Importance of CPD INSIDE: LTA Update

IAgrE Professional Journal www.iagre.org Volume 64, Number 4 Winter 2009

Combatting climate changeFunded by the Douglas Bomford Trust, Lisa Bunclark spent this summer in a smallHimalayan village

INSIDE: LTA Update with feature articles on CVTdevelopments and ISO couplings

Importance of CPDLed by Michael Woodhouse. IAgrECouncil debates whether CPDevents are fit for purpose

Biosystems

Engineering

Biosystems Engineering, owned by IAgrE,

and the Official Scientific Journal of

EurAgEng, is published monthly with

occasional special issues.

Reduced subscriptions are available to

members of IAgrE.

To view the full article list of the current

edition, visit

www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15375110

For further details of the depth and breadth

of articles accepted for publication in

Biosystems Engineering, visit

www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journalbibliographicinfo.

cws_home/622795/description#bibliographicinfo

For details of the preferential rates for

members for subscriptions to both the

paper and electronic versions of

Biosystems Engineering, visit the IAgrE

website at

http://www.iagre.org/bioeng.shtml

The Managing Editor of Biosystems Engineering, Dr Steve Parkin,has kindly summarised some of the papers published in the last

three issues which he thinks may be of interest to IAgrE members

Biosystems EngineeringVolume 103, Issue 4, August 2009, Pages 397-408

Modelling of material handling operations using controlled trafficD.D. Bochtis, C.G. Sørensen, R.N. Jørgensen, O. Green

University of Aarhus, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Tjele, DenmarkUniversity of Southern Denmark, Biotechnology and Environmental

Technology, Odense M, DenmarkThe development of a discrete-event model for the prediction of travelled dis-tances of a machine operating in material handling operations using the con-cept of CTF is presented. The model is based on the mathematical formulationof the discrete events regarding the motion of the machine when performingthe fieldwork pattern. To evaluate the model two slurry application experimentswere designed. The experiments involved registering the position and monitor-ing the application status of the slurry applicator. Validation showed that themodel could adequately predict the motion pattern of machinery operating inCTF. Prediction errors of total distance travelled, were 0.24% and 1.41% forthe 2 experimental setups. The current model structure captures the interrela-tionships between the mutual influencing parameters of motion sequence andconfigurations of the CTF layout. This model has the potential to be used forautonomous vehicles.

Volume 104, Issue 1, September 2009, Pages 152-160Durability of timber structures in agricultural and livestock buildingsR.A. Mariño, X.C. Carreira, M.E. Fernández and C. Fernandez-

RodriguezDepartment of Agroforestry Engineering, University of Santiago de

Compostela, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Campus Universitario, s/n. 27002 Lugo, Spain

A sample of 133 agricultural and livestock buildings was selected,including barns for housing different livestock species and other agri-cultural buildings such as storage buildings or hay barns. Timberdurability was assessed based on the structural condition of thebuildings, and the influence of the other variables on the condition ofthe structure was analysed. Data analysis revealed that the structuralcondition of the buildings studied was not affected by age or species.The factors with the strongest influence on the structural condition ofthe buildings were wood treatment, ventilation and the proper designof joints between timber members. Therefore, the durability of timberstructures in the buildings studied was dependent on the construc-tion practice, including the previous treatment of wood and the prop-er maintenance of the structure (ventilation, cleaning).

Volume 104, Issue 2, October 2009, Pages 191-198Modelling of pneumatic tractor tyre interaction with multi-layered soilAhmad Mohsenimanesh, Shane M. Ward, Philip O.M. Owende

and Arzhang JavadiBiosystems Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, IrelandAgricultural Engineering Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Karaj, Iran

School of Informatics and Engineering, Institute of TechnologyBlanchardstown, Dublin 15, Ireland

A non-linear finite element (FE) model of the interaction of a tractortyre with soil surface was developed as a procedure for analysingthe contact pressure distribution for varying wheel loads and tyreinflation pressures. The tyre model considered the geometry and ori-entations of the tyre cords in each ply, the near-incompressible prop-erty of the tread rubber block, and the high and non-linear deforma-tion of the carcass under the tread. The soil model was simulatedwith a linear model and considered a realistic soil cross-sectionalarea of influence with layers separation, including three soil surfacelayers and a hardpan layer. The three surface layers were within nor-mal tillage depth (soil surface to 250 mm depth), with 250-300 mmhardpan substratum. Results from the simulation were comparedwith the measured data to verify the validity of the model for soft soilconditions. The comparison showed reasonably good agreementbetween the computed and measured general pattern of the pres-sure distribution at the tyre-soil interface under different loads andinflation pressures.

AS life gets more complicated and thepressures to support the world’s popula-tion in a sustainable way increase, so theworld appears to have become a massivetalking shop.As ever, it’s a question of balance. Important issues - issues that will play avital role in ensuring the well-being ofgenerations to come - simply cannot beconsidered in isolation.Food production, the environment, hous-ing, leisure and recreation, transport,water supply all have to be considered incontext.From time to time, these strands arepulled together as with the recent indus-try-led Campaign for FarmedEnvironment set up to retain the envi-ronmental benefits formerly provided byset-aside.However, often groups will career off ona tangent and ignore the bigger picture.Recently, the NFU has been scathingabout a report published by The Lancetwhich appears to have the backing of sen-ior Government Ministers which calledfor a 30 per cent reduction in livestocknumbers in the highest producing coun-tries in order to combat climate change.The report had seemingly been puttogether without any involvement or con-sultation with Defra, the oneGovernment department that deals withfood policy - and which should under-stand the issues.The result - the Government now

appears to be backing a policy of a mas-sive reduction in livestock.Leaving aside concerns about the validityof the climate change lobby’s claims, thisdemonstrates muddled thinking at best.Again, this issue of Landwards containscriticism from the agricultural engineer-ing sector about the complete lack of ref-erence in the recent Royal Society reportabout alleviating global food security tothe part that engineering and technologycan play in translating science into action.None of the £2bn research funding calledfor by the Royal Society is directed at theengineering sector.Yet many would argue that greater effi-ciency flows from ever more sophisticat-ed machinery and equipment.You have to wonder whether, in this ageof opinion formers and spin, our industryis really getting its voice heard - orwhether we are just too insular in ourapproach?Finally, I wish everyone in the IAgrEcommunity a very Happy and PeacefulChristmas and NewYear.

EDITORIAL

The views and opinions expressed in individual contributions are not those necessarily those of IAgrE or the Editor. Landwards is compiled from information received by IAgrE, butno responsibility can be accepted by the governing Council, the Publishers or the Editor in respect of any errors or omissions. The Editor does reserve the right to edit any materialsent to the journal for publication. Material from this publication may be quoted or reported on condition that full credit is given to Landwards and to the author together with thedate of publication and volume number. In the interest of factual reporting, reference to trade names and proprietry products may be inevitable. No endorsement of the namedproducts or manufacturers is intended and no adverse criticism is implied of similar products which are not mentioned..

© Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) ISSN 1363-8300

CHRIS BIDDLEEditor

Landwards is published quarterly by:IAgrEBarton Road, Silsoe,Bedford MK45 4FHTelephone: + 44 (0) 1525 861096Fax: + 44 (0) 1525 861660E-mail: [email protected]

PresidentRichard E Robinson CEng FIAgrE

Chief Executive and SecretaryChristopher R Whetnall CEnv IEng FIAgrE MemASABE

IAgrE is a foundermember ofEurAgEng, alicensed body of theEngineeringCouncil and afounder constituentof the Society forthe Environment

The Professional Journal for Engineers, Scientistsand Technologists in Agriculture, Horticulture,Forestry, Environment and Amenity

VOLUME 64 Number 4 2009

THIS ISSUE

PRODUCTION TEAM

EDITOR: Chris BiddleTel: 44 (0) 1722 429570 (direct line)[email protected]

SUB-EDITOR: Steve GibbsTel: 44 (0) 1722 [email protected]

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www.iagre.org

Winter 2009 Landwards 3

Too many cooks . .?PRE-INCAN HYDRAULICIRRIGATION SYSTEMSAngela Khudonazarova examinesa system which finds itself back inthe news due to its ability towithstand current climate changepressures.

COMBATING THE EFFECTSOF CLIMATE CHANGELisa Bunclark, funded by theDouglas Bomford Trust, spent thissummer working on a voluntaryproject in Shyamaghat.

IAgrE EMPHASISESIMPORTANCE OF CPDThe council recently debatedwhether the ContinuedProfessional Development eventsare fit for purpose

WHAT’S NEW IN WEEDCONTROLAndy Cobb, Professor of PlantScience at Harper Adams explains

Biosystems Engineering ..................2News Update ..........................4-10President’s musings ......................11Campaign for farmed enviro.........15What is Land for? review ..............18Manchester United ......................19Battlefield to cattle field................20Wakeham’s World ..................24-25Profile............................................26Membership Matters ..............27-35

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CENTRE PAGESLTA UPDATE

Including Peter Hill on the current CVTscene and which ISO connection advice

NEWSUPDATE

THE Voluntary Initiative(VI) is continuing to meet itstargets and will help ensureUK farmers are well placedto meet the requirements ofthe Sustainable UseDirective, the initiative’sannual report has revealed.

Although the 1.6 millionhectares now covered byCrop ProtectionManagement Plans (CPMPs)was just short of target, thenumber of plans received bythe NFU has continued toincrease despite theirremoval as an option for newentrants to Entry LevelStewardship.

Membership of theNational Register of SprayerOperators (NRoSO) hasmarginally increased to morethan 20,000, despite anexpected decline as business-es rationalised sprayingoperations. The NationalSprayer Testing Scheme(NSTS) now covers 84.3 percent of the sprayed area andthe number of tests increasedto more than 13,500. Theshortfall from the 85 per centtarget was a consequence of achange to the way thesprayed area is calculated.

Professor Barry Dent,

chairman of theVI SteeringGroup, said,“After eight yearsof hard work I ampleased thatfarmers and thecrop protectionindustry remainas committed asever to theV o l u n t a r yInitiative.

“The industryfaces new chal-lenges with theimplementationof both the WaterFramework andthe SustainableUse Directives.However, the UK is wellplaced to meet these chal-lenges and I hope, as a resultof the VI’s work, the cost bur-den and extra red tape forfarmers will be minimised.”

To recognise and explainthe work of the VI to a wideraudience, a new leaflet called‘Making a difference’ has beenpublished by the VI sponsors.

The VI has also announcedthe formation of TheVoluntary InitiativeCommunity InterestCompany (VI-CIC) to help it

access wider sources offunds. The announcement ofthe Strategic Partnership onResponsible Pesticide Usewith the English CatchmentSensitive Farming DeliveryInitiative is a recent exampleof this new approach. Thedirectors of the VI-CICinclude the VI sponsors andthree independent directorsincluding VI chairmanProfessor Barry Dent.

The Initiative also boasts anew website which can befound at www.voluntaryinitia-tive.org.uk

Voluntary Initiative continues to meet targets

Engineering Councilrebrand to reflectglobal standingREFLECTING its growing inter-national reach and influence,the Engineering Council hasnow dropped the ‘UK’ from itsname.

The Council says one of thekey deciding factors is that theprofessional qualificationsawarded by themselves -Chartered Engineer,Incorporated Engineer andEngineering Technician - arefast becoming internationallyrecognised standards of compe-tence. In an increasingly glob-alised economy this recognitionis vitally important to employers.

Andrew Ramsay, ChiefExecutive Officer of theEngineering Council said, “Amajor benefit for engineers onour register and holders ofEngineering Council accreditedacademic qualifications is thatthe rigor of the EngineeringCouncil’s UK-SPEC assessmentof competence is widely recog-nised by the rest of the world. Infact, the title CharteredEngineer is now one of the mostrecognisable international engi-neering qualifications.”

A significant 25% of engi-neers on the EngineeringCouncil’s register now workoutside the UK, and a further10-15% of registrants are non-UK citizens. Individuals holdingEngineering Council titles arepresent in 45 countries.

The Engineering Council hasalso been granted a licence toaward EUR-ACE labels to UKaccredited degrees by theEuropean Network forAccreditation of EngineeringEducation (ENAEE).

To help incorporate under-standing of global issues suchas sustainability, climate changeand poverty into the teaching ofengineering, the EngineeringCouncil has joined forces withUK based Higher Educationinstitutions and other relevantbodies, in a project beingimplemented by independentNGO Engineers Against Poverty(EAP) and funded by a grantfrom the Department forInternational Development.

IN 1988 FWAG published thefirst edition of its widelyacclaimed ‘Farm ConservationGuide’.

This pocket book providedpractical advice and informa-tion for farmers and land man-agers about the management ofwildlife habitats in a commonsense, straightforward and easi-ly understood format. Many ofthe actions could be undertakenas part of the daily farming rou-tine within the context of aplanning management regime.

The Guide helped farmersidentify important wildlife habi-tats and indicated how theyshould be managed, whilstencouraging a whole farm

approach to conservation. TheGuide was broken down intoseparate chapters for differentaspects of farm conservation:watercourses and wetlands,trees and shrubs, field marginsand grassland to name a few.Such was the popularity of theGuide that a re-print was com-missioned in 1995.

To mark FWAG’s 40thanniversary year a third, updat-ed edition of the FWAG FarmConservation Guide has beenpublished. Sponsorship hasbeen received from CoombeFarm Organic and HRH ThePrincess Royal has written theforeword.

The 2009 edition of the

G u i d eincludes forthe first timecase studiesof farms thathave receivedF W A Gadvice andwill also coverc u r r e n tresource pro-tection issues.To order acopy of theFarm Conservation Guide(£7.99) download the orderform on the FWAG websitewww.fwag.org.uk or contact: SueHiggins [email protected] Tel: 02476 698744

FWAG celebrate 40 years New Farm Conservation Guide published

Farmers well placed to meet Sustainable Use Directive

4 Landwards Winter 2009

Dairy Event relocatesto Birmingham NECTHE Royal Association of BritishDairy Farmers is to relocate theDairy Event and Livestock Showin 2010 to the NEC,Birmingham from its currentStoneleigh Park, Coventry site.

The organisers say the event,which takes place on 7 and 8September 2010, will “continueto build on its current formatoffering comprehensive techni-cal, business and financialinformation for the entire UKruminant sector”.

All trade exhibitors fromacross the supply chain will belocated in interlinked exhibitionhalls, while another hall cover-ing more than two acres willaccommodate livestock; dairy -including the competitive class-es, beef, sheep, commercialgoats and native breeds exhibi-tions.

RABDF chief executive NickEverington said, “Since 2003,exhibitor numbers haveincreased by 60%, from 280 to465 exhibitors, and we need towiden the show’s appeal. the21st century.”

Claas sizes are getting larger each year22 new students join scheme run at Reaseheath and Barony

CLAAS say the success andsupport for the theirAgricultural Apprenticeshipbased at Reaseheath inCheshire and Barony Collegenear Dumfries, is evident in thefact that 22 new students havejoined the scheme this yearfrom their dealerships through-out the UK.

This year will see the firstgroup of nine students startingtheir four-year apprenticeshipbased at Reaseheath College.This follows the decision byCLAAS UK to enter into a newtraining partnership with thecollege near Nantwich inCheshire.

The 22 students come fromthroughout the UK. AtReaseheath both Seward inYorkshire and Olivers(Hertfordshire andOxfordshire) have two studentsstarting. The other studentscome from: Kirby(Leicestershire); SouthernHarvesters (Berkshire); Marsh(Lincolnshire); Hamblys

(Cornwall) and R&G Williams(Gwynedd).

At Barony 13 students joiningthe scheme this year come fromRickerby (north England),Sellars (north east Scotland)and Gordons (south westScotland).

CLAAS is the only landbasedengineering company to offer amanufacturer’s apprenticeshipwithin Scotland, which waslaunched last year in order toprovide CLAAS dealers inScotland and the north ofEngland with the same appren-ticeship training provision assouthern dealers.

In both cases the students willbe studying for a NationalDiploma in Land BasedTechnology.

One of the main benefits ofthe Diploma is that upon quali-fication, the successful candi-date will receive a Pass, Meritor Distinction grade, which willenable them to better demon-strate and gain recognition fortheir progression and ability.

Following their graduationfrom the Apprenticeshipscheme, these ServiceEngineers will be able to followthe comprehensive CLAAS UKtraining development plan,which is laid out by the CLAASAcademy and aligned with theLandbased TechnicianAccreditation (LTA) scheme.

This programme is designed

to mirror the business require-ments of CLAAS dealers andalso offers career progressionthrough the LTA tiers, fromLTA 2 (Service Engineer), toLTA 3 (Master Mechanic) orLTA 4 (Master Technician). Assuch the Apprentice scheme isthe start of a continual develop-ment cycle which will offerentrants a clear career pathway.

The Reaseheath apprentices

Frank Moore visits Airborne Cemetery in Arnhem

IN 2004, Frank Moore, design-er of the Moore Mower, pre-sented one of his machines tothe Commonwealth WarGraves Commission for use inthe Airborne Cemetery atArnhem where most of the 44members of his old regimentwho were killed in the 9 day bat-tle lie buried among some 1700others who took part in theoperation.

Whilst attending the 65thanniversary commemoration ofthe battle in September, Frankrevisited the Old Church atOsterbeek, were he spent mostof the battle and where he con-siders his Guardian Angel musthave been based. There he metup with an old Dutch friendwho is a senior member of thecommittee who make thearrangements for the annualCommemoration.

He told Frank that a fewmonths previously they had hada meeting with representativesfrom the Cemetery who men-

tioned that the main mowerthey used had been designed byone of the veterans and was thebest mower they had ever used.

On the Sunday morning,when huge crowds assemble forthe Memorial Service, Frankmanaged to locate one of thegardeners and when askedwhether they had experiencedany problems, said that theyonly had to replace the battery.

After nearly six seasons ofoptimum use, Frank felt that atleast a new bottom blade mustbe due. Further to Frank con-tacting Richard Robinson,Managing Director ofAutoguide UK Ltd (now themanufacturer of the machine),Richard said “We are absolute-ly delighted to help and havedonated a new bottom blade forthe mower.”

Veteran of battle who designed mower used by CWGC



Forestry Commission honouredBritish Construction Industry awards Lewisburn Bridge, Kielder

THE Lewisburn Bridge, inKielder Water and Forest Park,Northumberland has won hon-ours for the ForestryCommission in the 2009 BritishConstruction Industry Awards.

The curved suspensionbridge, built for the KielderPartnership was designed by DrGeoff Freedman the ForestryCommission’s head of civilengineering and design. It wasnominated for a PrimeMinister’s ‘Better PublicBuilding Award’ and was theonly project in the civil engi-neering category that was ‘high-ly commended’.

The post and cable structurewith a sustainable timber deckelegantly spans the Lewis Burntransporting runners, cyclists,horse riders, and wheelchairand pushchair users across aninlet which is part of theLakeside Way, a new 26 miletrail which encircles the shore-line of Kielder Water.

Dr Geoff Freedman said,“It’s fantastic that this imagina-tive project has been recognisedand demonstrates how creative

design can make a real dif-ference. It’s a fine exampleof what Forestry CivilEngineering does best;combine expert structuralengineering with a designthat complements thecountryside.

“Our challenge was toconstruct a bridge thatwould enhance the walkwhile reflecting the localforest environment. It hadto be robust enough forhorses, but ‘light’ enough tosit back in the setting andinteresting enough todemand attention.

