Getting concerned

Bruce Almighty

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Warwickshire
Sorry @lloyd butvi kind of disagree. There are heaps of previous posts here where people have said they’re going to hold off for BG chitting. There were indeed days where people could have drilled in early October too, and they chose not to.

I’m not criticising anyone, I’m just saying that the last there autumns certainly instilled a sense of confidence that all will be ok by waiting. Sadly, the dry spell never came. But, and I stand by this, if time could be rewound back to the end of September, there would be at least 50% more cereals in the ground than there are today of people realised what had been coming.

Everyone keeps referring to how easy and free draining the soil is here. It’s not. The last proper wet spell in 2000 we couldn’t drill anything until January, like everyone else. Many farmers in these parts are only 20% drilled up

it’s the fact nothing has been cultivated for years as to why it’s all gone ok this year. I’m amazed people aren’t realising that their soils can’t continually be thrashed to bits with 1990’s tracked and weighty technology and still offer them structure and flexibility

I can assure you that my non cropped areas are very wet indeed, as seen here today.


View attachment 842724
If that's the best you can show as a wet spot it just shows how little rain you've had compared with most of us & also how free draining your soil is
We've sown 30%, most neighbours have sown nothing
My cousin a couple of miles away has a Mzuri drill, he's sown nothing
We've planted our lightest land and one small field ploughed after grass.
Nothing has been sprayed, if we tried the sprayer would get stuck
Our rape is generally good & was sown with a subsoiler - but it is too wet to travel with the sprayer now
 

Flintstone

Member
Location
Berkshire
If that's the best you can show as a wet spot it just shows how little rain you've had compared with most of us & also how free draining your soil is
We've sown 30%, most neighbours have sown nothing

As I made quite clear, I’m not comparing or criticising, so please don’t get irritated.

You’ve done well to have drilled 30%. People around here have drilled far less than that, and you’ve got on well on your soil by the sound of it, which must be quite kind too.

We have had 10.5 inches since mid September which sounds like nothing as it sounds like you’ve had it worse than that.

Even so, nearly 11 inches in 8 weeks is a third of our annual rainfall in two months, so it’s hardly been a drought. :)
 

willy

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Rutland
farming is a risked based business. So if black grass means later drilling your risk of no autumn crops increase unless you up the output of your drilling rigs. So what I’m seeing around here is the people who have not invested in output while at the same time have delayed and got away with it in the past few years are the ones who are beginning to panic a wee bit.
 

e3120

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northumberland
Sh



Show me a spread sheet that makes money out of grass. Can be done but with land values very hard unless dairy is involved
Very rough numbers:
3 young stores/ac
200kg lwg each
£1.20 per kg lw
Gross output £720, or 4t wheat @ £180

Inputs:
Establishment 1 year in 5
Similar rates of N
Less/no P or K
1 herbicide pass in new seeds, no other chems
No harvest/drying costs
No break-even break crops

Just the small matters of capital, stock selection & and putting in a bit of graft.

In my experience, heavy land in the east is ideal for the green stuff as it holds on during the summer and normally doesn't get washed out as soon as the west.
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
Very rough numbers:
3 young stores/ac
200kg lwg each
£1.20 per kg lw
Gross output £720, or 4t wheat @ £180

Inputs:
Establishment 1 year in 5
Similar rates of N
Less/no P or K
1 herbicide pass in new seeds, no other chems
No harvest/drying costs
No break-even break crops

Just the small matters of capital, stock selection & and putting in a bit of graft.

In my experience, heavy land in the east is ideal for the green stuff as it holds on during the summer and normally doesn't get washed out as soon as the west.


Yes, we are 75% grass, 25% cereal here. The grass and cows happily growing along were a lot of comfort when getting the cereal in sensibly was looking unlikely
 

Flat 10

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Fen Edge
Very rough numbers:
3 young stores/ac
200kg lwg each
£1.20 per kg lw
Gross output £720, or 4t wheat @ £180

Inputs:
Establishment 1 year in 5
Similar rates of N
Less/no P or K
1 herbicide pass in new seeds, no other chems
No harvest/drying costs
No break-even break crops

Just the small matters of capital, stock selection & and putting in a bit of graft.

In my experience, heavy land in the east is ideal for the green stuff as it holds on during the summer and normally doesn't get washed out as soon as the west.
And fencing and water. No costs with preserving the grass? Mind they can’t be worse than combining wheat.....
 

Zippy768

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Dorset/Wilts
Very rough numbers:
3 young stores/ac
200kg lwg each
£1.20 per kg lw
Gross output £720, or 4t wheat @ £180

Inputs:
Establishment 1 year in 5
Similar rates of N
Less/no P or K
1 herbicide pass in new seeds, no other chems
No harvest/drying costs
No break-even break crops

Just the small matters of capital, stock selection & and putting in a bit of graft.

In my experience, heavy land in the east is ideal for the green stuff as it holds on during the summer and normally doesn't get washed out as soon as the west.
And of course the cost of concentrates feed in winter;
Silage cut and fed;
Straw purchased, baled, hauled for bedding,
Shedding with water/electric

200kg lwg? Is that offering buffer feed? Or hoping to keep stock out 7 months a year on this heavy wet ground?
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.8%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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