Have you Planned Your Spring Cropping?

With longer days growers are now making decisions on spring cropping, re-seeding and their rotations.

Grass and Herbal Ley Seed
For those looking to re-seed this Spring, we now have grass seed prices for 2024 and I am pleased to report that the price has remained unchanged for most of our varieties and in some instances, there has been a reduction in price. 

For the sixth consecutive year our seed is supplied by Horizon Seeds.  Horizon Seeds only use varieties on the RGCL recommended list, and happily list all the varieties in their mixes. These mixes are selected with the key characteristics you are looking for, e.g. ME, D-Value, disease resistance, early growth, etc.

We can also offer you a full range of products including grasses, herbal leys, legumes, lucerne, environmental and cover mixes, wholecrop and forage crops. If the ideal mix you are looking for is not listed, please let us know your requirements and Horizon are more than happy to quote for a bespoke mix to suit your individual needs.  It may be possible to claim SFI payments on re-seeding options.

If you would like a copy of our 2024 seed brochure, please contact us.

Maize Seed And Other Spring Crops
With the wet autumn and flooding there are areas where growing spring cereals will not be possible and there is the opportunity to grow maize on these fields. 

If you need advice on which varieties to grow then please speak to us to discuss how the maize fits into the rotation, soil type, altitude and drilling dates and desired harvest dates.

Maize growers may be able to claim payments under the SFI initiative. A Soil Management plan and Nutrient Management plan should be undertaken on all farms and these benefit from an annual payment. If maize is following winter cereals, then a Multi Species cover crop can be claimed with the payment paying for the seed and direct drilling into wheat stubbles.

If spring barley or maize are not practical options, Pollen and nectar flower mix (£739/ha SFI) or Winter bird food on arable land (£853/ha SFI) are viable alternatives.

Don’t forget Maxi Maize Plus, our maize placement fertiliser that can be delivered with the seed. Maxi Maize Plus is available in 25kg (acre) bags or 600kg (24 acre) dumpy bags. Where the soil phosphate index is below 3 then placed fertiliser always works. Maxi Maize Plus is applied at 25kg/acre as the polymer changes the charge on the phosphate allowing a lower rate than traditional DAP.

If you would like assistance with Seed, SFI Applications, Soil Management & Nutrient Management Plans, please contact Louise Cox on 07943 684215 or e-mail louise@dblbuyyinggroup.co.uk