demonstration and testing day, hosted by Limagrain and Spunhill at Limagrain’s maize variety trial site on the outskirts of Wrexham.

The event was attended by more than 40 farm businesses from across the region who not only had their own crop samples tested for free, but were also given a tour of the Limagrain variety trial where the latest forage, grain and energy crop varieties are being assessed in real-world conditions.

“The tests clearly indicated that whilst a minority of crops are already at the point of harvest, the majority are still a week or more away from being ready, with dry matter levels still a little on the low side,” said Henry Louth, key account manager of Forage Crops at Limagrain UK.

“For most maize growers, the start of this year’s harvest has been delayed by about a fortnight as a result of July’s dull and overcast conditions which saw sunshine hours at 81% of the average for the month. Most crops have caught up well since then, with a few notable ‘very early’ varieties including Dignity and Gema really standing out in terms of maturity.”

He added those two varieties tested especially well for dry matter, starch and ME content, and recorded outstanding results for cell wall digestibilty.

“If conditions in early October are favourable, we should see most growers taking their crops before the middle of the month, which will hopefully make for a clean and easy harvest and a good quality ensiled crop,” he concluded.

The post Farmers set for a bumper maize crop this harvest, analysis shows appeared first on Farmers Guide.

With its high specific weight, solid disease profile and strong traits, including an extremely wide sowing window from mid-September to the following March, the new Group 4 Soft wheat variety has already generated significant interest among seed merchants.

Blackstone, from independent breeder Elsoms Seeds, is currently the highest yielding of this year’s Recommended List (RL) Soft Group 4 candidates and was a first-time crop for Willie Murray, who farms 155ha of combinable crops at Wester Balbeggie farm, just north of Kirkcaldy in Fife.

He said: “Blackstone was recommended to us by seed specialists Harley Seeds, based on its very high treated yield of 105% in the north, and we drilled the crop on September 26th last year at a seed density of 205kg/ha into a medium loam topsoil with clay underneath following a crop of oilseed rape.”

According to Mr Murray, the variety’s early vigour was exceptional, and the crop easily outcompeted the combined weed burden of annual meadow-grass and broad-leaved weeds, coming through in excellent shape following a relatively mild winter.

“Three main splits of Nitrogen were applied, on February 27^th, March 31^st and April 3^rd – with a very small top-up dressing added on April 24^th,” he continued. “Before beginning our fungicide program, the crop was rolled in early spring to counter any frost heave and to encourage its roots system, in conjunction with an early applied plant growth regulator (PGR), to go deeper before the drier weather began.”

Following advice from agronomist Duncan Downie from East of Scotland Farmers, the Murrays settled on a four-spray fungicide program beginning with a T0 “half-spray” on 22^nd April and ending with a final T3 spray by 22^nd June.

Mr Murray noted Blackstone is a very stiff-strawed, tall and lush crop with plenty of fertility, which prompted the application of a PGR at T0, and again at T2 alongside the farm’s main flag leaf spray of mefentrifluconazole + fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin for additional insurance.

“Through May – July, and leading up to harvest on August 25th, the crop looked exceptionally clean during a relatively low-pressure disease year in our area,” he remarked. It combined well, producing an excellent amount of straw and a nice, clear bold grain.

“Average specific weight was very high at 81.5kg/hl, with a protein content of 10.3% that prompted an approach from a local flour mill to take the crop with the spec achieved as a soft biscuit wheat.

“Agronomically, the variety was easy to manage, and it stayed very clean, showing no stress despite seeing very little rain between April and June. The second growth kick we got from it after the first N application in the early spring was exceptionally good, and – although it’s not yet on the RL, I will definitely be drilling it again this autumn,” Mr Murray concluded.

A potential ‘game-changer’ for northern growers

Douglas Gordon, managing director of Harley Seeds

Echoing Mr Murray’s endorsement of Blackstone, Douglas Gordon, managing director of Alexander Harley Seeds (Milnathort) Limited, is very positive about the variety’s future and sees its long, flexible drilling window as a potential game changer for many northern and Scottish growers.

“Having first heard about Blackstone last year, I was initially impressed with both its 105% treated yield score in Scottish trials and a robust disease package that includes a 9 for yellow rust, a 6 for brown rust and a 6 for Septoria Tritici,” he said.

