A relatively recent agricultural practice.

[JDog]

This may be of passing interest to those few active pigeon shooters on the forum.

The spraying off of crops such as wheat, barley and oil seed rape with glyphosate  seems to be more widespread now. Only a few years ago I had never heard of it. I believe it is an attempt to have the crop ripen or at least ready for harvest at the same time rather than allowing the crop to ripen naturally.

I can see some advantages. Bringing harvest forward for those with a lot of combining to do and having a definite start date for harvest etc. I personally don’t like the idea of yet more chemicals sprayed around the countryside.

This year in this area at least those who sprayed have come unstuck. Huge acreages of winter barley and slightly less oil seed rape were sprayed a month ago. Harvesting normally takes place two weeks after spraying. This year it has rained and rained and harvest has not started for many. I looked at some winter barley yesterday. It has been ‘ready’ for two weeks. Hail storms have knocked out seeds from the heads and yields will be down. The pods on the rape have opened and the seeds are spilling. Crop is being lost.

If it stays dry today this may be the first day of harvest for many farmers in these parts.

 

.... on another note, I rarely see laid spring barley. I have one field sown on the last day in February that has gone down badly in patches. I will be paying the pigeons some attention on that field this afternoon.

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello JD, interesting post, not sure if they spray that on my friend's farm but there's a lot of flat barley on 3 fields and interestingly not many pigeon about, good luck for later 👍

[pigeon controller]

Interesting subject, with respect to laid barley. I have talked to a few farmers and they are using shorter plants and less fertiliser and also growth restrictions to prevent this. I have one farmer who direct drills in a very close pattern as his theory is that if the plants are close they support themselves. 
 

Will the spraying effect the taste of the seed for the pigeons or affect them??

[7daysinaweek]

Found this.

May or may not shed some light on JD'S post. 

https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/pre-harvest-glyphosate-best-practice-in-cereals

[mellors]

2 hours ago, JDog said:

This may be of passing interest to those few active pigeon shooters on the forum.

The spraying off of crops such as wheat, barley and oil seed rape with glyphosate  seems to be more widespread now. Only a few years ago I had never heard of it. I believe it is an attempt to have the crop ripen or at least ready for harvest at the same time rather than allowing the crop to ripen naturally.

I can see some advantages. Bringing harvest forward for those with a lot of combining to do and having a definite start date for harvest etc. I personally don’t like the idea of yet more chemicals sprayed around the countryside.

This year in this area at least those who sprayed have come unstuck. Huge acreages of winter barley and slightly less oil seed rape were sprayed a month ago. Harvesting normally takes place two weeks after spraying. This year it has rained and rained and harvest has not started for many. I looked at some winter barley yesterday. It has been ‘ready’ for two weeks. Hail storms have knocked out seeds from the heads and yields will be down. The pods on the rape have opened and the seeds are spilling. Crop is being lost.

If it stays dry today this may be the first day of harvest for many farmers in these parts.

 

.... on another note, I rarely see laid spring barley. I have one field sown on the last day in February that has gone down badly in patches. I will be paying the pigeons some attention on that field this afternoon.

They've been using it a few years here. 

It's to kill off the base of the crop which is still green when the crop is ripe to prevent it keep blocking the combine

Farmer told me they also use pod stick to hold the seed on rape. 

Unusually this year one farm hasn't sprayed due to so much barley laid as this would cause a lot of loss with the sprayer going up and down. 

 

[WalkedUp]

Very interesting, it is a mixed bag up here (larger enterprises spray, smaller ones don’t) but I had not considered it going prematurely over ripe and rotting. 

[old'un]

the spraying off of certain crops as been going on for some time but I am surprised its not been banned as it leaves trace elements in the seeds.

Edited July 21, 2023 by old'un

[mossy835]

the only crop down here sprayed off is rape.not seen any other sprayed off.

[Fellside]

Glyphosate is strongly associated with abnormal foetus development in mammals (including humans). Plenty of evidence from South American soya farms - where it is sprayed from aircraft. Also the usual lab rat experiments. It is quite alarming that it’s being used so liberally in farmland Britain. I have certainly noticed increased usage in my area. 

[Keith 66]

And rapeseed oil is sold as a healthy alternative, you couldnt make it up!