A new rotation

[Neddy flanders]

Basically I cant grow break crops, something always goes wrong. Plenty also goes wrong when growing cereals but they generally make a profit. CSFB looks like it could decimate this years OSR. cant remember the last decent OSR harvest. have tried Beans, Linseed, Spring OSR and trying peas this year (they'll go flat).

So if I grew Wheat fb Spring Barley fb Red Clover Fertility ley...

1/3 farm with no output,
change of staffing, machinery,
no slugs, pigeons, beetles
less Nitrogen
less BG chemistry as no BG preceding WW

OR... continuous wheat?

 

[pine_guy]

Basically I cant grow break crops, something always goes wrong. Plenty also goes wrong when growing cereals but they generally make a profit. CSFB looks like it could decimate this years OSR. cant remember the last decent OSR harvest. have tried Beans, Linseed, Spring OSR and trying peas this year (they'll go flat).

So if I grew Wheat fb Spring Barley fb Red Clover Fertility ley...

1/3 farm with no output,
change of staffing, machinery,
no slugs, pigeons, beetles
less Nitrogen
less BG chemistry as no BG preceding WW

OR... continuous wheat?

Oats?

 

[cotswoldcs]

Can you afford to have no output on 1/3 of farm, particularly if subsidy reduces? If you can then probably sensible.

What about Spring Barley undersown with red or white clover preceeding the ley then into wheat. Establish a cover crop after the wheat and before the spring barley again. It actually sound potentially post Brexit profitable!

 

[DRC]

Can you grow grass leys and or maize for any local livestock farms. Get muck back as part of the deal. I grow some continuous wheat on heavier land, but like my maize, wheat, w barley ( stubble turnips), maize rotation on the lighter stuff, with generous helpings of pig muck in between.
I’ve been asked to grow some short term leys for silage , so going to use that on heavier ground as well.

 

[Neddy flanders]

Oats?

oversupply

 

[HarryB97]

Soya or Lupins?

 

[Clive]

Basically I cant grow break crops, something always goes wrong. Plenty also goes wrong when growing cereals but they generally make a profit. CSFB looks like it could decimate this years OSR. cant remember the last decent OSR harvest. have tried Beans, Linseed, Spring OSR and trying peas this year (they'll go flat).

So if I grew Wheat fb Spring Barley fb Red Clover Fertility ley...

1/3 farm with no output,
change of staffing, machinery,
no slugs, pigeons, beetles
less Nitrogen
less BG chemistry as no BG preceding WW

OR... continuous wheat?

if you set can your fixed costs and finance structure to compensate for the lower gross output then yes its a greet idea

 

[Neddy flanders]

Soya or Lupins?

yeah, right …..

 

[Flat 10]

Why not put a third into enhanced over winter stubble stewardship? Not an original idea.

 

[Andrew K]

Why not put a third into enhanced over winter stubble stewardship? Not an original idea.

Are you allowed to enter unlimited acreage then?

 

[Chae1]

Are you allowed to enter unlimited acreage then?

Not up here. Limited to 10ha.

 

[Flat 10]

Are you allowed to enter unlimited acreage then?

I believe so. It would be max half your farm though as you need fresh stubble every year. But I’m no expert.

 

[Brisel]

Why not put a third into enhanced over winter stubble stewardship? Not an original idea.

Good plan. At least you’d be earning an income from it though you’d be contractually bound to do so for 5 years under Countryside Stewardship. I haven’t looked at it in detail to see how you’d prevent weeds setting seed.

 

[John Slejpner]

I grew a small bit of OSR last season and have none this year, because of CSFB.
Have similar issues to you wrt spring cropping.

Now something like 75% WW, 5% un-cropped or grass all from awkward field edges/ wet corners etc.20% mix of spring barley / spring wheat.

BG is always an issue, rarely a major disaster - i don't let it stress me.
In 1 to 2 years i expect to be drilling RTK, and inter-row hoeing as routine. Probably with an Einboch / Carre toolbar with row following (by camera) side-shift ability.

 

[willy]

Good plan. At least you’d be earning an income from it though you’d be contractually bound to do so for 5 years under Countryside Stewardship. I haven’t looked at it in detail to see how you’d prevent weeds setting seed.

You can actually spray it in may if you have to for grass weed control.

 

[ollie989898]

Grow grass and find some masochist who keeps sheep and pay you to graze it.

Failing that find a person who will buy hay or silage from you. Probably a masochist as well.

Outdoor pigs? Partner up with some fool who keeps beef??

 

[DRC]

Good plan. At least you’d be earning an income from it though you’d be contractually bound to do so for 5 years under Countryside Stewardship. I haven’t looked at it in detail to see how you’d prevent weeds setting seed.

Income as long as you got paid, which many haven’t been .

 

[Fred]

Ive thought about this, extend the osr to 1 in 5 , ww,wbly , osr , ww, winter beans or even 1 in 7 ww, spring oats ,

Where you have blackgrass 2 years of spring barley ,
or
Radical suggestion
ww,ww, spring peas&oats, osr
or
You need to maximise production 2 years of fertility building needs a least 4 years of cropping , fb,fb, ww,s barley, wbeans ww, this is nearly an organic rotation , once we sort this Brexit nonsense it might pay, John Pawsey said last night he was £150 ha better off than equivalent conventional agriculture.
I wouldn't rely on ELS/ mid tier for an income

 

[Fred]

Or even more radical , sell all kit and labour, retain 1 tractor sprayer ,spreader& set of rolls , give up all contract farming, fbts , use local farmers as opportunist contractors eg 100 ha each and manage each crop on a opportunistic basis , dont rely on 1 company to do all the work , grow own seed , work with seasons and prices , dont plant turning headlands and north side of woodlands .

 

[Vitu]

We have the same problem with break crops not being profitable.
So we are starting this year on one farm to grow 1/3 first wheat,
1/3 second wheat, 1/3 fertility building cover crops.
The challenge is how could we hold onto the N provided by
the cover crops through the winter in the first wheat so that it is
Available to the wheat crop in the spring