When Northumbrian mixed farmer Fred Ryle took a trip from Morpeth down to Cereals 2008 in Lincolnshire, like most farmers who attend this technical show he was hoping to view some of the latest innovations and pick up fresh ideas/advice for the coming season. But on this occasion he got more than he bargained for.

After visiting the Nickerson stand, where his eyes were opened to some cereal varieties he’d not considered before and a level of service from Nickerson Direct that he was unaccustomed to receiving from the seed trade, Fred was subsequently contacted by the company confirming that he’d won 100 hectares worth of seed in their competition.

Fred explains that his Earsdon East Farm fits into the mould of a typical Northumbrian farming enterprise, being a 300-hectare (750-acre) unit on heavy clay loam with arable, cattle and winter sheep. The arable section includes winter wheat, 40-50 hectares (100-120 acres) of oilseed rape, winter and spring barley, together with spring beans.

“I was delighted and very surprised to have won the competition,” says Fred. “We predominantly grow first winter wheats like Claire and Consort for the Scottish distilling market, as they perform consistently well. This was a good opportunity to try some new varieties, including ones that I hadn’t even heard of before.”

Although too late in the year for Fred to consider oilseed rape as part of his seed selection, the subsequent weather-based events of autumn 2008 in the north east meant that the crop was a non-starter for that season. “We got an incredible 18" of rainfall between 14th July and 18th September,” he points out.

To consider the varieties on offer, Fred teamed up with Sean Lovegreen, Nickerson Direct’s Regional Seed Specialist who, like his colleagues throughout the country, helps farmers to select the best varieties for their particular situation, ensuring that they maximise crop performance and financial return. Sean comments:

“Within the company we have a tremendous depth of experience and knowledge. Being part of Europe’s largest plant breeding and seed development company means that we can speak directly to the people behind any Nickerson variety, so customers can be assured of obtaining the best advice in any situation. In addition to Seed Specialists who act in an advisory role, Nickerson Direct specialises in the direct supply of high quality seed with purity and vigour, aiming to deliver consistent high performance.

“The company pioneered vigour testing in the 1970s, an important development because vigorous seed is better equipped to deal with poor, cold or wet seedbed conditions. Vigour is key for quick, even crop establishment allowing the crop to grow away from soil-borne pests and diseases, ensuring the development of stronger plants and, ultimately, producing higher yields. Seed from Nickerson Direct is further enhanced by the application of a seed film coating developed by the company to ensure an even application of seed treatment products. It also incorporates a growth promoting agent to assist good germination and rapid establishment.”

NUMBER ONE CHOICE
Winter wheat Claire was number one on the list of varieties that Fred chose as part of his 100-hectare seed prize, being one that he was comfortable with, having grown it on a regular basis because it suits the early-drilling slot. He states: “As it turned out, the atrocious conditions in autumn 2008 meant that we carried stocks over to be drilled in the early slot this year. Claire is a safe, consistent variety for us because it offers good quality.”

Sean also recommended the newer Nickerson winter wheat variety Cassius, a Candidate variety at the time but now on the Recommended List as a Group 4 soft feed option. Fred comments: “We put this in as a second wheat last autumn with the seed treatment Jockey (fluquinconazole + prochloraz). It seemed to be very vigorous out of the ground and appeared to have even better disease resistance than Claire and Consort, particularly to yellow rust and mildew.”

Fred also took Sean’s advice in selecting the niche Nickerson variety Hyperion as a “solid second wheat” for the late-drilled slot. Drilled into reasonable seedbeds no later than mid-October, like Cassius it showed good disease resistance, particularly to eyespot. Despite some poor summer weather, Fred says the crops stood well and both varieties yielded well at harvest, producing 9.5-10t/ha.

As part of his seed prize acreage Fred also selected two winter barleys, although he admits that it was a poor year generally for the crop, one in which any variety would have struggled. He states: “I wanted to try Retriever, the highest-yielding 2-row variety on the Recommended List, and it came to the combine well this harvest. There wasn’t as much straw as I would have liked for the farm’s livestock, but it was early to harvest and I’ll drill it again because of that.”

The second winter barley variety, Spectrum, was chosen for its stiff-straw and ‘9’ rating for standing power, because Fred felt that it would go well on some of his most fertile fields. “All muck and straw goes back into the farm because I’m a firm believer in the fact that organic matter, or lack of it, is the limiting factor in yields. It’s what you put back into the soil that’s important, not the use of big shiny machines.”

Fred’s choice of the Nickerson spring feed barley variety Westminster, to fill the gaps left by un-drilled crops last autumn, proved his point. He states: “I’ve used FYM on this land, with grass as a break crop, and yields of up to 8.3t/ha from the variety have shown that it works. Heavily-mucked land makes a difference and Westminster was a star performer, producing double the amount of straw compared with winter barley.

“We’ll hold on to our spring barley acreage for next season in selected fields as the variety has done so well. Spring barley reduces our input costs as well as providing an opportunity to clear up brome-affected fields. It just goes to show that sometimes when the weather forces your hand to try a completely different crop, in this case spring barley, you can get fantastic results.”

Pointing out that the relationship now established with Sean Lovegreen and Nickerson Direct has been very helpful in determining which varieties to grow, and is something he hasn’t enjoyed in the past, Fred states: “It’s nice to get some trustworthy advice, particularly about seed varieties.”

Impressed with the extra vigour gained through buying seed direct from the company, he adds: “There’s no doubt that the seed coating provides the crops with extra vigour, which has given them a huge advantage over competitors’ seed that we have grown in adjacent fields. We haven’t applied slug pellets on our land for five years because of a simple cultivation policy that includes a pass over the seedbed with a double-ring press, but the extra vigour we gain in establishment will give us extra confidence in our system.”