Crop Watch North – Farmers Weekly
A unique insight into agronomy issues across the country ...
Conor Campbell (North) Northumberland
This certainly has been a testing and trying autumn for many in the county. I reported last month that heavier rainfall in the south of Northumberland had impeded progress. But with a small window of opportunity, it is amazing how much can be done.
Many worked extremely hard to get as much in the ground as possible before the rain made its return. While we had a tremendous amount of rain thanks to Storm Babet, on already wet land, I must admit the images coming out of Scotland were shocking, with some areas reporting 6-7in of rain.
I can’t decide if blaming the fact that the rain came from a different direction is laughable or insulting. I hope those in the worst affected areas are beginning to rebuild.
Despite the wet weather, the slug pressure remains, as many try to keep them away from newly emerged crops. Those in the north of the county had managed to apply residual chemistry in good time, which will help greatly in the spring with grassweed control.
The focus was on treating barleys for troublesome grassweeds, where spring options do not exist. It would be great if we had the opportunity to cover them, where we haven’t been able to do so, before Christmas.
Fertiliser
With crops being further behind than normal heading into the winter, early nitrogen in the spring could be important. Therefore, having stock in the shed in time for February may be a sensible move to ensure these crops can be fed and pushed on as soon as possible.
We will be waiting for the colder weather and hard frosts before applying our propyzamide products to oilseed rape. Many will be waiting to assess the viability of their crops, but will also need ground frosts to travel in many places.
Spring seed demand will be high. The challenging season and harvest will have had a knock-on effect on seed quality so I would suggest covering your requirements early as these can always be adjusted nearer the time.
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