I am very concerned that trying to be too clever with some of these options are going to cause issues down the line. The SFI tail could easily start wagging the farming dog.
Yes this. And also there is supposed to be more things coming on stream, which if they are what I’ve been told, then it changes the economics of using some of these other things. I don’t want to screw myself over now.
The more discussion and thought I've had about my original idea (post 94 in this thread) the more I wonder about replacing NUM3 with AHL1?
AHL2 £853+AHL1 £764 + IPM 4 £45 (only on AHL2) = £1662 over 15 months minus costs
+ £73 for no till?AHL2 £853+AHL1 £764 + IPM 4 £45 (only on AHL2) = £1662 over 15 months minus costs
where’s the loophole? Wheat may be in the ground 12 months whereas sugar beet may be in the ground 6 months; there’s no hard and fast rule as to what a growing season is so I think it’s reasonable, without being told anything to the contrary, to treat these options the same Would you not need a March/April start date, so that the AHL2 winter seed period had finished (Defra's Winter is stated Dec, Jan, Feb, to ensure no overlap in scheme year with the otherwise "incompatible options?"Let’s see if I have my head round this; I commonly drill ab9 in June and it’s fine (in fact better) drilled then than earlier. So either June/July sowing of ahl2 into/after WBarley and leaving until the following March say (ab9 is until end of feb from memory-not sure if that’s being carried across to ahl2?) and then drill num3. One option per parcel per cropping year with a jan/feb start seems fine to me
No requirement for seeds to feed the birds in SAM 2 though is there?
True; but if the ahl2 isn’t mature enough via the ‘loophole’ method there may not be any seeds anyway come winter
. Don’t get me wrong I’m not advocated it; just trying to get my head round it and more importantly trying to decide whether it’s ‘reasonable’ since that’s what they keep telling us we need to be. I currently find myself leaning toward it being unreasonable and requiring too many ducks to be in line for it to work reliably…Getting seeds growing is going to be the problem in the dry years. We have re drilled bird cover in early July and it has been fine, providing plenty of cover and seeds, but have waited for a wet spell to drill. I think after winter barley cut dry may be pushing it, but crimping it and cutting early, in late June it should be more achievable. Autocast on the combine would maybe help.True; but if the ahl2 isn’t mature enough via the ‘loophole’ method there may not be any seeds anyway come winter
Yes I was thinking along similar lines; one guy local to here puts osr on in front of a storm into the growing crop with a boom spreader. That might work…but like you say-if it’s dry it’s just going to sit there
Tried spinning forage crop seeds in cereals pre harvest before (stubble turnips, etc), but never found it very successful really, not sure why really, residual herbicide activity, dry spell following, flea beetle, slug, or a combination. In a wet year it can work, but delayed harvest can shade the plants from light, and not moving any soil combined with little residual nitrogen leads to weak plants.
Indeed but we are comitting to different action aims: ie AHL2 provides bird food, SAM2 doesnt need to
I agree completely; but a poorly established AHL2 will amount to SAM2 to an inspector when he comes to have a look
My thoughs are that if w barley harvest isnt particularly early, spread with boomed spreader just prior to harvest, cut high, chop rest, stubble rake and roll to stimulate germination if it hasnt already started.
