Robert Read, Langton, Horncastle

His Compass was drilled on the 28 ^th August at around  2 ½kg per ha in order to give him a plant population of 30-40 plants/M2 going into the spring. Robert used a sub-soiler with a seed unit which drilled the seeds straight into the stubble. ‘The conditions at drilling were perfect’ said Robert. ‘However we did experience some extremely dry conditions after we had finished’.

Since drilling, the crop has received 20kg of nitrogen in the autumn as well as various fungicides. The crop hasn’t suffered from any pest or disease problems so far. Robert thinks that he may apply a PGR to control his canopy at flowering stage.

 ‘I decided to grow Compass as I knew it was a very high yielding candidate variety, a step on from Excalibur.’ said Robert. ‘So far I am very pleased with the full and thick canopy which Compass has shown since drilling in August’.  Frontier’s Senior Farm Trader Graham Brown said that Robert required a variety which matured early, a result of growing a considerable amount of milling wheat therefore having a tight harvest schedule’. Graham also pointed out that Compass had performed extremely well in Frontier’s 2009 harvest results, coming top of the 37 planted varieties at their Horningsea trial site in Cambridgeshire. Compass gained a staggering yield (111) as well as above average oil content.

Robert has been growing hybrid oilseed rape varieties for 5 years now, he feels that they offer him better establishment, a result of vigorous growth in the autumn, alongside a clear yield advantage. So Compass was an ideal choice as far as he was concerned.