HARVEST 2023 - Coming Along Nicely! 🌾

An update on how some of our direct drilled cereals and beans are looking heading into spring. It hasn’t been an easy spring, with the wet weather causing a small amount of crop damage in areas. But on the whole it’s all looking very promising. Take a look at the video to find out more!

[@davidjackson6510]

Billy, you should be very proud of yourself, those crops look amazingly healthy. :)

[@billylewis6084]

Thanks David 👍

[@brianovington]

Excellent video and excellent crops .I guess your UK. What part.

[@billylewis6084]

Herefordshire we are

[@henryrobinson2937]

Could you explain the catch crop job a bit? Why do you do it/benefits and what mixes do you use 👍👌

[@billylewis6084]

6-8 week catch crops, planted between two winter cereals. I use a three way mix of Mustard, Buckwheat, Phacelia. Drilled with vaderstad rapid straight into stubble. The rapid discs and moves about an inch of soil, this gives a nice weed/volunteer chit whilst allowing the catch crop to establish nicely. Catch crop harvests 2 months of carbon in the form of sunlight and puts it into the soil, supports mycorrhizal fungi, helps mobilise nutrients in the soil mainly potash and phosphorus making them available to the following crop, and obviously conditions the soil. All this goodness whilst neighboring farms stubble fields lay idle for two months degrading! Following cereal is then direct drilled into the catch crop and it feeds the worms as it breaks down over winter! Works well for us where we more often than not have harvest in a corner by the end of august, might not work up north (Scotland), where they harvest a bit later. When we plant them this summer I’ll do videos on the subject.

[@abimacukuk7156]

Hello great video. Just a question regarding wheat after grass. We seem to struggle with the grass poisoning the wheat .. does the clover prevent this ?

[@billylewis6084]

Yes grass can hold wheat back a bit due to nitrogen being used up by the decomposing sward. You’ve also got the problem of wireworm. I guess the clover does help a bit as there is more N in the soil to aid with breaking the sward down.