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It’s too dry!

onthehoof

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cambs
April
5F384846-F655-4B0C-AC53-14CAD69B2B4D.jpeg
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
I was in Nebraska yesterday to pickup a pair of tracks. 18 degrees and dry. A few were drilling maize but most were waiting for some rain as it’s too dry to germinate, 8 hour drive north back home and I can only see water in every field. 60-80mm still to come this weekend. Should be drilling by now but with this rain and places still under snow we are at least 3 weeks away from doing anything. Getting a bit stressed
Aeroplane?
 

Flatlander

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lorette Manitoba
Yes. Have grown it here a few times. Does very well in the deep black soil here but it’s pretty late to harvest and with drying along with other field work it’s too much to cope with on my own. With propane prices now drying it from 25% down to 15 gets pricey real quick. Best if a local dairy will take it and crimp it with a moisture allowance.
 
I was in Nebraska yesterday to pickup a pair of tracks. 18 degrees and dry. A few were drilling maize but most were waiting for some rain as it’s too dry to germinate, 8 hour drive north back home and I can only see water in every field. 60-80mm still to come this weekend. Should be drilling by now but with this rain and places still under snow we are at least 3 weeks away from doing anything. Getting a bit stressed
Are they drilling wheat in the Dakota’s yet ?
 

Durry cows

Member
Location
Derbyshire
Yes. Have grown it here a few times. Does very well in the deep black soil here but it’s pretty late to harvest and with drying along with other field work it’s too much to cope with on my own. With propane prices now drying it from 25% down to 15 gets pricey real quick. Best if a local dairy will take it and crimp it with a moisture allowance.
Do many folk direct drill maize or is it mainly ploughed/tilled over there?
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
There, someone had to say it! Tin hat on, but we’ve only had 3” of rain in each of January February and march, should of had 5. And had less than an inch in April so far! This is Cornwall by the way.
I know we’ll get to may and like last year the heavens will open etc!
Is there any rain on the horizon?
Lol. Rained here mid march. None due until mid may. Was dry in January and February. 2" a month is average here. Will be well under that year-to-date. Ground cracking. Cold wind.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
That time of year when the reservoir plans come back out of the drawer. Usually go back in again after 4” in June. Generally a bit late by then though, so some supply smoothing would help. Megabucks but would make the farm a better proposition for root veg. Last time I looked I’d need to stump up £250k to make much impression. Government might match it. It would feel good but probably wouldn’t wipe its face in my lifetime. Still, got to do something. This annual drought situation isn’t going to get any better.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I sometimes wonder though if we hadn’t underdrained it, would we be better off? We do have problems sometimes where there is a blocked drain and a concentration of water to one patch but if those drains weren’t there at all would it just be wetter all over but not boggy wet . We’d have to drill later in spring maybe. Maybe winter crops would drown. But if we stayed off the land over winter would we be better off with no under draining at all and just run with a higher water table using the land itself as a reservoir. Winter harvested crops would be a non starter but we could live with that.
If we are going to get drier then maybe under draining isn’t helping us. It’s not really a system that can be switched on and off though. Block the outlets and you end up with too much water in parts of the field where the drains meet the header. Most of my best looking crops this siring are in wet patches!
 

Wombat

Member
BASIS
Location
East yorks
I sometimes wonder though if we hadn’t underdrained it, would we be better off? We do have problems sometimes where there is a blocked drain and a concentration of water to one patch but if those drains weren’t there at all would it just be wetter all over but not boggy wet . We’d have to drill later in spring maybe. Maybe winter crops would drown. But if we stayed off the land over winter would we be better off with no under draining at all and just run with a higher water table using the land itself as a reservoir. Winter harvested crops would be a non starter but we could live with that.
If we are going to get drier then maybe under draining isn’t helping us. It’s not really a system that can be switched on and off though. Block the outlets and you end up with too much water in parts of the field where the drains meet the header. Most of my best looking crops this siring are in wet patches!

depends on soil, I have some grass on heavy stuff that it’s still almost impossible to drive on as it’s trapped so much water it’s a swamp. For our soils we wouldn’t have massive areas of crops without the drains. Maybe on light land it’s something to think about
 

How is your SFI 24 application progressing?

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

This webinar will be...
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