“It also had to have anon-slip deck to ensurethat it was safe for horses tocross and wide enough for rid-ers to feel comfortable leadingtheir horses across. Thehandrail also had to be strongerand higher than usual to copewith the possibility of a horsestumbling or pushing againstthem.

“All in all, it was a verydemanding specification andit’s particularly satisfying that

we achieved it all for the verymodest budget of £150,000”, headded.

One judge of the BCI AwardsRory Olcayto, Editor of TheArchitects’ Journal said, “Whatsets the BCI Awards apart isthat it rewards successful col-laboration between architects,planners, engineers, local coun-cils and other professionals inthe delivery of projects.”

Supply of farmlandpredicted to halve“STRUTT & Parker predict sup-ply of farmland to halve nextyear,” is the view of CharlieEvans of Strutt & Parker’s Estateand Farm Agency Department.

Mr Evans said, “I expect thevolume of land next year to behalf of the amount marketed in2008".

Mr Evans’ view is shaped bythree main factors.

The first reason is that at themoment farmers are strugglingwith low wheat prices whichmeans they need to spread theircosts over as large an acreageas possible. “Most farmers aretherefore potential buyers andnot sellers.” comments MrEvans.

The second reason is that2008 saw a peak in the farm-land market. Values had dou-bled in two years and there wasa large acreage being sold bylandowners ‘profit taking’ fromthe land. “Many bought landfor £2500 - £3000 per acre inthe early 2000s” says Mr Evans“In 2008 they were given theopportunity to double theirmoney and sell if for £5000 -£6000 per acre and many tookit.”

The third reason is the elec-tion next spring. “Traditionallyelections cause the market toslow down considerably as themarket waits to see who will bein power and considers whateffect (if any) the change ofGovernment will have on farm-ing and property transactions”says Mr Evans

According to Strutt andParker, there was over 190,000acres marketed in 2008, 23%more than 2007. “I expect thevolume of land marketed to fallbelow 100,000 acres next year- a level not seen since 2004when the market was depressedby the, then, uncertainty sur-rounding Single Farm Payment.”

“If I was in the market for afarm, I would look to buy soon,as I am not expecting the usuallarge volume of land to be mar-keted next spring” ConcludesMr Evans.

For he’s a jolly good Fellow

PICTURED above is Professor Dick Godwin receiving hisFellowship of the Royal Agricultural Societies ( F.R.Ag.S ) fromAdel McNicol President of the Royal Agricultural Society ofEngland at the 2009 Royal Show.

Dick’s Fellowship was awarded for his outstanding lifetimecontribution to Agricultural Engineering.

There are currently only three Fellows in IAgrE.

CEMA elect JD manas new presidentAT its recent summit in Brussels,the Board of Directors ofCEMA, the EuropeanCommittee representing theagricultural machinery industry,elected Gilles Dryancour as thenew president of the organisa-tion for a two-year term.

In his new role,Dryancour (pic-tured) - who isdirector, publicaffairs for JohnDeere in Europe,CIS, NorthernAfrica and the Near& Middle East - willbe supported by Franz-Georgvon Busse, managing directorof Lemken (Germany) and byMassimo Goldoni, president ofUNACOMA (Italy), who wereboth elected as vice-presidentsby the CEMA general assembly.

CEMA represents 11 nationalagricultural machinery manu-facturers’ associations through-out the European Union.

NEWSUPDATE


Inaugural Lely Technician award winnerSpecial award in memory of NVQ apprentice

ADAM Hubberd has beenannounced as the very first win-ner of The Lely UK NVQ Level2 Technician Award.

This special award was set upin memory of Laurence Moody,a 19-year-old apprentice at theturf maintenance and agricul-tural machinery distributor's StNeots HQ, who tragically diedin a car accident in November2008.

Laurence - like his fellow stu-dent and friend Adam, also 19and from St Neots - was onapprenticeship at Lely as partof his City & Guilds NVQ Level2 in Service Engineering(Groundcare Machinery) atWrittle College in Chelmsford,Essex, when the accidentoccurred. A promising and pop-ular apprentice, Lely’s trainingmanager Ian Sumpter estab-lished this new award to recog-nise and reward the best NVQLevel 2 student technician in hishonour.

Ian worked with WrittleCollege lecturer Scott Clark toselect the most promising stu-dent technician of 2009.

Although an independentscheme open to students at anyturf or agricultural companyparticipating in the NVQapprentice programme, Adam'shard work and positive attitudein spite of his close friend'sdeath shone through and hewas chosen as the deservedinaugural winner.

He accepted his award at thisyear’s IOG Saltex show in

Windsor, with Laurence’s par-ents, Debbie and Nigel Moody,plus brother Nathan, by hisside. “I feel really privileged towin this award as Laurence wasa very close friend of mine,” hesaid. “I’d like to thankLaurence’s family for beinghere to give the award theirblessing, as well as Lely and mycollege for supporting me in mystudies.”

Adam Hubberd, centre, receives the Lely Award in memory ofLaurence Moody from, to his right, Laurence’s parents Debbie andNigel Moody and brother Nathan, with, from left, Writtle Collegelecturer Scott Clark, Lely’s training manager Ian Sumpter and run-ner-uup Andy Simmonds

Red Tractor logo hits £10 billion markTHE Red Tractor logo now fea-tures on products with an annu-al retail sales value of £10 bil-lion, a rise of over £1.5bn in thelast twelve months, reportsAssured Food Standards (AFS)– the independent organisationbehind the Red Tractor foodassurance scheme.

This milestone has beenreached under the tenure ofColin Smith, Assured FoodStandard’s outgoing Chairman,who took up the post in 2003.

Much of the growth has beendriven by the foodservice sec-tor, which has grown 50% in thelast year. All major retailers andmore than 500 leading compa-nies use the logo and RedTractor is now attracting a highlevel of interest from foodser-vice operators supplying theleisure sector as well as publicprocurement areas such asschools and hospitals, accordingto AFS.

“As little as two years ago wehad no presence in foodservice

so this is ai m p o r t a n tdevelopment forus,” said DavidClarke, CEO ofAssured FoodStandards.

“The RedTractor logo is asimple short-hand for con-sumers whowant to knowthat the foodthey buy meetsstrict standardsof food safety,environmental protection andanimal welfare as well as aguarantee of origin.”

The latest announcementcoincides with the arrival ofnew, independent, AFSChairman, David Gregory. Hisrole commenced on December1st when Colin Smith steppeddown from the post upon thecompletion of his successful six-year tenure.

In a further step in the evolu-tion of Red Tractor, AssuredFood Standards is on the vergeof launching its newly har-monised standards. From April2010, the scheme’s 78,000 farm-ers and growers will go live withstandards that are for the firsttime aligned across all farm sec-tors allowing a more integratedapproach, particularly formixed farms.

L-RR: Colin Smith and David Gregory

SIX Lantra approved traininginstructors recently visited theReform Plant in Wels, Austria tolearn more with regard to themanufacture and performancecapabilities of their bank mowertractor range.

Over the two days the dele-gates were able to drive Metrac& Mounty models and alsoreceived instruction from Reformstaff with regard to operatingthe machines effectively andsafely.

Simon Richard UK agent forReform said, “Working safely onsloping ground is a high profileissue for both employer andmachine operator and a num-ber of injuries and claims haveserved to highlight this. This visitby Lantra approved instructorscan only be of benefit withregard to the education of allinvolved in groundcare con-cerning safe practice. TheLantra approved driver trainingprogramme is an integral partof the process.”

Brian Rees, one of the Lantraapproved delegates on theReform visit added, “We work inconjunction with the Health &Safety Executive and asapproved instructors we arecontinually involved with safetyawareness training for opera-tives working for the HighwaysAgency, the EnvironmentAgency and Local Authorities topromote safe working practices.

“This Reform visit was anextremely useful two days andthe knowledge gained will formthe basis of our operator train-ing programme within the newlyformed ‘All Terrain Tractor’ cate-gory. With the increasing focuson safety there is a huge train-ing demand for tractor opera-tors working on steep slopes.”

Lantra training instructors visit Reform


THE otherwise admirablereport from the Royal Societythat calls for an additional £2billion research funding over10 years aimed at alleviatingglobal food security overlooksthe key role of engineeringand technology in translatingscience into action.

The Report entitled‘Reaping the benefits: Scienceand the sustainable intensifi-cation of global agriculture’published on October 21stmakes encouraging reading.The study was conducted bya working group chaired bySir David Balcombe FRS andclaims to be a landmark inthe examination of the contri-bution of the biological sci-ences to food crop produc-tion.

In setting out the challengethe report puts forward thefamiliar scenario: “Producingenough food for the increas-ing global population mustbe done in the face of chang-ing consumption patterns, theimpacts of climate changeand the growing scarcity ofwater and land. Crop pro-

duction methods must alsosustain the environment, pre-serve natural resources andsupport the livelihoods offarmers and rural popula-tions around the world.

“Due to the scale of thechallenge no technologyshould be ruled out”- it con-tinues.

The recommendationsinclude the need for a longterm strategy that bringstogether all the fundingroutes and that is alignedwith comparable internation-al activities with moreemphasis on an ecosystembased approach. Universitiesare encouraged to reversethe decline in disciplines suchas agronomy, plant physiolo-gy, pathology, botany, soilscience , environmentalmicrobiology, weed scienceand entomology.

Who could disagree withthis analysis? No one - butonce again there appears tobe no recognition of the keyrole of engineering basedtechnologies in translatingadvances in science into

practical outcomes. Applyingdevelopments in agronomy,dealing with increases inyield, minimising soil damageand pollution, optimisingwater use, and avoiding loss-es and wastage throughoutthe chain invariably dependon engineering solutions.

The underpinning, risk tak-ing innovation and criticalknowledge transfer requiredto drive and implement engi-neering developments inthese areas cannot be leftentirely to the market place.The public sector must alsotake responsibility.

Within the UK there is nei-ther a central focus nor sup-port for agricultural engineer-ing based research and ourcapacity is waning fast. IAgrEis urging a fundamentalrethink in this position if allthe funding and effort putinto other areas is indeedgoing to reap a benefit.

Our friends across theAtlantic appear to have awider vision. The USDA hasrecently established theNational Institute of Food and

Agriculture (NIFA) as one ofits agencies providing leader-ship in creating and dissemi-nating knowledge spanningall disciplines for the develop-ment of agriculture.

‘Technology andEngineering’ is one of NIFA’s‘targeted areas of interest’.The over view of this areastates: “Technology and engi-neering translate scientificknowledge into action. At thesame time technologicalinnovations often require fur-ther research into materials,devices and processes.

“NIFA programmes supportengineering research andnew technology developmentas well academic trainingand technology transfer.Together, these efforts resultin safer, higher quality foods,more efficient and environ-mentally sound agriculturalpractices; and better educat-ed and more economicallycapable communities”.

Now there is a better wayof thinking!

CCEEOO VIEW

Christopher Whetnall

Royal Society Report overlooks the key role ofengineering and technology

THE Royal Society report‘Reaping the benefits: Scienceand the sustainable intensifi-cation of global agriculture’examined the contributionthat could be made by bio-logical sciences in solving thedeveloping problem of glob-al food security.

Agricultural engineeringresearch has a positive con-tribution to make towards thesearch for a sustainable agri-culture that meets the needsof an expanding world popu-lation.

Land machinery innovationwas the main force behindagricultural expansion in thepast two centuries.

This century the task is torespond to new scientificdevelopments in agricultureoutlined in the report, tomake crop treatments moreprecise and plant specificand to play a key role in sus-tainable farming practice andland management.

In recent years the UK gov-ernment has retreated fromfunding research in agricul-tural engineering, markedespecially by the closure ofthe Silsoe Research Institute(formally the NationalInstitute of AgriculturalEngineering) in 2005.

In the context of the“Grand Challenge” of pro-

viding food security over thenext 40 years a reasonableproportion of the researchbudget needs to be allocatedto the public finance of inno-vative engineering ideas andresearch into more efficientand environmentally compat-ible land equipment.

Multinational companies inthe agricultural engineeringindustry can be countedupon to finance the evolutionof their own products butsmall and medium-sizedengineering enterprises willneed public help to respondto new demands.

As suggested in the report,cooperation between the

Research Councils and withindustry is essential.

The Research Councils cur-rently fund no agriculturalengineering projects at all.Eventually, the seriousness ofthe situation may justify theestablishment of an overallAgricultural ResearchDevelopment Agency withresponsibility to coordinatepublic research expenditureand to relate UK research ini-tiatives to those being under-taken elsewhere in the world.

Roger Lane-NNottCEO AEA

Don’t back away from machinery research

NEWSUPDATE


THE nation’s ability to produceenough food will be chal-lenged because of a criticalshortage of skilled workers inthe environmental and land-based sector.

This warning, affectingeveryone working in the sector,including land-bbased engi-neering, was presented toWestminster MPs on 21October with the publicationof Lantra's latest ‘SkillsAssessment’ research.

The report, produced by theSector Skills Council for theUK’s environmental and land-based industries, highlightsthat 31% of vacancies acrossagriculture are hard to fillbecause of skills shortages,

compared to 21% across allsectors, with significant prob-lems for farm managers (70%)and farmers (59%).

Furthermore, challengessuch as climate change, newtechnology, food and fuelsecurity mean that farmers andgrowers now need to acquireeven higher levels of skills andknowledge to do their job.

Lantra say their SkillsAssessment research is basedupon a comprehensive reviewof changes and evidence thathas emerged over the pastyear. It sets out the skills gapsand shortages of the currentworkforce and identifies theprojected skills needs throughto 2017.

Commenting on Lantra’s keyfindings, Chief Executive PeterMartin said, “This major pieceof research gives us all foodfor thought. We must addressthese critical shortages in theworkforce now and take onboard the need for everincreasing levels of skills.

“This is also a modern andtechnical sector and if we areto meet the challenges of cli-mate change and food securitythrown at our farmers andgrowers, we must act now toaddress these skills issues.”

“Clearly, we simply cannotafford to get this wrong andmust equip our farmers andgrowers, and those that servicethem, with the right kind of

specialist, cost-eeffective skillssupport they need,” PeterMartin continued.

“There are thousands ofbusinesses out there preparedto play their part, but their vitalrole in feeding the nation hasto be recognised and support-ed at the highest level.”

Richard Longthorp whochairs the Agri Skills Forumadded, “We need to attract60,000 new entrants into agri-culture alone over the nextdecade just to stand still. Notonly do we need to equipthem with the right profession-al skills but we also need tomake them feel part of anindustry that itself is viewed asprofessional.”

Skilled worker shortage may jeopardise food production say Lantra

Minister marks success of FMO skills courseRoseanna Cunningham MSP visits harvesting site at Davington Forest, Eskdalemuir

THE successful completion ofthe first of the new series ofForest Machine Operator SkillsDevelopment Courses, devel-oped by the UK ForestProducts Association andBarony College, was marked bya visit by RoseannaCunningham MSP, the ScottishEnvironment Minister.

Having completed two weeksintensive instruction at theCollege, which included the useof machine simulators, thetrainees initially moved to aharvesting site near Dalbeattie,before transferring to a largerharvesting site in Eskdalemuir.

Visiting the harvesting site atDavington Forest, Eskdalemuiron 2 November, the Ministermet College staff, RussellMarchant, Principal andinstructors, Paul Fotheringhamand John Williamson, togetherwith UKFPA representatives,David Sulman and GavinDavidson, before meeting thetrainees. All four trainees hadrecently been assessed underthe Forest Machine OperatorCertification Scheme for bothharvester and forwarder opera-tions and had satisfied the inde-pendent assessors of their levelsof skill and competence

The Minister presentedCollege certificates to the four

trainees; Lewis Bowsher ofMoffat, Gavin Henderson ofSelkirk, Colin McGregor ofDunoon and Dennis Smith ofArbroath.

The site at Eskdalemuir wasgenerously provided byKronospan Forestry, and wasoverseen by George Birrell, inconjunction with ElliotHenderson.

The FMO SkillsDevelopment Programme atBarony College, which was suc-cessfully piloted in 2007, hasbeen financially supported bythe Skills Development Schemeof the Scotland RuralDevelopment Programme,together with very significantcontributions in kind from JohnDeere Forestry Ltd, who pro-vided two harvesters, ForestryCommission MechanicalEngineering Services, who pro-vided two forwarders, ClarkEngineering, who provided sup-port services and ForestryCommission Scotland, who pro-vided the initial harvesting site,near Dalbeattie.

Two further eight week fulltime courses are being plannedfor Spring 2010, (expected tocommence in March and May),each providing four trainingplaces.

David Sulman, Executive

Director of theUK ForestP r o d u c t sAssociation said,“We were delight-ed to welcome theS c o t t i s hE n v i r o n m e n tMinister to siteand to show herthe pioneeringskills develop-ment course inaction. This is aunique courseand we areimmensely grate-ful to all of theproject partners,without whosesupport thecourse would nothave come tofruition.

“We are nowfinalising arrange-ments for the nexttwo courses andalso looking for-ward to the possi-bility of furthercourses beyond2010. There is a pressing needfor more and better skilled for-est machine operators, not onlyto keep pace with increasingproduction from our forests,but also to address the issue of

an ageing workforce.“This course is an excellent

example of what can beachieved by partnership work-ing and we look forward to con-tinued success.”

Scottish Environment Minister, RoseannaCunningham MSP and the four successful

FMO Course trainees; Lewis Bowsher, ColinMcGregor, Dennis Smith & Gavin Henderson


Eur Ing DAVE TINKER, FIAgrE and General Secretary of EurAgEng reports

PICTURED above are (L-RR) IAgrE member Andrew Downing,family friend Julie, Charles Downing and IAgrE CEOChristopher Whetnall at a recent Brooksby Awards ceremony.

Charles received ‘The Leicesterhire Agricultural MachinerySociety Prize for the best first year Agricultural ServiceEngineer’.

The Institution of Agricultural Engineers ‘Award ofCommendation’ went to third year apprentice Adam Godwinof Ben Burgess. Unfortunately he was unable to be present toreceive his award.

Like father like sonMASSEY Ferguson heldits awards ceremony forthe Technician of theYear award at theRamada Hotel,Kenilworth, recently.

Each year the best fit-ters are nominated andthen put through theirpaces in demanding teststhat cover hydraulics,electronic diagnosticsand computer repair andservicing.

This year Mark Noonof RVW Pugh took the covetedtitle. Based at RVW Pugh Ltd’sCheshire branch, Mark hadalready reached the final five inlast year’s competition, and hiscontinued hard work and highquality workmanship meantthat he was nominated again.

When Massey Ferguson thenput him through his paces as

part of the final three he knewthe competition was tough stat-ing, “The other two nomina-tions were excellent fitters, andI knew that to win I had to givemy best.”

Mark was clearly delighted totake the title. He said, “I wassurprised, the competition wastough and the standardthroughout was very high.”

High Noon for Pugh

Mark Noon(with trophy)with RobertPugh, DirectorRVW Pugh Ltd.)

THE second Land.TechnikAgEng Conference was anothersuccess with over 700, yes 700,participants.

There was an increase ininternational attendees, anincrease in industry supportedpapers, and all this during arecession. I have to say thatthroughout (mainland) Europe,research and development stillseems to be going strongly toensure that companies will hitthe land at full throttle whenfarmers start buying again.

