News

They Command a Premium and There's Growing Demand for the End Product

No wonder the Vistive™ range of High Oleic, Low Linolenic (HOLL) winter oilseed rape varieties is suiting today's professional grower.

What started as just 750ha of one variety in 2006 has grown to almost 18,000ha split between three varieties in 2009.

High Oleic, Low Linolenic (HOLL) winter oilseed rape, produced to meet the rapidly growing demand from food manufacturers and processors for healthy frying oils, is finding a place on many UK arable farms, says industry sources.

Behind this market demand is the food service industry's determination to reduce and eliminate the trans fat levels in their products, while also finding an oil which can maintain its taste and stability in a busy catering environment.

According to Martin Farrow of food ingredient specialist ADM, the last ten years have seen rapid and significant change in the food oils market.

"We've all become healthier, which means that frying and baking oils with nutritional benefits have been sought out. But also the practice of hydrogenation - where oils are taken and treated to make them more robust - has now largely disappeared."

This is because it changed the fatty acid profile of the oil to produce trans fats, which are known to be a health problem and have been linked with an increase in coronary heart disease, he explains.

"So vegetable oils, which are high in the healthier polyunsaturated fats, are now in favour. But their polyunsaturated content can create problems in restaurant kitchens, as it causes the oil to break down very rapidly, changing its colour and flavour."

So the search for other oilseed types, which offer a different fatty acid profile, has resulted in the development of the HOLL oilseed rapes. Their difference is that they have a high content of monounsaturates relative to polyunsaturates, which means that the oil produced fries well and lasts longer.

"The food industry has responded well to their introduction, with companies such as McDonalds switching to this type of oil," says Mr Farrow. "We're now in a position where we need to be able to satisfy their demand and increase the supply."

Splendor was the first winter oilseed rape variety launched under the Vistive™ banner for this purpose. It has now been joined by three others, V141OL, V140OL and V161OL, all of which are available through selected agricultural merchants nationwide.

For growers, they represent an opportunity to grow quality crops for a specific market. They also give the potential to earn a premium of 17.5% over the conventional crop price, providing they meet the food industry's specification.

The key thing to remember with HOLL varieties is that the linolenic acid content in the oil must be kept to a minimum, says Anne Williams, seeds and traits marketing manager at Monsanto.

"This means less than around 4%, depending on your contract," she adds. "Otherwise the oil isn't of value to the food industry.

"If this isn't met, then the crop is downgraded and sold as standard oilseed rape. While that isn't a disaster, it does mean that there's no premium."

Varieties do differ in their oil profile, she continues. "But it's contamination from double low or high erucic acid oilseed crops and from cruciferous weeds like Charlock, which is the most important factor influencing the level of linolenic acid. That's why there are guidelines for growing Vistive™ varieties"

These guidelines cover rotation, weed control, storage and testing, she confirms. "Essentially, growers need to choose the fields carefully, always keeping volunteers in mind."

Originally, virgin land was considered to be important. "That's not the case anymore," reveals Ms Williams. "But we do suggest that a rotational break of four or more years is sensible, although this can be less if volunteers aren't an issue."

Once Vistive™ is established in the rotation, the risk from volunteers is reduced, she points out.

Cultivations and establishment also have a role in the successful growing of HOLL varieties.

"Spray off stale seedbeds with Roundup, to deal with any weeds, and use either minimal tillage or a plough-based system. Avoid direct drilling or Autocasting - the risk of contamination is too great."

Where ploughing is preferred, Rob Plaice, Technical Support Manager at Monsanto, reminds growers about its potential to bring up volunteers. "Maintaining oil quality is important, so attention to detail can make all the difference."

Once in the ground, the crop needs monitoring. "Take each field individually," he advises. "Inspect for volunteers in the autumn and spring, so that you can separate out any part of the crop with significant contamination."

Isolation distances, which were advised when Vistive™ was first launched, are now not considered to be necessary. "It's a good idea to maintain some sort of physical barrier, such as a hedge, between adjacent crops."

After harvest, crops must be stored separately until they are moved. It is during this time that they are tested to ensure that they meet specification - with the results coming back to the farm within 24hours - so that the information can be added to the crop passport.

"You need adequate storage - either on or off-farm, as the crop has to be kept segregated from others."

Lee Bennett of Openfield has had experience with Vistive™ varieties for the last three years, having been involved with both Splendor and V141OL.

He is impressed with the improvements in the newer of the two, V141OL, and believes it offers growers the opportunity to profit from a sound commercial proposition.

"There's no downside to growing HOLL varieties," he says. "We're seeing higher yields and improved vigour in the new introductions, as well as more oil content."

Trials results suggest that the HOLL varieties are around 10% behind conventional types in yield, he confirms.

"But the trialling system isn't very fair to these types," he says. "We've found that they need to be drilled a bit earlier, as they like a slightly longer season crop. If that happens, they tend to perform the same as conventional varieties."

