Spring cropping, are you starting?

[Chae1]

Starting spring barley here tomorrow. Ground conditions are so good it would be rude not to!

Never drilled it this early but keen to give it a go.... I’ve heard more success stories of late that I need to try it myself.

What seedrate will you use?

 

[Pilatus]

Starting spring barley here tomorrow. Ground conditions are so good it would be rude not to!

Never drilled it this early but keen to give it a go.... I’ve heard more success stories of late that I need to try it myself.

If time allows please can you take a couple of pics of , the drill in operation/ drilled field.
I am sure we will be envious of your soil, but good luck to you.
Farming is certainly a case of “horses for courses”, what may work for you may certainly NOT work if farming heavy cold clay,or light land at 1000ft North facing wold/down land.

 

[Farmer-George]

What seedrate will you use?

http://www.niab.com/membertools/SeedRate/

I’ve been doing some calculations. I’m going to treat it as a winter barley at this stage. Probably going to run the field losses similarly too.

155kg/ha is where I’m going to run. Variety is planet.

 

[Farmer-George]

If time allows please can you take a couple of pics of , the drill in operation/ drilled field.
I am sure we will be envious of your soil, but good luck to you.
Farming is certainly a case of “horses for courses”, what may work for you may certainly NOT work if farming heavy cold clay,or light land at 1000ft North facing wold/down land.

Leave that with me. We are going in with our combination. Land was pulled over with a Vad topdown that we had on demo late last year.

Soil type is black skirt and level, so no North facing cold slopes [emoji10]

 

[Chae1]

http://www.niab.com/membertools/SeedRate/

I’ve been doing some calculations. I’m going to treat it as a winter barley at this stage. Probably going to run the field losses similarly too.

155kg/ha is where I’m going to run. Variety is planet.

That would be low for up here, I'll be going 250kg/ha if I get going early March!

 

[Flat 10]

That would be low for up here, I'll be going 250kg/ha if I get going early March!

I think it’s low too!

 

[Farmer-George]

I think it’s low too!

What would you suggest?

 

[Devon James]

What would you suggest?

190?

 

[Brisel]

What would you suggest?

375-400 seeds/m2 at this time of year, falling to 350 in March. That’s for an average quality seedbed.

 

[Farmer-George]

I’ve done some trials. Being as this is a complete unknown!

Seed rate 1: 155kg/ha
Seed rate 2: 250kg/ha
Seed rate 3: 300kg/ha
Seed rate 4: 350kg/ha
Seed rate 5: 400kg/ha

 

[Chae1]

I'd have chosen seedrate 3, we've done seedrate trials in past and not seen much difference.

Perhaps not a coincidence but best crop spring barley was scholar sown at 250kg/ha 3rd week March. High seedrate because it was rejected seed crop grown for merchant.

 

[limestone brash]

Isn’t ‘black skirt’ a bit like potting compost? - hence the low seed rate
I would use a much higher rate but sadly I don’t have any black skirts

 

[Pilatus]

Isn’t ‘black skirt’ a bit like potting compost? - hence the low seed rate
I would use a much higher rate but sadly I don’t have any black skirts

No black skirt around here except in town, and a lot of that covering rather large thighs, so wouldn’t fancy drilling much of that, would be better off with a good cover crop!!!