Anyone wishing they hadn’t drilled?

[snipe]

Keep reading posts of people drilling this last few weeks. How’s it looking, anyone wishing they haven’t. We drilled 15% of ours 24th of October on our best land. its not up yet but got shoots out of seed about 15mm, it could go either way now looking at this weeks forecast of heavy rain.

 

[PSQ]

I've just looked at our last field of wheat drilled on the 14th/15t October, and it was like sticking my fingers into a bucket of cold puke. Shoot length is similar to yours, but I'm expecting to see extensive patches drowned out, 'damping off', or hammered by slugs. There's no way I could take the quad over the field in the state it's in. Gate shut, worry about it in February. If I hadn't sown it in that 'dry' window it would have royally pi$$ed me off all winter, so 'je ne regrette rien'. We did what had to be done.

On the flip side I've just pelleted another field sown on the 22nd September (this wet spell started that evening) which I thought I'd ballsed up by sowing it into a seed bed that I had to roll it after the drill with the paddles down, it was like cricket balls. That field now looks 9/10, so sometimes 'shite decisions' can work out.

 

[D14]

Local big shot money bags has been drilling everywhere with his new 6m combi drill (£60k apparently) telling everybody its gone in lovely. Go and look yourself and its a horrendous mess. 15t tractor for starters and the power harrow can't take the wheel marks out so its just covering them over. It won't look pretty in the spring thats for sure.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

He’s doing well to get a 6m combi for £60k [emoji848]

 

[D14]

He’s doing well to get a 6m combi for £60k [emoji848]

No idea thats just what he's telling everybody. Its a front tank green one. Got his two 6m trailed drills parked in the shed so he got his cheque book out to get going.

 

[Widgetone]

Local big shot money bags has been drilling everywhere with his new 6m combi drill (£60k apparently) telling everybody its gone in lovely. Go and look yourself and its a horrendous mess. 15t tractor for starters and the power harrow can't take the wheel marks out so its just covering them over. It won't look pretty in the spring thats for sure.

Be interesting to have regular updates through the season on that

 

[D14]

Be interesting to have regular updates through the season on that

The whole area is watching don't worry because he's a richard head

 

[farmerm]

I can see the 17Ac we did drill from my office... that's as close as I am willing to go to it until I see it green up! Every operation is going to be a headache if we have to pis about just for 17ac if we don't have any other winter wheat,

 

[Two Tone]

Not regretting having drilled at all, despite one’s eyes constantly being drawn to a few wet headlands and wet spots that maybe are 5% of the total area. All in here bar 1 field not drilled. Last bit drilled was on 9th Oct.

What this year has proved is that it isn’t so much what the weather was at or before drilling, but what happens afterwards. If it rains relentlessly afterwards, those dodgy bits are going to drown.

I might even enter the WB & WW crops in Moreton Show Farms and Livestock competitions next year. By the looks of it, I might stand a chance of winning, as being one of only a very few that got it in!

Barley went in by 22nd Sept, was all rolled and looks well. Wheat started going in 26th, none was rolled but all pre-em sprayed. The later the wheat was drilled, the worse it looks because of the rain that followed, but it’ll be ok.

 

[Gong Farmer]

Not regretting having drilled at all, despite one’s eyes constantly being drawn to a few wet headlands and wet spots that maybe are 5% of the total area. All in here bar 1 field not drilled. Last bit drilled was on 9th Oct.

What this year has proved is that it isn’t so much what the weather was at or before drilling, but what happens afterwards. If it rains relentlessly afterwards, those dodgy bits are going to drown.

I might even enter the WB & WW crops in Moreton Show Farms and Livestock competitions next year. By the looks of it, I might stand a chance of winning, as being one of only a very few that got it in!

Barley went in by 22nd Sept, was all rolled and looks well. Wheat started going in 26th, none was rolled but all pre-em sprayed. The later the wheat was drilled, the worse it looks because of the rain that followed, but it’ll be ok.

Well done, but don't be surprised if you're talking to yourself on any Cropping threads next spring.

 

[DrWazzock]

Wheat will stand a surprising amount of swampage in my experience, especially if its poking through. Maybe not so hot if it gets sealed over before it emerges. As long as its not underwater for days it usually pulls through. If you still have a plant by spring you have least got something to work with. Barley is a bit more sensitive, but we have had 4 tonnes per acre off winter barley that looked absolutely crap in that very long cold spring about 3 or 4 years ago.

