UK DETECTOR NET Forum

After one of the wettest autumn/winter periods in living memory, if they are not already, growers will soon be taking stock of which crops have made it through the winter and are fit enough to survive and what to do with all those acres that have nothing sown on them so far.

While it is tempting to get started with field operations as the days begin to lengthen and weather begins to improve in some areas, patience is important to avoid doing further damage to land. There is no fast fix.

There is some talk of fallowing land where winter crops have failed or it is so saturated that it may not dry sufficiently to sow spring crops in a timely manner.

Many oilseed rape crops are looking small and some have suffered cabbage stem flea beetle damage but it may not pay to give up on the crop too early, even if yields could prove lower than expected, as prices are currently firm, which may not prove to be the case for spring crop alternatives such as barley.

Concerns remain about the reduction in the UK oilseed rape crop area and if the decline continues next season, the impact this may have on the processing infrastructure. The NFU is warning that at least one oilseed rape crusher could potentially close.

The potato industry is currently facing challenges, with Scottish seed potato growers under fire concerning levels of viral infection in 2019 crops.

There is also increasing competition in potato markets with discount retailers keeping a lid on prices and European growers increasingly targeting the UK market.

Thanks Phil, to say it's not a good situation is a understatement...

Bad for the farmers pockets and the British food market.

Maybe more land to detect on if left fallow.

PhilD wrote:Bad for the farmers pockets and the British food market.

Maybe more land to detect on if left fallow.

True but its a bitter sweet situation, my land owners are like friends, so i dont like the thought of my gain being a stressful disaster for them...

With the predicted forecast of hotter and wetter weather I think a lot of farmers will jack it in

PhilD wrote:With the predicted forecast of hotter and wetter weather I think a lot of farmers will jack it in

Or diversify with different crops... i hear some are thinking about growing beans for baked beans and there's alot of people growing chickpeas on there small holdings now... hopefully they can grow substitute crops to diversity...

Or i can see grants or schemes to turn over land to woodland.

And wind turbines and solar panels.

PhilD wrote:

And wind turbines and solar panels.

I think in the years to come a lot of marginal land will be planted with trees. It looks to be the way the government are pointing farmers to go.

Farmers should be paid to turn over a few acres back to wildflower meadows, to help re-establish our lost bird and insect populations

dig-it-pete wrote:Farmers should be paid to turn over a few acres back to wildflower meadows, to help re-establish our lost bird and insect populations

You'll like this one Pete, it came via a Dutch friend i trained with (he's now a wild flower seed merchant.) When we finished training we spent 2 months together walking the mountain ranges in New Zealand collecting Alpine seeds to bring to Alan Robinson and the Alpine department.

"Farmers Return To Ancient Method: Fighting Pests By Planting Wildflowers Instead of Using Chemicals"

https://www.disclose.tv/farmers-return- ... als-381991

lee greagsbey wrote:

dig-it-pete wrote:Farmers should be paid to turn over a few acres back to wildflower meadows, to help re-establish our lost bird and insect populations

You'll like this one Pete, it came via a Dutch friend i trained with (he's now a wild flower seed merchant.) When we finished training we spent 2 months together walking the mountain ranges in New Zealand collecting Alpine seeds to bring to Alan Robinson and the Alpine department.

"Farmers Return To Ancient Method: Fighting Pests By Planting Wildflowers Instead of Using Chemicals"

https://www.disclose.tv/farmers-return- ... als-381991

Well I would like to think that our farmers will adopt that approach

Tomorrow we will visit an empty field. It was planted but there is no rape at all left. It was eaten completely.