State of your crops -2022

[teslacoils]

Theres going to be some serious money made from OSR this year, assuming no grubs in the stems. @ajd132 are natural predators etc just gaining the upper hand, or is there some new practise for growing it? Success here seems to be how soon after planting it gets a good soaking.

 

[ajd132]

Theres going to be some serious money made from OSR this year, assuming no grubs in the stems. @ajd132 are natural predators etc just gaining the upper hand, or is there some new practise for growing it? Success here seems to be how soon after planting it gets a good soaking.

last year we had some reasonable rape crops and some shockers. basically i think it needs drilling early and font loaded with loads of autumn nitrogen. other things may be helping aswell but just cracking it on seems to be the best bet. oh and absolutely obsessive pigeon control, rape cannot grow back very from pigeon damage if its got some larvae in the stem.
its all a bit of a gamble really and i dont expect the yields we were getting pre neonics, i will be happy with 3t/ha. i think rape could be £1000/t and weve spent bout £280/ha on inputs and it was direct drilled, the profit could and should be huge.

 

[teslacoils]

Yup, Im going to go back to the 7kg of FSS straight into the stubble after the combine leave the field, with the full rate fert down the spout. Pigeons not really a big issue.

 

[Hampton]

last year we had some reasonable rape crops and some shockers. basically i think it needs drilling early and font loaded with loads of autumn nitrogen. other things may be helping aswell but just cracking it on seems to be the best bet. oh and absolutely obsessive pigeon control, rape cannot grow back very from pigeon damage if its got some larvae in the stem.
its all a bit of a gamble really and i dont expect the yields we were getting pre neonics, i will be happy with 3t/ha. i think rape could be £1000/t and weve spent bout £280/ha on inputs and it was direct drilled, the profit could and should be huge.

100% agree. Choose your fields in the rotation rather than just choose the rotation. No point trying to grow rape on a poor field anymore, you are just asking for trouble. Put it on the best fields and it will yield well

 

[ajd132]

100% agree. Choose your fields in the rotation rather than just choose the rotation. No point trying to grow rape on a poor field anymore, you are just asking for trouble. Put it on the best fields and it will yield well

We have one estate we look after that he terrible rape last year. It’s got a lot of small fields and a lot of spinneys everywhere. It’s so hard to keep pigeons off. We decided with the owner and agent not to grow rape again there but that may have changed with current prices. Would need someone employed full time for 3 months to keep the pigeons off though.

 

[teslacoils]

We have one estate we look after that he terrible rape last year. It’s got a lot of small fields and a lot of spinneys everywhere. It’s so hard to keep pigeons off. We decided with the owner and agent not to grow rape again there but that may have changed with current prices. Would need someone employed full time for 3 months to keep the pigeons off though.

At the value, it may pay for a pigeon control man. Other days, could be getting those spinneys properly thinned out.

 

[Hampton]

We have one estate we look after that he terrible rape last year. It’s got a lot of small fields and a lot of spinneys everywhere. It’s so hard to keep pigeons off. We decided with the owner and agent not to grow rape again there but that may have changed with current prices. Would need someone employed full time for 3 months to keep the pigeons off though.

Yes, I just think we have to look at it a bit like veg or spuds now.
Would I grow veg/spuds on small fields on very heavy land surrounded by trees? No
Would I grow it on big, loamy or light fields, free draining with good indexes and unlikely pigeon problems? Yes, therefore crack on.

 

[Wombat]

Yes, I just think we have to look at it a bit like veg or spuds now.
Would I grow veg/spuds on small fields on very heavy land surrounded by trees? No
Would I grow it on big, loamy or light fields, free draining with good indexes and unlikely pigeon problems? Yes, therefore crack on.

Do I only have very small heavy fields surrounded by trees errr yes

 

[Andy12345]

Spreading dirty water on silage leys and happend to pass a block of our Winter Barley . Quite surprised to see the ears fully emerged ..... crop isn't under any stress !

 

[ollie989898]

We have one estate we look after that he terrible rape last year. It’s got a lot of small fields and a lot of spinneys everywhere. It’s so hard to keep pigeons off. We decided with the owner and agent not to grow rape again there but that may have changed with current prices. Would need someone employed full time for 3 months to keep the pigeons off though.

There are no end of people with guns looking for pests to shoot at!

 

[ollie989898]

Spreading dirty water on silage leys and happend to pass a block of our Winter Barley . Quite surprised to see the ears fully emerged ..... crop isn't under any stress ! View attachment 1033435

I drive by a lot of fields on my way to work and I haven't seen a field of WB like that yet.

 

[Andy12345]

I drive by a lot of fields on my way to work and I haven't seen a field of WB like that yet.

Cow shite and lots of it

 

[ollie989898]

Cow shite and lots of it

My favourite ingredient.

 

[teslacoils]

Good.
Not so good but will be ok.
Grass looking good ....in the feet overlaps. Thin and meh elsewhere.

 

[Adeptandy]

Some good, some poor, very confused

 

[Andy12345]

Some good, some poor, very confused

Its been an odd year, we had wheat at 2nd node in early March !!

 

[ajd132]

There are no end of people with guns looking for pests to shoot at!

Not consistently. You end up with a rabble on a Saturday who argue with each other and no one the rest of the week

 

[Renaultman]

Not consistently. You end up with a rabble on a Saturday who argue with each other and no one the rest of the week

Yeah all promising to come at a moment's notice but always missing when you need them. Not sure pigeons do as much damage as everyone thinks as long as they just eat the leaves. I've seen fields stripped bare yield as well as anything else. Still grieving to see the buggers flying away with my nitrogen though

 

[ajd132]

Yeah all promising to come at a moment's notice but always missing when you need them. Not sure pigeons do as much damage as everyone thinks as long as they just eat the leaves. I've seen fields stripped bare yield as well as anything else. Still grieving to see the buggers flying away with my nitrogen though

I used to think that but with the added pressure of larvae in the stems it can be much harder for the crop to recover

 

[Wombat]

Yeah all promising to come at a moment's notice but always missing when you need them. Not sure pigeons do as much damage as everyone thinks as long as they just eat the leaves. I've seen fields stripped bare yield as well as anything else. Still grieving to see the buggers flying away with my nitrogen though

The problem we always had is our cold clays take so long to warm up in the spring by the time they are trying to grow out of it then every pigeon in the area is back as other crops have started to move on.