“However, with many winter wheat growers in both southern and western Scotland often unable to get a crop in the ground during the winter months, the appeal of a variety able to be sown from mid-September to, potentially, the following March could be its key trait.”

He added the variety looks to be of serious interest to many Scottish growers currently relying on lower-yielding spring wheats, as well as larger acreage winter wheat growers who want to spread their harvest window.

“With positive potential for the distilling market, a high yield, plus its suitability for mixed farms based on an ability to produce a lot of very stiff straw for cattle, if it achieves RL status in November then it should attract serious interest in Scotland,” Mr Gordon noted.

George Goodwin, Elsoms head of Technical, was delighted with both the yield results and grain quality from the JW Murray Blackstone crop and links the positive on-farm performance and its leading position in this year’s RL Candidate trials to the variety’s strong and diverse genetic background.

“Blackstone is a Panacea and Tempo cross. Whilst the benefit of that may not be immediately obvious to a lot of growers, when you look further back into the genetic lines you see that it’s related to outstanding former wheat varieties such as Riband, Consort and Claire.

“This rich history of British soft wheats is a key reason behind our confidence in Blackstone’s quality performance for domestic, export and distilling use,” he explained.

In trials, the variety has exhibited lower than average levels of stress and comes with a strong disease package, including orange wheat blossom midge resistance and sturdy agronomics, Mr Goodwin said.

“I’ve monitored Blackstone’s high yield performance over the last couple of years and am confident that it’s a real contender for northern and Scottish growers,” he concluded.

The post Wheat variety’s wide drilling window appeals to Scottish growers appeared first on Farmers Guide.

Digitising paper passports to improve data communication through supply chains has been a topic of discussion for over a decade. As a result, a simplified version of previous proposals has been developed has been developed over the past year, and is awaiting consultation.

The work has been a collaboration between representatives from all parts of the cereals and oilseeds chain, including merchants and animal feed receivers, farmers and receivers.

The group has also received support from experts at AHDB, as well as advice from a broad range of interested parties such as hauliers, port facility operators and businesses outside the organisations represented on the Leadership Group.

The business case sets out how a Digital Passport (Combinable Crops) system would operate, replacing existing paper passports. The electronic documentation will, as now, be initiated by farmers with input from hauliers, before being transmitted to receivers.

There will be live updates of assurance status prior to the vehicle leaving farms, avoiding the risk of delay or rejection at the receiver’s site.

In addition, the system will enable a multi-directional flow of data between farmers, grain merchants and end users such as millers, maltsters and feed mills. This includes a commitment to the real-time return of information to those involved in the chain.

The proposed system has been devised to ensure ease of use, as well as minimise costs and maximise accessibility. To this end, developers have explored the potential for existing software and off-the-peg systems to be adapted to the grain sector’s needs, along with a more bespoke approach.

The business case will be published in early October detailing the purpose, benefits and costs. The purpose of the consultation is to ensure industry needs are addressed, highlight gaps in the system and establish the level of support for the project.

Provided the proposal is accepted, the Leadership Group would then approach the AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Sector Council to discuss funding options. Additional funding would be sought from all available sources to keep costs as low as possible to direct passport users.

To take part in the consultation process, contact your representative at the respective trade association or get in touch with AHDB via David.Eudall@ahdb.org.uk to receive an update.

The post Consultation announced for Combinable Crops Digital Passport appeared first on Farmers Guide.

Direct drilling was introduced at County Durham-based Raby Estates in 2018 with the aim of building a more sustainable cropping system without compromising on the quality and quantity of crops produced.

It is a challenge that LG Typhoon lived up to last season, according to Mr Vickers, who decided to trial the variety on the recommendation of Limagrain UK’s arable technical manager, Ron Granger.

“We’re trying to move away from growing high input varieties, so are primarily looking for those that offer a robust disease package, good standing power and suitability for our direct drilling system,” Mr Vickers explained.

“Direct drilling in northern England is not something you want to be doing into November, so I also look for varieties that suit the early drilling slot. From what we’ve seen so far, LG Typhoon seems to fit our requirements well.”

Strong performance

Last season, the farm grew around 32 ha (80 acres) of LG Typhoon, alongside several other varieties, but Mr Vickers has been so impressed with its agronomics, ease of management and yield performance, that he plans to increase this to 100 ha for 2023/24.

