Wide spacing cereal crops... pictures please

Case290

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Worcestershire
0DBB4C17-E33C-4064-8E6B-39F3186D67E9.jpeg
320mm rows 75mm spoon / claydon front cutting disc /spoon into 2/3ft mustard cover crop rolled x2 . I’m interested in this it’s a first / trial
 
As above really, I know there are various people who post in the direct drilling photo gallery thread but I was hoping some could share pictures throughout the growing season, this 1 especially, of crops grown at 250mm spacing (or there abouts)

It isn't really the year to be able to go cruising round the countryside to visit these crops so I was hoping you could bring them here

Also if you could say whether they were drilled by disc or tine that would be handy as well

Thanks!
180kgsha into bean stubble end sep mzuri
 

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Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
Lancer bread wheat, at 40 kg / ha, on 333mm row spacing, planted July.
Top dressed with 200 kg / ha of urea ( so about 90 kg N ) in August
image.jpg

As with the durum, no rain since August & frost damage in October, so not to its full potential
image.jpg
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
I guess it's too dry for slugs then @Farmer Roy .
40kg/ha would disappear almost before planting in most cases over here.
It's common to see 250kg/ha disappear.

Looks pretty useful.
Been reading that Australia is into a decent harvest this year.
👍
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
I guess it's too dry for slugs then @Farmer Roy .
40kg/ha would disappear almost before planting in most cases over here.
It's common to see 250kg/ha disappear.

Looks pretty useful.
Been reading that Australia is into a decent harvest this year.
👍

yeah, slugs aren’t an issue, have never seen them here in a cropping situation, even in particularly wet winters. We do however at times have issues with soil borne larvae like wire worm & cut worm ( once lost a field of emerging chickpeas due to cut worm. Couldn’t believe how quick they went across it. ) & one year I did have problems with crickets eating emerging sunflowers.

As a rough rule of thumb, I suppose we always aim for or expect around 80% or better establishment, from the seed we plant, taking into account germination % & establishment losses.
For example, the sorghum I planted last week was at 55,000 seeds / ha, with the aim of establishing around 45,000 plants / ha . . .
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
I have had problems with wild pigs digging chickpea seed out of the ground though 😮

they just stick their nose in the ground & follow the row, chasing the seed. Make a hell of a mess & can damage surprisingly large areas very quickly
 

farmerfred86

Member
BASIS
Location
Suffolk
its not so much the 250 spacing but the thickness of the band that concerns me. A 12m horsch for example is on the same spacing as a claydon drill at 250mm.
 

alomy75

Member
I’ve drilled wheat at 250kg/ha, 250mm spacing behind a metcalfe coulter so less than 15mm wide (can’t remember exactly how wide they are). Looks fine. I’m hoping it will better compete against blackgrass in the row whilst potentially allowing us to inter-row hoe if we develop a grass weed problem in the future. Doesn’t look unduly thick but is a solid line as you would expect...but then there’s loads of space either side.
 
I’ve drilled wheat at 250kg/ha, 250mm spacing behind a metcalfe coulter so less than 15mm wide (can’t remember exactly how wide they are). Looks fine. I’m hoping it will better compete against blackgrass in the row whilst potentially allowing us to inter-row hoe if we develop a grass weed problem in the future. Doesn’t look unduly thick but is a solid line as you would expect...but then there’s loads of space either side.
Theory always said greater than 6" 150mm was yield reducing but will be interested to hear how it does. Plenty of ventilation and light interception to the bottom of the crop though. Mix of hybrid 6 row WB and 2 row at 6" always did very well.
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
All our old gear back in the full cultivation days was either 6”, 7” or 9” row spacings

Trials - not theory - here showed no significant yield loss out to 300 - 375 mm spacings, with the added advantages of cheaper machinery ( less rows per metre ), less fuel use, increased trash flow for zero till into retained straw / stubble, increased air flow thus less disease & the ability to easily inter row plant between last years rows using auto steer

what’s not to like ?
 

alomy75

Member
DD wide spacing pics; spring wheat (into wheat stubble) winter wheat (into bean stubble) and spring beans (into wheat stubble).
 

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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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