This year, I had to abandon a few acres of oilseed rape that were so badly infested with weeds and thistles that the combine was unable to make any real progress. That was over three weeks ago. Since then we did all the wheat and my contractor had got all his own work done so we came back to see if we could tackle the weed-infested crop to at least tidy up the field. I had over six weeks ago sprayed it with Roundup and a pod sealant.
Since then we have had lots of rain and unusually strong winds for September, so on Saturday we went in to try and cut the over-desiccated crop. I expected very little but, while the pods had that tell-tale silvery sheen that normally means total shatter and seed loss, in fact, on examination, the vast majority of the pods were intact with the seeds safely inside. We harvested the crop slowly but with no real trouble and delivered well over 1t of oilseed rape per acre to the local intake point. A lesson learned – the modern pod sealants are a technological revolution. We now have to move on to the beans, the last crop of the 2016 harvest. Over the last week or so, the crop has ripened well, but they are still not ready.
On the cattle side, we continue to sell a few bulls every week. The length of time the stragglers are spending at full feed – around 180 days – means they are inevitably dying in debt, while their more efficient colleagues are coming into full weights after 120 days on full feed following a period on grass.
ADVERTISEMENT
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
This year, I had to abandon a few acres of oilseed rape that were so badly infested with weeds and thistles that the combine was unable to make any real progress. That was over three weeks ago. Since then we did all the wheat and my contractor had got all his own work done so we came back to see if we could tackle the weed-infested crop to at least tidy up the field. I had over six weeks ago sprayed it with Roundup and a pod sealant.
Since then we have had lots of rain and unusually strong winds for September, so on Saturday we went in to try and cut the over-desiccated crop. I expected very little but, while the pods had that tell-tale silvery sheen that normally means total shatter and seed loss, in fact, on examination, the vast majority of the pods were intact with the seeds safely inside. We harvested the crop slowly but with no real trouble and delivered well over 1t of oilseed rape per acre to the local intake point. A lesson learned – the modern pod sealants are a technological revolution. We now have to move on to the beans, the last crop of the 2016 harvest. Over the last week or so, the crop has ripened well, but they are still not ready.
On the cattle side, we continue to sell a few bulls every week. The length of time the stragglers are spending at full feed – around 180 days – means they are inevitably dying in debt, while their more efficient colleagues are coming into full weights after 120 days on full feed following a period on grass.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS