Hello Harry, like you videos, informative. I’d like to tell you of my experience with arable frowning. I’m now almost 75 and way back in the very early 60’s, I was 17 and a half or just 18. I worked as a tractor driver for the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at their experimental farm at Cleppa Park, near Newport, Monmouthshire. Being an experimental outfit I used sprays not even on the market, including roundup, although it wasn’t called that then. Some of the sprays we disgusting, the smell, colour etc. We used to use TVO and a liquid soap to spray on carrots and parsnips to control weeds. Disgusting sprays on lettuce crops, on top fruit, the list goes on. My job was to cultivate, sow seeds, weed control, again the list goes on. We had about 75 acres, possibly 30 acres down to arable crops. There were greenhouses but I didn’t work much on the. Regarding tractors, I had two Massey Ferguson 35’s to work with, one tractor used mostly on bed work, 6’ feet wide track. An interesting part of my working life but how things have changed, I had no cabs, no computer systems, my computer was my brain but I loved it. A very interesting piece of history. I now live in Fishguard, West Wales over looking the sea, a perfect place to retire, with an allotment run as a 99.9% organic allotment. Keep up the good work, I envy you with your expenses tools. King regards, Basil Spooner
Harry, I’ve been a “car guy” my entire life and always enjoy your auto stories. However, I’ve quickly become a huge fan of your farming videos and look forward to watching them. Extremely interesting and, of all things, very peaceful content. In these distressing times, your farm videos have a very calming effect on me. Thanks very much. Stay well and safe.
I worked at an organic arable farm during a summer break once. Their main herbicide was me and some other teenagers. Row of "beds" behind a tractor and removing weed by hand. This doesnt really work with wheat and barley but does work excellent with potatoes, onions, leeks and pumpkins wich they had there
It does work with grain crops. You just have to plant rows further apart and have tine-weeders that you are willing to use until the crop overshadows weeds.
Like many others, I subscribed here after watching your car videos. When I was much younger I used to drive tractors on my grandfather's farm (on the heavy clay in northern Netherlands) but without really understanding the logic behind the operations. You are a great presenter and make the stuff enjoyable and interesting to watch. Keep at it!
Would you mind talking about how and when you got into farming, how you acquired all that knowledge, etc.? It'd be quite informative to hear about your journey from the start.
My son directed me to Harry's Farm and I am really enjoying the lessons. My late grandfather used to work on a farm not too far from you in Kencot and Broadwell. May your tyres stay clean and your grain store be bulging.
Really enjoying these. You demonstrate what we do, as farmers, in a really engaging way. The more people know about the work we farmers do to put food on the table, the better!
Hi Harry. As an environmental campaigner, on and off, since 1977 the Glyphosate issue has come around over and over again. Many years ago i did some book research and then later some internet research and my conclusions were that everything hinges on the active half-life. In a field it's around 50 days but can be as long as a year and as short as 2 days depending on climatic conditions and the weather. So I am not particularly worried from a herbicide perspective. But the other issue is that it is also a pesticide even though that is not its main use. The issue there is leachate; if you still have active glysophate reaching aquatic life, ponds, streams etc.. then it does have an impact on biodiversity. I think that is one issue. Another is the corporate behaviour of Monsanto and many activists hate Round-up because of Monsanto's activities in many parts of the world - some of those criticisms are well-founded in my opinion but have no connection to the science of glyphosate; so there are mixed opinions as to whether to use it. I remember there was, years ago, a campaign to outlaw tanalising but I couldn't find a good reason to stop using fence posts that lasted up to 20 years as opposed to ones that lasted only 5 if you're lucky. I was told nothing grows around a tanalised post but I never witnessed it. The environmental agenda is crucial to our planet but it does seem muddled at times..
@@MsMesem No, the fence-post comment was in a different paragraph and related to illustrating the need for nuance and specitivity when talking about environmental impact.
@@nagaraworkshop Glysophate has no nuance . Land that was used for treating timber is inaccessible for centuries. Smaller scale but long lasting effects.
Harry, I hugely enjoy your videos, as it not only brings back fond memories, but it also shows me how UK agriculture has changed, and is changing. I worked on a farm for 2 years in Berkshire, before going off to agricultural college, and marrying the daughter of a Yorkshire farmer. That led to 10 years arable and grassland farming in Yorkshire. Then in 1996 I left the UK for South Africa, initially involved in agricultural type things (although not anymore). I also share your other passion, having owned some interesting cars in my time (best farm vehicle was an old diesel automatic G wagon, which was indestructible). Just realised one of my bucket list items and bought myself a new 911. Thankfully, I haven’t been “spoiled” like you being able to drive GT3’s and the like, so the base Carrera (991.2 2C) is quite enough car for me, even on the open roads we have out here!! Thanks too for Evo; without realising the people behind it, I was an avid subscriber to that too.
