Risk reduction

[Colin]

Ok then, farming on pretty light land, potatoes and carrots are the banker. Cereals work away but obviously expensive to grow. I've been moving away from risky crops like malting barley, wheat can do 9t if weather is perfect, s. Oats 7 and growing cereal rye which does 8 or so.
I'm trying to devise a system that reduces workload on the cereals and allows more attention to be paid to the roots.
To that end how few passes do readers think I could go down to in wheat , as that is the crop with biggest risk between yield variation and cost to grow. At the moment use a lot of HSS drilled at high rates ,500/M2, so that I don't have to rely on weak tillers. Sown October and liberator/dff as pre em, then usual 4 fungicides. I also have another pass to apply wild oats spray separate. Fert is fibrophos in autumn and three passes of home mixed UAS in the spring. Plough and press then power Harrow system but also mintill if we can.
Any thoughts, or even just discussion welcomed.[emoji62][emoji62][emoji62][emoji62][emoji62][emoji8][emoji106]

 

[franklin]

Rent it out?

 

[Colin]

Good one, let someone else lose money

 

[Clive]

Risk management is something that farmers need to consider more

I really try to avoid spending in the autumn unless absolutely no choice and base input spend on how things come out of the winter

While potential exists I keep spending but the moment it gets compromised (weather) the gate gets shut

Don’t chase losses

 

[Flat 10]

Presumably you need to make sure wheat is used to help control problem weeds that you maybe can’t in the profitable ones? It’s difficult for you. Maybe save a bit on establishment but doubtless after carrots you have a lot of straw to bury? Also presumably the straw has a high value to your business? You seem switched on, I doubt anyone else could do better.

 

[Iben]

Reducing passes isn't necessarily going to reduce risk or improve gm.

Maybe changing from self mixing liquid fert and using coated, slow release urea, then applying the full amount in one pass in the spring will save time?

Can't see reducing fungicide passes as a benefit.

Join the trend and go direct drilling!

 

[Clive]

Direct drilling is a great risk management tool

Less capital involved and lower cost of establishing a crop keeps the stakes lower and means failures are cheaper

I think it’s actually one of the biggest benefits of the system

 

[Iben]

Direct drilling is a great risk management too

Fortunately it works for you, along with many others.

Unfortunately for many, it has increased risk.

 

[Colin]

I've got a claydon as well and use it for cover crops but a lot of roots in the system militate against a full scale shift. And a 3m claydon is quite a slow drill. Quite like the look of a JD or horsch avatar, they could then drill into ploughed or mintill as well as direct. I'm using cover crops as much as I can before spring crops (about 50% of area) to try and retain nutrients etc etc.

 

[Colin]

Reducing passes isn't necessarily going to reduce risk or improve gm.

Maybe changing from self mixing liquid fert and using coated, slow release urea, then applying the full amount in one pass in the spring will save time?

Can't see reducing fungicide passes as a benefit.

Join the trend and go direct drilling!

I'm on 36m so I was thinking of going to bought liquid with n stabiliser in it just waiting on prices.

 

[Colin]

Presumably you need to make sure wheat is used to help control problem weeds that you maybe can’t in the profitable ones? It’s difficult for you. Maybe save a bit on establishment but doubtless after carrots you have a lot of straw to bury? Also presumably the straw has a high value to your business? You seem switched on, I doubt anyone else could do better.

Yeah weed control is very important through the rotation, wild oats and Mayweed being the main ones, I grow tame oats but if I could dd or mintill the wheat after the vols etc would germinate in crop quite quickly and could be killed quite easily. I also grow energy beet so it gives another place for grass weed control.

 

[Colin]

Risk management is something that farmers need to consider more

I really try to avoid spending in the autumn unless absolutely no choice and base input spend on how things come out of the winter

While potential exists I keep spending but the moment it gets compromised (weather) the gate gets shut

Don’t chase losses

Trouble is that by the time it really turns dry all the money is spent. Last year it didn't rain until may but we still had record yields. Your on farm trials and replicated plots show that sdhis add £ So I'm loath to stop using them but a lot of plot work also shows that a cheap programme gets you 90%+ of the way there anyway. It all depends on the price of the product.

 

[Clive]

Trouble is that by the time it really turns dry all the money is spent. Last year it didn't rain until may but we still had record yields. Your on farm trials and replicated plots show that sdhis add £ So I'm loath to stop using them but a lot of plot work also shows that a cheap programme gets you 90%+ of the way there anyway. It all depends on the price of the product.

A problem I’m all to familiar with

Sometimes the money is spent and then it goes wrong - usually about now ! :-(

All you can do is structure fixed costs to cope with the disappointments I guess

 

[Clive]

Fortunately it works for you, along with many others.

Unfortunately for many, it has increased risk.

I don’t think it’s luck