The variety averaged an excellent 9.4-9.6 t/ha, despite a number of weather-related challenges throughout the season, including exceptionally high Septoria pressure, which did not make for an easy growing season.

LG Typhoon was direct drilled in mid-September as a first wheat after oilseed rape, using the farm’s 6-metre Horsch Avatar, or 6-metre Väderstad Seed Hawk, drills. Seed rates were kept relatively high at around 300/m², to counter the slightly lower establishment percentage experienced when direct drilling.

All crops received a base application of phosphate and potash fertiliser, plus a total of up to 170 kg N/ha in the spring, applied as three splits; the first as granular urea, followed by two liquid nitrogen applications.

“We have been reducing nitrogen use significantly in recent years, but in contrast to conventional thinking, some crop yields have gone up in that period,” Mr Vickers noted.

“Agronomy-wise, LG Typhoon was problem-free,” he continued. “It established quickly in the autumn, got away well in the spring, and was relatively early to harvest, tight behind Graham.”

But even though it established quickly, he said LG Typhoon did not get too large, unlike some other varieties, which continued tillering throughout a very mild autumn, during which temperatures hit 21°C in November. Those varieties then became much harder to manage with growth regulators and fungicides in the spring.

Robust disease profile

Strong Septoria resistance is a must-have for all winter wheat varieties grown on the farm, as the disease remains the number one yield-robber in high pressure seasons such as 2023, Mr Vickers said. “We generally look for varieties with a Recommended List score of at least six.”

With a Septoria rating of 7.3, backed up by a combination of genetics that are different to those in other RL varieties, giving LG Typhoon a distinct advantage over other varieties.

Although crops received the farm standard fungicide programme, based around Iodus (laminarin) at T0, bixafen/prothioconazole at T1, Univoq (fenpicoxamid + prothioconazole) at T2, and straight tebuconazole at T3, he was able to reduce rates by 10-15% on the LG Typhoon due to its robust disease profile.

“To ease management, we generally try to keep fungicide products similar across all varieties, but will look to vary the rate where appropriate.

“Despite doing so on the LG Typhoon, we still didn’t see any disease of significance at all last season, even though there was very high Septoria pressure which caused some other varieties to struggle.”

Accurate spray timing is also key to maintaining effective disease control, as is a robust trace element programme to bolster plant health and reduce the crop’s susceptibility to disease infection, he added.

Perfect fit for regen systems

Mr Granger said LG Typhoon has certain attributes that make it ideally suited to strip tillage/direct drilling, regenerative crop establishment systems, that often feature wider rows.

LG Typhoon’s growth habit, for example, means plants sit prostrate with slower growth through the winter into spring, which is ideal for those direct drilling earlier in the autumn and who do not want a variety that races off too quickly.

It is a high tillering variety that has the capacity to utilise the space between the wider rows, often found with some direct drilling equipment.

Indeed, while Mr Vickers’s Horsch drill works on a standard row spacing, the Väderstad is at a slightly wider 180-200mm spacing, and he also trialled a new 12-metre tine drill last season, which worked on a wider 250mm row width.

“Unfortunately, we don’t yet have the yield data available, as the demo field was combined by a contractor, but the LG Typhoon did seem to really suit that wider row spacing. It’s something we may potentially look at in the future, although I’m not sure a 12-metre machine is suited to some of the smaller fields on our farm.”

Another attribute of LG Typhoon that makes it a good fit for regenerative systems, and for those looking for flexibility with crop protection inputs, is its strong standing power and disease resistance – reflected by its high untreated yield (92%), Mr Granger said.

Unlike some other feed varieties, it also offers Orange Wheat Blossom Midge (OWBM) resistance, in addition to a six-rating for eyespot and Fusarium.

“It’s a high yielding, consistent and resilient variety, that delivers across seasons and rotations,” he concluded.

The post Wheat variety ticks all the boxes for regen grower appeared first on Farmers Guide.

The future viability of maize being grown in the UK has been called into question due to the government planning to impose a ban on all seed treatments, including Korit (ziram) bird deterrent, Redigo M (prothioconazole + metalaxyl) fungicide and Force 20 CS (tefluthrin) insecticide.

The ban would mean that, from 31^st December 2023, it would be illegal to import, sell or sow any seed which has been treated with any of these products, leaving crops at significant risk of failure.

