Flea Beetle 2019

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
Crop emergence date seems a reason this year.
But is it the same date as last year, or is it pot luck which date is right?
from my observations earlier drilling tends to be better for getting a crop established. But what happens in the spring with larvae damage seems to be pretty unpredictable and far worse in terms of investment in the crop before true extent of damage is known.

@willy hope you’re getting on alright it’s been an age since I bumped into you.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
At least I wont need to worry about larvae damage in the spring now that the crop has already failed.
Its a real shame and so frustrating. It was a good payer here, and normally landed a nice big cheque for little storage space.
Another one bites the dust. Probably beet next with second year without seed coating aphicide and withdrawal of desmedipham. Wheat isnt very exciting without CTL either.
British agriculture being royally fudged over and nobody who can do anything about it gives one. Neglect of duty really.

Why would I ever vote Tory again? Why would I ever vote again for that matter?
 

Wolds Beef

Member
It is the first time I have had a failed crop of any sort! (2 Miles from Richard Hammond and under a new agronomist!!!) Spring Barley will follow I think. It is ridiculous pulling all our actives from us when they want food!.
WB
 

willy

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Rutland
But is it the same date as last year, or is it pot luck which date is right?
from my observations earlier drilling tends to be better for getting a crop established. But what happens in the spring with larvae damage seems to be pretty unpredictable and far worse in terms of investment in the crop before true extent of damage is known.

@willy hope you’re getting on alright it’s been an age since I bumped into you.

Agree pot luck is the crucial element. I do think that the getting the crop up and away is key ( again pot luck regarding rainfall) but getting nutrients right help.

This years newly planted osr is not good, so I have just ripped up 60 ha out of 220ha, and next Monday there may well be more. All had sewage sludge under neath it but just to little rain to get it away from Csfb.

But I’m good other wise and yes hopefully catch up soon when work load decreases.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Because in a democracy if you do not take part in the process you forfeit your right to complain about the result

I used to think that, but now I am not so sure. There is now a ruling class, not to be confused with upper class, who are now largely disconnected from and operate without regard for the wishes of the people. They don't consider science, they don't consider the long term common good of the nation, they only consider the hour by hour media driven populism on which they feed their self serving political careers. They therefore cannot contemplate the sometimes unpalatable, unpopular and difficult decisions and compromises that need to made to keep the wheels turning. When it comes to blatant populism there is no sensible compromise because it doesn't grab the headlines. There little difference between the parties now.

In short there is no politician interested in modern agriculture. They all follow the misguided belief that we can roll back the technology yet somehow sustain output and efficiency. It's a serious and dangerous problem to anybody relying on an arable farming business for their livelihood.

Being green is fashionable and populist. The Tories are green, Labour and the rest are green. There is nobody I can vote for who has any empathy with my industry. Ask for them to call a halt to the withdrawal of actives for the sake of modern agriculture and they laugh in your face. They no longer argue the case to the people, they just comply with just the critical mass of unfounded media opinion.
 

Daniel

Member
I used to think that, but now I am not so sure. There is now a ruling class, not to be confused with upper class, who are now largely disconnected from and operate without regard for the wishes of the people. They don't consider science, they don't consider the long term common good of the nation, they only consider the hour by hour media driven populism on which they feed their self serving political careers. They therefore cannot contemplate the sometimes unpalatable, unpopular and difficult decisions and compromises that need to made to keep the wheels turning. When it comes to blatant populism there is no sensible compromise because it doesn't grab the headlines. There little difference between the parties now.

In short there is no politician interested in modern agriculture. They all follow the misguided belief that we can roll back the technology yet somehow sustain output and efficiency. It's a serious and dangerous problem to anybody relying on an arable farming business for their livelihood.

Being green is fashionable and populist. The Tories are green, Labour and the rest are green. There is nobody I can vote for who has any empathy with my industry. Ask for them to call a halt to the withdrawal of actives for the sake of modern agriculture and they laugh in your face. They no longer argue the case to the people, they just comply with just the critical mass of unfounded media opinion.

?????

Spot on.
 

texelburger

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Herefordshire
I used to think that, but now I am not so sure. There is now a ruling class, not to be confused with upper class, who are now largely disconnected from and operate without regard for the wishes of the people. They don't consider science, they don't consider the long term common good of the nation, they only consider the hour by hour media driven populism on which they feed their self serving political careers. They therefore cannot contemplate the sometimes unpalatable, unpopular and difficult decisions and compromises that need to made to keep the wheels turning. When it comes to blatant populism there is no sensible compromise because it doesn't grab the headlines. There little difference between the parties now.

