KWS UK LTD

Chris F · Jul 13, 2016

Scott Manning · Aug 10, 2016

Switch to KWS Lili raises appeal of UK wheat abroad

As analysts in France revise down their expectations for the country’s milling wheat harvest, UK traders are eyeing export opportunities to North Africa.

The extent of the UK’s ability to capitalise on France’s poor harvest first requires a better indication of the state of our own wheat harvest. While early results suggest wheat has not suffered the yield or quality issues that affected both barley and oilseed rape, it will not be until the end of the month until an accurate picture emerges.

But basic assumptions based on the planted area and past experience suggest the UK will be well-placed to pick some of the demand vacated by France.

“This is exactly the scenario we encouraged growers to consider when making variety choices. It is only the arrival of high yielding milling wheats, such as KWS Lili, that have enabled us to capitalise on this opportunity,” says Jonathan Lane, trading director at Gleadell Agriculture.

“If as an industry we were still where we were three years ago with about 17% of the UK wheat crop consisting of Group 1 and 2 varieties then we would only be able to cover our domestic requirements. Fortunately, that is no longer the case,” he adds.

“As an exporter, the introduction of KWS Lili and other high yielding milling wheats has expanded our options and given us greater ability to target premium markets that deliver value for growers. Assuming 75% of the UK milling crop meets specification then we could have up to 1 million tonnes of suitable exportable surplus.”

His views are shared by Glencore’s Tom Eaton who says growers can expect a modest premium. “We anticipate premiums in the region of £5/t or more as the season progresses for suitable grain, but we must be mindful that these markets require a moisture content which is no more than 14-14.5% (depending on destination requirements),” he says.

“Black Sea wheat is putting pressure on prices currently, but we expect this ease as the season unfolds at which time we expect the competitive appeal of UK wheat to improve,” he adds.

France’s exportable surplus is expected to fall from 15-16 million tonnes to about 9-10 m tonnes, says Mr Lane. Of that, about 5-6 m tonnes is likely to be exported as feed wheat by road and rail to the low countries. This is normal and shouldn’t interrupt our trade, he says.

Meeting quality specification will be fundamental to any success, but the requirements of most export markets are far less demanding than those of UK millers.

“We will have to compete with Germany, Poland and the Baltic countries, but with the move to Group 1 and 2 milling wheats, which account for more than 30% of the crop area this year, there is a wonderful opportunity for the UK.

The UK crop is expected to be smaller in 2016 than the year before as a result of a fall in the sown area and lower average yield.

Gleadell’s analysis suggests 14.2-14.3 million tonnes as a whole, with a surplus of about 1.6m tonnes. Should that hold quality, then the UK could be expected to have 0.5-0.75 million tonnes available as suitable for export to North African markets.

“Exploiting this opportunity will be important to our balance of trade as Spain is likely to take less ukp wheat this year than in the past due to its good domestic crop and the availability of supplies from near-by markets,” Mr Lane adds.

Paul Taylor, seed manager at Agrii, says the introduction of high-yielding Group 2 varieties is a great fillip for growers as they complement each other by spreading the harvest workload through different maturity dates.

“The likes of KWS Lili and KWS Siskin are the varieties of the moment. They offer good export appeal and the chance of a premium with no loss in yield compared with feed wheats.

“They help balance the drilling workload as not everyone wants to go late for grass-weed control, and spread the harvest workload by being later to mature than Group 1 varieties,” he says.

“They offer good disease resistance too, especially to Septoria tritici,” he adds.

Scott Manning · Aug 10, 2016

Scott Manning · Aug 10, 2016

Scott Manning · Aug 10, 2016

Scott Manning · Sep 8, 2016

Lili meets the criteria for Beds farmer

High yield, the chance of a price premium over feed, and a sound disease profile. The much-prized characteristics of a good variety and the criteria used by Nick Farr when searching for new wheat to complement the farms Group 1 milling wheats.

Farming about 800 hectares of light and medium bodied soils at Newnham Manor Farm, near Baldock in east Bedfordshire, Mr Farr had a fourth criteria to consider before making a variety choice: it had to retain its quality in the event of a wet harvest.

“We’re primarily Group 1 milling wheat growers so whatever variety we chose, it had to show good sprouting resistance because the Skyfall and KWS Trinity will always take priority. Fortunately, this harvest has been reasonably smooth and trouble-free so the last requirement has not been tested, but it always pays to consider such issues when choosing between varieties,” says Nick Farr who farm’s in in partnership with his brother, son and nephew.

