Next month’s CropTec show promises to bring leading experts and technical developments in front of growers. CPM previews the highlights.
CropTec creates a forum for visitors, exhibitors and researchers to exchange ideas and experiences for their mutual benefit.
By Rob Jones
In just three years CropTec has picked up a reputation as a key innovative technical event for arable farmers, advisers and associated industries. Taking place at Peterborough showground on 29 and 30 Nov, the event remains free for farmers and agronomists to attend, provided tickets are booked in advance.
At this year’s show, more than 140 exhibitors will display advances in science and technology designed to help the combinable crop sector remain profitable. Meanwhile, seminars and hubs will feature viewpoints on a range of arable topics delivered by leading specialists.
The event remains free for farmers and agronomists to attend, provided tickets are booked in advance.
Elisabeth Mork-Eidem, of show organiser Briefing Media Agriculture, is hoping visitors will find ideas, inspiration and answers at the event, on crop protection, nutrition, plant breeding and soil management.
“But it’s very much a two-way process – CropTec creates a forum for visitors, exhibitors and researchers to exchange ideas and experiences for their mutual benefit.”
The show’s headline sponsor Adama is looking to discuss best practice for septoria prevention in cereal crops, as well as its range of oilseed rape, roots and potato fungicides and herbicides, says marketing director Ali Bosher.
“We’ll also be promoting the responsible use of metazachlor and metaldehyde by focusing on our joint Metazachlor Matters and Get Pelletwise campaigns, as well as Adama’s own WaterAware and SlugAware stewardship schemes.”
Seminar discussions
The seminar programme addresses four key areas of crop production: establishment, nutrition, protection and breeding.
Prof Andy Whitmore of Rothamsted Research will be presenting work on soil organic matter, while Lincs grower Tom Hawthorne will be giving his experience of controlled traffic farming. Andrew Blazey of Prime Agriculture will also explore how to take the risk out of growing oilseed rape.
The seminar programme addresses four key areas of crop production.
Crop establishment session chair and Herts grower Andrew Watts reckons it’ll touch on areas that are highly topical talking points in the arable sector. “People accept that soil organic matter is a critical component of soils, but there’s still a lot of confusion about managing it,” he notes.
RB209, the long-established guide for crop nutrition, is being revised next year, so in the seminar session, experts will explain why change is required, the impact on crop profitability and how you can have your input on such areas as software compatibility.
“At the seminar, researchers responsible for the rules will describe them, and other speakers will discuss their view of the findings and implications for UK arable farmers, as we approach what looks like a new agricultural world.” says Rosie Carne, of session sponsor Yara.
A crop protection think-tank panel includes Bill Clark of NIAB TAG, Guy Gagen of NFU, Jon Knight of AHDB, James Taylor of Newcastle University and Simon Leak of Belchim Crop Protection. The panel session explores what the future holds for UK growers.
“We have some fantastic varieties with high disease-resistance scores at our disposal, but we’re still being told we need very robust disease-control programmes to get the best out of them,” notes Lincs grower and session chairman Andrew Ward.
“I’ve cut back on inputs, partly as a result of being in a discussion group. Comparative on-farm trials tell me I’m not currently losing out, but it’s an area I’d like to see explored further.”
In the crop breeding session, Will Gemmill of Strutt and Parker will be planning the following year’s rotation, taking blackgrass control and other management constraints into account. Independent wheat consultant Bill Angus will be revealing his high hopes for hybrid wheat, while Helen Sang of the Roslin Institute will show how new breeding technologies, such as gene editing, could improve growers’ competitiveness and profitability.
Choosing a variety is one of the most important decisions growers can make, notes session chair Susannah Bolton of AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds. “When they purchase seed they are not only buying the potential for a good harvest and a marketable crop, they are also purchasing the end result of many years of research investment and innovation from the plant breeders.
“As breeding technologies advance, the options become even greater. This session explores those options, ranging from rotation planning through to the potential of hybrids to manage sowing date and the exciting future that new breeding technologies could offer in pest and disease resistance and resource-use efficiency.”
Knowledge hub to address the rub
Two new knowledge hubs have been introduced for 2016. Each hub contains a series of topical 15-minute presentations.
The blackgrass hub collates the latest thinking on blackgrass control and provides opportunities to discuss control strategies for reducing populations.
The grain marketing and storage hub focuses on grain and oilseeds markets and marketing options, and highlights some of the technology to aid grain store management.
In spraying technology, outdoor spraying demonstrations, commentaries and presentations on the latest buffer-zone information, plus a host of other stewardship advice can be gleaned.
Growers can reflect on their farm’s performance in the business hub and discuss cash-flow demands and investment opportunities with a range of financial and business advisers.
CropTec 2016 summary
CropTec 2016 takes place at the East of England Showground, Peterborough, on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 Nov.
- Seminars, featuring over 20 speakers covering four key areas – crop breeding, crop protection, crop nutrition and crop establishment.
- Exhibition halls, with more than 120 suppliers of the latest technology, products, machines and services from across the arable sector.
- Knowledge hubs, delivering short, sharp presentations on blackgrass, grain marketing and storage, spraying technology and business.
- Sprayer demonstration, offering an exclusive opportunity to test drive sprayers, with a live feed on various points on a sprayer’s boom beamed to screens in the hall, demonstrating boom control and drift.
A maximum of six BASIS and six NRoSO points per day are on offer. For further information and to pre-book free tickets go to www.croptecshow.com
