West

6 insights into keeping crops healthy this June in the west

Crop Progress

After just 22mm rain in March and 21mm in April, in May we’ve had 120mm in just three weeks in the west. That’s helped wheat crops pick up nitrogen, and they’ve tillered out and are looking green and healthy.

Septoria, as we approach the end of May, is only visible at the bottom of the canopy, mostly on leaf five, occasionally on leaf four, while yellow rust is coming back in on susceptible varieties three to four weeks after T1s were applied, even where strong yellow rust chemistry has been used.

If it goes very warm you can’t discount brown rust becoming a problem.

While oilseed rape crops are variable again, there is definitely more better looking oilseed rape crops than last year.

Gareth’s agronomy tips for June

Finish off T2 sprays in wheat
Don't compromise T3 timing
Keep intervals tight between sprays in spring barley
Don't go too early with oilseed rape desiccation
Plan blight spray programmes
Be careful with herbicides in maize

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A rugby playing, Butcher’s son – meet Bayer’s man in the West

A familiar face to many of you, Gareth Bubb is Bayer’s local Commercial Technical Manager for the west. But did you know that it was our nearest and dearest competitors that inspired him to work in agriculture?

Q. Did you always want to work in agriculture?
A. No. I’m not from a farming background – my parents had a butchers and greengrocers shop in mid-Wales. But while I enjoyed biology, I knew that I didn’t want to be stuck in a lab. For my sandwich year work placement at University, I decided to apply for a Trials Agronomy role with BASF in Suffolk since I enjoyed the agriculture modules on my Applied Ecology course. After a year with BASF in the trials department I decided that a career in agriculture was for me.

Q. Did you join Bayer directly after graduating?
A. Not quite. Following university my old rugby coach gave me a job in a factory so could pay off debts. I’d also done this during summer holidays. He made me work on the night shift so I could train in the week and play rugby at the weekends. I then applied for trial jobs with Bayer and Rhone Poulenc and was offered both and took the Bayer one. Ironically, I’d have probably ended up exactly the same if I’d taken the RP one [as they are on the legacy firms of Bayer].

Q. What’s the best part of your job as a CTM?
A. It’s all about the people – both colleagues and customers, and that no two days are the same. I work with a great team – we have high expectations of each other, but also have a lot of fun.

Q. How do you think farming is going to change in the next 5-10 years?
A. I think there will be a more holistic approach rather than just looking at individual aspects and will be more justification around agronomic decisions.

Q. When you’re not working, where would we find you?
A. On the side-lines watching a member of my family playing either rugby, hockey or cricket, depending on the day of the week and time of year. If you were very unlucky you may see me participating in the loosest sense of the word in two of the three.

Q. Describe yourself in three words
A. My family suggested “Grumpy old man”, but I prefer: “Loyal, stubborn, Welsh”!

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