View clickable map showing case studies

Adrian Hares
Adrian Hares

Case Studies on Weed Management

Adrian Hares

Wiltshire


Farm characteristics
Farm size: 121 hectares (330 acres)
Farm type: mixed
Altitude: 80m (262
Rainfall: 680 mm (26.7
Soil type/aspect: Cotswold brash/clay loam & heavy calcareous clay. Site generally flat
Basic rotation: plan is 2 years white clover/ ryegrass ley, winter wheat, winter beans, winter wheat/winter oats.
Enterprises: 65 ha (160 ac) forage (47% conventional, 53% in-conversion), 69 ha (170 ac) arable (65% conventional and 35% organic wheat), 57 ha (140 ac) finishing cattle (100% conventional)
Prior land use: phased conversion from conventional arable farm, 20% of farm a year for last 3 years
Weeding equipment: topper
Business: family partnership. 1 farm manager, 50% of week works on farm. Contracted out conventional and organic arable operations.
Marketing: has a seed contract for first wheat crop. Conventional beef goes to Waitrose premium meat scheme so is not worth converting as has good contract.

Weed problems

Attitude to weeds

Weed Management

Importance of weed management
Thinks weed management is pretty important, decides when to weed based on observation of weed growth stage, crop growth stage and soil condition.

Management decisions
Has released tenancy on 140 acres to increase proportion of cattle in rotation.

Strategies for weeds
In grassland blackgrass is main problem. Takes 1st cut silage and later mows for weeds.

Strategies for crops
Strategy for cereals is to harrow once in spring GS 23/24. Soil is heavy so thinks will not be able to get on early enough in year so is planning to inter-row hoe and harrow across the rows.

Strategies for manure
Manure management, cattle on straw yards muck moved out of sheds onto hard standing or fields. Then turned in that position. Winter muck put on grassland after 1st cut of silage and spring muck put on in autumn at 10-15 t/ha. Applied with West flail spreader is fairly well broken, put onto grass because any weed seedlings will not cause problems there. All straw is conventional so not so worried about weed seeds in that.

Successes and Failures
Establishment of leys is key to success.


Comments

  1. I have BSH High Sugar Grasses in organic leys
    also red and white clover, peas, beans, wheat all organic
    plus organic fertilisers
    are you needing any seed or fertilisers this year?
    - peter smeaton 2---0-2007

Add your comments about this case study

Enter the large characters, or the result of the sum, from the image above


Top of page
All content © Garden Organic  |  Registered Charity No 298104

Garden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA).
We are not responsible for the content of external web sites.