Just How Much Spring Barley Can Be Cut In England?

[teslacoils]

It brackles. It breaks down. It lodges. Heads twist off in the wind. Hungry pigeons flatten it.

Given it won't sit and wait like wheat does, just how much spring barley can be cut with current capacity? For those going wall to wall spring cereals and who need contractors to cut, are you happy the capacity is there? Can stores cope with so much going in at the same time?

 

[farmerm]

I wouldn't worry too much, if some ends up on the floor it is no stress, with so much going to be grown it will be worth bugger all anyway!

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

stagger the sowing dates, sow early march and not again till early may,
yield will be similar, yet later sown stuff will stand up longer, ,
but no, you will all panic and sow the lot in February

 

[D14]

It brackles. It breaks down. It lodges. Heads twist off in the wind. Hungry pigeons flatten it.

Given it won't sit and wait like wheat does, just how much spring barley can be cut with current capacity? For those going wall to wall spring cereals and who need contractors to cut, are you happy the capacity is there? Can stores cope with so much going in at the same time?

I reckon on average we loose about 15% as an average when it’s grown which isn’t every year. Generally when the grains ready the straw isn’t so the sample is rubbish. Leave it till the straws ready and you’ll have heads on the floor.

 

[Brisel]

You need to be able to harvest it within a week of it being ripe. I start 2-3 days before the straw is fit but usually get rained off for 2-3 weeks in August, by which time it has brackled over and ear losses can be up to 20%. I've had 1/3 of my harvestable area in spring barley for years as my land grows it well & you'd think that a 35 foot header would cope with 800 acres in just over a week but the harvest weather just doesn't keep the rain away for long enough to get it all in. We usually make the grade for malting spec even if the grains look weathered.

Combine output isn't as good as for ripe wheat. We can do 60+ t/hour in wheat but half that in spring barley or it just all goes over the back of the combine. It needs a good operator to set the header up so that ear losses aren't too bad.

 

[Chae1]

It brackles. It breaks down. It lodges. Heads twist off in the wind. Hungry pigeons flatten it.

Given it won't sit and wait like wheat does, just how much spring barley can be cut with current capacity? For those going wall to wall spring cereals and who need contractors to cut, are you happy the capacity is there? Can stores cope with so much going in at the same time?

Considering 80% of cropped land in NE Scotland would be spring barley, i think it will stand the weather with you.

 

[KennyO]

Considering 80% of cropped land in NE Scotland would be spring barley, i think it will stand the weather with you.

Not when they are all waiting to cut it below 14%

 

[ajd132]

I will have 500ha fairly confident it will be fine. Fairing is a new one to us and will have 140ha of it, it’s supposed to be the earliest maturing. The rest will be made up of planet and laureate which both stand reasonably well. Propino, which we have dropped breaks down really quickly and would not want large amounts of it it ever again.
We will cut when the straw isn’t ripe and it’s 20%, most will go into Camgrain so it will be dealt with far better than most on farms stores can manage.

 

[teslacoils]

I will have 500ha fairly confident it will be fine. Fairing is a new one to us and will have 140ha of it, it’s supposed to be the earliest maturing. The rest will be made up of planet and laureate which both stand reasonably well. Propino, which we have dropped breaks down really quickly and would not want large amounts of it it ever again.
We will cut when the straw isn’t ripe and it’s 20%, most will go into Camgrain so it will be dealt with far better than most on farms stores can manage.

Is that 500ha with one combine?

 

[ajd132]

Is that 500ha with one combine?

Yes

 

[lloyd]

I will have 500ha fairly confident it will be fine. Fairing is a new one to us and will have 140ha of it, it’s supposed to be the earliest maturing. The rest will be made up of planet and laureate which both stand reasonably well. Propino, which we have dropped breaks down really quickly and would not want large amounts of it it ever again.
We will cut when the straw isn’t ripe and it’s 20%, most will go into Camgrain so it will be dealt with far better than most on farms stores can manage.

