AgriFacts December 2019 Your monthly roundup of news, prices and other farming matters
Challenging conditions require appropriate agronomy Everything was going so well until the heavens opened during the third
If conditions allow the drilling of winter wheat and beans between now
week of September.
and the spring, they will need a very tailored approach to seed rates. More importantly, if we do get to drill in January, we need to focus on appropriate agronomic inputs to maximise output related to yield potential. One crucial aspect of the recent heavy rains is the crops nutritional requirements. Soils will have a depleted nutrient reserve and root development will have been restricted due to waterlogging. Stressed plants will need assistance early in the spring to retain tillers and maximise rooting, meaning timely applications of nitrogen and sulphur. Now is a good time to monitor drainage, ditches and mark outfalls.
Whether you are a half empty or half full person, we certainly have full grain stores after harvest 2019. But unfortunately, next to the grain heaps we have pallets full of seed, a chemical store full of residual herbicides and a notebook full of different drilling plans and alternative crops. Dare I even mention oilseed rape (OSR) and the hectares lost to cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) this year. Our industry is under huge pressure. In the Midlands, I would estimate that only 30% of winter cereals are drilled and much of the OSR has either disappeared or is now under threat from CSFB larvae and waterlogging. With a nation focused on Brexit and a general election, we have vegetable and root crops as well as maize still to harvest and only a small percentage of arable crops drilled this autumn, which has barely made the news. The challenge now is to keep those crops we have planted alive, free of weeds and turning a profit when establishment has been so challenging. We also need to make some sound decisions on what to plant when the weather finally allows growers to bring the drill out from the shed again. With such a large area of the country unplanted, spring seed prices have increased to eye-watering levels, which means achieving a decent return, given the high seed rates of spring barley and wheat, is a challenge. However, we have winter wheat seed in stock that is bought and probably paid for and a commodity price that is on the up. The majority of winter wheat varieties can be drilled until the end of January and some, including Skyfall, until the end of February. Similarly, winter beans can be planted into February.
I am currently spending time with clients discussing various cropping options, changing rotations and constructing formatted plans per field. To aid with this, the team at Indigro have developed a gross margin rotational planner to help agronomists and land managers to better assess the impact of later drilling and yields, cropping changes, the risks attached to certain crops, including blackgrass and disease pressure in the rotation, appropriate inputs and financial returns. The tool also looks at the implications for the whole farm arable enterprise over an extended length of time. We feel this provides support when constructing rotations and aids decision making on inputs and budgets. Taking a step back to assess the situation, making appropriate plans and being ready to take advantage of any opportunity the weather may afford is vital. As I am a glass half full kind of person, the good news is that we wanted to delay drilling due to blackgrass and BYDV pressure and we certainly have done that! David Boulton, Agronomist
2019 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) Payments:
Flooding advice and grant, The Farming Recovery Fund:
The window to start receiving BPS payments opens on 1st December in England.
The government announced on 13 November it will extend its Farming Recovery Fund to support those affected by the recent flooding across Yorkshire and the Midlands. The scheme enables farmers whose farms have suffered damage past the ability of insurance companies, to apply for grants between ÂŁ500 and ÂŁ25,000 to aid with repairs.
Farmers and landowners are being urged to be extra vigilant for fraudsters. Payments for 2019 agri-environment schemes are also due to begin from early December.
The RPA is currently working on the criteria and mechanism for applications to the fund. Further scheme details are not expected for a few weeks.