Paul5tag Posted January 8, 2020 Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Been out today in Northumberland,had a scout about fields which I used to shoot approximately 2 to 4 thousand acre. Not only where they missing pigeon they were also missing osr , there were two fields about 40 acre in total.Have the farmers give up on it or is it because of the wet weather we’ve had. What’s the story we’re you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanz Posted January 8, 2020 Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 the story is eu have banned treatment of seed,so it gets wiped out with flea beatle,so lots of farmers not growing it,big reduction in osr this year i presume same all over country, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul5tag Posted January 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 “Ah”How Things change, you lay of for a couple or three years ,and it all goes to pot! ,Do you think this will be the case from now on?or could our departure from the EU reverse the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinj Posted January 8, 2020 Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) OSR was a disaster on my permission last year, the excuse given was the ban on Neonicotinoid insecticide which has allowed Flea Beetle to reach epidemic proportions. They don't plan to plant any more in the near future. Neonics are bad for bees so the (Neonics ) have to go. Edited January 9, 2020 by martinj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul5tag Posted January 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Yes I Agree those Bees are bad news!! Only joking Its a fair point, but what will be the go to crop for the winter woody now, How does anyone see it affecting the pigeon populations,Judging from my outing this morning ,a round trip of 120 mile I saw about half a dozen,it looks like badly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matone Posted January 8, 2020 Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Autumn `19 won`t be a fair indicator of anything in the North.Crop drilling etc was so disrupted by the atrocious weather from Sept onwards ,everything is not as planned crop wise! I know of plenty of rape crops that were never drilled along with everything else.Pigeons have had a huge choice of food sources and seem to be generally scattered about,only pulling into numbers with the handful of frosts in December and then ,from what I observed ,they hit the better established rape crops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted January 8, 2020 Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Nothing in somerset . No crops in the ground at all ,so far thats barley wheat .maise. rape .beans nothing and no birds . Havent taken a shot since september Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbel Posted January 8, 2020 Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Farmers have lost a lot of osr due to the eu, around my way have not seen one decent field of it, they are redrilling due to the failure of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 One farmer I shoot for is growing more rape than ever, this winter. On the other hand, a couple have said they won't grow any more unless things change with the use of certain chemicals. Pigeons will nor go hungry over Winter. There is still enough rape around for them, plus many other alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 Plenty of rape still being grown around here, although more crops than ever grown for biofuel i.e. Triticale, already doing well and maize to be drilled later. First time last year shooting on triticale stubble (cut in June) offered some really good shooting. The maize the previous year was knocked down by strong winds and many cobs lay on the ground so pigeon activity and shooting continued right through to the growth of the following wheat crop. OB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 21 hours ago, martinj said: OSR was a disaster on my permission last year, the excuse given was the ban on Neonicotinoid insecticide which has allowed Flea Beetle to reach epidemic proportions. They don't plan to plant any more in the near future. Neonics are bad for bees so the (Neonics ) have to go. My bee-keeping friend says these chemicals are NOT a danger to bees, just some EU scientist thought there COULD be a possible risk. A bit like those signs in petrol stations about turning off your mobile phone. Has anyone ever seen a spark from a phone?? How many 100 times has the car bitten you with a big spark when getting out on a hot dry day, due to static from the velour fabric on the seats? I expect you chaps have heated leather, so no problem!! Cheers, Kitchrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clangerman Posted January 14, 2020 Report Share Posted January 14, 2020 i rubbed my hands finding two farms had a single field of rape but one field is the usual two bangs and gone and not a bird on the other one as of yesterday but on another farm they have gone mad for the seeds from the buckwheat sown as cover for the rape so i’m getting a few of that so not all bad think they have to much food for the rape seen them on ivy berries maize wheat stubbles yesterday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobba Posted January 15, 2020 Report Share Posted January 15, 2020 My farming friend has lost significant areas of OSR due to flea beetle so he will no longer plant that crop. He says problems will increase as a number of pesticides are being withdrawn from use. A similar situation exists to that described by Ultrastu. My friend farms five large areas just north of Bristol and cannot get on to three of them because of waterlogged land. Nothing planted. Other than a couple of days crow bashing I haven't been pigeon shooting since September. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanz Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 seems the case all over,we have woodys on old barley stubble but impossible to decoy,one field of rape is so boggy its impossible to put decoys on,will take ages to dry the land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurs 14 Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 Got some osr here on permission , coming along nicely , has been hit by pigeons but nothing like last year , been on it a couple of times and can’t get them to decoy in on it , not seeing the numbers at moment think they are spread thin no shortage of food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 Thousands of acres lost to flea beetle near me, one big farming group lost 2000 acres, re drilled it and lost it all again. OSR as a crop is now finished in the UK in the opinion of several local farmers. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 i have one farm that has it, and another that is fine, hope they grow it this year,as said a lot will not grow it any more, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 The farm that Clodhopper and Jacko and I were on yesterday extends to 700 acres and every field is covered in well established rape. The same farming company has other well established rape but also some failed fields which will be drilled with various cereals in the spring. Long term the farming community and our political leaders will either have to lobby for the return of neonicotinoid dressings or face losing rape as a viable crop in some areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 1 hour ago, JDog said: The farm that Clodhopper and Jacko and I were on yesterday extends to 700 acres and every field is covered in well established rape. The same farming company has other well established rape but also some failed fields which will be drilled with various cereals in the spring. Long term the farming community and our political leaders will either have to lobby for the return of neonicotinoid dressings or face losing rape as a viable crop in some areas. difficult question........... allow the re-introduction of neonicotinoid dressings....or allow the use of genetically modified seed.............both at the moment a no no..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside1000 Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 The estate I shoot drilled rape in October/November and had ploughed most of it in by Christmas as the crop had failed, I still do have a lot of rape to cover and some is doing very well and getting a lot of attention from the pigeons, but some areas have gone brown and died right back, not like frost damage but more like sprayed with weedkiller, with not a single plant surviving in the brown patches, at least it is concentrating the birds into much smaller areas but not good for farm profits. At least things should change once we get rid of the EU control / interference and we can get back to doing things our way!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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