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Advice for Borders Cereal Growers at HGCA/SAC Winter Event, Carfraemill

SAC News Release Ref. No: 12N02
Published: 26 Dec 2011

For arable farmers trying to make their cropping plans for 2012 there is much to ponder over. With hardly a dry day during the prolonged harvest season getting the crop cut, dried, stored and marketed was no easy task. In some areas a later than expected harvest ruined plans to get a new crop sown before the winter, leaving, more work in the spring and possible congestion at harvest. Growers in the south of Scotland may have fared better than those further north but the choices about which type of grain to grow, which variety and how much, are equally difficult.

To help them SAC and the levy funded specialist body HGCA have organised a series of Winter Workshops. Speakers will present the latest findings of research into cereals and oilseeds funded by HGCA themselves and Scottish Government. The first event takes place at Carfraemill on Wednesday 11th January at 10.00am.

Disease continues to be a major challenge and this year SAC Plant Pathologist Dr. Neil Havis will give growers a very special view of diseases like ramularia leaf-spot that they will never have seen before. Photographs taken during some new research and using various microscopes, will show how particular diseases enter and live inside attack plants. It will give a better understanding of how best to control them and new understanding of why diseases are able to become resistant to control measures so quickly

SAC cereals expert Dr Steve Hoad will focus on the choice of varieties available, using the latest version of the HGCA and SAC’s Recommended Lists.  Three new spring barleys of particular interest to farmers growing for the malting trade (used to make whisky) are Odyssey, Chronicle and Overture, all of which proved to be high yielders in growing trials.

“Winter wheat growers will also be interested in Horatio”, says Steve Hoad.”It appears to be less prone to sprouting in the head, something that happened a lot in damp muggy weather of this summer and lowers the value of the crop”.

HGCA’s Crop Nutrition Research Manager James Holmes will focus on crop nutrition and getting the best out of inputs. The high cost of artificial fertilisers and new environmental concerns make it doubly important to avoid waste or polluting run off. Many growers in Scotland also raise cattle and their dung or slurry makes a significant contribution to soil fertility. The good management of soil has traditionally involved crop rotations so Dr Fiona Burnett and Ian Bingham of SAC will consider how oil seed rape best fits the system. 

 The Lauder event is one of three Winter Workshops being held in January. The others are in Perth on 12th January and Inverurie on 19th January. All three events are supported by the Scottish Government.

For more information and to book online visit the HGCA website or call 024 7647 8724.

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News Release Issued By

Mr Ken Rundle
Senior Communications Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4196

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