Andrew Ward's Drill Demo Day
- Thread starter Alistair Nelson
- Start date
Cross cutter after broadcasting
- Location
- Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
DD not working here
Or here
Or here either
Bugger!
Or here
Or here either
Bugger!
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Looks shocking, look at all that stubble. Will never work. You need a quaddy, solo and drill
- Location
- Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
More evidence of where DD just doesn’t work for Richard Ward:
Extase 2nd wheat Weaving GD drilled into the same field as in post 207 on the morning of HM QE11’s funeral, 19/9/22. (I stopped at 11am for the rest of the day!)
- Location
- Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
Wheat emerging into Winter Linseed stubble, its straw having been chopped. Weaving GD drilled.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Did Andrew ever say that DD 'didn't work'?
- Location
- Essex Coast
Yes but
His heavy land is heavier than your heavy land
Your heavy land is heavier than my heavy land
My heavy land is heavier than his heavy land
There's always an excuse.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Did Andrew ever say that DD 'didn't work'?
Simple question ,simple answer.
Simple question ,simple answer.
- Location
- Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
In his harvest results YouTube video he said that he won’t be doing DD, because the yield loss outweighed the extra cost of conventional Establishment.
He made some classic mistakes with his trial this last Spring, completely flawing the results. It wasn’t so much his fault - more the fact that the weather and his timing didn’t help. In fact, it could hardly have been worse!
Furthermore, he then went on to say that he would share his results with Defra, to persuade them that DD should not be promoted for any of the ELMs schemes.
If that isn’t saying “It doesn’t work”, I don’t know what is.
If I (ironically being another Ward!) can make it work, anybody can. But there is a lot to learn. However, it’s all logical.
Like everything else in life, if you really want to make it work, you can usually find a way. If not, don’t bother trying!
Being originally a huge sceptic about it all, it shocked the hell out of me that it does.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
I guess the difference is 'didn't work' or 'lower yield/margin'.
I think AW has a longer term trial in the next field which also has seen a lower yield at times. He is telling it as he sees it, just like you are.
From what I hear DEFRA are not listening to anybody at the moment, so it will no doubt fall on deaf ears.
I think AW has a longer term trial in the next field which also has seen a lower yield at times. He is telling it as he sees it, just like you are.
From what I hear DEFRA are not listening to anybody at the moment, so it will no doubt fall on deaf ears.
- Location
- Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
Andrew has told me that he has been doing these trial for year. Yet somehow this Spring Trail is the one he is talking about here.
If you hold your head up above the parapet, you must expect to be criticised. Especially when the evidence you present as a celebrity is contrary to those that have found a way to make it work.
It cannot be right to use your “celebrity” to try to falsely influence other farmers, let alone DEFRA.
Even if it does fall of DEFRA’s deaf ears, purely the fact that AW feels the need to try to influence it, might wrongly influence other farmers too.
I am not saying DD is the only way forward. What I am saying is that maybe others should try it. BUT only having taken good advice from others with experience (Much more so than me too!).
It just might work out that yields aren’t adversely effected and enormous establishment costs are made, therefore margins are improved.
Wouldn’t you be angry to have lost out on those margins, by being wrongly influenced and put off trying it?
However, when it really comes down to it, it has to be a personal choice of whether or not each of us even want to try it.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
There are some in my area turned to direct drilling, and most, but not all, have gone back to doing some cultivation on a fair proportion of the land. Direct Drilling has a place, and will do on my farm, but at the moment with grain prices as they are the consistent high margin is from establishment with some sort of cultivation. If/when the price of grain falls significantly then the numbers will change.
Nearly
Member
- Location
- North of York
DD not working on my farm.
Apparently you need to lower the drill in on every single run.
Sorted.
Apparently you need to lower the drill in on every single run.
Sorted.
YELROM
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Looking good other than the missed strip
- Location
- Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
You should have claimed it was a ‘control’ plot!
Unfortunately for you, the DD didn’t not work just enough to ruin your theory.
I also had a couple of ‘control’ plots caused by a dangling hydraulic pipe interfering with the switch that switches the seed feed roller on and off.
- Location
- Cornwall
After 5 years of scratch till, and now into direct drilling, my soils have never looked better 
trialing zero N application this year, just fym spread on top before DD.
trialing zero N application this year, just fym spread on top before DD.
YELROM
Member
- Location
- North Yorkshire
On what crop
- Location
- Cornwall
Winter barley