“Without a suitable bird repellent, insecticide and fungicide, there’s a substantial risk that newly drilled crops could be completely wiped out by corvid grazing, or seriously hindered by insect damage and soil-borne pathogens,” explained Tim Richmond, maize manager for Limagrain Field Seeds in the UK and Ireland.

“Corvids are highly intelligent birds, and quickly understand seed drilling patterns, with any attempt to drill seed deeper to prevent bird damage likely to exacerbate the risk of seedling blight, making the application of a fungicide seed treatment such as Redigo M even more critical.”

To counter the ban, which has threatened the industry as a result of the UK’s departure from the EU, an industry working group – spearheaded by Limagrain UK – has been set up to lobby the government into taking action.

“Limagrain has taken a leading role in this sector-wide campaign which has also included the MGA, AIC and NFU,” Mr Richmond continued.

“A number of emergency authorisation (EA) applications have been made to the regulators for the continued use of these treatments for sowing in spring 2024, with a decision on whether the ban will be withdrawn or delayed due imminently.”

According to Mr Richmond, the Expert Committee on Pesticides is scheduled to meet in September, with a final announcement are expected to be made before the end of the month.

“As things currently stand, we’re confident that our ongoing discussions with the Farming Minister, the Rt. Hon. Mark Spencer MP, will have a favourable outcome and that all three seed treatments will still be available for use in 2024 – either as a result of the Emergency Authorisations being granted, or because of a change in the law to delay the withdrawal date,” he added.

Despite the imminent announcement, there remains significant uncertainty amongst UK maize growers, with some already suggesting they are preparing to sow an alternative crop such as wholecrop winter wheat.

“We appreciate that the clock is ticking and that for some growers any announcement might come too late,” Mr Richmond said. “But until a concrete decision has been made, we’d urge growers not to rush into making any changes to next year’s rotation.

“We will know more in a relatively short timeframe and will announce the Committee’s decision as soon as it has been made known to us. In the meantime, we are continuing to lobby for the new generation of maize seed treatments to be registered with the CRD as quickly as possible to ensure maize remains a viable crop in the UK in the long-term.”

The post Maize breeder predicts favourable decision on UK seed treatment ban appeared first on Farmers Guide.

Emma’s best individual field of Mayflower achieved a yield of 11.18tha.

Ms Bletsoe, who farms 490 ha of combinable crops on heavy clay soils, alongside son George and farm manager Stuart Prior at Denford Ash Farm near Kettering, achieved average yields of 10.62t/ha on a 29.38ha crop of Mayflower cut between 10^th – 16^th August at moisture levels of 13-15%.

On the back of these encouraging results, she now plans to drill at least 60ha of the Elsoms variety later this autumn.

“After a stop-start harvest we were delighted with Mayflower’s overall results with one field, in particular, yielding an excellent 11.18t/ha,” she said. “Stuart noted that it combined extremely well, producing a nice bold grain with early samples confirming a high Hagberg of 335-368 and an overall specific weight of 78kg/hl.”

Ms Bletsoe added it was her son’s decision to go with Mayflower last year, based on the variety’s high untreated yield figure of 93% on the Recommended List as well as an excellent disease resistance package.

As part of the farm’s integrated pest management strategy for blackgrass control, Mayflower was drilled a bit later in the season between 5^th and 12^th October. According to Ms Bletsoe, the crop established well as a first wheat following winter beans, showing good early vigour.

“In mid-February we began our Nitrogen strategy with 248kg/ha of Piamon 33N – a granular urea nitrogen fertiliser with sulphur that is well suited to earlier timed applications. This was followed by 140kg/ha of Urea applied in early March, before a final application of Ammonium Nitrate at 110kg/ha which went on between April 27th and May 3^rd.

“Following advice from our independent agronomist, Damian MacAuley of Indigro, we went with a 3-spray fungicide program consisting of a T1, T2 and T3 spray.

“At T2, we included the plant growth regulator Terpal (mepiquat chloride + 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) in the tank mix for additional insurance, and, by late May, the Mayflower was standing well and looking very clean despite high disease pressure earlier in the spring,” she explained.

Resilience amid weather challenges

George Goodwin, Head of Technical at breeder Elsoms Seeds

Elsoms Head of technical, George Goodwin, is delighted with the uptake in interest on Mayflower and has received positive feedback for the variety in a year which has proved agronomically very challenging for milling wheats.

