Broadcast cover crop into standing crop 36m

[Elliott]

Just wondering if anyone is successful in broadcasting cover crops into standing crop pre harvest. We are at 36m, is anyone doing it at that width, and also has it proved a successful method of establishment?
Cheers

 

[Phil P]

Customer of mine did it last year but only at 24m. The only trouble was it came wet for two weeks when we should have been harvesting the fields that had been spread and the cove became well established and the crop started to go flat! This put together really didn’t help harvesting and combines don’t like green material going through them!
Just something to consider.

 

[Shropshirebuller]

Was thinking of putting turnips on broadcast before winter wheat harvested this year due to a smaller winter barley acreage (the usual crop we follow turnips after) but we are at 24m. Not sure how successful it will be but a couple of weeks would make a big difference in turnip establishment I would of thought. Would probably need mixing with a bag of fertiliser to get it the distance?

 

[yellow belly]

before we autocast on the combine had 2 slug peleters on the spray boom and broardcast rape

then got an autocaster on the combine
the first year broardcast some mustard as a cover
worked well the mustard was in flower by november
social medea reported it as rape in flower

i have broardcast rape with a tecneat avocast but it is an extra job

i have wondered how we could use the straw chopper or chaf spreader as a broardcaster of cover
now we have been notill for a few years there is no need to roll

currently drill with a weaving gd
with getting paid for cover under stewardship we need to be sure it will grow

 

[D14]

Just wondering if anyone is successful in broadcasting cover crops into standing crop pre harvest. We are at 36m, is anyone doing it at that width, and also has it proved a successful method of establishment?
Cheers

Timing. Literally the day before the combine goes in.

 

[Brisel]

Just wondering if anyone is successful in broadcasting cover crops into standing crop pre harvest. We are at 36m, is anyone doing it at that width, and also has it proved a successful method of establishment?
Cheers

Yes, I got a neighbour in with his 36m Kuhn AGT pneumatic fertiliser spreader to run 3-4 days ahead of the combine. It would be best as Autocast where you put the seed down behind the header and lay chopped straw over the top but this does slow the combine down when you have to refill with seed regularly. I don't think you can spin any seed that far, especially mixtures. Beware of slugs if you have brassicas in the mix or recently in the preceding crop. It doesn't seem to work well in standing crops of spring barley for some reason I've never worked out. Less sunlight from a denser canopy maybe.

Techneat Variocast where you have 3 x 12m spinners? Biodrill/front hopper on a straw rake or Carrier following the combine?

 

[Elliott]

Thanks for the replies. Interesting to hear your experiences. It’s something that I’d like to try this year for sure.

 

[Elliott]

Customer of mine did it last year but only at 24m. The only trouble was it came wet for two weeks when we should have been harvesting the fields that had been spread and the cove became well established and the crop started to go flat! This put together really didn’t help harvesting and combines don’t like green material going through them!
Just something to consider.

Blimey that sounds a nightmare. Definitely something to consider!

 

[tr250]

@heyfarm

 

[Elliott]

before we autocast on the combine had 2 slug peleters on the spray boom and broardcast rape

then got an autocaster on the combine
the first year broardcast some mustard as a cover
worked well the mustard was in flower by november
social medea reported it as rape in flower

i have broardcast rape with a tecneat avocast but it is an extra job

i have wondered how we could use the straw chopper or chaf spreader as a broardcaster of cover
now we have been notill for a few years there is no need to roll

currently drill with a weaving gd
with getting paid for cover under stewardship we need to be sure it will grow

Yeah I did wonder if you could feed small seed into the combine trunk and let it get blown out the back. Auto cast probably more reliable though?

 

[Elliott]

Yes, I got a neighbour in with his 36m Kuhn AGT pneumatic fertiliser spreader to run 3-4 days ahead of the combine. It would be best as Autocast where you put the seed down behind the header and lay chopped straw over the top but this does slow the combine down when you have to refill with seed regularly. I don't think you can spin any seed that far, especially mixtures. Beware of slugs if you have brassicas in the mix or recently in the preceding crop. It doesn't seem to work well in standing crops of spring barley for some reason I've never worked out. Less sunlight from a denser canopy maybe.

Techneat Variocast where you have 3 x 12m spinners? Biodrill/front hopper on a straw rake or Carrier following the combine?

Interesting about the barley. Lots of variables as always! Auto cast does sound a good alternative. Techneat also have a thing that pipes out to splash plates along the sprayer boom which looks better for small seed rather than spinners
Any experience with broadcasting buckwheat? Does it’s establish ok like that?

 

[snipe]

I spread some osr into a thin crop of wheat last August. Had to go over it with slug pellets a few times but looks well now. We are on 28 meters and I spread at 14 meters but not much wheat to run down.

 

[Hard Graft]

If you are planning on going down this avoid su herbicide if possible as it can cause issues and go before a heavy rain and go in July

 

[Brisel]

Buckwheat works well this way. Clovers are not so good.

 

[Spencer]

Yeah I did wonder if you could feed small seed into the combine trunk and let it get blown out the back. Auto cast probably more reliable though?

Stocks rotor meter up on back with feed pipe into chaff spreader..

 

[Mark C]

Techneat Outcast on sprayer boom

stubble turnips at 2 kg / ha into standing spring barley a fewdays before the combine. Fed this mob of bullocks all winter plus straw and some haylage

 

[Chae1]

@RossM Did some and got a great crop.

 

[Zan]

Did a cover mix of linseed, buckwheat fodder radish through a techneat outcast in a pea crop last year, 10 days before harvest as a catch crop, worked well!
Also did some rape into standing spring wheat 3 week before harvest. one block got hammered by slugs so was patchy.
another block we have stuck with, not Perfect but still a crop. Got some bits to adjust on the techneat as it throws more seed down the middle pipe. (Techneat are working on it for an answer)

 

[Elliott]

Did a cover mix of linseed, buckwheat fodder radish through a techneat outcast in a pea crop last year, 10 days before harvest as a catch crop, worked well!
Also did some rape into standing spring wheat 3 week before harvest. one block got hammered by slugs so was patchy.
another block we have stuck with, not Perfect but still a crop. Got some bits to adjust on the techneat as it throws more seed down the middle pipe. (Techneat are working on it for an answer)

Sounds good. What width was that?

 

[Elliott]

Techneat Outcast on sprayer boom

stubble turnips at 2 kg / ha into standing spring barley a fewdays before the combine. Fed this mob of bullocks all winter plus straw and some haylage

Looks great. What width was the boom?