try soya?
Why not
try soya?
CONSIDER soya instead of voluntary set-aside, says Hants-based Premium Crops.
Excellent soil conditions promise good establishment for the first time in a couple of years and growers can expect much better returns from growing the crop, says the firms Edward Willmott.
"Unless you can cut fixed costs the returns on set-aside are very poor," he says.
At a typical yield of 2.5-3.7t/ha (20-30cwt/acre), and a grain value of £175/t, a crop of soya would give a gross margin close to £500/ha (£200/acre.
The ideal sowing time is mid-April to early May. The firms Canadian bred variety Gentleman, used as a control in NIAB soya work for the past two years, offers a mid-September harvest from crops no more than 65m (200ft) above sea level.
"It is mid-September, not the end of September. Thats a key difference," says colleague Nigel Bazeley. *
NIAB SOYA FIGURES
Variety Yield Standing Earliness
Gentleman* 105 8.25 6.75
Northern Conquest* 95 6.5 4.75
Progress 78 9 8.75
Aldana 63 9 8.25
Milvus 48 7.75 8
Ustie 97 8.5 6
Kievskaya 98 108 7 4.75
Chernyatka 104 3 4
Kievskaya 27 116 6.25 3.25
* Control varieties. All others NL2 results from 2001 only.
Source: Premium Crops.
NIAB soya figures
Variety Yield Stding Earliness
Gentleman* 105 8.25 6.75
Northern Conquest* 95 6.5 4.75
Progress 78 9 8.75
Aldana 63 9 8.25
Milvus 48 7.75 8
Ustie 97 8.5 6
Kievskaya 98 108 7 4.75
Chernyatka 104 3 4
Kievskaya 27 116 6.25 3.25
* Control varieties. All others NL2 results from 2001 only.
Source: Premium Crops.