There,s no profit in beans

Location
salop
I would like to grow winter beans on a small scale (20 acres)
but I need a drill, many years ago people used to use carrier ? drills, I think Are they still around for modest money?,
I know they can be spun on and ploughed in but dont really want to do it.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Personally I’d grow spring beans and drill them with something like an MF30 after spring ploughing and a once over with the power Harrow. Works well here.
I borrowed a carrier but didn’t use it. Wasn’t convinced the metering rollers could get 300 kg per ha on. And the seed tubes were perished and in a right old state. I would not pay more than a couple of hundred for one. They are still around but showing their age. Some people swear by them but I wasn’t that impressed up close.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
We always found ploughing to be satisfactory for winter beans. 12” furrows, shallow as it will work. But we moved away from them due to lack of herbicide options and getting rubbished up over winter. Spring beans are vulnerable to a dry spring but so far so good.
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
Drilled them for the first time here in 20 odd years, ploughed some in after spinning on (looking ok) then used our very old adapted bean drill on another block (this is a Blanch cultivator with an old Massey seed drill mounted onto it with tubes down the back of the tines) this also has worked very well and then one field where it was too wet was drilled early spring with a Vaddy Box drill, all ok.
The early drilled ones were hammered by a strong & very cold east wind, which turned the fields brown overnight but they have recovered of sorts, some plants out in the middle of the fields are very short and other decent areas are waist high and podding up nicely.
Am looking forward to getting some wheat in next year and see how that goes after the beans.
I am told that if they "wipe their face" then thats a bonus, we shall see.
 

Munkul

Member
1st year: got contractor to put them in with a disc drill quite deep. Came through lovely.
2nd year: got a "free" winter crop from the beans that the wholecrop header missed, we ploughed them in and had trouble re-seeding with grass, so they came through ok and survived the winter, and we got a good few tons off with the combine. Really just an accident.
3rd year this spring: combi-drilled 15 acres in after ploughing, probably only 2-3" deep, nothing special. Came through lovely, way better than the barley drilled at same time. It was dry this spring too. We used the combined beans we got from the 2nd year as seed. At flowering stage now and looking really strong.

Conclusion: chuck beans at a field, cover them in some dirt, and they'll grow!
 
Location
salop
1st year: got contractor to put them in with a disc drill quite deep. Came through lovely.
2nd year: got a "free" winter crop from the beans that the wholecrop header missed, we ploughed them in and had trouble re-seeding with grass, so they came through ok and survived the winter, and we got a good few tons off with the combine. Really just an accident.
3rd year this spring: combi-drilled 15 acres in after ploughing, probably only 2-3" deep, nothing special. Came through lovely, way better than the barley drilled at same time.

Conclusion: chuck beans at a field, cover them in some dirt, and they'll grow!
Wow Maybe there is profit in beans, Thanks.
 

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
It also sows osr but no there isn't a cheaper way if you cost spreading, ploughing them in and levelling off.
In spring moisture is conserved for spring beans with this type of drill.
Its just the job. (y)
How’s your Lamborghini tractor getting on? Does it pull the Claydon alright?
 

texelburger

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Herefordshire
Grew some spring beans,last year,for the first time in years.Popped them in with our Horsch kr express combi drill after cultivating the ground with a joker.Came up very well,had a herbicide,a insecticide and a fungicide. On the light patches of the fields they were barely 2 ft tall at Harvest.Combined chucked in a shed and sold in November based on the moisture they were (17.9 % av) .Yield worked out a 2.39 tons/acre so ,yes,I think they left a little profit.The soil was in lovely condition when drilling the following wheat crop.Got 108 acres in this time 🤞
 

Farma Parma

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Northumberlandia
Must be 20years since we last had them here & had to wait until it was frosty in mid nov to cut them
Yes spring sown ones Fuego was the variety
Dad said never again & ive not had any since
Rather grow Peas coz atleast there is a chance of cutting them as there ready when the wheat is
Neither yield a lot 1.5-2t is about as good as the peas get but the like the right climate so maybes not such a good idea nowerdays
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
1st year: got contractor to put them in with a disc drill quite deep. Came through lovely.
2nd year: got a "free" winter crop from the beans that the wholecrop header missed, we ploughed them in and had trouble re-seeding with grass, so they came through ok and survived the winter, and we got a good few tons off with the combine. Really just an accident.
3rd year this spring: combi-drilled 15 acres in after ploughing, probably only 2-3" deep, nothing special. Came through lovely, way better than the barley drilled at same time. It was dry this spring too. We used the combined beans we got from the 2nd year as seed. At flowering stage now and looking really strong.

Conclusion: chuck beans at a field, cover them in some dirt, and they'll grow!
chuck beans at a field, cover them in some dirt and if you get enough rain they'll grow!
 

GmB

Member
Location
S.Glos
38F4284A-3FEF-4855-906B-A245FB93F31B.jpeg
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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