Daniel
Member
- Location
- Mildenhall, Suffolk
Given that the neonic ban seems to be finishing off sugar beet as well, to let us import cane sugar from the other side of the world, what break crops are there left to grow profitably?
No offence intended but I see your rape and saw pictures of Clive’s and it didn’t look great going in to winter
Agree, it’s a hard judgement to make. Currently cutting some and it is performing okay. The thick stems make a big difference when you pull them out and open them upAgree entirely but at what point do you write off? If I grow OSR again unless I have a full field of OSR 6 weeks after drilling the whole field is toast.
Agree, it’s a hard judgement to make. Currently cutting some and it is performing okay. The thick stems make a big difference when you pull them out and open them up
No later than August 7th ish.When is your target drilling date?
That’s been the trend for a while and it’s why I decided to go really early last year because I kept seeing late drilled crops on Twitter and social media failing year after year.Well I’m going to buck the trend and drill later.
First week of September as long as there’s moisture, direct drilled into baled spring barley stubble. I’d rather lose it to adult damage rather than chase pigeons all winter only for the larvae to demolish it in the spring.
As always, it’s what works for you and your farm. Geography can make a big difference, whether that be altitude, latitude, inland v coastal or climate. If you find a successful formula then go with it.That’s been the trend for a while and it’s why I decided to go really early last year because I kept seeing late drilled crops on Twitter and social media failing year after year.
I sympathise with your problems growing brassicas and beet without efficient insecticide. However I question whether many of the insecticides used on farms in the last few decades ever should have received approval, and strongly suspect that as an industry we may well have been better off in the long run if some of them had never been released onto the market. The clock cannot be turned back, and we must either find a way forward or alter the way we farm.
That’s fair enough. I’m taking the gamble to put more in because of early harvest. Doubt I could do it in a more normal year
I have had two goes at drilling kale this spring, both failed due to drought and flea beetle. You just get to the point where you have had enough.
My beet has had two doses of sprayed on environmentally damaging insecticide because the neonic coating was banned. That spray programme has killed more beneficials than the seed coating ever did but it still got enough aphids into it to bring in loads of virus. I am not cheerful about it. I can’t find anything cheerful to say about it. It’s a crock of shite of Michael Gove’s making.
Rant over.
Well I’m going to buck the trend and drill later.
First week of September as long as there’s moisture, direct drilled into baled spring barley stubble. I’d rather lose it to adult damage rather than chase pigeons all winter only for the larvae to demolish it in the spring.
Given that the neonic ban seems to be finishing off sugar beet as well, to let us import cane sugar from the other side of the world, what break crops are there left to grow profitably?
I am in the same dilemma as everybody else; how much rapeseed do I try to establish this autumn. We are a plough based system at present and plough down a good dressing of broiler litter. Most of our crops established to some extent last time, but there are a lot of bare and weedy headlands. Sprayed twice for flea beetle last time. However the rape crops are the poorest we have ever grown, and I am minded to cut our acreage this autumn. What are you all doing?
Why not beans or peas ? At least the wheat after gets a boost even if the pulse only breaks even, better than a fallowGiven that the neonic ban seems to be finishing off sugar beet as well, to let us import cane sugar from the other side of the world, what break crops are there left to grow profitably?
That’s been the trend for a while and it’s why I decided to go really early last year because I kept seeing late drilled crops on Twitter and social media failing year after year.
Given that the neonic ban seems to be finishing off sugar beet as well, to let us import cane sugar from the other side of the world, what break crops are there left to grow profitably?
Might be abit early, will be doing some in July without a doubt.Drilling OSR next week?
lupins for protein. But they don’t like a high pH. If the industry got its act together they could replace imported soya. Grew them once. Better than beans. Home fed them but no general market for them yet.