Getting concerned

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
1. People who have bloody great big heavy kit who are set up to go for max acres per day, but instead they’re unable to move.

2. People who have cultivated behind the combine.

3. People who’ve gone down the DD route but with overly complicated six figure drills that have been developed during the last few dusty and easy autumns.

I’ve been on drilling last week and got another 200 acres in for other farmers on heavy land that hasn’t been moved until the drill went in the field. It went in well. That’s 1100 acres drilled so far.

I’ve watched people in the last month wait to get their cultivated soil to a moisture level that they’re happy to work it in front of the drill, and then get rained off yet again after they’ve done yet another passI can fully understand their frustration.

Unmoved ground drills at least 75% sooner than moved ground, and it’s largely the awkward timing of the rain in October that caused the problems and not just the volume.

My unmoved land is a state. Stood water everywhere. It's raining more than can flow through it. Every third day it rains more than has percolated through it.

No direct drills working round here. It's saturated to drain depths. Every combine wheeling is full.

Worked, unconsolidated soil is awful. But where we made a seedbed behind the combine and rolled it will be the first to go.

Don't want to get into the who's got the heaviest sh!t, but once you're drilled up, have a drive up here and see just what has been done. In the land of pancake flat clay, it's simple equation based on rainfall minus percolation and evaporation. Rainfall winning.
 

Flintstone

Member
Location
Berkshire
You can't compare your ground to other areas in the country , your crops look very well , you should be proud of your achievement , but we have 3 claydons in the area and they have done nothing , and unlikely to till it dries up , we run lighter machinery now having seen the damage that 13 ton tractors can do

I’m just comparing to the fact that lots of people around me have been unable to drill. That’s all. I consider myself lucky.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
The three main reasons people haven’t been able to get on in this wet autumn are some, one, or all of the following:

1. People who have bloody great big heavy kit who are set up to go for max acres per day, but instead they’re unable to move.

2. People who have cultivated behind the combine.

3. People who’ve gone down the DD route but with overly complicated six figure drills that have been developed during the last few dusty and easy autumns.

I’ve been on drilling last week and got another 200 acres in for other farmers on heavy land that hasn’t been moved until the drill went in the field. It went in well. That’s 1100 acres drilled so far. Heavy land is not a reason not to be drilling in a damp year if the soil has been left well alone post-harvest and the overall structure is good.

I’ve watched people in the last month wait to get their cultivated soil to a moisture level that they’re happy to work it in front of the drill, and then get rained off yet again after they’ve done yet another pass, and I can fully understand their frustration.

Unmoved ground drills at least 75% sooner than moved ground, and it’s largely the awkward timing of the rain in October that caused the problems and not just the volume.

I’ve learned that my choice of system in 2015 has been a lucky one for me this year, and whilst there’s no right or wrong way, one thing for sure is that when it comes to working with the soil, sometimes less really is more.

It’s not all good though. Unable to get aphicide on is a worry, especially with the mild weather we’ve had.

View attachment 841608
You are absolutely right with that. I notice here that even our heaviest clay is nearly dry enough to direct drill in 5 dry days (which we haven't had since September though we need,y got there this past week. The drains need to be good and no compaction or pan issues either.

Anything cultivated is like blancmange, won't travel, won't dry, won't drill, all the micro pores and fissures having run together.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Traffic is killing delicate soils as well. That's very clear. Subsoiling won't help. It can break the profile into blocks but it can't decompress the blocks if you see what I mean.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
The three main reasons people haven’t been able to get on in this wet autumn are some, one, or all of the following:

1. People who have bloody great big heavy kit who are set up to go for max acres per day, but instead they’re unable to move.

2. People who have cultivated behind the combine.

3. People who’ve gone down the DD route but with overly complicated six figure drills that have been developed during the last few dusty and easy autumns.

I’ve been on drilling last week and got another 200 acres in for other farmers on heavy land that hasn’t been moved until the drill went in the field. It went in well. That’s 1100 acres drilled so far. Heavy land is not a reason not to be drilling in a damp year if the soil has been left well alone post-harvest and the overall structure is good.

