Feldspar
Member
- Location
- Essex, Cambs and Suffolk
For just about the first time ever I think this year we have got a decent set of yield records and maps for nearly all our fields. Old Massey yield meter was never very trustworthy and yield maps were very hit and miss. The NH yield meter works for all crop types and hectolitre weights and so is a much more reliable tool. Season before this one we only calibrated part way through the season which messed things up a bit, and then I couldn't get the information off the screen. Have a back-up so still hopeful that I can get that information into a useable format shortly because it will be possible to correct the figures obtained at the start of the season.
This season, however, we calibrated right at the start which meant the numbers coming in from the beginning made some sense. I would guess that there is a 5% error in the figures, but I believe that most of that error is likely to be systematic rather than random and so does not really affect relative yield comparisons.
The only data I don't have properly is the OSR data because we had a loan combine in for that crop. I still have some information, but need really for the last tonnage to be sold to tidy that up.
In the meantime, I thought I would set out a few comparisons in different crops between ploughed fields and direct drilled fields. I use the phrase direct drilled a bit loosely because a lot of fields we went through once or twice with a Claydon Terrastar. There was only genuine zero-tilling in some wheat, some spring barley and some winter beans.
Won't have time to go through all the paired comparisons just now, but will feed them in when I get time. We have cultivated nearly every acre this year because I was unhappy with our direct drilling experiences recently. Also, we have a peak in our drilled acreage this autumn which will push our drilling capacity somewhat. Therefore, I wanted to have the widest weather windows possible for drilling and be able to drill at the fast speed possible. Seems slightly perverse given that has taken a lot of extra cultivation time, but we had the weather to do it this year.
This season, however, we calibrated right at the start which meant the numbers coming in from the beginning made some sense. I would guess that there is a 5% error in the figures, but I believe that most of that error is likely to be systematic rather than random and so does not really affect relative yield comparisons.
The only data I don't have properly is the OSR data because we had a loan combine in for that crop. I still have some information, but need really for the last tonnage to be sold to tidy that up.
In the meantime, I thought I would set out a few comparisons in different crops between ploughed fields and direct drilled fields. I use the phrase direct drilled a bit loosely because a lot of fields we went through once or twice with a Claydon Terrastar. There was only genuine zero-tilling in some wheat, some spring barley and some winter beans.
Won't have time to go through all the paired comparisons just now, but will feed them in when I get time. We have cultivated nearly every acre this year because I was unhappy with our direct drilling experiences recently. Also, we have a peak in our drilled acreage this autumn which will push our drilling capacity somewhat. Therefore, I wanted to have the widest weather windows possible for drilling and be able to drill at the fast speed possible. Seems slightly perverse given that has taken a lot of extra cultivation time, but we had the weather to do it this year.