Written by cpm
The recent shake up to the rotation could be viewed an opportunity to re-evaluate crops on the farm and the way they’re marketed. CPM talks to a grower who is doing exactly this. The story of OSR is a cautionary tale on monocropping. By Lucy de la Pasture For a large number of farms, the 2020 harvest marks the end of oilseed rape in the rotation. It’s been the break crop of preference for several decades, profitable when things go right but a total loss when things go wrong. “OSR used to be cheap to grow, was relatively unaffected by pests and a high value break crop. Year after year it’s become a weaker link in the rotation,” says Niels Corfield, independent farms advisor and educator. Buckwheat provides a summer-long display of flowers which ensure a valuable source of food for pollinators and a speciality grain for milling. “The story of OSR is a cautionary tale on monocropping as we’ve somewhat witnessed the life and death of an industrial crop over four decades.” Growers have two main routes where they’re left with a gap to fill in the rotation – either find a substitute crop, or diversify, he says.…
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