Oilseed rape combining costs have been all but halved this harvest with low biomass crops, according to a field study undertaken by the Masstock Arable Group with growers across the country. At the same time, the very much faster combining responsible for these savings has proved invaluable in reducing both the harvest weather risk and the autumn workload pressure.

Comparative monitoring on farms in Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire and  the Scottish Borders has revealed average combining rates of 2.3ha/hr for low biomass Caracas compared with 1.3 ha/hr for taller, bulkier varieties grown with the same agronomy and harvested under the same conditions.

With a typical combine fuel consumption of 55 litres/hour, diesel at 32 p/litre and driver costs of £10/hour, Masstock calculates average combining costs of £12.00/ha and £21.23/ha for the Caracas and higher biomass crops respectively.

Table:  Oilseed Rape Combining Monitoring

* Diesel at 55 litres/hr and 32p/litre; Driver at £10/hr

“The growers involved in our study nearly halved their combining time and costs with Caracas to achieve direct savings of over £9/ha,” pointed out Masstock study co-ordinator, David Langton.  “ And this was without taking into account the noticeable fuel economies seen as a result of  the reduced volumes of material going through the straw chopper.

“Such savings were much appreciated by all concerned. “Especially so since yields were at least as good and in many cases higher than the other varieties they grew, and faster combining meant parallel time and cost savings in grain carting.

“While they certainly appreciated the cost-savings, the growers in our study all saw reduced weather risk as the single biggest benefit of their faster combining,” he added, “commenting that they were able to take full advantage of every harvesting window. 

“They also found the saving in harvesting time - an average 16 hours/man for a typical 50 ha crop or 48 man hours for a three man harvesting team - extremely valuable in keeping abreast of timely cultivations ahead of this autumn's wheat.