Farms not growing osr

[B686]

Hi seems this year a fair few farmers aren’t growing rape as they say it’s not worth it. Couple of the farms I shoot on aren’t bothering after years of growing a fair bit. Anyone else on here’s farms they shoot on not growing any?

[mossy835]

i never had any last year, but this year i will have 2 farms growing it.

[jall25]

Very little round us

Flea beetle 

[B686]

6 minutes ago, jall25 said:

Very little round us

Flea beetle 

Same reason why they aren’t growing it this year. Still have a bit to shoot on but one of the farms that isn’t growing it was always good. 

Edited September 12 by B686

[clangerman]

none last year but it’s back now while the cream of stubble having to suffer the cold wet and mud of winter on it prefer not having any  

[mellors]

I think it'll be country wide this year less being grown. 

It's too much of a financial risk after flea beetle and flooded fields last year followed by ripping it up and late planting of spring barley of which there's still a lot not combined round here due to continuous wet weather. 

Those signed up for set aside can now go on the SFI scheme safer guaranteed income. 

Along with ever increasing solar fields . 

[B686]

I like the challenge of winter rape shooting 

14 minutes ago, mellors said:

I think it'll be country wide this year less being grown. 

It's too much of a financial risk after flea beetle and flooded fields last year followed by ripping it up and late planting of spring barley of which there's still a lot not combined round here due to continuous wet weather. 

Those signed up for set aside can now go on the SFI scheme safer guaranteed income. 

Along with ever increasing solar fields . 

have lost a lot of shooting because of housing developments even worked on a site as an excavator operator digging foundations on a field I had shot pigeons on also lost a lovely bit of ground because a solar farm was put there.

[ditchman]

the only chemical (effective) control of flea beetle is killing off the bees.....if you dont use it your yeilds will be rubbish...i belive it is banned now.....

[mellors]

13 minutes ago, ditchman said:

the only chemical (effective) control of flea beetle is killing off the bees.....if you dont use it your yeilds will be rubbish...i belive it is banned now.....

neonicotinoids are banned but we import oil seed rape from Australia who still use them also france has given themselves dispensation to use them along with anything else they fancy. 

[ditchman]

24 minutes ago, mellors said:

neonicotinoids are banned but we import oil seed rape from Australia who still use them also france has given themselves dispensation to use them along with anything else they fancy. 

stop shouting

[mellors]

15 minutes ago, ditchman said:

stop shouting

I'm not. 

No idea how that happened. 🤷

[moondoggy]

I, for one, am glad.

From a beekeeping perspective I find OSR a P.I.T.A. The honey starts to crystallise the moment you take it off the hive and, if you’re not on the ball, becomes next to impossible to extract.

Also, the quality of OSR honey is not great quality.

The problem for us is that, if there is any within three kilometres of the hives, the bees are all over it because it is such easy pickings for them.

[ditchman]

18 minutes ago, moondoggy said:

I, for one, am glad.

From a beekeeping perspective I find OSR a P.I.T.A. The honey starts to crystallise the moment you take it off the hive and, if you’re not on the ball, becomes next to impossible to extract.

Also, the quality of OSR honey is not great quality.

The problem for us is that, if there is any within three kilometres of the hives, the bees are all over it because it is such easy pickings for them.

i am told that OSR honey is sort of a unpleasant caramaly taste.........dont know if that is true as i only use honey in cooking..

[moondoggy]

1 minute ago, ditchman said:

i am told that OSR honey is sort of a unpleasant caramaly taste.........dont know if that is true as i only use honey in cooking..

It’s sicklier than other honey. I don’t mind it, but, I usually use the OSR honey for cooking or in my porridge. It also produces large crystals and can be quite a grainy texture and will set very hard.

However, if you gently warm it then give it a good stir, that will soften it and prevent it from settling solid again. It will still have a grainy texture though.

OSR honey on the left extracted May this year.

Wild flower honey on the right extracted August this year.

[39TDS]

As a beekeeper @moondoggy what are your opinions/experiences of neonicotinoid insecticides?

I have heard plenty of anecdotal accounts that it never bothered bees much, I do know that if farmers used the only alternative left to them (permethrins) it would kill bees outright along with all other insects. 

There were lots of neonic insecticides and would expect some worse than others for non target deaths but the whole point of them was they were selective. Some were even said to not harm bees at all.

These things become political and the truth is often dismissed, like the Greenpeace campaign to stop neonic treatment of sugar beet. It is a seed dressing and sugar beet are harvested before they flower, they are no interest to bees and not likely to ever come in contact with bees but the campaign claims they are trying to save bees by getting it banned? 

[moondoggy]

2 hours ago, 39TDS said:

As a beekeeper @moondoggy what are your opinions/experiences of neonicotinoid insecticides?

I have heard plenty of anecdotal accounts that it never bothered bees much, I do know that if farmers used the only alternative left to them (permethrins) it would kill bees outright along with all other insects. 

There were lots of neonic insecticides and would expect some worse than others for non target deaths but the whole point of them was they were selective. Some were even said to not harm bees at all.

These things become political and the truth is often dismissed, like the Greenpeace campaign to stop neonic treatment of sugar beet. It is a seed dressing and sugar beet are harvested before they flower, they are no interest to bees and not likely to ever come in contact with bees but the campaign claims they are trying to save bees by getting it banned? 

Difficult to know what local farmers are using near me. However, touch wood, I haven’t known any great losses or effect on my hives other than natural losses.

Prior to the ban, the farmer opposite our house sprayed something that caused piles of dead bees near the hive entrance.

Some farmers used to warn the beekeeping association with spraying calendars so that local beekeepers could attempt to keep their bees in the hives on those days. As you will appreciate, that is no easy task and usually creates very angry and stressed bees, which obviously, is not good for people when they are released.

So, whatever the local farmers are doing seems quite bee friendly in my experience, but I would be happy to see a great reduction in the growing of OSR to encourage my bees to forage on wild flowers and trees.

[39TDS]

Thank you for the reply. 👍

[bunny_blaster]

On 12/09/2024 at 17:05, jall25 said:

Very little round us

Flea beetle 

Flea beetle count is low this year

[bunny_blaster]

Quite a few of the farms I shoot are not growing rape this winter. I’ve got some rape in some good areas though which should give me some shooting. A few of the farmers I’ve spoke to wanted to grow rape but with the dry weather forecasted they didn’t bother. It turned out the forecast was completely wrong with excellent growing conditions but with it being so expensive to grow it wasn’t worth the risk.

I spun some kale/utopia on a plot of game cover that failed, it lay dormant for 3 weeks but then we had the rain and warm weather and it’s flew up.

I’ve been told the flea beetle count is very low this year by a few people so what has been planted should do well

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Let's hope so.

[jall25]

4 hours ago, bunny_blaster said:

Flea beetle count is low this year

 

Well yes - because no-one ig growing OSR