Water lying in the tramlines of Donal’s winter wheat crops. Over 140mm has fallen on his farm since talking to him last.
Delvin,
Co Westmeath
The August weather has been very changeable in Westmeath, explains Donal, who has only had a few opportunities to harvest. With rainfall totalling 124.7mm for the month so far, ground is now getting sticky on the surface.
However, he did have a good run at winter barley during the last week of July. Yields averaged 3.7t/ac at 15-17% moisture content (mc) and all seed crops passed. Straw yields averaged 10 4x4 round bales/ac and all of these are sold.
Once the straw gets a few days drying, Donal is confident that he will get it baled
Winter oats were a different ballgame.Beginning on August 4, the harvest was very stop-start, with Donal grabbing any opportunities he could. The crops were shaken but not flat and performed well, averaging 3.9t/ac at 22% mc. Average specific weights were low at 52kph. He chopped the headlands and the rest of the straw remains in rows. Once the straw gets a few days drying, Donal is confident that he will get it baled.
Stubble cultivations and cover crop establishment have also been a struggle this year. Due to the wet conditions, Donal got a contractor to plant around 60% of the planned cover crop area with a spring tine harrow and air seeder. He sowed 10 kg/ha of phacelia, vetch, forage rape and stubble turnip.
His winter oilseed rape harvest was finished this week
This is expected to cost around €40/ac excluding VAT. Conditions were too sticky to roll afterwards, so he is uncertain what establishment quality might be.
His winter oilseed rape harvest was finished this week. This is the first time in many years that he has grown the crop, and he is pleased with how it performed at 1.8t/ac at 12.7% mc. He opted to chop all of the oilseed rape straw.
His winter wheat is looking good with minimal lodging. He thinks the lateness of his crops was beneficial this year, given the weather. The crop will be fit for harvest after couple of good drying days. Some of his spring barley crops have lodged, but the bulk of it looks promising. There are plenty of pods in his spring beans which are just now beginning to turn.
Simon spreading compost on his winter oilseed rape ground last week. This ground will be sown with either winter wheat or oats.
Poyntzpass,
Co Down
Despite showery conditions in Down, there have been some opportunities to harvest. While the ground is getting wet, it dries quite quick when the rain stops, explains Simon.
He aims to finish his DK Exclaim oilseed rape harvest this week. The crop is thick and looked proud throughout the spring.
Some of the crop suffered lodging in May, leading to some secondary growth which slowed down harvest progress. As the crop was very ripe, he was able to harvest at any opportunity he got. Simon applied a pod sticker earlier in the year and there was virtually no pod shatter.
He chopped most of the straw, but left some to be lifted for bedding
The crop performed very well, averaging 1.9-2t/ac at 13% mc. It was dried down to 9% after harvest for storage. He chopped most of the straw, but left some to be lifted for bedding.
He harvested a particularly badly lodged field of winter oats last Saturday, but will move on to his standing crops when the weather settles.
Simon will begin harvesting the ripest of his winter wheat crops later this week. He recently came first in the Ulster Farmers Union winter wheat competition and hopes the crop will yield as well as it looks.
We’ve learned a lot about nutrient management in oats this year
His spring oats are slightly tossed but are standing well and he applied just 50kg N/ha to the crop.
“We’ve learned a lot about nutrient management in oats this year. We put slightly too much nitrogen on the winter oats and have reduced it considerably for our spring crop” he says.
His spring beans will be burned off in two weeks and are very tall. The crops have produced a lot of pods this year, all of which have filled well.
Simon is applying 15t/ac of compost onto the oilseed stubble, which will be incorporated with discs. He intends to plant a Clearfield-enabled oilseed variety this year to control mustard, charlock and volunteer oilseed on his ground. If successful, he plans to grow Clearfield varieties over a number of seasons.
John’s Feutz Fahr combine park up awaiting the return of better weather.
Croom,
Co Limerick
There have been few opportunities for cutting during this harvest in Croom, explains John. Since starting his harvest on July 24, he has had no full day of cutting without interruption from the rain. Rainfall has amounted to 117mm over the past month and the ground is getting sticky.
His winter barley crops ripened unevenly, so he waited until all the field was fit to harvest.
The crop averaged 3.75t/ac at 17% mc at 66kph. He was slightly disappointed by the yield, given how good the crop looked all year. He wonders if the dry spell or BYDV had an effect on this. The straw was allowed to mature for a few days before baling and averaged 10 4x4 round bales/ac. He then moved on to crimping winter wheat.
This grain was treated and is now stored in a silage pit for feeding over winter
The moisture at the time of harvest was 33% but he calculated that the crop yielded 4.3t/ac at 20% mc. This grain was treated and is now stored in a silage pit for feeding over winter. He plans to bale the straw when the weather settles.
John tried to harvest the remainder of the wheat a week ago but had to pull out as moistures were up to 26%. He is happy with how the crops look and there is no sign of any spouting.
Four years ago he ploughed down blackgrass seeds and hasn’t ploughed that field since.
He has no immediate plans to establish a cover crop this year, as it likely won’t fit his rotation
He did grub the field last year however, and a small patch of blackgrass seeds have germinated. He mowed the infected area and removed it earlier in the year, so he will now try to cultivate it. The aim is to try and get two flushes of weeds before spraying them off with glyphosate.
He has no immediate plans to establish a cover crop this year, as it likely won’t fit his rotation.
The warm, wet weather has suited John’s maize crops and they continue to develop. Standing at around 2.3m in height, the crop has a lot of potential. His spring wheat is still very green and he envisages whole-cropping it at the start of September.