“There’s little doubt that this year’s challenges have had an impact on harvest. Many farmers have frustratingly navigated a stop-start harvest which has negatively affected both yield and quality.”

Mr Goodwin pointed out that cool wet weather this spring meant that crops were less resilient to endure weeks of hot and dry conditions in what has been the UK’s hottest June on record. At the same time, the weather challenges proved to be an excellent opportunity to showcase Mayflower’s resilience compared to other varieties.

“Mayflower is a strong tillering variety with vigorous spring growth that has enabled it to emerge through a tricky season better than many other group 2 varieties,” he explained.

“Partnered with exceptional disease resistance and genetic disposition for high protein, Mayflower continues to grow in popularity catching the eye of many progressive farmers. The buzz of positive news around its performance this year should give growers reassurance that they’ve made the right choice.”

In the context of high input costs and reducing reliance on chemicals, Mr Goodwin added: “With its very high untreated yield there’s a good opportunity for growers to reduce fungicide inputs for greater cost efficiency, and, on marketing, beyond its bread making qualities, Mayflower is also suitable for export.”

The post First-time Mayflower grower “delighted” with crop performance appeared first on Farmers Guide.

New entrants on the 2024 Favourable First Choice List include Skipper and Foxtrot from Limagrain, Faith, Emeleen, Crosbey and ES Palladium from Grainseed, as well as SY Silverbull from Syngenta.

Meanwhile, RGT Easixx and RGT Bluefoxx (RAGT), KWS Resolvo (KWS), Glencoe and LG31207 (Limagrain) have been added to the Favourable Second Choice List, with the latter also featuring on the Very Favourable DL.

Whereas, varieties on the Less Favourable First Choice List include Skipper, Faith and SY Silverbull, while Foxtrot, RGT Easixx, RGT Bluefoxx and KWS Resolvo have been added to the Less Favourable Second Choice List.

Explaining how each List differs, Jeremy Widdowson, BSPB’s Variety Trials co-ordinator, said: “The Favourable DL uses trial data from sites with the longest potential growing season, with warmer spring soils for early establishment. Trials data from Less Favourable sites show the performance of varieties in shorter, cooler growing seasons.

“The Very Favourable DL is produced from specific trials sites where breeders choose to test later maturing varieties with highest yield potential and suitable for producers growing to maximise yield as a feedstock for anaerobic digesters where sites have a long growing season and very favourable conditions.”

Of the new earlier maturing varieties, Faith is the highest yielding on the Favourable DL at 19.0 t DM/ha, with a metabolisable energy (ME) yield of 222 kMJ/ha and a starch yield of 6.47 t/ha. Skipper and Foxtrot are not far behind in yield at 18.8 and 18.7 t DM/ha respectively, with an ME yield of 221 kMJ/ha for Skipper and 222 kMJ/ha for Foxtrot.

Based on limited data, all three varieties show some susceptibility to eyespot, so may be less suitable in damper growing conditions.

Also on the Favourable DL, ES Palladium stands out as the highest yielding of the later maturity varieties at 19.4 t DM/ha with a metabolisable energy (ME) yield of 223 kMJ/ha.

Of the Less Favourable DL varieties, Skipper, Foxtrot and RGT Easixx sit just behind Faith with a yield of 18.5 t DM/ha at 35.2% DM, starch at 34.5% and good early vigour. The starch yield for Skipper at 6.62 t/ha is good and, based on limited data, SY Silverbull has an eyespot rating of 6.1 which is the highest of the new varieties for this List.

The sole newcomer to the Very Favourable DL, LG31207, has a dry matter yield at 18.7 t DM/ha with good ME yield, good early vigour and good standing power. The ME yield is an important factor for achieving high biogas yields.

The BSPB 2024 Forage Maize Descriptive Lists are available to download from the BSPB and NIAB websites.

The post BSPB Descriptive List welcomes twelve new forage maize varieties appeared first on Farmers Guide.

BYDV (barley yellow dwarf virus) infection can arise from two potential sources – directly from wingless aphids walking from infected plants in the same field or adjacent areas to the current crop, or indirectly where winged aphids migrate into newly emerged crops from further afield.

The earlier the infection occurs, the more damaging the virus can be at impacting yield to the newly emerged crop.

