United Kingdom
June 22, 2016
Reflections from Roger Hutchings
Roger Hutchings, Cropvale Trials Manager, shares his thoughts on winter, latest news from the site and an overview of the tasks he’ll be tackling in the weeks ahead.
Like most parts of the UK it was a strange winter at Cropvale, which is located near Evesham in Worcestershire. December was particularly mild, leaving too much cover going into a colder and wet late winter. This left all but the very newest sowings looking in need of sun and feed. The new Italians, sowed in autumn 2015, seemed to thrive in the conditions and will be ready for their first cut in early April. While one or two Westerwolds look well going into a second season some have disappeared completely.
Rabbits can be a problem at Cropvale and we noticed they were feasting on some of our Italians over the winter. To address this we put rabbit wire around the whole field. This seems to have done the trick, although our neighbour’s field now looks a little bare!
In terms of current work, early spring is, of course, a busy time at Cropvale. Typical jobs at this time of year include fertiliser applications, line marking, early cuts, path mowing and new sowings. While the list of tasks is long, putting the legwork in now will pay dividends later in the season – hopefully resulting in some useful data.
Read on to find out more about the latest trials getting underway at Cropvale.
New trial activity
This year we’ve got some interesting new trial plots going in at Cropvale:
We are in the process of sowing some Brassica demonstration plots – a first for the site. Throughout the year we’ll be comparing growth on a plot managed via a low input system and one where we’ll follow recommended management advice.
In the next week or two we’ll be taking delivery of a quantity of NutriFibre from our Dutch colleagues. NutriFibre is a product based on a soft-leaf tall fescue, which ensures optimum rumen activity. With a high field value, NutriFibre is recognised for its ability to boost the production of milk with high fat and protein levels. NutriFibre has proved popular on the continent for the last three or four years so we are keen to see how it will fare at Cropvale.
Alongside the new sowings we are putting in a green manure option. We are looking at species with deep roots they are renowned for their ability to improve soil structure and producing lots of organic matter mean they are also good for soil fertility.
Watch this space for more news from our Cropvale trials in due course.
Topics
Species
