EVELINA - Cope Seeds Ltdcopeseeds.co.uk/pdf/Spring-2016-Organic-Newsletter.pdf · The NEW variety...

Cope Seeds are pleased tointroduce EVELINA a newspring feed barley bred bySaatzucht Edelhof in Austria.

For many years spring barley growers in thetraditional mixed farm areas have liked togrow a spring feed barley that offered acompetitive grain yield, coupledimportantly with plenty of barley straw. Inthe past, varieties such as Dandy, Hart,Riviera and latterly Westminster have beenextremely popular due to their ability toproduce an excellent combination of grainand straw yield with excellent diseaseresistance.

Plant breeding however, over the past twodecades, has seen the introduction ofnewer shorter strawed, high yieldingvarieties that are in the main directed at theUK and Export malting/distilling market.

We have therefore being looking for a newfeed variety that could offer our customersnot only an improvement in yield, coupledwith good agronomic attributes butcrucially the ability to produce a very goodstraw yield. We contacted numerous plantbreeding companies across several

European countries and over the years theytoo, have bred the straw length out of theirnew varieties and could only offer short,stiff strawed varieties.

However, we eventually spoke to a PlantBreeding Company in Austria calledEDELHOF. They are a company verycommitted to Breeding varieties suitablefor the Organic Farmer and as such had aline called EVELINA which was successful intheir own country and fitted what we werelooking for. We immediately put EVELINAinto some UK based trials and after a verypromising first year decided to fast tracksome Organic C2 seed multiplication with aseed crop being grown in 2015 with one ofour major seed growers, Woodlands Farm,Kirton, Boston, Lincolnshire. ( See photosand comments further on in this article )

In private trials in 2014 EVELINA wascompared against 9 varieties from the2014/15 UK Recommended List andproduced very competitive yields with theHighest specific weight, the Tallest strawand was also the Earliest maturing varietyby quite some distance.

The variety has very good resistance tobrackling along with a good tolerance to the

important diseases. The infection scores forRhynchosporium on 30th May was 0.0%and Brown Rust on 2nd July was only 3%.

We found the growth rate andestablishment of EVELINA to be muchquicker than other varieties making itespecially competitive to any weedcontamination. In terms of straw height wewould suggest that EVELINA is even tallerthan any current spring barley on theRecommended List and taller than thepopular varieties from the past such asHart and Dandy.

Continued on page 2

EVELINASPRING FEED BARLEYThe modern day DANDY / HART type Feed Spring Barley variety with...

Outstanding Disease Resistance

Very Tall Straw

High Yields of Grain & Straw

Tel: 01529 421081 | Fax 01529 421083 | www.copeseeds.co.uk

Our two spring bean varietiesof choice for 2016 are Vertigoand Fanfare.

Vertigo offers a 6% yield advantage overFuego and a 1% advantage over Fanfarewhilst still retaining a stable and reliableagronomic package. After many years ofFuego being the No1 variety it has, after 11years on the PGRO Recommended Listfinally succumbed to two varieties thatoffer a sizeable increase in yield potential.

There is little difference in the agronomicsof all the spring bean varieties with only adifference of 1 point in most instances andat the most 2 points between the variousscores. However, when varieties comealong that offer in the region of 5% - 7%yield advantage over and above what hasbecome the most established variety forthe past eleven years then due note has tobe taken. This is why we have decided toreplace Fuego after so many successfulyears with what we believe are the best 2varieties available for Spring 2016.

Vertigon Fully Recommended on 'PGRO Recommended List of Spring Beans n Highest yielding spring bean varietyn Early ripeningn Good standing power

Fanfare n From the same Breeding stable as Vertigon High yielding, 2nd only to Vertigo with a yield difference of only 2%n Early ripeningn Good standing power

Vertigo and Fanfare Organic Spring Beansreplace old favourite, Fuego

Please see above the 2016 PGRO Recommended List for Spring Beans. Vertigo continues to be the highest yielding variety. Fanfare, Boxer,Fury and Fuego remain fully recommended varieties. New variety Lynx (LS Plant Breeding), joins the RL with a P1 provisionalrecommendation. Lynx has a similar yield to Fanfare and marginally behind Vertigo.

Importantly it has a 7 rating for downy mildew, the best of all the pale hilum beans but there is no C2 Organic Seed available for sowing inspring 2016. We will however be looking for organic seed growers to produce C2 seed of Lynx for Spring 2017. Pyramid and Babylon havebeen moved to the outclassed category.

On the back of these promising 2014 trialresults we produced an Organic C2 Seedcrop at Woodlands Organic Farm, Kirton,Boston in Lincolnshire who are one of ourlongstanding organic seed growers of bothwinter and spring crops.

We were invited along by Farm Manager,Mr . Michael Sutherland on the 4th June toview what in his words was the “bestlooking spring barley crop he had everseen” and Mr. Sutherland had beengrowing spring barley varieties on the farmfor over 40 years.

