Another day another deluge, but November provides hope!
As I draft this article in early November the weather has finally relented allowing customers to drill crops into half decent conditions and if we are lucky this may last long enough for crops to at least emerge! Having done a quick tally of crops drilled to date I would place Autumn drilling on average at 65% – 75% complete, however this does not tell the full story of what is in the ground! In many cases due to when the rain came this Autumn in comparison to last Autumn there are many Winter Barley crops only just going in the ground via more tried and tested methods of seed bed preparation and drilling, whilst some have chosen to abandon them altogether, whilst the usual order of things with regards to first and second wheats has generally turned into picking off field as conditions allow with many second wheats going in ahead of first wheats.
Looking at weather station data this Autumn in comparison to 2023 the amount of rain in September this year was 260% that of September 2023 [and I’m certain worse can be found in other areas!] whilst in October we [thankfully] only got 75% of that which we had in October 2023. This has resulted in many of the heavier fields that would normally be drilled first only just being drilled, but to do so many customers have had to turn back time and employ ploughs, power harrows and tine drills (recently purchased) to complete the job as the modern [heavy!] min-till/direct drill equipment is not suitable on soils that are unwilling to dry sufficiently as day length shortens and sunny days are few and far between. In addition, where customers did manage to drill, in a lot of cases drilling depth has been very inconsistent as drills have struggled to cope resulting in many pre-emergence herbicides being held back until crop emergence. Rolls have also remained parked up and where they were used most have regretted the very tight seed beds created and or additional wheeling’s created.
In general crop establishment on freely draining soils looks ok apart from where clay caps are present, giving issues with water logging & slug pressure, esp. following oilseed rape, but on heavier soil types or lower lying wet areas anything short of a plough, power harrow and tine drill has resulted in parts of fields and esp. on headlands where we are still awaiting signs of life! After two consecutive seasons of poor weather during drilling it is not surprising that one of the most common conversations on farm concerns the virtues of minimum tillage and/or direct drilling and the bind they place you in under such conditions. Are the cost savings justified if the outputs at harvest are reduced AND in many cases where these methods are being sold on the premise of being more environmentally friendly can we really justify their use when they increase the risk of lower crop establishment which in turn reduces nutrient use efficiency, gives higher gaseous emissions, reduces carbon capture and ultimately results in lower gross margins, all because they don’t provide the flexibility of use under the conditions faced over the past few seasons, plus their price tag doesn’t sit well when parked in the yard [doing nothing] or indeed allow room in the yard for other pieces of equipment that are more suitable.
Oilseed rape crops have established well in general, except for later drilled crops in the second half of September where it was chosen to wait if crops were not drilled by the middle of August to avoid what has traditionally been seen as the higher flea beetle pressure period in late August/early September. However, no one told the flea beetle this [or maybe they did!] and they decided to come out in October this year! Together with the dank conditions resulting in slower growth [and in some cases Turnip Sawfly larvae also!] and slugs later sown crops have struggled this year.
Anyhow, looking at the forecast [if it is to be trusted!] the deluges of the past 2 months look to be behind us, whilst November appears to be providing a calmer period with which I hope all those who are still busy in the field are able to get crops in [and up] before winter sets in when I am hoping for a cold winter to avoid the same pressures of the Spring just gone.
