Mike Cumming
Mike Cumming
Mike Cumming is manager at
Lour Farms, Ladenford,
Forfar, Angus, where spring
malting barley and seed
potatoes occupy about half
the 749ha (1850 acres).
Other crops include winter
wheat, barley and oats,
oilseed rape, swedes
and grass
THE wet October has allowed time for harvest reflection. Spring barley looks like averaging 5.6t/ha (2.26 t/acre) with 93% of the 1600t produced sold for malting. Chariot averaged 5.83t/ha (2.36 t/acre), Landlord 5.78t/ha (2.34t/acre) and Prisma 4.9t/ha (2.0 t/acre).
Yet again Chariot performed well during a wet summer with no splitting. By contrast Prismas yield penalty and high fungicide costs of £35/ha (£14/acre), double that of the others, dictates a lower area next spring.
Estimated nitrogen, averaged across the total tonnage, will be 1.64%, compared to our normal 1.60%. Overall I expect to average £85/t, with the boldest Prisma making £97/t. A better spring barley picture than we anticipated.
This year analysis results for each load of malting barley delivered to Scotgrain, our main merchant, were e-mailed to me daily. Such prompt information flows within the industry are very useful and I suggest that this is an area where HGCA funding could usefully be deployed. However, given that we contribute £1100 of levy annually without any direct feedback to the farmfrom the HGCA, suggest funds are directed to better communications within the industry is something of a paradox.
On farm wheat trials carried out by DuPont seem to confirm my own thoughts that strobilurins need very careful management in our climate. Results show triazole plots yielding 9.7t/ha (3.9t/acre) at 72% lodging, whereas the strob trials yielded 11t/ha (4.5t/acre) at 88% lodging.
In Sept we drilled 154ha (380 acres) of autumn cereals, including 40ha (100 acres) of wheat. That is well established but about 60ha (147 acres) of wheat is left to drill after potatoes. I cannot see it all going in as completing potato lifting is now top priority.
At the end of last week we had 13ha (32 acres) left, nearly quarter of our crop. For the first time we will be lifting potatoes in Nov and whether we will ever get finished is anyones guess.
Like all growers we are in uncharted waters this year.
Potato lifting is going to run into November for the first time in Mike Cummings experience at Lour Farms, Angus. But spring barley final analysis has turned out better than expected.