Groundswell 2021

Karliboy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Yorkshire
I learnt this year that this
View attachment 970063

Is actually a predator whereas this
View attachment 970064
IS a dung beetle :love:

Both pics taken at home. I can feel the "firtling through dung" habit developing in me :facepalm:

so as larvae go does this look the right sort as they seem to be exploding in population this year here but I’m not seeing a lot of actual beetles around
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holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
so as larvae go does this look the right sort as they seem to be exploding in population this year here but I’m not seeing a lot of actual beetles around View attachment 970571View attachment 970573
Honestly, I'm not sure. I think the beetles tend to fly in as adults to fresh dung.


There are many other insects that like dung:

 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
@martian just thinking that as we will all be inter row hoeing soon would it be a good idea to plant some spring cereal super late on a plot so it would be the right growth stage for demonstrating hoes at groundswell 2022? Would be usefull to see them working side by side............
I remember driving a tractor, with my boss behind me on a steerage hoe, hoeing fodder beet, and it was soooooo boring, trying to keep awake as we trundled up and down the field!
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
I remember driving a tractor, with my boss behind me on a steerage hoe, hoeing fodder beet, and it was soooooo boring, trying to keep awake as we trundled up and down the field!

I spent many an unhappy hour hoeing beet as you describe, swapping jobs with the old guy who worked here. He jused to have his old transistor radio on the hoe!

I altered and modified the hoe in time as the workforce reduced. No front linkage available much in those days, so I made bracket to fit the hoe on a FEL on a 2WD Zetor. Not brilliant, and probably not as good as a hoe operator but a lot better than a rear mounted hoe with no operator!

The self guiding hoes available now are something of a revelation and game changer.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
I'm disappointed by the overall low Groundswell coverage in the main Ag press last week and this.

Clearly change is slow in coming.

It took a couple hundred years for Christianity to take hold and move on from being a cult!! Teasing. Having said that I attended in 2016. Had a ticket for 2021 but then couldn't make it. But seeing who attended appreciate it is now a mainstream event. Best wishes. J
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Don't worry about it. Ag press isn't much get excited about anyway. It's mainly product placement. Very little incisive journalism in ag going on
Agreed. That's what I was hinting at really. Acres of coverage of Cereals, LAMMA, The Grassland Demo etc where corporate business pitches for farmers wallets but very little coverage of a major knowledge exchange event....
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
And peewits.... With a Dexta tractor and 2nd hoe driver, you could watch out for nests...

Maybe ELMS will make a payment for a rear mounted Standen hoe with seated operator, rather than a fancy new camera guided hoe. Possibly a supplement for a Dexta over a more modern tractor (such as a Ford 3000). Also a supplement for no cab, so the tractor driver is more in touch with nature to spot those errant nests.
 

martian

DD Moderator
BASE UK Member
Location
N Herts
You beat me to it. Hadn't seen your post.

By the way meant to ask earlier. What soil series is your land? Hanslope?
Some Hanslope, can't remember what others are. Basically chalky boulder clay. Soil pits at Groundswell site showed how shallow the clay is above chalk layer, most of the rest of the farm is deeper, but very variable...depends on what the glaciers dumped at the end of the last ice-age.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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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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