Hybrid oilseed rapes look so full of potential this year, says Keith Challen
I feel like I’m repeating myself, but boy do we need some rain. Last year, I had recorded 70mm year to date, and this year it is 60mm.
I read with some interest that the metropolitan police were being issued with water cannons for riot control while southern England faces a hosepipe ban; it doesn’t quite seem fair. I understand growers in the north of the county are irrigating already; obviously I’m too young to remember the summer of 1976, but comparisons are already being made locally.
Winter wheat looks well and will receive a T0 as soon as it warms up. My products of choice are Asana (epoxiconazole + fenpropimorph + kresoxim) and Ignite (epoxiconazole). Crops received 70kg/ha of nitrogen earlier in the month with an almost immediate response.
The hybrid oilseed rapes just look so full of potential, if only I could control the weather. The fear of hybrid seed shortages has prompted me to think about booking seed for next year already. Based on what I’ve seen already I’m going to stick with the DK’s, Excellium, Ex-power and Extravert.
Congratulations to Rik Webster and his men for planting our elders in record time. I’m pleased with the stock and they don’t seem to have fared too badly after travelling halfway across Europe. Planting was the easy bit; now I’ve not only got to keep them alive and produce flowers – sounds easy. All being well, later in the month they will get some diluted organic slurry to promote rapid growth.
It’s work experience day at the local high school and I have my youngest daughter, Harriet, running the show. She’s a natural, which I’m pleased about. However, her presence on farm has led Millie, my trainee gun dog, to completely ignore me in favour of hanging on Harriet’s every word. I’m beginning to think it may be easier to teach Harriet to shoot than train Millie to respond to me.
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