2015 cover crops

[dontknowanything]

A couple of years back I had 90ac out of a 110ac field in summer fallow drilled with @Pedders Legumix. The remaining 20ac was drilled with WB the previous autumn.
CC was flailed with residue left on top and the WB harvested. The complete field was then drilled with WW (with freeflow) Harvest year 14 the part of the field after fallow/CC yielded exactly 1 tonne/ac more, still noticed a lift in yield this harvest.

There's a very large difference between a full summer fallow with lots of legumes, and putting in some late oats and vetch over winter.

 

[warksfarmer]

A couple of years back I had 90ac out of a 110ac field in summer fallow drilled with @Pedders Legumix. The remaining 20ac was drilled with WB the previous autumn.
CC was flailed with residue left on top and the WB harvested. The complete field was then drilled with WW (with freeflow) Harvest year 14 the part of the field after fallow/CC yielded exactly 1 tonne/ac more, still noticed a lift in yield this harvest.

But that area didn't produce for 1 year so the extra 1 tonne the following year made you an extra £150/ac in output??

If you'd not cover cropped and gone wheat you'd get 3t/ac at least meaning your 2t or £300/ac better off before costs?

If you work it out accurately which option stacks up better on a year by year basis?

 

[phil]

Tillage radish + vetch + peas + Phacelia

Sown mid August after spring barley , No N applied

Tillage radish and Phacelia give good ground cover and rooting and hoping the legumes fix some N for barley next year

Seeing improvements year on year in continuous spring barley with cover cropping

 

[Feldspar]

View attachment 237008

If you pull the plants up straight, some are now getting on for chin height. Amazing October

I always thought that you like to call a spade a spade. Trying to pass a spade off as a dog is an unforgivable departure from usual form. Perhaps your dog is so unruly that you can't get it in the picture and so a spade is the only option?

 

[Daniel]

Here's a snap of our @Pedders Radtill mix drilled 12th Aug. I guess it shows the lack of temperature up this way!View attachment 245920View attachment 245922

View attachment 245932heres my black oats drilled 1st week of September and my chocolate lab Monty

High quality use of dogs there gentlemen, do try and make sure the dog is looking at the camera next time, but well done.

Edit, the cover crops look good, our oats and vetch has started to keel over after a couple of frosts.

 

[Feldspar]

High quality use of dogs there gentlemen, do try and make sure the dog is looking at the camera next time, but well done.

At least they didn't use a spade. That's just cheating.

 

[Daniel]

At least they didn't use a spade. That's just cheating.

And a Nuffield scholar as well.....

Enjoyed the vid @dontknowanything, I thought you would have to present your report at greater length? I guess with so many scholars that would take days.

 

[Robert]

Tillage radish + vetch + peas + Phacelia

Sown mid August after spring barley , No N applied

Tillage radish and Phacelia give good ground cover and rooting and hoping the legumes fix some N for barley next year

Seeing improvements year on year in continuous spring barley with cover croppingView attachment 246014

Did you put this in with the carrier biodrill / will you graze or mulch in in spring?

 

[dontknowanything]

And a Nuffield scholar as well.....

Enjoyed the vid @dontknowanything, I thought you would have to present your report at greater length? I guess with so many scholars that would take days.

12 minute limit - and the last bit of my talk has been cut off the YouTube vid.

 

[dontknowanything]

I always thought that you like to call a spade a spade. Trying to pass a spade off as a dog is an unforgivable departure from usual form. Perhaps your dog is so unruly that you can't get it in the picture and so a spade is the only option?

There you going trying to be clever, but you've forgotten I wield a fork, not a spade. Better luck next time.

 

[phil]

C

Did you put this in with the carrier biodrill / will you graze or mulch in in spring?

Carrier & Biodrill, no plans to graze or mulch

Will try to leave spraying off as late as possible to maintain the friability of the soil that comes with growing cover crops

Spraying off too early and leaving ground bare causes slumping if you get heavy rain

Spray, disc, sow, roll

 

[Feldspar]

There you going trying to be clever, but you've forgotten I wield a fork, not a spade. Better luck next time.

The wielding of a fork makes you sound rather like Poseidon.

 

[dontknowanything]

The wielding of a fork makes you sound rather like Poseidon.

I think of myself more as Thor, so maybe I'll keep a hammer in my truck too

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

View attachment 245992View attachment 245998 View attachment 246000View attachment 246002View attachment 246004

Tillage radish + vetch + peas + Phacelia

Sown mid August after spring barley , No N applied

Tillage radish and Phacelia give good ground cover and rooting and hoping the legumes fix some N for barley next year

Seeing improvements year on year in continuous spring barley with cover croppingView attachment 246014

Looks great, when was it sown? Care to share the kg/ha rates for each?

 

[York]

I think of myself more as Thor, so maybe I'll keep a hammer in my truck too

you feel more like it, It's part of my name given at birth.
Maybe this is the reason we get on so well with both the same "spiritual" mindset?

York-Th.

 

[dontknowanything]

you feel more like it, It's part of my name given at birth.
Maybe this is the reason we get on so well with both the same "spiritual" mindset?

York-Th.

I think that must be it

 

[The Ruminant]

There you going trying to be clever, but you've forgotten I wield a fork, not a spade. Better luck next time.

It's the no-tiller's equivalent of a slatted mouldboard v a solid mouldboard

(Edited to correct ironic, Freudian typo - thank's DKA )

 

[dontknowanything]

It's the no-tiller's equivalent of a slated mouldboard v a solid mouldboard

All mouldboards are slated in these parts

 

[The Ruminant]

All mouldboards are slated in these parts

Now corrected!!

 

[Clive]

But that area didn't produce for 1 year so the extra 1 tonne the following year made you an extra £150/ac in output??

If you'd not cover cropped and gone wheat you'd get 3t/ac at least meaning your 2t or £300/ac better off before costs?

If you work it out accurately which option stacks up better on a year by year basis?

At current prices there is a lot of sense in missing a years cash crop to improve a field

I've done it as a salvage situation after failed soya and the next wheat cop was 2t / ha above what I expected from that land and I expect the effect will continue through the next few crops, the beans on that ground certainly look well and soill structure / ability to deal with water is way better than we have ever seen