Delayed drilling doesn't suit HOLL varieties, he stresses. "If you've got a few oilseed rape varieties to go in, make sure you drill the HOLL ones first."

Weed control has to be good, adds Mr Bennett. "Remember that weed seeds have a fatty acid profile too. So if you've got weeds such as charlock and mustard, they can cause considerable contamination."

Outgoing sugar beet growers have been amongst those to take up the opportunity. "They've got the right rotational situation. And once HOLL is in the rotation, you're set up for it."

Mr Bennett likens growing HOLL varieties to the production of a Group 1 milling wheat. "You have to be prepared to invest in the crop and spend time on it. With both crops, you're aiming for the highest specification."

He adds that the HOLL varieties are agronomically sound. "V141OL has a 7 for both light leaf spot and stem canker, it's of medium height and medium to average maturity. It also has a 2% higher oil content than Castille."

Looking ahead, he is very excited about the prospect of hybrid HOLL varieties. "They are going to be the future. At this stage, it looks as though they will offer very considerable yield benefits, while still commanding the healthy premium that accompanies this specialist crop."

Darrell Clarke at Harlow Agricultural Merchants believes HOLL oilseed rape fits well with the company's desire to supply niche markets and help growers add value.

"As an organisation, our interest isn't in supplying the huge volume markets. We aim to help farmers add value to what they're growing, so that they can earn the premiums that are available."

He says that many growers in the east are committed to wheat/oilseed rape rotations. "For all sorts of reasons, they don't like spring cropping. So they're stuck with oilseed rape as a crop, and as we all know, returns haven't been that exciting."

HOLL varieties give them the chance to increase the output from the crop, without having to make radical changes to the farm or increase investment, he explains.

"Many of our growers are interested in innovation and are keen to try something new. They see this as a step forwards, giving them the chance to get more involved in the food chain and demonstrate their ability to provide traceability and assurance.

"Of course, a 17.5% premium also helps. It shows that the food industry is serious about its responsibilities."

Mr Clarke believes that a four year rotation is the minimum requirement. "Very few farms don't have an issue with volunteers and oilseed rape has been widely grown around here for quite some time.

"These HOLL crops do require the right stewardship and growers must have separate storage. It's very important that they carry the whole concept through."

He is another fan of the newer varieties and HAM will be offering contracts for V140OL in 2009, he confirms.

"There are yield and disease resistance benefits from growing one of the latest varieties. Our experience suggests that once growers have committed to a specialty crop, they tend to be in it for the long haul. So it's good to know that the varieties are getting better and better."

Contracts for 2009/10 haven't been issued yet, but both Openfield and HAM are expecting strong grower interest. "Recent market volatility has shaken confidence. HOLL contracts are a good way of increasing income from the oilseed rape crop, while also meeting market demand."

Farm Experience - John Lucas

Lincolnshire grower John Lucas was one of the first in the UK to take advantage of the Vistive™ opportunity.

For the last three years, Mr Lucas has grown Splendor in one 20ha block of his 240ha combinable crop rotation, together with conventional oilseed rape. The HOLL variety also features in the rotation again this year, after good yield results and convincing financial returns.

"Splendor does tend to yield between 5-10% less than our conventional rape," says Mr Lucas. "But there have been years when it's held its own. So although our first crop only averaged 2.5t/ha, the following year we achieved 3.4t/ha, with a 44% oil content."

The potential yield penalty does not concern him at all. "We've been growing oilseed rape for over twenty years," he says. "And for all of that time, yields have either stayed the same or been lower, regardless of the variety we've grown.

"So it's not as though things have really moved on. But we do get a good, guaranteed premium by growing for a specific market."

He finds HOLL varieties easy to manage, despite the stricter growing guidelines and the need for attention to detail. "It's part of our system now. I have a dedicated block of land where I rotate the Splendor."

At the beginning, he chose a field which hadn't grown oilseed rape for five years, he recalls. "Subsequently, we cut that rotational gap to four years, without encountering any problems with volunteers."

To date, all of the seed produced has met the required oil specification, meaning he has been entitled to the full premium. "Last year, that was in the region of £60/t," he reveals. "So even with a 5% yield penalty, it's a very worthwhile exercise."

As well as ensuring good initial volunteer control, Mr Lucas has taken particular care with seed identification, machinery hygiene and crop storage. The combine has to be cleaned down between crops and the seed is held separately before it goes for crushing.

"It's all about maintaining the best identity preservation and preventing contamination. But this hasn't been a particular problem to us - most of the rape from this farm is marketed within a month of combining."

Mr Lucas finds that an August drilling date suits Splendor better than a September one. "Otherwise it's been easy to manage in our system, which is fairly low input."

Instead of buying seed ahead of the season, he pays a licence fee to grow the crop. "It doesn't cost us any more than buying seed for a conventional crop and it means that we have a guaranteed market at the end of the crop's life."