In short there is no politician interested in modern agriculture. They all follow the misguided belief that we can roll back the technology yet somehow sustain output and efficiency. It's a serious and dangerous problem to anybody relying on an arable farming business for their livelihood.

Being green is fashionable and populist. The Tories are green, Labour and the rest are green. There is nobody I can vote for who has any empathy with my industry. Ask for them to call a halt to the withdrawal of actives for the sake of modern agriculture and they laugh in your face. They no longer argue the case to the people, they just comply with just the critical mass of unfounded media opinion.
Succinctly put,couldn't agree more.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Walked over it this morning. Ranges from 0 to 12 seedlings per m2. The only rain it had was last Sunday night in the last fortnight since it was drilled. I am not sure how much remains to chit and emerge though. But with high beetle numbers they tend to get badly chewed up when they do emerge.
Considering leaving it as fallow to give it every chance. Maybe some of it will be worth saving but certainly the heavy land areas look pretty hopeless.

Probably spring barley all round here. Getting a bit sick of throwing big money at winter crops.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Daft Question! What if anything predates flea beetle? Are there any crops we could grow to attract predators?
WB

I heard that there is parasitic wasp that attacks them. Somebody was doing a PhD thesis on the subject. Wish I could remember the details but it passed me by at the time. Maybe somebody on here knows.
Any measures would be welcome but I am fairly sceptical about the efficacy of managing predators in open field conditions. Different matter in the enclosed space and controlled environment of a greenhouse.

I just accept that OSR growing on a large scale isn't natural and requires human inspired technological solutions. I cosidered the neonic seed coating to be fairly benign and best compromise that could be achieved.
 

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
It comes to something when our own former Government Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir John Beddington says that there was no need whatsoever for the Neonic ban.
Hungary used far more than we ever did and their bee populations were going up!

It was the E.U. that banned it.

Look up his “The perfect storm revisited “ speech on YouTube.


Start from 38.50 to 41.00 minutes
 
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Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
I'd say neonic ban is the thin end of the wedge, folks.

Yep. The green lobby will grow stronger with every pesticide banned. They will keep pushing until all pesticides have gone before they worry about where their food comes from. This is the world we live in now - we can adapt to survive or let them beat us out of business.

Beetle banks designed to be habitat for beneficials make no difference to pest damage to crops when the pest flies in en masse. By the time the predators have mopped them up, the crop has gone or been infected with BYDV etc. Nature simply can't cope quickly with an epidemic. I have 14 km of beetle banks on my farm with over 350 acres of arable land out of production which means feck all with pests like CSFB. It's great for summer pests like grain aphids & Wheat Orange Blossom Midge have also not been a problem. Not for autumn pests like CSFB and aphids where there effect isn't quick enough.
 
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B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
I'd say neonic ban is the thin end of the wedge, folks.
I fear you are right. The writing is already on the wall for quite a few key actives. If the manage to get glyphosate withdrawn it will only be somewhere in the middle of the wedge.
The post war era of UK/EU ag is in its death throes, I think UK ag will be unrecognizable in 10 years time. Buckle up lad and lasses.
 

shakerator

Member
Location
LINCS
I fear you are right. The writing is already on the wall for quite a few key actives. If the manage to get glyphosate withdrawn it will only be somewhere in the middle of the wedge.
The post war era of UK/EU ag is in its death throes, I think UK ag will be unrecognizable in 10 years time. Buckle up lad and lasses.

Are we going to witness a divergence though with seed patent/ intellectual property laws contrasting between UK and EU? My prediction is greater agronomic “tied” seed packages for the only actives which are legal and cleared. All post patent banned. No money to be made, and too much time for toxicity studies. Most of these actives are a little less toxic than reduced basic food supply
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
No, there is hope. But keep the words "public goods" and "environmental services" in your mind. You are going to get rewarded for doing things with your land that may benefit these, but detriment your total crop output. But I'd question if that matters provided you get paid for it. After all, bare stubbles provide little benefit or less benefit than a low input ley. Think lower input, lower stocking, same price, more support. But that support may not come from government but from elsewhere. These are all just thoughts, but it's taking the "random walk" through policy makers gardens (even if they prefer to run through fields of wheat).
 

Gong Farmer

Member
BASIS
Location
S E Glos
I heard that there is parasitic wasp that attacks them. Somebody was doing a PhD thesis on the subject.

The only one I've heard of is a parasitic wasp. That seeks out a beetle, lays eggs in it, and after a few days the eggs hatch and start making the beetle feel ill. The wasp may do this to two or three beetles, but this obviously isn't going to immediately stop them feeding , and breeding. What's needed is like the ladybird larvae munching through dozens of aphids in a day.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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