Expert shares seven steps to help farmers with late autumn drilling 

After record-breaking September rainfall in some areas, and more wet weather through much of October, the forecast for settled conditions into November will be welcome news for growers with crops still to drill. 

Central and southern England, including Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, have been some of the areas worst-affected by heavy rain, resulting in scenes that are all-too reminiscent of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands last season. 

Hutchinsons technical manager, Dick Neale, said: “The big issue for many growers in Lincolnshire in 2023 was that many rushed to get seed in the ground just before the heavy rain came. 

“Seedbeds were then extremely vulnerable because they’d just been made, so a lot of soils slumped under the amount of rain that fell, and water couldn’t pass through the seeding zone, causing seed to rot.”

This resulted in some areas needing to be re-drilled in the spring, or left partial fields where maybe 60% of the field survived and 40% did not; areas that were then a “nightmare” to manage through the season, the expert added. 

While this year’s situation is frustrating, the fact that heavy rain came earlier in the autumn, could be a “blessing in disguise”, as many crops had not been drilled, and in a lot of cases, seedbeds were only 80% complete, thereby reducing the risk of soils slumping and seed rotting in waterlogged soils. 

Patience needed 

If conditions remain settled into early November, it will hopefully provide an opportunity for some remaining fields to be drilled, however, Mr Neale warns that soils are slow to dry out at this time of year, especially where there are no roots to draw moisture from depth. 

Patience, picking the right conditions, and careful machine setup and operation will therefore be crucial to protect soils and give late-sown crops the best chance, he said. 

“Pick your timing carefully. For example, at this time of year, drilling when it’s foggy risks the drill just picking up soil on the damp surface. It’s maybe better to use that time to apply the pre-em to any fields that have already been drilled and then start drilling when the soil has started to dry later in the day. 

“Remember though, that even if the surface is dry enough to get on with the drill, soil is likely to remain wet at depth, so the biggest issue will be tractor wheelings. Growers have to really focus on getting seed in as best they can in these conditions,” Mr Neale added. 

Key advice 

The expert has listed seven key areas to focus on when drilling in late autumn: 

1. Be prepared to wait – some growers last year had to wait until January before there was a weather window to sow winter wheat, and in many cases these crops still performed really well, with some yielding 10 t/ha. Remember though that later-sown crops will need more care and attention to get the most from them in a shorter growing period. 
2. Reduce tyre pressures – running the lowest possible tyre pressure is key to spreading machine weight over a larger area and therefore reducing soil compaction risk. VF (Very High Flexion) tyres offer a larger soil footprint than standard tyres, so use those if you have them. 
3. Drive slower – Higher forward speeds during drilling will disturb more soil, potentially bringing up wetter material that then sticks to machines and compromises seedbed quality. Instead of travelling at 12 kph, look to reduce speed to nearer 8 kph. 
4. Setup drills correctly – much less downward pressure is needed to push discs, tines or other parts into wet, soft soil, so adjust downforce accordingly, running the lowest possible pressure needed to get seed in correctly and avoid squeezing wet soil up through drill components. Equally, aim to run coulters at the minimum depth possible to avoid pulling up wet soil. 
5. Focus on wheelings – wheelings will inevitably be an issue on wetter soils, so look to adjust drill setup to account for this, such as running coulters slightly deeper behind tractor wheels. 
6. Leave headlands if too wet – headlands often remain wetter and are harder to create a good seedbed on than the field centre, so if they are unworkable, consider leaving them to drill later, or maybe even sow headlands in the spring and manage them separately from the field centre. 
7. Consider using smaller, lighter machinery to reduce the risk of compaction. 

“Ultimately, it’s all about managing the fine details. The situation may still not be perfect, but it should get a crop in the ground.  

“If it’s too wet though, and growers/agronomists know those fields or parts of fields where it’s just not going to be possible to drill this autumn, don’t even try. It’s far better to wait and put something in next spring, rather than trying to maul a crop into ground that’s just too wet,” Mr Neale concluded. 

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