Glastir stubble turnips

[DaveJ]

I've taken the root crop option as part of my Glastir contract. This year they sent a proforma round wanting to know which fields I intended to plant and in which years for the remainder of the contract. Anyone know how binding this is? Can I change fields just by sending a polite letter?
Reason being the field I intended to plough has yielded much better this year and looking at it now, I'd be inclined to go elsewhere.

 

[neilo]

I've taken the root crop option as part of my Glastir contract. This year they sent a proforma round wanting to know which fields I intended to plant and in which years for the remainder of the contract. Anyone know how binding this is? Can I change fields just by sending a polite letter?
Reason being the field I intended to plough has yielded much better this year and looking at it now, I'd be inclined to go elsewhere.

On rotational options (like unsprayed roots), you should get a proforma letter each year. I don't recall any mention of anything 'for the remainder of the contract', but if you don't send it back by whatever the deadline was, then it's assumed that you're using the same area again.

Didn't it have to be in a while back though? No idea if you can change things later in the season. Probably not, as that would be far to sensible.

 

[DaveJ]

On rotational options (like unsprayed roots), you should get a proforma letter each year. I don't recall any mention of anything 'for the remainder of the contract', but if you don't send it back by whatever the deadline was, then it's assumed that you're using the same area again.

Didn't it have to be in a while back though? No idea if you can change things later in the season. Probably not, as that would be far to sensible.

This is only the second year of my Glastir contract and I had the proforma just after submitting my SAF and returned it pretty much immediately. I've simply changed my mind which field wants reseeding more.

 

[neilo]

This is only the second year of my Glastir contract and I had the proforma just after submitting my SAF and returned it pretty much immediately. I've simply changed my mind which field wants reseeding more.

I'm only on year 2 too, and did pretty much the same (although perhaps a little more slowly). I'm not sure if you can 'change your mind' once you've notified them, but it would of course be sensible to allow it.

Probably worth a phone call to check I'd have thought. I'm told the Glastir inspectors do like the paperwork to be just right.

 

[DaveJ]

Sorted. Messaged on RPW online last night. Reply waiting at coffee time. Yes, no problem and all that is required is to send them a message with the details. National Assembly Ag dept get a lot of stick, but in fairness they couldn't really make this any easier.

 

[MOG]

Hmm, well mine is ploughed and ready to seed and I never had a pro-forma asking which field. I did however, note it on the SAF so perhaps that was enough?

 

[DaveJ]

Mine only had the silage off on Friday. Muck today hopefully, then run around like a blue arsed fly to get it in by the (bizzare) deadline. Then I'll be lucky the crop doesn't get a heavy dose of mildew like last year.
Not spraying to allow weed seeds for birds to eat I can understand. Leaving the stubble overwinter for wildlife I can understand. But why the crop has to be in the ground a month before most people would normally sow it, then be left until the end of October by which time it's getting woody and less palatable I don't understand?

 

[neilo]

Mine only had the silage off on Friday. Muck today hopefully, then run around like a blue arsed fly to get it in by the (bizzare) deadline. Then I'll be lucky the crop doesn't get a heavy dose of mildew like last year.
Not spraying to allow weed seeds for birds to eat I can understand. Leaving the stubble overwinter for wildlife I can understand. But why the crop has to be in the ground a month before most people would normally sow it, then be left until the end of October by which time it's getting woody and less palatable I don't understand?

Best way to reduce the weed burden, is to do a stale seedbed I reckon, or DD into sprayed off grass (attracts a few less points for DD option though). I'm told the idea is to grow some weeds though, so I suppose we'd better have a few. One of my blocks was a half field last year, in unsprayed swedes. The other half was in conventionally managed swedes, and had Butisan pre-emergence spray. Both halves had the same stale seedbed treatment and I couldn't see the line where I'd sprayed. No expensive Butisan being used this year, and a bigger area of Glastir (Advanced) roots gone in.

I agree a bit more flexibility in sowing date would be handy, but I guess the idea is to have a habitat established for a decent length of time. If it was end of July cut-off, I'd just use stubble turnips after Winter Barley, which would swamp out most of the weeds and be too dense to support much wildlife. It would be hard to justify getting an environmental payment for doing so IMO.

If you put maincrop turnips or swedes in, they shouldn't be 'woody' by October. Seed might cost a bit more, but a lot higher yielding.