- Location
- Northumberlandia
Id guess so, but i have no real means of measuring Yield Data from the zones in each field as Combine isnt equipped to do this.
Fertliser spend per year
- Thread starter Robt
- Start date
I apply all the manure i can on my farm. Not evenly distributed, as there is some distance to some fields, but 170 kg N per hectare on average. I have ordered solid fertiliser for 93£ per hectare for the coming season. Thats my full quota on N and P and some K. (about 45% with maize, and the rest 50:50 split between grass and grain)
When all was manual, i aimed at 88-90% of quota, as that would use all what i had.
When i added section control i could up this to about 95-96%. With autosteer, i now set it at 98-99%.
I use the same amount, as i am on quota, and the quota is under the economic optimum usage. But i now use about 10% less for overlaps and give 10% more on the majority of the area, spending the same money. If i didn't have quota, i would lower my fertiliser bill with about 10%.
I have a sulky x40 econov and use it with my jd gps system. I also use vra maps now on some applications, to utilise my inputs better.
When all was manual, i aimed at 88-90% of quota, as that would use all what i had.
When i added section control i could up this to about 95-96%. With autosteer, i now set it at 98-99%.
I use the same amount, as i am on quota, and the quota is under the economic optimum usage. But i now use about 10% less for overlaps and give 10% more on the majority of the area, spending the same money. If i didn't have quota, i would lower my fertiliser bill with about 10%.
I have a sulky x40 econov and use it with my jd gps system. I also use vra maps now on some applications, to utilise my inputs better.
A few people do VR P and K based on yield maps. Not so good if you bale straw as you’re not mapping straw yield. You’ve also got K leaching that you can’t guess as it varies with soil type and season. You can pick most of that up when you do soil sample. I guess you’d just sample the yield zones.
- Location
- North West
It’s surprising how much yield maps correspond to soil types/zones, I’m slowly starting to get the yield maps to even out across the field using vr seed, N,P & K this is also starting to show yield increases as the crops even up. However does the yield increase cover the cost of the technology/time/imputs only time will tell? I’m hoping to benchmark the whole system this year now as it’s been fully implemented as of last season and built up a few years of yield maps. Also putting the Weighbridge in means we can quantify the results, so time will tell.
- Location
- Northumberlandia
I find the yield is not that much diff across whole fields.
Sort of a leveling up process this whole mapping & vari rate applying trace elements is sort of doing.
Combine man says compared to how he does his arable my fields are far more even right across.
Often more grain per ac, poss a little less straw, that could be agchems also doing that.
Sort of a leveling up process this whole mapping & vari rate applying trace elements is sort of doing.
Combine man says compared to how he does his arable my fields are far more even right across.
Often more grain per ac, poss a little less straw, that could be agchems also doing that.
I hope to further use my yield, soil zone and nutrient maps to make decisions on whether to crop and what to crop with in future. I’ve already used 10 years of yield maps to decide where to put Countryside Stewardship options on the worst performing areas.
Just an aside on VR N. Having trialled this on various crops for 8 years, only oilseed rape has shown a net margin on this where using canopy management tools to optimise N and PGR use, though I’m happy that higher yield potential land also works as differences show up better.
I do vari rate and think the biggest actual saving comes on the amount of lime used,haven’t got yield mapping but you can visibly tell the crops are more even across the field
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Interesting, but arnt you holding the good bits back and helping the bad bits catch up?, after all not all soils will yield 5t / acre despite what you apply.
- Location
- North West
As long as you don’t go over N max (we’re in a nvz) you can set the rate at whatever you like. Biggest affect of vr N will be the first dose helping to boost tillers on the thinner patches, N2 I’ve found to be pretty even after that. However by N2 we know what’s going to yield and what isn’t so we can save N form missed/thin patches and use it to boost where the biggest yield potential is.
I’ll be honest though, by far the most effective vr rate application I’ve found seed, especially on our varying soil types. Seed is also your cheapest input by a long margin! The more even number of tillers across the field is to start with the less the N varies at N1 onwards.
Flat rate seed
VR seed only.
- Location
- Berkshire
Agree about the seed but in the top field there’s a clear split left to right in the middle, possibly two fields years ago ??
In my cynical mind I’d suggest drilling parallel to the road on the right and then upping the seed rate as you get across to the gateway opposite the top field !!
