FARMERFOCUS
FARMERFOCUS
Brian Lock
Brian Lock farms rented and
owned land in Dorset,
including 200ha (500
acres) at Silverlake Farm,
Sherborne. Cropping
includes wheat and barley
for feed, seed and malting
markets plus oilseed rape
and herbage seed
HARVEST results in this part of the country are nothing like those reported by other correspondents.
Disastrous or appalling are widely used adjectives to describe the 1998 crop. In the area wheat yields of 5-6t/ha (2-2.4t/acre) and barley at 3.7-5t/ha(1.5-2t/acre) were not unusual, with heavy land being worst affected.
Before the August bank holiday we tried the spring rape, but due to 18% moisture and too much immature seed, it was left until after the weekend.
Meanwhile the weather changed and we ended up snatching odd hours at almost any time of the day or night, finally finishing the crop a fortnight later. Moisture never fell below 16%, but yield at about 2.5t/ha (20cwt/acre) is not too bad.
It has proved to be very difficult to get contracts for herbage seed this autumn. We have had to drop Rosalin and Elgon and have been unable to get all the acreage of Molisto that we would have liked. In addition we will have Dromore, a late diploid, and Barzini, a tetraploid Italian.
On the cereal side we are sticking with Maris Otter winter barley, both for seed and malting on contracts. Wheats Consort and Reaper will be our main varieties, with Claire as a newcomer, as it looks to have great promise to me. Time will tell.
The fact that one of the merchants with whom we contract herbage seed has gone into receivership is desperately sad and represents the demise of a very old, established and highly respected family seed business in at least the fourth generation of the same family.
In response to my last farmer focus article, a friend of mine commented that I must be the only farmer in Dorset who wears his Barbour at harvest time. The picture was actually taken in February, but was something of a premonition as with the weather change for the rape it turned out to be a true reflection of things to come! *
Simon Wadlow
Simon Wadlow farms 200ha
(500 acres) at The Croft,
near Bridgnorth, Shropshire.
Key crops are winter wheat
and sugar beet, plus winter
oats, barley, oilseed rape
and beans. Forage maize,
set-aside and pasture make
up the balance
FOUR weeks ago I reported that we were half way through harvest and I was feeling quite optimistic for a relatively early finish.
Earlier today, Sept 17, we finally finished our winter wheat.
Due to some catchy weather, the combine did not return from its co-owner until Aug 29. We went into Charger wheat, which came in at 16% moisture, 75kg/hl specific weight and a yield of 9.25t/ha (3.7t/acre). Two fields of Consort were next, before it went up the road again, to return Sept 4. We only had 20ha (50 acres) of wheat to cut, but despite going at up to 23% moisture, it has taken nearly a fortnight to finish. Fortunately, the sample is showing little sign of weather damage and though still to be dried, I hope it will have yielded 8.6t/ha (3.5t/acre).
With a reasonable weather forecast for the coming weekend, we should soon have the Striker winter beans cut, though I am pessimistic about the yield.
The awful harvest weather has at least been ideal for sowing oilseed rape. Hybrid variety Pronto went in at just under 5kg/ha (4.5lb/acre), followed immediately by 7.5kg/ha (6.7lb/acre) of mini-slug pellets (metaldehyde). It was disappointing two weeks later to find slugs still active, as at such low seed rates there is little margin for error. Half-rate Decoy (methiocarb) has been applied since and I hope that will get on top of the pests.
I anticipate slugs are going to be a problem on all our heavy ground this autumn so hope conditions allow us to roll seed-beds.
Cereal planting starts Sept 19, weather permitting. Despite a reasonable year, Brigadier will be dropped and replaced by quality wheat Abbott. It should be cheaper to grow without compromising yield. Otherwise, we are sticking with the varieties we grew last year. Lets hope that the new cropping year is easier than the one we have nearly finished. *
Jim McFarlane
Jim Macfarlane is farm
manager at Edrington
Mains, Foulden,
Berwickshire. Two thirds of
the 275ha (680-acre) unit
is arable, with winter wheat
the main breadwinner,
complemented by malting
barley, winter rape and peas
HARVEST is a struggle. We started wheat combining on Aug 31, then endured two weeks of dreadful weather.
