How one Northants grower de-risks late drilling of wheat

摘要

Late drilling is an essential part of managing blackgrass, but it can prove risky in a wet autumn. Richard Allison looks at how one heavy land farm is hoping to cut the risk. De-risking late drilling of wheat is at the heart of Brixworth Farming's strategy, and catch crops are the key to extending the drilling window on the heavy Northamptonshire soil.Tackling blackgrass has created a need for less soil disturbance by direct-drilling later in the autumn. However, grower Ian Matts (pictured above) finds that it just takes one rainfall event to make the heavy soils too wet to drill.