Really early wheat drilling trial

Andy Howard

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Ashford, Kent
I love forums, even I don't know my average wheat yield as I haven't downloaded info myself! Gladly way above 5t/hašŸ˜‚
I am only doing a small trial. Will need some rain though first. It will be on a clean field, clover understorey and I think about 100 plants per m2. Depending on when it is drilled. Sheep grazing is a good option and I know has worked before for an organic farmer. We'll see. God loves a trier!
 

martian

DD Moderator
BASE UK Member
Location
N Herts
It makes sense from the plants point of view, you've got a nice earful of plump seeds in August, what are you going to do with them? Drop them on the ground and, come rain, they'll grow. The seedling will establish well in the autumn, expect to get eaten down by grazing animals in the winter and then tiller out magnificently in spring, ready to produce a multitude more seed. If you can mimic nature, you won't go far wrong
I remember @York talking about the Marc Bonfils system many years ago, he may have something to add.
 

Hampton

Member
BASIS
Location
Shropshire
It makes sense from the plants point of view, you've got a nice earful of plump seeds in August, what are you going to do with them? Drop them on the ground and, come rain, they'll grow. The seedling will establish well in the autumn, expect to get eaten down by grazing animals in the winter and then tiller out magnificently in spring, ready to produce a multitude more seed. If you can mimic nature, you won't go far wrong
I remember @York talking about the Marc Bonfils system many years ago, he may have something to add.
I left a 7 acre field of wheat volunteers this year. Was going to burn it off at start of April and put spring barley in, but I did not have enough seed and their was (embarrassingly) what looked to be a strong, uniform crop of volunteers.
Instead I put Hatra and starane on it, two cheapish fungicides and some nitrogen and waited for harvest. Costs not including harvesting was around Ā£70/acre.
It got ravaged by yellow rust, which I think may have been the volunteer Oakley growing again.
I cut it on Friday and I had a brim full 12 tonne trailer off it and about 1/3 tonne left in combine.
It will probably be my most profitable wheat this year, although I will have some couch grass to sort out on the headlands.

it didnā€™t lodge, but yellow rust was definitely far more of a problem than on my other wheats (which was all Zyatt Drilled it October).
 

Simon C

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Essex Coast
Do we not think that autumn grassing or mowing would solve the BYDV and early disease problems? Disease and virus would be in the cut or eaten residue and aphids wouldn't take too kindly to a clout round the ear by a flail or passing through a sheep's gut.

The main thing would be blackgrass, made worse by low seed rates, but as we are finding with other crops, a sacrificial companion with the wheat could do a lot for weed suppression. I always find much less BG when growing two species together, for example grass undersown in spring barley and grasses mixed with lucerne.
 

robs1

Member
Do we not think that autumn grassing or mowing would solve the BYDV and early disease problems? Disease and virus would be in the cut or eaten residue and aphids wouldn't take too kindly to a clout round the ear by a flail or passing through a sheep's gut.

The main thing would be blackgrass, made worse by low seed rates, but as we are finding with other crops, a sacrificial companion with the wheat could do a lot for weed suppression. I always find much less BG when growing two species together, for example grass undersown in spring barley and grasses mixed with lucerne.
What about planting oats with the wheat, they would suppress the bg and would be easy to kill when required
 

robs1

Member
What about planting oats with the wheat, they would suppress the bg and would be easy to kill when required
Thinking about this a bit this morning, if say two weeks or so before intended drilling of wheat or barley spray off the field then broadcast the oats which hopefully would germinate before drilling the crop and if using a tine drill which would take out the oats from the drill lines leaving it between them crowding out the bg, spray say late november with residual which would last longer due to cool and wet conditions, biggest issue might be bydv perhaps in the oats and aphids jumping onto the wheat. Might try a tramline or two this year to see what happens (away from the roads so neighbours cant see if it's a right cockup šŸ˜)
 

Simon C

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Essex Coast
Thinking about this a bit this morning, if say two weeks or so before intended drilling of wheat or barley spray off the field then broadcast the oats which hopefully would germinate before drilling the crop and if using a tine drill which would take out the oats from the drill lines leaving it between them crowding out the bg, spray say late november with residual which would last longer due to cool and wet conditions, biggest issue might be bydv perhaps in the oats and aphids jumping onto the wheat. Might try a tramline or two this year to see what happens (away from the roads so neighbours cant see if it's a right cockup [emoji16])
I like the idea of broadcasting the companion, the idea is to occupy the space between wheat plants and mop up any available nutrients which are otherwise attractive to BG- if there is no free nitrogen, it won't even bother to germinate.

BYDV will be a problem with oats, but there will be something else perfect for the job. Not a legume and not a grass, buckwheat, phacilia, brasicas?
 

robs1

Member
I like the idea of broadcasting the companion, the idea is to occupy the space between wheat plants and mop up any available nutrients which are otherwise attractive to BG- if there is no free nitrogen, it won't even bother to germinate.

BYDV will be a problem with oats, but there will be something else perfect for the job. Not a legume and not a grass, buckwheat, phacilia, brasicas?
Ideally something we could grow ourselves to save on seed cost and hopefully something that inhibits the bg like oats do, I suppose it could be drilled if two hoppers were used and narrow row spacing with perhaps the 'other' crop drilled a bit shallower to get it up and away a bit quicker
 

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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: ā€œRed Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in Aprilā€œ

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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