Croom, Co Limerick
Things have been dry in Croom over the past month explains John, and this has really been reflected in grass growth.
Growth in any field which was cut for silage was virtually at a standstill and in the absence of rain, he would have had to start feeding silage by next week.
A number of showers over the past week helped alleviate this pressure however.
John was servicing both his Deutz Fahr combines this week.
On the cereal front, crops are looking good and haven’t shown any significant signs of moisture stress. His winter barley harvest is due to start this week.
Crop ripening is very variable throughout the fields however. He generally doesn’t spray the field off with glyphosate due to the risk of straw breakdown. The crops are all standing well and looks to have reasonably good potential.
His winter wheat crops are beginning to turn and he is happy with them. He intends on crimping around 100-120 acres for winter feed in around two weeks’ time.
The grain is harvested as normal before being run through a crimper and treated with an enzyme based additive. The grain is then pitted in a silage pit before being sealed with a layer of grass silage to protect it from pests.
The crimped wheat straw is generally lifted with a forage harvester, chopped and pitted before being sealed with grass silage. This will also be used as feed during the winter.
“We generally lift the crimped straw ourselves but if we are caught for time, we’ll get the local contractor in” he explains. The rest of his winter wheat will be harvested in around a months’ time.
Maize doing well
“Our maize is growing so fast that you would notice the difference between the morning and evening” John explains.
The crop is currently standing at around 1-1.5 meters in height and is dark green in colour. He had to apply a follow up herbicide application on a patch of the crop to mop up late germinating weeds.
His spring wheat received its head spray last week consisting of Rubric (0.8l/ha) and Globaztar(0.8l/ha).
Weed control in the crop appears to have been a particular challenge this year.
Delvin, Co Westmeath
While the 2018 harvest was Donal’s earliest start to winter barley to date, 2019 is shaping up to be his latest.
He sprayed off the first of his winter barley crops last week (Mizr at 1.6l/ha) and expects to start later this week.
He thinks the combination of adequate moisture, heat and possibly higher levels of carryover soil nitrogen from last year may be contributing to the slow pace ripening of his winter crops.
He has one headland infested with sterile brome and last month he hand sprayed them with glyphosate.
Donal spot sprayed some sterile brome weeds this year. He remarks on the notable increase in weeds this year.
He now plans on cutting that area of winter barley last in order to minimise the risk of weed spread.
Along with a stale seed bed, he will plant a mix of vetch and phacelia along that margin in order to drown out any surviving weed seeds. Donal notes that weed control has been a big problem this year in his winter barley and wheat.
Overall, rainfall levels during the past month have been low. Ground is very hard and water levels are low. None of his crops have showed and signs of moisture stress and crops, such as his maize have recovered very well after a slow start.
One of his winter wheat crops looks somewhat thin and he wonders if this is as a result of applying the crops main nitrogen split a few days late.
All of his crops look quite clean but he is having to hand rouge wild oats more often this year.
His spring barley crops are all looking well. He is particularly happy with the crops which were min-tilled following a grazed cover crop.
His spring beans are very thick and he is watching closely the levels of pests and diseases. He remarks how tall they are and that spraying them could be difficult.
His winter oilseed rape is close to being desiccated and thinks that this could work out well timing wise as his winter barley will most likely be finished at that stage.
Despite the higher amount of fodder made in his area, he notes that demand for straw is relatively normal.
Poyntzpass, Co Down
Simon’s winter oats are lush, dense and in the process of ripening which put them at risk of lodging due to the heavy down pours over the past week in Poyntzpass.
His Mascani winter oats are following oilseed rape and looked like an excellent crop all year, but now have lodged in several patches in a number fields.
The crop is only beginning to turn now and what looked like an early harvest in April is now looking like a slightly later than normal harvest Simon explains.
Simon is happy with his Elyann spring oats this year.
His winter wheat is still very green and thinks the harvest is still six to seven weeks away.
Simon had to hand rouged a number of patches of soft brome in the crop but used a hand held weed wiper to apply glyphosate on heavier patches of the weed.
He applied this just before the weed went to flower and have all died back now. He hasn’t seen any blackgrass in the area but is keeping a close eye out for the deadly weed.
The first of is winter oilseed rape is was desiccated last week (Roundup PowerMax at 2kg/ha) and he aims to desiccate another batch this week and before finishing it off next week. All crops received Podstick (1l/ha).
Spring beans impressive
His springs beans continue to develop and the crops remain free of significant aphid infestations and disease.
The crop has a high amount of pods per plant and appears to have great yield potential.
They received a second fungicide application at the start of July of San703 (chlorothalonil and cyproconazole at 1.9l/ha). Simon envisages that they won’t need another fungicide.
“The weather has really suited our spring beans” he explains.
His spring oats are also quite clean and have headed out. Simon as opted not to apply a T2 on the crop.
It’s his first time growing Elyann spring oats and feels that the weather this year has contributed to the low disease pressure.
“I feel that there’s less of a disease spectrum on oats and given the good year so far, there’s no point in applying a T2 for the sake of it” Simon remarks.
