sowing now %

[Lincsman]

Devil's advocate....

The thing is, it's all very well delaying drilling for BG, but it's a bit pointless really when there's no moisture to get the BG growing in the pre-drill seedbed!!

My point is that I triple harrowed a 2016 harvest rape stubble (once behind combine, again two weeks later, and then early Sept) to get the BG (that I know was in the rape crop) to chit. It still hasn't chitted, but I know it's there, and I know it will chit when we have a decent dollop of rain. But, by then, it'll suddenly get too wet to drill.

I didn't drill that field with wheat as I know it'll be a lawn by Christmas, but who knows when it'll start to grow.

I am slightly worried that all the confidence that this season's later drilling will mean cleaner crops is unfounded. What I fear might have happened is that the BG sat there in the soil, waiting, at the same time we have all been waiting, and as soon as we get some decent rain volumes and these mild temperatures fall away, the Pre-em will had run out of steam and it'll be back to where we were last year.

The volumes of chitted BG is a minuscule fraction of the amount of seedheads blowing around in crops last June.

I know nothing ever works ideally with the weather, but the best thing could have been a few inches of rain at the end of Sept before this dry spell. I can't help feel that the delayed drilling would then have been worth doing.

If it is the right type of soil and you haven't ploughed for 2 years i would now go and plough followed by a combi drill.

 

[Clive]

if BG is bad surely a spring crop is better ? more time to get more kills and as long as planted at a time where it gets away fast surely the spring crop will grow fast and compete ?

 

[Brisel]

He's trying to get away from the plough to a better soil structure.

With current spring barley prices for 2017 harvest the gross margin from that crop grown clean of BG will far exceed that of a weedy 1st wheat.

 

[Lincsman]

if BG is bad surely a spring crop is better ? more time to get more kills and as long as planted at a time where it gets away fast surely the spring crop will grow fast and compete ?

I sprayed a flush off in mid Nov last year, there was nothing new to spray in April before drilling sp wheat, some may have grown if disturbed with a drill, but not much and this is why late drilling works. I actually had a field of wheat with next to no blackgrass last year, 4 years earlier it did 1.5t/ac due massive infestation.,

 

[More to life]

if BG is bad surely a spring crop is better ? more time to get more kills and as long as planted at a time where it gets away fast surely the spring crop will grow fast and compete ?

I have some black grass you could ignore it ,we all know what happens then. So I will do what I can to keep the farm productive.

 

[Flintstone]

if BG is bad surely a spring crop is better ? more time to get more kills and as long as planted at a time where it gets away fast surely the spring crop will grow fast and compete ?

That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm leaving that 60 acres after rape, and letting the autumn and winter trigger the BG to grow. It'll get spring barley instead.

The wheat seed that was destined to go in that field went into a (unplanned) second wheat that was a much cleaner 2016 crop in terms of BG seed return. I upped the seed rate and drilled it last.

 

[warksfarmer]

Started on Sunday at 600 seeds/m2 across the board. 30mm deep combination of no till into subsoiled seedbed or into fully cultivated seedbeds. All bone dry.

 

[Flat 10]

Started on Sunday at 600 seeds/m2 across the board. 30mm deep combination of no till into subsoiled seedbed or into fully cultivated seedbeds. All bone dry.

Fair play for waiting............

 

[Flat 10]

Its chemical cans thats enabled September drilling which in turn has caused a massive headache. My dad never used to start till mid October and there was a reason for that imo!

This is very true. However I think when the chemicals were working it did help yields. HGCA were pushing us down that road not just the chemical companies, to say nothing of farmers who expanded aggressively to help with low grain prices in the early 2000's who had to start to drill earlier to get done in reasonable time.

 

[More to life]

Rolled today before pre ems any one else rolling this late it's dry but I'm a little nervous

 

[Flat 10]

Rolled today before pre ems any one else rolling this late it's dry but I'm a little nervous

Rolled some twice sat before pre-ems

 

[Lincsman]

Rolled today before pre ems any one else rolling this late it's dry but I'm a little nervous

Rule of thumb here, if its possible to roll it gets rolled, never regretted rolling anything.

