No apparent downturn around here thankfully, as one farmer told me the other week, ''we'll do what we need to, but we're still growing rape''.
No apparent downturn around here thankfully, as one farmer told me the other week, ''we'll do what we need to, but we're still growing rape''.
Very odd....must be a local thing.............my two biggest growers have a larger acreage in than ever before. Without looking for new territory will have trouble covering it all, and we have more colonies this spring than ever before too.Originally Posted by madasafish
Same is true in our southern unit....they have given us as much OSR as we can handle. (Only the surplus from the fruit pollination go to OSR down there)
We have one or two of our normal farms are without OSR this year, but that's just a crop rotation matter, and conversely some who were without it last year have it again this year.
The biggest growers we go to are doing industrial OSR on long term contracts.
Despite their concerns about lack of neonics most are continuing to grow it, albeit with misgivings about the older generation pesticides they need to use and I am finding them very much in a mood to discuss the matter with us.
Some are starting to see the amateur sector, especially the UK national body, as the enemy too. Too much tub thumping and no care for the farmers interests......................'ok....so take your bees away then' seems to be a position being taken by more farmers than before, despite their knowledge that bees are generally beneficial.. We almost always have to have a position on these matters now before access is granted.
Yes, its not a calculation done in isolation. For many its a crucial break crop as part of their rotation. They will usually continue to grow it even if it is not especially profitable, although they have done well from it the last couple of years, and if they are doing special varieties for dedicated clients (like the industrial guys in my last post) they are somewhat protected from the vagaries of the open market.
Speaking to the same farmer on Tuesday evening, he mentioned that his neighbour is growing rape for the very first time this year -they've avoided it like the plague in the past due to also running a livery but have now made a total about-turn.
My osr farmer is growing a variety called "veritas " and despite being in flower during some warm weather and ground moisture last year my bees didn't get much from it. By the third week of flowering the may had also come out and the bees were going to that in preference. Anybody else experienced this?
Interesting, the farmer where I have my original out apiary had big losses last year, which they are blaming on flea beetle/lack of neonics. So this year they are growing beans for the first time as a break crop.
I wonder if there are regional differences on this? In the past around here rape has been the main break crop, with sugar beet as the other. A bit of diversity in crops would be a good thing, and great that the reduction in OSR isn't an overall trend!
I was told by an authoritative source today that there's been quite a bit of trouble with flea beetles in the South/South East (UK), but much less elsewhere.
I read a study where Honey bees avoid rape if pollen beetle are on the crop Ill look it up if your interested. Also rape does not need to be pollinated by bees but they does do help to have seed set more evenly across the field and quicker setting of the seed.
When it was first produced in Canada it was mainly used for the oil industry and it had an acid in it the was not digestible by humans. They then set to work and produced CANOLA (Canada Oil Less Acid) now it could be used in the cooking industry and there is a bigger market.
When using it for cooking they say that too high a temperature is bad for us humans too, then I am not a doctor so what would I know. There does not seem to be too much of it around my local areas as in previous years so maybe it is a crop break.
Re the other comment regarding farmers and Beekeepers and NGOs there is growing concern amongst farmers that this is an issue that has to be addressed as there are too many armchair Ologists commenting on things they know nothing about. They regularly accuse farmers of destroying the environment, destroying Habitats, using excess pesticides etc. Forget about all the other armchair Ologists (Ecologists, Biologists, Ornithologists etc..) but beekeepers should attend and join local farming groups are build relationships, I have suggested to my local organisation they should have a Forage officer who could attend these meeting and build relations, He/She would know where best forage is available and they could suggest responsible beekeepers who could contribute bees to help farmers with pollination especially early in the season when other pollinators do not have colonies built up. In the payments to farmers scheme there is no allowance for allowing Honey bees forage on their land but there are payments for having nesting boxes for birds and sand boxes for nesting for solitary bees. Beekeepers could help promote a submission to allow for Honey bees to be includes after all they are listed as livestock on the Dept of Agriculture website.
Any ideas? Saw some ields of 'something' in flower, colour ranging from white to a dusky pink/pale mauve colour (two different plants or the same one, I can't say). Poor description I know, but couldn't stop to look more closely and quite overcast so colour may have been a bit distorted. Definitely a crop, covering 6 or 7 fields, with OSR either side.
Possibly oil/fodder radish.
http://www.elsoms.com/catch-crops/oil-radish
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