magazine went to visit a Suffolk farm business who put plenty of thought into its move to an oilseed rape establishment system that performs a number of important tasks in one pass.  

There’s a pleasing satisfaction that comes from walking into a field of oilseed rape in late Feb and seeing well spaced plants, each with a thick crown and just enough canopy to capture the early spring sunshine. Dig one up and it reveals its healthy, long taproot, with side branches set out to explore the Hanslope series chalky boulder clay.

The foundation for this crop near Shimpling in Suffolk was put in place with a 5m HE-VA 9-leg subsoiler, with Accu-Disc coulter units. The combination has now established its third OSR crop for Apollo Farms, and it’s proving something of a success, says Fred Rush. 

Click to read the full article first published in(March 2018 issue):