Like many (most?) I gravitated to Harry for the cars. Now find the FARMING more fascinating! I happen to live in a agri area of farther N. California, by far the dominant industry to me yet.....
I wanted to post exactly this question on the previous video but somehow I cocked up and I almost flung my phone at the wall, after loosing a well balanced but slightly long winded question regarding round up combined with the ecological part of the farm. Great to see this video and I’m going to find a moment to really take it all in and enjoy the video!
Hi Harry. I see you have a faithful SWB Series 1 Land Rover to help out. It's the spare wheel on the bonnet that brings back memories. In the 70s, I drove one of those machines here in South Australia. Starting it required a dose of ethanol spray down the throat of the carburettor, followed by some precise tickling of the accelerator after ignition. The very specific starting process acted as a built in anti-theft device, if anyone were interested in hot-wiring the old girl. The spare wheel weighed a lot, and it was a regular chore lifting the bonnet to place the piece of wood in position as a strut while the ethanol was applied. I actually miss that old Land Rover, but not its bonnet.
This videos are just great fun and so interesting. Once again much goes into your presenting style and informative your videos are. Learned so much about farming watching your videos while living in a area of Finland that is as far from farming as possible here.
Thanks again Harry for a great Round-Up', a world I for one love to hear more about. Cracking to see the Landy make an appearance too. As a Disco 4 owner of a few years I'd be keen to hear/see your thoughts on the New Defender. Personally, I thnik they've smashed it and am looking forward to a test drive here in Oz in early 2020.
NCB I second this! Wasn’t a fan when it was announced, saw a few films on it and still wasn’t convinced but I’ve since seen one in person and it’s very much the rugged machine you’d hope for. Very impressed with the work they’ve done
Thank's for a very good explanation on using Roundup. Have been very reserved re: news on it being the worst thing possible, am on the side of science on this one (and most thing's, if I'm honest :) ). Enjoy watching your videos, keep doing the good work, thank you!
The worst thing possible is combining Roundup with genetically engineered Roundup-resistant crop. It's a giant bet that weed will not borrow the engineered genes, break the patent and become Roundup-resistant. At which point Monsanto will have another broadband chemical/resistant GMO ready for us.
Glad you're keeping it real, Harry. It's all very well for armchair environmentalists or cancer researchers to pontificate how farmers should do this or shouldn't do that but until you've been stood in a field trying to grow a good crop you really have no idea of how difficult farming really is and why farmers have to make compromises.
That is fine you keep eating glyposate, I won't as it destroys your stomach and suffering continues. I am sure that Harry is not feeding it to his family either.
@@ellanola6284 that's nonsense, and seeing Harry isn't an asshole I don't think he'd let the general public eat anything he wasn't happy for his family to eat.
Harry Here in the north of Spain (Navarra) we are authorized to use Roundup but only 6 lt/Ha ( around 0.6 gl/ac) allways before seeding wheat and barley ( October every year) and this authorization will expire next 31st July 2020. Here rains around 500-700 l/year ( around 110 -154 gl/year) and average harvest values are around 5,000 kg/Ha ( around 4,460 pd/ac) on medium production areas and around 8,000 kg/Ha ( around 7,137 pd/ac) on the high humid areas. No-till sowing is getting a common practice mostly in the low and medium humidity areas. As you show the sowing is made directly after the harvest without any movement (cultivator, discs, plow..etc)+ but in the high humidity areas the soil moisture is a problem ( not something to be preserved like in the less humid areas) and we are obliged to move the soil . Today instead of big plows ( with 3,4,5,..6 shares) we are using cultivator, roto tillers and the best replacement of the traditional big plow is the hidraulic-subsoiler ( digs till 660mm deep) but all this more in high humidity areas. It is highly interesting to listen that in UK (apparently with higher rain ratio) you are using no-till agriculture methods understandable for low humidity areas (I.e: from the Pyrénées to the south). Cheers
I am an organic dairy /arable farmer ,and by no means an expert ,however I think it is possible to grow an arable organic rotation without grass .it involves using a cover crop to follow a first wheat ,this crop is then crimped with a roller ,and then left on the surface to smother weeds.The following arable seeds are direct drilled into dying cover crop.
