How quickly does milling wheat lose its quality?

[Feldspar]

I know this is a bit of a how long is a piece of string question, but I'm trying to work out how long we've got to cut our milling wheat given current weather forecast. Moistures hit sub 15% yesterday with straw only just fit. We still have three full days of cutting rape (370ac) before being able to get onto anything else. We have two full days of malting spring barley (300ac) that is also ready as well. We have 600ac of milling wheat to do.

So, the question is how much rain / wet days is it likely to take before milling wheat quality is likely to slip? Malting barley is more determined by it brackling over with each passing day. Any advice / thoughts much appreciated.

 

[teslacoils]

Always found protein to be stable; bushel to go up a bit later on probably as it was drier / fitter; hagberg to drop. Hagberg was varietal - I think linked to sprouting / ripeness. Hagberg never seemed to drop until the crop was fully ripe though.

Was always hereward and Claire that seemed to loose quality.

 

[Feldspar]

Any one know how well Zyatt holds its hagberg?

 

[teslacoils]

There's a thread on zyatt here from last year. It has a score of five for sprouting, and a fairly low hfn, so on that basis I'd say not so well.

 

[Lexion1000]

Out of zyatt, illustrious, sky fall, crusoe and trinity last year, zyatt was the worst for hagberg.

 

[Feldspar]

There's a thread on zyatt here from last year. It has a score of five for sprouting, and a fairly low hfn, so on that basis I'd say not so well.

Out of zyatt, illustrious, sky fall, crusoe and trinity last year, zyatt was the worst for hagberg.

Oh dear!

 

[John Slejpner]

If its going to be wet on and off for a week, then the cooler the better from a hagberg pov.
Today your hagberg will be maximum but falling ever so slowly.
The rate of fall increases with time for the same environmental conditions. ie hagberg falling from 310 to 280 will take longer than 280 falling to 250.

If the weather now falls to pieces for longer than a week i will be taking samples from at-risk crop.
Such conditions might force premiums up a bit such that circa 280 hag it becomes a case of cut it and get it onto an air floor at ??? moisture.

 

[chipchap]

If you are worrying about it already the chances are you are on the ball and will get it all in good time.
Just keep cutting!

 

[shakerator]

Always found protein to be stable; bushel to go up a bit later on probably as it was drier / fitter; hagberg to drop. Hagberg was varietal - I think linked to sprouting / ripeness. Hagberg never seemed to drop until the crop was fully ripe though.

Was always hereward and Claire that seemed to loose quality.

Ever heard of phantom yield loss?
They talk about it for corn in the states
About bushel weights decreasing after wetting drying cycles. Wheat is physiologically mature from 30% moisture down ?

 

[Gong Farmer]

600 acres of Zyatt? Crumbs.

If it rains (rather than showers) then the clock is ticking and by the end of that acreage you're likely to have disappointing samples

 

[fudge]

Oh dear!

How much N have you applied to your milling wheat?

 

[Feldspar]

How much N have you applied to your milling wheat?

280 kg

 

[Feldspar]

600 acres of Zyatt? Crumbs.

If it rains (rather than showers) then the clock is ticking and by the end of that acreage you're likely to have disappointing samples

This response has not filled me with great joy. By the end of this weekend we will have a had a rain so that does start the clock ticking. Would you abandon cutting the OSR in favour of the milling wheat?

 

[Lincsman]

The fact that the straw is still a little green is in your favour, had we not had hot sun the grain would still be 17%, not much you can do other than keep pushing on, harvesting at higher moisture contents if weather does not look like its going to play ball.

 

[Lincsman]

This response has not filled me with great joy. By the end of this weekend we will have a had a rain so that does start the clock ticking. Would you abandon cutting the OSR in favour of the milling wheat?

No, stay in order, OSR.. barley, Wheat, losing 10% of the OSR and barley wont cover a "possible" hagberg loss, if its a bad year they will reduce the standard level and take it anyway.

The only way I would leave the OSR is if it was too dry in the afternoon, but that causes lots of lost time.

 

[fudge]

280 kg

Quite possible that it will be short of protein at that level this year. I would not fret too much.

 

[Gong Farmer]

As others have said, leaving the rape and coming back to it after the wheat is likely to lose you more. Try to be optimistic and crack on as planned.

 

[Courier]

Milling wheat has a tendancy to lose it's quality once it has been loaded on a 44 tonner and arrived at the mill sampling point IMHO.

 

[Feldspar]

Excellent advice. Many thanks. Looking into whether we can get someone to cut our malting barley.

 

[Feldspar]

Quite possible that it will be short of protein at that level this year. I would not fret too much.

We did foliar N for the first time ever which won't help the yield. 240kg on as soil applied.