Companion cropping OSR

[juke]

Have you managed to cut your oats yet?
We tried last weekend but not quite ready, and the weather has gone a bit pear shaped since so not been back but will be as soon as we get a window.

no never got them finished the weather man told lies n said it was gonna be nice on Saturday n tipped down Saturday afternoon, grains were 11 percent moisture straw was green as grass coukd of done with some liquid sunshine tbh… clover is all over the field there bit patchy, but id like to think its gonna get reasonably well established now in the field

 

[juke]

@JD6920s few quick shots as we have combined today ,. Where it's good it's very good n where it's bad there's nowt, thankfully it probably 80 percent good .. hopefully a good living mulch for the wheat to go into

 

[Adams1978]

So the rape and companion crop has been in just over a week and it doesn’t look to bad. We basically just mixed it all together and chucked it in the hopper on the sim tech. We went for a mix of buckwheat, vetch and burseem clover. The seed mix was 1kg burseem 3.5kg buckwheat 3.5kg vetch.

Drilling rates
High euricic at 2.5 and 3.0 kg/ha.
plus 12 kg companion.
New seed Campus 4.0 kg/ha plus 12 kg companion
Own seed Campus.5.0 kg/ha plus 12 kg companion
Own seed 6.0 kg/ha plus 20 kg companion

It will be interesting to see how it goes. Also at the moment there doesn’t seem to be to much flea beetle damage

 

[Farmer Roy]

Here & in North America people are playing with companion Cropping with canola ( OSR ) & another harvestable crop
ie Linola - linseed & canola
peaola - field peas & canola

The idea is to grow two crops with different seed sizes, harvest everything then seperate them through a grader

Haven't seen it first hand or done it myself, but it does seem as if some people are making a success of it

I suppose the possible combinations are largely limited by imagination

Just another take on "companion" Cropping for you to consider

Remember, ultimately profit is about the most $ / acre, NOT tonnes / acre

 

[juke]

Here & in North America people are playing with companion Cropping with canola ( OSR ) & another harvestable crop
ie Linola - linseed & canola
peaola - field peas & canola

The idea is to grow two crops with different seed sizes, harvest everything then seperate them through a grader

Haven't seen it first hand or done it myself, but it does seem as if some people are making a success of it

I suppose the possible combinations are largely limited by imagination

Just another take on "companion" Cropping for you to consider

Remember, ultimately profit is about the most $ / acre, NOT tonnes / acre

The mix @Adams1978 has put in is to try n mask the crop from pigeons, attract beneficial insects a bit of n fixing plus the berseem should help get the rape roots down more or that's the theory

 

[Shutesy]

Here & in North America people are playing with companion Cropping with canola ( OSR ) & another harvestable crop
ie Linola - linseed & canola
peaola - field peas & canola

The idea is to grow two crops with different seed sizes, harvest everything then seperate them through a grader

Haven't seen it first hand or done it myself, but it does seem as if some people are making a success of it

I suppose the possible combinations are largely limited by imagination

Just another take on "companion" Cropping for you to consider

Remember, ultimately profit is about the most $ / acre, NOT tonnes / acre

@Clive has done this in previous years

 

[Clive]

Here & in North America people are playing with companion Cropping with canola ( OSR ) & another harvestable crop
ie Linola - linseed & canola
peaola - field peas & canola

The idea is to grow two crops with different seed sizes, harvest everything then seperate them through a grader

Haven't seen it first hand or done it myself, but it does seem as if some people are making a success of it

I suppose the possible combinations are largely limited by imagination

Just another take on "companion" Cropping for you to consider

Remember, ultimately profit is about the most $ / acre, NOT tonnes / acre

Andrew Howard has done a lot of this in the uk. We have grown pea and OSR mix (harvested both) there are donecthreads in here about it

 

[Michael S]

So the rape and companion crop has been in just over a week and it doesn’t look to bad. We basically just mixed it all together and chucked it in the hopper on the sim tech. We went for a mix of buckwheat, vetch and burseem clover. The seed mix was 1kg burseem 3.5kg buckwheat 3.5kg vetch.

