Are things that bad for crops?

[startinghandle]

First I know absolutely nothing about growing crops
I have just listened to farming on radio 4
An arable farmer from Kent said how he could not sow winter crops because of wet conditions and spring crops are not looking good because of little rain in May

 

[DRC]

Not good at all. Venture into the cropping section on here and read a few threads, such as winter wheat yields or spring barley looking poor .

 

[Shutesy]

First I know absolutely nothing about growing crops
I have just listened to farming on radio 4
An arable farmer from Kent said how he could not sow winter crops because of wet conditions and spring crops are not looking good because of little rain in May

For many potentially one of the worst harvests looming since 1976, as @silverfox says read a few other threads in the cropping section and you will see what different forum users are saying from different areas around the country. Its not looking good and no meaningful rain in the forecast for at least another 10 days here.

 

[DrWazzock]

If we don't get rain next week here then we are looking at one of the poorest harvests of my lifetime.
Even if we do get rain it will be poor but not a complete write off.

 

[radar]

I remember 1976 being the first harvest "in charge" having just left college. Traditionally the men took their 2 weeks holiday the end of June/ 1st week of July before harvest. I wasn't the most popular asking them to come back because harvest was ready and was all cleaned up by mid July!

 

[spin cycle]

crops in norfolk look pretty normal TBH but with no rain the grain size/amount potential is being screwd right now.....taking my daughter to from notts uni sept-christmas i was shocked how dire things were once outta of our county...feck knows what it looks like now

 

[Gong Farmer]

At least with the pubs shut, yields will be realistic this year.

 

[B'o'B]

In both 2011 and 2018 I was amazed what an inch of rain in early June on really thirsty wheat crops can give you back in yield. But it has to come before the crop gets too far gone. If the forecast is right it’s not looking like it’s going get here in time to do much.

 

[teslacoils]

I'd be "happy" with 225t of oats and £70 an acre for silaging the spring barley. That's the likely output from 75ac barley and 135ac spring oats. The rest is fallow. The fallow will be the better paying. That's over 1000ac of land. No idea how that compares to 1976 as I wasn't born.

 

[Honest john]

I'd be "happy" with 225t of oats and £70 an acre for silaging the spring barley. That's the likely output from 75ac barley and 135ac spring oats. The rest is fallow. The fallow will be the better paying. That's over 1000ac of land. No idea how that compares to 1976 as I wasn't born.

There are some fallowed fields around my patch, they now look like a very wise choice, and this on grade 1-2 land.
We are only getting a crop at all with the help of irrigation On the stronger ground.

 

[Mr Charisma]

I'd be "happy" with 225t of oats and £70 an acre for silaging the spring barley. That's the likely output from 75ac barley and 135ac spring oats. The rest is fallow. The fallow will be the better paying. That's over 1000ac of land. No idea how that compares to 1976 as I wasn't born.

Blimey, your only a pup then ?

 

[DRC]

I'd be "happy" with 225t of oats and £70 an acre for silaging the spring barley. That's the likely output from 75ac barley and 135ac spring oats. The rest is fallow. The fallow will be the better paying. That's over 1000ac of land. No idea how that compares to 1976 as I wasn't born.

I thought you’d given up farming the bigger acreage and was just on a few hundred of your own

 

[DRC]

I'd be "happy" with 225t of oats and £70 an acre for silaging the spring barley. That's the likely output from 75ac barley and 135ac spring oats. The rest is fallow. The fallow will be the better paying. That's over 1000ac of land. No idea how that compares to 1976 as I wasn't born.

Even I was still at school( 14), in 76, so don’t remember much about it .

 

[teslacoils]

I thought you’d given up farming the bigger acreage and was just on a few hundred of your own

I'm looking at the family block. I drilled mine. It looked good. Then it refused to grow. Quite vexing. Bps and stewardship will save the day. But very pleased to have a small block of bobbins than large.

 

[ewald]

The next two weeks is crucial - decent amount of rain would give us a poor harvest, no rain and I feel that we are looking at a near disaster, especially on the heavy land drilled with spring crops (which is most of eastern Lincs)

1976 was my first year on a combine - we finished the wheat on Aug 1st

 

[teslacoils]

Blimey, your only a pup then ?

Indeed. I reckon six very poor years in 16 years of farming. Ive missed the "buy a farm with a years potato profits" and "buy two farms on borrowed money, sell one a year later and the increased value pays back all the money" years. But been lucky to hit the "omg we've realised you can't build an economy based on accountants and netflix, low interest asset bubble". And missed all the animal diseas years, thank goodness.

 

[DeeGee]

I'd be "happy" with 225t of oats and £70 an acre for silaging the spring barley. That's the likely output from 75ac barley and 135ac spring oats. The rest is fallow. The fallow will be the better paying. That's over 1000ac of land. No idea how that compares to 1976 as I wasn't born.

I’m rather surprised that you don’t remember 1976, as the recently taken photograph of you on here looks like you were born about 1776?

 

[steveR]

I’m rather surprised that you don’t remember 1976, as the recently taken photograph of you on here looks like you were born about 1776?

He is the TFF equivilant to Jacob Rees Mogg? aka MInister for Victorian Britain.

Granted, 1776 was somewhat before Victoria....

 

[DeeGee]

In 1976 I remember that by the time of the Flint and Denbigh show in mid August all the harvest was finished around here. The contractor that does our corn had put away two of his combines for the winter, just leaving one for a couple of bits and pieces of very late stuff that were left over.

I don’t remember corn yields being too disastrous, but I do remember feeding hay to our milking cows in July and August when they were out on scorched grass fields.

 

[steveR]

First I know absolutely nothing about growing crops
I have just listened to farming on radio 4
An arable farmer from Kent said how he could not sow winter crops because of wet conditions and spring crops are not looking good because of little rain in May

And for a lot of grass farmers, things are looking almost as bad! I reckon 1st (and only?) cut silage was about 30% of what I would have hoped for. Like many, locally, I gave up waiting for any bulking and knocked mine off as it was all going to head.

Cannot believe that much of the N was used up, so wondering if it's better to leave the after-cut top dressing in the bag until we see some rain forecast!