On arrival Mr Sutherland was quite excitedto show us the crop and when we got to thefield we could see why, for the crop wasalready up to our waist after only 12weeks having been drilled on March 5th. Itwas billiard table level showing it to be anexcellent seed stock.

Above photo: Trevor Cope and Mr. Sutherlandwithin the crop on June 4th 2015.

This organic seed crop was sown on March5th 2015.

Harvest was on August 6th, the first cerealcrop cut on the farm and yielded 80.000tonnes off 28.4 acres (2.800 tonnes peracre). An outstanding yield for an OrganicSpring Barley with excellent feed grain specof 70.4 kg/hl bushel weight and 4%screenings through a 2.2 mm sieve.

As a seed crop it has produced a diseasefree sample, with a germination of 98% and1.2 ISTA Vigour Score which is classed as avery high vigour.

Mr. Sutherland made the comment that inaddition to the excellent grain yield, theyalso obtained 2.1 tonnes per acre of strawand he was convinced that the amount ofstraw they baled was greater than any otherspring barley they had grown in his manyyears as Farm Manager at Woodlands Farm.

The crop was extremely clean with nodisease showing from the bottom to thetop of the crop and due to the varietiesaggressive growth and tall straw, hadsmothered out any potential weed issues, aproblem often faced by organic farmers.

EVELINA showing its superb all rounddisease resistance. There was no diseasenoted throughout the organic seed crop allthe way through to harvest.

EVELINA is particularly suited to livestockfarmers across the United Kingdom whorequire a variety that can offer very goodcompetitive yields, combined with goodagronomics and grain quality, plus ofcourse that all important straw yield!

n

EVELINA displays goodtillering characteristics whichenables lower sowing rates.

n

EVELINA can be grown inmaritime and dry areas.

n

EVELINA shows goodsuppression of weeds.

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EVELINA is suitable for all soiltypes. Due to its excellentdisease resistance it is alsopossible to grow it in wet coldclimates.

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EVELINA is very fastestablishing and early to harvest.

With only about 75.000 tonnes of OrganicC2 EVELINA Seed available for sowing inSpring 2016 we strongly advise anyoneinterested in trying this new variety toregister their interest as early as possible toensure supply.

Cope Seeds & RAGT Seeds agreeDOUBLESHOT Spring Wheat andCONQUEST Spring BarleyEXCLUSIVITY deal.We are very pleased to announce that Cope Seeds will be theExclusive organic producer of new spring wheat varietyDOUBLESHOT and spring barley variety CONQUEST. We produceda limited quantity of organic seed of both varieties for sowing inSpring 2015.

RAGT (formerly PBI) are a major European Plant Breeding Companyand currently bringing some outstanding varieties through to theAHDB Recommended List. Last year they had SKYFALL WinterWheat and RGT PLANET Spring Barley added to the Recommended

List and both look like varieties that will play a major role in thewinter bread-making quality sector and the spring malting barleymarket respectively.

More recently they have had the high quality milling winter wheatvariety RGT ILLUSTRIOUS added to the 2016 Winter WheatRecommended List.

Please note comments on DOUBLESHOT and CONQUEST in thespring wheat and barley sections within this newsletter.

EVELINA Spring Barley

Page 3Spring 2016 Organic Seed Spring 2016 Organic Seed

PeasAre you interested in growing peas?

We are looking for both seed growers and commercial growers of peas and areoffering an attractive seed premium and buy back contract.

Velvet are a high yielding white pea that gave a 4% yield advantage over the white peamarket leader, Mascara in 2014 BSPB trials. It is taller than Mascara and with better

standing. If you are interested in growing Velvet for seed this year, please get in touch.

The NEW variety on theSpring Oat sceneBreeder: Bauer, GermanyStatus: HGCA Recommended List, UK P1

ASPEN from Senova, was new to the HGCARecommended List 2015. It produces highyields both Treated and Untreated. It has asuperb specific weight and kernel content,stiff straw and is very early to ripen.

This is the first year that organic seed hasbecome available. If ASPEN delivers all itpurports to do from the latest AHDBRecommended List we would expect to seethe variety lay down a strong challenge tocurrent market leaders Canyon and Firth.

We have produced a good stock of C2Organic ASPEN seed and would welcomeyour enquiries for this interestingnewcomer.

Rozmar Spring OatParentage: Auron x ( Komes x KR-Pg-3 )

Still the most consistenton farm performer andby far the best choice forCrown Rust resistance.

ROZMAR was added to the AHDBRecommended List in 2011. During the past5 years it has proven itself to be aconsistent on farm performer throughoutthe UK and clearly the best variety availablefor the most important disease ofoats...Crown Rust. With the latest 2016AHDB Recommended List showing a scorefor Crown Rust Resistance of 8 whilst allother varieties have scores of 3, 4 and 5 it isimportant where this disease is a concernto growers they take into account thesuperb resistance of ROZMAR.

