Spring cropping


Failed rape ‘will not affect spring nitrogen limits’


F


ailed oilseed rape that re- ceived autumn nitrogen will not impact on Nitrate


Vulnerable Zone limits for any replacement crop sown in the spring, says agronomy fi rm Far- macy. The issue of crop failure has been more common in some are- as this season due to high levels of cabbage stem fl ea beetle damage, exacerbated by tricky weather during establishment, says Far- macy agronomist Charles Wright. As part of his planning for re- placing the worst affected crops next spring, Mr Wright says he sought Environment Agency clarifi cation about the impact that autumn-applied fertiliser might have on NVZ limits.


Calculation “If, for example, an autumn-sown oilseed rape crop received 30kg N/ ha as a starter fertiliser, manure or autumn dressing, the agency confi rms this does not have to be taken into account in the NVZ N-Max calculation for the new spring crop.”


The two crops should be treat- ed completely separately, says Mr Wright, although growers should retain full fi eld records of the failed crop to document what was done, before starting a new record for the next one, he adds.


It would therefore be permis- sible for growers to replace failed oilseed rape with another break


crop such as spring peas or beans as the N-Max limit of 0kg/ha for these crops will not have been broken, Mr Wright says. “When you have a bad year and crops fail, the key thing is to make sure it doesn’t affect more than one season. In the case of oilseed rape, it is often grown as a break ahead of fi rst wheat, so growers will be keen to maintain that break crop option with any replacement.


Thought needed


“Every situation has to be judged on its own merits and given a great deal of thought. Start by looking forward to next year’s 2020/21 cropping plan and work back from that to see how it might


be affected by what you do this spring. “From beans and peas, to spring oats and barley, there are many spring crops to consider, but the best option for each fi eld must be taken independently.” In some situations, such as a very wet, saturated fi eld of failed oilseed rape with blackgrass, Mr Wright suggests it may be more appropriate to go for a man- aged fallow rather than a spring crop, to control blackgrass, im- prove soil health and ensure a timely entry for the following crop.


“Consider all the factors, from


weed control to harvest date, be- fore making any decision about what to do next,” he concludes.


Every situation has to be judged on its own merits, says Charles Wright


Hubbards unveils expansion plan


Farmer-owned co-operative United Oilseeds has announced the appointment of Nick Birkinshaw as commercial manager at its specialist small seeds group company Hubbard Seeds. Mr Birkinshaw took up his position in the au-


tumn. He will be responsible for the strategic leadership of Hubbards Seeds within the United Oilseeds group and developing its overall growth strategy throughout the UK. With extensive experience in the agricultur-


al sector, Mr Birkinshaw joined Hubbards Seeds from the Wynnstay Group. During his time at Wynnstay, his role included strategic, production and logistics planning, plus the creation and man- agement of the arable sales team. Mr Birkinshaw added: “I have joined an am-


bitious and successful company that has been building its brand and business and I’m particu- larly excited by the prospect of increasing Hub- bards Seeds market share and presence with- in the market.”


United Oilseeds group managing director Chris Baldwin said: “We have ambitious expan- sion plans for Hubbard Seeds and Nick’s highly valuable commercial and agronomic knowledge will play a key role in driving the growth and de- velopment of the company and its team.” Hubbards Seeds is the small seed division of the national independent United Oilseeds co-operative and supplies grass, game cover, forage and cover crops to farmers throughout the UK.


Spring bean LG Raptor joins recommended list


Limagrain spring bean variety LG Raptor has joins the Recommend- ed List with a P1 rating based on its promising yield potential. Yield is the most important fac- tor when breeding bean varieties, says the company’s William Pill- inger. “Our breeding programme focuses on this, as well as building in more specifi c traits such as win- ter hardiness, maturity, plant till- ering, water logging and drought tolerance.”


LG Raptor’s consistently high 20 MIDLAND FARMER • JANUARY 2020


yields have played out over the last two years of Recommended List trials, yielding 107% of controls in 2019 and 100% of controls for this year’s listing, he adds. “I would ex- pect it to perform as well or better again next year.” Characteristics such as one of the earliest maturing varieties on the RL, short straw and excellent standing power make LG Rap- tor among the packages for any spring bean on the market, says Mr Pillinger. It is suitable for hu-


man consumption, fi sh feed and animal protein markets. Meanwhile, large blue pea LG


Aviator joins the Recommended List with a yield of 99% over con- trol, higher yielding than market stalwart, Prophet.


A multi-podded variety type,


LG Raptor is said to have excellent yield potential


for each node there are three pods – so there are more pods at the top of the plant rather than spread through the plant, making for a more even maturity with less com- petition for light.


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