Autumn Wheat drilling

ace

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
east anglia
You have blackgrass and sow from Early October onwards and struggle with conditions. Your wheat is pretty clean but will probably not achieve full yield.
Your so called expert associate thinks you should start drilling in early to mid September and get drilled up in good conditions to hit higher yields.
Thoughts please :
 

nick...

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
south norfolk
I’d have drilled up early but rain started 23 sept and not stopped.well over 11 inches now.done about 10 acres wheat in good conditions but all barley drilled in excellent conditions.later wheat drilled early November looks ok,ish with several largish areas left where I was close to getting stuck and endless blocked coulters.2 more bits done early December,mauled in to be honest and most germinated but water standing in places.luckily got pre ems on within 12 hours of drilling and on early stuff it’s done a brilliant job,especially the avadex.still got fields that won’t get drilled.i wish it was all in early and I’d have finished in another 3 days in sept if not for the rain.as it stands I’m due for poor yields again like this year and got to look at poor crops till harvest which will cost as much to grow as a good crop.all beyond my control but it does get me down
nick...
 

Lincsman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
If you have a lot of blackgrass, sept drilled yields 1t/acre or zero if its roundup-ed in march

Only you know the history and what population of blackgrass is potentially here.
 

ace

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
east anglia
More info, First wheats 9tonne, 2nd wheats 8 tonne if drilled early, 6.5 to 8 if drilled later.
Spring crops are massive risk 5 to 7 tonne.
Very dry springs in East Anglian desert .
Blackgrass is present and manageble but high cost especially if drilled early.
I see it as short term high yields and massive problem versus lower yields but more sustainable. Short term or long term ?
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
More info, First wheats 9tonne, 2nd wheats 8 tonne if drilled early, 6.5 to 8 if drilled later.
Spring crops are massive risk 5 to 7 tonne.
Very dry springs in East Anglian desert .
Blackgrass is present and manageble but high cost especially if drilled early.
I see it as short term high yields and massive problem versus lower yields but more sustainable. Short term or long term ?

Drop 2nd wheat.
 

T Hectares

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Berkshire
More info, First wheats 9tonne, 2nd wheats 8 tonne if drilled early, 6.5 to 8 if drilled later.
Spring crops are massive risk 5 to 7 tonne.
Very dry springs in East Anglian desert .
Blackgrass is present and manageble but high cost especially if drilled early.
I see it as short term high yields and massive problem versus lower yields but more sustainable. Short term or long term ?
What’s your soil type?? How do you establish wheat ??

You are right in thinking short term gain but if you’re serious about BG then drop 2nd wheats, is it just the last two years that you’ve struggled drilling later, as the previous years were pretty good back to ‘12 ? ( well, they were here at least !! )

Whats causing the low yields ?? Water logging, poorly established headlands, poor rooting, lack of drill capacity, thin crops??

I’ve grown very good above Farm average yields from the second half of October but my soil type is conducive to this

What are you like for Aphid pressure as that’s the other concern from drilling early to mid September
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
You have blackgrass and sow from Early October onwards and struggle with conditions. Your wheat is pretty clean but will probably not achieve full yield.
Your so called expert associate thinks you should start drilling in early to mid September and get drilled up in good conditions to hit higher yields.
Thoughts please :

change rotation and grow a decent % of spring crops and sort the black grass out
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Also, dump the wheat / break mentality. Look at what the crops do as well as earn. For example, if you don't find Atlantis works, then you have good as the same herbicide options in barley as in wheat, and the barley will outcompete compared to wheat.

When they say only grow beans one year in six, I'd say only grow wheat one year in six if you're all combinables.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
my thoughts are to control blackgrass with rotation and keep it at manageable levels. no till also plays a big part, growing a decent crop of spring barley and cleaning the top, to then go and roar it out again from the soil profile is madness (i have done this). we have very low levels in wheat this year so we may actually get this rouged out in order to keep the surface clean ready for perhaps a second wheat or winter barley.
 
What’s your soil type?? How do you establish wheat ??

You are right in thinking short term gain but if you’re serious about BG then drop 2nd wheats, is it just the last two years that you’ve struggled drilling later, as the previous years were pretty good back to ‘12 ? ( well, they were here at least !! )

Whats causing the low yields ?? Water logging, poorly established headlands, poor rooting, lack of drill capacity, thin crops??

I’ve grown very good above Farm average yields from the second half of October but my soil type is conducive to this

What are you like for Aphid pressure as that’s the other concern from drilling early to mid September
He is like us read his comment about desert , you can do everything everyone has said , no water no crop ,
Irrigated winter barley in late March to keep it going , foot of flinty sand straight onto yellow gravel ,
 
You have blackgrass and sow from Early October onwards and struggle with conditions. Your wheat is pretty clean but will probably not achieve full yield.
Your so called expert associate thinks you should start drilling in early to mid September and get drilled up in good conditions to hit higher yields.
Thoughts please :
Reduce your acreage and buy a plough... so many more available drilling days on ploughed land here! :)
 

ace

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
east anglia
I am very interested in all the replies as there are so many differing opinions. Soil type and region give huge variations.
We are putting in approx 4000 acres in the Autumn and 1000 in the spring. Autumn is less risk once established but last two autumns have been a real challenge. Atlantis failed many years ago. RRR blackgrass, Hanslope clays and a bit of filthy ragdale and some lighter chalks.
Weather and soils at drilling time are important but so is the following week. We have had 65mm in the last week and it will not help some crops sat in a yellow soup.
Is no till really the golden ticket for earlier first wheats ?
 

ace

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
east anglia
Yes, we are on top of the blackgrass. Autumn drilled but later,less blackgrass but lower yields. Spring crops are a big risk, springs like this year need roots down to stand any chance.
 
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