A new rotation

Cowcorn

Member
Mixed Farmer
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
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?
How heavy is your ground ? Continuous wheat is a runner if you can get plenty of dung or hen muck ploughed down. Whatever dung or in our case cow slurry does the yield is very consistent usually in the 4 ton + range . May take a few years to overcome the take all though.
 
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.
Don’t let them lift that grass off without flotation tyres on their trailers if they have super singles they will do more damage then it’s worth
 

Neddy flanders

Member
BASE UK Member
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 .
would you grow OSR ?
 

snipe

Member
Location
west yorkshire
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
Thought there was a 3 crop rule. ?
 

Cowcorn

Member
Mixed Farmer
would you grow OSR ?
Me ? Not winter rape, S pring definitely a handy crop will do a ton for little cost and a good crop will outyield a bad w inter crop and hit a ton and a half. Got to getit into warm moist soil and and it will jump like a hairy goat out of the ground any delay in emergence and youre in trouble though .
 

Fish

Member
Location
North yorkshire
How about,
Fertility build- red clover/white clover or Crimson clover or what ever.
Spring wheat
Winter wheat
Three crop rule covered, if that continues.
Or if you want to go for a 1 in 4, maybe add in s barley or s oats.

I've got a 5ha field going into this sort of thing this year as an experiment, I know big data and big ag ain't gonna like this kinda thinking, but who cares, screw em.
 

Andrew K

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Essex
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 .
Ideal.
Spend all winter skiing and shooting!
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.2%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.3%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top