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Less rape this year


old'un
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Not been out for about three weeks so today decided to have a drive around a few farms to see where the rape had gone in, well I could not believe the amount of stubble fields still untouched, popped into one farm that usually grows around 100/150 acres of rape, not one field gone in, this farm lost around 60 acres of rape last year due to flea beetle, he has been advised not to grow rape for at least five years, so where the rape should be is now winter beans.

Another farmer I was talking to said that because of the bad sowing conditions in August (dry) and flea beetle problems a lot of farms around here decided not to sow rape.

Not been around all my ground but driving around there looks like a lot less rape this year, anyone seeing similar?

A little on the problems farmers are having with flea beetle…https://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/crop-management/pests/tips-on-how-to-beat-flea-beetle-when-growing-oilseed-rape

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Yes one farmer I know gave up on rape two years ago due to beetle and he has a lot of pigeons, and my main permission hasn’t sown rape this year as you say due to conditions but it has been very lean for pigeons this past 18 months on his patch, so I’ll be looking for more permission once the pigeons hit the rape 

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All our farms bar a few used to grow a large percentage of rape, and now only several are bothering at all and the ones that are at a much lower acreage. 

Even worse is that the break crops also seem to have switched to large acreage of oats which is total carp for pigeons!

Makes it that bit harder to find opportunities. 

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1 hour ago, motty said:

I seem to have as much rape as ever to shoot over. Some farmers are growing more than ever.

Well you are lucky, I phoned a farmer today that has grown rape for the last 30+ years, he’s not put any rape in this year and doubts he will next year.

Looking at this article from April 2019, the south seems to have been hit the hardest…https://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/osr/oilseed-rape-area-to-shrink-as-growers-weigh-up-alternatives

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36 minutes ago, mossy835 said:

that will spoil a lot of winter shooting.

Or it could be a bonus if you have a field or two to shoot as you may see big numbers concentrated on those fields, bit like it was in the early days of rape back in the 70s

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In was talking to a Farmer last week , he was late sowing the rape and the fields look like wheat and barley with the volunteer seed growing, as he  said  that that as they can not dress the seed against flea beetle he has lost four hundred acres of rape and will have to reseed. The cost he reckons is 10k .

The next farm has rape which is six inches tall.

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2 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

In was talking to a Farmer last week , he was late sowing the rape and the fields look like wheat and barley with the volunteer seed growing, as he  said  that that as they can not dress the seed against flea beetle he has lost four hundred acres of rape and will have to reseed. The cost he reckons is 10k .

The next farm has rape which is six inches tall.

What will he reseed the lost rape with? spring rape?

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14 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

He will not reseed with rape as the flea beetle will still be in the ground. Probably wheat.

Have you been for a drive round to get some idea of where and how much rape as been sown?, talking to a few farmers who were going to sow rape in August but said the conditions were not right (to dry) for the rape to get away and put some growth on before winter, some have sown winter beans instead or looking at winter corn if the conditions improve or spring corn.

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35 minutes ago, old'un said:

Have you been for a drive round to get some idea of where and how much rape as been sown?, talking to a few farmers who were going to sow rape in August but said the conditions were not right (to dry) for the rape to get away and put some growth on before winter, some have sown winter beans instead or looking at winter corn if the conditions improve or spring corn.

A few farms direct drilled rape after removing the bales, others who waited have had the flea beetle concern. I was amazed by the amount of volunteer rape about still. 

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9 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

A few farms direct drilled rape after removing the bales, others who waited have had the flea beetle concern. I was amazed by the amount of volunteer rape about still

Funny how you should say that as I also noticed lots healthy looking volunteer rape, some of it around eight inches high, if I did not know any different I would have sworn the field had been sown with rape.  

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