It is perhaps worth noting that the CrownRust Resistance score is taken over a 5 yearperiod of UK wide official trials. Better, notonly than the control varieties Firth andCanyon but also better than every othervariety on the HGCA Recommended ListFully or Provisionally Recommendedincluding new variety Aspen .

ROZMAR has very good all roundagronomics producing taller straw thanFirth with good standing and is earlier toharvest than Firth.

Firth - Back by PopularDemandIn 2013 we decided to stop producingorganic seed of FIRTH. Although we nowfeel there are improved varieties to choosefrom, it is important that we listen to youand it seems there is still a loyal followingfor the variety. We therefore announced inour Spring 2015 Newsletter that we had reintroduced FIRTH back onto our availabilitylist and now, one year further on we havecontinued to produce C2 Organic Seed forsowing in 2016.

Importantly it mills well and still hasinterest from the end users.

CONQUEST: a new EXCLUSIVEaddition to our Spring Barley portfolio.

With Untreated yields of circa +3% above those of Westminster, only 2cm shorter in thestraw but with better Rhynchosporium and Yellow Rust resistance RGT Conquest shouldoffer growers a very suitable alternative.

RGT CONQUEST is a springbarley with high treated anduntreated yields.

It has excellent disease resistance,including an 8 for Rhynchosporium. It is apotential brewing type, but its long, stiffstraw, is likely to make it an attractiveproposition for feed barley growers too.

SPRING Oat options for 2016

DOUBLESHOT a new EXCLUSIVE addition to our Spring Wheat portfolio

Cope Seeds are proud to be the Exclusive Organic Seed Producer ofRGT DOUBLESHOT spring wheat for the UK. We kept our eye onthe organic commercial crops sown in Spring 2015 throughout thegrowing season and following harvest we tested numerous samplesfor potential bread-making quality.

In general, harvest 2015 organic yields have mirrored those of theconventional sector in being satisfactory to good and some verygood, however, it would be fair to say that apart from the oddexception, the protein levels in organic wheat have beendisappointing. The highest and most consistent protein levels werecorded from our organic wheat crops were from DOUBLESHOT.They have been very good and reports from the end users wherewe have submitted these samples for milling and bread-makingevaluation has been very encouraging.

DOUBLESHOT has completed 4 years of Official UK Trials andthroughout this period has produced an excellent package of yieldand agronomic characteristics.

Organic Farmer, Howard Roberts grew Doubleshot, Mulika andParagon on the same farm and had the following comments to make…

“Doubleshot outyielded our Mulika and gave similar yields as theParagon, however the Paragon was grown on a better field. TheDoubleshot produced the best quality of the three varieties and Ihave already placed my Doubleshot order to ensure we can growthe variety again this spring”

Quality Results from Howard Roberts Own Farm Experience

After supplying Doves Farm Foods with the first organicDoubleshot ever produced from this harvest, Michael Marriagehad the following comments to make:

'We thought that the Doubleshot wheat was most successful. Thesample tested with good results, it milled well with good extraction andthe bread was of good quality. A useful addition to the choice of breadmaking wheats for organic farmers.'

Average Milling Results Achieved by Doubleshot from Harvest 2015

Gemma Clarke, Managing Director of both CopeSeeds and Cope Grain has Buy-Backopportunities for Organic DOUBLESHOT fromharvest 2016 and would welcome your enquiriesfor both C2 Organic Seed and marketing of theharvested crop. Please call Gemma on 01529 421081 to discuss.

MULIKA is the first variety since Paragon to be added to the SpringWheat Recommended List as a Group 1 Milling variety. It iscurrently the ONLY confirmed Group 1 quality variety withresistance to Orange Wheat Blossom Midge. MULIKA, by way of itsacceptance into UK Mills has made serious inroads into the Paragonmarket albeit its advantages over Paragon are more centredaround conventional farming rather than organic. The Untreatedyields of MULIKA are only +1% above Paragon where it is circa +8%when grown conventionally. It has good agronomic and diseaseresistance characters and suitable for sowing from Late Autumn allthe way through the spring.

PARAGON still a favourite variety amongst organic growers despitebeing added to the Spring Wheat Recommended List 16 years ago. Ifever a variety has stood the test of time PARAGON is that variety. Itregularly achieves milling premiums and is accepted by all end users.Despite being considerably out-yielded in the conventional sector bya number of varieties its Untreated yield remains competitive againstall other varieties. Its straw and disease resistance characterscontinue to be as good as any spring wheat available.

TYBALT has been a good solid variety for a number of years. It hasbeen around almost as long as Paragon having been first added tothe UK Recommended List in 2003 ( 13 years ago ). TYBALTperforms best when in the genuine spring rather than late autumn.It has good resistance to both mildew and yellow rust.

