Turnips with no sprays ab 13

Got the chance of putting in some Ab13 turnips to fatten lambs. The only worry is it says no sprays and with flea beatle it would be a worry.
Anyone get away from not spraying at all and still get a good crop?
We usually direct drill straight behind the combine and spray off any volunteers and give a dose for Beatle at the same time when it's all up.
Also im guessing it's a no go with slug pellets too..
Anyone else doing this scheme?
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Got the chance of putting in some Ab13 turnips to fatten lambs. The only worry is it says no sprays and with flea beatle it would be a worry.
Anyone get away from not spraying at all and still get a good crop?
We usually direct drill straight behind the combine and spray off any volunteers and give a dose for Beatle at the same time when it's all up.
Also im guessing it's a no go with slug pellets too..
Anyone else doing this scheme?

We grow turnips in a very similar Welsh scheme, and know plenty of others that do too.
The devil is in the detail. We have two ‘options’, one allowing DD and the other requiring ‘cultivation’ (which can be running through with a swardlifter before DD).
As far as insecticides are concerned, we can get a derogation to spray, which entails an agronomist looking at it and sending a report with photos. I was advised once that some people have photos ready from previous cropping to speed things up, but not really necessary with WhatsApp etc to quickly send photos to your agronomist.
Of course, if you have flea beetle attacking, you need it spraying asap, which I suspect a lot of people do without writing anything down.
I did argue with RPW that it’s not going to be much of a habitat if flea beetle have wiped it out, but they live in offices.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Only some kind of ecological moron with a BSc in ecology would dream up a scheme encouraging farmers to grow a crop and then requiring those same people not to use any agrochemicals. FFS.

I was told that what they would actually like is for us to grow a weedy crop, in order to provide habitat. I'm not allowed to use herbicides on my crop, but there is no mention of not using stale seedbeds before drilling, which I find more effective than expensive pre-ems anyway.

@paul&mandy , are there any stipulations on ab13 as to last drilling date, when you can start grazing it or when you are allowed to cultivate after? They are all in our 'unsprayed roots' options, but can be worked with.
 
Only some kind of ecological moron with a BSc in ecology would dream up a scheme encouraging farmers to grow a crop and then requiring those same people not to use any agrochemicals. FFS.
Spring cereals are also to be unsprayed in glastir. Daftest option I saw was getting paid to plant and grow red clover. Only pure stands,no grass allowed, not allowed to graze it until late autumn. Allowed to mow half of it but not allowed to mow the other half until the first half is back in flower,by which time the half you wanted to mow is just stalks. All this to help brown Carver bees( no,I don't know either). Without grass in there the nitrogen leaches into the groundwater excessively in a scheme aiming to improve water quality 🙄. I asked one of the doctor type boffins at Aberystwyth about it and about p!seed herself.
 
Digestate in this area works.
I sell and use mix of sulphates which same as for slugs creates soil conditions they don't like. They move in have a nibble and move on as nowhere to hide is the feedback. Not organic due to the metal sulphates.
Also use and sell a mix of garlic and aspirin in simple terms that is applied at egg laying time and stops the nematodes invading the stems. High pressure areas may require a follow up after the usual end September timing. B
 

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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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