Tom Sewell's Nuffield Presentation

[SilliamWhale]

Heavy soil that gets 17 inches of rain a year is very different from heavy soil that gets 34.

The one thing I have learnt without a shadow of doubt in my mind is the weather for two weeks after sowing is the most important part of the crops life on my soil, in no till on heavy soil if you get the best part of two inches of rain in that time the seed drowns, I drilled some another couple of fields two weeks further on and it looks fine as it got up and away before too much more rain. All I need now is a bloody reliable forecast for two weeks at a time

Is it though? We don't know when the rain will come etc. So I'm not sure what your saying is hard and fast a rule as all that. But with reference to Jims example of the moving from the 750 to a Claydon my instinct is we don't have much detail on the farm in case.

The old man told me it was too wet in Pembrokeshire to direct drill a few years back. I think we actually have the perfect climate for it.

 

[rob1]

Is it though? We don't know when the rain will come etc. So I'm not sure what your saying is hard and fast a rule as all that. But with reference to Jims example of the moving from the 750 to a Claydon my instinct is we don't have much detail on the farm in case.

The old man told me it was too wet in Pembrokeshire to direct drill a few years back. I think we actually have the perfect climate for it.

I do some work on a farm that has greensand soils and despite driving over the same track for ten years every three days from Sept to end of Feb you cant see where I've been try that on my soil and you wouldnt get far, however we had a very dry winter here during the early nineties and could drive over any of mine that winter without problem, soils can hold and drain so much water, different ones will do so differently, above their natural level problems occur,if too much falls just after sowing time and the soil cant absorb it and drain it below the seed level then the seed will suffer,I'm not saying that drainage cant be improved but you cant make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I do some work on a farm that has greensand soils and despite driving over the same track for ten years every three days from Sept to end of Feb you cant see where I've been try that on my soil and you wouldnt get far, however we had a very dry winter here during the early nineties and could drive over any of mine that winter without problem, soils can hold and drain so much water, different ones will do so differently, above their natural level problems occur,if too much falls just after sowing time and the soil cant absorb it and drain it below the seed level then the seed will suffer,I'm not saying that drainage cant be improved but you cant make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I hear you, but I'm not so convinced that its a simple as an issue of rainfall.

 

[rob1]

I hear you, but I'm not so convinced that its a simple as an issue of rainfall.

Agree its not simple, if it was then we wouldnt need a forum to discuss it, we would be sat in the sun spending all our fortunes, hopefully some time before I retire I will know more than I do today, I will then become a consultant and make even more cash

 

[marco]

I'm sure @Jim Bullock heard about the john deere getting traded at the claydon open day he was at. I'm also sure there are plenty of claydons traded in for 750A's mzuris dts's etc. That's buisness and that's the way things go.

 

[Clive]

Saw this sign recently and felt it was quite applicable to farming

 

[Simon Chiles]

I'm sure @Jim Bullock heard about the john deere getting traded at the claydon open day he was at. I'm also sure there are plenty of claydons traded in for 750A's mzuris dts's etc. That's buisness and that's the way things go.

There was a JD traded in for a Claydon from around here, the contract farmer always cultivated in front of it because that's all the landowners would accept, the Claydon was a route to do the cultivating and drilling in one pass that the customer would accept. He thinks in a few years time when they've accepted direct drilling he may be able to convince them to go the next step. Makes a good story if you're selling something.

 

[Simon Chiles]

Heavy soil that gets 17 inches of rain a year is very different from heavy soil that gets 34.

The one thing I have learnt without a shadow of doubt in my mind is the weather for two weeks after sowing is the most important part of the crops life on my soil, in no till on heavy soil if you get the best part of two inches of rain in that time the seed drowns, I drilled some another couple of fields two weeks further on and it looks fine as it got up and away before too much more rain. All I need now is a bloody reliable forecast for two weeks at a time

We've had some very wet Autumns for the last two years before this one. For us this last one started well but very quickly turned later on. Never once have I thought that I needed a tine drill, if anything I think I need more cover crops and even less need for a tine as it wouldn't cope.

 

[marco]

We've had some very wet Autumns for the last two years before this one. For us this last one started well but very quickly turned later on. Never once have I thought that I needed a tine drill, if anything I think I need more cover crops and even less need for a tine as it wouldn't cope.

do you subsoil at all simon?

 

[Simon Chiles]

do you subsoil at all simon?

No real need for it. Had to do one field because the customer wanted it and maybe if we'd cut hedges in the wet, but otherwise no.

 

[dug]

Heavy soil that gets 17 inches of rain a year is very different from heavy soil that gets 34.

The one thing I have learnt without a shadow of doubt in my mind is the weather for two weeks after sowing is the most important part of the crops life on my soil, in no till on heavy soil if you get the best part of two inches of rain in that time the seed drowns, I drilled some another couple of fields two weeks further on and it looks fine as it got up and away before too much more rain. All I need now is a bloody reliable forecast for two weeks at a time

I hear you, I don't want to contradict you in your conditions. Nevertheless we get 40" per annum on heavy soil, and is not unheard of to get 4-6" in one spring month. Your guide line there would see us get a lot more failures than we get. Drainage is undoubtedly paramount for good results in those conditions, but so is how damp/ wet the soil is at drilling in terms of how much rain a drilled heavy soil will take without crop damage.

 

[dug]

Saw this sign recently and felt it was quite applicable to farming
View attachment 88644

Absolutely, there is usually more than one right answer.

 

[Jim Bullock]

I'm sure @Jim Bullock heard about the john deere getting traded at the claydon open day he was at. I'm also sure there are plenty of claydons traded in for 750A's mzuris dts's etc. That's buisness and that's the way things go.

Absolutely right! The problem is that the drill is often blamed for failure or lack of consistency in output... not the agronomy or understanding of the system. IMO the disc drill is the ultimate direct-drill but it does require a more "management" to get good results in marginal direct-drilling situations, hence the reason why the Claydons and Mzuris have been successful in the wetter west. Our best ever wheat crop (11.25 tons/ha) was direct-drilled using the Kuhn SD 4000 after winter beans, it can be done.

 

[Andrew K]

As i have said before, the first manufacturer to make a drill with changeable options of disc or tine coulters that actually works in practice will clean up....

 

[Andrew K]

No, one in Hampshire and one to Berwick

Was speaking to a heavy land Essex farmer last night that is seriously thinking about one, will be interesting to see what he does.

 

[Banana Bar]

Was speaking to a heavy land Essex farmer last night that is seriously thinking about one, will be interesting to see what he does.

That'll be Tom then!

 

[dontknowanything]

That'll be Tom then!

Tom Bradshaw, not Sewell

 

[Banana Bar]

Obvs, went to see Tom last week.

 

[Andrew K]

That'll be Tom then!

No, go south !

 

[Tractor Boy]

That'll be Tom then!

Didn't think Tom Bradshaws was that heavy is it?