 

[franklin]

Rolled some here today. Will always roll unless a) soil is very tender or b) just drilled and big rain forecast. We have regretted rolling late stuff where the soil was that bit buttery and it rained and rained and rained afterwards. Will be rolling tomorrow and Wednesday too.

 

[Timbo1080]

Rolled today before pre ems any one else rolling this late it's dry but I'm a little nervous

Rolled some first wheats on grade 2/3 land today (drilled 2 days ago), for a customer & its was very nice. Why are you nervous?

Will start drilling the remainer (50%) of our first wheat, on grade 4, Lias Clay on Wednesday (got a pre-Linseed cover of oats to put in on the grade 2/3 land first).
It will all be rolled...in fact I'll be very annoyed if it's not.
This season has been very kind, but I only really consider now to be delayed (given the season). There's one hell of a lot of Blackgrass coming up in crops that were drilled early around here (10th October).

 

[More to life]

Rolled some first wheats on grade 2/3 land today (drilled 2 days ago), for a customer & its was very nice. Why are you nervous?

Will start drilling the remainer (50%) of our first wheat, on grade 4, Lias Clay on Wednesday (got a pre-Linseed cover of oats to put in on the grade 2/3 land first).
It will all be rolled...in fact I'll be very annoyed if it's not.
This season has been very kind, but I only really consider now to be delayed (given the season). There's one hell of a lot of Blackgrass coming up in crops that were drilled early around here (10th October).

It's red Loam with very fine sand content it can cap,it's not the rolls but the wheel marks that can be a problem I'd never roll this late in a normal year.

 

[Timbo1080]

It's red Loam with very fine sand content it can cap,it's not the rolls but the wheel marks that can be a problem I'd never roll this late in a normal year.

I think you'll be fine, as the forecast for us looks to be drizzly rain for a few days then not a lot, followed by, well, anyone's guess. I was initially worried about rolling the grade 2/3 stuff, as it's pretty fine, and I'm only really familiar with heavier land, but the customer reassured me that it'll be fine. Besides, even if it did cap a bit, the pre-ems will work far better than were you not to roll.....?

 

[matttargett4]

100 percent inc a few beans as of today

Most rolled, some got rain and we couldn't get back to it

Sorry but there are a lot of brave people out there, plenty of years we don't get a drilling window between October 10th and April 10th, if we were to no till I think sometimes July would be our only drilling month of the yr!

I get the idea of delayed drilling but surely roundup resistance is round the corner? My opinion is early drilling isn't the problem it's the rotations that cause the issue. In 5 yrs delayed drilling will be blamed for all sorts and "they" will be blamed for telling us to do it just like they get blamed for early drilling, simba solos vaderstad Rapids etc etc.

Maybe cultural change a la Clive or others isn't the perfect answer or for everybody but I can't help but think it's genuine change which may make a genuine change to the results rather than a desperate shot from people who don't really know what else to do.

 

[Timbo1080]

I wasn't aware that delayed drilling was a new thing, to be honest. But it is the primary reason why, despite having Blackgrass pre-1960, that it has never or at least rarely (Down to either stupidity or a cock up/error of judgement) got out of control on this farm.
Father was seldom, if ever around on my birthday, as the 10th October has historically been our first day of autumn drilling. We'd usually look to finish drilling with winter oats mid November. With the exception of autumn 2012, I don't recall not getting at least 90% of the drilling done, and that was due to combine damage more than anything else.
I do agree on rotation being a large factor too, however. Fortunately, we have never (With the exception of the last 2 years) grown second wheats, have had a very flexible rotation, and by some standards quite a long one.
I don't see too much issue with glyphosate resistance when using 1000g/Ai, but am always aware of it.

 

[average farmer]

All done!

 

[turbo]

All done here unless I drill some more 2nd wheat next week instead of spring barely,will see what the weather is like next week and make a decision then