Oakley Farms Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 Fantastic constructive comment and i have to entirety agree. I think one day i woundnt mind doing a Nuffield Scholarship myself to find out more about farming systems around the world and bring them back home together with new ideas and adapt them to work here in the UK. I, like James have developed a keen interest in how crops grow, how to get the best from them, a passion for the soil and how to improve structure, organic matter, and look after it, try different systems, ideas and would like to be at the forefront on technology helping to lead the way of UK arable agriculture,not only that but doing this at scale, sustainably using renewable energy and putting something back for the environment, operation pollination, margins, wild bird plots etc, i thrive on challenges and dont let something go until iv worked it out. In my opinion PX Farms are aways ahead of the game and are ambassadors of the arable sector not only farming at scale for others offering the whole farming package but use rewnewables and put something back, im 4 years out of date compared to them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Rain stops play again with 30 acres left at Selvinge, we are hoping this storm thats coming wont flatten the last of the wheat or spoil the sample. Here is a pic i took riding in with Dan as the heavens opened, with the 12 metre headers there is enough space to drive along side and empty into a trailer with the auger stopped at about half travel, very handy not having to stop to unload when cutting big headlands or knocking out in long fields, just cant quite get the chaser up through there! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 (edited) Managed to finished off Selvinge yesterday evening after the showers passed, balers were running right behind the combine. Storm Bertha has been kind to us here in Somerset. Myself and Mark are in today, Mark is out applying slug pellets to the spuds ahead of what is predicted as a slug epidemic this autumn, so this is an urgent job not wanting to loose any more money on the dam things! Another battle we will have to be on the ball with will be slugs on the rape especially with no neonics this year. Im in the office running through figures on the new storage after securing two farms storage next year, these will be kept completely separate to our own and contract farmed grain so's not to effect sample and income, this will be run as a drying, storage and marketing service and nothing to do with contract farming but will be a good earner and providing we do it right easy money. Also dunning through tariffs for the solar panels which rumour has it the bases will be arriving this week. Finally i received some sad news, Steve and Maurice will be retiring at the end of this season, two long standing employees now after the simple life after great company expansion in the last two years Edited August 10, 2014 by Oakley Farms 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeere6910 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Good update Alex. Where did the rowcrops come from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 I have two sets of row crops, a solid rim set from model farmer and a dish set from mini toys, i think when the tractors change i will purchase a set of midi tyres so we can irrigate and haul grain on the same set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 450's hey Alex?, All our tractors are on them as they don't rut up the tram lines as much and are ok for going up the road with a trailer. With another 450 snap lock dual wheel added the boots are then plenty wide enough to do tillage. and not as wide as you'd think with the inside wheel in under the cab close to the cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenside MF Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Its been good following your topic over Harvest Alex,very realistic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Alex im using cheap beer from the supermarket 4 tins for a £1 in what we gardeners call " Beer traps " you just fill up a small tin & in they fall the slugs i mean not you mate , not too sure how many per ac you ll need but would keep you out of trouble thats for sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 450's hey Alex?, All our tractors are on them as they don't rut up the tram lines as much and are ok for going up the road with a trailer. With another 450 snap lock dual wheel added the boots are then plenty wide enough to do tillage. and not as wide as you'd think with the inside wheel in under the cab close to the cab. Thats them, i think they call them intermediates, just want something more flexible as its costing money having a tractor sat up doing nothing on row crops and hiring another for hauling grain, at least on 450's we can do both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Alex im using cheap beer from the supermarket 4 tins for a £1 in what we gardeners call " Beer traps " you just fill up a small tin & in they fall the slugs i mean not you mate , not too sure how many per ac you ll need but would keep you out of trouble thats for sure I have heard of farmers doing this Jon, worth a trial at least, my need to buy a brewery to supply for 700 acres of rape next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catkom3 Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 I have heard of farmers doing this Jon, worth a trial at least, my need to buy a brewery to supply for 700 acres of rape next year! "Essence" of brewers draff in tubs filled with water,?? Regards Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 11, 2014 Author Share