Mr Farr scrutinised the AHDB Recommended List to identify those varieties that met the initial criteria before further refining the selection based on shedding scores and standing ability. “We also wanted a variety that would be slightly later to mature to spread the harvest workload, KWS Lili fitted our needs exactly,” he says.

This year he drilled 133ha of the Group 2 variety as a first wheat after oilseed rape. It yielded 10.5t/ha which, given the contrasting season, he is delighted with.

“I doubt many growers will think of 2016 as a vintage year; our yields and those of our neighbours have been disappointingly average at best. We need to accept it and look to a better year in 2017,” says Nick Farr.

Sprayer operator Paul Eaglen was responsible for managing the crop through the season and says that despite the difficulties brought on by the weather – rainfall in June was nearly four times the monthly average for the farm – the wheat looked in fine shape as harvest approached.

“All the wheat received the same fungicide regime and nitrogen application (see table) and it looked good throughout the spring and into the summer. An average yield of about 10.5t/ha is very satisfying considering the poor conditions in May and June,” says Mr Eaglen.

“From a management perspective it fitted the farm well. It gave us all we wanted and as a high tillering variety we were confident it would establish well ahead of the black-grass,” he adds.
Like many other farms, Newnham Manor Farm has its share of black-grass and the difficulties in controlling it have reached a point that the area of oilseed rape has been cut to a minimum.

“We’ve had to accept that we can no longer control black-grass in oilseed rape. This combined with the threat of flea beetle damage, low market prices and variable performance means we have increased the area of spring barley at the expense of oilseed rape,” he says.

Scott Manning · Sep 8, 2016

KWS Montana is an innovative, high quality milling wheat which is highly suitable for late drilling; offering good yields and a premium to Group 1.

1. Exceptional grain quality resulting in a premium to Group 1 bread wheat in the right location
2. Significant ‘new demand’ into ADM’s UK mills to replace imported German E wheat
3 Yields on par with Solstice and Cordiale
4. A number of commercial crops harvested 2016 have produced excellent quality flour, allowing for significant expansion in 2016/17
5. Good overall disease resistance
6. Excellent Fusarium resistance
7. Early to harvest

KWS have been working closely with ADM to trial and test KWS Montana, together we have grown commercial crops in 2016 which now give us the confidence to expand production to supply this significant ‘new’ market.

Contracts for planting 2016 are still available, please contact Stuart Carpenter at ADM Direct on 01223 265160 for more information.

Scott Manning · Sep 8, 2016

Product Manager, Tom Dummett, gives some useful information on hybrid rye as sowing dates approach.

Scott Manning · Sep 9, 2016

Sales Manager, Bill Lankford, takes us through the 2016 hybrid rye harvest results from KWS trials

Scott Manning · Sep 12, 2016

Focus on By Pass Starch in Maize

Research has shown that each maize variety contains differing levels of by-pass starch, with the percentage content in early varieties significantly higher, compared with their later counterparts, as John Burgess from plant breeder, KWS, explains.

The growing demand for high starch levels in maize destined for the clamp has been fuelled by producers seeking to partially replace expensive bought-in concentrates with high quality forage. This trend has not gone unnoticed by plant breeders, says Mr Burgess.

“As breeders, we have responded to market demands, by focusing on maize quality and selecting for high starch, especially in the early FAO 150 – 170 hybrids,” says Mr Burgess. “Producers are also seeking early-maturing varieties, to allow more time for establishing the following crop and to help them comply with environmental regulations.

“Our efforts have been largely successful; the average starch content of our early maize varieties was 33-34% five years ago and will have risen to 35-38% for 2017. These are trials figures and farm-scale crops will usually score 2 or 3 points lower, although some of the ultra-early varieties are nudging 40%.

“A proportion of the starch in a maize kernel can be described as being vitreous or ‘glass-like.’ This quality makes it more difficult to break down in the rumen and a high energy-dense forage can lead to the rumen becoming overloaded with the material, increasing the risk of acidosis. It is why many nutritionists set a limit of 25% starch inclusion for a total mixed ration.

“However, maize kernels also contain a proportion of by-pass starch, which is a less vitreous material and performs exactly as its name suggests, by-passing the rumen to be digested in the abomasum. This produces more readily available energy for the cow to utilise and comes with a lower risk of potential health issues.

“Producers are also seeking early-maturing varieties to help them comply with environmental regulations, so attaining higher bypass starch results in a double benefit from early hybrids.