FOUR SPRING WHEAT CHOICESFOR 2016 SOWING…

DOUBLESHOT MULIKA PARAGON

Protein (%) 13.5 10.9 12.3

Hagberg 324 187 324

Specific Weight (kg/hl) 78 77 84.9

Protein % HagbergSpecific Weight

kg/hl

13.52 280 76.75

Mildew Yellow Rust Brown Rust Rhyncho Height (cm)

RGT CONQUEST 9 9 6 8 79

Westminster 9 7 6 7 81

Page 5Spring 2016 Organic SeedPage 4 Spring 2016 Organic Seed

Arable Silage mixtures can provide valuableamounts of high protein forage for livestockfarmers as well as leaving residual nitrogen forfollowing crops. The crop, once ensiled canprovide excellent winter feed rations for dairy,beef and sheep.

Arable Silage can produce excellent yields from a short growingperiod of approximately 13 –16 weeks with silage providing highintake potential that can be used as part of a mixed forage diet. Thepea content of these mixtures can also help increase the proteincontent.

Arable silage mixtures can be under sown with a new grass ley tofurther maximise land use. Arable Silage Mixtures are sown lateMarch to Mid April with a seeding rate of 75 – 85 kilos per acre ifsown on their own or 50-60 kilos per acre if undersown with a grasscrop. The resultant crop can be baled or clamped and shouldproduce around 12-15 tonnes fresh weight per acre with a typicalanalysis of:-Dry matter 30- 40% ME 9- 11MJ/kg Crude Protein 9- 11%

Cope Seeds offer 3 standard mixtures which normally available forimmediate dispatch:-

MIXTURE CSO1 (70% ORGANIC)

30% ORGANIC EVELINA, Spring Barley

30% ORGANIC WESTMINSTER, Spring Barley

10% ORGANIC PROPHET, Spring Peas

30% ATLAS/VELVET, Spring Peas

100%

Our most popular Organic Arable Silage mixture, CSO1 produces agood balance of yield, starch and protein together with the ability tobe undersown with a grass mixture.

Suggested sowing rate – 75 kilos per acre (185 kilos per hectare) ifsown alone or 50 kilos per acre (125 kilos per hectare) if undersownwith a grass mixture

MIXTURE CSO2 (70% ORGANIC)

20% ORGANIC EVELINA, Spring Barley

20% ORGANIC WESTMINSTER

30% ORGANIC PROPHET, Spring Peas


100%

This mixture will be slightly lower yielding than CSO1 with lowerstarch but with a higher protein content.

Suggested sowing rate 80-85 kilos per acre (200 – 210 kilos perhectare) if sown alone or 60-65 kilos per acre (150-160 kilos perhectare) if undersown.

MIXTURE CSO3 (70% ORGANIC)35% ORGANIC EVELINA, Spring Barley

35% ORGANIC ROZMAR, Spring Oats


100%

A traditional Arable Silage mixture that also includes Oats as well asBarley and Peas. Oats can do better than Barley in less favourableconditions or areas of higher rainfall.

Suggested sowing rate – 75 kilos per acre (185 kilos per hectare) ifsown alone or 50 kilos per acre (125 kilos per hectare) if undersownwith a grass mixture.

VARIETIES USED IN COPE SEEDS’ARABLE SILAGE MIXTURES

n EVELINA, Spring Barley A new variety for 2016, Evelina is extremely quick to establish witha straw height exceeding that of both Armada and Westminster.Evelina has good standing power and good disease resistance. Ourorganic seed grower commented that it was the best looking cropof barley that he had seen in years.

n WESTMINSTER, Spring BarleyA well proven variety with an excellent track record for arable silage.Westminster combines good straw length and excellent diseaseresistance to produce large amounts of good quality forage.

n ROZMAR, Spring OatRozmar has shown over the last couple of years to be an excellentvariety for use in Arable Silage. Early to mature with good yields andexcellent disease resistance, especially to Crown Rust help Rozmarto produce good amounts of clean disease free forage.

n ATLAS, Spring PeaA large blue variety with high yields similar to Prophet. Atlas hasgood standing power and excellent disease resistance.

n PROPHET, Spring PeaStill the most popular field pea variety around, Prophet is a highyielding, large blue with an excellent track record. Prophet has goodstanding ability together with excellent downy mildew resistance.

n VELVET, Spring PeaA very high yielding white pea that in official UK trials out yieldedthe well know and popular variety Mascara by 4%. Although longerstrawed than Mascara, Velvet had better standing power making itan ideal choice for arable silage mixtures.

SPECIAL MIXTURESAlthough we have the above mixtures readily available, we aremore than happy to quote for any special arable silage mixture thatyou would like to plant. Mixtures CSO1 and CSO2 for instance canalso be mixed to order using oats rather than barley if required.Vetches are also available for inclusion if required. Non-Organicmixtures are also available on request.