Hello Harry. Very good series of videos so far. Would you mind doing a video regarding your cattle wintering housing feeding and dosing ? Also a crop up date every month on the motorbike as your camera works well stay safe.
Discovered your channel from the garage video’s. Must say it is really good to have someone provide explanations for what is going on, many thanks. I follow several farming channels in the US, this is my first for here. Looking forward to going through all the video reports.
Enjoying this series as much as the Garage but now a lot of us are keen to have you test drive the new Defender as we respect your opinion above many others.
I’ve always thought your a pretty cool cat Harry but digging Earth and operating farm equipment wearing a Patek Annual Calendar just elevates you! So many of these high end watches are cosseted but you wear them in all occasions! I have a friend who builds the Omega Tourbillions and she always says that her and her fellow watchmakers are always disappointed when they see their watches sitting in watch boxes never worn. They made them so we could tell the time, not sit like a bit of art doing nothing!
Bloody hell Harry, this video got to me just in time, i was getting strung out :D don't leave it so long next time please. You certainly have got a lot of rocks in that land Harry :O
Sure, maybe. But the toxicity levels of glyphosate in animal models are high. Like 100s to 1000s of mg/kg of tissue. You'd need to be eating raw glyphosate by the spoonful, every day to get anywhere near a dose that you'd even notice.
Drew Clarke: I think we need to treat all toxicity / specificity data with caution - these compounds have been developed precisely because of their biological activity
very good practices, organic and soil assoc, are like the mafia. I agree on your practices, makes the livestock a pleasure rather than a chore. I personally am interested in the US regenerative agriculture movement, which stresses the web of life in the soil above the regolith , they are saying that fungal mycorrhiza act as tubes moving nutrients to the plants and creating pathways for soil fauna, also the potential for CO2 removal and carbon sequestration. i am not suggesting change for you personally. My interest is that if we can take carbon out of the atmosphere, through gentle adaption, that may be an essential role for future agriculture in harmony with biodiversity and production. At the same time increasing water retention and infiltration capacity, then you would reduce fertility losses from above ground run off. What you need is grant change to other services ie; flood prevention, carbon capture and sequestration, biodiversity conservation. I like your videos and your expanations, keep up the good work ;0) !
The sound of those rollers is so evocative. My family business made cambridge rolls for many years, first trailed and then hydraulic folding. A question about min till....doesn't it lead to over-compaction of the soil just below the surface, where the cultivation tackle doesn't reach? And couldn't that lead to poor drainage? I seem to remember that being an issue when non-ploughing direct drilling became a fad
Very interesting mate. I'm 16 and have just got into farming. I am restoring my great grandads 1974 IH 354. Seeing you have a case 150 puma, you may not like the fact I have a massey Ferguson 135 multi power too 😂
This is a good channel, don't want to sound like an old grump, something to ponder for those interested. Using herbicides such as glyphosphates is fine up until you get cutaneous T cell lymphoma and then you think, oh, was it those sprays I used. Glyphosate is an organo-phosphate, originally used as a boiler descalant and they found that it worked as a herbicide. Because it inhibites mineral uptake so that plants can not make plant proteins, that's the reason why it kills plants. Unfortunately it also has an antibiotic effect and it kills certain bacteria as well. The problem; as with many herbicides, this one is an unknown Factor and they have found traces of glyphosate in cereals and our food chain, so we have actually no idea what it's doing to our gut biome.
Would burning the straw be an option? In my area of the southeastern US, burning a wheat field after harvest is still done by some farmers. The excess straw is burned away and then soybeans are no-tilled into the charred stubble. This is a less common practice today versus 20 years ago.
We went through a phase of burning straw in the uk but it often got hairy. Sometimes hedgerows burnt, ash falling from on high onto peoples washing hanging out to dry, and sometimes bad/no planning before striking a match led to fire becoming a scary master. Like most people I guess I found it satisfied a primitive caveman urge to create fire but I agree it was a good decision to ban it here.
that one case in the USA is extremely questionable, for 1 juries do not decide science, and for 2 it’s sounds like the fella wasn’t using correct PPE, and was spraying a crazy amount of glyphosate out of a backpack sprayer
Correct, there is no evidence at all the poor blokes NHL came from Roundup and his attitude to PPE was alarming to say the least, even more worrying was the second case heard in the california civil courts where the judge said the law was as much art as science so they weren't going to bog the hearing down by allowing any science to be used. That is a clear indicator of the level of ignorance and prejudice there is out there.