“Each variety typically has a different level of by-pass starch, with some early hybrid

maize varieties containing twice as much by-pass starch as later varieties. This information offers a useful tool for producers when they are selecting varieties to suit their systems and to match the other ingredients in the ration.

“In Germany and Denmark, figures for by-pass starch content are beginning to be analysed and published for all varieties, and there are plans to introduce the system in the Netherlands. The value is expressed either as grammes per kilogramme, or as a by-pass ‘fraction,’ in gms/kilo dry matter. Although by-pass starch values are not currently published on the in UK maize descriptive list tables, they may be introduced at some point in the future.

“Milk production is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with advances in technology and pressure on prices. This has led to dairy farmers having a more detailed approach to ration formulation and maize is just one of the ingredients which has come under the spotlight.

“We are already pushing the limit of maize silage inclusion into the ration, because of the risk of acidosis. If we can manipulate systems to include a higher level of by-pass starch, there is the potential to improve milk from forage. But decisions also have to take into account the economics of growing the crop and the effect on yield.

“Another element which offers a possible opportunity for cost savings is to increase consistency within the clamp. Nutritionists often encounter problems with ration formulation, because of inconsistencies.

“One way in which to level out quality is to grow just a single variety, but this approach will not suit every farming system. Another solution is to pay close attention to crop maturity and ensure that maize is cut at the correct time. However this is not always easy to achieve, in practical terms, due to the weather and the demands placed on contractors. By-pass starch has also been found to correlate with the crop’s maturity status, so timeliness will also have an influence on this element of the ration.

“We have also seen that a modest reduction in seed rates will give a clear boost in starch content – farmers stepping down from 42,000 seeds/acre to around 38 – 40,000 have observed this already in 2016, especially where they habitually grow early hybrids,” says Mr Burgess.

Maize Silage Chop Length

Mr Burgess recommends growers to opt for a chop length of about 25mm for this year’s maize silage harvest.

“Chopping at 12-15mm may lead to greater efficiency at harvest, but the practice will reduce the material’s ‘scratch factor,’ which is a term not widely used nowadays but which still holds true, when it comes to rumen health,” he says.

“A crop with a high scratch factor has a buffering effect on the rumen and this can also help to reduce the risk of acidosis. To maximise scratch factor, I would advise cutting at about 25mm. But that should be the limit, because very long pieces of material are difficult to ensile and some of the kernels will remain intact, which is undesirable. In addition, 2016 has produced bulky crops, which will take time to dry down fully and therefore a longer chop length will also reduce effluent, on farms where this is a concern.”

Scott Manning · Sep 23, 2016

Solid Cordiale performance forces a variety re-think

In a season of contrasting performance, several varieties have delivered yields that defy their standing on the AHDB Recommended List. One such performer is Group 2 stalwart, Cordiale.

For Kent grower Antony Redsell who farms at Thanet in the south of the country, Cordiale’s performance this season has forced him to think again about plans to drop it in favour of a more recent introduction.

“This has been Cordiale’s best year for us. Across 160ha it has yielded well above 10.5t/ha and the bulk of it came in with better Hagbergs and slightly higher protein scores than Skyfall despite the Group 1 variety being on some of our stronger land. We were contemplating dropping the variety and moving towards perceived cleaner, newer varieties, but its reliable performance has made us reconsider,” he says.

Variety selection favours milling wheats with KWS Trinity and Crusoe completing the portfolio. Of the four varieties, KWS Trinity delivered the best performance.

With four milling wheats to contend with, it would be easy to develop a standard fungicide programme and treat all varieties the same. But in a desire to avoid unnecessary spend while ensuring each variety is managed per its needs, Mr Redsell works with his agronomist James Rimmer of CCC Ltd to develop variety-specific programmes.

“Fungicide choice was adapted to suit each variety with the total spend ranging from £90 to £107/ha. Nitrogen rates were similar, varying between 300 - 340kg N/ha depending on site and variety,” says Mr Redsell.

Despite a slightly higher fungicide spend, Cordiale still holds appeal, he says. “With commodity values under pressure we look closely at our cropping choices. On paper, Cordiale is more expensive to grow than some of the alternatives, but spreadsheets don't always reflect reality. Despite the additional expense its performance, marketability and early maturity at harvest mean it more than justifies its place in the rotation,” says Mr Redsell.

Scott Manning · Sep 30, 2016

Cordiale still going strong after nearly a decade on farm

Pelham Farming Company is preparing to reduce its oil seed rape area significantly for harvest 2017. Cutting the area, however, is not easy, explains Michael Watson, one of the business’s founding partners, the problem is in finding something suitable to replace it.