Drilling rates
High euricic at 2.5 and 3.0 kg/ha.
plus 12 kg companion.
New seed Campus 4.0 kg/ha plus 12 kg companion
Own seed Campus.5.0 kg/ha plus 12 kg companion
Own seed 6.0 kg/ha plus 20 kg companion

It will be interesting to see how it goes. Also at the moment there doesn’t seem to be to much flea beetle damage

View attachment 717018View attachment 717020

I drilled 5kg/ha of rape mixed with 8kg/ha of buckwheat but broadcast 4kg/ha berseem clover off the back of the rolls through a Techneat Avadex spreader because all received wisdom said broadcast the berseem clover but I don't think it has taken very well in the presence of straw so now wonder whether it would have been better drilled mixed with the rape? How do you think your clover is doing?

Michael

 

[juke]

I drilled 5kg/ha of rape mixed with 8kg/ha of buckwheat but broadcast 4kg/ha berseem clover off the back of the rolls through a Techneat Avadex spreader because all received wisdom said broadcast the berseem clover but I don't think it has taken very well in the presence of straw so now wonder whether it would have been better drilled mixed with the rape? How do you think your clover is doing?

Michael

berseem does need to be on the top as much as possible , just doesn't come if its drilled, have u had much rain to get it going or not, our white clover struggled some in the spring with droughty condtions n perhaps lacked a firm fine enough seed bed for it

 

[Fuzzy]

Here & in North America people are playing with companion Cropping with canola ( OSR ) & another harvestable crop
ie Linola - linseed & canola
peaola - field peas & canola

The idea is to grow two crops with different seed sizes, harvest everything then seperate them through a grader

Haven't seen it first hand or done it myself, but it does seem as if some people are making a success of it

I suppose the possible combinations are largely limited by imagination

Just another take on "companion" Cropping for you to consider

Remember, ultimately profit is about the most $ / acre, NOT tonnes / acre

What reason are they going down this route ? is it all about flee beetle ? or is it looking for a few more $ /acre ?

 

[Michael S]

berseem does need to be on the top as much as possible , just doesn't come if its drilled, have u had much rain to get it going or not, our white clover struggled some in the spring with droughty condtions n perhaps lacked a firm fine enough seed bed for it

We have had rain since sowing but there seems to be much more clover where the there is little or no straw. That is why I wondered if drilling it with the other seeds under the straw, a Simtech strength, along with the drill not tightly closing the slot, I remain to be convinced that this is a strength, would lead to better clover establishment? This is despite all the seed catalogues I've seen along with the advice of others saying broadcast the berseem clover.

Michael

 

[juke]

We have had rain since sowing but there seems to be much more clover where the there is little or no straw. That is why I wondered if drilling it with the other seeds under the straw, a Simtech strength, along with the drill not tightly closing the slot, I remain to be convinced that this is a strength, would lead to better clover establishment? This is despite all the seed catalogues I've seen along with the advice of others saying broadcast the berseem clover.

Michael

Is this after barley or wheat n did u chop ?

 

[britt]

I've drilled berseem with the rape for the 3rd year this time. Works fine.

 

[juke]

I've drilled berseem with the rape for the 3rd year this time. Works fine.

Was that drilled on the surface ? N with what drill ?

 

[CornishTone]

What reason are they going down this route ? is it all about flee beetle ? or is it looking for a few more $ /acre ?

Here’s some “Peaola” growing right next to our office here in the Barossa. Well and truely bucking the trend in the area... as it’s still alive! It’s jagged one or two decent showers in recent weeks so it looks a picture! Seems to be a small but increasing number going down this route. This is the first I’ve seen in the Barossa but there’s a fair bit done out in the Mallee in the last few years.

Our main pests here at flowering are Heliothis for the Canola and Pea Weevil for the peas. Mixed cropping does seem to attract more beneficials but if it’s going for human consumption, which most of the peas will be, they will downgrade it very quickly to feed quality if there’s any Pea Weevil damage, so most growers will spray at the first sign of any grubs.

