2023 Wet thread #1

[T Hectares]

Managed to get some fert on yesterday, a bit of grass weed control, and spraying off ground for linseed, all rather to my surprise. Whether i drill the latter is very much in the balance though. Even with hss, the maths is pretty terrible with expensive fert in the shed, and will depend on perfect drilling, growing and harvest conditions. Always a gamble, but at the moment it seems like speculate to stand still...

All credit to you, you must be an eternal optimist growing Linseed in the first place

 

[Wigeon]

All credit to you, you must be an eternal optimist growing Linseed in the first place

Agreed.

Reckon it gives half a tonne of first wheat following though, compared to other breaks.

And possibly saves a cultivation, if I'm feeling trendy.

 

[Renaultman]

Got a bit of spraying done yesterday, then on to liquid fert today, tramlines carrying very well, tracks are a bit wet and muddy
N2 now we'll underway

 

[Adeptandy]

It certainly has been a bit of a shock to the system after the dry February.
Crops are now going backwards and all feeling the worse for ware here.
Had to do some spraying yesterday as it showed the next fortnight as more wet.
I haven’t used my wide wheels on the Fastrac and Sprayer for the past 3 years.
In fact, I was going to sell them as DD’d land tends not to rut the undisturbed soils.
However I put them on yesterday so as not to create any ruts. Which I can longer remove unless I cultivate them out, which I do not want to do.
It travelled remarkably well. The only mess was where I had to cross some permanent pasture, which was very wet indeed!
View attachment 1102148

It begs the question why undisturbed Arable land (DD’d) travels so well in a wet time, yet Permanent Pasture doesn’t.
The only answer I can come up with is the levels of OM, which in the case of the PP acts like a sponge. It is almost like Black Fenland peat.

I was on black fenland yesterday, had 4 close calls on narrows on DD land

 

[T Hectares]

Agreed.

Reckon it gives half a tonne of first wheat following though, compared to other breaks.

And possibly saves a cultivation, if I'm feeling trendy.

What do you do with the straw? that’s normally the issue for me, we gave it away last time we grew it as the previous attempt at chopping it was less than successful

Well, clearly it’s not the only issue with it…

 

[Wigeon]

Seems criminal but push it up with the loader and burn the heaps. Medium sized ball ache I admit.

 

[T Hectares]

Seems criminal but push it up with the loader and burn the heaps. Medium sized ball ache I admit.

Done that before too, the glow of seeing it in flower has long worn off at that point

 

[Wigeon]

Done that before too, the glow of seeing it in flower has long worn off at that point

Particularly when it's tinder dry, the neighbours haven't cut their wheat the other side of the hedge, the clot on the loader has managed to leave a million little balls of it between the heaps, it's right next to the road, and you've left the blowtorch in the workshop.

Other than that it's great fun!

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I spread the best February tonnage I’ve ever done this year.

It’s already guaranteed to be the worst March I’ve ever had.

And if the forecast is correct and it’s wet in to mid April then I’m reasonably sure it’ll be the worst Spring I’ve ever had.

 

[faircomment]

Don’t get carried away, still dry in East Yorkshire. 60mm for March is about average.

 

[Pan mixer]

90 something here in March so far but that would be about average along with Feb as we had none at all last month.

 

[T Hectares]

I spread the best February tonnage I’ve ever done this year.

It’s already guaranteed to be the worst March I’ve ever had.

And if the forecast is correct and it’s wet in to mid April then I’m reasonably sure it’ll be the worst Spring I’ve ever had.

Sorry to hear that Pete, maybe on average it’s…..average

Clutching at straws now, but April May dry up and it’s…..Average, boom result

 

[Cab-over Pete]

April may come right, but grass will be too high very soon, and there will be lambs or cattle everywhere.

No chance of any more arable work so the only realistic ground to get on will be for maize.

Fingers crossed we will get a bit more done, but it’s looking a bit doubtful!

The only good thing is the lime will still be needed. The order is in the book and will get done sometime, but it doesn’t help cash flow.

 

[Wombat]

Don’t get carried away, still dry in East Yorkshire. 60mm for March is about average.

Still need a good two dry weeks to get drilling spring barley though

 

[ajd132]

We’re well up t o date with fert. Just 40kg left to go on wheat. Got both sprayers out Monday and covered off all the oat spray on winter barley. No spring gramincides to do on wheat as used Autumn Atlantis instead so very few weeds (apart from Blackgrass!)
barley and wheat all need growth reg So will get onto that when we can. Spring crops seem to be handling the wet well and look good, apart from a drill mishap showing a couple of blocked coulters over a few hundred acres which is driving me mad.

 

[Hindsight]

It certainly has been a bit of a shock to the system after the dry February.
Crops are now going backwards and all feeling the worse for ware here.
Had to do some spraying yesterday as it showed the next fortnight as more wet.
I haven’t used my wide wheels on the Fastrac and Sprayer for the past 3 years.
In fact, I was going to sell them as DD’d land tends not to rut the undisturbed soils.
However I put them on yesterday so as not to create any ruts. Which I can longer remove unless I cultivate them out, which I do not want to do.
It travelled remarkably well. The only mess was where I had to cross some permanent pasture, which was very wet indeed!
View attachment 1102148

It begs the question why undisturbed Arable land (DD’d) travels so well in a wet time, yet Permanent Pasture doesn’t.
The only answer I can come up with is the levels of OM, which in the case of the PP acts like a sponge. It is almost like Black Fenland peat.

Does the arable land have piped underdrainage. Does the permanent pasture have piped underdrainage?

 

[Two Tone]

Does the arable land have piped underdrainage. Does the permanent pasture have piped underdrainage?

Both

 

[ollie989898]

Agreed.

Reckon it gives half a tonne of first wheat following though, compared to other breaks.

And possibly saves a cultivation, if I'm feeling trendy.

Stripper header takes the headache of cutting it away. Many drills will cope with linseed straw ok now.

 

[essex man]

Wettest march on record(since 1950) here, 130mm so far.

 

[Pan mixer]

Wettest march on record(since 1950) here, 130mm so far.

and it is still raining.