Read more
Farmer sues contractor after hand trapped in combine harvester
Croom, Co Limerick
Things have been dry in Croom over the past month explains John, and this has really been reflected in grass growth.
Growth in any field which was cut for silage was virtually at a standstill and in the absence of rain, he would have had to start feeding silage by next week.
A number of showers over the past week helped alleviate this pressure however.
John was servicing both his Deutz Fahr combines this week.
On the cereal front, crops are looking good and haven’t shown any significant signs of moisture stress. His winter barley harvest is due to start this week.
Crop ripening is very variable throughout the fields however. He generally doesn’t spray the field off with glyphosate due to the risk of straw breakdown. The crops are all standing well and looks to have reasonably good potential.
His winter wheat crops are beginning to turn and he is happy with them. He intends on crimping around 100-120 acres for winter feed in around two weeks’ time.
The grain is harvested as normal before being run through a crimper and treated with an enzyme based additive. The grain is then pitted in a silage pit before being sealed with a layer of grass silage to protect it from pests.
The crimped wheat straw is generally lifted with a forage harvester, chopped and pitted before being sealed with grass silage. This will also be used as feed during the winter.
“We generally lift the crimped straw ourselves but if we are caught for time, we’ll get the local contractor in” he explains. The rest of his winter wheat will be harvested in around a months’ time.
Maize doing well
“Our maize is growing so fast that you would notice the difference between the morning and evening” John explains.
The crop is currently standing at around 1-1.5 meters in height and is dark green in colour. He had to apply a follow up herbicide application on a patch of the crop to mop up late germinating weeds.
His spring wheat received its head spray last week consisting of Rubric (0.8l/ha) and Globaztar(0.8l/ha).
Weed control in the crop appears to have been a particular challenge this year.
Delvin, Co Westmeath
While the 2018 harvest was Donal’s earliest start to winter barley to date, 2019 is shaping up to be his latest.
He sprayed off the first of his winter barley crops last week (Mizr at 1.6l/ha) and expects to start later this week.
He thinks the combination of adequate moisture, heat and possibly higher levels of carryover soil nitrogen from last year may be contributing to the slow pace ripening of his winter crops.
He has one headland infested with sterile brome and last month he hand sprayed them with glyphosate.
Donal spot sprayed some sterile brome weeds this year. He remarks on the notable increase in weeds this year.
He now plans on cutting that area of winter barley last in order to minimise the risk of weed spread.
Along with a stale seed bed, he will plant a mix of vetch and phacelia along that margin in order to drown out any surviving weed seeds. Donal notes that weed control has been a big problem this year in his winter barley and wheat.
Overall, rainfall levels during the past month have been low. Ground is very hard and water levels are low. None of his crops have showed and signs of moisture stress and crops, such as his maize have recovered very well after a slow start.
One of his winter wheat crops looks somewhat thin and he wonders if this is as a result of applying the crops main nitrogen split a few days late.
All of his crops look quite clean but he is having to hand rouge wild oats more often this year.
His spring barley crops are all looking well. He is particularly happy with the crops which were min-tilled following a grazed cover crop.
His spring beans are very thick and he is watching closely the levels of pests and diseases. He remarks how tall they are and that spraying them could be difficult.
His winter oilseed rape is close to being desiccated and thinks that this could work out well timing wise as his winter barley will most likely be finished at that stage.
Despite the higher amount of fodder made in his area, he notes that demand for straw is relatively normal.
Poyntzpass, Co Down
Simon’s winter oats are lush, dense and in the process of ripening which put them at risk of lodging due to the heavy down pours over the past week in Poyntzpass.
His Mascani winter oats are following oilseed rape and looked like an excellent crop all year, but now have lodged in several patches in a number fields.
The crop is only beginning to turn now and what looked like an early harvest in April is now looking like a slightly later than normal harvest Simon explains.
Simon is happy with his Elyann spring oats this year.
His winter wheat is still very green and thinks the harvest is still six to seven weeks away.
Simon had to hand rouged a number of patches of soft brome in the crop but used a hand held weed wiper to apply glyphosate on heavier patches of the weed.
He applied this just before the weed went to flower and have all died back now. He hasn’t seen any blackgrass in the area but is keeping a close eye out for the deadly weed.
The first of is winter oilseed rape is was desiccated last week (Roundup PowerMax at 2kg/ha) and he aims to desiccate another batch this week and before finishing it off next week. All crops received Podstick (1l/ha).
Spring beans impressive
His springs beans continue to develop and the crops remain free of significant aphid infestations and disease.
The crop has a high amount of pods per plant and appears to have great yield potential.
They received a second fungicide application at the start of July of San703 (chlorothalonil and cyproconazole at 1.9l/ha). Simon envisages that they won’t need another fungicide.
“The weather has really suited our spring beans” he explains.
His spring oats are also quite clean and have headed out. Simon as opted not to apply a T2 on the crop.
It’s his first time growing Elyann spring oats and feels that the weather this year has contributed to the low disease pressure.
“I feel that there’s less of a disease spectrum on oats and given the good year so far, there’s no point in applying a T2 for the sake of it” Simon remarks.
Read more
Farmer sues contractor after hand trapped in combine harvester
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