What % of winter crops not planted or destroyed

[Two Tone]

looks like min till does not work in wet year ?

Common mistake, but I think you mean zero-till, not min till.
No doubt about the fact that some heavy land has suffered more where it was zero-tilled last Autumn, especially if it wasn’t drilled by the end of September in good conditions.

I’ve a neighbour who min-tilled (Sumo Trio) his crop and it looks well compared to most of mine.
But one the other side of him who mostly zero tilled (DD’d) that looks the same as mine.
However he ploughed one field and that looks no better than his DD’d crops.

Timing is the absolutely critical DD key, very closely followed by condition at and immediately following planting.
Get all 3 right and it’s fine.
2 out of 3 and it’ll be ‘also ran’.
1 out 3, terrible.
0 out of 3 disaster.

 

[Renaultman]

Common mistake, but I think you mean zero-till, not min till.
No doubt about the fact that some heavy land has suffered more where it was zero-tilled last Autumn, especially if it wasn’t drilled by the end of September in good conditions.

I’ve a neighbour who min-tilled (Sumo Trio) his crop and it looks well compared to most of mine.
But one the other side of him who mostly zero tilled (DD’d) that looks the same as mine.
However he ploughed one field and that looks no better than his DD’d crops.

Timing is the absolutely critical DD key, very closely followed by condition at and immediately following planting.
Get all 3 right and it’s fine.
2 out of 3 and it’ll be ‘also ran’.
1 out 3, terrible.
0 out of 3 disaster.

As said before, I could travel within a mile radius of where I'm sat, and take pictures of pretty good looking crops established using almost every conceivable method, I can also show pics of some pretty dire stuff
Some of my DD stuff is just starting to look decent, but in my, undoubtedly biased opinion, it looks a lot better than some of the wet shiny untravellable slop that was ploughed and I freely admit that it is the land and the drainage that is the biggest issue in these fields.
And on a final note. The Min Till and no till stuff has travelled far far better allowing us to get that vital early N on.

 

[Two Tone]

As said before, I could travel within a mile radius of where I'm sat, and take pictures of pretty good looking crops established using almost every conceivable method, I can also show pics of some pretty dire stuff
Some of my DD stuff is just starting to look decent, but in my, undoubtedly biased opinion, it looks a lot better than some of the wet shiny untravellable slop that was ploughed and I freely admit that it is the land and the drainage that is the biggest issue in these fields.
And on a final note. The Min Till and no till stuff has travelled far far better allowing us to get that vital early N on.

Yes, agreed. No doubt that the DD’d land traveled well last week when applying Nitrogen. Whereas ploughed land now has some horrendous ruts.
It really is six of one, half a dozen of another, no matter which way it was planted, depending what the soil type and drainage was like.

 

[yellow belly]

on heavy land Where it was moled in 2023 notill wheat looks ok despite no n till last week

glad I did not drill any just before heavy rain in the autumn
even ploughing not mine when it was dry last summer early September is looking sad




descent drainage is the essential ingredient drilling a week before heavy rain also helps a lot
free drying land will be good if June is not too dry

 

[Devil's advocate]

Been a little naughty & posted my agromists views

Throughout time, we have only ever been able to farm with the weather , never against it. Plans may have to change as time progresses. Given the current and likely price of spring barley, a number of my heavier land growers are now going to have a summer fallow and get the land ready for early drilling next September. It wont be that long away, and with little prospect of achieving a profitable spring crop it is a strong consideration.

Best wishs

Cheerful Charlie.

 

[bobk]

Been a little naughty & posted my agromists views

Throughout time, we have only ever been able to farm with the weather , never against it. Plans may have to change as time progresses. Given the current and likely price of spring barley, a number of my heavier land growers are now going to have a summer fallow and get the land ready for early drilling next September. It wont be that long away, and with little prospect of achieving a profitable spring crop it is a strong consideration.

Best wishs

Cheerful Charlie.

He isn't wrong

 

[Renaultman]

Been a little naughty & posted my agromists views

Throughout time, we have only ever been able to farm with the weather , never against it. Plans may have to change as time progresses. Given the current and likely price of spring barley, a number of my heavier land growers are now going to have a summer fallow and get the land ready for early drilling next September. It wont be that long away, and with little prospect of achieving a profitable spring crop it is a strong consideration.

Best wishs

Cheerful Charlie.

Makes sense to me, and that's what I am thinking.

 

[Devil's advocate]

Makes sense to me, and that's what I am thinking.

How will you manage the fallow?

I'm not sure its legal but I've some permanent pasture that is sheep sick & weedy. Maybe if I reseeded some of my heavy land with a short term ley, I could put the sheep there & reseed my permant pasture?

All bank account less this year, Cheerful Charlie's advise was get a lot of SFI in at Xmas, he was right.

 

[teslacoils]

Unplanted wheat land will have a green manure spun on and lightly harrowed in when it is warm and dry. Will mole through the growing crop, and plough in.

Grass which would normally be cut several times will only get one big cut, then turned over. Maybe with a month or two of sheep inbetween.

 

[Renaultman]

How will you manage the fallow?

I'm not sure its legal but I've some permanent pasture that is sheep sick & weedy. Maybe if I reseeded some of my heavy land with a short term ley, I could put the sheep there & reseed my permant pasture?

All bank account less this year, Cheerful Charlie's advise was get a lot of SFI in at Xmas, he was right.

Mine was last year, after failed OSR, I let it grow away a bit, and ideally it got nice and dry, just as before it got to seed, so I sprayed off and subsoiled, got another chit then sprayed off a drilled.
On my contract stuff, if I'm allowed, we will let a local fair farmer take the volunteers/Ryegrass to pay the landlord's share then do similar.

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Wondering whether to try grain maize, if doesn't dry out until May.

 

[robbie]

Dad put the low draught through ex January lifted beet land yesterday, hopefully it'll drill today.

 

[Wombat]

Nothing like finding tide marks of soil in wheat from where the becks were over mulitple times

 

[Devil's advocate]

Nothing like finding tide marks of soil in wheat from where the becks were over mulitple times

At least you are gaining soil. some of us have erosion gullies, all ways a sad sight for a farmer.

 

[Jon 3085]

Looks like I’m growing organic wheat this year

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Saw my wettest 20ac yesterday, has looked good all winter. Looks as yellow as a guinea in big patches, and you can see the herringbone of every drain run this week.
Can't see N getting there yet either.

Yes we've got a couple of fields exactly like that. You would get a good drainage map from a drone.

 

[Woody j]

Looks like I’m growing organic wheat this year View attachment 1169849

Same here

 

[serf]

Looks like I’m growing organic wheat this year View attachment 1169849

Might get a premium on it ...

 

[glasshouse]

Looks like I’m growing organic wheat this year View attachment 1169849

Drone?

 

[teslacoils]

Huge cuts to wheat and rapeseed plantings for harvest 2024 - Farmers Weekly

Delayed spring plantings due to the rain and extensive damage to winter crops which did make it into the ground suggest the UK is facing the smallest

www.fwi.co.uk

Ahdb finally dropping their numbers. Interestingly, grain rep today was thinking closer to 8mt than 9.....