This is a subscriber-only article
Where did that year go? As December 2020 slips away and we drift into January, let us hope for something better from 2021. But can we start by wishing all our readers a happy and successful New Year, as we continue to wish for that elusive combination of good yields and good prices.
While there are unlikely to be planting opportunities for at least another few weeks, now is the time to plan for the spring ahead.
Last year, we faced into the inevitability of a severe scarcity of spring cereal seed and, while this year is less critical, certified seed may also be tight this spring. This is because of the rejections that took place last harvest due to the bad weather.
There may be further opportunity to plant winter wheat between now and early February, but that depends on ground conditions being suitable. Recent experience showed that the crops cannot cope with tight ground sown in very marginal conditions – spring barley has shown that it can be a better option in such conditions.
The response last spring was to plant a wider range of crops and we saw a lot more spring wheat and spring beans planted, as well as much more spring barley.
Some of this was imported, especially the beans and spring wheat, but the less reliance we can have on imported seed the better. This is because of the risk of bringing in weeds with seed from other countries. The last thing that anyone wants is to bring a new weed problem onto their land, especially something like blackgrass.
So, look at the area to be planted in spring, optimise rotational slots like break crops for wheat or premium crops, consider oats if it seems to be in demand by local buyers, and let the rest be spring barley. Have the conversation with your supplier about seed orders once you get “Plan A” in place and see where you go from there.
Where possible, one should try to keep a good rotation intact, as this is important for profitability. Every farm should try to have an area of protein crop, because it brings so much to a rotation. We have come to see rotation as a choice made ahead of planting wheat, but it is much more than that.
Rotation is about choices that help to make root systems work better because they promote certain soil organisms. Rotation is about limiting or reducing disease transfer, both onto roots and foliage. Rotation is about spreading financial risk across a number of crops, while attempting to optimise or maximise income over time.
Many growers will want to use January to get some early ploughing done ahead of a busy spring season.
Ground conditions may not be good enough to do this yet, but there may be a window somewhere over the next four to six weeks.
And if you have a furrow /press on the plough, use it, as it will help to get you onto that ground earlier in spring.
SHARING OPTIONS: