AD feedstock - oats?

[Brisel]

A potential anaerobic digester just up the road from me had its Planning Committee meeting yesterday. They had already approached me to grow crops for them & take digestate back. I would prefer a break crop if possible. The farm has a significant blackgrass burden. Mostly brashy soils prone to drying out in summer with varying clay contents.

Maize - not possible. It's just not & don't ask why!
Rye - a likely wholecrop source which would suit me, BUT French partridge see it like cats see catnip, plus it's not a take all break crop.
Beet? I don't like the idea of the soil damage, having grown it for sugar in a previous life.

Winter oats for wholecrop - has anyone done this? Plenty of biomass, a take all break and hopefully harvested before the blackgrass drops seed.

 

[David.]

 

[redsloe]

A potential anaerobic digester just up the road from me had its Planning Committee meeting yesterday. They had already approached me to grow crops for them & take digestate back. I would prefer a break crop if possible. The farm has a significant blackgrass burden. Mostly brashy soils prone to drying out in summer with varying clay contents.

Maize - not possible. It's just not & don't ask why!
Rye - a likely wholecrop source which would suit me, BUT French partridge see it like cats see catnip, plus it's not a take all break crop.
Beet? I don't like the idea of the soil damage, having grown it for sugar in a previous life.

Winter oats for wholecrop - has anyone done this? Plenty of biomass, a take all break and hopefully harvested before the blackgrass drops seed.

Why not?
I grow winter oats as part of a cover crop, sown at 100kg/ ha, 3cwt 20 10 10, one fungicide, one cheap herbicide and last year wholecropped it for feed as I was short on forage early on in the summer.
20t/ha from memory.
Great looking wheat now.

No idea what it's like for AD though......

 

[teslacoils]

Grass?

 

[Poncherello1976]

If going for wholecrop why not grow winter Rye? Lots of biomass and stands well, (at least ours did this summer while the barley and wheat went flat!). We took ours through to harvest, but i would be tempted to grow some again and bale it for myself!

 

[Brisel]

Grass?

I was hoping for a one year crop. How long do you leave yours in for?

 

[Jsmith2211]

I was hoping for a one year crop. How long do you leave yours in for?

Westerwolds could work? thats an intensive 1 year

 

[teslacoils]

I was hoping for a one year crop. How long do you leave yours in for?

Depends entirely on the profitability of wheat! Currently ive some in for 2 years and some in for three. The third year stuff was due to be ploughed up but the weather has been so awful it didnt get done. Silver lined cloud as at least it will produce some income. In reality a 2 or three year crop makes better use of the seed and ground work; gets a better BG reduction. The AD folk will enjoy having some firm ground to travel on early too.

First cut was big enough last year to be the most profitable break crop without any more mowing. Its very heavy on potash removal though. Mine have always been ryegrass with a little timothy. But if leaving it in for three I dont think these provide deep enough rooting tostop the soil going really tight.

In reality, alas, a three year legume fallow will be more profitable.

 

[Brisel]

If going for wholecrop why not grow winter Rye? Lots of biomass and stands well, (at least ours did this summer while the barley and wheat went flat!). We took ours through to harvest, but i would be tempted to grow some again and bale it for myself!

I've grown rye for combining but the price & grain yield weren't exciting enough to continue doing so. Lots of straw though. It's no good for blackgrass control as it needs to be drilled early to yield, is not competitive in the autumn and early spring, and you can't use a pre emergence herbicide though it does permit most of the wheat herbicides.

It is an option to extend the crop rotation though. Early harvest for forage would allow timely establishment of cover crops or OSR.

 

[Brisel]

Westerwolds could work? thats an intensive 1 year

Expensive seed & establishment costs (we strip till drill - this would need cultivation at depth, working down and another drill) for a 1 year option, so a better 2 year ley, but possible.

 

[Jsmith2211]

Expensive seed & establishment costs (we strip till drill - this would need cultivation at depth, working down and another drill) for a 1 year option, so a better 2 year ley, but possible.

Dont see why... just direct drill it.

 

[Brisel]

View attachment 1152888

The paperwork for putting the couple through the forager is quite onerous, and not repeatable...

 

[Brisel]

Dont see why... just direct drill it.

At 25cm row spacing??

 

[Jsmith2211]

At 25cm row spacing??

Not all direct drills are at 25cm row spacing are they...

 

[Brisel]

Not all direct drills are at 25cm row spacing are they...

The one I have is! We do also have an old Kuhn Megant which does a good job if set really shallow with full fan speed but it needs worked up ground.

 

[Jsmith2211]

The one I have is! We do also have an old Kuhn Megant which does a good job if set really shallow with full fan speed but it needs worked up ground.

Do you not know anybody who could put it in for you with a more sensible drill?

 

[Brisel]

Do you not know anybody who could put it in for you with a more sensible drill?

Contractors are available. What row widths would you recommend? Cross drilling with a Moore/750A/Avatar is going to be very expensive.

 

[Jsmith2211]

Contractors are available. What row widths would you recommend? Cross drilling with a Moore/750A/Avatar is going to be very expensive.

What are they charging? Didn't ought to be expensive, direct drills cost SFA to run really. @Derrick Hughes I believe has been doing trials with different direct drills on grass so he's the man to ask about that.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Winter oats for wholecrop - has anyone done this? Plenty of biomass,

yes but a lot less energy than wheat/ barley /maize (not necessarily in order) don't forget,

 

[The Son]

Have you thought of Triticale, that's what we use for wholecrop 30T/ha+, normally harvest end of June beginning of July, seed cheaper than Rye, not sure on Blackgrass though.