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Water lying in the tramlines of Donal’s winter wheat crops. Over 140mm has fallen on his farm since talking to him last.
Delvin,
Co Westmeath
The August weather has been very changeable in Westmeath, explains Donal, who has only had a few opportunities to harvest. With rainfall totalling 124.7mm for the month so far, ground is now getting sticky on the surface.
However, he did have a good run at winter barley during the last week of July. Yields averaged 3.7t/ac at 15-17% moisture content (mc) and all seed crops passed. Straw yields averaged 10 4x4 round bales/ac and all of these are sold.
Once the straw gets a few days drying, Donal is confident that he will get it baled
Winter oats were a different ballgame.Beginning on August 4, the harvest was very stop-start, with Donal grabbing any opportunities he could. The crops were shaken but not flat and performed well, averaging 3.9t/ac at 22% mc. Average specific weights were low at 52kph. He chopped the headlands and the rest of the straw remains in rows. Once the straw gets a few days drying, Donal is confident that he will get it baled.
Stubble cultivations and cover crop establishment have also been a struggle this year. Due to the wet conditions, Donal got a contractor to plant around 60% of the planned cover crop area with a spring tine harrow and air seeder. He sowed 10 kg/ha of phacelia, vetch, forage rape and stubble turnip.
His winter oilseed rape harvest was finished this week
This is expected to cost around €40/ac excluding VAT. Conditions were too sticky to roll afterwards, so he is uncertain what establishment quality might be.
His winter oilseed rape harvest was finished this week. This is the first time in many years that he has grown the crop, and he is pleased with how it performed at 1.8t/ac at 12.7% mc. He opted to chop all of the oilseed rape straw.
His winter wheat is looking good with minimal lodging. He thinks the lateness of his crops was beneficial this year, given the weather. The crop will be fit for harvest after couple of good drying days. Some of his spring barley crops have lodged, but the bulk of it looks promising. There are plenty of pods in his spring beans which are just now beginning to turn.
Simon spreading compost on his winter oilseed rape ground last week. This ground will be sown with either winter wheat or oats.
Poyntzpass,
Co Down
Despite showery conditions in Down, there have been some opportunities to harvest. While the ground is getting wet, it dries quite quick when the rain stops, explains Simon.
He aims to finish his DK Exclaim oilseed rape harvest this week. The crop is thick and looked proud throughout the spring.
Some of the crop suffered lodging in May, leading to some secondary growth which slowed down harvest progress. As the crop was very ripe, he was able to harvest at any opportunity he got. Simon applied a pod sticker earlier in the year and there was virtually no pod shatter.
He chopped most of the straw, but left some to be lifted for bedding
The crop performed very well, averaging 1.9-2t/ac at 13% mc. It was dried down to 9% after harvest for storage. He chopped most of the straw, but left some to be lifted for bedding.
He harvested a particularly badly lodged field of winter oats last Saturday, but will move on to his standing crops when the weather settles.
Simon will begin harvesting the ripest of his winter wheat crops later this week. He recently came first in the Ulster Farmers Union winter wheat competition and hopes the crop will yield as well as it looks.
We’ve learned a lot about nutrient management in oats this year
His spring oats are slightly tossed but are standing well and he applied just 50kg N/ha to the crop.
“We’ve learned a lot about nutrient management in oats this year. We put slightly too much nitrogen on the winter oats and have reduced it considerably for our spring crop” he says.
His spring beans will be burned off in two weeks and are very tall. The crops have produced a lot of pods this year, all of which have filled well.
Simon is applying 15t/ac of compost onto the oilseed stubble, which will be incorporated with discs. He intends to plant a Clearfield-enabled oilseed variety this year to control mustard, charlock and volunteer oilseed on his ground. If successful, he plans to grow Clearfield varieties over a number of seasons.
John’s Feutz Fahr combine park up awaiting the return of better weather.
Croom,
Co Limerick
There have been few opportunities for cutting during this harvest in Croom, explains John. Since starting his harvest on July 24, he has had no full day of cutting without interruption from the rain. Rainfall has amounted to 117mm over the past month and the ground is getting sticky.
His winter barley crops ripened unevenly, so he waited until all the field was fit to harvest.
The crop averaged 3.75t/ac at 17% mc at 66kph. He was slightly disappointed by the yield, given how good the crop looked all year. He wonders if the dry spell or BYDV had an effect on this. The straw was allowed to mature for a few days before baling and averaged 10 4x4 round bales/ac. He then moved on to crimping winter wheat.
This grain was treated and is now stored in a silage pit for feeding over winter
The moisture at the time of harvest was 33% but he calculated that the crop yielded 4.3t/ac at 20% mc. This grain was treated and is now stored in a silage pit for feeding over winter. He plans to bale the straw when the weather settles.
John tried to harvest the remainder of the wheat a week ago but had to pull out as moistures were up to 26%. He is happy with how the crops look and there is no sign of any spouting.
Four years ago he ploughed down blackgrass seeds and hasn’t ploughed that field since.
He has no immediate plans to establish a cover crop this year, as it likely won’t fit his rotation
He did grub the field last year however, and a small patch of blackgrass seeds have germinated. He mowed the infected area and removed it earlier in the year, so he will now try to cultivate it. The aim is to try and get two flushes of weeds before spraying them off with glyphosate.
He has no immediate plans to establish a cover crop this year, as it likely won’t fit his rotation.
The warm, wet weather has suited John’s maize crops and they continue to develop. Standing at around 2.3m in height, the crop has a lot of potential. His spring wheat is still very green and he envisages whole-cropping it at the start of September.
Read more
How to find out if you have resistant grass weeds
Listen: Blackgrass is here and it's on the rise
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