VDI-MEG, the German pro-fessional body for agriculturalengineers who are the organis-ers teamed up with EurAgEngin 2007 to turn the conferenceinto an international Englishlanguage conference. The 2009conference showed that thishad been the correct move.

One company sent 92 engi-neers and another 72. Speakersfrom commercial companiesqueued up to show to theircompetitors what they had beenup to and the researchers wereable to give presentations show-ing how good their rigs, datacollection and analyses wereand how they would be excel-lent partners in even more jointresearch projects.

This conference does benefithugely from being held immedi-ately before the giantAgritechnica agriculturalmachinery show and attendeesof the conference were able tobuy heavily discounted ticketsfor the Sunday and Mondaypre-view days. Agritechnicaitself organises research presen-tations on various topics, whichincluded Controlled TrafficFarming this year.

Apart from the agriculturalmachinery on show, there arelarge halls with a variety of aca-demic establishments describ-ing current research projects,another full enough with majorcomponent suppliers to enableanyone to build their own bitsatractor, and indeed theRussians, Chinese and Poles allhad tractors there built withmajor components (engines,transmission, etc) from themajor well known Westernmanufacturers.

Altogether I heard that therewere over 2500 exhibitors from43 countries at the Agritechnicashow. Over 300 entrants werereceived for the AgritechnicaInnovations Competition with 5winning Gold medals and 28Silver medals which again

shows howser ious lythe indus-trial com-p a n i e streat theshow. Allof thisshowcas -ing of thel a t e s td e v e l o p -ments inagricultur-al machin-ery with visitors from all overthe world was highly encourag-ing.

But the British contingent,whether attending theConference or exhibiting at theshow was disappointingly small.Certainly at the Conferencethere were fewer Brits thanNorth Americans and evenfewer than from the Far East.

It was, however, extremelygood to see 2006 EurAgEngAward of Merit winner RayClay, who designed the Fastracsuspension system, at the con-ference and show. Nominallyretired, Ray, along with fellowex-JCB retiree Tony Moore,was catching up with contactsand checking over the innova-

tions such as the new suspen-sion system for the ChallengerRoGator self-propelled sprayeror the Carraro transaxle fittedwith the Torotrak IVT transmis-sion.

All in all the conference waseye-opening with 80 researchpresentations and a plenarypresentation from Prof MartinRichenhagen, AGCO’sChairman, President and CEO.Agritechnica is just mind-blow-ing. It could be called the‘biggest toy-shop in the world’but it’s too important for that!

So will we meet more Britishengineers there next time? 4-5November 2011 forLandTechnik AgEng and 6-10November are provisional datesfor Agritechnica.

LLAANNDD..TTEECCHHNNIIKK-AAggEEnngg 22000099 aanndd AAggrriitteecchhnniiccaa SShhooww,, HHaannnnoovveerr

Ray Clay (EurAgEng Award of Merit holder) atWeber-HHidraulik discussing their double wishbone

suspension unit for spray vehicles

NEWSUPDATE


PPRREESSIIDDEENNTT’’SS MMUUSSIINNGGSS

THE last few weeks have seen the resultsof too much rain, and I am sure many ofour Soil and Water members are sayingsomething along the lines of ‘The old RiverBoards would have cleaned out those cul-verts, and never allowed building on floodplains’.

My grandparents’ house flooded on aregular basis, we got used to cooking onthe electric stove (supported on bricks),because the coke stove would be underwater. The old River Board solved ourflooding problem, but I suppose that meantsomeone else got more water more quicklythan before.

I subsequently found out that the engi-neers had thought of that already and pre-pared a flood plain - guess what is built onthose fields now? A housing estate!

Surely many of the problems we face aredue to a disjointed planning process whichhas abandoned quality standards andreplaced them with lots of paper and ‘RiskAssessments’ which take no account ofyears of experience gained in practicalwork.

AS a more positive alternative to thatthought, I recently visited JCB’s CompactProducts Factory and saw the huge invest-ment in improving the quality and prof-itability which has taken place in the lastyear.

Ian Sayers gave a short but really upbeatpresentation (he was Managing Director ofJCB Landpower when he spoke at our2008 Conference) which included somesobering statistics. In 2007 the factory pro-duced 14,000 machines, in 2009 they expect3,000, albeit some products are more com-plicated.

Nevertheless the last year has seen effec-tive and positive investment, I was particu-larly impressed with the method of check-ing for hydraulic leaks – not complicated,but really effective and a great confidenceboost to hard pressed construction equip-ment salesmen!

We also visited Greenmech on the thirdof November, organised by our WestMidlands Branch and were made very wel-come by the Turner family. They have beeninvesting heavily in product development,like most of us, we sometimes prefer not toknow exactly HOW much, but their successis there for all to see, and I was once againparticularly impressed with the commit-ment to quality.

It was also very interesting to meet someof the stalwarts of our industry, and thepeople who ensured that our verges andhedges are properly trimmed. They alsoprovided extra work for the JCB’s thatshould be maintaining our ditches.

AT Agritechnica there was evidence ofhuge and sustained developments fromClaas with new versions of the Xerion (aconcept I fully understand, but withwhich I always had problems whenselling the Deutz Intrac). Yet moreevidence of a company stayingfocussed on a market it under-stands.

What are the common denomi-nators in these companies?Private ownership by the familiesthat started the business, so invest-ment can continue, even when thebean counters would suggest theopposite.

I fully understand the faith

employees have to put in their leaders, andthe pain when redundancies are the onlysolution, but we should admire the com-mitment of the management who haven’tgiven up hope.

Finally, Season’s Greetings to one andall!

No substitute for experienceIAgrE President, RICHARD ROBINSON is dismayed by bureaucracy but givenheart by visits to British manufacturing success stories

Seasons Greetings to all our members from everyone at IAgrE


THE Andes were the home ofadvanced civilisations centurieslong before the arrival of theConquistadors.

They created an extensiveagricultural landscape thatreduced many of the climaticrisks associated with farmingsuch as seasonal floods anddroughts, frosts, poor soils anddrainage limitations. By doingso they improved cultivatingconditions of marginal lands.

Relicts of these landscapesare found throughout theneotropics from central Mexicoto the Bolivian Mojos. By farthe largest evidence of thesesystems is found in the LakeTitticaca basin.

In 2001 as part of myMasters I travelled to Peru, tothe Lake Titticaca Basin, toinvestigate these systems whichdate back to 300 BC, beforethe rise of the Inca empire.Back then, rural farming fami-lies in Puno,south east Peru,were still constantly battlingagainst the same severe climateon marginal lands as theirancestors.

In 2009 I wondered if theywere facing the same risks on agrander scale or whether thesystems were no longer func-tioning.

The reintroduction of a sys-tem of raised field cultivation,as used by their forefathers,has reduced production risksand enabled the successful cul-tivation of lands labelled of

‘poor agricultural potential’.The objectives of my study

were the evaluation and ruralappraisal of this pristine systemof raised field agriculture,known as Waru Waru in thelocal Quechuan dialect.

WARU WARU

THE agricultural potential ofthe area known as the altiplanoin Peru, is severely limited byconditions of soil and climate.

So whilst Waru Waru hasprovided an additional elementin the important system ofdiversification, it is an optionalcoping mechanism used byfarming families to survive inthe harsh environment of thealtiplano made even harsher bythe impact of climate change.

The Sierra or Andean regioncovers more than a quarter ofPeru's territory. For the mostpart this area is inharmoniousand barren. Much of theSierra, particularly in thesouth, is a high plateau with anaverage elevation of 4,000m(13,000ft). This is the region

known as the altiplano and thearea were I first studied WaruWaru in 2001.

The altiplano is home toboth Quechua (northern) andAymara (southern) Indians,who live predominantly byherding and farming, much astheir ancestors did in bothIncan and pre-Incan times(circa. 1500 AD and before).

Major crops cultivated inthe region include potatoes,quinua and cañhua (bothhigh protein grains), barley,broad beans, maize andoats.

PRE-IINCAN HYDRAULICIRRIGATION SYSTEMS

ARCHAEOLOGISTSworking in the Americasduring the early 1960’s dis-covered evidence of exten-sive agricultural engineeringworks that involved themovement and modification ofthe landscape so as to increasethe agricultural potential of theland.

These ancient remains can

be found in the seasonallyinundated tropical savannas ofthe San Jorge floodplain ofnorthern Colombia (Parsons,1966), near Guayaquil inEquador (Denevan, 1967), inthe savannas of the Llanos deMoxos, the Amazon Basin andmost extensively in the regionof Lake Titticaca (Smith et al1968).

Due to its abundant nativediversity and access to lakewater for irrigation, Puno has abetter natural resource basethan most other areas of thealtiplano. However this iscounter balanced by fluctua-tions in weather patterns andin Puno’s isolation from, andlack of direct access to, nation-al markets.

AGRO-CCLIMATICCLASSIFICATIONS

CLASSIFICATION of areas is

IIRRRRIIGGAATTIIOONN

ANGELA KHUDONAZAROVA, Senior Engineering Consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoffexamines a Pre-Incan irrigation system which finds itself back in the news due to itsability to withstand current climate change pressures

Fluvial Waru Waru system on theshores of Lake Titticaca, Suancata

PPrree-IInnccaannPPrree-IInnccaannhydraulic irrigation systemshydraulic irrigation systems

Map 1-11 Peru, Latin America Map 1-22 Peru, project area

Present day raised fields of theBaliem Valley in highland West

Guinea. 1962. Photograph by KarlHeider (Heider 1970)


an important issue for theanalysis of replication andtransfer of technology.

According to Vidal the alti-plano or Lake Titicaca catch-ment area is comprised of Sunior Jalca: the high valley landswith a cold climate from3,500m - 4,000m, the Puna: thecold intermontane basin with avery cold climate from 4,000m- 4,800m and the Jancca orCordillera: the high peaks witha glacial climate of more then4,800m. These three zones arethen subdivided into agro-eco-logical zones such asCircunlacustre, Suni, PunaHúmeda, Puna Seca andCordillera.

Farmers generally manageup to 70 or 80 small parcels /compartments of land, oftenlocated at several different ele-vations and in different micro-climates. This field scatteringmaximises risk reduction andforms an integral part of a sys-tem of diversification manage-ment commonly employed byfarmers of the area.

The agricultural year(Campaña Agrícola) begins inAugust. This is followed by aperiod of planting over the firstfour months with the harvest-ing occurring between themonths of March and June.

Given the degree of cen-tralised agricultural planningand management used in pre-Hispanic times, it was possiblefor the ancient civilisations ofthe area to support dense pop-ulations. This concept of cen-tralised control was thereforean important aspect to thedevelopment of successful sys-tems of hydraulic technologyused in pre-Incan times.

The issue now is whether thisconcept still applies to the suc-cess of rehabilitated irrigationtechnology or whether an alter-native system of land and agri-cultural management is nowmore appropriate.

There are other damagingimpacts caused by flooding.Photo 2 illustrates the after-math of a flash flood of theRiver Iiave in April 2001. Thebridge was completelydestroyed, restricting the com-munities’ abilities to accessservices such as markets,health centres, schools, trans-port and commerce.

WARU WARU SYSTEMS

WARU Waru systems are tra-ditional rectangular or circularin shape.

Bed and canal dimensionsrange from between 4-10metres wide, 1 metre tall andup to 100 metres in length.There are three main types ofWaru Waru, which are charac-terised according to the sourceof water supplying them.

• Phreatic systemsIN this system the mainsource of water and soilmoisture is ground water.These systems are predomi-nantly found in areas whichhave a suitably high watertable and where there is anappropriate mechanism forgroundwater recharge such

as an infiltration lagoon.

• Pluvial systemsRAINWATER is the primarysource of water. Systems ofthis kind require smalllagoons within which watercan be stored during dryperiods. In addition to this asystem of canals must bebuilt to enable distribution ofthe water to the beds. Pluvialsystems are usually locatedat the base of hills or moun-tains.

• Fluvial systemsIN these systems water issupplied from nearby surfacewatercourses such as lakesand rivers. Again a system ofinfrastructure such as canalsand dikes are required fortransportation of the waterfrom source to point of use.

MICRO-CCLIMATE ANALYSIS

MICROCLIMATES createdby the construction and use ofraised fields such as WaruWaru, provide protectionagainst climatic events thatcause damage to crops.

Figure 4 illustrates the spe-cific microclimate attributesfound within the canals andraised beds, as well as the sub-soil and atmospheric condi-tions. The water retainsenough solar radiation to raiseovernight temperatures bynearly 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

In comparison to WaruWaru, the natural altiplano,without any modification of thenatural landscape, requires ahigh level of agricultural mech-anisation and capital input, sys-tems of both irrigation anddrainage, has a high risk offrost, drought and flood, and islow in both biomass and biodi-versity.

In contrast, when the alti-plano’s landscape is modifiedwith raised beds, there is amarked increase in the amountof biomass generated in thesystem and in the diversity ofspecies. There is a considerablyreduced risk of damage due tofrost, and due to the doubleheight of the bed, less risk offlood damage.

Overall the microclimate isenhanced and additional sys-tems such as aquaculture andthe production and recycling ofnutrients are feasible. Duringseasons of excess rainwater, thecanals expedite drainage.

Conversely when there isdrought the same canals readi-ly impound water for use bythe crops.

CONCLUSION

TODAY, climate change con-tinues to wreak havoc in thealtiplano, where the arrival offreezing temperatures inMarch this year, months earlierthen usual, have killed morethan a dozen people (PeruvianTimes, April 24th 2009).

Moderate hail storms arepredicted for this year andtemperatures are expected todrop in July and August to aslow as -27º C (-16º F) in areasthat lie above 4,000m

Photo 1: Seasonal Flooding.(Source: CARE).

Photo 2: Results of a flash floodof the River Llave during April2001. (Source: authors own.)

Figure 1: Plan View of a phreat-ic Waru Waru designed system.(Source: Murillo, 1992)Scale guide – platform lengthapproximately 30m.

Figure 3: Plan View of a FluvialWaru Waru designed system.(Source: Murillo, 1992)

Figure 2: Plan View of a PluvialWaru Waru designed system.(Source: Murillo, 1992)Scale guide – platform lengthranges from 15m – 50 m

Figure 4: Microclimate analyseswithin Waru Waru. (Source: A.Canahua,1992)

continues over

IIRRRRIIGGAATTIIOONN


(13,000ft).In Puno, rain has destroyed

harvested potatoes and freez-ing temperatures havedestroyed more than 50% ofthe quinoa crops. AlipioCanahua, my supervisor frommy 2001 studies, is still workingin agricultural extension in thearea. He says, “In Puno, wepermanently face emergenciesbecause of cold temperaturesand floods, but there are tech-nological, genetic and tradi-tional resources available tosolve problems caused by theclimate.”

Canahua also mentionedquinoa varieties resistant tofrost, drought or saline soil.“We also have the traditionalknowledge of the campesinos[farmers], with which we candevelop appropriate technolo-gy if the government providesinvestment.

“One traditional techniquefor the flat altiplano [continuesto be] that of the Waru Waruor raised fields, a method thateffectively protects crops fromfloods and frost damage.Although this technique fellinto general disuse hundreds ofyears ago, there are a numberof pilot projects to restore thesystem”.

Canahua said he still seesmany of the raised fields beingmaintained since the programended in 2001. He is now look-ing at using them in conjunc-tion with other ancient tech-niques such as interconnectedirrigation lakes called ‘qochas’and the Inca-built terracesknown as ‘andenes’ for farmingthe steep Andean slopes.

The Waru Waru technologywas such that the impact of cli-matic fluctuations, both sea-sonally and diurnally, was min-imised. Soil fertility is main-tained in the system as silt, sed-iment, algae and plant and ani-mal residues decay into nutri-ent rich-manure.

The main attributes of WaruWaru can be itemised as pre-cipitation management,drainage facilitation, climaterisk reduction, crop maximisa-tion and natural fertiliser pro-duction.

The systems were culturallybased, and were managed ateither the farm household levelor on a larger community scale.

Given the poverty of farmingcommunities in the altiplano,the technology of Waru Warudoes not make a prerequisiteof capital finance. It is a lowcost, although high labour cost,

system that increasesproductivity and miti-gates loss or damageto crops from frost,flood and other cli-matic events.

The level of manu-al commitment toWaru Waru construc-tion and maintenanceis high. However, thehigher levels of pro-duction over a periodof years often offsetthis labour cost.Climate change,resulting in both seasonal anddaily influences, has forced thefarmers of the altiplano tobecome more diverse in theiragricultural practices to helpcombat these changes.

Waru Waru provides a newsystem that is effective,straightforward and productive.

References

ANGELA CURRY (December 2001).University of Southampton, Facultyof Applied Engineering and AppliedScience, Institute of Irrigation andDevelopment Studies, “An evalua-tion of Pre Incan AgriculturalInfrastructure”PERUVIAN TIMES (April 24th 2009).

• THE use of Waru Waru and other systems of raised fieldtechnologies provides an alternative to conventional agricul-ture development. It is a water management technique thatholds great importance in the Andes.

• MODERN agricultural development is not always appropri-ate to every community. Peru’s history with green revolutionagriculture is testament to this alone. Traditional agriculturalpractices hold methods and solutions that are far more rele-vant and appropriate. These systems are productive, sustain-able, and ecologically sound and centred on the socio-eco-nomic and cultural features of the Andean people. As suchthere is no one model of replication for Waru Waru becauseeach community situation is unique. Knowledge of theseancient systems has to pass on to those most benefited i.e.small-scale subsistence farmers in the developing world.

• IT is effective in its mitigation of adverse climatic effectsthrough frost reduction, flood protection and temperatureexploitation. The creation of specific micro-climates notice-ably contributes to effective risk management.

• IT is sustainable at both the household and communitylevel, especially in conjunction with other systems of diversi-fication management. Effectively managed, it will also sus-tain and abet its surrounding environment.

• IT is efficient in its maximisation of water use, for bothdrainage and supply, and in its ability to provide greenmanure. It is not financially reliant and can therefore beused by low income, resource-poor farmers.

• IT is relevant to the small-scale farmer as an indigenous sys-tem primarily developed with the specific attributes of thealtiplano in mind. It is therefore a culturally acceptable andappropriate system of cultivation.

• Waru Waru is a risk reduction strategy - not a solution to cli-mate change, but an option for managing the risks of farm-ing in the Altiplano. It also needs to include diversificationof productive activities and, although it is a labour intensivesystem, it appears more appropriate in the environment ofthe altiplano then imported capital-intensive systems.

THE photographs below illustrate some of the many varietiesof potatoes grown in the altiplano.

This diversity reduces the risks that some crops willinevitably face in poor conditions of soil and climate. Diverseproduction zones, domestication of a diversity of plants andanimals and maintenance of a wide genetic resource basealso help in the reduction of risk that farmers face.Diversification is an important factor in risk management.

A summary

Diversification

Potato varieties of the High Andes

Diversity of crops: potatoes, quinua and cañihua.

Photo 3: Rectangular Waru Waru beds during the

growing season at Caritamaya, Puno

Farming and conservation groups have joined forces with the Government ina groundbreaking agreement to help farmers and land managers protectand enhance the nation’s countrysideTHE Campaign for theFarmed Environment (CFE)aims to retain the environmen-tal benefits formerly providedby set-aside under the SinglePayment Scheme (SPS) inthree key areas – resource pro-tection, farmland birds andfarm wildlife.

