Spring Barley drill date

[7610 super q]

2015 sowed 20th March......cold and miserable for weeks on end.
2016 sowed 17th March.......cold and miserable for weeks on end.
2017 sowed 27th March....... 4 days of torrential rain, lost everything on the headlands.

So....... it seems to be a choice of end of March, or the end of April / early May. Starting to favour the latter.

 

[Verity92]

2017.... April/May bone dry, drought like !!

 

[APJ]

Late march till mid April always works out the best slot on our river loams.

 

[Breckland Boy]

The best crop of spring barley I have ever grown was sown in November.
I had run out of winter barley seed because I was late and used up some left over seed from the spring.
Cut it the same day as the winter crop and it yielded better than the winter crop.
If I had had my seed delivered this season I would have already drilled it by now.

 

[ollie989898]

The best crop of spring barley I have ever grown was sown in November.
I had run out of winter barley seed because I was late and used up some left over seed from the spring.
Cut it the same day as the winter crop and it yielded better than the winter crop.
If I had had my seed delivered this season I would have already drilled it by now.

I've seen that done, but I dare say it isn't something you would get away with repeatedly.

 

[warksfarmer]

I feel we’ve historically been a bit late in mid April yielding around 2.5-3t/ac depending on soil type so we’ll be going a bit sooner this time. Hoping plough next week then get 3 weeks of weather on that before drilling.

 

[Devil's advocate]

The best crop of spring barley I have ever grown was sown in November.
I had run out of winter barley seed because I was late and used up some left over seed from the spring.
Cut it the same day as the winter crop and it yielded better than the winter crop.
If I had had my seed delivered this season I would have already drilled it by now.

I've done the polar opposite.

After a very wet Autumn, drilled winter barley last week in Feb. 3 ton crops which is good for here, but better still 150 bales of straw (small 20kg bales of course) to the acre which is a record for us.

 

[rickane]

I've done the polar opposite.

After a very wet Autumn, drilled winter barley last week in Feb. 3 ton crops which is good for here, but better still 150 bales of straw (small 20kg bales of course) to the acre which is a record for us.

Have 2 ton of C1 winter barley which I was considering planting as soon as it carries. Trouble is it was ploughed 4 months ago and has rained since.....

 

[Wombat]

Too wet to work land down here at the mo and I want another BG kill so hopefully Early April here

 

[kc6475]

2014 we got our best yielding sb drilled middle of March, heavy land winter ploughed drilled with combi in very good conditions, yielded 3.6ton acre, last year drilled 22april into dust on strong land, some didn't germinate until rain in May, did 3 ton acre, no longer panic too much about drilling date, it's all about how well it goes in not when on our land.

 

[goodevans]

Fertiliser on, fences to check, cattle to kick out, slurry to spread, muck to spread, fertiliser again, plough it, work it, mess with cattle, work it again, mess with cattle then DRILL.
Allowing for various periods of wetness in between - drill about mid april

Edit. And various days spraying in between that lot.

Haven't finished cutting hedges yet

your lucky lambing ewes isn't in the mix as well !

 

[Boysground]

North facing here. I usually aim for mid March and hopefully in by 25th. I do like barley to start growing and not stop.

Bg

 

[Big-Al]

Well is it up for the farmers that planted spring barley ? there wont be much drilled in march that's for sure, never seen the ground so wet just lately.

 

[Heathland]

Mines just at the surface about to break cover.

 

[franklin]

Mine is still in the bag. And will be for another month.

 

[ollie989898]

I would not worry too much about drilling dates. So long as the soil is dryish and seed bed even it will come fine. Put plenty of seed in as well dont ever skimp. More tillers is more ears and more straw.

There wont be much spring barley drilled around here for a while that is for sure.

 

[ollie989898]

Mines just at the surface about to break cover.View attachment 645882

Where in Gods name have you soil that looks like that? Mars?!

 

[bobk]

Not even ordered mine yet .

 

[DRC]

I would not worry too much about drilling dates. So long as the soil is dryish and seed bed even it will come fine. Put plenty of seed in as well dont ever skimp. More tillers is more ears and more straw.

There wont be much spring barley drilled around here for a while that is for sure.

Have you seen the price of seed!

 

[DRC]

Not even ordered mine yet .

I was told it’s very expensive and short supply. More blackgrass farmers are turning to spring crops and lower yields of seed crops last harvest. Or it could be profiteering