So, another season is done and dusted, and I think we all probably feel the same – a great sense of achievement and a desire to do it all again. But there is no time to dwell! Now is the time to look back at what cover crop worked and what didn’t, and why this might have been.
Likewise, with the next growing season not too far away, it’s time to start thinking about cultivating and the crops and mixtures that will be in the ground next season.
A gamekeeper’s work is never over. Something we all know too well.
Cover Crop Roundup:
Some Maize Left Wanting (but not all!)
It was an interesting growing season. We had another wet spring (which seems to be the norm these days), followed by a drier spell. The thing that differed last year was that the dry spells were not actually very warm – so there was a lot of heat lacking.
Coming out of a cold and wet spring, we needed that heat in July and August to get maize and sorghum growing at their best, however a lot of this struggled due to the aforementioned lack of heat.
It also didn’t help matters that due to the wet winter and spring, ground conditions were poor, meaning it was hard to get on them early enough.
So generally, for the more tropical cover crops, growing conditions weren’t very conducive. If your maize did struggle, fear not, you weren’t alone.
We did still see some success with maize, especially further south, with some fantastic crops that are still standing well now. Where maize did do well and the right variety was selected, it paid dividends during the season, which was very windy. Again, going to show the importance of selecting the correct maize variety!
And, as ever, whatever challenges maize presented for some last year, there was still a net gain from its inclusion within the overall cropping.
Brassicas showing their value
Where they were established successfully, brassicas did very well last year, with lots of customers commenting that their brassica cover crop plots have fared better than other years. Our Pheasant & Finch mixture, alongside our Grass Buster, have had glowing reports from ‘keepers across the country.
This is most likely because they had the moisture, and they don’t require as much heat as maize, sorghum and other millets. Additionally, they had a better chance this year as they weren’t competing with the sorghum in the mixtures as much as usual, which can happen in first year mixes.
Environmental schemes keep growing
As a leading supplier of mixtures for The Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship, we have seen a marked increase year on year for these, with the payments they result in making a huge difference for farmers and landowners.
Where the right crops and mixtures have been selected, they have done very well. But it is essential to choose correctly, so we strongly recommend speaking to one of our advisors before making any final decisions.
Another growing season on the horizon
The 2025 growing season will be here before we know it, and we’ve already had numerous seed orders for next years cover crops.
The key questions to ask yourself – and we cannot repeat enough – are what worked for you last year, what grew well and what didn’t grow well? What weeds did you have growing in the crops? Was a certain cover crop particularly bad? Identify them and maybe think about using a mix that can combat those weeds, especially if they are becoming a problem.
If you do have a lot of weed build up in your crops, then once they are topped, we recommend spraying with glyphosate before ploughing.
However, don’t be too fast in chopping covers and maize down as they provide cover for the birds that are still on the ground and this cover is vital to prevent them from being predated.
The Bright Seeds team are here to assist and advise you on anything that is required. Whether you have questions about a cover crop, which mixtures to use where, how to tackle your weed burdens, your SFI and CS schemes or anything else.
Contact us on 01722 744494 or sales@brightseeds.co.uk
One of our team will be able to provide advice or come and visit you!