Fallow

[fudge]

Anyone else fallowing ground this year. We are doing 10%. I don't want to grow second cereals in the current market. Don't want to grow pulses more often than one in six. 25% OSR is plenty etc......

 

[Brisel]

No fallow here other than the field margins etc for EFA.

Setaside was one of the prime tools of the MacSharry IACS reforms for production control. Quite how effective it was at reducing the grain mountains in intervention stores is another matter when growers only took the worst land out of production is a side issue. There must be thousands of acres of bad blackgrass infested fields that could do with a break.

For the heavy land WW/WW/WOSR rotations, dropping the second wheat for a fallow & clean early entry to OSR would be a great weed control tool without disrupting that rotation
Fix land drains
Subsoil
Cover crops
Remove awkward corners around telegraph poles
Skylark/lapwing plots
Stop cropping marginal land, reducing grain production & improving the land ready for later WHEN prices improve, which they will.

 

[EJS]

We are fallowing 25ac (6%) this year instead of beans. Chance to clear up some fields and get rotations back on track after some bg issues.

 

[shakerator]

Anyone else fallowing ground this year. We are doing 10%. I don't want to grow second cereals in the current market. Don't want to grow pulses more often than one in six. 25% OSR is plenty etc......

Nope

 

[silvio berlusconi]

100% fallow. this year, and next...

 

[Feldspar]

Grow a virtual crop: http://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/markets/...iety-of-osr-for-harvest-2016-virtual-osr.aspx

 

[franklin]

Yes, although exact area will depend on when harvest finishes.

 

[Surgery]

Done some this time. , bad bg field for a start and it allowed us to stock pile 4 thousand ton of muck and compost cheaply when know one else could take it , it seems silly not to if the grass issue is out of hand

 

[4course]

yes and no the fallow will be efa temp grass grazed till xmas then cut in early july then pushed for 2nd cut and grazing

 

[warksfarmer]

Anyone else fallowing ground this year. We are doing 10%. I don't want to grow second cereals in the current market. Don't want to grow pulses more often than one in six. 25% OSR is plenty etc......

Field margins are fallow but depending on prices after Christmas we might not plant spring wheat and fallow it which means we would be 20% uncropped in total.

 

[Formatted]

If you're doing fallow ground I'll rent it, put grass on it and graze sheep on electric fence.

You'll get rent, free nitrogen and increased soil structure

 

[Wombat]

Yes use it for efa

 

[Feldspar]

If you're doing fallow ground I'll rent it, put grass on it and graze sheep on electric fence.

You'll get rent, free nitrogen and increased soil structure

I know very little about livestock and so this may be a silly question, but would it ever stack up to bring large numbers of sheep from traditional livestock areas over to East Anglia to graze grass for a shortish period at some point during spring / summer?

 

[Formatted]

I know very little about livestock and so this may be a silly question, but would it ever stack up to bring large numbers of sheep from traditional livestock areas over to East Anglia to graze grass for a shortish period at some point during spring / summer?

Yes definitely would, lamb at home farm and move them to fresh grass then wean off and finish lambs on cover crop / graze wheat or something similar.

Might not work on all systems but would on ours. Drop me a PM if you want to discuss further.

 

[franklin]

If you're doing fallow ground I'll rent it, put grass on it and graze sheep on electric fence.

You'll get rent, free nitrogen and increased soil structure

How much £££?

 

[Formatted]

How much £££?

Wheres the land? How much of it? How long for? All effects quote but I imagine more rent than you'll be making on marginal cropping land given current output prices and the cost of inputs.

If you are genuinely interested quite happy to talk over PM or come up and talk it through.

 

[franklin]

I imagine more rent than you'll be making on marginal cropping land given current output prices and the cost of inputs.

I imagine so.

It's more from interest. I am not allowed to sub-let. Landlord would tell me to get my own sheep.

Fallow with grass on certainly a better option that leaving it bare, but after doing some this year I know that the BG will be in flower several weeks before the EFA / 3 crop cutting date of 1st June. Result - mine was topped twice which on top of the grass seed and roll establishment made it not cheap. Fallow will only work here if it has some potential usage later in the year.

 

[Feldspar]

I imagine so.

It's more from interest. I am not allowed to sub-let. Landlord would tell me to get my own sheep.

Fallow with grass on certainly a better option that leaving it bare, but after doing some this year I know that the BG will be in flower several weeks before the EFA / 3 crop cutting date of 1st June. Result - mine was topped twice which on top of the grass seed and roll establishment made it not cheap. Fallow will only work here if it has some potential usage later in the year.

What do you mean by potential usage later in the year?

 

[franklin]

Grass fallow fits nicely for me in terms of keeping the soil nice. But it has costs. It also fits the greening gubbins. But that has extra costs in topping etc. So it has to be able to generate some money later in the year. Be that sheep, silage or whatever. Yes, i'm sure there will be benefits somewhere down the line, but I do need some short-term cash.

Best would be....

.....ROCK CONCERT.

 

[Hanslope]

So has the proportion of fallow increased since August last year, I've made the decision (and it wasn't difficult) to cut Spring cropping by 50% and fallow.

Just cannot make the numbers stack up at current prices.