The industry-led voluntaryapproach, which was givenbacking from Government inJuly, is seen as the most viablealternative to retaining theenvironmental benefits thatwere provided by set aside.

A network of Beacon Farmswill be established across thecountry to demonstrate howthe CFE will work in practice,as well as allowing other farm-ers and land managers to shareideas in backing the Campaign.

All farmers, land managersand advisers have a key role toplay in ensuring the CFE is asuccess. The Campaign is ask-ing farmers and land managersto renew their existing EntryLevel Stewardship (ELS)agreements and choose at leastone in-field option (if they arein ELS), retain and correctlyrecord their current area ofuncropped land and adopt atleast one voluntary measure tomeet the campaign targets.Advisers and agronomists arealso being challenged to ensurethey understand the environ-mental challenges for farming.

The Campaign unites keyindustry stakeholders - theNFU, CLA, AIC, FWAG,GWCT, LEAF, AICC andCAAV - to work in partnershipwith Defra, Natural England,the Environment Agency andthe RSPB.

Working at grassroots is seen

as key and Local LiaisonGroups have been set up intarget counties to provide tai-lored advice and guidance tofarmers and land managersdepending on the environmen-tal challenges and opportuni-ties in their area.

The Campaign will also bringtogether the many and confus-ing projects aimed at farmers’management under a singlebanner. A number of challeng-ing objectives and targets havebeen set, and must be met overthe next three years, to avoidthe potential for future regula-tion. Targets include:

• Double the area of key in-field ELS options (additional40,000 hectares)

• Retain 179,000 hectares ofuncropped land acrossEngland and improve themanagement of at least onethird of this land to supporthabitats for birds, insectsand mammals

• Increase the current nation-al level of voluntary environ-mental management by atleast 30,000 hectares

NFU President Peter Kendalland CLA President HenryAubrey-Fletcher invited DefraSecretary of State Hilary Bennto join them for the launch atPeter’s farm in Bedfordshireon November 5th.

Mr Kendall said, “This is allabout delivering a culturechange in both farming prac-tices and the way we approachregulation. Although it’s themost ambitious campaignfarming has ever faced, thewhole industry, from suppliers

and advisers to farmers andlandowners, is absolutely com-mitted to making it work.

“The alternative is havingthe regulatory option forcedupon us which will no doubtbring with it more red tape andcost to farmers and growers.

“We all have a part to play inmaking sure this Campaignworks. All farms have wildlife,natural resources and farmlandbirds that need protecting andno-one cares more for the landthan our farmers, growers andlandowners. They know that ahealthy environment is vital fora sustainable future; one inwhich we can grow more butimpact less.

“This Campaign is all aboutthe industry uniting to bringabout change but we’re alsoencouraging ideas and initia-tives from any organisationsthat think they have somethingto offer.

“We have all been chal-lenged by the Secretary ofState, who has shown belief inthe farming industry, and it isnow down to every single oneof us to work together anddeliver on our promises tosecure and enhance the envi-ronmental management offarmland.”

CLA President HenryAubrey-Fletcher said, “Everyfarmer, landowner, land man-ager and farm adviser has beengiven a tremendous opportuni-ty to show the industry canwork together to solve environ-mental challenges without theneed for costly and burden-some regulation. However, itwill take commitment fromevery one of us to make theCampaign a success.

“Many farmers and landmanagers already undertakemeasures on their land to pro-tect the wildlife, birds and nat-ural resources, although all ofthese are under increasingpressure from factors such asclimate change. There is stillmore that can be done whilemaintaining productive andprofitable businesses.

“I urge every farmer,landowner and land managerto adopt at least one of theCampaign’s voluntary meas-ures on their land whether thisbe retaining and managing for-mer set-aside to protect soiland watercourses, increasinggame cover to provide winterfood for farmland birds or sow-ing pollen and nectar mixes toboost on-farm pollinators.There is something for every-one in the Campaign.”

Environment SecretaryHilary Benn said, “TheCampaign for the FarmedEnvironment is a testament tothe determination of farmers,government, and environmen-tal organisations to worktogether to support and protectwildlife and biodiversity. Two-thirds of England’s farmershave so far put part of theirland into an agri-environmentscheme and the Campaign’schallenge is to build on thisexcellent start.

“And for those yet to join ascheme, we want to encouragethem to take voluntary actionthat best fits how they farm, sothey can support wildlife andprotect water quality whilecontinuing to produce food ina sustainable way.”

www.cfeonline.org.uk

CCFFEE

Campaign Campaign for the Farmed Envionmentfor the Farmed Envionment



THE primary source of suste-nance in the mountain states ofIndia is agriculture, practisedin less than perfect conditionsincluding extreme climate vari-ations, inaccessible terrain andseverely over-exploited soil andwater resources.

Shyamaghat is a small,remote village nestled amidstthe Himalayan foothills in thenorth Indian state of HimachalPradesh. All the inhabitants ofthe village make their livingfrom agriculture, growing cashcrops such as corn, capsicum,aubergines and cucumbers.

Farming is small scale andcarried out on a series of ter-races cut into the steepHimalayan hills. No machineryis available to the families andploughing is carried out usingold-style, hand steered ploughsdrawn by oxen. The living

made by these people on theland is meagre and they haveno guaranteed annual incomeas crop yield and prices canvary dramatically from year toyear.

In recent years, the incomereceived by these farmers hasreduced as crop yields havebeen poor and so there hasbeen less produce to sell oncethey have taken what isrequired to feed their families.

One of the main reasons forthe decrease in yield is thereduction in rainfall, which hasoccurred across the country asa whole and is not an issueconfined only to the state ofHimachal. In India this year,water reserves towards the endof the hot summer season inJune/July were 40-50% lowerthan usual and unless measuresare taken to maximise ground-

water recharge during theannual monsoon season, it islikely that water resources willcontinue to reduce year onyear.

The main cause of this prob-lem is global warming.

Traditionally the monsoonseason falls during the monthsof July, August and September,and approximately 70% ofIndia’s annual rainfall isreceived in the space of these 3months. However, in recentyears it has become apparentthat the hot, dry summer sea-son that immediately precedesthe monsoon season is extend-ing and the rains are arrivingincreasingly later.

Additionally, when the mon-soon rains do arrive, they areless intense and last for ashorter period than they previ-ously used to.

The implications of climatechange on water supply arecompounded further in theregion of Himachal Pradesh inparticular due to the mountain-ous terrain. The steep hill sidesresult in a high percentage ofrainfall runoff during the mon-soon and in some areas therunoff is so great that within afew minutes dry nullahs (steepsided valleys) become ragingtorrents.

In some cases these rainwa-ter rivers dry up within a fewhours, but in others they flowfor the remainder of the wet

season and for several weeks ormonths after the rains havepassed.

In addition to these tempo-rary springs, there are manynatural springs that flowthroughout the year as meltwa-ter runs from the high snow-topped peaks of the Himalayas,down through the nullahs inthe surrounding foothills. Thevillagers of Shyamaghat andthose in many of the surround-ing rural areas depend on natu-ral springs as their primary(and in some cases only)source of water and a largeproportion of the women’stime daily is spent walking tothe hand pumps to collectwater for their families.

However, in the same waythat water reserves are reduc-ing each year, the flow of natu-ral springs is becoming increas-ingly low and it is feared thatunless action is taken thesprings may eventually dry upcompletely leaving the familieswith no nearby source of water.

The implications of such anoccurrence would be huge asthe natural springs are thesource of life and income forthe villagers and are neededfor all their everyday needs,including drinking, washing,cooking and crop irrigation.

THANKS to funding from theDouglas Bomford Trust, thissummer I was lucky enough to

DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT

LISA BUNCLARK, funded by the Douglas Bomford Trust, spent this summerworking on a voluntary project in Shyamaghat, a small village in theHimalayan foothills, to alleviate some of the agricultural problems faced

Digging foundations for the irrigation tank

The village of Shyamaghat

combating the effects of combating the effects of

climate changeclimate change


have the opportunity to spend12 weeks on a placement inIndia using my skills as a civilengineer to help alleviate someof the problems faced by thevillagers of Shyamaghat.

I was selected, along with fel-low engineer, Marie Kelly, tocarry out the voluntary place-ment by the British charitableorganisation EngineersWithout Borders UK (EWB-UK), which is a student-ledcharity focused on removingbarriers to development usingengineering.

EWB-UK’s programmesprovide opportunities foryoung engineers in the UK tolearn about technology’s role indevelopment and share theirskills with development organi-sations working to relievepoverty.

In partnership with EWB-UK, Marie and I worked withthe Rural Centre for HumanInterests (RUCHI), a private,non-profit, rural developmentagency that has been workingwith communities in theHimalayan foothills of NorthIndia for more than 28 years,to solve the water resourceissues in Shyamaghat.

RUCHI’s work activitiesrange from awareness creationand empowerment of people tomicro credit, preventive healthcare, sanitation, environmentalimprovement, agriculture andhorticulture extension, soil andwater conservation and man-

agement, utilisation of non-conventional sources of energy,promotion of rural technolo-gies and other economic activi-ties.

Although the situation inShyamaghat may at first seemimpossible, the flow of thespring can be sustained for sev-eral years to come by increas-ing the percolation rates ofrainfall. If the proportion ofrainwater runoff in the catch-ment area can be reduced,more water will percolate andinfiltrate, which will build-upthe groundwater reserves.

It is this groundwater reservethat provides the source for thespring in the dry summermonths; hence if the level ofthe water table can beincreased, the flow of thesprings will also increase. With

a larger volume of water,the villagers ofShyamaghat will havemore water available forday to day use, but mostimportantly for irrigation.

The result of this is twofold; firstly, the crops cur-rently grown will have ahigher yield and produce ahigher quality of crops.Secondly, where previouslythe reduction in springflow during the summerleft no surplus water foruse outside the necessaryday-to-day tasks of drink-ing, cooking and washing,water will now be availablefor irrigation throughoutthe entire year.

This means that the villagerscan make more efficient use oftheir land and produce addi-tional crops, increasing boththe volume and variety of pro-duce.

These changes will of coursealso lead to an increase inincome for the farmers,improving their general stan-dard of living and providingsome security for the future.

THE simplest way that anincrease in rainwater percola-tion can be achieved is by theconstruction of gully plugsand/or a check dam across thenullah in Shyamaghat along

which the majorityof the rainfallrunoff flows.

Gully plugs gen-erally consist of arandom rubblemasonry (drystone) wallwrapped with awire mesh that forms a ‘plug’ inthe nullah. Due to the gapsbetween the rubble the gullyplugs do not completely stemthe flow of the runoff, but it isslowed down adequatelyenough to increase the rate ofpercolation slightly.

However, an effective way toincrease percolation more sig-nificantly is by the installationof a check dam, which preventsrunoff downstream of a partic-ular point altogether. Thesecheck dams are relatively smallat about two metres in heightand are traditionally built usingrandom rubble masonry con-struction, held together with aconcrete mortar and finishedwith a layer of concrete plaster.In Shyamaghat a series of twocheck dams will be constructedalong the selected nullah tomaximise rainwater percola-tion.

The second way in which thethreat of water shortage facedby the villagers of Shyamaghatcan be greatly reduced is toprovide an alternative sourceof water, so that they do notrely solely on the naturalspring; this additional source ofwater will be obtained from arainwater harvesting system.

Each household will have a2,500 litre ferro-cement tank,complete with guttering to col-lect the water from the roofs,channelling it to the tanks anda coconut filter to purify therainwater as it enters the tank.In addition to the individualtanks, the village will have twocommunity ferro-cement irriga-tion tanks, each approximately20,000 litres in capacity.

Rainwater for these tankswill be collected from rainfallrunning off gently sloping con-cretised floors that will sur-round each house. The rainwa-ter will be channelled fromwhere it falls on the concrete

floor, to the irrigation tanks,via a system of gullies andpipes.

Several filtration chamberswill be present along this trans-portation network to removeany large debris, such as leavesand animal dung, that may leadto a blockage in the pipes. Finefiltration by coconut filters isnot required in the large com-munity tanks as this water isnot intended for drinking pur-poses.

When the rainwater harvest-ing system is completed,Shyamaghat will be a ‘rainwa-ter harvesting model village’,providing an example which itis hoped locals in the surround-ing area will recreate in theirvillage with help from RUCHI.

There are already plans toconstruct a similar rainwaterharvesting system in the nearbyvillage of Bhogpur and othersare likely to follow if adequatefunding can be obtained toassist with construction costs.

HERE in the UK it is easy totake our plentiful waterresources for granted and failto appreciate how fortunate weare to have water to satisfy usbeyond our needs.

Taking part in this projecthas made me even more deter-mined to follow my passion fordevelopment work in the agri-cultural sector and help farm-ers in developing countriesincrease both crop diversityand yield, securing their liveli-hoods for what I hope will bemany years into the future.

If you would like to knowany more details about theproject, please contact me [email protected].

More information aboutRUCHI and EWB-UK can befound on their websites:www.volunteer-ruchi.org andwww.ewb-uk.org.

. . . the flow of the spring can be can besustained for several years to come byincreasing the percolation rates of rainfall

Lisa Bunclark and Marie Kelly surveying thenullah prior to the check dam design

The reinforcement cagefor the irrigation tank

RUCHI

BBOOOOKK RREEVVIIEEWW

The food, fuel and climate change debateLAUNCHING a new book,What is Land for?, TheGovernment’s Chief ScientificOfficer, Professor JohnBeddingon described in hiswords ‘The Perfect Storm’fuelled by an increasingdemand for food, increasingdemand for energy andincreased demand for water atthe time as the world is adapt-ing to the impact of climatechange. “Furthermore, Ibelieve that crisis point willarrive in 2030 rather than 2050as had previously been fore-cast.

“Demand for food and ener-gy will jump 50% by 2030 andfor fresh water by 30%, as thepopulation tops 8.3 billion, andclimate change will exacerbatematters in unpredictable ways.”

ALL of which is addressed inconsiderable detail in What isLand for? edited by MichaelWinter and Matt Lobley, bothfrom the Department ofPolitics at the University ofExeter.

In recent years, agriculturalcommodity surpluses in thedeveloped world have con-tributed to a mind-set of ‘landsurplus’ in which set-aside,extensification and alternativeland uses have been key terms.

Suddenly all this has changedas a consequence of rapidlyshifting commodity markets.

Prices for cereals, oil seedsand other globally traded com-modities have risen sharplydriven largely by a shift to bio-energy cropping and fuelled byconcerns over post-peak oiland climate change.

By and large, the agriculturalsector has embraced the ‘newenvironmentalism’ of climatechange with enthusiasm,proudly proclaiming the readi-ness of the industry to produceboth food and energy crops,and to do so with confidence inmarkets to determine the bal-ance between food and non-food crops in land use.

But policy and politics havenot necessarily caught up withthese markets, argue the

authors, and industry-ledchanges and some environmen-talists are beginning to chal-lenge the assumptions of thenew ‘productivism’.

Is it necessarily the case, theyask, that agriculture’s best con-tribution to tackling climatechange is to grow bioenergycrops or invest in anaerobic-digesters or make land over forwindfarms?

Might not there be an equal-ly important role in maximisingthe carbon sequestration orwater-holding properties ofbiodiverse land?

What is Land For? tacklesthese key cutting-edge issues ofthis new debate by setting out abaseline of evidence and ideas.

The authors quote WinstonChurchill to sum up the on-going debate.

“This is not the end. It is noteven the beginning of the end.But it is perhaps, the end of thebeginning”.

The study of land and landuse has evolved through time,they say, the main drivers inagricultural land use havethemselves changed, but thecentral concerns remain how tosatisfy the multiple needs anddesires associated with the useof land.

Although large steps hadbeen taken to put the issues ofclimate change and the deple-tion of natural resources on theglobal policy and science agen-das, that could only be viewedas the end of the beginning.

In their view, large steps stillneed to be taken to positionland as key to these debates,particularly they argue, in theUK and in a UK context - andespecially in England wherefunding for research has beenneutered and fragmented overrecent years

If the rush to bio-fuelsinduced by a tunnel-visionmentality of reducing depend-ence on fossil fuels teaches usanything, it is that landresearch needs to be at theheart of climate change agen-das, both in terms of policy andscience.

What is Land for?

CONTENTS

1. Introduction: Knowing the Land

Part I: New Uses of Land:Technologies, Policies, Tools andCapacities

2. Strategic Land Use forEcosystem Services

3. Perennial Energy Crops:Implications and Potential

4. Soaking up the Carbon

5. Anaerobic Digestion and itsImplications for Land Use

6. Watery Land: The Managementof Lowland Floodplains in England

7. Ecosystems Services inDynamic and ContestedLandscapes: The Case of UKUplands

Part II: Emerging Issues and NewPerspectives

8. Adaptation of Biodiversity toClimate Change: An EcologicalPerspective

9. Public Engagement in NewProductivism

10. A Story of Becoming:Landscape Creation through anArt/Science Dynamic

11. Agricultural Stewardship,Climate Change and Public GoodsDebate

12. Regulating Land UseTechnologies: How DoesGovernment Juggle the Risks?

13. The Land Debate - ‘Doing theRight Thing’ Ethical Approaches toLand-use Decision Making

Published by EarthscanISBN:978-1-84407-720-5£49.95 Hardbackwww.earthscan.co.uk

Land and the use ofland provide a keylink between humanactivity and thenatural environmentCHRIS BIDDLEreviews a major newanalysis of the issues

AS a worldwide brand, ManchesterUnited’s pledge is to lead the field on greenissues, to become a model of environmentalbest practice.

And as part of that process, they activelyinvolve their suppliers on a regular basiswith meetings and discussions. “We cannotdo this alone,” says Keith McIntosh, GroupHealth, Safety and Environmental Managerat the Premiership club. “Our suppliers arekey to measures we take”. To achieve thisthe Club has formed a MUFC Supply ChainPartnership which is run in association withGovernment agency, Envirowise

Over the past years, MUFC have invitedtheir suppliers to a series of meetings at theClub, not only to talk about energy savingsand efficiencies - but to act as a catalyst forchange within those businesses they areassociated with.

The Manchester United model is persua-sive, the Club having reduced costs by over£200,000 in recent years due to adoptingenergy saving measures according to KeithMcIntosh.

One of the companies involved in the ini-tiative is Stockport-based Cheshire TurfMachinery Ltd. Managing director SteveHalley has been attending the meetings fortwo or three years.

He told a recent gathering, “Frankly I wassceptical when Keith urged us to look at

every aspect of ourbusiness - and said wewere bound to savemoney if we took a fewpractical steps andengaged our staff in anenvironmental pro-gramme.

“However, if nothing,Keith is tenacious, Iwould describe him as a‘Roy Keane in a suit’!

“We had just movedpremises so I decided tosee what area of busi-ness would have impacton costs.

“Some activities werejust a case of getting organised, like recy-cling the wood from the crates in which themachines are delivered, whereas previouslythey were simply discarded. That savedmoney on skip removal.

“Then with water costs being such a largeitem, we installed a system which wouldrecycle the water from our wash-down area- an important area of our business.

“I’m glad to say that the whole of our staffhave embraced the energy saving measures- and come up with countless ideas of theirown.