SOYL want something like £8000 to map my farm and then a few hundred a year to make the maps after that, I’m letting them do a trial this year but I think a knowledge of your soils and looking at yield maps can give you the info you need to tinker rates while sat on the drill, it wouldn’t work for everyone but it works for me !!!
- Location
- North West
That particular field isn’t really wide enough to make it efficient to drill that way, it would also mean drilling up/down hill causing runoff! The soil type changes progressively from a black sand to brown soil then yellow clay at the worst end, the seed rate is upped progressively.
I Don’t use SOYL, the company I use enables me to have far more input into the field zones/seed maps etc and there software program allows me to write my own maps as well as access to the ndvi imagery, growth stage modelling, yield predictions (been VERY accurate), nutrient planning etc or I can get them to do it all if I like. I also think that SOYL worked out a lot more expensive.
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And what company is that? Do they work outside of the uk?
- Location
- North West
Rhiza Digital, it was called I P F UK. Don’t think they currently operate outside the uk.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Not much on some soils, it mineralises more, clay soils near me have not had potash in 30 years, still index 2, and never respond to an experimental dose.
We have cut right back and only using 200kg of an N & S blend presently. No P & K and our indices are not dropping still after 4 years without it. At around £200/t our total spend for wheat isn’t bad at all.
Mr Charisma
Member
- Location
- stratford on Avon
No fancy spreaders here and I have no intention to buy one to be honest much to my nephews disgust.
I run at the same forward speed ,,,,,,, 14 kph, so no need for silly actuators
I know what drop point (most important setting on my spreader) for type of fert I'm spreading, it's been double top and nitram since I've had it.
I can send my nephew off to put X amount on and it's never far off , always count the bags put on. and record the amount put on accurately, we tend to apply little and often, not a huge acreage and this works for us .
I aimed for 220 units on my milling wheat last year and ended up with 216 units and we are always within this sort of parameter. None of its rocket science in my eyes. In fact the biggest art is getting the headland ends and triangles right and not over / under dosing., nephew has got his head around that art and does it well.
Also I have had this spreader on farm now for 8 years and have only lost 1 mornings spreading due to a burst hyd pipe, no reason why it's not here for another 10 years or more.
In that time 3 of my neighbours who run fancy weighing machines are now on their 2 nd machine , at the sort of money difference they are talking that buys a lot of fert
Just my opinion of course, but it works well for me
I run at the same forward speed ,,,,,,, 14 kph, so no need for silly actuators
I know what drop point (most important setting on my spreader) for type of fert I'm spreading, it's been double top and nitram since I've had it.
I can send my nephew off to put X amount on and it's never far off , always count the bags put on. and record the amount put on accurately, we tend to apply little and often, not a huge acreage and this works for us .
I aimed for 220 units on my milling wheat last year and ended up with 216 units and we are always within this sort of parameter. None of its rocket science in my eyes. In fact the biggest art is getting the headland ends and triangles right and not over / under dosing., nephew has got his head around that art and does it well.
Also I have had this spreader on farm now for 8 years and have only lost 1 mornings spreading due to a burst hyd pipe, no reason why it's not here for another 10 years or more.
In that time 3 of my neighbours who run fancy weighing machines are now on their 2 nd machine , at the sort of money difference they are talking that buys a lot of fert
Just my opinion of course, but it works well for me
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Chae1
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Nobody's mentioned long term reliability/running costs of these high tech spreaders? How many threads are there in tff machinery section about problems with weigh cells/actuators. Would you actually know if section control not working?
In my experience fertiliser and electrics are not a good combination.
Another big one is resale value? Does your average 2nd hand fert spreader buyer want GPS/weigh cells, electric actuators?
Or do you just park them in the nettles because you have saved so much money!?
Musings from a Luddite.
In my experience fertiliser and electrics are not a good combination.
Another big one is resale value? Does your average 2nd hand fert spreader buyer want GPS/weigh cells, electric actuators?
Or do you just park them in the nettles because you have saved so much money!?
Musings from a Luddite.
There’s no doubt they soon come down to a average price,if a small farmer has a choice between a high acreage/high tech with potential of high repair spreader or a brand new hyd on/off spreader he’ll probably take the new one with 0%