static

[Refco]

Is winter wheat not your biggest gross margin? Would spring wheat be a goer for you?

 

[franklin]

No, after all the costs it is seldom the best payer. Over the last 5 years OSR is consistently top, then hay, then oats. I'm generally fine to give anything a go but I dont want to be combining in October really. This year has shown that for spring crops it is seedbed conditions, moisture and generally drying soil / warmth that makes them perform, not getting them in 2nd week of Feb.

 

[franklin]

Very excited to say that DD grass has worked well, and will be dessicating the direct drilled OSR on Wednesday. Have also drilled spring linseed this year into a cover crop

Have also bought Mzuri drill for this next year, so will go between that and the vaderstad as conditions allow. Currently thinking how we can put fert on the front linkage and pipe it to the Mzuri.

 

[Try to succeed]

Very excited to say that DD grass has worked well, and will be dessicating the direct drilled OSR on Wednesday. Have also drilled spring linseed this year into a cover crop

Have also bought Mzuri drill for this next year, so will go between that and the vaderstad as conditions allow. Currently thinking how we can put fert on the front linkage and pipe it to the Mzuri.

Hi Franklin. Just reading your thread and wondered how you’re getting on? With the ‘air in the soil’ chatter above, how have you got on whether using subsoiling/moling etc? How has your mzuri performed and have you transitioned towards a low disturbance drill?
thanks

 

[DRC]

I think he’s called @teslacoils these days .

 

[Try to succeed]

I think he’s called @teslacoils these days .

Ah, I bet I’ve probably caught up by browsing the forum then!

 

[teslacoils]

The mzuri didn't last. The farm got bigger, up to 2500ac. In the end the system didn't suit us as contractors and we weren't prepared to go to say 6m for capacity. We were often running a press over it after drilling osr, so not really saving much. And spring work into stubbles was meh. Sold it and lost a fair few ££££. Went back to subsoiling in osr, and a solo / press / drill for everything else.

Now I'm on 250ish AC, and grow half grass, half wheat. Few have started to play with a 750a as there is a local contractor with one. But I'm not really looking to go down that road. I'm looking forward to lathering the grass black with turd, and blacking it over with a plough.

I mole after the second year of grass. No subsoiling.

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

Interesting going back over this thread.
@teslacoils are you settled on your name now??

 

[teslacoils]

Interesting going back over this thread.
@teslacoils are you settled on your name now??

I've been static / Tesla since the early days of fwi, and before that on more historic computer networks. The next change I think will be to get off computers for good. I'm 41 soon and need a change. Going to look for some stock - related work experience in the new year, and I have a TEFL course pencilled in. Small arable doesn't suit me - there just not enough to do and I end up sat at home on my own for seven hours a day which isn't healthy. When your harvest and drilling are done in a day, and cultivation is two days it's not exactly a job, and there are no jobs that want someone with an essentially blank self employed CV who can only work from 9 to 2:30.

So I just sit inside in the rain. At least when I was a busy fool I was at least busy. But I've grown crops for 17 years now and am good at it. Costs are minimal except the mortgage. Wife has a decent job. Children are happy.

What I need is a shed of cows or pigs says everyone, but really I need to get on a plane out of here. I don't think I've had a chat to another person apart from my wife and my mother this year. All a bit disappointing really.

 

[DRC]

I don’t think having a shed full of pigs or cows will help. You just become even more tied to the job and don’t really see any more people .
Best thing I did was getting rid of the cattle in 2010 as regards getting away more. This year being the exception of course .

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

Sounds like you need something with social interaction. Pigs or cattle won't really get you that unless it's working for someone else alongside other people.
If you're always available between those times you would find something I'm sure

It's not been a good year for anyone who would naturally seek more company than they have.

 

[teslacoils]

There's no way I'm going to have any stock. We get digestate down a pipe, so no need for any muck. Makes the £££ bobbins.

But there are no jobs near here. At least the farm looks tidy.

 

[Try to succeed]

The mzuri didn't last. The farm got bigger, up to 2500ac. In the end the system didn't suit us as contractors and we weren't prepared to go to say 6m for capacity. We were often running a press over it after drilling osr, so not really saving much. And spring work into stubbles was meh. Sold it and lost a fair few ££££. Went back to subsoiling in osr, and a solo / press / drill for everything else.

Now I'm on 250ish AC, and grow half grass, half wheat. Few have started to play with a 750a as there is a local contractor with one. But I'm not really looking to go down that road. I'm looking forward to lathering the grass black with turd, and blacking it over with a plough.

I mole after the second year of grass. No subsoiling.

It’s refreshing to see a differing opinion. Were you pressing to consolidate as the drill didn’t do it at all on any of your land or was it certain land types around the farm? Never mind going to a mzuri system, it seems you’ve had a massive transition in itself with the farm size reducing. I hope it’s positive for you
Thanks

 

[Bury the Trash]

There's no way I'm going to have any stock. We get digestate down a pipe, so no need for any muck. Makes the £££ bobbins.

But there are no jobs near here. At least the farm looks tidy.

With your eye for detail, how about a small warm, bright workshop and do 12v (or low v . dc) electrical repairs ?

There is and will be plenty of demand now and in the future i bet.

 

[teslacoils]

It’s refreshing to see a differing opinion. Were you pressing to consolidate as the drill didn’t do it at all on any of your land or was it certain land types around the farm? Never mind going to a mzuri system, it seems you’ve had a massive transition in itself with the farm size reducing. I hope it’s positive for you
Thanks

We didn't get enough consolidation in the drilled row. The soil thrown onto the unmoved ground meant that the rolls weren't pressing the drilled strip enough. Cast ring press did a good job. We did various experiments with just the vdersad into stubbles for osr which mostly went better, faster and cheaper.

The farm is working well, in a major goal was reducing risk. First to go was anything unprofitable and unreliable. So beans. Next, osr for being too risky. Left spring oats, winter and spring barley, and wheat. The hole was a break crop. I've gone for grass. I sell this to a local dairy, and then a grazier puts sheep on it. Under the current bps regime it's profitable. Then we grow three wheats on clean land, or a wheat and either spring crops or a forage crop for three arable years. Fert costs are reduced using digestate - last year I used 3.6t of bagged fert as we were all spring cropped.

The only gap is making good use of my time. I'd like to work to earn enough to pay for the farm quicker. But as said options here are limited. It may be I do some building here to increase the value.

Not very DD is it, but I can neither justify my own drill, nor expect contractors on the optimum day. I know the system works but it's about risk here and I need those three arable crops to seriously pump out the profit. So the choice is £25/AC plus for a contractor DD, or I use my ancient kit to make a seedbed and drill at leisure.

Neighbour has just got a sumo DTS which looks good and I may try a field with it next year. But tomorrow after this two days of pouring rain, I fully expect the ploughed land to be the only bits with no ponds on them.

 

[teslacoils]

With your eye for detail, how about a small warm, bright workshop and do 12v (or low v . dc) electrical repairs ?

There is and will be plenty of demand now and in the future i bet.

I'm writing a book. Will do the TEFL course. Might see if they are looking for magistrates.