Drilling progress 2018

[Boysground]

Barley is Finished, rolled and had half it's N. Thunder storm last night will have washed the n in a treat. I started drilling this field on 26th March and eventually finished it on Thursday

Bg junior and I are officially knackered we are refusing to drive a tractor today even though I have some spraying to do. Good job we have finished, I have to sack junior next week as he's off on his uni placement and the hire tractor i had for him is going.

Bg

 

[Brisel]

I hope you have more success with that than me. I found that as soon as you adjusted them to do anything useful they would drag heaps but that might just be because of our light ground.

How has your drilling gone? Avatar going well?

 

[fred.950]

How has your drilling gone? Avatar going well?

Well keeping everything crossed I think it's gone really well. We planted a lot of linseed and phacelia cover crops with the Claydon in the autumn and they have drilled lovely. Other than some flint damage the drill has gone well. We have around 60 hectares left out of about 380.

 

[Fish]

We have stopped for the moment as the next fields are still too wet, a wet Autumn followed by a wet spring have done us no favours.

 

[Wombat]

We have stopped for the moment as the next fields are still too wet, a wet Autumn followed by a wet spring have done us no favours.

Can't like that, get any last night? We missed it

 

[Fish]

Can't like that, get any last night? We missed it

Na, maybe 1mm, we will get going on Tuesday if the rain stays away.

 

[Brisel]

Well keeping everything crossed I think it's gone really well. We planted a lot of linseed and phacelia cover crops with the Claydon in the autumn and they have drilled lovely. Other than some flint damage the drill has gone well. We have around 60 hectares left out of about 380.

Glad to hear it has gone well. How much have you done with the Avatar?

 

[MrNoo]

Chatting to a contractor friend today and he told me there is someone down this way with 3,000 ac still to drill as of yesterday, not sure I'd want to be in his shoes!!

 

[fred.950]

Glad to hear it has gone well. How much have you done with the Avatar?

All of that will be done with the Avatar, another block of ground has been done by a contractor with a pronto because it was getting late. The Claydon is hibernating still. Do you suffer with uneven germination when using the Claydon?

 

[bankrupt]

Chatting to a contractor friend today and he told me there is someone down this way with 3,000 ac still to drill as of yesterday, not sure I'd want to be in his shoes!!

Hardly a week's work on 6.6m at 12kph.

 

[fred.950]

Hardly a week's work on 6.6m at 12kph.

Really? Mathematically that's probably possible but it's taken me a week to drill about 700 acres with a 6m drill. Admittedly I'm only doing 9.5 kph but I don't fancy doing 30 [emoji15]

 

[MrNoo]

Hardly a week's work on 6.6m at 12kph.

In a perfect world I am sure but alas as we all know that would not be the case!!! Some of it is too wet to drill despite the last dry spell, dry on top but crap underneath by all accounts, some too wet to even plough. I have a fair idea who it is but a name was not divulged.

 

[Pilatus]

I think they have 2 8mtr drills.

 

[bankrupt]

too wet to drill despite the last dry spell, dry on top but crap underneath by all accounts, some too wet to even plough......

It's the same here, MrNoo.

Win some, lose some - I've got 25% fallow this time

Took this decision early in March, taking into account the then condition of the soils, the drains and the unlikelihood of any decent returns on spring cropping here this time.

 

[Sandy]

600 acre in since Monday early finish tonight though! Should finish Thursday night all going well

 

[Pilatus]

600 acre in since Monday early finish tonight though! Should finish Thursday night all going well

Off topic,what time is it getting dark with you in Aberdeenshire.?
Down here Gloucestershire it is around 8.30 to 9pm ish.
I was just wondering how much longer growing days you have , compared to down here.

 

[Sandy]

It’s light just before 5am and not dark till 9.45pm at the moment but that will stretch in May/June

 

[Heathland]

I managed to finish the last of the S/barley late Friday night.
Very wet in places but its in,in a fashion. Its not very pretty in places but with a crop in it will help dry it out.
Top dressed and yes l did manage to get it rolled,now just need to get the pre em on,at least I can put that on in the rain,but need to finish off N2 first on the wheats.

Had the day off today,bu**er the work load!!

 

[Shutesy]

Our 20 acres of beans that went in nearly a month ago are just about poking through, some struggling to get through the now concrete like surface layer, might tickle it with the stubble rake to try and make life easier for them. It has been so wet they never got there pre-em anyway so raking won't affect that.
Did 50 acres of s barley into a cracking seedbed on some gravelier land on weds/thurs, ploughed overwinter and powerharrowed, chits already 1cm long after 4 days in the ground! 30 acres of barley into another ploughed, heavier land, field on Friday that I know needs serious drainage work was 90% ok, the other 10% is not pretty at all , got it all rolled bar the 10% of wet bits in the 30ac field. Back onto beans into cover cropped land, first 12 acres on Sat went in nicely, rain last night and to windy to spray today meant a day at home, onto the last 40ac of beans tomorrow then pray for some calm weather to get the pre-ems on asap!

 

[Flat 10]

I appreciate that on Beans there’s no option but here I think I will probably not bother with barley pre ems this late in the year