Please contact Simon on 01529 421081 [email protected] for price and availability

ARABLE SILAGE MIXTURESWhilst on the topic of Spring Oats wethought we would take the opportunity ofmentioning the ever increasing interest inNaked Oats. Being a niche crop, the bulk ofthe business done so far has been from theconvectional sector but we have noticed awidening interest developing from theorganic sector.

Despite being lower yielding thanconventional husked oats, naked oatscontain considerable nutritional benefitsproducing higher oil and nutrient content.Already used in pig, poultry, horse and petfeeds, they are now being used in humanconsumption rations where they displaycholesterol reducing properties.

Due to this interest we have undertaken in2015 some extensive independent trials of7 spring naked oat varieties from 3different European Plant Breedingorganisations. We wanted to see how they

would perform over a number of sites indifferent locations not only against Lennonthe only spring naked oat variety on theAHDB Recommended List but also againstthe conventional husked types too. Ourprivate trials were based in Yorkshire andEssex

In addition to the 7 varieties in these privatetrials we also had 2 varieties in 2nd Year UKOfficial BSPB / AHDB Spring Oat Trials. Theyhave both been promoted to 3rd yearofficial trials and look to have the potentialto be added to the Recommended List inthe near future as replacements for Lennonwhich has just been removed from theAHDB 2016 Recommended List. We willkeep you updated on their progress.

To avoid quality loss ( rancidity ) naked oatsmust be dried immediately after harvest toat least 14% and for longer storage 12%.Due to the amount of oil they contain, it is

also advised not to store them too high andensure that the grain is turned regularly toavoid over-heating.

There is currently NO ORGANIC SEED ofnaked oats being produced in the UK but asinterest increases in this sector we aim tostart producing C2 organic seed in the next1 to 2 years to meet what demand there is.

However, due to there not being anyorganic seed for spring 2016 it should bequite feasible to obtain derogations to useuntreated conventional seed of which wewill be carrying a limited stock of one or twoof the varieties we have been trialling in theUK.

If you are interested ingrowing a seed crop thisspring please contacteither Trevor or Gemma on 01529 421081

NAKED OATS

Spring 2016 Organic C2 Seed Availability List

SPRING BARLEY

SPRING WHEAT

SPRING OATS

ARABLE SILAGEMIXTURES

ARMADA DOUBLESHOT ASPEN60% Org Barley10% Org Peas30% Non Org Peas

RGT CONQUEST MULIKA FIRTH40% Org Barley30% Org Peas30% Non Org Peas

EVELINA PARAGON ROZMAR35% Org Barley35% Org Oats30% Non Org Peas

WESTMINSTER TYBALT Special Mixtures can be accommodated

SPRING TRITICALE

SPRING PEAS

SPRING NAKED OATS

SPRING BEANS

Please Enquire Please Enquire SAUL Untreated Conventional FANFARE

KAMIL UntreatedConventional

VERTIGO

OLIVER UntreatedConventional


ORGANIC 3-4 YEAR (WHITE CLOVER)(70% ORGANIC)

4.5 kg ORGANIC SOLID, Tetraploid Hybrid Ryegrass

2.5 kg ASTON ENERGY, Tetraploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass

3.5 kg ORGANIC FOXTROT, Diploid Int. Perennial Ryegrass

1.5 kg ORGANIC ROMARK, Diploid Late Perennial Ryegrass

0.5 kg BARBLANCA, Large Leafed White Clover

0.5 kg AVOCA, Medium Leafed White Clover

0.5 kg RIVENDEL, Medium Small Leafed White Clover

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13.5 kilos per acre

Ideal both for cutting and grazing, this mixture will produce a cloverrich sward, full of protein and trace elements. The white clover willfix good quantities of atmospheric nitrogen which it will release intothe soil for the grass to utilise. This ley will be more persistent thanthe shorter term mixtures.

ORGANIC 3-4 YEAR LEY RED CLOVER OPTION (70% ORGANIC)


2.5 kg ORGANIC ORION, Tetraploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass

3.0 kg ORGANIC PREMIUM, Diploid Int. Perennial Ryegrass

1.0 kg DIPLOID ABERDART, Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass

3.0 kg MILVUS, Broad Red Clover

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14.0 kilos per acre

A 3-4 year mixture formulated mainly for cutting although it can beaftermath grazed if required. This will provide high yields of proteinrich hay or silage. Red Clover is relatively easy to establish and ishigher yielding than white clover. Care should be taken whengrazing high Red Clover swards as the high oestrogen levels in RedClover can affect the fertility of ewes if grazed by them.

