Crop Farming & Harvest

Read the latest advice from the Wynnstay Arable & Forage team on crop nutrition from our Spring Seeds 2021 edition.

Read our latest edition on Wholecrop cereals where it outlines how crops can be harvested and handled at different dry matters to suit different farm needs. 

KORIT®PRO is a new unique seed treatment combination for maize being offered by Limagrain. The treatment has three modes of action, and unlike the standard Korit, which only offers a measure of bird repellency, the new Korit Pro also includes additional fungicide protection, it boosts root development and improves crop emergence.

As the spring drilling window is so wide, it is important to ensure seed rates are adjusted to allow for earlier or later drilling.

In 2019, Morris Davies who runs a herd of 280 all year round calving cows averaging 9,700 litres took the decision to try growing maize again.

After the challenge of harvest 2020, we go into 2021 hoping for an improved year not only in agriculture but that Covid-19 will slowly dissipate with the distribution of a vaccine. From a purely agricultural point of view, there is already more optimism that the majority of crops planned to be drilled in autumn 2021 have been.

Growers are being urged to ensure crops receive adequate nutrition throughout the growing season, to make sure they reach their full potential.
Dr Simon Pope, Wynnstay crop protection manager, says ideally the nutrient inputs for sowing and establishment will already have been applied, and plans should be made regarding the nutrition of the crop throughout the rest of the season.

The annual launch of the AHDB Recommended List introduces growers to a plethora of new options for 2021 cereal crops, alongside old favourites still ranking high.

The last three maize seasons have had the same result – a mixed bag of performance depending on region, drilling date and harvest timings. However, in 2020, growers had a new challenge to contend with.

The removal of the seed treatment Mesurol left a hole in the crop protection armoury, resulting in crops being at greater risk from bird damage, which in previous years would not be high on the list of issues for most growers.

The evidence that most grassland soils require the application of sulphur from fertilisers to maximise grass silage and grazing yields still mounts.  Most farmers now appreciate that all light and medium soils, and even now some heavier loam soils, don’t release enough sulphur from organic matter to allow grass growth and quality to meet potential.  They also realise that there is not enough available sulphur in slurries and manures to meet demand.