Spring drilling

[yellow belly]

I seem to remember that most of ours were planted then!

drilled from the 4 to 30 april in 2013
6 mm rain slowed me in beans on the 14 april

some wheat was redrilled once seed arived 3 days after the order in the last week of april

the lesson learnt do not drill when the soil is too wet put fertiliser on before drilling (when the fertiliser is going on those that have earlier dryer land )
plant plenty of seed

when it is warm it emerged in 6 to 7 days

 

[teslacoils]

Borderline today. Decided to wait a week.

 

[willy]

Thank you. How are you getting on?

Finished yesterday, twin time kit on and 99% drilled and happy with it, but time will tell!

 

[Pilatus]

Borderline today. Decided to wait a week.

It must be extremely frustrating for those of you farming heavy land , having to wait a week or so , or more,for your land to dry out. Here on the Brash one can usually be on again after three days, that said some corn that was planted when IT WAS REALLY TOO wet is looking patchy, some fields about to be drilled the second time.

 

[teslacoils]

It must be extremely frustrating for those of you farming heavy land , having to wait a week or so , or more,for your land to dry out. Here on the Brash one can usually be on again after three days, that said some corn that was planted when IT WAS REALLY TOO wet is looking patchy, some fields about to be drilled the second time.

Well sown, half grown. It will catch up. Last thing we want is to force it now we've waited this long.

 

[farmerm]

Will my expectation of achieving late spring flowering in AL1 be greater or lower a week from now?

 

[Two Tone]

It must be extremely frustrating for those of you farming heavy land , having to wait a week or so , or more,for your land to dry out. Here on the Brash one can usually be on again after three days, that said some corn that was planted when IT WAS REALLY TOO wet is looking patchy, some fields about to be drilled the second time.

It certainly is!
Even though I farm mostly within the Cotswolds AONB, we don’t have a single acre of Cotswold Brash on this farm.
The closest stuff to it is some Banbury Ironstone. We have some sandy type stuff that is probably old meadow land (Boy’s land) and one hell of a lot (60%) that is Clay/Warwickshire Clay.
It does not take kindly to the amounts of rain we have had since the beginning of last July and is still just saturated mud.

I couldn’t wait for last year to be over and as for this year, even more so.
I am sick to death of the sight of the entire mess of most of it.
On the Boy’s land and Banbury Ironstone it looks lovely. But the rest is sh!t

Every time I see a forecast like this, I go into another panic!

Pretty much given up on any of the planned Spring drilling, let alone any patching here now.
Waste of time and money.
Damage limitation mode financially, from now on.

 

[Wombat]

It must be extremely frustrating for those of you farming heavy land , having to wait a week or so , or more,for your land to dry out. Here on the Brash one can usually be on again after three days, that said some corn that was planted when IT WAS REALLY TOO wet is looking patchy, some fields about to be drilled the second time.

But in a normal year droughts don’t affect us. Unfortunately this year it means 60-70% totally fooked. To get really good conditions I think we would need 2 weeks from today to get it friable for a tilth. Next weekend if it’s close it will go

 

[bobk]

But in a normal year droughts don’t affect us. Unfortunately this year it means 60-70% totally fooked. To get really good conditions I think we would need 2 weeks from today to get it friable for a tilth. Next weekend if it’s close it will go

Be nothing sown here before May , and that's if it stays dry , which it won't

 

[Wombat]

Anyway trying to make a bit of tilth by cutting slots in plastercine in fooked wheat and get it to dry out using just the drill as a cultivator as it’s about the heaviest build thing I have. A triple K or the like would just have a frame after 20m

 

[teslacoils]

It's still really horrid. Even the grassland. All the structure etc has been smashed up by the heavy rain, and standing water.

Can't wait for really big cracks to appear.

 

[teslacoils]

Also, I need to switch from just ryegrass to something with better rooting.

 

[Two Tone]

But in a normal year droughts don’t affect us. Unfortunately this year it means 60-70% totally fooked. To get really good conditions I think we would need 2 weeks from today to get it friable for a tilth. Next weekend if it’s close it will go

This is the extraordinary thing here too.
Droughts are good for this Farm. It will always yield its best in Drought years.
Even the light, Boy’s/sandy land seems to sweat moisture up from underneath.

But as you say, this year is fooked, well and truly.
We just have to accept that the weather has beaten us, stop wasting time and most importantly money.

I feel most sorry for my new boss, the previous one have passed away last October. I had so wished and looked forward to a happy transition. Not the worst ever time in this farm’s history. Fortunately he is a numbers man and has looked at the last five years to get a better picture. His daughter is also particularly keen on farming and helped during last harvest combining the wheat.
But what a Baptism of fire they have had!

When you get the BBC news reporting an NFU warning of the consequences of the extreme weather we have suffered over that last 9 months, it helps them realise that we are not alone in what is going on.

Nonetheless, it is real confidence knocker that must be overcome, ………somehow?

 

[Zippy768]

Will my expectation of achieving late spring flowering in AL1 be greater or lower a week from now?

Can you drill it now or does it need a week drying?

 

[som farmer]

drilled a field of failed wheat, with spr barley today, one field left to do.

 

[Flat 10]

Also, I need to switch from just ryegrass to something with better rooting.

Cocksfoot. Timothy being the obvious ones

 

[teslacoils]

Cocksfoot. Timothy being the obvious ones

Yup. I have added Timothy to my legume fallow mixes. Have to say I find cocksfoot ugly, so dont put any in...

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Yup. I have added Timothy to my legume fallow mixes. Have to say I find cocksfoot ugly, so dont put any in...

Cocksfoot s horrid stuff, nothing will eat it.

 

[Flat 10]

Cocksfoot s horrid stuff, nothing will eat it.

Makes nice hay if got right

 

[David.]

There's a paradox, drought resistant, so green in a dry time, but they'd still rather not eat it