More BASIS and NRoSO points will available at this year’s Cereals event than ever before thanks to a new continuing professional development (CPD) trail organised by Haymarket Exhibitions.

The trail offers 12 BASIS and eight NRoSO points, all of which can be collected on a single day by coming along to the event itself and by taking part in different activities on exhibitor stands.

Event director Jon Day says: “The number of points on offer underlines the importance that the industry now puts on the event. It also gives hard-pressed professional operators the chance to collect a good percentage of their annual CPD requirement at one venue, allowing them more time to put their skills into practice where it matters – on the farm.”

Three BASIS and two NRoSO points are available to registered members attending the event. Dairy Pro members will also be able to collect three points.

Nine companies/organisations are taking part in the CPD trail.

Water UK, Certis and De Sangosse (1 BASIS, 2 NRoSO)

Metaldehyde stewardship is a key theme in the CPD trail. These three companies have formed a slug trail, offering points to qualified members who read the literature and talk to stand representatives before completing a short questionnaire. 

With 88 surface water catchments in England ‘at risk’, metaldehyde is the key pesticide challenge for water companies, represented for the first time at Cereals on the Water UK stand. Soon, only two slug pellet active ingredients will be available to farmers, so retention of metaldehyde is seen as critical, stakeholders say. (Stands C-439-4, D-432-4, C-433-4)

HGCA (1 BASIS)

A BASIS point will be available for people visiting the fungicide performance area. The aim is to help growers make appropriate fungicide product choices to minimise resistance risks and impact on the environment, says HGCA. (Stand K-1203-12)

Say NO to DRIFT (1 BASIS, 2 NRoSO)

Hosted by Dow AgroSciences these points can be earned by completing a questionnaire about the importance of stewardship measures and best practice, and calculating appropriate low-drift nozzle selection for chlorpyrifos application. (Stand G-811-8)

BAYER CropScience (1 BASIS, 2 NRoSO)

Correctly completing a questionnaire by visiting various cropping zones on the stand will earn the points. Topics include application, spray optimisation, stewardship, application growth stages and spray timings. (Stand H-804-8)

Agrovista (1 BASIS)

A further BASIS point is up for grabs by completing a knowledge trail on this stand, which focuses on Axis, Agrovista’s new cloud-based technical information exchange.

This provides a single platform on which to process and store information such as nutrition management, (including GPS and precision mapping), weather, disease and pest prediction and irrigation scheduling and water management. (Stand D-426-4)

PGRO (1 BASIS)

Visitors will need to seek advice on agronomy and technical issues to gain their point. The focus is on pulse varieties, agronomic techniques and crop nutrition. (Stand H-810-8)

Monsanto (1 BASIS)

The Monsanto stand consists of technical information, plant displays and literature as well as plots of different varieties of Dekalb oilseed rape. Visiting and taking part in the tours and demonstrations will cover crop protection, the environment and application practice. Assessment will be carried out using a quiz. (Stand H-806-H)

Syngenta (1 BASIS)

A point is available on this stand, which includes Hyvido varieties, preventative disease control and blackgrass herbicide stacking. (Stand B-212-2)

Nickerson-Advanta (1 BASIS)

Observe new cereals varieties and a genetic breakthrough for OSR growers.
(Stand K-1209-12)


Tickets for Cereals 2014 cost £23 each (£19 for students) and are available at www.cerealsevent.co.uk

Further information at www.cerealsevent.co.uk