“We changed stationery, put timers on

faxes and printers, and ensured lights wereon timers and sensors. No part of the busi-ness was ignored.

“Analysing the most recent quarterly bills,I was delighted to discover that our energycosts had reduced by 26% compared withthe same quarter last year.

“Quite apart from the satisfaction ofbeing energy conscious, the cost savingsmake the efforts well worthwhile - and thatencouragement was a direct result ofManchester United’s initiative directed attheir suppliers.”www.envirowise.gov.uk

ManchesterUnited energisesCheshire Turf

New energy policy drops energycosts by over 20%

LEFT: Recycling the water in the wash-ddown area has reducedwater costs ABOVE: Andrew Robinson of amenity supplies compa-ny Rigby Taylor addresses the MUFC Supplier Chain meeting atOld Trafford watched by Keith McIntosh (standing left)

UUnniitteedd ttaacckkllee eennvviirroommeennttaall iissssuueess UUnniitteedd ttaacckkllee eennvviirroommeennttaall iissssuueess

Partnership formed with suppliers

Steve Halley receives a special certificate in recognition ofCheshire Turf Machinery’s environmental commitments fromGeorge Johnstone, Chairman of the Man Utd Environmental

Management Team, alongside Tony Sinclair, United’s headgroundsman

MMUUFFCC


A new scheme is teaching combat casualtyskills for remote and rural workers REMOTE and rural workersare more likely to die in theworkplace than any otherindustry, with almost one fatal-ity per week reported to theHealth and Safety Executive(HSE).

And, with changes to theHSE’s First Aid at Work(FAW) guidelines coming intoeffect in October 2009, expos-ing employers to fines of up to£20,000 and possible imprison-ment, the UK’s only first aidtraining course tailored specifi-cally to teach the ‘muscle mem-ory’ required to tackle emer-gencies that are seen in ruraland remote locations has beenintroduced.

Hereford-based 7MST (7Medical Support Training) haslaunched FARM (First AidRural Medicine), a uniquetraining course that draws onthe experience of highlytrained ex-military medicswhose knowledge is steeped in‘keeping people alive’ in aus-tere locations.

Agricultural and forestryworkers, estate managers,game keepers and utility com-pany engineers are amongcountless others who need bet-ter first aid training, the com-pany says, to increase thechances of survival in the eventof an emergency involvingmoving machinery, dangerousequipment, heights or isola-tion.

Training director SteveBenbow is a former militaryand Subaru World Rally teamparamedic and ‘remote areapractitioner’ who works withthe NHS ambulance services.

He wants to reduce the stag-gering fatality statistic and saidtaking the necessary actions asa lone worker or ‘buddy aid’ ina remote location could meanthe difference between life anddeath.

“The new guidelines statethat employers now have tocarry out a risk assessment aspart of the change in legisla-tion so we teach muscle memo-ry. Our clients are put throughthe most rigorous training androle-play scenarios to givethem the insight, knowledgeand tools do deal with situa-tions that are not traditionallycovered in basic first aid train-ing,” he said.

“Much can be learnt fromthe pioneering techniques usedby the military medical teamscurrently deployed inAfghanistan, especially fromthe approach to prolongedfield care.

“I realised nothing like thisexisted in the UK specificallyfor rural workers, like thefarmer who may be four or fivemuddy fields away from hishome while operating danger-ous, heavy duty machinery, orthe estate manager organisinga shoot who needs to be surehis staff can cope in an emer-gency.”

FARM challenges traditionalfirst aid methods withadvanced, evidence-basedtraining techniques that havebeen proven to work on mili-tary casualties so traineesbecome confident in a real lifesituation, especially in theevent of a delayed NHS

response due to the remoteincident location.

Steve Benbow added,“Standard first aid trainingrelies on the imminent arrivalof the emergency services with-in 8 - 16 minutes, but FARMchallenges those techniques byteaching continuous casualtycare with prolonged manage-ment of the sick or injured. Infact, some locations in the UKcan expect a pizza to be deliv-ered quicker than calling for alife saving paramedic ambu-lance.

“Basic steps like maintainingbody temperature, keepingsugar levels up, stemming cata-strophic blood flow and admin-istering fluids can help to keepthe casualty stable; which isvital when the accident scene isvery remote and not easilyaccessible to the emergencyservices.

“It is therefore more vitalthan ever for rural employersto ensure their first aid trainingreflects the risk assessment andannual refresher training rec-ommended within the legisla-tion.”

As part of the training, prod-ucts rarely seen outside of spe-cialist remote medical areasare demonstrated, such asCelox, a haemostatic clottingagent, and Emox, a chemicaldriven oxygen administrationset. These are lightweight anddurable and comply with theHSE’s guidance that first aidequipment needs to be ‘wher-ever people work’.

The training is awarded witha BTEC level 2 First Person onScene (FPOS) certificate that

is accredited by the RoyalCollege of Surgeons ofEdinburgh.

The FARM course isendorsed by the RoyalAgricultural CollegeCirencester, The CountrysideAlliance and the BritishAssociation for Shooting andConservation. Training is deliv-ered across the UK and tai-lored according to the clients’risk assessment needs, individ-ual topography and the risksthat they face. Instructors areholders of Certificate inTeaching in the LifelongLearning Sector

Instructors are LANTRAapproved and are also arequalified in hydraulic cuttingequipment and advanced extri-cation technician trained by theFire and Rescue Service.

For more information on7MST or to book a trainingcourse call 0845 834 0144 oremail [email protected].

SSAAFFEETTYY


BattlefieldBattlefieldto cattle fieldto cattle field

The HSE, 2007/08reports the followingfigures for agriculture,hunting, forestry &fishing in GreatBritain:• Fatal injuries - 42 • Major injuries - 694• Over 3-day injuries -

1094(As reported to all enforc-ing authorities - manymore may not have beenreported.)

AT the recent Council meetingheld at Harper Adams univer-sity college, MichaelWoodhouse, Delivery Managerat Natural England, led adebate entitled ‘IAgrE CPDevents - are they fit for purpose’all about the importance ofContinued ProfessionalDevelopment (CPD).

Michael talked about what ismeant by CPD, types of CPD,how members can go aboutacquiring the appropriate skillsand the issues involved.

Christopher Whetnall, IAgrECEO adds, “It is necessaryfrom time to time to remindourselves of the obligationsplaced on all practising profes-sionals in order that they mayexercise the highest standardsof professional judgement and

competence relevant to thebusiness environment in whichthey operate.

“Continued membership ofIAgrE implies compliance withIAgrE’s CPD requirementsand, indeed, payment of yourannual fees acknowledges anongoing commitment to themaintenance of a CPD pro-gramme”.

CPD is acknowledged bymany professions as vital to asuccessful career and must beself-owned and self-managedby the individual. Activitiesshould also be based on a‘structured approach’ relevantto the individual’s needs andenhance that person’s compe-tence.

Typically CPD involves keep-ing up to date with the latest

advances, developing spe-cialist knowledge, broaden-ing knowledge and improv-ing general knowledge andmanagement skills.

The lively debate con-cluded with the agreementthat a small team of mem-bers would take forward anumber of recommenda-tions and develop a set ofoptions for consideration.

The group will aim to:

• Review the CPD processeswithin IAgrE and canvasmembers for views on how itcan make CPD more relevantto members

• Review the option to uploadCPD records electronically onthe IAgrE website

• Seek to develop a pro-gramme that broadens theappeal of IAgrE to a wideraudience

• Seek to develop joint CPDevents in conjunction withother similar organisations

Further articles on CPD will beappearing regularly in future

editions of Landwards

The Council, led by Michael Woodhouse, recentlydebated whether the Continued ProfessionalDevelopment events are fit for purpose

CCPPDD

IAgrE emphasisesimportance of CPDIAgrE emphasisesimportance of CPD

Council at work . . .

Michael Woodhouse



WHAT ARE WEEDS?

WEEDS are all things to allpeople, depending on the view-point of the individual.

To some they are plantsgrowing where they are notwanted; to others they areplants growing in the wrongplace, in the wrong quantity, atthe wrong time; and to somethey are regarded as plantswhose virtues have yet to befully discovered!

An intriguing example of thelatter is the increasingly rareweed in cereal crops, corngromwell (Buglossoidesarvensis, formerlyLithospermum arvensis). It hasrecently been discovered thatthe seeds of this weed containrelatively high concentrationsof stearidonic acid, a precursorof the long chain fatty acidscommonly found in fish oils

It might then be that thisweed becomes a successfulcrop to provide a sustainablesource of these important com-ponents of the human diet inyears to come, protectingdeclining global fish stocks.

The need to control weedsonly arises when they interferewith the use of the land, andthis is usually in the presenceof a crop, such as in agricultureand horticulture. Weed control

is also necessary in other situa-tions including amenity areas,such as parks and lawns, inwater courses, or on paths anddrives where the presence ofplants may be regarded asunsightly.

It should not be overlooked,however, that weeds contributeto the biodiversity of ecosys-tems and should only beremoved where financial orpractical implications maketheir presence unacceptable.

In the absence of pesticides,including herbicides, it hasbeen estimated by Oerke andcolleagues (1994) that as muchas 70% of the major crops ofthe world would be lost due tothe action of pests, weeds anddiseases, a value reduced to42% with the use of agrochem-icals. Without them we wouldneed at least 90% more land tooffset this loss in production.

However, only about 3% ofthe globe is available for agri-culture. Hence the judicioususe of pesticides is essential tofeed an increasing global popu-lation.

INVASIVE WEEDS

THESE are plants thatadversely affect habitats thatthey invade, from an economic,environmental or ecological

perspective.It is thought that a combina-

tion of several mechanismscause the invasion, since mostintroduced plants do notbecome invasive weeds.Common traits include:

• The ability to reproduceboth vegetatively and byseeds

• Fast rates of growth andreproduction,

• High dispersal ability,• An ability to alter growth

form to suit conditions,• Adaptation to a range of

environments and• Association with human

activity.

An introduced species can typi-cally out-compete a nativespecies for nutrients, light,space and water.

One recent mechanism forsuccess is the ‘Novel WeaponsHypothesis’, recently reviewedby Inderjit and colleagues(2006). This is based on thefindings that Centaurea diffusa(Diffuse knapweed) andCentaurea maculosa (Spottedknapweed) are stronger com-petitors against native speciesbecause they release novelbioactive compounds into thesoil which are phytotoxic tonative species.

Many introduced invasiveweeds in pastures are toxic ornon-palatable, due to thornsand spines, and forage lossesby invasive weeds in US pas-tures alone have been estimat-ed at approaching $6 billionper year. Indeed, Pimentel andcolleagues (2001) have estimat-ed that invasive weeds in theUSA, UK, Australia, SouthAfrica, India and Brazil areresponsible for annual eco-nomic losses in crops and pas-tures of 87.4 and 7.52 billiondollars, respectively.

The term ‘sleeper species’ isused to describe plants thathave appeared benign foryears, but which might sudden-ly become invasive followingnatural events, such as flood,fire, drought, climate change orchange in land management.

As an example, recent stud-ies in Australia have identifieda number of invasive speciesthat are likely to shift theirranges over 1000 km south-wards from the tropical andsub-tropical regions of thecountry with global warming.These will obviously impact onagricultural yields in the yearsahead.

In the UK, five commoninvasive alien species areJapanese knotweed (Fallopiajaponica), renowned for its

what’s new inwhat’s new inweed control?weed control?

WWEEEEDD CCOONNTTRROOLL

Japanese knotweed (Fallapia japonica)ANDY COBB, Professor of Plant Science atHarper Adams University College explains


rapid growth and concrete-lift-ing ability; Himalayan balsam(Impatiens glandulifera), a fast-growing inhabitant of riverbanks and stream margins;Giant hogweed (Heracleummantegazzianum), a coloniserof waste ground and riverbanks which poses a serioushealth risk to humans due toits poisonous sap which cancause severe blistering of theskin; Floating fairy fern (Azollafiliculoides) forms dense matsin slow moving water andstreams; and Floating penny-wort (Hydrocotyle ranuncu-loides), another aquatic weedthat can block drainage systemsand rapidly colonise slow-mov-ing water.

Shaw and Tanner (2008)describe the development ofbiological control methods forthese weeds, utilising insectpests and fungi introducedfrom the native countries ofthese species, for control in theUK, with mixed success.

WEED CONTROL METHODS

AS discussed above, the biolog-ical control of weeds, especiallyusing insects and perhapsfungi, will become increasinglyimportant in future, especiallyfor crop growth in stable envi-ronments.

However, the vagaries of theweather in the UK willinevitably render this a limitedapproach. Mechanical weedcontrol is becoming increasing-ly practised, especially inorganic or pesticide-free zones.

The use of shallow tillage, aharrow or rotary hoe prior toor just after the emergence ofthe crop can be an importantcontribution to weed manage-ment and control. Weed con-trol might be less effective

overall but the costs are alsoreduced compared with herbi-cide use. Crops can easily beinjured, however, by mechani-cal control methods and anincreased planting rate of 10%and above is sometimes recom-mended in the USA to com-pensate for potential crop loss.

Herbicide use is the mostcommon, economical andeffective means for weed con-trol. A wide range of productsis available for all our majorcrop species. However, due tothe astronomical costs of devel-oping a new herbicide, the suc-cess of glyphosate and environ-mental considerations, the dis-covery and commercialisatonof new active ingredients hasslowed to zero.

It is two decades since chem-istry with a new mode of actionappeared as herbicides.Instead, the agrochemical com-panies have concentrated onthe development of variationson the same theme, ie ‘me-too’or imitative chemistry, that isbased on synthesising new ana-logues of existing moleculeswith, ideally, improved activityor a different spectrum of weedcontrol.

A good example being thebleacher herbicides (which turntreated weeds white) thatinhibit the plant enzymehydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxy-genase (HPPD) in sensitivespecies. Many HPPD inhibitorshave been developed by severalcompanies since their discoveryin the late 1970s.

The arsenal of chemicalweed control agents is, howev-er, likely to decline in the com-ing years as a result ofincreased weed resistance toexisting products, demandsfrom consumers, changes inEU legislation for pesticide

approval and theimplementation ofthe WaterFrameworkDirective.

The new EU leg-islation 91/414/EECproposes that activeingredients are tobe judged by hazardrather than by actu-al risk. Thus, weknow that some herbicides, athigh doses, might cause canceror reproductive disorders inlaboratory rats (hazard) but, ifused correctly, following labelrecommendations, they aresafe to use in the field (risk).

Or, to use a more relevant,day-to-day example, we knowthat high doses of paracetamolcan cause terminal liver dam-age (high hazard), but that therisk at the dose needed to curea headache is very low.

The consequences of thislegislation are that we mightlose many valuable herbicidessuch as the auxin-hormone her-bicides (eg 2,4-D and dicam-ba), pendimethalin (for controlof grasses including blackgrass), linuron and ioxynil(valuable actives in the tank-mix that broaden the spectrumof weed control).

Along with the potential lossof the triazole fungicides forthe same reasoning, this couldlead to reductions in cerealyields of up to 35%. Feweractive ingredients could thenlead to an increase in weedresistance, which would resultin further yield losses, due topoor weed control.

Can we rely on fewer herbi-cides? The answer to thisauthor is a resounding no, asillustrated by the example ofglyphosate. Because it is veryeffective, economical and envi-ronmentally benign, glyphosatehas become the most widelyused and important herbicidein the world. It dominates themarket for non-selective weedcontrol and has now become aselective herbicide in trans-genic crops (ie crops that havebeen engineered to breakdownglyphosate and so are not dam-aged by the herbicide, whilst allother vegetation is killed).

Indeed, there are now over100 million hectares ofglyphosate-resistant cropsgrown globally each year, withover 90% of the soybean, cot-ton and 60% of maize crops in

the USA. This success hasresulted in less diversity intillage and weed control prac-tices and crop rotations, creat-ing a selection pressure forplants that can surviveglyphosate.

Further repeated and persis-tant glyphosate use in mono-cultures has seen the emer-gence of glyphosate-resistantweeds, which will lessen itsvalue if it continues to be usedin this way. Glyphosate then, isvital for world food production,and should be used correctly toavoid resistance and reducedefficacy in future. So, the con-sequences of reducing thenumber of available herbicideactive ingredients are poten-tially alarming.

In the short term, foodprices would rise from a low-ered crop yield, whilst in thelonger term chronic food short-ages could be a real threat.

References

POWLES SB (2008). Evolution inaction: Glyphosate-resistant weedsthreaten world crops. Outlook onPest Management, December2008: 256-259.COBB AH (1992). Herbicides andPlant Physiology. Chapman andHall.COBB AH and READE JPH (2010).Herbicides and Plant Physiology,2nd Edition, Wiley.OERKE EC, et al (1994).Conclusion and Perspectives, pp742-770. In, Crop Production andCrop Protection: Estimated losses inFood and Cash Crops, Ed, Oerkeet al, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1994INDERJIT, CALLAWAY RM andVIVANCO JM (2006). Can plantbiochemistry contribute to under-standing of invasion ecology?Trends in Plant Science, 11: 574-580.PIMENTEL D, et al (2001).Economic and environmentalthreats of alien plant, animal andmicrobe invasions. Agriculture,Ecosystems and Environment, 84:1-20.SHAW D and TANNER R (2008).Weed like to see less of them. TheBiologist, 55: 208-214.Spotted knapweed (Centaurea diffusa)

Himalayan Balsam(Impatiens glandulifera)


GEOFFREY WAKEHAM considers who, in the current economic jungle, has a bettermanagement philosophy, lions or wildebeests

WWAAKKEEHHAAMM’’SS WWOORRLLDD

These words of wisdom wereoriginally written for Christmas2008 and started with goodwishes for 2009. World eventsintervened.

Anyway, here goes again. Letus hope we get to Christmas allin one piece.

Best wishes for Christmas andmay the New Year treat you bet-ter than 2009 may have done.

BECAUSE of global warmingthere may be a shortage ofreindeer and polar bears andthis is my excuse for pursuingLions and Wildebeests.

One of my students wrote asher final sentence to her finalexamination, “I have run out oftime but remember there aremore wildebeests than lions.”

In spite of this truism themanagement posters ask us tobe like lions, sharp of eye andconfident of our strength. Goout there and seek out the prey(problem/challenge) and tackleit. Make sure you bring homethe meat (profits) to feed thecubs (new products and infra-

structure). They are the nextgeneration to maintain thepride (company). Leave a fewscraps for the hyenas (share-holders).

Stuart Rose of M&S likenedthe old M&S to “a slightlymangy lion” when he joinedthe company, but as a “lioncub: alert, lithe, bright eyed,virile, all senses alert” afterannouncing the full financialfigures after introducing hischanges. (With a year gonesince this was originally writtenthe cub has grown older).

In reality, do wildebeest havea better management philoso-phy than lions? Should wedevelop a strategy based onbeing wildebeest and keepclear of becoming lions of theindustrial world?

Looking at the differentlifestyles and reproductivecycles may give us a clue totheir relative success rates inmaintaining or expanding pop-ulations. Wildebeest live inlarge loosely related herdsalongside other grazing ani-

mals and move long distancesto locate their food. Their foodis easy to obtain in given areasover relatively short periodsbut they have to travel up to3000 km/yr to locate fresh pas-tures. The availability and loca-tion of these pastures is notentirely predictable but pastexperience and an ability tolocate grass over distances inexcess of 50km mean they sur-vive through the annual cyclesand periodic climate shifts.

