Winter linseed

jjm

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Yorkshire
Am I mad considering it........?
I last tried linseed(Spring) in 1998 I and swore at the time we wouldn't grow it again after attempting to cut it and practically wrecking a near new combine when it wrapped around everything possible. It got topped in the end.
However , with OSR becoming a difficult to grow on a shooting estate who don't like the use of bangers or anything else that could upset the pheasants and partridges I need to look at alternatives. The sales brochure from Premium Crops makes me think the characteristics of linseed must have changed dramatically......,,??!!

Can it be direct drilled on shallow stoney soils
Do rabbits graze it
Are pigeons a problem
Can a New Holland CR combine cut it without a major problem?.
Anything else to worry about?!

Thanks
 

Jerry

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Devon
Grown it twice. Yield is the problem. Cuts early but ideally likes sun on it as you do.

I crisped it up with Diquat, better than round up.

Direct drilling no problem.

Good entry to wheat after.

Pigeons do like it. Rabbits not do much.
 

Wheatland

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Shropshire
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I've been growing a small area for a few years now to diversify the rotation. It's got quite broad herbicide tolerance and can be fairly cheap to grow. New seed is expensive, yields can be quite low especially years like 2012 which was a shocker! Harvest can be frustrating and really needs Reglone to desiccate which has been withdrawn now. It's currently in flower and full of insects and bees, loads of people comment about how pretty it is.
 

Daniel

Member
It’s looking lovely at the moment:
3A07F87F-6775-4AAD-BC2E-2D18ED72F5FA.jpeg


Didn’t have to use Reglone last year but without it in a wet year it could be a problem.

It’s nothing to get excited about financially, yield ranges from about 0.5t/ac (violent downpours whilst on flower, knocked it flat, best forgotten) to about 1-1.2t/ac all things going well.

The company making the most out of it is Premium Crops via the expensive seed, as with all these niche crops.
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
What would break even yield be with new seed? Is it as much of a pain to get going as spring linseed re flea beetle? Given we get 1t an acre if thereabout with spring, winter seems unattractive except the early cutting.

What's the drilling window for it?
 

Daniel

Member
What would break even yield be with new seed? Is it as much of a pain to get going as spring linseed re flea beetle? Given we get 1t an acre if thereabout with spring, winter seems unattractive except the early cutting.

What's the drilling window for it?

The two problems we had with spring linseed were pigeon damage, which winter linseed can recover from to an extent, and dry springs which again winter linseed copes with on our light soil having established its roots over winter.

Flea beetle hasn’t been a problem, I don’t think it attracts CSFB which is the autumn one? Drilling window August/Sept.
 

Premium Crops

Member
Cereals Exhibitor
Location
Hambledon
Winter Linseed is drilled in september and combined at a similar time to Winter Rape ie July/August.

It does not attract the Cabbage stem flea beetle.

There is a lot of work going on in the back-ground to secure alternative products as replacements for diquat.
 
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Wigeon

Member
Arable Farmer
My spring linseed which is on contract with United oilseeds is currently getting murdered by flax flea beetles. Found up to 4 on some plants, and the plants are no bigger than a golf tee. Bit annoying really.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Very good to hear this, I do wonder sometimes, that all the people who bitch on about linseed being difficult to harvest, had maybe used glypho to desiccated their linseed.

I've grown spring linseed for seed & used Reglone because I had to. I promise you it makes little difference unless you want to be cutting it sooner. (n)
 

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