Colour in the Wolds.

[JDog]

In these parts the past spring was a poor one for arable crop establishment. Allied to attempts to control black grass more green crops have been planted than I have seen before. I shot over one such which was mustard. I believe that these poppies are another crop with the same purpose.

I stand to be corrected if those with more farming knowledge than I know otherwise.

 

[chrisjpainter]

That's stunning, sir. Absolutely top notch.

[Walker570]

Medicinal

Poppy seeds used a lot on speciality breads etc.

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by Walker570

[derbyduck]

opium poppies ,any taliban in the area ?

[JohnfromUK]

There are two fields of what I can only describe as a 'mixed crop' where I walk.  I don't know exactly what is in the 'mix', or why it was planted, but in the rows there are a variety of plants including maize (corn on the cob), sunflowers, and something currently in purple flower.  I wondered if it was for natural nitrogen fixing?  I will try and get a photo later, but currently as I write it is raining!

Edited July 15, 2020 by JohnfromUK

[JTaylor91]

There was big fields of the usual red poppies on the A630 towards Doncaster this year. I thought they were being grown for the seeds.

[JohnfromUK]

39 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

I will try and get a photo later, but currently as I write it is raining!

It has stopped raining, so here goes;

First an overall photo - there are two adjacent fields, being probably about 25 acres in total.

Detailed shots.  Note that all are in the drill rows and are evenly spread through the field;

1. First an unknown (to me anyway) purple flowering plant.
2. Unknown (to me) white flowering plant
3. Clover I think with an unusual red colour
4. Sunflower I think, not yet in flower
5. Maize
6. Oat (not a wild oat because all are in the drill rows and they are quite short, whereas wild oats are usually very tall)

[ditchman]

first photo is it linseed ?

[CharlieT]

It will be something like this mix https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/products/542/herbal-grazing-ley-four-year-drought-resistant-ley

From memory the subsidy is a couple of hundred quid, so easily offsets the high seed and establishment cost. It's flavor of the month with the powers that be at the moment. I tried 50 acres on some challenging ground last year and so far the results are promising.

[JohnfromUK]

3 minutes ago, ditchman said:

first photo is it linseed ?

I don't think so, but I may be wrong.  I don't think linseed has those spike bits with the flowers?

7 minutes ago, CharlieT said:

It will be something like this mix

I doubt it will be for grazing; Neither field is livestock fenced, and I don't believe either has water supplied.  They have not been grazed probably in 50 or more years.

[JDog]

The purple flower in the picture is Phacelia.

[JohnfromUK]

6 minutes ago, JDog said:

The purple flower in the picture is Phacelia.

That looks right - and it is apparently used as a nitrogen holder and weed suppressor.

The estate on which these are growing is both well managed and conservation concious, but growing anything this year has been a challenge as we were as dry and hot as the Sahara in the mid spring.

Edited July 15, 2020 by JohnfromUK

[CharlieT]

15 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

 

I doubt it will be for grazing; Neither field is livestock fenced, and I don't believe either has water supplied.  They have not been grazed probably in 50 or more years.

It can be harvested for hay or silage.

[JohnfromUK]

1 minute ago, CharlieT said:

It can be harvested for hay or silage.

That is certainly possible, though the estate has limited livestock, they do have a small dairy and a few beef cattle.  It will have a long way to go to make a good bulk/weight as everything planted in the spring round here was very slow to start as it was so dry (and little winter planting was done as we were like a giant marsh then!  Went from one extreme to the other - as so often happens.

[7daysinaweek]

1 hour ago, Walker570 said:

Medicinal

Poppy seeds used a lot on speciality breads etc.

 

As you say, they could be for "medicinal" and destined for the pharmaceutical route. Opium in its semi raw form, then off to the lab to be made into Heroin. Named diamorphine hydrochloride which is heroin in a legal prescription formulation. 

Miss out the legal quality control measures and legalities and you have 'dirty heroin', commonly named as 'brown' on the street as it resembles a dirty brown colour. It can be refined further and appear as a whiter substance. Heroin hydrochloride comes under the misuse of drugs act which classifies certain drugs into 3 classes in relation to the manufacture, supply and possession as to their 'broadly' attributable harmfulness of a drug when it is misused. Heroin is a class A drug which under the misuse of drugs act. Cannabis class B (certain class B substances become class A when prepared for injection). Class C amphetamines, benzodiazepines, anabolic steroids among many others. Classes allow for legal prosecution guidance.

Furthermore the classification of drugs has subsequent amendments into schedule 1,2,3,4,5 which reflects and defines the 'legal' classes of persons who are authorised to manufacture, import, export, supply, prescribe, dispense the substance/drug and the specific record keeping requirements for controlled substances (CD'S) diamorphine is a schedule 2.

I have had a few patients over the years google diamorphine hydrochloride when I have prescribed it only to be be alarmed that they are taking heroin or to be given 'heroin'. Morphine is still the most valuable medication for managing acute and chronic severe pain.

There is no doubt JD that that the plant can provide more than one way of inducing a 'euphoric state'. What a beautiful sight for the eyes!

Do the pods and flowers give off an aroma?

atb

7diaw

Edited July 15, 2020 by 7daysinaweek

[CharlieT]

3 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

That is certainly possible, though the estate has limited livestock, they do have a small dairy and a few beef cattle.  It will have a long way to go to make a good bulk/weight as everything planted in the spring round here was very slow to start as it was so dry (and little winter planting was done as we were like a giant marsh then!  Went from one extreme to the other - as so often happens.

Of course it could simply have been planted as part of their "greening" policy to achieve maximum subsidies in the tier they are signed up to.

Going back to the poppies, these are quite a valuable arable break crop, on a par with linseed as far as margins are concerned.

[stumfelter]

It will be for the hls payments we grew a similar mix on the farm, pollen and nectar.

[NatureBoy]

As Stumfelter says on mixed crop. Look up new the ELMS Scheme if you are interested. They been trialling and advising on these different mixes for the last few years on a farm local to me. Whitethroats been nesting in it this year as less rape about. Harvest mice like it to. English partridges hold and do well in it. Barn owls hunt over it. Heaving with insects in spring/summer and farmland birds in the winter. Folk have nicked the sun flower heads in other years. Been interesting to see how it has developed and the increased benefit to all wildlife. Hope more farms take it up. It works. . . . . Poppys grown for food industry and a break crop.     NB

[JohnfromUK]

Thanks to everyone for all of the information on the mixed crop stuff.  Interesting information.

[derbyduck]

On 15/07/2020 at 13:29, derbyduck said:

opium poppies ,any taliban in the area ?

it's the husk that's used the seeds are a by product , I watched a video about this a few yrs back .