Their passage through anarea stimulates fresh growthand fertilises the ground asthey pass. Because most preda-tors are territorial and limitedin numbers, they do not have alarge impact on the viability ofsuch large groups of animals.

They are not seen as directthreats to man, but farmingactivities have disrupted someherd's migration routes. Insome areas where cattle dis-eases have been eliminated byman, numbers have exploded.

They are seen as a majortourist attraction and this

increases the value of main-taining their environment. Inthe short term man may beable to mitigate the impact ofclimate change and also see thefinancial advantage of doingso. However major shifts in cli-mate could see a loss of habitatwith no access to new areas ofpasture.

They act as a large organisa-tion that targets predictableand easy markets. Though theyhave competitors for the samecustomers these have only alimited impact on the availableincome. They are willing toadjust their patterns of activityto ensure they adapt to smallchanges in the market environ-ment and balance decline inone area by targeting other dis-tant markets.

They stimulate the market bytheir activities in a given area.Major shifts in the marketcould easily spell disaster asthey are so dependent on thestatus quo and may be unableto adapt to such changes quick-ly enough.

&Of lionswildebeestsOf lionswildebeests


AAss aa bbuussiinneessss mmooddeell tthhee oonnllyy ppoossiittiivvee ppooiinntteerrss tthhaatt ccaann bbee sseeeennffrroomm tthheeiirr lliiffeessttyyllee iiss tthhaatt tthheeyy ccooooppeerraattee wwiitthhiinn tthhee pprriiddee

Lions have a completely dif-ferent life style and strategy forsurvival. They live in smallgroups with a clearly coopera-tive structure within a limitedterritory and defend it fromother prides. They hunt a preythat is large, can outrun themand if mindful able to defenditself. By working as a teamthey are able to corner andbring down large animals. Thisallows them to gorge on meatwhile prey is available.

The migratory nature of theprey means that for long peri-ods food is scarce. Duringthese periods young animalswill starve, only the strongestsurvive. To survive they willresort to catching very smallprey. Climate change willimpact heavily on numbers andhas already led to the elimina-tion of lions in a number ofregions.

Though they are a touristattraction, in the past man hashunted lions to extinction inmany areas. Many farmers stillsee them as a threat to theirlivestock and persecute them.

As a business model the onlypositive pointers that can beseen from their life style is thatthey cooperate within thepride/company but not as aspecies/industry and whenpressed they will change theirhunting patterns/market. Theyhave restricted themselves to alocal seasonal market that fluc-tuates in size and is difficult topenetrate. Individual cus-tomers only trade once; theynever come back to tradeagain.

Breeding patterns could betaken as a model for the policyregarding the introduction ofnew products and services.Wildebeest are highly success-

ful breeders producing fullymobile offspring within days ofbirth. Few constraints are puton the herd by the new ani-mals.

Lions produce three or fourcubs a year but often all ofthem will die within a year dueto starvation. Those that sur-vive take two to three years tomature into fully independentanimals. When a new maletakes over a pride it will oftenkill all the cubs of the previousdominant male.

It would seem that thatWildebeest have the better newproduct introduction policy.However, if their migratoryroutes are broken by the activi-ties of man (farming, as well asclimate change) then both theyand the lion have a poor futurein the wild.

The future business of beinga Lion would seem to be limit-

ed to a wild life park in theWest Midlands. Wildebeestmay fare little better unlessthey replace turkey atChristmas. They will have to bebussed from wildlife reserve tosafari park and back beingreleased on the wrong side of ariver to provide the necessarytourist spectacle.

With the increase in EU reg-ulation, competition for avail-able resources and a rapidlychanging economic climate,will UK based industry do anybetter than the lions and wilde-beests?

I propose we develop the lifecycle of slime mould and cock-roaches as business models.Let us drink to slime mouldsthis Christmas and tuck in tothe odd cockroach haggis atthe New Year. They will sur-vive along with the cockroach.They are the future.

Agricultural Engineering; the Wrest Park Story 1924 -22007edited by Bill Day, Liz Field and Anne Jarvis. Elsevier, 2009. 168pp

A book on the history of the work of theNational Institute of Agricultural Engineering,which later became Silsoe Research Institute,is now available.

The first two chapters describe the origins ofthe Institute in Oxford in 1924 and itsprogress to Wrest Park in 1947-8 via AskhamBryan in Yorkshire during the war years.

The remaining 12 chapters describe theagricultural engineering work undertaken,together with highlights and personalanecdotes from former staff.

The price is £20 per book plus postage andpacking as follows:

• UK: £5 per book

• EU: £8 per book

• ROW: £10 per book

For further details, or to order a copy please visit:

http://www.iagre.org/wrestparkbook.shtml

or contact IAgrE Secretariat on

T: +44 (0) 1525 861096 E: [email protected]

QQ&&AAWhy did you choose tobecome a CharteredEnvironmentalist?

ALMOST all of the verydiverse programmes in which Ihave been involved have envi-ronmental issues as a commonstrand. Sometimes I am calledon to address these issuesmyself or I may be in supportof, or managing someone elsein this role.

My experience has been thatstandards of environmentalwork - specifically consultancy -have been less than satisfacto-ry.

How do you feel that beingprofessionally registered (asa CharteredEnvironmentalist) helps youin your career?

IN my work supervising andmanaging consultants andpractitioners I believe char-tered status gives the authorityto ensure the highest standardsare maintained.

Environmental issues are tooimportant to be left to casualor amateur specialists. I careabout these issues both person-ally and professionally.Wherever environmental issuesbecome important in multi-dis-ciplinary work I am in a posi-tion to be able to address thesefully.

What discipline areas haveyou worked in and whichdiscipline area are you nowworking in?

• Soil science and land evalua-tions

• Irrigation agronomy• Environmental Planning• Land use and natural vegeta-

tion studies• Land Use planning-

Land reform - land adminis-tration and tenure

• Reforming and rehabilitatingthe institutions of land andsystems

• GIS and remote sensingThe last two disciplines arenow the subject of my work inMozambique.

What have been your mainachievements?

STRONG land and environ-mental institutions are impor-tant change agents but theinvestment in them over theyears has been weak - particu-larly in the developing coun-tries where it is often neededmost.

In the last 10-15 years I havesuccessfully managed twomajor land related pro-grammes in Guyana andRwanda. Both of these pro-grammes made a significantdifference in several key areas,effective and efficient landtitling, transforming the institu-tions of land and training peo-ple up to skills levels that havechanged their lives. These arecomplex multi faceted imple-mentation projects that if suc-cessfully implemented havewide ranging and tangible ben-efits.

Successful implementation ofthese two programmes, in par-

ticular have been significantachievements. The Guyanaprogramme won a major wardfor change managementachievement under theManagement ConsultantsAssociation annual awards pro-gramme.

How do you see your workdeveloping in the future?

MY work in land administra-tion and land tilting and plan-ning will certainly continuewith the long term inputsenvisaged in Mozambique.

This is a newly developingarea of importance, centringon land rights as populationsgrow resulting in increasingcompetition for space.Traditional systems of landallocation are coming underincreasing pressure with theresult that formal law isincreasingly coming into play.

Any tips for those newlyqualifying?

STANDARDS are all impor-tant coming together in a mixof both academic qualificationsin key areas, technical experi-ence, and ethics in anyone indi-vidual.

Experience in field science isessential - this is the best possi-ble training ground for all envi-ronmental work - particularlyin development. The best pos-sible advice is to ensure field-work and supporting science issound - never take anything forgranted and make sure thatfact is separated from opinion.

PPRROOFFIILLEE


Chartered Environmentalist

NameClive English, CEnv, FIAgrE

Current Assignment:Project Manager, Long TermTechnical Assistance for theMillenium ChallengeAccount (MCA)Mozambique LandComponent. DirecçãoNacional de Terra eFlorestas (NationalDirectorate of Land andForests DNTF) 2009 -2013.

This is an implementationprogramme to improveservice delivery in the landsector in Mozambique inthe areas of land adminis-tration and titling and landuse planning.

Academic Career:•M.Sc Agric Engineering,

Land ResourceManagement. (Universityof Cranfield, SilsoeCollege, Bedfordshire, UK)1980.

•B.Sc Hons Geography,(University of Birmingham,UK), Upper Second Class,1977.

Areas of Expertise:Programme management,planning and implementa-tion, land tenure andadministration, policy, legis-lation and proceduraldevelopment, participatoryland planning and adminis-tration, resettlement plan-ning, public liaison, publicinformation and awareness,monitoring and evaluationas applied to the land sec-tor, land institutions devel-opment and change man-agement.

Training and teaching,environmental assessmentand monitoring, applicationof remote sensing and geo-graphic information systems(GIS) technology to landplanning resource/useanalysis, soil and land eval-uation, land use mapping,institutional capacity build-ing.

PROFILE:Chartered Environmentalist Clive English is a senior Project Director and Land Consultant for HTSPELtd (formerly Hunting Technical Services) - a development consulting groupbased in the UK.

Clive has over 30 years experience in land sector work in over 17countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. A geographer and agriculturalengineer by training, Mr English initially worked in natural resources andagricultural surveys later branching into irrigation agronomy.

For the last 15 - 20 years he has mainly focussed on programmes in envi-ronment, land use, and more resettlement planning, land administrationand tenure regularisation.


iMEMBERSHIP MATTERS

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH

Visit to Jaguar Land Rover TrainingAcademy - 29-99-22009MEMBERS from the IAgrE West Midlandsbranch were fascinated recently on a visit tothe new Jaguar Land Rover TrainingAcademy to learn how an old book ware-house , which had stood empty for severalyears, was transformed into a low costenergy, state-of-the-art technical trainingfacility.

The new Academy brings together trainingfacilities previously based at Jaguar LandRover's design and engineering headquar-ters in Gayton and manufacturing facilitiesat Castle Bromwich. It occupies over 4,000sq metres of floor area including a 60 metreworkshop and training zone equipped withvehicles, components and systems forhands-on training. The facility also has 16classrooms, including 4 that can accommo-date vehicles.

The chemical company BASF helpedJaguar Land Rover with the renovation byoffering advice and solutions in addressingenvironmental efficiency and sourcing sus-tainable materials for the project.

Instead of using conventional air condi-tioning in the classroom area, the designteam choose a new type of plasterboardwhich contains phase change material con-sisting of microscopically small polymerspheres containing a wax storage medium.When the temperature rises the phasechange material inside the polymer capsulesabsorbs heat and melts. When the tempera-ture falls the liquid solidifies and emits heatwhich ensures a more uniform temperature,without the carbon emissions and costs

associatedwith con-ventionalair condi-tioning.

“Somevery cleverdesignideas havebeen builtin,” saidWilliamWaddilove,WestMidlandsmember.

“Heat generated in a corridor is transferredelsewhere in the building and by being acorridor does not upset the temperaturecontrol of the rest of the open floor office.People sensitive lighting is used throughoutexcept the foyer and other key areas. Itcomes on when rooms are occupied andlight levels are adjusted to standard levelsaccommodating bright and dull weather."

After touring the building and trainingfacilities the members had a glimpse of arange of production models but sadly theywere not allowed to photograph next year'smodels!

BRANCH REPORTS

MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIESIAgrEBarton RoadSilsoe, Bedford MK45 4FHTelephone 44 (0) 1525 861096Fax: 44 (0) 1525 861660e-mail: [email protected]

Issue 64 Number 4 Winter 2009

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH

Greenmech Chippers visit

AT the kind invitation of Mr Tony Turner,Chairman of GreenMech, some twenty fivemembers and guests of the West MidlandsBranch attended the factory visit and assem-bled in the Training Wing, where they werewarmly welcomed by Tony and his sonJonathan, Managing Director.

After very welcome refreshments the pro-ceedings began with presentations firstlyfrom Tony, describing ‘The Old’ - he wasthen followed by Jonathan, whose topic was‘The New’.

Tony began by describing the fortuitoussequence of events that had led him froman apprenticeship with Bomford Bros Ltd inthe 1950s, under the tutelage of therenowned Douglas Raymond Bomford,through years of work on prototypes and asa demonstrator - salesman to the buildingof a prototype County Hydramower (in hisown time), and then in 1963 to setting uphis own company as Turner Engineering Ltd.

The new company specialised in arm-mounted hydraulically driven flail mowers,mainly for Local Authority use on roadsideverges, and from small beginnings grew tobecome a highly successful manufacturerand world-wide exporter, based on the pres-

ent site at Alcester. Later a separate entitywas formed to own the site and the manu-facturing arm, then Turner International, wassold to a conglomerate Group, Elswick Plcin 1979.

In the late 1980s Turner’s main competi-tor, Bomford & Evershed Ltd, also joined theElswick Group, and soon after the two com-panies combined to become BomfordTurner Ltd. Meanwhile, Tony’s son,Jonathan, was pursuing a career as anengineer in the Royal Navy where he rose tothe rank of Commander with responsibilityfor electronics and weapons systems onnaval destroyers, and when Tony set upanother new company toexploit the opportunities provid-ed by the Climate Changelobby it seemed logical for himto bring that expertise to bearupon the new challenges thatprovided.

Jonathan then introduced‘The New’ - the GreenMechcompany set up to exploit theneed to reduce carbon emis-sions by the ‘green’ techniqueof chipping and mulchingwood and brash rather thanburning it. With good design achipper can pay for itself, hepointed out, by saving labour

quite apart from its contribution to reducedCO2 emissions.

The most exciting developments of thenew era have been the SAFE-Trak system,described as “the mountain goat with twoshort legs and two long legs” whereby thepowered track on each side of the machineis independently enabled to move outwardsand downwards to permit the machine tooperate on slopes up to 35 degrees, andthe concept of multiple disc cutters on thechipper flywheel in place of the traditionalknives, giving three times the cutter life andreduced cost.

The company has grown rapidly and is

Tony Turner (left) and Richard Robinson, InstitutionPresident (centre), inspect the SAFE-TTrak Chipper

continues over

12 Service Dealer July 2005 July 2005 Service Dealer 13

YORKSHIRE BRANCH

Air Braking meeting

THE Yorkshire branch held a meeting titledAir Braking which was expected to be theusual slide show of equipment and detailson the latest braking legislation.

Tractair’s Martin Constantine and AlexConstantine Chairman and QualityManager respectively arrived and whenasked if they needed a screen and projectorstated that neither was needed in their talk.This caused a little concern as the secretarywas quietly told that tonight was going to bea ‘hands on talk’!

On entering the room from the bar wewere met with two long empty tables joinedtogether, which as you can imagine madethe audience wonder what was going on.

Martin and Alex were introduced by thechairman, who was not sure what was going

on either and handed the meeting over.“Well chaps it’s a hands-oon night

tonight”, Martin said amid blank looks fromthe assembled few. He continued by tellingus a brief history of the company explainingthat 96% of their business was for exportfrom the UK albeit the OEM’s who fitted thegear then exported back to the UK amongother areas.

He then said that we were going to buildan air brake system for a tractor. Then onefor a trailer before connecting them togetherand operating the trailer brakes!

He proceeded to introduce the variouscomponents, explaining in detail their oper-ation and function in the system, while Alexassembled them in a logical order.

There was a few sighs of relief I am surewhen no one was asked to partake manual-ly in the exercise.

As the system grew questions from theaudience were answered and slowly we allgot more and more enthralled wondering

how he was going to operate the system.On completion a switch was heard to be

pressed and a hidden compressor chargedthe system and hey presto we had an oper-ating system.

This then encouraged many other ques-tions about legislation etc, which Martinexplained was slowly being formulated andwas due to be ratified ‘Soon’ !!

Finally reference was made to the VOSAdocument for their inspectors when pullingup tractor trailer combinations on the road,available for down loading from www.trac-tair.co.uk, where the ultimate GV9 can beserved on the operator.

A vote of thanks was given by LanceButters who told us of one operator inLancashire leading silage in the springwhose tractor/trailer combination weighedin at over 30 tonnes!! I bet the trailer brakeswere . . .

Gordon Williamson

YORKSHIRE BRANCH

Valtra Tractors talk

IAgrE’s South Yorkshire members recentlyhad the opportunity to listen to Andy Millerof Valtra Tractors talk about oncoming emis-sions regulations and how tractor manufac-turers are having to adapt their engines tocomply with the oncoming rules and regula-tions.

“Andy gave us a brief history of the Valtraorganisation and how they fit into theAGCO group before going on to talk aboutimpending off-road engine emissions tierlegislation,” said Gordon Williamson,Yorkshire branch member.

“The legislation is already common oncommercial truck engines but it’s much latercoming into force for off- road vehicles.Another challenge for tractor and combinemanufacturers is there is less room in the

engine compartment to fit all the additionalcomponents required to achieve the newemission levels,” he added.

Andy of Valtra explained there are varioustechnologies manufacturers are using toachieve legislative requirements but atAGCO Sisu Power engines will be utilisingSCR (selective catalytic reduction) technolo-gy.

While previous emissions’ tiers were man-aged with in-cylinder technologies, purelychanging the combustion process to achievea cleaner burn is not enough to achieve thereductions in NOx and Particulates that areneeded to reach Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIb.

SCR uses an industrial urea-water solutionto convert the excess nitrogen oxide thatresults from the highly optimised combustioninto harmless water and nitrogen, of whichthe air always contains approximately 80%.In this way the exhaust gases are clean andharmless.

The SCR system consists of a tank for the

urea-wager solution, a pump system, aninjection nozzle and a catalyst.

The event finished with an open discus-sion about the new technologies and onequestion asked was what happens if thecontainer holding the urea solution runs outand is not replenished. Andy explained thatthe electronics are programmed to notify thedriver in good time for him to get back tobase and into ‘get home’ mode if it did runout.

AGCO Sisu Power has integrated the SCRcontrol into a powerful ECU (Engine ControlUnit) with leading edge computing technol-ogy and its latest Stage IIIb engines will fea-ture a new generation of Sisu Tronic enginecontrol electronics where the software willoffer many new and improved features.

Finally Andy couldn’t resist finishing with-out talking about his experiences plus thetrials and tribulations of running the UKValtra Tractor Pulling team - a topic andhobby close to his heart.

IAgrE MEMBERSHIP MATTERSi


the proud recipient of Queen’s Awards bothfor Exports and for Innovation.

The visit continued with a conducted tourof the factory, with commentary from Tonyand Jonathan. It was notable that the prod-uct range extends up to chippers able todeal with material up to 12” in diameterand includes around a dozen distinct mod-els.

In addition the ‘Flagship’ of the range is amassive self-propelled SAFE-Trak tractor/toolcarrier known as the Multi-Task MT 120,with full electronic/hydraulic controls, retail-ing at around £100,000.

The manufacturing facilities are no lessimpressive, with a recently-acquired lasercutting machine capable of cutting mildsteel up to 20mm and costing around£500,000, 200-ton plus press brakes and astate of the art shot-blasting, zinc coatingand powder-coating plant to produce the

high quality, durable finishfor which GreenMechproducts are renowned.

The party then returnedto the Training Wing tofind further refreshmentshad been provided andthese were enjoyed whilstdiscussions continued.

