Mulching when using oilseed radish as fert stage

[paul_c]

So, my process is:

1. (Harvest previous crop)
2. Drill oilseed radish ASAP
3. Plough
4. Destone if needed
5. Drill next year's crop

All my crops are going to be wheat, barley or OSR

When in the above cycle, can I mulch to improve yield? If its during the drilling of oilseed radish, won't that just give the yield bonus to it, not the next? And if during the drilling, isn't it already too late since its not a cereal stubble any more?

Also...I am guessing, as another stage 6, I can roll to improve yield?

Currently I am working so much land that I'm almost at the point where I would see higher £££ profit from working more land, than chasing after small percentage yield gains with another pass. And, the above is very efficient, since I can fert during the drilling of next year's crop stage and with the OSR that's 100% fert (and with ploughing, 0% weeds) so no further spraying or intervention until harvest time.

[StoneTheCrows]

I mulched after an oat harvest. Then disc harrowed, then seeded oilseed radish. Rolling plus one more application of fertiliser on the next crop gave me 100% crop bonus.

My conclusion is mulching after the oats gave the 2.5% field bonus to the crop which came after the OSR.

[GrimHuffer]

Not used this method so don't quote me but from what I understand you mulch (for +2.5% yield) what remains on the field after harvest. I only grow grains so not sure of other crops but for me that means I would mulch (I personally don't mulch) the stubble that was left on the field. You could do that before you drill the radish, i.e. between step 1 and 2. Not sure whether or not this gives the bonus to the radish or not but does radish even have a yield? I thought it was seperate from harvest crops and it's purpose was to increase the fertiliser stage, not be harvested and sold. I had a look through the Academy pages but can't see anything in there that helps answer the question.

If you are harvesting a lot of land like you say then 2.5% over many acres/hectares adds up. Rolling after seeding (some say rolling before seeding works but then other say it doesn't and needs to be done after seeding; not sure which is right. I always roll after seeding) will net you another 2.5%. Rolling is quick, especially with the largest roller, and doesn't burn much fuel. Mulching is a little more time consuming because you don't have access to large width implements and the rotary PTO versions use a fair amount of diesel (depending on difficulty level fuel cost could very well be insignificant but I play with modified values/costs and fuel costs are a factor to be aware of).

[StoneTheCrows]

... but does radish even have a yield? I thought it was seperate from harvest crops and it's purpose was to increase the fertiliser stage, not be harvested and sold.

That's my thinking too. It treats the radish like an application of fertiliser rather than a crop. For example, I got zero weeds in the OSR despite shallow cultivation and leaving it in the field until Spring.

[GrimHuffer]

That's my thinking too. It treats the radish like an application of fertiliser rather than a crop. For example, I got zero weeds in the OSR despite shallow cultivation and leaving it in the field until Spring.

Do you mean zero weeds in the radish field? OSR being oil seed rape/canola.

[StoneTheCrows]

Oops. No.

OSR - oilseed radish.

[GrimHuffer]

Oops. No.

OSR - oilseed radish.

I've always know OSR to be oilseed rape/canola

Good to know for certain how the game handles the radish though. Is it worth it, the effort/cost to seed with radish rather than applying an inorgangic/chemical fertiliser? I've not grown radish yet in FS22 and mainly use solid fertiliser and know that you can cover a lot of ground with just a single bag.

[paul_c]

Oilseed radish is for the 50% fert and its the cheapest way - its something like £80/Ha vs £500/Ha for liquid spray. But then, I can seed at 6m wide passes and spray at 24m passes, so there is a time penalty for taking this route. I guess I could do liquid (or solid) fert and spread wider, save time that way.

In theory, if I front mount the mulcher, there is no time penalty but obvs I need a big tractor and the mulcher.

This is all to do with fert and nothing to do with weeding - that's a different analysis! But basically, ploughing (I think its at 5m currently for me?) means no weeds, which saves 1-2 sprays which I've never got right but in theory I could skip the ploughing each year and do spraying instead for a time saving too.

Also there is the attraction that I'm now ONLY putting one stage of "artificial" stuff onto the field, in that there is solid fert at the same time as seeding. In theory if I can eliminate this (I don't think I can, unless it was slurry/manure) I could claim to be 100% organic too (I know the game doesn't recognise/reward it but in real life its a goal to achieve and gives better product prices too).

