What spring break crop to grow

[Shutesy]

Part of our rotation is spring cropping with half of that being spring barley (70 acres) and the other half up till now was spring beans (same 70 acres). Not been to thrilled with spring beans the past few years admittedly conditions have been a bit dry here to get decent crops in the last 2 years. We had been using them for our greening area but now that's been ruled out as well, so we have gone down a different route for that. Blackgrass control can be a bit hit and miss with very few useful chemicals to use in the crop. On our fairly heavy land it can take a while for the soil to dry out in the spring to be able to get on and make a decent job in reasonable conditions so we rarely get the beans in as recommended by PGRO in late Feb/early March time, more normally end of March/early April time. Added to this that I would imagine spring bean seed is going to be in pretty short supply and ridiculously expensive this year (have FSS last few yrs but sold all beans now so cant do that).
So I think it would be worth trying something else this year, the question is what? If there was an obvious choice, everybody would be growing it. Crop will be strip tilled into a sprayed off cover crop of oats and radish.
-Peas: Could do?
-Soya: Can't due to it being an allergen and not allowed in the contract for our low pesticide wheat
-Spring OSR: tried it once, flipping disaster, very few rave reviews when the question gets asked on here (already got 80 ac WOSR)
-Linseed: Possibility?
-More spring barley and a bit of fallow? (Ideally need the 70ac of break crop to get a good 1st wheat after)
-What else??

TIA

 

[cows r us]

Part of our rotation is spring cropping with half of that being spring barley (70 acres) and the other half up till now was spring beans (same 70 acres). Not been to thrilled with spring beans the past few years admittedly conditions have been a bit dry here to get decent crops in the last 2 years. We had been using them for our greening area but now that's been ruled out as well, so we have gone down a different route for that. Blackgrass control can be a bit hit and miss with very few useful chemicals to use in the crop. On our fairly heavy land it can take a while for the soil to dry out in the spring to be able to get on and make a decent job in reasonable conditions so we rarely get the beans in as recommended by PGRO in late Feb/early March time, more normally end of March/early April time. Added to this that I would imagine spring bean seed is going to be in pretty short supply and ridiculously expensive this year (have FSS last few yrs but sold all beans now so cant do that).
So I think it would be worth trying something else this year, the question is what? If there was an obvious choice, everybody would be growing it. Crop will be strip tilled into a sprayed off cover crop of oats and radish.
-Peas: Could do?
-Soya: Can't due to it being an allergen and not allowed in the contract for our low pesticide wheat
-Spring OSR: tried it once, flipping disaster, very few rave reviews when the question gets asked on here (already got 80 ac WOSR)
-Linseed: Possibility?
-More spring barley and a bit of fallow? (Ideally need the 70ac of break crop to get a good 1st wheat after)
-What else??

TIA

Spring oats are a great break crop. They love heavy land and would do well strip tilled in. The only problem with them is that there is no pre em. They do grow really fast and are incredibly competitive though.

 

[Bury the Trash]

give peas a chance.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

+1 for peas

It's really only the lodging issue (and marketing, perhaps?) that would count against - plus I have never seen it strip-tilled, so I want you to as you seem a 'can do' type of bloke...

Other than the above, very few downsides to peas, lots of residue that decomposes readily, lots of fixing, and a great soil conditioner.
I found roots 4 feet deep and I didn't even kill the grass in front of it, as mine are grown for wholecropping it's an 85 day crop.

Do you like shooting pigeons?

 

[Flat 10]

Linseed is ok. All spring crops are risky. Try and grow as cheap as possible. Let it for Maize?

 

[Breckland Boy]

Millet.
Seed is the most expensive vc. One herbicide, early dose of n and shut the gate.
End Apr/early May sowing mid September harvest.

 

[An Gof]

Part of our rotation is spring cropping with half of that being spring barley (70 acres) and the other half up till now was spring beans (same 70 acres). Not been to thrilled with spring beans the past few years admittedly conditions have been a bit dry here to get decent crops in the last 2 years. We had been using them for our greening area but now that's been ruled out as well, so we have gone down a different route for that. Blackgrass control can be a bit hit and miss with very few useful chemicals to use in the crop. On our fairly heavy land it can take a while for the soil to dry out in the spring to be able to get on and make a decent job in reasonable conditions so we rarely get the beans in as recommended by PGRO in late Feb/early March time, more normally end of March/early April time. Added to this that I would imagine spring bean seed is going to be in pretty short supply and ridiculously expensive this year (have FSS last few yrs but sold all beans now so cant do that).
So I think it would be worth trying something else this year, the question is what? If there was an obvious choice, everybody would be growing it. Crop will be strip tilled into a sprayed off cover crop of oats and radish.
-Peas: Could do?
-Soya: Can't due to it being an allergen and not allowed in the contract for our low pesticide wheat
-Spring OSR: tried it once, flipping disaster, very few rave reviews when the question gets asked on here (already got 80 ac WOSR)
-Linseed: Possibility?
-More spring barley and a bit of fallow? (Ideally need the 70ac of break crop to get a good 1st wheat after)
-What else??

TIA

Sugar Beet could be opportunities to get acreage with this years contract prices

 

[Flat 10]

Sugar Beet could be opportunities to get acreage with this years contract prices

I was waiting for someone.....

 

[Spencer]

No good this year as you won’t have fss but we grow sosr. Off the heap, pile on the seed. 20kg/ha into moisture or rain due. Bought in seed too expensive to use a decent seed rate. Does well for us

 

[Daniel]

I was waiting for someone.....

Even at £20.50/t or whatever, its less risky and more likely to leave a profit than a csfb and drought hit crop of spring linseed etc?

As the British Sugar accountants well know.

 

[wellingtonfarmer]

Maize- some people strip till that in?