 

[snipe]

Well done, but don't be surprised if you're talking to yourself on any Cropping threads next spring.

??????

 

[ajd132]

Not regretting what we have drilled yet, all no till and the soil is in nice condition. I’m pleased we didn’t resort to the broadcasting, scratching, power harrowntype things many seem to in the area. Some awful looking crops with wheelings everywhere. I would rather not undo years of soil improvement. I’ve been looking at gross margins of spring wheat vs winter (from our own yields of both crops etc) and I struggle to see how a puggled in winter wheat can really outperform an average spring wheat Enough on our heavy soils to warrant causing a load of long term damage.

 

[SilliamWhale]

One thing I like about no tilling and cleaning farm saved seed in the mobile dryer is it reduces your risk and emotionally its less of a strain. No cereals look a picture here but its all ok/ clinging on, its going to have a difficult wet footed winter but as long as they're plants in the spring its all to play for.

The "trade" as it were like to encourage you get as invested as you can in a crop early on and I concede sometimes that can give you the highest yield but very often it doesn't matter - the weather in may-july does.

I am mulling over a bit of spring rape though - we're not in flea beetle central so wondering about an early may crop of SOSR - @Fromebridge - any comments about this for the SW?

 

[SilliamWhale]

Wheat will stand a surprising amount of swampage in my experience, especially if its poking through. Maybe not so hot if it gets sealed over before it emerges. As long as its not underwater for days it usually pulls through. If you still have a plant by spring you have least got something to work with. Barley is a bit more sensitive, but we have had 4 tonnes per acre off winter barley that looked absolutely crap in that very long cold spring about 3 or 4 years ago.

Winter Barley loves a cold spring ime

 

[Brisel]

No regrets here, especially with the wonderful benefit of hindsight. The regrets will be on heavier land where it got waterlogged immediately after sowing in dodgy conditions. I can see a lot of seed rotting underground, if the slugs haven't hollowed it already. You can't control the weather but you can control slugs.

In the autumn, the weather and growing conditions will eventually get worse, so crack on with it. In the spring, the weather and growing conditions will eventually get better, so be patient and don't force it in. Conditions are more important than calendar date.

Winter Barley loves a cold spring ime

Really? Barley needs to tiller as that's what drives grains/m2. Ear size is pretty fixed in barley & what you don't want is crop stress at the start of ear development at GS30. Cold is great for keeping disease down but that's about it. These late sown crops need everything going in their favour next spring if they are to do the kind of yields we read about in Farmers Weekly IMO.

 

[SilliamWhale]

No regrets here, especially with the wonderful benefit of hindsight. The regrets will be on heavier land where it got waterlogged immediately after sowing in dodgy conditions. I can see a lot of seed rotting underground, if the slugs haven't hollowed it already. You can't control the weather but you can control slugs.

In the autumn, the weather and growing conditions will eventually get worse, so crack on with it. In the spring, the weather and growing conditions will eventually get better, so be patient and don't force it in. Conditions are more important than calendar date.



Really? Barley needs to tiller as that's what drives grains/m2. Ear size is pretty fixed in barley & what you don't want is crop stress at the start of ear development at GS30. Cold is great for keeping disease down but that's about it. These late sown crops need everything going in their favour next spring if they are to do the kind of yields we read about in Farmers Weekly IMO.

Maybe my cold spring is different to yours. I don't mean frost but cold and dry works well for me -always seems to have the tillers but keeps a lid on disease

 

[Brisel]

How far are you from the coast? I guess the definition of cold is subjective.

 

[nick...]

Things slowly coming through here.got some wheat up on a 35 acre field that took 6 days to plough and drill between rain ,rain and more rain.another really heavy wet bits just poking through and barley only been in a week,last bit anyway and a bit of water standing on some of that.ruts where I been close to getting stuck are level full of water and also water on some cultivated headlands.and another 7mm since I got up about 5 hours ago and still raining
Nick...

 

[Steevo]

Not regretted the wheat I've planted so far - overall it all looks well despite some of it being swimming a few weeks or so ago. Some wet spots have died out here and there but I'd rather have 90% of what's planted good than 100% undrilled.

Planning to put the final fields of wheat and some beans in via plough/combi drill over the next few days if all goes to plan......think that may want watching for slugs though.