spring barley

[htj]

I would try a simtech but it is just as cheap to use my chisel plow and go 2" or so - there isn't one that nearby. I'm disc drill all the way for winter wheat, winter barley, beans, grass, turnips and spring wheat. I'm almost happy with disc drill for W oilseed rape but I need a bit more practice on getting it right ie more fert early on at planting etc.

Spring Barley I'd say is ok but never quite 100% happy with it. That said its changing by the day its just seems uglier and something about it doesn't thrive in no till - plants seem to love and hate parts of the field (within metres of each other). I'm sure I'll crack it eventually.

I think if I owned a roller with shattaboards that would be a good one to use - just brown up the top inch for the spring barley. The other option would be to find a cover crop (probably turnips/rape) to plant after winter wheat and get the sheep to graze it cleaner for barley as well as fertility boost - problem for us is that if wheat harvested mid september its almost a waste of money as little growth about often.

Huw Bryn - hows your barley looking up there in Gwbert with the Simtech?

Spring barley on the sand looks good. Others,after the pedders mix, seem a bit slow, but this rain should help!

 

[shakerator]

I don't understand why barley is always a second cereal

It can yield very well as a first cereal, and i would suggest the extra competition more than offsets the lack of an Atlantis tool BG wise

 

[SilliamWhale]

I don't understand why barley is always a second cereal

It can yield very well as a first cereal, and i would suggest the extra competition more than offsets the lack of an Atlantis tool BG wise

£20/t less?

 

[marco]

£20/t less?

It probably costs 15 a ton more to grow wheat here in ireland. I'm heading towards winter barley as disease pressure on wheat here is getting uneconomical

 

[Andy Howard]

My half and half field of spring barley is interesting. Half drilled with 750a with seedbed fert looks excellent while other half with simtech no fert is a bit patchy. Drilled first week in April. It is nothing to do with no-till or disc or tyne. As said drilling date and management. All drilled after grazed cover.

 

[benferg]

to do that properly you needed a no fert 750a piece & a simtec with fert.

 

[Will Blackburn]

Cold soil needs applied P.

 

[Andy Howard]

to do that properly you needed a no fert 750a piece & a simtec with fert.

True. But it illustrated what we have on farm currently. Also disproves the view that switching to a tyne improves establishment.

 

[benferg]

True. But it illustrated what we have on farm currently. Also disproves the view that switching to a tyne improves establishment.

in our situation moving to a disc has improved things, but there are many things inside this. One being better depth control, for us this is big. Better trash handling ability which leads to the depth control as well but for a different reason.