“Aphid vectors, especially Bird Cherry Oat aphids, are being caught in suction traps now, so any green stubbles will be attractive to the aphids – increasing the risk of transfer,” explained Hutchinsons southern technical manager, Neil Watson.

“There are several reasons for this elevated risk from the green bridge this autumn,” he says. “There is a potential reservoir of late BYDV infections in winter rather than spring cereals this season, which is the exact opposite of this time last year.”

The green bridge refers to the potential reservoir of aphids that have survived either on volunteer cereals or adjacent host crops which can infect the newly emerging cereal crop.

“Bushel weights are not as high as normal, leading to a greater potential of seed going out the back of the combine, ultimately leading to more volunteers, and the moist soil conditions are ensuring a rapid emergence of those volunteers,” Mr Watson continued.

As more growers turn to low-disturbance cultivation practices such as direct drilling, the risk of direct transfer also increases, while cover crops and environmental headlands can potentially harbour aphids, he added. The weather also has a role to play, with warm conditions working in favour of aphid numbers that are currently higher than normal.

As a result, managing the green bride is of vital importance if growers are to avoid large-scale losses from this yield-robbing disease.

“It’s key there is sufficient time between killing the volunteers through desiccation or cultivations and drilling the next crop,” Mr Watson pointed out. “As the volunteers start to die back, and they turn yellow, they could present a greater risk of attracting aphids than would normally be the case.

“If large numbers of aphids are present on volunteers or weeds which are cultivated during seedbed preparation, they can feed on new crop roots and transmit virus directly without appearing above ground level to provide a control opportunity,” he warned.

Using sticky traps to monitor aphid numbers in newly emerging crops is one way to get ahead of the curve. Mr Watson advises placing the traps downwind of the potential source of the flight into the crop, in a sheltered area that is five metres in from the headland at ground level.

He also noted that whilst environmental schemes and grass margins are supposed to increase the diversity of natural predators around the field margins, there is the possibility that through a lack of species diversity, they could harbour more aphids which cannot be treated until the end of the scheme.

“The increasing use of cover crops that inevitably include an element of cereals within the mixture will act as a potential reservoir. Woodland and waste ground could equally be a source of infection.”

The post Aphid control critical for managing BYDV risk this autumn appeared first on Farmers Guide.

Limagrain’s Skipper and Foxtrot are ranked numbers one and two respectively as first choice varieties for starch yield on favourable sites, while LG31207 tops the chart for ME yield for varieties suited to very favourable sites.

“With an early FAO of 160, an ME yield of 221,175 MJ/ha and the highest starch yield (6.74 t/ha) on this year’s favourable site list, Skipper is ideal for farmers who want to fill their clamps with a very early maturing crop of exceptionally energy-rich and starch-filled maize,” explained Tim Richmond, Maize Manager for Limagrain in the UK and Ireland.

“Skipper also performs well on marginal sites, where its good early vigour (6.9), excellent standing power (7.6) and early ripening cobs deliver an easy to harvest crop that gives exceptional dry matter and energy yields.”

Meanwhile, Foxtrot is also classified as a very early maturing variety (FAO 170) and is second only to Skipper in terms of starch yield (6.54 t/ha). Foxtrot also sits towards the top of the rankings for ME yield (222,363 MJ/ha) and DM yield (18.7 t/ha) showing good early vigour (7.2).

“With a Cell Wall Digestibility of 59.4%, Foxtrot is ideal for dairy and beef farmers who are looking for a bulky and very early maturing variety that will improve the feed conversion efficiency of their herd’s ration,” Mr Richmond added.

The third new Limagrain variety to be added to this year’s Descriptive List is LG31207: with an FAO of 210, this intermediate to late-maturing variety is one of the best options for very favourable sites.

“LG31207 is impressive on paper and in the field, and is the perfect choice for those growers looking to maximise their return on investment with a variety that poses minimal risk,” Mr Richmond noted.

“LG31207 tops the Descriptive List for very favourable sites with an ME yield of 217,115 MJ/ha and dry matter yield of 18.7 t/ha,” he continued.

“And with excellent agronomic traits that include good standing power (8.0), excellent early vigour (8.2) and an eyespot resistance rating of 7.5, LG31207 is a really safe choice for growers looking for an energy-rich, easy to grow variety for AD purposes.”

