- Location
- Snodland kent
Set deadline for end of January with wheat variety I have (Barrel) Looking at weather should get in this week, have up rate to 450-500 seeds/m2 (225-250kg/ha)
Drilling anyone?
- Thread starter kevindb880
- Start date
- Location
- Mid Lincolnshire,UK
The only drilling around here will be with a Black and Decker! Sitting having lunch and field opposite has water running down the old tramlines from a spring-line that has erupted to the surface. WET!!
- Location
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
I am not sure just more trial sites are going to help it is more about the variation between years as well. So having done a fair bit of spring drilling of winter wheat trials we have worked with RAGT such that they have moved to 1st week of March on Skyfall as latest safe sowing date. Fortunately Skyfall has stuck around for a number of years and been a significant part of the market.
But a lot of varieties are in and gone in a few years so you don't really have enough of a data base to make any judgement other than stick with end Jan. Some breeders have made some comparisons between their varieties and decided that variety x is ok to go in a little later than variety y. Hence you get some being ok until mid Feb. But they will always err on the side of caution because to get it wrong is a major major cost! And maybe global warming makes the risk a bit greater than it was 25 years ago..
Major cost to reputation, certainly, but financially it'll probably be force majeure and caveat emptor all over again, as it was with Moulin.
Fortunately, we look like being all drilled up here by (End Jan) because not only has the weather knackered my TV signal but Brisel has objected to my first priority, which was to be getting on with the N.
Why couldn't we all have had a week or so of high pressure sometime in October?
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Why is your farm not grass?
It mostly all is, at the moment.
Not intentionally then?!
No, the fact is that it's much quicker and easier, or has been since the 1947 Agriculture Act, to pay down debt in an arable system than it is in a grass system.
Even where profits are higher in a grass system, they tend to become embedded in livestock valuations and new buildings, whereas arable systems are out of stock every once a year.
All the land we currently farm has been bought and paid for (almost!) twice over at open-market prices, first from various third parties and second from members of the family reinvesting elsewhere.
Our latest cunning plan is to align all the remaining debt repayments year by year exactly with the tailing off of the BPS..
After that, let the re-wilding commence.
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I might have started ploughing a day earlier than I said. We have gone through the worse bit on a headland where we started and now going reasonably well. Another field of 8 acres will be ploughed tomorrow with 200hp on 4 furrows hopefully!
A wet patch this year is alway going to be a wet patch, when 95% of the field is ok ish then need to crack on.
A wet patch this year is alway going to be a wet patch, when 95% of the field is ok ish then need to crack on.
Sandy
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
There’s wheat going in around us at the moment very unusual for the time of year but it’s great conditions for it there’s even dust flying
Rust
Member
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Ploughed yesterday
Springtined in frost this morning
Drilling at 3
Springtined in frost this morning
Drilling at 3
Chae1
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
I'm tempted to stick some wheat in going on doom and gloom on here.
Ploughing fields at home out of ley and heavily mucked, ground in good condition. Would just need to buy seed.
Going to be spring barley galore at harvest.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
We always have 200hp on four furrows. Sigh. No ploughing going on here.
- Location
- Cirencester
Looks some lovely soil!!!
Rust
Member
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Easy not lovely
- Location
- northumberland
better off keeping seed in the bag in the shed
farmerm
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
Well if will rain every day now till April!
I pull 5 furrows with only 130hp and we have plenty of heavy banks. Its not fit to plough yet and whilst dry it doesnt look very drying over the next few days before weather breaks again.
Ladybird
Member
- Location
- West Hendred
We managed to make a start on a field of Skyfall yesterday. Finished at sunrise. Great conditions. Going in at 500sqm
First time this season depth wheels have run clean !!!
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Ah, one man's heavy etc etc.