Agronomy:

At least by the Calendar the end of the Winter season is now in sight, we have all endured what must be approaching the wettest period in living memory. Recent temperature drops after dark and the white mornings are still reminding us that it hasn’t finished quite just yet!

The protracted Winter cereal sowing season has now largely come to a finish with substantial areas of Wheat planted post-Christmas now emerging well and looking strong. Our focus now turns to the Spring drilling campaign ahead and the hope of a break to get the job completed as soon as possible.

Please remember the criteria for preparing a spring seedbed where pre-emergence herbicides are going to be used, firm and level finish with the seed being adequately covered as per product label guidance and the all-important weather conditions after application which can greatly affect the efficacy of these applications. We also have some new herbicide options for this season, please ask your Bartholomew’s Agronomist for more details.

Early season field inspections are showing us many things that we need to aware of in the weeks to come

Cereals

First of all we need to look under the ground at the root structures, wet conditions can severely compromise the root structure of the young plants in some instances up to 50% reduction in the wettest of soils. Mindful that travelling conditions are few and far between early nutrition is vital either as foliar applied treatments aimed at root mass building or fertilisers such as Polysulphate with or without N. Correct use of growth regulators also with the approaching early sprays are vital to extending the roots as far as we can to build maximum resilience for the season to come.

Some winter barley varieties are already carrying noticeable levels of brown rust and mildew in places and the same can be said for some winter wheats also as well as higher levels of septoria than we saw coming out of last winter.

The timing is now right for any follow up herbicide applications from the Autumn but please be mindful of any following crops that are planned such as fodder crops or stewardship/sfi options as late applications can lead to there just being a few short weeks between application and the next crop, a lot of the possible choices here can be quite residual so again talk to your Bartholomews Agronomist where necessary.

Oilseed rape

Despite the lack of application opportunity a lots of crops are looking strong and are well into stem extension there are signs of Light leaf spot in susceptible varieties while phoma levels remain lower and flea beetle larvae damage appears to be at a minimum. We have a new product for this year to use on oilseed rape which is called Sealicit this prevents pod shatter later in the growing season and is easily added to your stem extension sprays. This is a unique product which systemically works on every pod set by the plant and brings a new dimension to solving this problem.

Forward planning and communication is still very relevant with products and logistic supply chains  not as stretched as previous years but  talking with your Agronomist or usual contact about your requirements can help us greatly to minimise any supply problems.

Fertiliser Technical

Wet soils not only limit travelling opportunities but also according to codes of practice and farming rules for water shouldn’t have fertilisers applied to them. Please allow sufficient time for soils to drain through to ensure there are no losses to the environment and you get the maximum benefit for your investment, applications in the face of rain should be avoided also.

Under current legislation all N requirements need to calculated before any applications are made and a key part of this is knowing what you have in the soil You can use either standard figures for this or get a deep N test which is far more accurate way of making your plans. Please speak with your Bartholomew’s Agronomist who can help you with this.

We have recently completed a round of product testing with SCS where we put several of our best selling fertilisers through multiple spreaders to gauge their accuracy. The work was very successful and we now have an increased data base of guideline spreader settings should you require them. Information around our products is now available on the Amazone app also. These are a guide but we would always recommend a tray test every season for each product.

Andrew Stilwell - Agronomist

Feed:

SPRING TURNOUT – now is the time to start planning

Magnesium – the need to ensure cows are well supplemented with magnesium at turnout is critical. Varying DMIs from grazing, cold nights, high potassium grass, will facilitate a shortfall in supply of magnesium which the cow is unable to store, so a daily supply is required. Key Points To Remember:

1. An adult dairy cow in lactation requires 35g magnesium / head /day taking into consideration potential antagonisms such as potassium (potash- K).

2. Calcined magnesite is commonly fed and contains circa 50/52% magnesium (so we need to provide double the requirement, e.g: 10g of Cal-Mag will provide 5g of magnesium

3. Dairy concentrates at for example a level of 0.6% magnesium will provide 6g of magnesium per kg of cake fed, therefore will provide the requirement when fed at 6kg per head per day or above – but not to those who get less than 6kg

Magnesium chloride flakes are a useful option too, either incorporated in the feed or supplied via the drinking water, but beware, as too much can make the water unpalatable to livestock.

Don’t forget the late lactation cows that receive less than the full level of cake!

For your magnesium and all other requirements please call the office on 01243 755752 or Richard Aspinall on 07825 723702.

Feed orders – Easter period

With an early Easter this year please ensure orders are placed in good time. For deliveries required before and directly after Easter please place orders by Friday 15th March to guarantee delivery by the date required.

Lavinia Jones – Feed Manager

Grain:

Old crop London futures hit a all-time low of £158 on the 20th February,  triggering the poorest spot prices since August 2020. Since then market have tried to rally but sadly failed to do so and are now looking like they are heading back to the lows.

On farm there is much talk of over yearing a lot of wheat again, and to be fair a larger carry out is needed to balance the books next year.  However very little old crop wheat is actually been sold into the £20 /mt premium for next winter, so this could very easily come out in early summer instead. It hard to see old crop markets tightening at some point.  It feels like a very similar story to last year, with the large new crop premium  being eroded.

Increasing focus will now be corn/maize  in the N,Hemisphere, with the 1st estimate of US corn plantings being issued this month.  US funds have very a very large short position in corn, will a big swing into soya spook these well entrenched positons.  Corn/Maize will be needed to fill the gap in the UK S&D dynamic, so these markets are likely to shape direction for UK grain this spring and early summer.

A wet February and at the time of writing March is the last thing we all needed, there has to be question mark over the intended and increased area for Spring barley in the UK.  Most of this increase was destined for the midland/Eastern Counties, it seems unlikely these area dry out enough in March so we might see a April sown crop or plantings well below expectations.

Edd Britton - Grain Trader

Seed:

The wet autumn flowing quite literally into a wet spring has provided plenty of challenges when it comes to making decisions about varieties, species and crops.

Spring cereals and pulses are still very difficult to source but we have very limited amounts of Spring oats,beans and barley but spring wheat is proving very difficult to find, it is however worth giving us a call as availability has been changing daily.

Forage Maize has proven a popular choice so far this season, we are now starting to fulfil the early orders and still have availability from the earliest varieties such as Duke and Augustus through to the later Farmunox and Movana with plenty to offer in between. Please contact us for more information and to review other forage options available such as beet or brassicas.

Now may also be the time to assess grass swards for overseeding or redrilling. We will shortly be re issuing our grass booklet so please check online for our latest copy.

We have recently combined our gamecover and environmental information into one compendium which can also be found on our website. In this we summarise our offerings to  fulfil new SFI options and also covers all our gamecover choices including our ever popular Trigger Game Maize blend.

Christian Maltby - Seeds Manager

Fertiliser:

The Urea market remains stable with replacement costs far higher than the UK market. Very few boats will now enter our shores before the summer as suppliers reduce their stocks.

From the 1st April 2024 all Urea products will have to be treated with a Urease inhibitor as part of the new stewardship scheme. Bartholomew’s offers BASF Limus®, a urease inhibitor that protects urea-based fertilisers. Limus® improves nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by minimising nitrogen losses from volatilisation and ensuring optimal nitrogen is available for your crop. It reduces ammonia emissions by up to 98%, contains two actives for optimal efficiency and offers more than 12 months storage stability.

Ammonia & Gas prices remain low, and we are expecting more downside as we reach the summer months.

All Nitrogen Sulphurs supply in Europe remain tight as suppliers reduce their stocks with little to no replacements before the summer.

Simon Joyce – Fertiliser Trader