No till spring beans

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
Is anybody doing any good with notill spring beans ?
I had a good crop about 6 years ago, but done no good since.
There always seems to be a reason, wet spring late sowing, dry spring after drilling, too shallow because the discs were too worn etc.
A friend that ploughs before drilling often, but not always, does better.
How is anyone else getting on ?
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
Disc drilled rape works well here (Weaving Big disc) and is more reliable and gets better plant populations than after cultivation.
The beans establish OK, just don't grow as they should.
 

EddieB

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Staffs
I’ve only just bought a disc drill (GD) having previously run a Mzuri. I’m getting a neighbour with a Mzuri to drill my winter beans for me this autumn as the establishment was so good behind my Pro-Till last year.
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
The Mzuri and DTS both move more soil than notill and I assume Will is using a 750A with a disc that cuts bellow seed depth.
I'm on ground that is 10 - 16 years notill. The best beans were on the 16 year notill, but it is the best ground, which is why it went into notill first.
I'm thinking of an autumn subsoil before beans to loosen the soil. A deep tine on our ground in spring will just smear. Waiting until the soil dries enough at depth will just be too late.
 

cows r us

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Buckinghamshire
We drill ours straight into a thick mat of cereal volunteers in the spring. We use our simtech drill and place them 3to 4 inches down. They seem to yield well. Last year (very dry) we did 4.5 ton per ha. This year our lighter ground did 4.5t and the heavier ground will be around 6t, but haven't had the yield data back yet. I've tried it with our crossslot but didn't do a very good job on the clay. Make sure you get them deep enough if using a pre em. It will clobber them if not.
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
We drill ours straight into a thick mat of cereal volunteers in the spring. We use our simtech drill and place them 3to 4 inches down. They seem to yield well. Last year (very dry) we did 4.5 ton per ha. This year our lighter ground did 4.5t and the heavier ground will be around 6t, but haven't had the yield data back yet. I've tried it with our crossslot but didn't do a very good job on the clay. Make sure you get them deep enough if using a pre em. It will clobber them if not.
The year we left chopped straw in the autumn was the year they did best (5t/ha). It amazed me where the straw had gone by spring, the wildlife dealt with it.
I though that they were deep enough, but the pre-em did "catch" them after rain.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Was intending to use kerb. I have heard beans will tolerate a low dose of glyphosate, so might do that in the spring. I'm half expecting not to be able to get them in, so rotation still in flexible stage.

Edit, also you get more time with winters to get glyphosate on pre em
 
Location
Cheshire
The Mzuri and DTS both move more soil than notill and I assume Will is using a 750A with a disc that cuts bellow seed depth.
I'm on ground that is 10 - 16 years notill. The best beans were on the 16 year notill, but it is the best ground, which is why it went into notill first.
I'm thinking of an autumn subsoil before beans to loosen the soil. A deep tine on our ground in spring will just smear. Waiting until the soil dries enough at depth will just be too late.
I’ve never established beans conventionally, but I feel the too late thing is overblown, when conditions to grow are there it’s time to drill. Having small plants in a holding state until the the season catches up with them is not conducive to a healthy crop.
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
Was intending to use kerb. I have heard beans will tolerate a low dose of glyphosate, so might do that in the spring. I'm half expecting not to be able to get them in, so rotation still in flexible stage.

Edit, also you get more time with winters to get glyphosate on pre em
low dose glyphosate, that sounds like a recipe for creating a selecting pressure towards glyphosate tolerant weeds to me.....
 

alomy75

Member
The Mzuri and DTS both move more soil than notill and I assume Will is using a 750A with a disc that cuts bellow seed depth.
I'm on ground that is 10 - 16 years notill. The best beans were on the 16 year notill, but it is the best ground, which is why it went into notill first.
I'm thinking of an autumn subsoil before beans to loosen the soil. A deep tine on our ground in spring will just smear. Waiting until the soil dries enough at depth will just be too late.
I’d argue a deep tine (as in subsoiler/flatlift) on any ground in spring will just smear. For them to work properly and shatter they need dry soil at depth which usually only occurs between 3 and 6pm on September the 20th before the Autumn monsoon starts 😂
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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