November 5, 2008
UK narrows drilling window for crops
The prolonged 2008 harvest and very wet soil conditions in many parts of the UK have narrowed the drilling window for many crops this year, the Home Grown Cereals Authority said late Monday, 3 November 2008.
Some 90 percent of the planned winter barley crop area has been drilled, while some 85 percent of the intended winter wheat area has been sown. The planted area for harvest 2008 totalled 0.42 million hectares for winter barley and 2.07 million hectares for wheat.
Recent estimates are for the UK oilseed rape area to be 10-20 percent lower than last year, when 0.599 million hectares were planted, noted the HGCA.
Drilling is where a drill sows seed into rows in the soil, before covering them up.
