Sewell Farms Kent
To say this spring has been a challenge is an understatement to many of us in farming. The huge variations in temperature combined with some very heavy rainfall at times and very few “good spray days” have hampered our progress in many ways. We are however blessed and fortunate here in that we managed to get our whole farm planted in the autumn. Our current cropping comprises Oilseed Rape, Winter Oats and Milling Wheat. All of our crops for the past 5 years have been established using a no-till drill and generally we are very happy with the outcome.
Our Oilseed Rape established very well but where we did struggle was when I persevered drilling in the drizzle one day to get a field finished. The field in question had yielded 10t/ha of milling wheat and we had chopped all of the straw. We started drilling the field with the headland first but the further we got across the field with straw getting wetter and wetter the worse the crop established. A very valuable lesson was learnt. When conditions deteriorate it’s best to stop and put the kettle on! When conditions are good, crack on! We had a similar situation planting wheat into oat stubbles which again had been chopped. The land was very heavy Weald clay (yellow plasticine when wet and as hard as iron when dry!) with a wet end to harvest we decided that the wheat needed planting in September before conditions deteriorated further.
The soil conditions were really too wet when we drilled but rather that wait we went with conventional wisdom and planted. Had the weather improved we may have got away with it but 2 days later we had half an inch of rain! This combined with wheat sitting in a slimy wet slot covered in chopped oat straw made for pretty poor and slow emergence. Again we learnt an important lesson. If the soil’s not ready, wait! Farmers are generally not patient and cultivation has allowed “progress” to be made at the expense of soil health. For me learning patience is one of the keys to successful no-till farming. This spring has seen the drill busy
planting for other farmers locally.
We have planted beans into green cover crops of oats and vetch then sprayed off after drilling. We have put beans into grass, peas into oats that had been grazed by sheep, forage maize into grass and cover crops, and not to forget the 18 acres of bird cover in ten separate parcels!! At home we are bringing in raspberry compost (mulched raspberry plants) and making some of our own compost using horse muck and woodchip. I’m convinced it’s the right thing to do to improve soil health on the farm but how long will it take to make properly? As much as I’d like to invest in a shiny new muck spreader with spinning discs to spread this lovely compost I’ll have to try and hire one from a friendly local farmer when he’s not using it in the tight window between harvest and planting next years crops.
The worms will appreciate the food and over time will hopefully repay the favour! It’s those underground livestock on my farm that do so much good aerating the ground, incorporating residues and dealing with drainage without sending a bill! I hope the coming harvest brings you good yields with quality, all cut at 14.5% moisture!
Read the article on Page 44 of Issue 2 of Direct Driller Magazine here.