FEATURE
FARMER FOCUS
ADAM DRIVER Déjà Vu?
Another fun drilling season….I am pleased to say we are drilled up bar about 50 hectares on some poorly drained blackgrassy land which was always on the list to do last. This will now be better off as spring barley. Last season was very difficult, we did not get enough drilled and were always waiting for the promised week of good weather which never materialised. However, the silver lining is that we learnt a huge amount on how to deal with a wet autumn, no tilling on clay. In the long run I think this is a blessing in disguise and which offer more value down the line compared to one harvest with not enough wheat in the ground. We started drilling on 19th September, getting in about 300ha of winter barley and wheat before the weather broke, on the 23rd the same day as last year. This was all drilled with the sprinter on 2 inch dutch points after spring barley an spring oats. After the rain broke, we had 260ha of cover crop land to get in, as well as 130ha of cultivated land. The cover crop land, after OSR and first wheat consisted of linseed, buckwheat and sunflowers. We managed to chip away in small breaks in the weather for the next month. The cover crop kept the drill running clean and crops look reasonably well now. There was a lot of slugs to deal with however I hope as we get deeper into this style of farming they will diminish with better soil structure and more beneficials. It was really a revelation being able to drill into nice soil whilst anyone who had cultivated were doing their best to maul crops in, probably causing more soil damage to add on to
Extase winter wheat avatar drilled post cover crop of osr volunteers buckwheat sunflowers and linseed
68 DIRECT DRILLER MAGAZINE
Soil structure coming along
what was caused last year. The fields now walk beautifully (apart from the odd hammered tramline and headland corner). Water is percolating through the soil profile and the number of worms is staggering. One thing that has become noticeable in the last few days is that any winter barley crops in the area established direct or with a shallow cultivator pass are generally looking green and well, whereas those established with deeper tillage and ploughing are beginning to show up yellow areas and multiple wheeling’s. More proof that aggressive tillage can often be counterproductive. Our area of cultivated land all ended up being broadcast and harrowed in. It is actually emerging well however the lack of structure in the soil is noticeable when walking, and there is more blackgrass pressure. Not ideal and hopefully the majority of our crops established with no till are proof that this cultivating was recreational. The rape is generally looking okay, there is about 25ha we will right off and put spring oats in. It has been noticeable the OSR has been much harder to establish after spring barley, compared to early winter wheat and winter barley. Our low risk approach to OSR means the only cost lost on the poor couple of fields is a dose of slug pellets and a £5/ ha graminicide. As all OSR was sown with a companion crop I feel the 30kg/ha N applied at drilling will have been utilised by these, even if the rape itself did not get going. Regenerative agriculture is reaching an interesting point in its development in the UK. It is becoming more mainstream. This is bringing to the fore some notable issues. What was once a farmer led movement is becoming increasingly
Winter malting barley sprinter 2 inch Dutch points
ISSUE 12 | JANUARY 2021
