Seed being cleaned
the recession, and a shortage of forage types, has reversed that position recently. Although tempted to make the change, Philip has the specialist skills to grow amenity, so is going to stick to it. He is planting more Cadix and Escapade for BSH this autumn.
Harvesting is a busy time for Philip, and he is hoping for decent dry weather. A special grain store with a ventilated floor is required to dry the seed down to below 14% moisture The combine harvester cost in excess of £220,000 and is specially adapted to cope with the crops they grow. Once harvesting starts, it tends to be a race against the clock to get the crop in and get it dried. The moisture content of the seed, at point of harvest, can vary, but tends to be around 35%. It has to be dried rapidly to prevent germination loss. They can harvest about thirty acres per
day (around fifteen tonnes of seed). The seed is laid on the storeroom floor to dry, and ventilation can be targeted to the crop to speed up the drying process.
Seed ready for bagging
Philip is also able to carry out the next stage of the seed cleaning process; he has invested in a large industrial cleaning machine which, via a number of sieves, cylinders and controlled air vents, can begin the cleaning of the seed. Effectively, the seed runs through a number of sieves to separate dirt, larger seed species, weed seeds and other detritus. Philip has perfected the machine to work efficiently and produce a very clean end product. Samples of the seed are taken during cleaning and are sent to BSH, who check for purity, moisture content and germination. Any waste material is collected and stored ready for composting. The cleaned seed is then bagged and sealed in one tonne bags, before being sent to either of BSH’s depots at Lincoln or Avonmouth. The residue grass stalks and leaves are left to dry in the field, turned and baled, in the form of hay or haylage which is either fed to Philip’s own cattle, or can be
sold. Well made ryegrass hay attracts keen interest from forage buyers and can supplement seed income by £200 per Ha. Once the hay has been picked up,
regrowth is grazed by sheep, which helps to consolidate the field, tiller the sward and control broad leaved weeds. The sheep remain until February, when the grass is encouraged to grow, by applying nitrogen and the cycle starts again. From these two visits, I could certainly understand why amenity grass seed varieties can cost so much - taking over twelve years to get to a commercial marketing stage. However, we are all able to see the benefits of this important research and development in the form of stunning sports turf facilities which are the envy of the rest of the world. It should also be remembered that, to produce a high quality amenity seed, good growers and professional advice are essential.
131
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156