Spring feed wheat - good idea?

[Selectamatic]

Hello!
As the title asks really, what’s to look out for when growing spring wheat?

I’m not after top quality milling stuff, just a bit of feed...

 

[glasshouse]

Hello!
As the title asks really, what’s to look out for when growing spring wheat?

I’m not after top quality milling stuff, just a bit of feed...

Is it aftrr a break?

 

[radar]

Had never seen ergot till we grew S wheat a few years ago. Having to get it removed can be an issue unless you like rejections.

 

[dirty harry]

Don’t hold back with seed ! Don’t spend too much on it, cheers dh

 

[Brisel]

Don’t hold back with seed ! Don’t spend too much on it, cheers dh

This. Beware of ergot too - if you are feeding it yourself it's worth having a good look over the heap or getting it tested after harvest to avoid nasty surprises. It's all down to the weather from ear emergence to flowering. Copper is supposed to help but for your location I'd say it is a major risk.

 

[Spud]

I've grown it 3 yrs and its been by far the worst performing crop on the farm Poor yields and ergot. And fusarium. Better drilling Skyfall or Evolution in February, or growing spring barley.
I usually give things 4yrs, but spring wheat is out. Terrible.

 

[7610 super q]

Probably better yield than SB. And good £40/ ton more this year.......but.......I usually get away with one fungicide spray with SB, and it's ( usually ) a lot earlier to combine. I grew both last season, and worried myself to death with tales of ergot, and fretted myself into giving it an earwash.
I'm just growing SB this year. The only worry being brackling and the heads falling off when the combine makes an appearance.

 

[Brisel]

We planted a lot of spring wheat here last year in March. A couple of fields of spring barley too. The wheat had a gross margin £250/ha higher thanks mostly to a £45/t higher price than the barley. Both feed and the same yield too. That’s on heavy land though.

 

[Spud]

We planted a lot of spring wheat here last year in March. A couple of fields of spring barley too. The wheat had a gross margin £250/ha higher thanks mostly to a £45/t higher price than the barley. Both feed and the same yield too. That’s on heavy land though.

Were your vc's very similar between sb & sw? My sb were a good bit less, due to less fungicide & lower N

 

[teslacoils]

Tbh id only grow spring wheat again if a) it was going to a central store to clean the ergot and b) it was a milling variety for the premium.

 

[N.Yorks.]

Try mixing 3 varieties with different characteristics.

 

[MrNoo]

I have grown Mulika for the last 10 or so years and get on well with it, always made milling and very little ergot, so has actually paid very well, had 300ac in this last harvest.
But if for feed I would just plant Skyfall, the winter vernalization seems to be a myth as I planted some in late April and it grew fine, I also span some left over onto some worked ground to clear the sheds out and give the lads some pigeon shooting at the start of first lock down on the 14th May, this then germinated and produced seed, once we had rain. No ergot issues, just bang it on.
I will be drilling a field to see if produces seed again, I have no reason to believe it wont. Also the field I did drill in Spring yielded as well if not slightly better than conventionally drilled Skyfall in the Autumn, made milling and had 1 fung and no pre-em, 4 splits of fert. Cheap

 

[Brisel]

Were your vc's very similar between sb & sw? My sb were a good bit less, due to less fungicide & lower N

From memory, the barley had lower seed rate, a bit less N and a bit less fungicide. Laureate grown as feed. Mulika wheat had good protein and Hagberg but enough ergot to divert it to the feed heap. Sending it for colour sorting would have been £20/t out of a £25 milling premium, assuming the mills didn’t find something else wrong with it.

 

[Flat 10]

Hello!
As the title asks really, what’s to look out for when growing spring wheat?

I’m not after top quality milling stuff, just a bit of feed...

Why don’t you want barley? Surely more farm to farm demand and more and more expensive straw?

 

[Banana Bar]

Best cereal margin here last season. 7.8t / ha sold at £185/t. One fungicide and one herbicide. There was a tiny amount of ergot which thankfully went away ok.

BB

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

I've grown it 3 yrs and its been by far the worst performing crop on the farm Poor yields and ergot. And fusarium. Better drilling Skyfall or Evolution in February, or growing spring barley.
I usually give things 4yrs, but spring wheat is out. Terrible.

This! Drill late wheats such as skyfall until March, then spring barley,

 

[snarling bee]

same yield as SB, similar costs. £40 more per tonne, harvest doesn't clash with WW - whats not to like?
Heavy land though.

 

[Brisel]

It's 3 weeks later to harvest and less competitive with weeds. Still prone to take all too. Lighter land favours barley instead. For heavier land, stick with spring wheat IMO.

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

same yield as SB, similar costs. £40 more per tonne, harvest doesn't clash with WW - whats not to like?
Heavy land though.

Ergot, late harvest, probably needs drying, crap straw, only £40/t over wheat this year as a one off due too weather, dear seed at high rates compared to barley, poor weed competition. I'll think of a few more reasons why we are not growing it again in a minute.

 

[fredf]

Ergot, late harvest, (probably needs drying), crap straw, only £40/t over wheat this year as a one off due too weather, dear seed at high rates compared to barley, poor weed competition. I'll think of a few more reasons why we are not growing it again in a minute.

90% of harvest needs drying in the North. With SW it's getting the crop combined. My son just finished SB end of Nov then travelled a long way to finish some SB.

Tom