Posted August 11, 2014 Very heavy showers today so combines staying in the shed! However despite the rain it has been a very productive day starting off with Mark finishing the last slug pellets to the spuds, Maurice and Dan took two loads of straw that had been put onto our trailers and left under cover up to Hinton for Julian of Orchard Contractors. Mark and Dan then went off to pack up all the irrigation set up, collecting ally pipes, picking up lay-flat hose and dragging reels back to the yard and packing away, a good job done. Meanwhile Maurice went off to Southampton docks with the low-loader to pick up the solar panel bases which docked yesterday, a nice day trip for him and still expecting him back! Steve gave Vaughan Agri's fitter Paul a hand to fit Claas's new AFK (Anti Fire Kit) to the 780 after 6 have gone up this year, it involved fitting heat guards and yes i'll say it before some Case Axel Flow enthusiast not mentioning any names OLLIE does a extra heavy duty drawbar to tow a fire engine round! Philip got Mark's harvester into the workshop and made a start changing the bearings on the Multisep, Mark & Dan joined him in the afternoon by bringing the haulm toppers in too. Come the end of the day Dan gave the TM310 a health check as he will be loading Orchard's spreaders with chicken litter the rest of the week onto wheat stubbles ahead of drilling OSR, the Challenger is ready for the morning to help the spreaders boys set up Starfire to follow our CTF lines 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 11, 2014 Author Share Posted August 11, 2014 ....and the lone ranger returns 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy6930 Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Where did you get your standen three bed topper if you don't mind me asking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 11, 2014 Author Share Posted August 11, 2014 Its a conversion i did myself from the Replicagri topper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 (edited) I weren't going to say a thing about that, Case IH had the same problem with the old 1680 axial flows and the likes many moons ago, people in glass houses and all. Plenty going on this week, what rape seed will you grow? Edited August 12, 2014 by Light Land Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Just kidding Ol, this year we are growing DK Expower, grew about 500 acres last year and did ok, the autumn vigour was very very good, just what we need this year with no neonics, but it didnt yield as well as Cabernet, but we are hoping drilling at spacings behind the subsoiler will improve establishment and branching to make up for the yield penalty, but what can we do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Is spring or winter (on lightland) planted osr popular there Alex? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Winter osr is def more popular here, spring rape would be used if winter fails but it yields only half as well, as far as spring cropping goes barley and beans are more popular than spring rape but it has its uses in the battle against blackgrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Helped set up Julians boys this morning with their spreaders, making sure its spreading to 12 metres accurately and that they are driving on the same lines as we do hence the Challenger in the field, we are looking to overcome this by supplying them with Trimble and our USB stick so that our mapped fields come up on screen along with our CTF lines. Once this was sorted we played around with the rape drill, getting it hitched on and fertiliser flowing, calibrated and ready for the off end of the week 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Harvest 2015 we are coming to get you! 15th August rape drilling begins at Oakley in The Meads, DK Expower, We are all learning on the drill, to swap around when things get busy again. running at 30 degrees to tramlines, working a treat, we are trying double rolling this year to get better seed soil contact. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 The sprayer will not use the busted up tramlines that are planted now again? what cultivation has been done pre drilling Alex? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 (edited) No cultivation pre drilling, straight in direct, the sprayer will use last years tramlines as we now keep them in the same place every year, we only go at 30 degrees to them as we find it busts the pan better, a better shatter and also no tramlines mean less soil eroision on this light land as it prevents the water channelling at run off in the uncropped tramlines, yes last years tramlines can still be seen and will be used again but by cultivating accross them at an angle and now cropped it catches water. Also when we come to combine the same way as the tramlines it often flows better due to the wider spacings Edited August 15, 2014 by Oakley Farms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakley Farms Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Also today Steve has finished cultivating Speaks ground a second time to get another flush of blackgrass through, we hope to do this once more before drilling wheat. Maurice is rolling to consolidate and then will fall in behind the rape drill and roll twice, Once we have a nice chunk in the ground we will start to apply pre ems 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Land Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 3 passes with the Horsch grubber and a roller will give the ground a good stir, drilling with the rapid again this autumn Alex? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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