After a later-than-expected start due to showers and the need to bale the straw, a Rutland grower cut his only field of oilseed rape on Friday afternoon (12 July).

Charlie Binley of Pridmore & Son, Morcott, near Uppingham, cut 14ha of Duplo oilseed rape, which yielded “a not as good as hoped” 3.4t/ha at 11.5% moisture.

The straw was left and has been baled by a local contractor for use in horse bedding. The crop produced about five medium-sized bales a hectare.

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© MAG/Guy Peckett

The farm’s five-year average for yield is 3.75t/ha, and Charlie remarked that this years’ oilseeds are small, which may have been caused by the crop senescing early, after a week of hot weather in June.

There were also some patches of yield-sapping blackgrass in the field, which is on a south-facing slope, with heavy clay soils at the top and limestone brash further down.

The crop was cut using a John Deere T670, with a 30ft draper header, which lays the crop headfirst into the combine, to increase efficiency by up to 10%.

Charlie says they have seen savings in wheat, but less so in oilseed rape.

Watch the video below to see the combine in action.

The variety Duplo was selected for its high yield of 109%, early autumn and spring vigour and pod shatter resistance, as this had caused significant seed loss in 2023.

The crop was direct-drilled using a Vaderstad Rapid, along with another 20ha on 9 August.

Companion cropping was not used, but biosolids were spread on the fields to give the crop a kick-start and, hopefully, repel cabbage stem flea beetle.

However, in the third week of September, the 20ha area was ripped up due to flea beetle damage.

This was replanted with Cranium, as a second wheat, which looks well.

Other crops on the 688ha farm include Kingsbarn winter barley, which is being grown for seed; feed wheats Dawsum, Extase, Cranium and Incitor; Skyway spring barley for malting; Fido triticale for seed; Carrington blue peas for seed; and spring beans.