- Location
- Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
Robbie and Flat 10 when was the last time the fields with Violet Root Rot had potatoes grown on them?
2019 Beet area
- Thread starter Tipperted
- Start date
- Location
- Lincolnshire
It wont have yielded anything special, but at an early guesstimate 65 tons per ha (26t per acre) though that might go up a bit. The weather has been against it all season. It was very dry at establishment which left it gappy on the heavy land. Then it was swilled with 4" in June which set it back i think due to N leeching. It recovered partially, then the light land got plenty dry enough again. Then I didn't bother with the second fungicide spray and the canopy is full of disease, and pretty badly burned off.
Established by paraplowing then lightly power harrowing wheat stubbles. There was really too much broken off stubble laid about hard as sticks due to dry winter but I managed to get the drill to work eventually with a reekie tine in front, carefully set clod pushers and increased the gap between front roller and nose of seeding coulter on my standard spec kverneland beet drill.
The previous year I established by using a stubble cultivator, (3m, 7 leg, with levelling discs and crosskill roller), followed by light pass power harrow. This was much better as it incorpoated the straw more effectively and gave me much better tilth on the heavy land. That year we achieved 88 tonnes per acre but the weather was right. I will return to this method next spring. For me ploughing creates problems of erosion, clods, and difficulties getting base fertiliser on without big wheelings. I don't like ploughing the fertiliser down anymore as I reckon its washed down out of reach before the plants get to use it. So I put the fert on the old tramlines a couple of months before going over with the stubble culitvator in the spring which mixes it in and creates enough tilth for the drill without bringing up major clods on the heavy while leaving enough trash on the sand to prevent a blow. We have land in same field of extreme clay and extreme sand and its always a compromise but you hope for a decent one.
The big benefit now of minimal cultivation is that the harvester can travel fairly well. Its an old Standen solobeet but can cut in badly especially with the 12" opening up wheel on. But yesterday we did 16 times round the outside of a block without sinking in too dramatically. Not sure it go again for a few days now though!
- Location
- the brecks norfolk
Non of ours has ever had a spud grown on it.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Can't get round any block with the harvester now. Just had to back out. 3" of surface water on parts of the field. 1 load up so far. This time last year 14 loads away. Annoying.
I can't remember any in the last 20 years. I read somewhere that thistles can harbour it and my land certainly had few of those over the years.
Hindsight
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Perennial Creeping thistle is a good host plant.
- Location
- West Suffolk
Sifting through the letters around Dads and I’ve come across a pamphlet from BS trying to convince me to grow. When did they send that out? Our contract was sent back 2-3 weeks ago?
- Location
- Breckland
There was confusion between the NFU team and BS regarding the new contracts. Each party has interpreted it slightly differently and so each party has sent out a load of waffle.
All I want is a order form for seed!
All I want is a order form for seed!
A few days after the deadline. I heard they have only approximately 70% of the beet they want committed.
- Location
- Breckland
I can grow more!
Need to pay me £22/t.
Sorry £25/t
Need to pay me £22/t.
Sorry £25/t
- Location
- Suffolk
That wouldn’t surprise me. Got to be a good number dropping the crop. Poorer yields with virus yellows in the next few years could see that drop further.
Daniel
Member
- Location
- Mildenhall, Suffolk
They must be struggling to find alternative crops that will find a margin either?
- Location
- West Suffolk
- Location
- the brecks norfolk
That sounds about right. Over the last few weeks I've spoke with several growers mainly while shooting and sugar beet has been a big conversation on the gun bus. Theres some who've dropped beet altogether and several others who have either reduced there acreage or still have the contract chucked on the the office desk while they wait to see what the beet in the ground are like and how much yield has been lost to virus yellows.
- Location
- Essex
What sugars are people achieving this year. I have heard some disappointing figures recently, although I haven’t had any lifted yet.
Bury average in high 16s
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Mine at the last lift were low 17%, been lifting here yesterday and today hopefully start taking this lift in on Monday,it very wet,and now trailers are needing a pull out and this is on free draining heathland 
.
Been on road sweeping duties,not my favourite past time.
.Been on road sweeping duties,not my favourite past time.
- Location
- West Suffolk
Our average so far is 16.67%, which is about the norm for us.
two-cylinder
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
We sent in seven loads in mid October, average sugar 15.9%
Quite a shock when our average is usually mid 17's.
Good size beet, off black fen.
Quite a shock when our average is usually mid 17's.
Good size beet, off black fen.
two-cylinder
Member
- Location
- Cambridge
A glossy A4 brochure came out a couple of weeks ago