He has been consulting his agronomist Andrew Blazey of Prime Agriculture about the available replacements and winter barley is likely to account for a proportion of the area while an increase in spring barley and spring beans will account for the rest.

“The desire is to front load as much combining and cultivations as possible and winter barley helps with that. Across the three farms that make up the group there is already a large area of spring barley which typically matures part way through combining wheat so where we can bring the wheat forward through variety choice we will,” says Andrew Blazey.

This will also support a desire to move to a longer rotation in part to prevent the farm’s black-grass situation from becoming worse.

“If we are not drilled up by the second week of October then we wait until the spring. This is perhaps one of our biggest changes in recent years. The area of spring cropping has increased four-fold, as we seek to contain our problem with black-grass. It’s not as serious as some, but that’s how we want to keep it,” says Michael.

The list of early maturing wheats likely to attract a premium however, is short. For nearly a decade, Michael and his brother Ian have grown the Group 2 milling wheat Cordiale with good results, but before this harvest he was contemplating cutting the area in favour of a more recent introduction that promised better performance. It’s a decision that has since been reversed.

“All our wheats have done much the same. There is no real difference between KWS Trinity or KWS Santiago as a first wheat or Cordiale as a second wheat. They are all down around 15% on 2015 at about 8.5t/ha. The one positive however, is that quality has been good. Both the milling wheats made full specification.”

For the first time, milling specification was made without the use of foliar applied liquid nitrogen.

“We have long had concerns about the damage foliar N does to the flag leaf. It’s hard to time appropriately and the damage to the flag leaf is galling. You spend all spring trying to keep it clean and green only to undo it all with 40 kg/ha N as liquid urea. Instead, this year we applied 60kg N/ha as ammonium nitrate at flag leaf and the results have been encouraging. The Cordiale produced grain proteins of 13% with bushel weights of 79 – 80 kg/hl. With this performance and the early harvest that Cordiale offers its fits well with our desire is to front load as much combining and cultivations as possible” he says.

Scott Manning · Oct 19, 2016

KWS Irina: the farmer friendly variety

Want an easy-to-grow spring barley with stiff straw that is a joy to combine? KWS Irina has it all along with full IBD approval and broad market acceptance

The area of spring barley across England is expected to increase again in 2017 as more growers seek to spread their cropping risk or extend the rotation in a bid to bring problem grass weeds under control.

Whatever your reason, spring barley is in vogue, but in this highly demanding market variety choice is crucial to promoting financial success. Finding the variety that will fit your needs and those of the market can be difficult, says Paul Taylor, Agrii head of crop marketing.

“If all you used to determine your variety choice was the AHDB Recommended List you would find it hard to separate those varieties with full brewing approval, but under the commercial regimes followed on farm the experience is very different.

“Results from our agronomy trials along with what we have seen on customers’ farms indicates KWS Irina is the spring barley to back. We see it as the clear successor to Propino with its higher yield and stronger export demand supported by increasing domestic use.

“We see it as a ‘grow anywhere’ variety, be that in the north or south or on light or heavy land. Its stiff straw ensures it stands better than any other fully approved spring barley.”

His confidence is supported by test results from the firm’s marketing partner, Glencore in which KWS Irina returned a better sample than industry standard, Propino.

“In 2015 all cereals did well including spring barleys, but this season has proved far more challenging. For KWS Irina to have done so well in what was a difficult year further supports our decision to designate it a variety suitable for all regions of Great Britain,” he adds.

FARMER CASE STUDY

Farm manager Chris Ascroft of Wilbraham Farms, near Newmarket has been enjoyed another successful year with KWS Irina and plans to grow it again in 2017.

“For the second year in succession, KWS Irina has been the stand-out crop. Where our winter cereals suffered with the lack of sunshine in June, the later maturing crops, including spring barley, fared better.

“At 6.7t/ha, it performed at nearly a tonne per hectare over the farm’s five-year average, but it is the easiness with which it combines that makes it my preferred variety: we covered the ground at roughly twice the rate of the Propino despite a similar yield.”

The sample was rewarding too. “The screenings were acceptable at less than 3% and there was no brackling so we didn’t cut too many heads of with the cutter-bar,” he says.

Scott Manning · Dec 6, 2016

KWS adds new high-yielding cereals and an oilseed rape to 2018 Recommended List

December 2016

KWS has marked another outstanding year in variety development with three new winter wheats, two winter barleys and an oilseed rape added to the AHDB 2017-18 Recommended List.

