any tips on growing it?
weak strawed?
weak disease I guess?
could it drill first week October?
weak strawed?
weak disease I guess?
could it drill first week October?
Similar in Norfolk, needs a high success rate to make the risk/reward ratio worthwhile, bit like niche arable cropping!Needs a bigger premium than the current one on offer! It just doesn't cover the risk premium over 7-8 t/ha of low input 2 row feed barley. My neighbours grow it for Robin Appel for Warminster Maltings. 1 year in 5 it gets rejected for malting & at least 2 of the others it is subject to hefty claims for lower germ, screenings etc.
IMO if you grew a small manageable area it would be worth a punt but grow feed barley too & see how often the Maris Otter gets a higher net margin!
So , basically they want it but don't wish to pay the premium it should retain . how sad .We grew it for a few years and the best advice I can offer Is don’t bother! By the time all the claims have been taken off or it gets rejected it’s not worth the hassle. You may get lucky but it will come round and bite you on the ass eventually.
It just doesn’t yield high enough for the risk of it been rejected!So , basically they want it but don't wish to pay the premium it should retain . how sad .
With all due respect I am very protective of this sort of information and looking to increase area for 2020 and beyond so rather selfishly would rather keep it to myself, however do not use any PGR and max 120kg/ha of N , cheap to grow and ticks all the evironment boxes so clear when 'polluter pays' legislation comes in. Very quick harvest move to local store and premiums in excess of £60/t over feed barley. Been really well looked after on specs as well, although spec over the last few years has been phenomenal-specific weight last year 72kg/hl.Please may you give a rough breakdown of a gross margin on Otter @southernfarmer ? No one around here regularly does 6.5 t/ha - I agree at that yield level and premium it would look considerably more attractive. Any tips on how to manage it would be gratefully received. Every day is a school day in here
Producing cheap commodity feed barley isn't huge fun, but if it makes more than a high risk low reward alternative I'll play it safe for now.