Bicrop planting win.

[Mr Gus]

Nice read (throughout) with good detail.. If you can access the story via Google news rather than farmers weekly

https://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/pulses/bea ... cambs-farm

If you register, it gives a detailed breakdown of seed rates, % gain (fiscal) from harvest, 1950's tech used for separation.

[AE-NMidlands]

Yes, good news that agriculture is stepping forward - into the past!

50 or 60 years ago my relatives in S Devon grew what they called "Dredge corn." It was a mix of oats and barley, and was combine harvested in the usual way, then stored in the barn for putting through a small tractor- and belt-driven mill to bruise it for feeding to the cattle. (I also remember gathering up sheaves from a binder and putting them in stooks, but I don't know what crop that was.)

Many years later I came to realise how clever the dredge corn was: less disease from not planting a monoculture crop, better weather resistance, saved seed (replanted I think.) I love old-fashioned farming!
A

[AE-NMidlands]

Well well! I just googled it and got this https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hans ... redge-corn

DREDGE CORN.
HC Deb 21 November 1917 vol 99 cc1181-2
1181
68. Sir JOHN SPEAR
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he is aware that in the South of England a quantity of dredge corn—a mixture of oats and barley—is grown for feeding cattle and pigs; will he say if farmers can use such corn, whether damaged or not, for this purpose, or sell to others requiring it; and is a permit required either to use or sell such corn?
Mr. CLYNES
I am aware of the facts stated in the first part of the question. Clause 1 of the Dredge Corn Order, 1917, made at the end of last week, prohibits the use of dredge corn, other than damaged dredge corn, except for the purpose of manufacturing flour. There is no prohibition against the sale of dredge corn provided that the price charged does not exceed the maximum price fixed by the Order. No permit is required for the feeding of damaged dredge corn to cattle and pigs; but no grain may be so used unless it is proved to be unsaleable for milling.

Sir J. SPEAR Is not the hon. Member aware that in Devon and Cornwall acres a this class of corn are grown, especially for the purpose of raising poultry and meat, and that, consequently, the production of this food is seriously hindered unless dredge corn is permitted to be used for that purpose?

1182
Mr. CLYNES All those points were taken into consideration in training the Order to which my answer applies.

Presumably they were worried about potential human food going into animals. I can't imagine any baker managing to turn out bread worth eating with a barley/oats mix though!
A

[CrofterMannie]

It's still done on the Machair ground in the Western isles, usually a mix of Machair oats and rye. The idea being that, in an area marginal for growing, if the weather doesn't suit one cereal then hopefully the other will be ok and famine can be avoided.

Nowadays it is mostly baled as wholecrop silage to reduce the risk of the crop being wiped out by increasing geese populations whilst waiting for it to ripen.

[billi]

Looks horrible to me https://stmaaprodfwsite.blob.core.windo ... llbard.jpg


Not sure why not think in 3 dimensions and have fruiting trees involved