Webinar: How to Lower inputs Take II Chris Leslie, Georgina Key, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

18 November 2020

Webinar: How to Lower inputs – Take II

Chris Leslie, Georgina Key, Mark Topliff, AHDB The Strategic Cereal Farm Trio; David, Rob and Brian

Housekeeping

@AHDB_Scot

Recent trends in input prices and cost of production

Mark Topliff AHDB Farm Economics

Reducing Inputs

Recent input price trends

60 80 100 120 140 160 180

Index (2015 = 100) Month-Year

Seeds Fuel Fertilisers Fungicides Herbicides

Source: Defra Agricultural Price Index of agricultural inputs in the UK; 2015=100

Possible impacts on future prices

• Whether there’s a trade deal with the EU
• Additional border checks
• Delays at ports
• Exchange rate

Harvest 2020 cost of production estimate

2018* 2019* 2020 estimated Winter wheat (£/ha) 1,293 1,291 1,257 Winter wheat (£/t) 145 132 156 Spring barley (£/ha) 1,022 1,041 1,001 Spring barley (£/t) 182 152 156 Winter OSR (£/ha) 1,174 1,182 1,138 Winter OSR (£/t) 335 345 372

Full economic costs are the total costs of producing the crop including depreciation and value for unpaid labour, rent and finances. *Based on average full economic results from AHDB Farmbench. Conventional crops only.

Technology – “The edge of what we know is the beginning of what's possible"

Reducing Inputs

Reducing Inputs

Crop Nutrition Management – a horticultural perspective

Georgina Key, AHDB

Analysis

• Irrigation water – 4 samples/

year: £100-150

• Substrate/soil – 3 analyses/

18 months: £360

• Nutrient solution – can be

included in water analysis

• Leaf/sap – 12 samples/ 18

months: £820-870

Analysis

• Irrigation water – 4 samples/

year: £100-150

• Substrate/soil – 3 analyses/

18 months: £360

• Nutrient solution – can be

included in water analysis

• Leaf/sap – 12 samples/ 18

months: £820-870

£150

Water deficit irrigation - example

Hand-held equipment

£210 £100

Hand-held equipment

£210 £100 £730

Hand-held equipment

• Have to establish a baseline WITH physical samples.
• Use selected marker crops
• Select sample timings each year to reflect stages of plant growth
• Dedicate one person to help with consistency
• Everyone has to be on board – people have different preferences

when it comes to watering/how they want plants to look etc.

• Bring the customer into the conversation

Reducing Inputs

David Aglen

Strategic Cereal Farm – Scotland @DavidAglen

2018 wheat yield map 2021 Time for another go

NUTRITION TRIAL To determine whether amending crop nutrition in response to live crop monitoring will have an economic benefit on crop health, yield and grain quality. A wheat crop will be monitored throughout the season, with regular brix meter testing and tissue testing.

Reducing Inputs

Brian Barker

Strategic Cereal Farm – East @The_Barker_Boys

SFEast 2019 – Input v’s Output Demo

@the_barker_boys @AHDB_Cereals #strategicfarm

Notes:

• 5 varieties drilled across the tramlines
• Plots of untreated, low, medium and

high investment.

• Fungicide, PGR, Trace Elements, Bio

Stimulants varied through plots.

• Fertilisers and herbicides uniform.
• Grid located on uniform soil type.
• Inputs adjusted by Brian to react to field

assessments and weather conditions for the season. Details on this demonstration can be found in Strategic Farm East 2019 handouts.

What did a robust variety look like?

Graham 5/7/19 Four weeks after T3 was applied disease pressure was erupting and visual differences started to appear in green leaf. GLA% (ave) Untreated Low Medium High Leaf 1 11.5 71.0 81.5 88.3 Leaf 2 6.9 64.5 85.5 87.3 Leaf 3 0.0 3.5 13 26.5

@the_barker_boys @AHDB_Cereals #strategicfarm

What did a weaker variety look like?

KWS Santiago 5/7/19 Four weeks after T3 was applied disease pressure was erupting and visual differences started to appear in green leaf. GLA% (ave) Untreated Low Medium High Leaf 1 0.6 31.5 86.5 90.0 Leaf 2 0.1 19.5 62.4 91.1 Leaf 3 0.0 0.0 17.0 23.5

@the_barker_boys @AHDB_Cereals #strategicfarm

The Yield award….