Will you not have big yield adjusted figures and expensive drying charges for 20% moisture?

 

[Brisel]

Will you not have big yield adjusted figures and expensive drying charges for 20% moisture?

The drying charges are usually outweighed by malting premiums - it's one of the selling points of central storage. They would rather grower members harvest it quickly as soon as its ripe and has all the quality they can dry and sort in large quantities than do it slowly with deteriorating quality that ends up on a low value feed heap. You don't bother sending feed grain into one of those big stores as it would be cheaper to rent a commercial store elsewhere. I don't want to get into another central storage vs anything else debate but it would suit @ajd132 's system.

 

[ajd132]

The drying charges are usually outweighed by malting premiums - it's one of the selling points of central storage. They would rather grower members harvest it quickly as soon as its ripe and has all the quality they can dry and sort in large quantities than do it slowly with deteriorating quality that ends up on a low value feed heap. You don't bother sending feed grain into one of those big stores as it would be cheaper to rent a commercial store elsewhere. I don't want to get into another central storage vs anything else debate but it would suit @ajd132 's system.

Agree with everything you have said. We only grow stuff that will command a premium that the store wants. All wheat is Siskin or Costello which goes to clean what plant and gets a premium.
You are correct in saying that drying charges are much less than on farm because they want to keep the store running. It gives us a lot of extra combining capacity.
if weather is crap they will urge everyone to protect premium and keep cutting.

 

[lloyd]

The drying charges are usually outweighed by malting premiums - it's one of the selling points of central storage. They would rather grower members harvest it quickly as soon as its ripe and has all the quality they can dry and sort in large quantities than do it slowly with deteriorating quality that ends up on a low value feed heap. You don't bother sending feed grain into one of those big stores as it would be cheaper to rent a commercial store elsewhere. I don't want to get into another central storage vs anything else debate but it would suit @ajd132 's system.

Looks like this next year might not show much malting premium though
going by the acreage going in .
Contracts wont be worth the paper they're written on.
I grow Planet here and was offered more for it as feed yesterday than
what I could have sold it for a couple of months ago as malting(open market).

 

[David.]

Irina here has so far stood bolt upright, ears don't even seem to knuckle over very readily either.
Admittedly 2018 harvest year it was 9" bolt upright, but I'd say it is a fairly forgiving feed variety. Am I not pushing it hard enough with N at 120kg?

 

[shakerator]

Agree with everything you have said. We only grow stuff that will command a premium that the store wants. All wheat is Siskin or Costello which goes to clean what plant and gets a premium.
You are correct in saying that drying charges are much less than on farm because they want to keep the store running. It gives us a lot of extra combining capacity.
if weather is crap they will urge everyone to protect premium and keep cutting.

how much is the drying charge for 20% wheat ?

 

[Andrew K]

will have a look. When weather is really bad they tend to ‘cap’ it and it changes in order to get combines rolling.

Adam,
Dont you get delays waiting for lorries your way. It used to be brilliant but now we have to book up to a week ahead?

 

[ajd132]

how much is the drying charge for 20% wheat ?

£1.50/t each t over 16%

 

[ajd132]

Adam,
Dont you get delays waiting for lorries your way. It used to be brilliant but now we have to book up to a week ahead?

You have to book and communicate, this is just how it is changing.
too many people go and cut 1500t then demand a lorry the next day, the people I know who are really organised are generally okay.
They had a forum on all this a few weeks ago and addressed it majorly at the AGM. Plenty of people moan but then won’t turn up to discuss the solutions so thats abit annoying!. It’s the major thing being worked on at the moment because the haulage industry is getting very stretched and they recognise that. They still had the shortest lead times compared to many this harvest.
go to one of the pie and pint evenings to see what’s being if you missed the agm and growers haulage forum.

 

[shakerator]

£1.50/t each t over 16%

not bad
Weight loss charges fair ?