So who has started drilling ?

[Two Tone]

Going to make a start here tomorrow depending on how much rain we get over night. Ex osr land is fairly dry but stubble with chopped straw has alot of moisture in it. I ploughed 50ha (long story, basically don’t let a land owner make you grow beans too often and end up with a seedy mess) and that stuff needs a serious rain, but Atleast we can go on there when it’s too wet for any DD’ing.

Yes, know the feeling!
Part of the reason why I have had to plough some of my land is to get rid of the Fat Hen, which as the natural accompanying crop that likes to grow in Beans and a fecking nuisance in any following DD crops.
IMO to stop it, it needs burying.

 

[ajd132]

Yes, know the feeling!
Part of the reason why I have had to plough some of my land is to get rid of the Fat Hen, which as the natural accompanying crop that likes to grow in Beans and a fecking nuisance in any following DD crops.
IMO to stop it, it needs burying.

Mine was a mixture of everything imaginable and especially a lot of blackgrass and oats.
the beans were spun on and cultivated on. Established okay then just died in the spring, rotten roots etc

 

[Rob Holmes]

Will get my 100 acres of barley done tomorrow, then cut the spring osr and beans this week, then onto the wheat

 

[Secret Agronomist]

12mm last night, we only started drilling rye on Thursday, flat out from tommorow if it drys up a bit on the surface. Lots already drilled around here but I don't usually start until now as we can't finish unti, the spuds are harvested anyway, only wheat and rye. Light land but if it starts to rain when will it stop! In perthshire, BTW.

 

[nick...]

Started some wheat today.got drill on and calibrated so thought I’d do a bag.allways do 7.5 metres round headland first then drill field and then another 9 metres putting in headland tramline.I’m using a 3 m combination.ended up doing 15 acres then the rain arrived.
nick…

 

[Bobthebuilder]

The rain hasn’t really materialised so cracking on with another 50ac of wheat

 

[Flat 10]

Other tools for managing weeds are available, e.g. a good rotation and many cultural controls. Delayed drilling is just one of those.

To be sustainable, you also have to get crops grown! Winters are longer the further north you get.

But delayed drilling after rotation the best?!

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Managed to beat the rain, all the seed in shed used up but more meant to be coming tomorrow afternoon

 

[Renaultman]

But delayed drilling after rotation the best?!

I would say good hygiene is the best personally. Don't let the Bloody stuff in although I'm sure one getting Ryegrass via bird droppings

 

[Flat 10]

I would say good hygiene is the best personally. Don't let the Bloody stuff in although I'm sure one getting Ryegrass via bird droppings

There’s been BG round here all my life. It’s just burning and ipu controlled it.

 

[Renaultman]

There’s been BG round here all my life. It’s just burning and ipu controlled it.

My issues are resistant Ryegrass and brome no issues with blackgrass YET but the 2 mentioned are becoming a challenge, especially with our short Northern drilling window. My forecast is saying rain every day going forward from next weekend, so looking like a busy week ahead.

 

[teslacoils]

I'm going to spend the week grinding big boulders to smaller ones. Then a nice wet week. Then sit back, light pipe, wait for the crap to grow and it cool down, then bang it all in.

 

[PSQ]

Should be finished either tonight or tomorrow morning. Just need to crack on with wheat pre-ems before the wind picks up on Wednesday and the crop will be officially ‘half grown’, and 10 days ahead of schedule.
Just the slightly sticky issue of urea supply to sort out…

 

[Secret Agronomist]

Should be finished either tonight or tomorrow morning. Just need to crack on with wheat pre-ems before the wind picks up on Wednesday and the crop will be officially ‘half grown’, and 10 days ahead of schedule.
Just the slightly sticky issue of urea supply to sort out…

One reason I give for not drilling early is the BYDV issue post neo-nics! That and I'm just plain busy and disorganised I don't have OSR so no ground available early for wheat, no winter oats so ditto. Most of the wheat goes in after maincrop potatoes. I should maybe go back to having 200-300 acres peas each year but I'm trying to reduce the amount of crops that can harbour sclerotinia and each acre that I don't have in cereals means that I have to spend another £100 to £150 on straw for the carrots.

 

[PSQ]

One reason I give for not drilling early is the BYDV issue post neo-nics! That and I'm just plain busy and disorganised I don't have OSR so no ground available early for wheat, no winter oats so ditto. Most of the wheat goes in after maincrop potatoes. I should maybe go back to having 200-300 acres peas each year but I'm trying to reduce the amount of crops that can harbour sclerotinia and each acre that I don't have in cereals means that I have to spend another £100 to £150 on straw for the carrots.

I hope I dont jinx it but BYDV has never been an issue here, especially since I stopped growing barley 20 years ago. I have seen it in wheat with a near neighbour though.
Also cant agree more with your "if it starts to rain when will it stop!" comment. I'll do everything in my power to be sown up in September. The idea of starting in mid October would give me sleepless nights, and a reduced tonnage at harvest. The old adage around here was you lose a hundredweight each week, from drilling in October.

 

[ajd132]

I hope I dont jinx it but BYDV has never been an issue here, especially since I stopped growing barley 20 years ago. I have seen it in wheat with a near neighbour though.
Also cant agree more with your "if it starts to rain when will it stop!" comment. I'll do everything in my power to be sown up in September. The idea of starting in mid October would give me sleepless nights, and a reduced tonnage at harvest. The old adage around here was you lose a hundredweight each week, from drilling in October.

it looks to be an okay forecast down here for the next 10-14 days, judging by all the forecasts ive watched on youtube this morning but who really knows?, we got 35-40mm rains yesterday. as soon as it dries up we are cracking on and not stopping until its done. the rain was welcome but 20mm too much, atleast it will get some things chitting, it was very dry here so ground should quickly suck it up.

 

[nick...]

I hope I dont jinx it but BYDV has never been an issue here, especially since I stopped growing barley 20 years ago. I have seen it in wheat with a near neighbour though.
Also cant agree more with your "if it starts to rain when will it stop!" comment. I'll do everything in my power to be sown up in September. The idea of starting in mid October would give me sleepless nights, and a reduced tonnage at harvest. The old adage around here was you lose a hundredweight each week, from drilling in October.

I’d agree with the above comments.last 2 years I’ve had 25% of farm not drilled due to rain on some heavy land and unable to get on it.hope to be drilled up in about 5/6 days time weather permitting
nick...

 

[Secret Agronomist]

I hope I dont jinx it but BYDV has never been an issue here, especially since I stopped growing barley 20 years ago. I have seen it in wheat with a near neighbour though.
Also cant agree more with your "if it starts to rain when will it stop!" comment. I'll do everything in my power to be sown up in September. The idea of starting in mid October would give me sleepless nights, and a reduced tonnage at harvest. The old adage around here was you lose a hundredweight each week, from drilling in October.

Admittedly you are on slightly heavier soils! Hence me having rye and carrots

 

[e3120]

Just the wheat after grass to do now. Sorry guys, but I'm hoping for 2-4 inch of rain to prep it.

 

[Brisel]

But delayed drilling after rotation the best?!

I’ll have a look at the Stephen Moss guide to black grass control hierarchy measures and report back

You are right, delayed drilling is a good method of avoiding the peak BG germination period of September. For the last 2 years, up here there was little drilling done on heavier land after 23rd September due to months of rain - spring crops are near the top of the list of control measures but very unreliable economically even if the black grass gets a good clobbering. “Sustainable” has a very broad meaning.