I’ve watched people in the last month wait to get their cultivated soil to a moisture level that they’re happy to work it in front of the drill, and then get rained off yet again after they’ve done yet another pass, and I can fully understand their frustration.

Unmoved ground drills at least 75% sooner than moved ground, and it’s largely the awkward timing of the rain in October that caused the problems and not just the volume.

I’ve learned that my choice of system in 2015 has been a lucky one for me this year, and whilst there’s no right or wrong way, one thing for sure is that when it comes to working with the soil, sometimes less really is more.

It’s not all good though. Unable to get aphicide on is a worry, especially with the mild weather we’ve had.

View attachment 841608
Sorry, but look at that soil.
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
Thought I ought to report in, when I started this thread some 6 weeks ago it was partly in jest although I was slightly concerned as we prefer a dryish autumn, on the 22nd Sept we were set up well, nearly all the ground was trioed, fields which were a bit tough had been cultipressed and with some weather on them we would of had perfect seedbed conditions for this land,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but,,,,,,,,,,,,, we have passed 9 inches of rainfall since mid Sept and will more than likely go past the 10 inch rainfall later today , having watched and contributed to various threads on here it is very interesting to see how certain parts of the country have missed some of the major rainfall events and have managed to get some crops in. It always makes me chuckle when I look at posts and folks say that they have been drilling on some very heavy clay yet they are drilling straight behind the plough, yes it's ploughing up shiny but probably because of the traffic it has endured.
As always, you wonder if another system would have worked, I have seen a couple of weaving gd drills working but on the very best land in the area, does not look pretty but time will tell.
We still have nothing planted and to be honest I'm glad I haven't as they would struggle with this amount of water about on this land.
Saving grace for us is that we have had a good harvest, we have more in the grain stores from this harvest than 2012 / 2013 combined., we also had a good harvest last year which other areas didn't.
I'm certainly glad I planted 7 acres of linseed for seed , I have at least got the option of planting a crop cheaply ,
So yes I am concerned,, I have divorce proceedings against me, parents with health issues and over the next few years I will see some big changes in my life but I always look forwards to the future
If it's any consolation I've parked my gd up now as being too wet.
I am fortunate to have my old KV still, so cracked on with that this week, went well.enough but the slugs may ruin it yet.
 

Hammer

Member
Location
South Norfolk
The three main reasons people haven’t been able to get on in this wet autumn are some, one, or all of the following:

1. People who have bloody great big heavy kit who are set up to go for max acres per day, but instead they’re unable to move.

2. People who have cultivated behind the combine.

3. People who’ve gone down the DD route but with overly complicated six figure drills that have been developed during the last few dusty and easy autumns.

I’ve been on drilling last week and got another 200 acres in for other farmers on heavy land that hasn’t been moved until the drill went in the field. It went in well. That’s 1100 acres drilled so far. Heavy land is not a reason not to be drilling in a damp year if the soil has been left well alone post-harvest and the overall structure is good.

I’ve watched people in the last month wait to get their cultivated soil to a moisture level that they’re happy to work it in front of the drill, and then get rained off yet again after they’ve done yet another pass, and I can fully understand their frustration.

Unmoved ground drills at least 75% sooner than moved ground, and it’s largely the awkward timing of the rain in October that caused the problems and not just the volume.

I’ve learned that my choice of system in 2015 has been a lucky one for me this year, and whilst there’s no right or wrong way, one thing for sure is that when it comes to working with the soil, sometimes less really is more.

It’s not all good though. Unable to get aphicide on is a worry, especially with the mild weather we’ve had.

View attachment 841608
Hi @Flintstone I'm happy that you've managed to get some great looking crops in. But... I've been using a Claydon for 9 years now and can say that if you truly are on heavy soils and have had significant rainfall this autumn, it matters not if you complied with your listed 3 reasons or not. I switched to a twin tine kit on the Claydon 4 years ago as on clays its was extremely unusual to be able to create enough tilth to cover seed after the wide shares, and more often than not, they would smear, even in a dry year. I have been very happy with the drill in this configuration and I have managed to get about 2/3s of our planned wheat area drilled, which I don't think I could with many other drills, but it is far from pretty and time will tell if it comes ok.

I agree with your sentiment, but it is fairly sweeping statement that simply is not valid in all situations.

