How much harvest left ?

[Wombat]

15 acres of spring wheat to do but when the barley is 23% and overloading the auger trying to get it out the tank I bailed on the spring wheat. Hopefully next week is looking better

 

[glasshouse]

Straw hasn't been cheap for several years

Complete madness to be chopping that straw like you did today, should have had the baler in behind the combine!

Even if straw is down 4/5 weeks it can still be salvaged, key thing to do is keep turning it over when you get the odd drying day, amazing how it dry's out in the space of a few hours and when it does come dry for 2/3 days its already 2/3rd dry.

No, you shouldnt touch it till you have a window to bale it.

 

[gone up the hill]

No, you shouldnt touch it till you have a window to bale it.

110% Wrong!

I thought like you, changed tack one year as an experiment did 50/50 on one field in very catchy weather, what I turned baled in 10 days in a small weather window, what I didn't was down a month!

 

[gone up the hill]

Problem was the wheat was for seed so was regloned straw was very green and wet when cut and has never been close to being dry. Still got another 400 acre lying on the ground to try and get bale

Have you turned the 400 acres?

 

[DRC]

Yay, just finished. Thank F*** for that!

You must've been lucky today as it was raining with us this afternoon and looked like rain towards the Welsh hills

 

[glasshouse]

110% Wrong!

I thought like you, changed tack one year as an experiment did 50/50 on one field in very catchy weather, what I turned baled in 10 days in a small weather window, what I didn't was down a month!

obviously different weather in devon.

 

[Brisel]

obviously different weather in devon.

No, just GUTH

 

[neilo]

Straw hasn't been cheap for several years

Complete madness to be chopping that straw like you did today, should have had the baler in behind the combine!

Even if straw is down 4/5 weeks it can still be salvaged, key thing to do is keep turning it over when you get the odd drying day, amazing how it dry's out in the space of a few hours and when it does come dry for 2/3 days its already 2/3rd dry.

Thank you for your insight. Why does it remind me of the Harry Enfield character that always said 'you don't want to do it like that'?

This year really hasn't been a good one for Spring cereals here. Drilled into dry, cloddy seedbeds after grazed root crops in mid/late-April, which then stayed dry for another month or so, delaying germination, meant it was a thin crop that didn't tiller worth diddly. It then stayed dry all summer, with rain only coming about a month ago, so the stems stayed green and we had a great flush of greenery arrive through the very open canopy. Glyphosate sorted that nicely, but then it rained every day for another three weeks or so.
The end result was a dismally short, thin crop, with heads dropping off and heavy rain forecast. If we had baled (damp) straw straight behind the combine, we wouldn't have had many bales of bitty straw to show for it. If it got tonight's rain and needed raking over once, there'd have been feck all to bale anyway.

Thank you for your advice, but I know I've made the right decision thank you. OM and Potash going back into the soil, especially in a system that doesn't generate FYM, is a valuable commodity in itself, at least as valuable as half a crop of substandard straw imo.

My point was that there is a lot of straw being chopped around the country, even in areas where the idea is almost inconceivable, and there will indeed be a shortage this winter.

 

[neilo]

You must've been lucky today as it was raining with us this afternoon and looked like rain towards the Welsh hills

Thankfully yes. We saw a few storms in the distance, but never had more than a few spots on the windscreen, before blowing off again. Felt like it could have arrived at any time though.
Another decent storm and I doubt it would have been worth the expense of combing, judging by the number of heads lost already.

 

[Cropper]

Finished beans as the rain was starting tonight, wasn't going to stop with only an acre to cut. Probably about to get a long settled spell now while I dry wet beans numerous times

 

[BobGreen]

My friend told me tonight they have 100 acres of barley still to get
This is Lancashire

 

[fermerboy]

Not started here and neither has any of my immediate neighbours.
Up here(Banffshire, NE Scotland) we have had 1 dry day ( yesterday ) in the last 14. It's been ridiculously wet and ground conditions are going to be the major problem. We need a few drying days before We can think of trying on with a machine.
We were just ready when the weather broke a fortnight ago, so not spoiling too much yet. Lashing rain here again tonight though.

 

[d williams]

110% Wrong!

I thought like you, changed tack one year as an experiment did 50/50 on one field in very catchy weather, what I turned baled in 10 days in a small weather window, what I didn't was down a month!

Was there anything to bale ?
You must have time and derv to waste

 

[DRC]

Thankfully yes. We saw a few storms in the distance, but never had more than a few spots on the windscreen, before blowing off again. Felt like it could have arrived at any time though.
Another decent storm and I doubt it would have been worth the expense of combing, judging by the number of heads lost already.

Very sorry to hear that. Not nice when you've spent all year growing a crop . Will you lightly cultivate it and at least get some sheep keep from the re growth.

 

[T C]

Finished spring Barley last night @22%, it was 20% when the weather broke so has never been drier.
Still 26Ha of wheat that has never been less than 22% but will be cut as soon as drier catches up.

 

[Wombat]

Finished spring Barley last night @22%, it was 20% when the weather broke so has never been drier.
Still 26Ha of wheat that has never been less than 22% but will be cut as soon as drier catches up.

I stopped cutting our SB bank holiday Monday about 8pm at 18% as the forecast was ok. Finished cutting at 23% yesterday ffs.

They couldn't forecast what it's doing at that instant if they were stood in it

 

[wuddy]

Have you turned the 400 acres?

Turned about half of it when it was nearly dry then it rained again not had a chance to do the rest!

 

[Sandy]

5-6 days of combing some of the straw is still green though!

 

[T C]

I stopped cutting our SB bank holiday Monday about 8pm at 18% as the forecast was ok. Finished cutting at 23% yesterday ffs.

They couldn't forecast what it's doing at that instant if they were stood in it

I keep having the feeling we missed the boat earlier on. However the crop and forecast at the time suggested cutting at 20+ at the end of August was not right. Even then we probably only be a day ahead.

 

[neilo]

Very sorry to hear that. Not nice when you've spent all year growing a crop . Will you lightly cultivate it and at least get some sheep keep from the re growth.

I'll run through it with the Delta. Destined for Winter Barley and hardly time to get a chit, so tempted to call it drilling. Sheep will only get near it if we're tight in the winter, but root crops all looking good at the moment.