AgriFacts July 2020 Your monthly roundup of news, prices and other farming matters
Agronomy Update: Looking ahead to a fresh start and new opportunities I am sure, for many growers, harvest cannot come soon enough and a
Winter cropping and chemical controls, back-to-back spring cereals, direct
fresh start is just what is desired after a very challenging year. Once crops are harvested, soils can be sampled and analysed for key nutrients and pH and holes can be dug to assess the structure and health of soils. Fields would have been travelled on when too wet last Autumn and into early Spring, so there may be good justification to pass through with a subsoiler to break up tightness and compaction damage after inspection. Now would be a good time to get fields analysed for soil organic matter, to offer a snapshot in time of the health of one’s farm and to act as a benchmark for future agricultural policy which will inevitably look to reward growers who are improving soil health.
drilled in the spring and ideally after an Autumn sown cover crop, will make all the difference. In this scenario, wouldn’t it be fantastic to undersow the crop with miniature white clover to provide a low growing crop to build fertility?
Pre-harvest meetings are underway (some with the help of Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp!), where I am spending time with clients, reflecting on the past year and planning for the next. Plenty of seed is still in the shed, untouched from last year, and will need planting first this autumn, once tested for germination. For those who are looking for fresh seed and new varieties this autumn, there are attractive, lower input options, such as KWS Extase, to complement more established varieties. It is more important than ever to consider the Septoria tritici resistance rating when selecting varieties, now that the fungicide chlorothalonil has been revoked, and whilst new active ingredients are available, such as mefentrifluconazole, these will come at a high price. Growers should not be lured into drilling very early this Autumn, in response to being caught out a year ago. Delaying drilling into October brings clear advantages in the arm wrestle with blackgrass and reduces the risk of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). Innovative breeding has produced the first BYDV resistant wheat variety, RAGT Wolverine, which will suit growers in the south west of England or those that wish not to use insecticides. Many will be discontinuing growing OSR for now, until a more reliable means of Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle control is available. Work is being carried out by plant breeders to find resistant varieties, which would provide an answer. Finding a suitable alternative will be very much farm and soil type specific, and there will be no ‘one-size fits all’ answer. For those looking for an early harvest and a good entry into Winter Wheat, Winter Linseed could be an option on relatively clean blackgrass sites, or similarly, Spring Peas on lighter soil types. Winter Beans will feature on heavier soils, and where blackgrass is proving to be too persistent with
Growers could bring grass (and livestock) back into the arable rotation through temporary leys of 2 to 4 years. Diverse leys consisting of legumes, herbs and grass species will greatly contribute to the health of soil biota and will bolster soil organic matter levels and sequester carbon, potentially drawing an income stream of its own in years to come. An Indigro project is currently investigating the carbon footprint of various farming systems, with a view to understanding the factors that contribute to levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme could leave a hole in the pocket for many, however, whole field, rotatable options available through Countryside Stewardship (CS) offer an alternative income source. If this year has shown us anything, it is that resilience and spreading risk is key, which is where CS through Mid-Tier or the Arable Offers can provide income whilst benefiting the environment, regardless of adverse weather conditions. Indigro have developed a rotational planner that incorporates ‘environmental crop’ options such as GS4 and AB15 into the arable rotation, and calculates the risks, such as blackgrass pressure, plateauing yields from disease build-up and crop loss, and the rewards, of various rotations. I am inclined to think that, in the long run, the demise of Oilseed Rape will offer a breath of fresh air to our soils and the farm ecosystem, building wider rotations, that will allow legume crops to fix ‘free’ nitrogen from the air and contribute to soil health and mycorrhizal colonisation. In many ways, it will be valuable to reflect on this year and learn from the experience. However, for now, with lockdown rules gradually easing, we can begin to breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to catching up with friends and family this summer. David Boulton