Building on 2016 when KWS added the highest yielding varieties to the Group 2 and 3 sectors, this year it adds the highest yielding varieties in the Group 1 and Group 4 sectors. For the first time, KWS has the highest yielding varieties in all four grain designations that comprise the Recommended List.

WINTER WHEAT

Group 1

KWS Zyatt has been recommended as a Group 1 (P) bread-making wheat that combines high yields with outstanding grain quality and good all-round disease scores. The initial recommendation is provisional and is expected to be confirmed in spring 2017 following commercial milling tests by nabim.

“At 102% of controls KWS Zyatt is the highest yielding Group 1 (P) variety with high grain protein of 13.0% from trials grown to a milling specification. KWS Zyatt is a good protein scavenger and this enables it to maintain high protein levels with a new standard for yield,” says KWS wheat breeder Mark Dodds.

“We have seen KWS Zyatt perform impressively in private baking trials producing loaves with volume and a fine structure without needing additional gluten,” he adds.
In addition, KWS Zyatt is the first Group 1 since Crusoe in 2012 to receive ukp status as an approved export variety.

“An untreated yield of 120% of controls reflects the strength of its disease resistance package, including a Septoria tritici score of 6.4,” says Mark Dodds.

“KWS Zyatt has performed consistently well over three seasons and across all regions. It has good grain characteristics, stiff straw and is an excellent second wheat choice,” he adds.

Group 4

At 106% of controls KWS Kerrin is the highest yielding variety to be added to the AHDB 2017-18 Recommended List. A KWS Santiago cross, it takes yields on a step from its parent, and has an exceptional performance in the east.

“KWS Kerrin is a variety that will appeal strongly to growers. It is 2% higher yielding than last year’s highest yielding variety, KWS Silverstone. It performs well as a second wheat and offers a high specific weight for a feed wheat as well offering improvements in disease resistance compared to KWS Santiago,” says Mark Dodds.

“With similar straw height to KWS Santiago it also maintains the stiff straw strength and medium maturity characteristics of its parent,” he adds.

The third wheat from KWS is Hardwicke. A Group 4 soft wheat, suited to distilling Hardwicke is one of the shortest varieties (80cm) on the Recommended List.

“Hardwicke has short, stiff straw with good disease resistance. Good performances across both light and heavy soils and early maturity mean Hardwicke will appeal strongly to growers in the north, but will also find favour further south,” says Mark Dodds.

WINTER BARLEY

At 107% of controls, Funky is the highest yielding inbred six-row to be added to the 2017-18 Recommended List and is just 2% behind the highest-yielding hybrid.

“Funky is a compelling variety proposition. At 113% of controls its untreated yield matches the best of the hybrids, while it has better specific weight and all-round disease resistance. A 7 for Rhynchosporium and a 6 for Net blotch along with its BaYMV resistance and early maturity further underline its credentials as a strong variety,” says KWS barley breeder, David Harrap.

“It does well across all regions and soil types, has demonstrated stiff straw and is quicker to reach ear emergence than its two-row counterparts, such as KWS Tower,” he adds.

The second winter barley from KWS to be added to the Recommended List is KWS Creswell, a two-row feed.

“KWS Creswell has been added to the RL for the north where it is the highest yielding two-row at 106% of controls, 2% higher yielding than any other two row. With its higher yield, it is a step on from KWS Glacier and has better disease resistance, especially to mildew, Net blotch and Rhynchosporium,” says David Harrap.

OILSEED RAPE

Flamingo is a conventional variety with east and west recommendation. It offers high treated seed yields, exceptional oil content and good disease resistance.

A UK gross output of 108.5% of controls means it is the second-highest yielding variety on the Recommended List and the highest-yielding candidate to be added to be added to the list this year.

“Flamingo has the best light leaf spot resistance of any variety on the 2017-18 Recommended List at 7.3 and one of the highest oil contents at 46.4%. Its appeal is further underlined by its excellent scores for lodging and stem stiffness (both 8), while at 149cm it is average in height,” says KWS oilseed rape product specialist Tom Dummett.

“Light leaf spot is the single biggest disease to affect oilseed rape crops in England and is responsible for millions of pounds in lost output. We believe Flamingo’s excellent disease resistance partly explains why it did so well in 2016 when oilseed rape crops generally were recoding below average performances,” he adds.

Although narrowly missing out on recommendation for the north where it’s gross output is 109% and it has the best LLS available it is a variety that is truly suited to all regions of the UK.

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