ORGANIC 5-7 YEAR LEY (70% ORGANIC)2.5 kg ABERDART, Diploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass

1.5 kg ORGANIC PREMIUM, Diploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass

2.0 kg ORGANIC MAGICIAN, Tetraploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass

4.0 kg ORGANIC FOXTROT, Diploid Late Perennial Ryegrass

2.0 kg ORGANIC POLIM, Tetraploid Late Perennial Ryegrass




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13.5 kilos per acre

A flexible 5-7 year ley that can, not only be cut for hay or silage, butequally will provide high quality grazing for cattle or sheep. Thegood proportion of White Clover will both fix atmospheric nitrogento supply the companion grass but will also add protein and traceelements to the animal’s diet.

ORGANIC PERMANENT PASTURE (70% ORGANIC)

0.5 kg ABERDART, Diploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass


2.0 kg ORGANIC CALIBRA, Tetraploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass



1.5 kg COMER, Timothy

1.0 kg SENU PAJBJERG, Meadow Fescue




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15.0 kilos per acre

A permanent pasture mixture, using a selection of grass varietieswith a good spread of heading dates. This should provide excellent,season long grazing. The mixture can also be cut for hay or silage ifrequired. The Timothy is included to add to the palatability of thesward whilst Meadow Fescue is not only winter hardy but is moreproductive than Perennial Ryegrass in mid summer. A balancedselection of clover varieties are included to add extra protein to thesward whilst also providing a good source of nitrogen.

In 2012, Cope Seeds put together our own rangeof Organic grass mixtures which have gone fromstrength to strength, offering an extensiverange of quality options for the livestock farmerwhether it be for cutting or grazing and whetherit has been for dairy or meat production. Wecontinue to offer this competitively pricedmixture range for Spring 2016.

ORGANIC VETCH EXPRESS (70% ORGANIC)

6.0 kg ORGANIC DANERGO, Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass

3.0 kg LIGRANDE, Diploid Italian Ryegrass


1.0 kg Crimson Clover

8.0 kg ORGANIC Vetch

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20.0 kilos per acre

A 1 year mixture designed to produce large amounts of forage in arelatively short space of time. Although formulated to provide onebig cut, there will be some regrowth from this mixture for a secondsmaller cut or aftermath grazing and with the high legume content(vetch, crimson and red clover) this mixture will also act as anexcellent soil improver, releasing large amounts of nitrogen into thesoil when ploughed in.

ORGANIC 1-2 YEAR LEY (70% ORGANIC)

4.5 kg ORGANIC DRACAR, Diploid Italian Ryegrass




1.0 kg ALTASWEDE, Late Flowering Red Clover

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13.0 kilos per acre

A grass mixture formulated to provide large cuts of protein rich hayor silage. It can also be grazed if required and is ideal for lambfattening. When ploughed up, the Red Clover will leave goodquantities of residual nitrogen in the soil for the following crop.

ORGANIC SOIL IMPROVER /FERTILITY BUILDER (70% ORGANIC)



0.5 kg FOXTROT, Diploid Late Perennial Ryegrass



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10.0 kilos per acre

A 1-2 year mixture formulated to add fertility and structure to thesoil. Quick to grow, this mixture should also act as a natural weedsuppressant. Ideally, this mixture should be topped regularly duringthe growing period of the ley and when ploughed in will releaselarge amounts of nitrogen into the soil to be utilized by thefollowing crop.

ORGANIC 2-3 YEAR LEY (70% ORGANIC)


3.1 kg ORGANIC DRACAR, Diploid Italian Ryegrass


2.0 kg ORGANIC CALIBRA, Intermediate Tetraploid Perennial Ryegrass


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13.0 kilos per acre

A slightly longer lasting mixture than the 1-2 year ley and whist itwill provide excellent cuts of hay or silage, it is also designed withgrazing in mind too. The Hybrid Ryegrass and Perennial Ryegrasswill give added palatability and digestibility to the sward whilst, likethe 1-2 year ley, good quantities of residual nitrogen should be leftfor any following crop.

GRASS SEED MIXTURES


ORGANIC COCKLE PARK (70% ORGANIC)





0.75 kg COMER, Timothy

1.00 kg SENU PAJBJERG, Meadow Fescue

1.25 kg LIDACTA, Cocksfoot

0.35 kg ALICE, Large Leafed White Clover

0.55 kg CRUSADER, Medium Leafed White Clover

0.60 kg RIVENDEL, Small Leafed White Clover

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15.0 kilos per acre

Formulated for upland use or in areas of lower fertility, the CocklePark mixture not only contains a good selection of PerennialRyegrass varieties but also quantities of Timothy, Meadow Fescueand Cocksfoot which have shown to be better suited to less thanideal conditions or soil types and tend to have a lower nutrientrequirement. With the high rate of white clover, once established, aready source of nitrogen is provided for the companion grasses.