Yield T/ha Rank by field location (Highest to Lowest) Silverstone Graham Siskin Shabras Santiago Untreated 17 15 16 19 20 Low 14 6 9 10 18 Medium 8 3 5 7 11 High 4 2 1 12 13 Yield T/ha Rank by field location (Highest to Lowest) Silverstone Graham Siskin Shabras Santiago Untreated 9.57 10.16 9.66 8.55 7.35 Low 10.71 11.59 11.45 11.34 9.52 Medium 11.47 11.83 11.62 11.52 11.22 High 11.68 12.13 12.28 11.03 11.03

**Envirofield plot combine took multiple cuts through all the plots to give us the final yield. Field harvested by us then left plots and cleared afterwards. Weighbridge Yield from complete field 17.01ha = 187.28t @11.01t/ha (15% moisture adjusted)

@the_barker_boys @AHDB_Cereals #strategicfarm

The NET Margin award….

*Price of Wheat used was £129/t Ex Farm Nov **All variable cost from handbook used including; Seed, Herbicide, Fertiliser that was used on the whole field at a flat rate. *** All machinery usage costed into the NET margin using actual running costs calculated by S&P machinery Review 2018

@the_barker_boys @AHDB_Cereals #strategicfarm

NET Margin CoP £/T Rank by field location (Lowest to Highest) Silverstone Graham Siskin Shabras Santiago Untreated 6 3 5 16 20 Low 4 1 2 14 15 Medium 10 7 8 9 11 High 17 13 12 18 18 NET Margin CoP £/T Rank by field location (Lowest to Highest) Silverstone Graham Siskin Shabras Santiago Untreated £ 61.06 £ 57.52 £ 60.49 £ 68.35 £ 79.54 Low £ 60.37 £ 55.79 £ 56.47 £ 67.92 £ 67.93 Medium £ 64.65 £ 62.69 £ 63.82 £ 64.37 £ 66.10 High £ 69.54 £ 66.96 £ 66.14 £ 73.64 £ 73.64

SFE 2020 – How low could I go?

@the_barker_boys @AHDB_Cereals #strategicfarm

• Second year winter wheat - Siskin
• Untreated seed, sown late in October
• No

T0

• £6/haT1
• No

T2

• £6/haT3
• 150kg/N applied
• No spring herbicide used
• Challenged my mind set in a low disease pressure year
• Open & honest discussions with my agronomist
• It’s our own personal attitude to risk!
• Spend less or spend more as insurance?
• Details on this demonstration can be found in Strategic

Farm East 2020 handouts.

Reducing Inputs

Rob Fox

Strategic Cereal Farm – West @SquabRob

Fungicide Challenge Spend 2012 -2019

YEAR T0 Spend T1 SPEND T2 SPEND T3 SPEND TOTAL 2012 £12.00 £34.00 £44.00 £22.00 £112.00 2013 £14.00 £37.00 £45.00 £25.00 £121.00 2014 £15.00 £39.00 £47.00 £26.00 £127.00 2015 £11.00 £40.00 £44.00 £29.00 £124.00 2016 £12.00 £34.00 £38.00 £29.00 £113.00 2017 £11.00 £29.00 £35.00 £22.00 £97.00 2018 £8.00 £38.00 £36.00 £18.00 £100.00 2019 £2.00 £28.00 £35.00 £11.00 £76.00

Margin Over Fungicide Cost

YEAR(Variety) UNTREATED AVG.TREATED

• AVG. YIELD RESPONSE

AVG.MOFC (£120t)

2011 (Duxford) 10.5t/ha 11t/ha 0.5t/ha

• £42

2012(Oakley) 3.6t/ha 7.5t/ha 3.9t/ha £368 2013 (Santiago) 9.0t/ha 9.3t/ha 0.25t/ha

• £76

2014(Kielder) 7.6t/ha 10.9t/ha 3.3t/ha £284 2015 (Leeds) 11.1t/ha 12.7t/ha 1.6t/ha £74 2016 (Lilli) 7.8t/ha 9.6t/ha 1.8t/ha £83 2017 (Costello) 9.9t/ha 11.2t/ha 1.3t/ha £59 2018 (Graham) 11.8t/ha 12.8t/ha 0.96t/ha £13 (£61@ £170t)

Any Questions?

Could you be a Strategic Cereal Farm host 2021-2027?

• Are you an ambitious arable

farm/enterprise in the following counties?

• Do you want to test and show case

research, share technical and financial performance and have ambitions to advance your business and personal development?

Applications open Monday 23 November 2020 ahdb.org.uk/farm-excellence/recruitment Any questions? Email: Natalie.Gilbert@ahdb.org.uk

• Yorkshire
• Lancashire
• Dorset
• Gloucestershire
• Wiltshire
• Hampshire
• Oxfordshire

? ?

Upcoming AHDB Strategic Farm Week Webinars

Thursday 19 November 9:00am – 10:30am: Boosting beneficials through the use of flowering strips seminar Friday 20 November 9:00am – 10:00am: Live ‘ask the researcher’ session with all the trials hosts For more information and to register your place on these webinars visit:

https://ahdb.org.uk/sfweek-winter-2020

Close

Chris Leslie Chris.leslie@ahdb.org.uk