100% spring cropping

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
And why would you grow any other crops????!!!! Spb CC spb CC rotation
Now there’s a thought! To be honest this year has been very good on spring barley but so far for 3 years of growing it in a big way we are averaging about 7.2t/ha and I think we are getting better at understanding how to grow it.
 
Now there’s a thought! To be honest this year has been very good on spring barley but so far for 3 years of growing it in a big way we are averaging about 7.2t/ha and I think we are getting better at understanding how to grow it.
Care to share your recipe for success? I’m comming to the conclusion that SB doesn’t really like direct drilling in the first week in April. Do you winter or spring cultivate at all before the crop?
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Care to share your recipe for success? I’m comming to the conclusion that SB doesn’t really like direct drilling in the first week in April. Do you winter or spring cultivate at all before the crop?
Shallow cultivate whilst broadcasting a cover crop. Drill in Feb or March. Pure no till is quite risky on clay in my opinion but will be trying more as soils improve.
 
Spring barley is ok on easy working land
On heavy land its a hit and miss affair very dependent on a favourable spring
Winter barley is far more consistent on heavy land but a waste money on easy working land where spring will often do near as well yield wise
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Spring barley is ok on easy working land
On heavy land its a hit and miss affair very dependent on a favourable spring
Winter barley is far more consistent on heavy land but a waste money on easy working land where spring will often do near as well yield wise
Not sure I agree with this we are very pleased with the margin of spring barley the last 3 or 4 years we have been growing it for blackgrass on heavy land.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
This coming year we are trying spring cropping only:

Malting barley
Sugar beet
Spring beans
Maybe some late sown winter wheat.

Fed up of:

Having to soak the soil with herbicide to half kill but not completely kill the blackgrass brome and cranesbill.
Battling slugs.
Struggling with manganese defficiency and frost heave through the winter.
Spraying insecticide twice because no seed dressings.
Generally mauling about with the land as its getting wetter and colder.
Laying out cash months ahead of harvest, before the crop has even really got going.
Carrying disease from one year to the next.

We have found that our spring barley outperforms winter barley hands down. Very late sown winter wheat has done better than October sown wheat.

Not saying it works for everybody but for us we are giving it a try.
 

Flat 10

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Fen Edge
This coming year we are trying spring cropping only:

Malting barley
Sugar beet
Spring beans
Maybe some late sown winter wheat.

Fed up of:

Having to soak the soil with herbicide to half kill but not completely kill the blackgrass brome and cranesbill.
Battling slugs.
Struggling with manganese defficiency and frost heave through the winter.
Spraying insecticide twice because no seed dressings.
Generally mauling about with the land as its getting wetter and colder.
Laying out cash months ahead of harvest, before the crop has even really got going.
Carrying disease from one year to the next.

We have found that our spring barley outperforms winter barley hands down. Very late sown winter wheat has done better than October sown wheat.

Not saying it works for everybody but for us we are giving it a try.
Good luck.:) If the weather came wrong here we'd get nothing. Winter crops much much more reliable.
 
Last edited:

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Good luck.:) If the weather came wrong here we'd get nothing. Winter crops much much more reliable.

Last year winter wheat sown October, big spend on herbicide and fungicide, then burnt up by the drought 2t /acre. Same year, RGT planet drilled in April, 100 days in the ground, low spend, 3 t/ acre.

Winter crops more reliable? I don't think so. Unless you are selling agrochemicals.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
This year, Crispin drilled January, Broadway star and ally. 4 t/ acre. Clean as whistle. No aphicide.

I am doing nowt before Christmas, other than harvesting beef and beet.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
This coming year we are trying spring cropping only:

Malting barley
Sugar beet
Spring beans
Maybe some late sown winter wheat.

Fed up of:

Having to soak the soil with herbicide to half kill but not completely kill the blackgrass brome and cranesbill.
Battling slugs.
Struggling with manganese defficiency and frost heave through the winter.
Spraying insecticide twice because no seed dressings.
Generally mauling about with the land as its getting wetter and colder.
Laying out cash months ahead of harvest, before the crop has even really got going.
Carrying disease from one year to the next.

We have found that our spring barley outperforms winter barley hands down. Very late sown winter wheat has done better than October sown wheat.

Not saying it works for everybody but for us we are giving it a try.
I agree with you’re sentiment. But whatever you say I know a good wheat in a sensible rotation doesn’t cost the earth and will always offer the best margin. It’s when you start messing around trying to do second and third wheats on average land with blackgrass that it gets really expensive. Pick you’re battles.
 

Cowcorn

Member
Mixed Farmer
Last year winter wheat sown October, big spend on herbicide and fungicide, then burnt up by the drought 2t /acre. Same year, RGT planet drilled in April, 100 days in the ground, low spend, 3 t/ acre.

Winter crops more reliable? I don't think so. Unless you are selling agrochemicals.
Good luck with your switch to spring cropping Doc, on the right type of land its a no brainer . Ask phil down in wexford he is a real expert at getting winter type yields i n spring crops . Also Teagasc have a lot of stuff on their website on spring cropping which might come in useful .
 

richard hammond

Member
BASIS
This coming year we are trying spring cropping only:

Malting barley
Sugar beet
Spring beans
Maybe some late sown winter wheat.

Fed up of:

Having to soak the soil with herbicide to half kill but not completely kill the blackgrass brome and cranesbill.
Battling slugs.
Struggling with manganese defficiency and frost heave through the winter.
Spraying insecticide twice because no seed dressings.
Generally mauling about with the land as its getting wetter and colder.
Laying out cash months ahead of harvest, before the crop has even really got going.
Carrying disease from one year to the next.

We have found that our spring barley outperforms winter barley hands down. Very late sown winter wheat has done better than October sown wheat.

Not saying it works for everybody but for us we are giving it a try.
You will probably find it is the best thing to do on your farm in your area, I have seen it done many times very successfully,
 

Against_the_grain

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
S.E
This year, Crispin drilled January, Broadway star and ally. 4 t/ acre. Clean as whistle. No aphicide.

I am doing nowt before Christmas, other than harvesting beef and beet.

Never farm on last years weather because this years WILL be different. I like the more sp crop approach but this past year was an exception to the rule and budgets should not be based on the 2019 harvest imo.
 

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