Organic Rape

[Shropshire Farmer]

Anybody growing organic rape successfully? Main reason for asking is due to having rape in the ground during 1st year of conversion.

 

[glasshouse]

Anybody growing organic rape successfully? Main reason for asking is due to having rape in the ground during 1st year of conversion.

fodder or oilseed?

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

Oilseed

 

[glasshouse]

when does conversion start

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

I can back date upto the day after last non organic application.

 

[glasshouse]

whack your nitrogen on on march 1, with a dollop of fungicide and shut the gate. convert march 2
buy a swather.
if you are growing it next yr, put on a pile of hen pen pre sowing and cross yr fingers

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

No plan to grow oilseed rape next year as the market for organic rape is non existent.

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

Got a friend with a swather, have not desiccated this last year and direct cut was fine.

 

[spikeislander]

Won’t you miss a good chance for bg control?

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

No black grass here

 

[spikeislander]

Oh ok lucky you ....

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

If I close the farm down to just my own inputs I should keep out too. No imported straw, the only issue I see is balers. Perhaps should get my own going forward.

 

[spikeislander]

We don't bale and have noone else on the farm and our machine hygeine is very good....I think it's just a result of cold wet Bedfordshire clay...

 

[Brisel]

We don't bale and have noone else on the farm and our machine hygeine is very good....I think it's just a result of cold wet Bedfordshire clay...

Cold wet clay is just what gives blackgrass the advantage it needs to thrive - you must be doing everything else right to keep it out

There are organic kale growers around, though probably not in the Cropping section of TFF. Kale needs a lot of N too, so there must be a way of growing a hungry brassica crop organically. Have you tried asking this in the Livestock forum @Shropshire Farmer ?

 

[Still Farming]

Easy if you got good soil fertility and don't have any weeds pests or disease's
Simple !!!

 

[glasshouse]

Cold wet clay is just what gives blackgrass the advantage it needs to thrive - you must be doing everything else right to keep it out

There are organic kale growers around, though probably not in the Cropping section of TFF. Kale needs a lot of N too, so there must be a way of growing a hungry brassica crop organically. Have you tried asking this in the Livestock forum @Shropshire Farmer ?

Just sh!t and lots of it

 

[glasshouse]

No plan to grow oilseed rape next year as the market for organic rape is non existent.

Have u seen the price of organic rapemeal?

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

Have u seen the price of organic rapemeal?

I was told there was no real market for organic rapeseed. I think all the rape meal is imported from Eastern Europe.

 

[glasshouse]

A local dairy farmer was paying £1000 ton for organic rapemeal a couple of yrs ago

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

Well if I could find someone to buy and crush I’d be keen to grow it still