Proposing a vote ofthanks at the conclusion ofproceedings, the Presidenthighlighted the fact thatthe outstanding success ofGreenMech demonstratedclearly that the current decline in the manu-facturing industry was far from inevitable,and that a well-run British manufacturingcompany, both within and outside the agri-cultural engineering industry, with a capableand enthusiastic management who listen to,

and meet, the needs of their customers cancompete and win on the world stage.

The proposition was carried with accla-mation, and all present agreed that theevening had been of great value and anexceptional event in the Branch calendar.

John Fox

The factory tour - Jonathan Turner extols the virtues ofthe flywheel ‘Disc-BBlade"’system

12 Service Dealer July 2005 July 2005 Service Dealer 13Winter 2009 Landwards 29

NORTHERN IRELAND BRANCH

Manufacturing, research and powergeneration site visits

RECENTLY, members of the NorthernIreland Branch of IAgrE travelled south forseveral interesting visits including RichardKeenan and Co. Ltd’s Manufacturing Centreat Borris, Co Carlow, Oak Park ResearchCentre, Carlow and the ESB pumped stor-age hydroelectricity plant at Turlough Hill,Co Wicklow.

Keenans THE first version of the famous Keenanmixer wagon was made in the 1980s byfarmer, engineer, inventor Richard Keenanas a reliable machine with low powerrequirement and able to mix wet silage withother ingredients.

The present company was set up to fur-ther develop the machine along with itsevolving associated nutritional backup serv-ices. This has now developed for a world-wide market with wholly owned subsidiariesacross mainland Europe as well as in theUK, US, Australia, New Zealand and SouthAfrica.

Michael O’Grady, Keenan MarketingManager for Ireland, described how theoriginal concept has been refined anddeveloped along with a comprehensivenutritional guidance service for customers.The latest patented version of this is knownas the ‘Mech-fiber’ system in which the bulkdensity and composition of the mixed forageis managed to achieve maximum animalfeed performance.

Keenan’s own International NutritionDirector (Prof. David Beever) oversees thisside of the operation and works closely withresearch establishments and farming cus-tomers. The formula is adjusted to takeaccount of the different forages and live-stock systems in the world markets whichKeenans now serve.

A new technology development pioneeredby Keenan has been the introduction ofPACE (Performance Acceleration & ControlEnhancement), as an optional extra that canbe fitted onto all 6 paddle machines. Herea PACE control box is fitted to the feederwhich is linked to the weigh cells. It directsthe operator in the order and quantity ofadding ingredients as well as their mixingtimes. Each batch is processed taking into

account the feed information and livestockproduction performance requirements.

With their engineering interests, the IAgrEvisitors especially enjoyed being shown thefeeder design and production facilities.These included the modern team-basedproduction line with quality signed off ateach stage.

After the painting process it was interest-ing to see the user instruction decals inFrench being fitted to some of the machinesreflecting the fact that the Keenan feeder isnow exported world wide.

All were keen to see how the originaldesign concept has been further developed.The original 4 paddle design has evolved toa system of 6 slow moving angled paddlesand gentle chopping of large bales involvesholding them on a cradle. This is loweredprogressively as each paddle takes off aportion against the serrated fixed knife andfurther slicing occurs when the forage ismoved over spaced knives on the mixerchamber floor.

The visit finished with an enjoyable techni-cal discussion.

More details of the Keenan model rangeand the associated services can be viewedon www.keenansystem.com

Oak Park Research CentreOAK Park is well known as the national cen-tre for arable crop research run by Teagasc,the agricultural research and advisory serv-ice.

The focus of the visit was the CropSciences and Alternative Crop Uses pro-gramme where work under the direction ofDr John Finnan is progressing in the evalua-tion of a range of arable energy crops.Trials considering all aspects of short cop-pice willow husbandry are still ongoing suchas the capacity of the growing crop to takeup pollutants from waste products likesewage sludge or brewery wastes. Dryingcosts for bulk harvested chipped willow aresubstantial and the centre has had somesuccess using low-volume ambient air venti-lation to condition the crop during a longholding storage period.

One of the main areas of interest was themiscanthus crop planted at Oak Park. It is atall perennial plant green plant with a finebamboo like appearance. After a 2 yearestablishment period it will be harvested inMarch / April each year by mowing andbaling. There is a prospect of dry matteryields of 8 -15 tonnes / hectare dry weightand the compressed crop can be used as a

solid fuel. There are also high hopes in thelonger term for the development of aprocess of conversion to bioethanol.

Further market development is needed tofully exploit energy crops and Oak Park hasbeen carrying out a series of trials on thefeasibility of high density pelleting toimprove convenience of biomass as a fuelfor both domestic and commercial boilers.The centre is in the process of installing amulti-fuel boiler combined heat and powersystem to serve their entire site and as thebasis for more trials work.

The visitors also had an illustrated talk byMr Bernard Rice (a long standing goodfriend of the Northern Ireland IAgrE Branch)on the subject of Experience of RenewableEnergy Projects in Ireland. Reference to thework at Oak Park can be viewed onwww.agresearch.teagasc.ie/oakpark

Pumped storage hydro-eelectric ESBpower station at Turlough Hill

THE Electricity Supply Board (ESB) isIreland’s main electricity supplier.

Turlough Hill is the only pumped storagehydro-electric power station in Ireland andwhen it was completed in the 1970s it wasthe biggest civil engineering project everundertaken there. It is discreetly concealedin the Wicklow Mountains to utilise surpluspower from hydro power generation else-where in the network, mainly at night, topump water from a lower lake up to amountain-top reservoir 286 metres above.

During periods of peak demand the wateris channelled through Siemens turbineswhich can supply a combined output of 292MW. The same turbines are also used aspumps, powered by off peak electricity, toreturn the water to the high level storage forreuse.

Unlike conventional power stations, whichtake some time to come on line, thehydropower installation can generate its fullpower within less than one minute. The tur-bine installation and control systems arehoused within the mountain.

The power station is not open to the pub-lic so the visitors were privileged to get anarranged conducted tour by ESB engineerMr Padraig Dooley. More information onESB activities and projects for sustainablepower can be viewed on www.esb.ie.

Terence Chambers

Winter 2009

Michael O’Grady (Marketing Manager)explains the operation of the PACE system

Padraig Dooley (ESB Engineer) left, withthe IAgrE visitors in the control room withinTurlough Hill.

Dr John Finnan shows the I Agr E visitorsthe Miscanthus crop trial at Oak Park

NNEEWWSS AABBOOUUTT MMEEMMBBEERRSS



A CERTIFICATE for 60 years mem-bership of the Institution togetherwith a very pleasant note rom thepresident recently arrived.

An event that merits comment ona few highlights of a career thatstarted by graduating fromNewcastle (part of DurhamUniversity) as MSc alongside a smallgroup of fellow graduates from whatwas, in many ways, experiment intraining individuals in more thanone discipline. That highly flexibleapproach certainly served me wellthrough a career starting in acade-mia and finishing as managingdirector of a substantial UK agro-chemical business.

After graduating I became a lec-turer at the Edinburgh College ofagriculture, teaching mechanisationto a range of students from short-term diploma to degree level. It maysurprise some younger members tolearn that the syllabus includedsteam threshing and ploughing. Inpractice replaced by instruction ontractors and three point linkages,especially the Ferguson system, andthe then rapidly expanding use ofthe combined harvester.

Then, as now, funds for researchwere hard to come by, and projectsfor mechanical treatment of grass inthe field to improve wilting andreduce effluent levels from the sub-sequent silage had to be aban-doned. Frustration with the systemwas partly responsible for a move tothe world of commerce in the formof Pest Control Ltd., then a majorcontract spraying operation andcrop protection chemical producer.

The company was taken over byFisons Ltd. and became Fisons PestControl Ltd. ‘FPCL’, which led to achange in policy, adding the sale offarm-scale spraying equipment andcrop protection chemicals alongsidethe contract operation.

To meet this requirement Idesigned a number of tractor-mounted and trailed machines thatwere sold through machinery distrib-utors and in bulk quantities to trac-tor manufacturers for sale undertheir own brand.

It will be no surprise that thestand-alone spraying business wasnot profitable and after a short peri-od of time the business was sold to

Ferguson. It was at this time that myrole changed to that of managerresponsible for marketing of cropprotection chemicals. This includedthe activities of the subsidiaries inAfrica, mainly Sudan - aerial appli-cation and supply of insecticides forcotton pest control; elsewhere ineast Africa, Rhodesia and SouthAfrica a range of crop protectionproducts were supplied to both gov-ernment agricultural departmentsand private farms. Trading in thesecountries was, to say the least, andinteresting experience.

AT this stage (1960s) FisonsFarmwork Ltd. was formed and I wasappointed its managing director inaddition to my other responsibilities.Much of the equipment was nowobsolete being ex-land-lease, someupdating with in-house designedtractor mounted saddle tank unitswith 40ft booms was undertaken.

These units were copied by Russiaand were widely used on statefarms, I saw such units in EasternEurope in the late 80s and early90s. The land drainage operationwas modernised by the introductionof high output Dutch machines.

In the late 60s I joined CIBA asmanaging director of their fledglingUK operations, the companybecame part of the merged Ciba-Geigy (C-G) in the early 70s. I wasappointed managing director of themerged agricultural division with thetask of establishing the company asa major force in the UK crop protec-tion market. The policy adopted wasto use accurate application of cropprotection products as a means ofensuring the best returns especiallyfrom the autumn applied grass her-bicides, which rapidly became mar-ket leaders.

As part of this overall approach‘Sprays and Sprayers’ was estab-lished as a major annual event forspray chemical equipment, and aspart of this annual Spray Operatorof the Year competition was intro-duced. Both of these events are nowincorporated into the ‘CerealsEvent’, and I believe they have madea major contribution to the effectiveapplication of crop protection chem-icals.

I took a personal interest in BASIS

LONG SERVICE CERTIFICATESReginald Fred Norman, CEng, FIAgrE

IT is with deep sorrow that we record the death ofPeter Hebblethwaite, after a short illness. A life-llongmember, Peter Joined the Institution in 1953.

In his long and varied career there was for Peterone almost constant theme - AgriculturalEngineering. He first worked professionally, in1949, at the NIAE, Wrest Park, Silsoe, newly movedfrom its wartime home in Askham Bryan, Yorkshire,as an AEO (Assistant Experimental Officer), testingand reporting on field and laboratory performanceof farm and horticultural machinery.

A year later he was on his way to the USA, tospend two years as a Graduate Research Assistantat Michigan State University, lecturing and involvedin the construction of research prototypes.

Returning to Silsoe in 1952, and in a moveindicative of the wide range of his expertise andinterests, over the next fourteen years Peter becamesuccessively Head of Test Technique, Head ofImplement Test Department and Head of FarmBuildings Department. These roles provided the in-depth experience of harvesting machinery, fertiliserdistributors, sprayers, feed processors and a rangeof mobile and static plant that was to serve him wellin his next enterprise.

Leaving the NIAE in 1966, Peter joined Massey-Ferguson as Product Planning Manager, Canadaand UK. During a span of some twelve years heprogressed through Product Introductions Managerto become Product Marketing Director with specialinterest in Combines, Balers and Forage Harvesters,together with the development of long and shortterm marketing strategy.

The next two moves marked a change of empha-sis – a stint of six years with Rolls-RRoyce Motors asExport Sales Manager, responsible for the sale anddistribution of diesel engines, was followed by twoyears with Perkins Engines Ltd as Engines ProjectManager, again concerned with exports of dieselengines and spare parts.

Then in 1987 came a surprise – a year as CEOof the Mid-HHants Railway! Known as ‘TheWatercress Line’ it is an enthusiasts’ steam railwaythat runs the ten miles between Alresford and Alton,stopping at two intermediate stations on the way.

In 1988, having turned 60, Peter joined theGroup Practice of Olver & Rawden, ConsultingForensic Engineers, in Balsall Common, near thehome he shared with his wife, Sonia, and their fam-ily. Married in 1957, they have three children –Kate, Belinda and Mark, and now the family hasbeen increased to include two sons-iin-llaw and fourgrandchildren.

Peter remained with Olver & Rawden until hisdeath. He will be sadly missed by his family and byhis many friends and colleagues in our professionand industry.

John Fox

OBITUARY - PPeetteerr HHeebbbblleetthhwwaaiittee,, BBSScc,, NNDDAA,,MMSScc,, MMIIAAggrrEE,, CCEEnngg11992277-22000099


Winter 2009

(UK) Ltd as a director and later chairman ofits ‘continuous development’ activity.

It was a great honour to have my contri-bution to all these developments by theaward of the C.B.E in 1989 for “contribu-tion to agriculture and the British CropProtection Council”.

The journey from a fledgling company in1968 to a joint market leader in crop pro-tection in the UK in 1990, was achieved,not least through applying the adaptabilityof an original training that incorporatedvariability of agriculture with the disciplineof engineering. Clearly a combinationwhich I strongly advocate.

THIS award seems to remind me that I amnow entering the age of ancient history.

When I joined the Institution, I was ayoung graduate who had taken up a posi-tion with the UK Overseas Civil Service andwas posted to Trinidad, as the AgriculturalEngineer with the Department ofAgriculture. This was to be the beginning ofan interesting, and might I say, satisfyingcareer in the service to agricultural devel-opment in the tropics.

Being an overseas member I had littleopportunity to participate actively in theactivities of the Institution. However, I main-tained close touch with its activities throughits regular publications and personal com-munications.

After five years I joined the teaching staff

of the Imperial College of TropicalAgriculture, which was to become theFaculty of Agriculture of the University Ofthe West Indies. This led to broadening myprofessional experience and also gave methe opportunity to become more closelyinvolved with the work of the Institute,including the occasional visits to the UK onsabbatical leave and attending some of itsmeetings.

I spent the period 1965 to 1967 in theUK completing research for the Ph.D. ofLondon University. I was fortunate to havehad the opportunity to conduct this researchat the laboratories of the newly openedNational College of AgriculturalEngineering, on the invitation of the thenPrincipal Dr. Peter Payne, with whom I hadbeen acquainted during his days at WyeCollege. It is during this period that theHeadquarters of the Institution was movedto Silsoe and this allowed me to be betterinformed about its activities.

After 12 years of lecturing at TheUniversity of the West Indies, I assumed anappointment with the World Bank and wasseconded to the senior staff of the newCaribbean Development Bank in Barbados.I was recruited specifically for the purposeof identifying, preparing and appraisingprojects in land development.

This was a challenging assignment and Ienjoyed every bit of the time I spent workingon agricultural development projects,although I had to forgo much of my time toadministrative work as head of the

Technical Division and later, the AgricultureDivision. My last three years there was asDirector of the Projects Department and thisleft me little time to devote to the work thatI loved most.

In 1981, I moved to Washington DC toserve as a Rural Engineer with the WorldBank, working primarily on a wide range ofprojects in rural development in the Englishspeaking African Countries. I was happierto be more active in applying my profes-sional skills.

While working in most African countriescannot by any sense of the imagination beconsidered a piece of cake, the glaringneed for improved technologies to raiseproductivity spurred me on to get fullyinvolved in working on a wide range ofprojects that would serve the rural people toimprove their livelihoods. As time went on Imaintained my connections with theInstitution because I recognised the greatmeasure of information that I could gatherfrom that association and I am very gratefulfor the experience.

I am now retired in the Philippines but ammaintaining interest in natural resourcesconservation and management, particularlycatchment rehabilitation and water conser-vation.

I am involved in a small way in workingwith interested groups to make a differencein doing something about these problemsthat have grown to monumental propor-tions and could soon become extremelycritical for this archipelago.

Lewis Campbell, CEng, FIAgrE

CLOSE to the hydraulic ram unveiled inOctober, pictured here on Church Green,Kings Worthy, Winchester is the site of thenow demolished ‘Vulcan Ironworks’. Thehydraulic ram is representative of the princi-pal product of a foundry established therecirca 1883 by local two brothers, ArthurStuart and H Williams. In successive owner-ships this survived for approximately onehundred years.

The cast iron ram, in simple terms, is aself-acting pump for delivering water fromsource to where it is needed and did solong before mains supplies were availablein rural areas.

The rural location of a heavy industrialenterprise, so far from the sources of rawmaterials, many years before the railwaycame to King’s Worthy is unusual but notunique. Demand for the finished productcame largely from farms and landed estatesof which there were many in the ItchenValley.

The firm also had connections throughoutGreat Britain and many parts of the worldmaintaining a thriving export trade.

Arthur Williams died in 1888 and the firmwas acquired by Herbert Perkins Vacherunder whom the business progressedalthough it was later badly affected by thedisastrous fire which totally destroyed theworks in 1907.

However, helped by an insurance pay-ment, they were quickly and totally re-builtby 1908 with extra facilities on an enlargedsite of about 0.675 acres confirming thegrowing success of the business underVacher’s direction.

The business continued to flourish becom-ing renowned in Vulcan’s field of engineer-ing. Vacher retired in 1913 when the firmwas bought by the works foreman, RobertGreen (an apprentice and employee since1890) with a partner, George Butler-Carter.Carter died soon after but Green continuedand introduced several patented improve-ments to the product.

The foundry and engineering worksclosed in September 1982 and the businesspurchased by Charles Doble the MD whostill owns Green & Carter and it is situatedin Somerset. Work continues in the manu-

factureandrefur-bishmentofhydraulicrams forwhich,even inmoderntimes,thedemandcontin-ues.

At theunveiling ceremony Mr Doble said Ramsmade over 200 years ago are still workingand over the centuries 100,000’s havebeen produced. He told us about the ramsent to Tristan de Cuhna a remote volcanicisland in the South Atlantic. There is no har-bour and in the unloading operation it fellthousands of feet to the bottom of the sea,and another had to be sent.