This was the last chance I had a couple of days ago and yes I maybe shouldn't have even been in the field but it shows what the drill can cope with...
 
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Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
We all have different farms in different parts of the country and have chosen systems that work for each of us.
However, it amazes me how so many of us get sucked in to changing our systems which then don’t work when we have a difficult year like this one. So much of it is changing a system because it is following the latest fashion.

Some of those who haven’t been able to drill, wouldn’t have been able to no matter what system they use.
Others wish they had kept a system that would have worked better in these conditions.

Some take comfort in the fact that this is an opportunity to let Blackgrass grow and then spray it off.
Some even thinking that this is a silver lining opportunity to get rid of it.

Unfortunately, I have news for them: I’ve been at war with Blackgrass for 44 years of farming and I can tell them that although you might possibly reduce the burden, you will never ever get rid of it!
In fact in wet years like this one, in reality, we often end up having gone at least 2 steps backwards.

This is farming and our biggest influence is Nature, especially the weather. In years like this, making a decision not to drill is still making a decision. It isn’t a wrong decision. You just have to sit it out and make the best of it when conditions eventually allow.
 

shakerator

Member
Location
LINCS
My unmoved land is a state. Stood water everywhere. It's raining more than can flow through it. Every third day it rains more than has percolated through it.

No direct drills working round here. It's saturated to drain depths. Every combine wheeling is full.

Worked, unconsolidated soil is awful. But where we made a seedbed behind the combine and rolled it will be the first to go.

Don't want to get into the who's got the heaviest sh!t, but once you're drilled up, have a drive up here and see just what has been done. In the land of pancake flat clay, it's simple equation based on rainfall minus percolation and evaporation. Rainfall winning.

what’s your altitude static
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
We all have different farms in different parts of the country and have chosen systems that work for each of us.
However, it amazes me how so many of us get sucked in to changing our systems which then don’t work when we have a difficult year like this one. So much of it is changing a system because it is following the latest fashion.

Some of those who haven’t been able to drill, wouldn’t have been able to no matter what system they use.
Others wish they had kept a system that would have worked better in these conditions.

Some take comfort in the fact that this is an opportunity to let Blackgrass grow and then spray it off.
Some even thinking that this is a silver lining opportunity to get rid of it.

Unfortunately, I have news for them: I’ve been at war with Blackgrass for 44 years of farming and I can tell them that although you might possibly reduce the burden, you will never ever get rid of it!
In fact in wet years like this one, in reality, we often end up having gone at least 2 steps backwards.

This is farming and our biggest influence is Nature, especially the weather. In years like this, making a decision not to drill is still making a decision. It isn’t a wrong decision. You just have to sit it out and make the best of it when conditions eventually allow.
Are you suggesting we all have a high fixed cost ploughing system so we can get drilled up in the really bad seasons? This is 3rd really bad one since 2000 according to father.
 

bankrupt

Member
Location
EX17/20
chosen systems that work for each of us.
We've had four different systems working here, this time.

Each one's had its successes, and each one its failures.

What they all have in common is the danger of being compromised by heavy rain falling not before, but within the 48hrs after, drilling (or broadcasting, as in one of our systems).

Which, given the rather mixed accuracy record of the weather forecasters this time, was quite difficult effectively to manage.

:D:D:D
 
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Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
Are you suggesting we all have a high fixed cost ploughing system so we can get drilled up in the really bad seasons? This is 3rd really bad one since 2000 according to father.
Are you suggesting we all have a high fixed cost ploughing system so we can get drilled up in the really bad seasons? This is 3rd really bad one since 2000 according to father.
No, not at all. There are some areas where that system might suit, where as there are some that it isn’t the only solution.

The plough system might not necessarily by a such high fixed cost system when the cost and finance of a new drill that works on a non ploughing system is taken into account.

One thing I discovered both here and in Suffolk, was the only fixed cost saving between the two were time and a bit of fuel. Which were completely (far more so, in fact) outweighed by the extra herbicides (that didn’t work!).

The ploughing system is pretty good at causing a major reduction in Blackgrass and a huge saving in herbicide variable costs.

However, on other parts of the Country, it might be different. We all know what works best in our own situations.
 

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