The post Three new forage maize varieties claim top spots on Descriptive List appeared first on Farmers Guide.

With the harvesting season upon us, now is the perfect time to examine the risks of processing and storing grain.

Machinery has revolutionised farming by increasing production and reducing the number of hands needed. It has also created some of the highest risks of injury and/or death. The farming industry has a high rate of workplace accidents, so health and safety should be at the front of everyone’s mind.

With the harvesting season upon us, now is the perfect time to examine one of the lesser-known risks – processing and storing grain. Here are some of the main risks to be considered when working with grain.

Confined spaces – grain silos

Grain silos are dangerous due to the high risk of engulfment, a lack of breathable air, and the mechanical hazards of sweep augers. If possible, you must avoid entering these spaces. If the hazard is unavoidable e.g. for essential maintenance, a detailed risk assessment and Permit to Work are necessary to anticipate the many risks a worker would face.

A rescue plan should be outlined and rehearsed ahead of emergencies occurring to prevent rescuers from being overcome.

Grain goes through a vigorous process before it is ready for distribution, including ensuring the temperature is kept constant to dry the grain out. Climbing up onto the silo to check grain temperature carries high risk and even a small mistake could prove fatal.

Although the grain may seem solid, anyone stepping onto it risks being engulfed as the grain cannot support an average person’s weight. People have also slipped and fallen to their death while checking grain temperature. These incidents, although rare, have a high fatality rate. The suction-like action and weight prevents victims from resurfacing and makes rescue incredibly difficult.

Before inspecting grain silos, a rescue plan should be outlined and rehearsed.

Falls from height/slips and trips

Ladders and stair access to equipment present a high injury risk – falls from height are the most common type of fatal injury at work with 40 deaths in 2022. Added to this are slip/trip risks from obstructions and uneven floors.

Good housekeeping and regular maintenance of access equipment plus staff training on working at height safely reduce the risks considerably.

Harvest machinery

Machinery, such as screw conveyors, rotary valves, roller mills and mixers, can all cause serious injury if operators don’t follow all health and safety procedures.

Hazards with machinery usually occur during maintenance, cleaning or when refilling the silos. A detailed risk assessment must be carried out to identify risks and controls before anyone operates any machinery. These should be regularly revisited and updated. We recommend annual risk assessments as a minimum to ensure any damage is identified and additional controls are put in place where needed.

All machinery during harvest season can pose a danger to you and all others on your farm.

Transporting grain

Lift trucks and trailers when moving around site or tipping grain present high risks to pedestrians. A site-specific traffic management plan including vehicle/pedestrian separation and sufficient banksmen on site will control significant risks.

Manual sack handling

Heavy sacks should be mechanically lifted/handled wherever possible with manual handling kept to a minimum.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)

Noisy machinery and equipment can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss for workers. Aim to reduce exposure to as low as reasonably practicable by reducing shift lengths and modifying the plant, machinery, and working environment. Ear protectors are a last resort as the least effective measure.

Are protectors are the least effective measure to reduce hearing loss.

Hazardous substances

Commonly used chemicals such as chlorine, hydrochloric acid, and sulphur dioxide can harm workers. Tight controls and high awareness of how to handle, store and dispose of hazardous substances is essential.

Bottles require clear labelling with the relevant icons identifying the danger, i.e. ‘corrosive’ or ‘flammable’. This is a legal requirement.

Grain dust

Exposure to excess grain and flour dust can cause occupational asthma. This is a big one. 33% of all food industry compensation cases are to do with asthma contracted as a result of working with flour and grain dust. If not properly controlled, milling and other manufacturing processes can generate a lot of airborne dust. This is easily inhaled by workers, who are then vulnerable to asthma, rhinitis (runny/stuffy nose), conjunctivitis (watery or prickly eyes) and other irritant effects.

Good ventilation at source will prevent excess generation of dust.

Regular monitoring of dust levels is vital, as is maintenance of associated machinery and equipment. Health surveillance should be put in place for all workers exposed to dust hazards.

Plenty to think about

If you have made it this far, you’ll know that there are dangers in every part of the harvesting process. Make sure that the handling of grain is at the top of your priority list during this harvest season.

The post Handling grain – 8 hazards and dangers to consider appeared first on Farmers Guide.