[paul_c]

ETA so I guess, its 3 optimised approaches to choose from:

Minimise time (which could maximise profit, if I can work more land):

* (previous harvest)
* solid/liquid fert
* mulch & drill new crop with fert applied too
* spray to remove weeds at some point(s)

Minimise cost (also minimises chemical applications):

*(previous harvest)
* mulch & drill oilseed radish
* plough
* drill new crop (with fert too)

Eliminate chemical applications:

*(previous harvest)
* mulch & drill oilseed radish
* plough
* drill new crop (no chemical fert)
* slurry/manure fert

Of course, in there as needed is liming and de-stoning; and rolling after seeding is possible too but the yield bonus vs extra pass make it marginal.

[StoneTheCrows]

One of the things I like about this new game is that questions like this have several answers. What you do depends on your individual circumstances.

Early on in the game I bought a second-hand 4m mulcher, and a second-hand 24m Kuhn sprayer. It's shaped the way I've approached things - particularly the sprayer. For example I stick to shallow cultivation knowing I have the sprayer for the weeds.

[GrimHuffer]

Thanks for the well laid out info

Where did you find those numbers you quoted per Ha (£80 vs £500)? Not that I don't believe you (they sound similar to FS19 differences) I'd just like to know how they were generated (which difficulty/equipment used etc).

On that note, what equipment are you using? The rolling mulcher or the PTO driven version? Drilling with one of the combi seed/fert drills? Tractor used? Just curious.

The method I use is:

* harvest
* digestate (solid fert if I run out)
* plough (5-furrow Agro-Masz)
* disc (4 metre Horsch)
* drill (4 metre Amazone)
* roll (smaller of the two rollers, 12m ish)
* digestate (solid fert if I run out)

This is clearly not the most efficient by any means. Especially discing and then running over again with a power harrow drill but I'm just talking my lead from the farmers around here (I think some might disc and then run a regular drill and I would also if there was a small enough one in-game).

I might try giving radish a go next harvest (everything seeded this year) but I run a medium tractor (Fendt 720) and I have a lot of ground to cover (most of the fields south of the river on Heut-Bayleron, though probably half the acerage is kept as meadows for silage) with 3-4 metre equipment so running over the land to seed radish would likely take a while longer (and potentially lose out of contracting jobs). I do like your idea of going organic though so I might have to move things around and perhaps substitute some grain fields for something that harvests later in the year (soybeans perhaps). I guess the time it takes me to run back and forward with the digestate I'd just as well seed radish (perhaps using the Kverneland DTX 300 with the drill on top...but my tractor hp is probably a little low for that) and save the digestate for the later second fert application.

From your options you list I'd probably go for number three. Not keen on spraying herbicide because of the yield penatly (someone said on another thread that it goes in stages depending on when you sprayed, early on/small weeds -5%, taller weeds -10% and fully grown weeds -15%. Not tested this so not sure).

[paul_c]

Where did you find those numbers you quoted per Ha (£80 vs £500)? Not that I don't believe you (they sound similar to FS19 differences) I'd just like to know how they were generated (which difficulty/equipment used etc).


On that note, what equipment are you using?

I record in quite a detailed way, seed rate, costs, field area etc. so I was able to know for myself the oilseed radish costs vs spraying fert costs.

For equipment, I am currently using:

JCB Fastrac tractor
Kverneland Ecomat plough
Terrasim C6F drill (inc discs and fert application)

I've only just bought a 6m roller and not yet bought a mulcher (but will go for one which can be front mounted).

So, most of the equipment is 5-6m width. The sprayer is the Kuhn on a cheap Zetor small tractor (so very cheap to run and maintain).

Of course, there is the opportunity to step up to really big/wide equipment but then some routes and fields would be more of a challenge to get to and do the awkward bits; and I'd need a bigger tractor still. I have also bought a big square baler, windrower, 8+m butterfly mower to do silage too but that's another matter. And a fleet of low loader trailers so I'm not double handling (actually 3, load-unload-load) straw or silage, I can lift it once then store on the trailer, and sell in the winter when prices are better.

