Tillage 2005 prepares the ground for a new era in farming

The very best cultivation equipment in action and advice for a new era in farming can be found at the two Tillage 2005 events. These take place at Tetbury, Gloucestershire, on Thursday September 8 and Darlington, North Yorkshire, on Tuesday September 13.

Tillage 2005, sponsored by De Sangosse, the leading company in the UK for slug pellets and adjuvants, will give growers a unique opportunity to see the latest and most innovative cultivation equipment working in field-scale conditions. And with growers now grappling with the Single Farm Payment and cross-compliance, it will address the wider issues of cost-effectiveness and soil management. The event will also be a chance to focus on crop establishment and how to ensure crops get off to the best possible start.

Tillage will provide arable farmers from all sizes of business with the opportunity to compare and discuss the latest cultivation and establishment machinery from all the major manufacturers and importers. Highlights of this year’s Tillage event include new equipment which will be seen at work for the first time from several of the UK’s leading manufacturers.

In addition to the working plots, the static area will provide the opportunity to catch up with the latest products, with news and advice from manufacturers, local dealers and advisory organisations.

And there is essential advice from top specialists on profitable and sustainable cropping in the De Sangosse seminar marquee:

· 10:30am and 1:00pm – “Machinery costs for a new era in farming” – could you survive without the Single Farm Payment? George Cook and James Severn from leading consultants Andersons reveal that for many there would be a shortfall. Their analysis of farming businesses shows there are still areas where cost savings can be made, but there are pitfalls to avoid when trying to make them.

· 11:00am and 1:30pm – “Be prepared: climate and slug population forecasting” – this ground-breaking research from Rothamsted, sponsored by De Sangosse, proved to be an essential early-warning last year against arable farming’s number one pest. With an unsettled summer pointing to another high-population year, Jenna Willis returns to reveal what the risks to profitable cropping are in 2006.

· 11:30am and 2:00pm – “Practical implications of soil management guidelines to meet cross-compliance” – did you know that soil management is the number one Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition under cross-compliance? During 2006 every UK farmer must put new soil management guidelines into practice, yet few are even aware what this means for their farm. Leading soil specialists Alastair Leake and Simon Draper, who have been working closely with the Rural Development Service and farmers, make practical sense of the new regulations and reveal the latest developments. The Environment Agency’s Richard Smith also reports on a scheme working with farmers that has helped reduce run-off and stopped profits being washed away.

Seminars are held throughout the day. Tillage is open from 8am to 3pm on both days, and entry costs £10 per car or £5 for single occupancy.