The peas climb the canola, which makes harvesting a little easier, the two are easily separated with a rotary screen. The peas provide a little bit of N for the Canola during the season. There’s plenty of residue for soil cover and the following crop/soil microbes. Many of the pre-herbicides over lap, particularly for grass weed control which is a bit of an issue in some places here.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Here’s some “Peaola” growing right next to our office here in the Barossa. Well and truely bucking the trend in the area... as it’s still alive! It’s jagged one or two decent showers in recent weeks so it looks a picture! Seems to be a small but increasing number going down this route. This is the first I’ve seen in the Barossa but there’s a fair bit done out in the Mallee in the last few years.

View attachment 720454

Our main pests here at flowering are Heliothis for the Canola and Pea Weevil for the peas. Mixed cropping does seem to attract more beneficials but if it’s going for human consumption, which most of the peas will be, they will downgrade it very quickly to feed quality if there’s any Pea Weevil damage, so most growers will spray at the first sign of any grubs.

The peas climb the canola, which makes harvesting a little easier, the two are easily separated with a rotary screen. The peas provide a little bit of N for the Canola during the season. There’s plenty of residue for soil cover and the following crop/soil microbes. Many of the pre-herbicides over lap, particularly for grass weed control which is a bit of an issue in some places here.

yep, pretty well sums it up, more politely & eloquently than I could
from what I can gather, its also about adding diversity ( rather than being a total mono culture ) & a degree of risk management ie - if in one area canola doesn't do so well, then the peas take over & vice versa.
from what I read, the individual yields / ha are lower, but the combined $ / ha can be higher, than if grown separately as a monoculture . . .

 

[CornishTone]

As I say, this is the first time I’ve seen it grown in the higher rainfall (500mm) country of the Barossa so I’ll bee really interested to see how it goes.

My experience of it comes from the Mallee (350mm), but that’s all be written off already this year (you never said it was easy). Previous years it’s gone 0.75t/ha for both crops so a respectable 1.5t/ha all up for that country.

 

[britt]

Was that drilled on the surface ? N with what drill ?

Drilled down the spout with the rape, N broadcast on top.
I've done this to help the soil fungi while the rape is in the ground, but this year we have had a flea beetle problem for the first time. Do other species distract the beetles from the rape or attract them away in preference or simply provide enough food that the rape is not severely damaged.
Which species ?
I had wondered about planting a Clearfield variety with extra conventional seed out of the barn to give a high initial plant population, them spray out the conventional once the threat has passed.

 

[juke]

Drilled down the spout with the rape, N broadcast on top.
I've done this to help the soil fungi while the rape is in the ground, but this year we have had a flea beetle problem for the first time. Do other species distract the beetles from the rape or attract them away in preference or simply provide enough food that the rape is not severely damaged.
Which species ?
I had wondered about planting a Clearfield variety with extra conventional seed out of the barn to give a high initial plant population, them spray out the conventional once the threat has passed.

Buckwheat is supposed to help attract more beneficals to chomp on your csfb things like wasps and hoverflys are supposed to go after them , we have no rape in just covers with brassicas in they have took no damage at all from flea beetle , there are lots of hoverflys and wasps n things in amongst it so the theory could be right

 

[CornishTone]

yep, pretty well sums it up, more politely & eloquently than I could
from what I can gather, its also about adding diversity ( rather than being a total mono culture ) & a degree of risk management ie - if in one area canola doesn't do so well, then the peas take over & vice versa.
from what I read, the individual yields / ha are lower, but the combined $ / ha can be higher, than if grown separately as a monoculture . . .

Incidentally, couple of blokes are playing around with sowing hay mixes around the outside of high value crops (chick peas, lentils). Just one seeder width around with peas, oats, vetch type mixes, cut for hay long before harvest. Attracts beneficials into the high value crop, keeps headland weeds out of the crop and cut them before they set seed, opens up the headlands early for harvest. Easy to shut half the boom off to do a pre-em round the outside and you’ve got a bit of good quality hay at the end of it. Probably a good move this year!!!

Be interesting to see how they go with it.