ORGANIC OVERSEEDER (70% ORGANIC)




2.3 kg ASTON ENERGY, Tetraploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass


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11.0 kilos per acre

Ideal for overseeding either damaged pastures or ones that areshowing signs of wear, this mixture can be direct drilled into theexisting sward or can be broadcast. If broadcast, ideally the swardshould have just been cut or grazed. A passing of a chain harrowwill open up the sward and then after broadcasting the seed, aroller (preferably a ring roller) should be used which not onlypresses the seed into the soil but also re-firms up the surfacecreating a better environment for the seed to germinate into.

SPECIAL MIXTURESWe are only too happy to quote for any

mixture of your own formulation, pleasetelephone Simon on 01529 421081 or email

[email protected] for price andavailability. Non-organic mixtures are also

available from Cope Seeds.

OTHER USEFULFORAGE CROPSLUCERNE

A Perennial crop that is normally grown on it’s own although a smallamount of Timothy or Meadow Fescue can be added as acompanion crop. Lucerne is a high protein legume which is suitedto light or free draining soils but doesn’t like heavy or waterloggedland. It establishes relatively slowly but in years 2 and 3, willproduce a significant amount of green material either for hay/silageor ploughing back in.

To get the best out of Lucerne, it requires cutting 3-4 times a year.Lucerne can be sown Late March to Early May or August and reallyneeds to be sown with an accompanying inoculant.

These inoculants which are passed by the Organic CertifyingAuthorities come either injected into peat which requires mixingwith the seed before sowing or in many cases nowadays, as a seedcoating which makes the sowing of the seed far easier.

Suggested sowing rate 20 kilos/ha (8 kilos/acre)Organic seed is normally available

SAINFOIN

Sainfoin is a perennial crop with an erect growth habit, lastinganywhere from 2-4 years. Ideal for chalk and limestone areas,Sainfoin, although relatively slow to establish it will produce enoughbiomass to compete against weeds once established.

Highly palatable when grazed Sainfoin can also be cut to producegood quality hay or silage and is best topped 2-3 times per year.Normally sown in the spring, Sainfoin can be undersown with aSpring cereal or sown in April/May (if undersown, the cereal sowingrate should be reduced to around 40 kilos per acre) and althoughlate August would be acceptable, this is less reliable as a reasonableamount of moisture is required to get Sainfoin going.

Sainfoin, like Lucerne can also be sown with a non-aggressivecompanion grass like Timothy or Lucerne but again like Lucerne, amaximum sowing rate of 3 kilos per acre of grass is advised.

Sowing a mixture has the advantage of not only increasing the totalyield from the sward but also improving the fermentation of thesilage due to the sugars in the grass. Being a legume, it needs littleor no bagged Nitrogen but unlike many other Legumes it doesn’tcause bloat. Sainfoin also requires very little Phosphate so all in allis an ideal low input crop.

Suggested sowing rate 70 kilos/hectare (30 kilos/acre)

For further information on these crops,please contact Simon on 01529 421081 or [email protected]

GRAIN UPDATEPage 11Spring 2016 Organic SeedPage 10 Spring 2016 Organic Seed

We were kindly invited to aWaitrose Farming PartnershipSupply Chain Workshop at theend of November where themain topic of discussion was theorganic feed supply chain.Waitrose Farming Partnershipare keen to develop supplychains that are transparent anduse more domestic produce.There seemed to be 2 mainreasons for this...

Firstly it is no secret that there has onceagain been a supply issue with the Ukraineand most importantly the supply ofsunflower. Sunflower expeller is anexcellent source of protein and good valuefor money, hence the reason it is used inmany diets. However the certification issuesthat have occurred within the Ukraine havecaused a lot of issues not only to UK feedmills, but mills across the continent.

We found the next reason to be the mostinteresting and eye opening, but first it isworth looking at some statistics to getacross the message

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In 2014 the UK had548,000ha of Organic Land –down from 576,000ha in 2013.

Since 2008 when the area of land farmedorganically peaked, organically farmedarea has declined 26%. Organically farmedarea now represents 3.2% of the totalutilised agricultural land in the UK

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The area in conversionexpressed as a percentage ofthe total organic area continuedto decline in 2014.

Albeit the decline has slowed over the last4 years compared to the period between2007 and 2010.

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Cereals, vegetables andpotatoes and other arable cropshave all declined since the late2000s

Permanent pasture accounts for 67% oforganic area, followed by temporarypasture at around 17% and cereals 8%You may feel this sounds negative, but onthe contrary...

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UK Organic sales increased by 4% in2014

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Total UK sales up from £1.79billion in2013 to £1.86billion in 2014

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European sales of organic productsincreased by 6% to £19.7 billion in 2012

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According to Organic Monitor, the Asianmarket for organic products continues togrow at a steady rate, as growingawareness of organic production methodsincreases demand. Japan is the largestmarket in Asia, followed by China andKorea.

