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Rape, the disappearing crop ?


Cranfield
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There seems to be quite a bit of maize type crop being grown in this area at the moment, I think it is for Bio Digesters. I dont know how much of the crop is harvested, ie down to ground level, anyone know ?

 

Cut it down to less than a foot tall, horrible stuff. We ploughed a field of maize stubble last year, planted it with bulbs and when we came back and harvested it, the maize stubble came up and it hadn't even started to rot away! Not very good for soil structure if i recall as well

Edited by Big Mat
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All wheat on one of mine, a young lad farms it had peas rape and wheat. The rape gave ok yield the wheat was good but the rain killed the peas as he could get them cut but he did say today he may give the peas another go (hope he dose had some fun over them :lol: )

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My farmer friend has drilled as much rape this year as he did last year .

Harnser

Quite, we haven't but that's because of rotation.

My farmer friend has drilled as much rape this year as he did last year .

Harnser

Quite, we haven't but that's because of rotation.

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There seems to be quite a bit of maize type crop being grown in this area at the moment, I think it is for Bio Digesters. I dont know how much of the crop is harvested, ie down to ground level, anyone know ?

yes the maize is being grown for the bio digesters .it's well worth keeping a eye on the stubbles especially if it turn wet over the next few weeks, a lot of the land that's been rented is on heavy land /clay and going by the last two years could be left most of the winter
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The two farmers over whose farm I shoot have said in Essex have said they are putting in less rape due to the changes in the coating to the seed. Evidently the coating prevents against a particular beetle but this has/is about to be banned thus meaning the crop is more susceptible to the beetle. With that and other factors, it seems a bit of a loss maker in their eyes.

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Flea beetle and neonicotinoid pesticide.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonicotinoid

 

http://www.soilassociation.org/keepbritainbuzzing/beeresearch

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33641646

 

The two farmers over whose farm I shoot have said in Essex have said they are putting in less rape due to the changes in the coating to the seed. Evidently the coating prevents against a particular beetle but this has/is about to be banned thus meaning the crop is more susceptible to the beetle. With that and other factors, it seems a bit of a loss maker in their eyes.

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Seems to be more rape than ever in Norfolk and Suffolk. A lot of direct drill straight in to the stubbles.

I agree with Whitebridges , four farms I go on are all growing as much rape as previous years .

 

For how good ( or bad ) the rape shooting has been the last few years , I don't know weather its a good thing or bad thing , as the last year or two I have shot very few until it start to grow again around late Feb or early March .

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flea beetle, chemical use and price drop seem to be the deciding factors 1 farm ended up pulling all his rape up and put late barley in because of beetle damage and not putting any in this year another 600 acre farm none at all 1200 acre farm realley cut back because of beetle damage he had some huge bare patches that were great for shooting the rst that didnt have a problem are putting in just as much.

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One estate in Norfolk I shoot over usualy grows 15-20 fields of rape, This year they have just one. Not that it matters much as the pigeons seem to be feeding on rape less and less. Last year I never shot a single pigeon over rape and only a few dozen the year before. On my shoot the days of big bags of pigeons over rape have long gone. Most of my birds come from drillings or clover these days in winter\spring.

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