Drilling delayed by soaked fields and dusty soils
Drilling delayed by soaked fields and dusty soils
By Andrew Blake
SODDEN fields and bone-dry soils have disrupted cereal drilling across the country as a clear east/west split emerges. Earlier this week growers in the east were fearing a repeat of last autumns disastrous wet weather.
Some East Anglian farms had only 10% sown by Tuesday after up to 80mm (3in) of rain in a week. But in the south-west ADAS was advising growers to delay working land until moisture returned.
"Things are painfully slow," said Stowmarket-based agronomist John Tunaley. "We have lost a lot of time in the past seven to 10 days and I shouldnt think we are more than 20% drilled up on average.
"Growers are totally frustrated. The land is in an appalling condition and its the third year running that we have been in this mess. To have drains running at this time of year doesnt bode well."
In Essex soils ideal for drilling a week or so ago had been made sticky and impassable with only 25-30% done, noted ADASs Sara Osbourne.
By contrast dry weather in the south-west looked set to halt progress with 20-25% done, as fears for patchy germination in forced seed-beds grew. "We are telling people to hold off where they cant get seed-beds down and they are just wasting diesel moving cobbles about," said Taunton-based ADAS agronomist Matt Craig.
"I am not too concerned yet because we dont generally drill early down here and if anything we are slightly ahead."
In Somerset former barometer Richard Payne decided to do no more until rain returned. "We got 55 acres in but I am slightly nervous about it because the seed-beds were like talcum powder." *
CEREAL DRILLING
* About a quarter done.
* Saturated soils in east.
* Dusty in south-west.
* Structure & chitting fears.
CEREALDRILLING
• About a quarter done.
• Saturated soils in east.
• Dusty in south-west.
• Structure & chitting fears.