Last week, after reducing the combine tyre pressures as much as we dared, we managed to cut 12ha, (30 acres) albeit with horrific rutting in the field. At least some of our lodged area is now dealt with.
As expected this was badly sprouted, but more worrying is some sprouting in standing crops. Consort seems more affected than Riband, though it has stood well. Now, as I write, a gale is blowing, grain is shedding, and it is raining again. Our Elan peas are a sorry sight and will be a salvage job at best.
To prepare ground for next years oilseed rape we took a Lemken Terra-disc on demonstration, and were so impressed we bought one. Despite the wet it worked well saving much time and effort. Trash was thoroughly mixed in and the soil broken up, leading to a better seed bed than after the plough. As a result we have got 43ha (106 acres) drilled.
Volunteer barley is of course rampant, and will be taken out with Falcon (propaquizafop) as soon as the crop and conditions allow. In due course this should reduce barley volunteers in the wheat following rape.
Our local farming pundit recently told me that to get a decent crop of rape the seed must hit the ground running. Well ours hit the ground swimming but it is growing with the help of two doses of slug pellets. We usually finish harvest by mid-September, but still have a long way to go this year. Then we will have to tackle our saturated soil. I may try to establish some wheat after rape using our new machine if the trash allows and the soil dries out enough. To plough or not to plough, that is the question, but I fear either way achieving a good seed bed and conquering the slugs will be difficult this autumn. *
Justin Blackwood
Justin Blackwood farms
562ha (1389 acres) from
Grange Farm, Great
Brington, Northants, on a
range of farming
agreements. Cropping
hinges around winter wheat,
plus winter barley, rape,
peas, oats and occasionally
linseed
WE drew some useful results from the winter wheat trials we had on Brington Farm this year.
Particularly interesting for us was the area of 12 varieties we had, thanks to New Farm Crops, to test the following fungicide programmes on:
lProgramme 1 0.6 litres/ha Amistar (azoxystrobin) + 0.3 litres/ha Alto (cyproconazole) at T1 followed by 1.0 litre/ha Amistar at T2.
lProgramme 2 0.75 litres/ha Landmark (kresoxim-methyl + epoxiconazole) at both T1 and T2.
lProgramme 3 0.5 litres/ha Alto + 1 litre/ha Bravo (chlorothalonil) at T1 followed by 0.6 litres/ha Silvacur (tebuconazole + triadimenol) at T2.
lProgramme 4 0.5 litres/ha Landmark at T1 followed by 0.5 litres/ha Amistar at T2.
All plots had a triazole/mbc earwash.
The results were remarkably consistent on all the varieties, with the Landmark programme giving the best yields, at about 1.5 t/ha over the relatively high input triazole programme. Amistar performed well but possibly due to the late application of T1, around Apr 25, yields were not up to the Landmark programme. Programme four, combining both strobilurins, performed similarly to the Amistar programme.
Varieties on our plots included Rialto, Raleigh, Savannah, Equinox, Reaper, Malacca, Consort, Shamrock, Claire and some New Farm Crops numbered varieties
I think strobilurin treatment delays ripening and harvesting, although that may have been exaggerated this year due to the reduced sunlight in June and July. Several fields and headlands here had 1 litre/ha of glyphosate plus 1 litre/ha of tallow amine adjuvant pre-harvest and I am convinced this has a great benefit in certain weather conditions, and certainly those prevailing this year. For those of us without spare combine capacity, treating greater acreages in this way may help achieve maximum returns and not leave crops in the ground when the weather breaks.
Superb seed-beds are helping keep slugs at bay and allowing reduced drilling rates of 250-270 seeds a sq m. This will be increased to 340 as we get into October. *