Thanks to Tony Downland & Derek Brockway

The Ram on the Green - Denis Welstead, MIAgrE

L-RR: Denis Welstead, Mr & Mrs Charles Doble

12 Landwards Winter 2008 Winter 2008 Landwards 13

AdmissionsA warm welcome tothe following newmembers:

FellowMoore M(Warwickshire)

AssociateEcroyd K (Lancs)

Student

Bicton College

Christopher JCoward A DDickins J EDingle SGibbons GHicks JHirst AHomer KMcDowell SMill C JOwens RRostilly LScott ESlocombe J PSweetapple PSymons RThomas SThorne DWarne E JWeekes J JWithers S

Brooksby MeltonCollege

Albutt SBaker MBale TBarker RBrookes OButlin J CCampbell BCave S RChisnall KCorney R ACraig T SDawson REmery LGascoyne D

Gerry WGrant C GHall MHalliday GHewitt J CHilsdon HHing THollingsteal JHowells S JHutton AJames MJones MKing CKing J MLott MMakepeace M RMarchant WMason RMills MNibloe JNicol CReed ASamways JSimpson BSmith CSmith MSpalding JSparkes NStarbuck D JStokes C L GStowell H JStringer O RThomson CThomson GTwigg W JWaddington SWhitlow R TWilson O G Wood S

CranfieldUniversity

Badmos B KBoye ADe Brogniez DDenicolai MDickins E LDufosse K C C NGavu JHailes-Parry D LHargreaves J MJarratt A FMannion AMeyer V

Norman K ROsinski PSarlej RVylupek OWallwork AWilliams M GWright K AZemanova M A

GreenmountCollege

Anderson MBlaney MBuchanan AColeman S RDoogan CDuncan G JFleming D JFrancey SGilles AHamilton AHanson PHylands M DKerr MMcConaghy AMcElhinney RMcGarry DMcGovern A JMcKay A RMcKeown A PMcNally RMcNeill S V HMajury CMaybin D DSawey J JSimpson D W ISleator DSloan M JSloan RStratton ATaylor IVerhoeven PWarden G W MWest AWhite DWilkinson R W

Plumpton College

Benson AClarke ACook JCornford B ADay C

Doleh SDrewett GEdmond OEdwards RFrancis SFranks W CHubbard TMarshall DPalmer R APinder M PSheppard M CTicehurst J RVale P MVockins J Wraight LYates C

Reaseheath:College

Aindow JAllen DAshton J EAstley MBaldwin J RBaron M JBaxter S DBray S ABrooks S WBourne MBurton JCarter D SChatterton G RClark SColeman SConnolly T PCraddock L ADay JDownes-Hopkins TEdwards L CEtchells SEvans RFall TFallon J PGauld SGraham OGratton RGrice-Gibson SGronland P JGwitt THardwick M THaslam RHatton SHayward MHennessy P MHill N

Hooper MHoney W EHope JHopkins T AHowarth AHughes D LJackson T HJarzyna BJones A LKenneally IKirby G RKirkham O GLambert T JLee R D MLilley ALynch P Lyon A AMacDougall A RMcKenzie DMachin W SMain D RMartin G PMercer R SMilner GMorgan MMoss AMoss T SNicholls TOliver CPark K A TPollard G RPotts J DPreston S L Reynold O J sRidding J Ross Z JSteggel N RStewart I R SStewart S D CSullivan T MTalbot A WThomas T JTwentyman R KTwigg T AWardman BWilkinson J PWilliams A WWright JWyke L

Re-admissionsEltilib K H O(London)

DeathsHebblethwaite P(West Midlands)Maddock I R(Dorset)Thompson R W(Oxon)W T A Rundle OBE(Hampshire)

Transfers

MemberBird D (Yorkshire)

EngineeringCouncilCongratulations tothe following mem-bers who havequalified asIncorporatedEngineer, andEngineeringTechnician, entitlingthem to use thedesignatory lettersIEng and EngTechafter their names.

Registrations

IEngAdams A J

EngTechGriffiths R JHannah PMurr ARead J ORoberts D

Society for theEnvironment

Registrations

Tinker D B

Membership changes

Askham Bryan CollegeAskham BryanYorkYO23 3FR

Barony CollegeParkgateDumfriesDG1 3NE

Bicton CollegeEast BudleighBudleigh Salterton

DevonEX9 7BY

Brooksby Melton CollegeAsfordby RoadMelton MowbrayLeicsLE13 0HJ

Cranfield UniversityCranfieldBedfordshireMK43 0AL

Academicmembers




Name Grade Date of anniversay50 yearsReginald Fred Norman CEng, FIAgrE 14 Oct 2009

50 yearsEdward Bruce Barnett CEng, MIAgrE 10 Nov 2009John Alastair Coates Weir IEng, CEnv, HonFIAgrE 10 Nov 2009Matthew Jaimeson FIAgrE 13 Nov 2009

35 yearsRichard ChristopherGower Danby FIAgrE 21 Oct 2009Reginald Vincent Ward IEng, MIAgrE 21 Oct 2009Robert Leslie Pilcher EngTech, MIAgrE 7 Nov 2009William Wilson McKinlay IEng, MIAgrE 29 Nov 2009Christopher George Nendick AIAgrE 1 Dec 2009John Dumelow CEng, MIAgrE 16 Dec 2009David Corfield Black IEng MIAgrE 16 Dec 2009

25 yearsAnthony Goodall CEng, MIAgrE 15 Oct 2009 Wesley John Edwards AIAgrE 16 Oct 2009Barry John Higginbottom IEng, MIAgrE 22 Oct 2009Brian GeorgeFelton Matthew IEng, CEnv, MIAgrE 30 Oct 2009Christopher Michael Thomson AMIAgrE 31 Oct 2009Robert Edward Crook MIAgrE 1 Nov 2009Johannes GarardusHendricus Portegijs AMIAgrE 21 Nov 2009John Philip Metcalfe CEng, CEnv, MIAgrE 22 Nov 2009Nigel Leonard Warner CEng, MIAgrE 22 Nov 2009Stanley John Sherrell AIAgrE 24 Nov 2009Michael John Watchorn AMIAgrE 30 Nov 2009Peter Daniel Fisher CEng, CEn,v MIAgrE 18 Dec 2009Christopher Jaworski IEng, MIAgrE 18 Dec 2009Melvyn Frank Everitt MIAgrE 18 Dec 2009John Michael Sharp CEng MIAgrE 19 Dec 2009Timothy Margetson Place AMIAgrE 19 Dec 2009

Long service certificates

Winter 2009

Greenmount CampusCAFRE22 Greenmount RoadAntrimNorthern IrelandBT41 4PU

Harper Adams UniversityCollegeNewportShropshireTF10 8NB

Institute of Technology TraleeClashTraleeCo KerryIreland

Myerscough CollegeMyerscough Hall

BilsborrowPrestonLancashire PR7 0RY

Oatridge Agricultural CollegeEcclesmachanBroxburnWest LothianEH52 6NH

Pallaskenry AgriculturalCollegeCo LimerickIreland

Plumpton CollegeDitchling RoadLewesEast SussexBN7 3AE

Reaseheath CollegeReaseheathNantwichCheshireCW5 6DF

Royal Agricultural CollegeCirencesterGloucesterGL7 6JS

Scottish Agricultural CollegeSAC Ayr CampusAuchincruive EstateAyrKA6 5HW

Sparsholt CollegeSparsholtWinchesterHampshireSO21 2NF

Willowdene Training LtdChorleyBridgnorthShropshireWV16 6PP

Wiltshire College - LackhamLacockChippenhamWiltshire SN15 2NY

Academic members ccoonnttiinnuueedd

Agricultural EngineersAssociation (AEA)Samuelson House,62 Fodder Way, HamptonPeterborough, PE7 8JB

British Agricultural & GardenMachinery Association(BAGMA)Entrance B, Level BSalamander Quay West,Park Lane, HarefieldMiddlesex, UB9 6NZ

Alvan Blanch DevelopmentCo LtdChelworthMalmesburyWiltshire SN16 9SG

Autoguide Equipment LtdStockley RoadHeddingtonCalne, Wiltshire SN11 0PS

Bomford Turner LimitedSalford PriorsEveshamWorcestershire WR11 5SW

David Ritchie (Implements)LtdCarseview RoadSuttiesideForfar, Angus, DD8 3EE

Douglas Bomford TrustBarton RoadSilsoe, BedfordMK45 4FH

FEC ServicesStoneleigh ParkKenilworth WarwickshireCV8 2LS

Garford Farm MaChineryFrognallDeeping St JamesPeterboroughPE6 8RR

Huntaway ConsultingIvy CottageTorlundyFort WilliamInverness-shirePH33 6SW

John Deere LtdHarby RoadLangarNottinghamshire NG13 9HT

Law-Denis Engineering LtdMillstream WorksStation RoadWickwarWotton-under-EdgeGloucestershire GL12 8NB

Shelbourne ReynoldsShepherds Grove Ind. Est.StantonBury St EdmundsSuffolkIP31 2AR

SSAB Swedish Steel LtdDe Salis CourtDe Salis DriveHampton LovettDroitwichWorcestershireWR9 0QE

White Horse Contractors LtdLodge HillAbingdonOxfordshireOX14 2JD

CCoommmmeerrcciiaall mmeemmbbeerrss

i IAgrE MEMBERSHIP MATTERS


EVENTS

IAgrE Branch Meetings and Events

Yorkshire Branch January 2010 - tba VISIT TO GINETTAFor more details please contact the Branch Secretary: GordonWilliamson.Tel: 01937 843891 Email: [email protected]

Wrekin Branch Monday 11 Jan uary 2010 starting 7.30pm THE USE OF REED BEDS IN RURAL AREAS TO TREAT WASTEWATERSSpeaker: Clodagh Murphy, David Cooper, ARM ReedbedsVenue: Lecture Theatre, Reaseheath College, CW5 6DF For further details contact the Branch Secretary: Graham Higginson Tel: 01242 870458 E-mail: [email protected]

South East Midlands Branch Monday 11 January 2010 starting 19.30ENGINEERING SPORTS TURF FOR IMPROVED ENVIRONMENTALPERFORMANCESpeaker: Mark Bartlett, Cranfield University Venue: Maulden Church Hall Mark leads the sustainable sports surfaces programme in theCentre for Sports Surface Technology at Cranfield University andwill give an overview of the work from re-engineering biological sys-tems to delivering improved environmental function, assessmentsof soil carbon modelling in turf grass farming and sports facilities,and the quantification of natural turf sports surfaces. For furtherinformation contact the Branch Secretary: John Stafford Tel: 01525 402229 E-mail: [email protected]

Northern Ireland Branch Wednesday 27 Jan 2010 TRAILER BRAKE LEGISLATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS IN PRACTICESpeaker: Dr Andy Scarlett, Scarlett Research Ltd Venue: CAFRE Loughry Campus, Cookstown For further details please contact the Branch Secretary Ian Duff. Tel: 028 8672 6977 E-mail: [email protected]

Yorkshire Branch February 2010 - tba VISIT TO MARSTON RADIATORSFor more details please contact the Branch Secretary: GordonWilliamson Tel: 01937 843891 E-mail: [email protected]

Wrekin Branch Mon day 01 February 2010 starting 7.30pm TBCSpeaker: TBCVenue: Lecture Theatre, Harper Adams University College, TF108NB For further details contact the Branch Secretary: Graham Higginson Tel: 01242 870458 E-mail: [email protected]

Western Branch Wednesday 03 February 2010 starting 2pmLINDE HYDRAULICS LTDVenue: Abingdon, Oxon

Host: Rupert Caplat. Linde Hydraulics Ltd is responsible for the UKand Ireland interests of one of the world’s largest and most regard-ed manufacturers of hydraulic equipment - Linde Material Handling.For further details please contact the Branch Secretary: Nick Handy Tel: 07801 309912 E-mail: [email protected]

South East Midlands Branch Monday 08 February 2010 starting 19.30 BRANCH AGM AND STUDENT MEETINGVenue: Maulden Church Hall For further information contact the Branch Secretary: John Stafford Tel: 01525 402229 E-mail: [email protected]

West Midlands Branch Tuesday 09 February 2010 starting 1930 JOHN DEERE PRODUCTSSpeaker: David Culpin Venue: Chris Tallis Tractors, Hinton on the Green, Evesham This is an ideal opportunity to find out more about John Deereproducts. The dealership is located just south of Evesham on theA46 - ample parking in the yard. For further details please contactBranch Secretary: Michael Sheldon Tel: 01926 498900 E-mail: [email protected]

Northern Ireland Branch Wednesday 17 February 2010 DAVID BROWN TRACTORS - CELEBRATING 80 YEARSSpeaker: Leslie Hutchinson Venue: CAFRE Greenmount Campus, Antrim For further details please contact the Branch Secretary Ian Duff Tel: 028 8672 6977 E-mail: [email protected]

Wrekin Branch Monday 01 March 2010 starting 6.30pm BRANCH AGM AND PRESENTATIONSpeaker: tbc Venue: Temperton Room, Harper Adams University College, TF108NB Presentation by President’s Representative, Andy Newbold.For further details contact the Branch Secretary: Graham Higginson Tel: 01242 870458 E-mail: [email protected]

Northern Ireland Branch Date TBC BRANCH AGM; PRESENTATION ON THE LTA SCHEMESpeaker: Leslie Hutchinson Venue: CAFRE Greenmount Campus, Antrim After the AGM there will be a demonstration of electronic diagnos-tics in action led by a Technician from a manufacturer supportingthe scheme. For further details please contact the BranchSecretary Ian Duff. Tel: 028 8672 6977 E-mail: [email protected]

South East Midlands Branch Monday 08 March 2010 starting 19.30 SINGLE WHEEL TESTERSpeaker: Kim Blackburn, Cranfield University Venue: Maulden Church Hall For further information contact the Branch Secretary: John StaffordTel: 01525 402229 E-mail: [email protected]

Winter 2009


West Midlands Branch Tuesday 09 March 2010 starting 1915 BRANCH AGM AND TECHNICAL TALK ‘AGCO – GPS TECHNOLOGYTWENTY YEARS ON’Speaker: Dr Mark Moore, AGCO Venue: AGCO Training Centre, Stareton, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire Mark Moore, who was awarded the Michael Dwyer Memorial Prizein 2008, is an internationally recognised expert in the subject ofprecision farming and the application of technology to agriculture.For further details please contact Branch Secretary: MichaelSheldonTel: 01926 498900 E-mail: [email protected]

Yorkshire Branch Wednesday 10 March 2010 starting 1930 BRANCH AGM AND TECHNICAL TALK ‘LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OFTHE FUEL CELL TRACTOR’Speaker: CNH Venue: Buckles Inn, Askham Richard, York For more details please contact the Branch Secretary: GordonWilliamsonTel: 01937 843891 E-mail: [email protected]

Western Branch Wednesday 10 March 2010 starting 6.30 WESTERN BRANCH AGM FOLLOWED BY TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONBY BICAL BIOMASS RENEWABLE SOLUTIONSSpeaker: Hugh Loxton Venue: RAC, Cirencester BICAL is the leader in the successful production and continueddevelopment of Miscanthus, the multipurpose crop for energy andindustry. For further details please contact the Branch Secretary:Nick HandyTel: 07801 309912 E-mail: [email protected]

South East Midlands Branch Thursday 01 April 1200 starting 19.30 HYBRID & ELECTRIC VEHICLE RESEARCH AT JAGUAR-LAND ROVER(JOINT WITH IME)Speaker: Mike Richardson Venue: University of Hertfordshire, Lindop Building The development of vehicles to meet the challenge of climatechange and the work of Jaguar and Land Rover in this area. For fur-ther information contact the Branch Secretary: John Stafford Tel: 01525 402229 E-mail: [email protected]

Wrekin Branch May - Date to be confirmedVISIT TO ACTON SCOTT HISTORIC WORKING FARMVenue: Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, Acton Scott, ChurchStretton SY6 6QQ The farm was the venue for the popular Victorian Farm TV series.For further details contact the Branch Secretary: Graham Higginson Tel: 01242 870458 E-mail: [email protected]

Other Events:10 March 2010 Fusion EventsPRECISION FARMING EVENTVenue: East of England Showground, Peterborough PE2 6XE A showcase of practical solutions for those looking to implementprecision farming, and to profit from crop production. Alongsideindoor displays of equipment is a new dedicated guidance andsteering arena, which provides visitors with an opportunity to seehow steering sysetms work and provide potential to transform fieldefficiency. Recommended to agronomists and growing profession-als as well as technically able and professionally qualified growers.Tel: 0845 4900 142 Email: [email protected] Web: www.farm-smart.co.uk

21 Apr 10 to 24 Apr 10 IMechE ESSENTIAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR ENGINEERSVenue: Keele University, Staffordshire This four-day conference enables delegates to develop the skills tofurther their careers through a combination of: keynote lectures;interactive skills workshops; business management exercise; tech-nical visits. IAgrE are co-sponsoring this event and discounted rates(at IMechE member rates) apply. For further information pleasecontact Diane Lorenzelli, Events Executive, IMechE Tel: 020 7304 6837 Fax: 020 7222 9881 Email: [email protected] Web: www.imeche.org/events/ c1310

Tuesday 11 May 2010 IAgrE LANDWARDS 2010: NATURAL TURF FOR SPORT: ENGINEERINGSAFE AND SUSTAINABLE SURFACESVenue: Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire Details: tbc.Tel: 01525 861096 Email: [email protected]

Tuesday 11 May 2010 AEASCOTGRASS 2010Venue: Acrehead Farm, SAC Dairy Research Unit, Crichton Royal,Dumfries For further information please contact Duncan RussellTel: 01733 207607 Email: [email protected]

Thursday 20 May 2010 starting 9.30 IAgrEYOUNG ENGINEER'S COMPETITIONVenue: tba Students, having been given a set of standard wheels, a batteryand maximum dimensions, will have created a remote or radio con-trolled vehicle with the aim of producing the best performance on astandard test track. For more information on this event visit theweb address or contact the Secretariat Tel: 01525 861096 Web: www.iagre.org/files/yecompletter.pdf

Full details of forthcoming events can be found onwww.iagre.org/eventselect.php

If anyone is interested in car sharing to any of these eventsyou can liaise with fellow members by using the discussionforum in the Members Only section of the IAgrE website -www.iagre.org/memaccess.php

Conference 2010

AGRICULTURE FORESTRY ENVIRONMENT AMENITY HORTICULTURE

www.iagre.org

Innovation,science and technology

inA

griculture and the R

uralEnvironm

entNatural Turf for Sport

Engineering Safe and Sustainable SurfacesA CONFERENCE FOR ALL THOSE WITH AN INTEREST IN SPORTS TURFESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCEThe construction and maintenance of safe and sustainable sports surfaces is a fundamental prerequisite for thesafety and enjoyment of participants in sport from the grassroots level through to the professional game. In recentyears, much progress has been made in the development of artificial turf surfaces however natural turf stillremains the yard-stick by which the performance of synthetic alternatives is measured.

The performance of a natural turf surface is governed by the complex interaction of many variables e.g. soil type,water content, soil density, grass species, soil nutrition and pH. There is, therefore, an excellent opportunity tosee how engineering disciplines such as drainage, irrigation, soil mechanics, soil physics, agronomy andmechanisation underpin the construction and maintenance of natural turf sports surfaces.

The conference will place particular emphasis on the interaction between participants of sport (both human andequine) and sports surfaces.

Roger Lane-Nott (Chief Executive of the AEA) will chair the conference.

The morning session will commence with a paper delivered byMr James Calder – Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and HonoraryClinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London. He will talk on theeffects of sports surfaces on the human foot and ankle.

Dr Iain James (Cranfield University) will examine ‘How sports surfaceswork: A mechanical exploration’ He will look at the mechanicalbehaviour of sports surfaces using various studies from the field andlabs including both human sports performance and machinery-surface interactions

Dr Richard Earl will complete the morning session with a paper onpitch design and construction.

Dr Sian Lawson (William Leech Senior Lecturer in Bio-MedicalEngineering at Newcastle University) a Prinicipal Investigator inmusculo-skeletal bio-mechanics will start the afternoon session witha presentation on equine gait analysis in the context of sports turf.

Mike Maher of TurfTrax Course Services Ltd will talk about thedevelopment of the “going stick” for the monitoring of sportssurfaces.

David Shelton (Shelton Sportsturf Drainage Solutions LLP) will talkabout developments in machinery for sports surface drainage.

Roger Davey (Irritech) will explain some of the criteria used whendesigning irrigation systems for sports surfaces.

LANDWARDS 2010Conference

May 11th

Venue:Cranfield University

For further information, please contact:IAgrE Secretariat:

[email protected] 861096

For online booking, please visitwww.iagre.org

The professional body for engineers, scientists,

technologists and managers in agricultural and

allied industries including amenity, food, forestry

and biological systems

IAgrE is a licensed body of the

Engineering Counciland a founding constituent body of the

Society for the Environment

Convened by in association with

Documents

Importance of CPD INSIDE: LTA Update