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Leaving spring wheat volunteers

Location
North Notts
I have about 50 acres with a good stand of Kilburn spring wheat volunteers growing. Plan was to drill with ww but that’s not going to happen now.

what’s people’s thoughts on leaving it as a crop ? Would probably graze with sheep in the spring or roll the sh!t out of it
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Badshot

Member
Innovate UK
Location
Kent
I've only known one lot of volunteer wheat left.
Looked okish, yielded next to nothing.
Unless you want to call it fallow I'd not leave it myself.
 

robbie

Member
BASIS
The invention of "cover crops" was a god sent to avoid embarrassment with the nieghbours.

As said already you've got till spring to decide, if grass weeds arnt a problem leave it but give it a good graze so it's not too forward and to get it to tiller.
If it's got grass weeds and you dont think it's good enough to leave then it was only ever a winter cover crop.

The one advantage could be a very well established root system which which would help in a spring drought
 
Location
North Notts
Fields are pretty clean being spring oats before the spring wheat but do have black grass .

carried a volunteer crop of spring oats through to harvest this year which did about a tonne an acre with only sheep and ru as inputs.

as said grass weeds will be the deciding factor
 
if there is black grass then replant in the spring
once you get black grass down to a low enough level earlier drilling of winter wheat becomes a very profitable option
in rotation with black grass reducing crops

once black grass gets away over a couple of years it becomes very hard to reduce especially if the seeds are mixed into the soil profile
 

Andrew K

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Essex
I would leave it if grassweeds are not a problem.We could have the mother of all wet[or dry] springs causing difficulties.
If you like, ask the Agronomist?
 

shakerator

Member
Location
LINCS
I have about 50 acres with a good stand of Kilburn spring wheat volunteers growing. Plan was to drill with ww but that’s not going to happen now.

what’s people’s thoughts on leaving it as a crop ? Would probably graze with sheep in the spring or roll the sh!t out of it
191784F6-72F5-4804-BA85-62F4CAF7F8C8.jpeg
9B4C4D8A-24A2-44C8-8F2B-18BED68F7404.jpeg
4EE27F8F-B285-451E-8E82-BD2C055DF158.jpeg

my concern would be growth stage synchronicity - it will want to stem extend very very early being effectively a spring wheat planted say effectively mid September ?
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Like Shakerator, I'd be concerned about bolting to ear prematurely. You may need to graze it tight but TBF you've thought of that already. If you can manage the weeds, it's worth a try IMO. Please keep us posted as to its progress (y)
 

jh.

Member
Location
fife
carried a volunteer crop of spring oats through to harvest this year which did about a tonne an acre with only sheep and ru as inputs.

as said grass weeds will be the deciding factor

Wonder how it would have done with normal rates of NPK and some chemicals thrown on
 

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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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