[GrimHuffer]

I record in quite a detailed way, seed rate, costs, field area etc. so I was able to know for myself the oilseed radish costs vs spraying fert costs.

For equipment, I am currently using...

	JCB Fastrac tractor Kverneland Ecomat plough Terrasim C6F drill (inc discs and fert application) I've only just bought a 6m roller and not yet bought a mulcher (but will go for one which can be front mounted). So, most of the equipment is 5-6m width. The sprayer is the Kuhn on a cheap Zetor small tractor (so very cheap to run and maintain). Of course, there is the opportunity to step up to really big/wide equipment but then some routes and fields would be more of a challenge to get to and do the awkward bits; and I'd need a bigger tractor still. I have also bought a big square baler, windrower, 8+m butterfly mower to do silage too but that's another matter. And a fleet of low loader trailers so I'm not double handling (actually 3, load-unload-load) straw or silage, I can lift it once then store on the trailer, and sell in the winter when prices are better.

Thanks for that, good to know what others are using. As much as I like the Fendt 720, it is getting a a little small. However, going much bigger and it'll need a full change on implements to complement it and I don't have much space on the farm for that.

Good idea for using trailer to minimise handling silage bales.

[cwattyeso]

Here's a question in case anyone has tried it, before I go off to attempt it in game tomorrow. If Mulching was not done after the previous crop was harvested and prior to the Oil Seed Radish being planted, could one in game be able to Mulch the Oil Seeded Radish, then Cultivate and Seed your next crop and then do the rolling? Would this give you the Mulching bonus or not?

[GrimHuffer]

Here's a question in case anyone has tried it, before I go off to attempt it in game tomorrow. If Mulching was not done after the previous crop was harvested and prior to the Oil Seed Radish being planted, could one in game be able to Mulch the Oil Seeded Radish, then Cultivate and Seed your next crop and then do the rolling? Would this give you the Mulching bonus or not?

That's a nice thought, shame it doesn't work

I had a play around, still getting numbers (it gets so confusing running five test strips with four variables in each which change with each growth cycle!) but what happens is the mulcher does what it does best and destroys the radish...without incorporating it!

From one of my test strips:

Start with stubble field on 0% fertiliser and 'weeds growing'. Limed and radish drilled with DD (Direct Drill) Pottinger Terrasem with fertiliser application. 73% yield with 50% fertiliser, broken down that is;

* +22.5 from stage one fertiliser
* +15% from liming
* +15% from plowing (I did not plough as the land did not require it)
* +20% from having no weeds (no penalty to 'weeds growing' status)

I rolled a section and gained +2% (+2.5% rounded down) yield and increased it to 75% (fertiliser obviously still at 50%). After one growth cycle (I am testing on 1 day months for berevity sake) there are no weeds (they don't grow on/in/around radish) and I can harvest the radish. I do so (for this strip) using a mulcher (6m mechancial TMC Canela).

Unfortunately, doing so leaves the entire lane at 75% yield and 50% fertiliser. The difference in yield % of the unrolled/rolled section when I seeded (73% vs 75%) is gone (lost the rolled status, which makes sense when you churm up the soil with a seeder), replaced with the +2.5% from mulching bringing the yield up to an even 75% throughout. The entire strip needs rolling and that would gain +2.5% yield (in practice this takes the total up to 78% yield as this time around it rounds up, not down). The worst part however is that the radish is not incorporated into the soil and thus does not add another stage of fertilisation (staying at stage1 and 50%).

If you start off with a field like I did above (limed (which I did at the start) and ploughed (didn't need it)) and run the 5.6m rolling mulcher (takes 130 hp to use/push it and I know you'll miss a little off the ends but it's still 93% efficient) whilst pulling a 6m DD with fertiliser application you'll end up with 75% yield and 50% fertiliser. Wait until the radish is ready to harvest and run the same drill (no fertiliser needed this time around) straight over the top of the radish. Doing so incorporates the radish into the soil and you'll end up with 98% yield (+45 fert/+15 lime/+15 ploughing/ +20 no weeds/ +2.5 (3) for mulch) and 100% fertiliser. Roll for the final +2%.