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The direction taken by EU organicregulations could further regionalisesupply of organic feed for livestock

What this picture shows is an increase indemand by consumers globally for organicproduce. There is therefore going to bemore competition for cereal and pulsesupplies from Eastern Europe by othercountries as they try to meet their ownincrease in demand for organics. With thisin mind and the potential direction of EUregulations, we therefore need to be moreself reliant and encourage more growers tobecome organic if we are to meet demandand protect the ethos behind the organicsector.

We admire Waitrose Farming Partnershipfor taking such a proactive approach andhope that this step to develop domesticsupply chains, gives you confidence asorganic farmers that the industry isdeveloping in a positive and proactive way.

One Big Reason to be Positive...

Increase inRejections dueto Bugs

We have seen an increase in the

number of rejections experienced this

season due to mite, weevil and saw

tooth beetle. We can only assume the

increase is due to the extremely mild

winter we have had. To help alleviate

any potential rejections at the mills, we

recommend conditioning your heaps

and ensuring moisture is 15% or below,

regularly testing your heaps and

should you notice a problem, use

desiccant dusts such as diatomaceous

earth and amorphous silica, preferably

from naturally occurring sources.

Requirements

We are looking to buy awide range of cerealsand pulses for millsacross the UK including:

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Feed Barley

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Milling & Feed Wheat

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Feed Beans & Peas

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Milling Oats

To discuss prices pleasecall Gemma or Trevor on

01529 421081 or email

[email protected]

Cope Seeds News Update

Trevor Cope Seeds Limited (trading as Cope Seeds Limited) and Trevor Cope Grain Limited (trading as Cope Grain Limited) makes no representations or warranties, including as to the accuracyof content, in this newsletter and disclaims all liability arising out of or connected thereto. Images are for illustration purposes.

Trevor Cope Seeds Limited (trading as Cope Seeds Limited) Terms and conditions of Sale are available upon request. Trevor Cope Grain Limited (trading as Cope Grain Limited) Terms andconditions of Purchase are available upon request.

To unsubscribe please email your name and postcode to [email protected]

Contact Uswww.copeseeds.co.uk

Tel: 01529 421081 | Fax: 01529 421083

[email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected]

Organically BredCereal Varieties

We are extremely proud to announce thatthrough our efforts at Biofach lastFebruary, we have now created a strongworking relationship with 3 organic plantbreeders from the continent. We currentlyhave 6 varieties of winter milling wheats intrial in the UK and look forward to seeingtheir progress over the coming season. Weput 3 of these varieties through a fullbaking evaluation with W & H Marriage &Sons and received positive results. We lookforward to working with these breedersmore closely and hopefully bringing overtheir organic material to the UK organicfarmer in the near future.

Amigos Update

In our previous newsletter we made youaware of our donations to Amigos, a charitywhich supports Ugandans to work theirway out of poverty through education,vocational training and practical farming.We were linked to a young man calledValentine who has now completed histraining at Kira Farm. Valentine is now backwith his community, passing on all theknowledge he was taught from Kira Farmand is extremely grateful for theopportunity that Amigos gave to him.

We will continue to support Amigosthrough the sale of our organic seed andlook forward to hearing more from our newsponsor. If you would like moreinformation on Amigos charity, please visitwww.amigos.org.uk

Welcome to our newest member of staff...

Organic Trip to Germany

We are organising a trip to Hamburg this summer to visit well known organic plant breederDr Karl Joseph Muller, an Organic seed cleaning plant, German oat miller and Germanwheat miller. We will have the opportunity to look at over 1200 plots which will includehusked and hull-less Einkorn, Rye, Wheat, including plots where they are breeding forresistance to loose smut and common bunt, Barley and Naked Barley, Oats, Spelt(including breeding for hull-less spelt) and Triticale. If you would be interested please getin touch as spaces will be limited.

ORGANIC FARMING FORUM UP AND RUNNING

We would like to introduce you to www.farmingorganic.co.uk the farming forum fororganic farmers. We have created this forum as a mechanism for best practice, help andadvice, whilst helping you to create new farm to farm markets.

When you click onto the site, you must register details, butonce registered you will be able to go onto the forum andbegin chatting.

We hope you find this site useful, but as it is still in itsinfancy, if there are any changes you would like to see,please get in touch with Gemma.

www.farmingorganic.co.uk

We would like to welcome Nikki Middleton to the Cope Seedsteam. Nikki started working for us in September as CompanyAdministrator and due to starting at harvest time, wasthrown straight into the deep end! However Nikki reallyproved herself and showed us what an extremely usefuland highly capable individual she is. Nikki conducts everyjob with 100% effort and smile on her face and we areextremely happy she joined our team.

EVELINA - Cope Seeds Ltdcopeseeds.co.uk/pdf/Spring-2016-Organic-Newsletter.pdf · The NEW variety...

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