 

[Mr Charisma]

Try linseed ,,,, although I don't think a strip till drill is the best establishment the seedbed that linseed would be fantastic for strip till ,
Once you've got over the first year of buying your seed it then becomes a cheap crop to grow , can be planted a bit later than the other crops which gives the ground a chance to dry out ,,,,,,, there's to much fuss made about combining the stuff as well , left till the right day it's the quickest combining you will ever do
For 2 years we have had a margin that beats a 4tonnish crop of wheat

 

[Brisel]

Part of our rotation is spring cropping with half of that being spring barley (70 acres) and the other half up till now was spring beans (same 70 acres). Not been to thrilled with spring beans the past few years admittedly conditions have been a bit dry here to get decent crops in the last 2 years. We had been using them for our greening area but now that's been ruled out as well, so we have gone down a different route for that. Blackgrass control can be a bit hit and miss with very few useful chemicals to use in the crop. On our fairly heavy land it can take a while for the soil to dry out in the spring to be able to get on and make a decent job in reasonable conditions so we rarely get the beans in as recommended by PGRO in late Feb/early March time, more normally end of March/early April time. Added to this that I would imagine spring bean seed is going to be in pretty short supply and ridiculously expensive this year (have FSS last few yrs but sold all beans now so cant do that).
So I think it would be worth trying something else this year, the question is what? If there was an obvious choice, everybody would be growing it. Crop will be strip tilled into a sprayed off cover crop of oats and radish.
-Peas: Could do?
-Soya: Can't due to it being an allergen and not allowed in the contract for our low pesticide wheat
-Spring OSR: tried it once, flipping disaster, very few rave reviews when the question gets asked on here (already got 80 ac WOSR)
-Linseed: Possibility?
-More spring barley and a bit of fallow? (Ideally need the 70ac of break crop to get a good 1st wheat after)
-What else??

TIA

I feel your pain! I have 1/6 of the farm in a spring break crop other than wosr & am yet to find anything reliable. These dry spells in spring/summer aren't helping

Beans - terrible year & not cheap to grow with any kind of broad leafed weed burden as bentazone & Nirvana is £££££
Peas - a future possibility here but not on undulating stony land with a wide combine header! Companion crop like peola to keep them standing?
Linseed - ok, but very inconsistent yields and a late harvest. If the harvesting was easier there would be a lot more of this crop grown. Some good markets for it now too. I grew it for 3 years but dropped it after a disastrous harvest in 2017 and not much better before that. Later sown & a nice topsoil to drill into afterwards.
Oats - trying this again next year. Avoid wild oat infested land for obvious reasons. Blackgrass too. Needs straw baled or well chopped. You have a local market but do Bedford take springs?
Millet or other niche crops etc. - Can be late harvested & you wouldn't want a big area of these. There's a reason they are rare!
Maize - great weed control opportunity. Any AD or dairy demand in your area? Can be brutal on soil structure if harvested at the wrong time. Fusarium/mycotoxin risk for your wheat??
Forage catch crop? Turnips followed by Westerwolds for a local sheep farmer?
EFA fallow?
Countryside Stewardship option?

 

[Grass And Grain]

No good this year as you won’t have fss but we grow sosr. Off the heap, pile on the seed. 20kg/ha into moisture or rain due. Bought in seed too expensive to use a decent seed rate. Does well for us

Just about the first person I've heard of who does ok with SOSR. Well done!

Do you think it is your seed rate that is the secret?

What yield do you think is reasonable to expect?

 

[Tompkins]

Gave up Linseed last year after 6 or 7 years with it. Best year did 1.1t/acre, worst was less than 0.5t/ac, normally around 0.8t/acre.

Absolutely useless if you have black grass, canopy to open and it just won't compete. Prefer winter beans or maize now for a break or spring barley if black grass is bad.

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Even at £20.50/t or whatever, its less risky and more likely to leave a profit than a csfb and drought hit crop of spring linseed etc?

As the British Sugar accountants well know.

with limited seed dressings in 2019?

 

[Brisel]

Gave up Linseed last year after 6 or 7 years with it. Best year did 1.1t/acre, worst was less than 0.5t/ac, normally around 0.8t/acre.

Absolutely useless if you have black grass, canopy to open and it just won't compete. Prefer winter beans or maize now for a break or spring barley if black grass is bad.

If you buy your seed from a well known first class merchant based in Hants you get free blackgrass with the seed

The later sowing date must help with BG control? You can use Avadex and a low disturbance drill would prevent another flush. By then moisture conservation is key anyway.

 

[Daniel]

with limited seed dressings in 2019?

Fair point. I'm open to suggestions as to a reliable spring cropping alternative.

 

[farmerm]

Linseed is ok. All spring crops are risky. Try and grow as cheap as possible. Let it for Maize?

What the going rate? Considering letting 20Ac of the less heavy ground for Maize, Mid Shrops....

 

[Spencer]

Just about the first person I've heard of who does ok with SOSR. Well done!

Do you think it is your seed rate that is the secret?

What yield do you think is reasonable to expect?

Sosr doesn’t branch out like winter. Just wants to go straight up. Don’t plant it too early, wants to be up and away, so conserve moisture and wait til soil is warm. Only requires 120 days so often plant in first week of May. Herbicide options aren’t great so again high seed rate helps smother them out. Had a couple of bad crops but everyone of them was with bought in seed at breeders recommended seedrate. Whenever we use FSS crop does ok. Budget on 1-1.2t/ac. This year we averaged 1.3 best field did 1.45. Also use starter Fertiliser, usually 300kg/ha of 17.17.17, then top up with DoubleTop or similar. Fert down the spout definitely helps as it’s such a short growing season. Usually no fungicide either, did have to do a pollen beetle spray this year though..