@@alastairblair It's the result of a country with more lawyers than scientists that has developed a complete mistrust of basic science. For a civilized nation, the US has an unbelievable level of scientific illiteracy compounded by the fact that everybody feels qualified to have an opinion.
@@CaptHollister As an American who feels like one of the few who does understand science and reason, yeah you pretty much nailed the US...it's disgusting how much people are encouraged to be ignorant, and proud of their ignorance, in this country.
Monsanto sold out to change name and hide their Link to Roundup... billions paid out to ill people now. See prof Stéphanie of MIT. Glyphosate is a pesticide.
having seen some of the comments, there is always a trade off, everytime you put a machine on the ground you are using fuel. I know this is not used now due to legal reasons but if you were allowed to burn off the stubble you'd get rid of most of the weed seeds and the ash would feed the ground
Burning made cultivations much easier but had big downsides and went wrong more often than you'd hope. I need to get the combine to chop straw better, so we'll look into that over the winter.
No, it breaks down very quickly in soil. If it reaches an unintended target, it was very poorly applied. Sprayer operators have many qualifications these days.
Great video! Glad I stumbled across this channel. Have you tried making a "false seedbed"? Basically, instead of spraying off the weeds after cultivation you cultivate again. It's usually done in the context of a plough+harrow system I believe, but it would be interesting to see how something like a carrier would do. If harrowing kills off weeds cultivating with a carrier might, too. If you're currently only cultivating once you'd be doubling your cultivation, but if you could do that instead of spraying (maybe only once in a while or on certain fields) that could be worthwhile...what costs you more money, a pass with the cultivator or a pass with the sprayer? Would be an interesting experiment to try on one field, if nothing else.
its more expensive to do multiple passes with a cultivator, 2ndly there is a theory currently out there when cultivation's take place CO2 can be released in to the atmosphere which is as we all know a cause of climate change. harrowing twice can work but the conditions need to be right. if its too dry your just burning diesel. some plants can also transplant, so a chemical control which is cost effective like round up can save a farmer thousands of pounds across a field, that the yield loss of high weed populations in the following crops., which if they can be controlled successfully can also be very costly with alternative products.
Harry, thanks so much for posting these! Do you have any opinions on using roundup for domestic use? I understand in agriculture applications you’re not really coming in contact with it. Thanks!
People don't understand how difficult farming is. We all try our best to help the environment but we have a million hurdles in our what. If we loose (roundup) common name. I dread to think what the future holds. We already lost the dressing on rape seed. The one dressing will increase sprays tenfold 😕 we're fighting a loosing battle.
Harry you are an excellent Farmer. What I call a Sustainable Farmer. Your soils are always improving. Your system of Farming is extensively used in Australia. Being a much dryer nation minimum till also is a great way of preserving moisture. One Court Case in the USA with a Jury with unknown prejudices proves nothing. Unfortunately most "so called" Organic Farmers are still gradually but surely destroying there Soils for the future.
Hi Harry. Just finished all your garage channel videos (loved every minute and learned so much!) and now on with the farm stuff. This is all very interesting for me as i come from a farming family but dont know much about it. Learning from you is SO interesting. Love it. Thanks for all that you do. Question.......which spray is the one that hurts the bees.?
Another great HF video. Balanced, articulate and full of information for a townie like me. As an avid viewer of HG it was nice to see the S1 make an appearance. More of that would be great - although a workhorse that keeps on working doesn't necessarily make for compelling content. I wonder if the new Defender will make an appearance on HF... Keep up the great work on both channels Harry. Oops just seen your tweet!
Hi Harry. Started off watching Harry's garage but I'm just as hooked on Harry's farm now. Thanks for the interesting insight into farming. Living in a rural area it's good to understand what is going on in the fields.
Have you tried using the straw rake immediately after the combine in chopped straw or baler to get the weed seeds and such to grow through quickly? (Depends On moisture I suspect) also, any joy with cover crops? (I bet the new rangey was the contractors 👍😉)
Harry: Being a retired beekeeper, I am led to understand that RoundUp can affect bees badly, hence the reduction in rural bee population and increased success in urban hives where no farm insecticides are present. What are your comments on this?
Cannot see any reason why Roundup would have a detrimental affect on bee population. The banning of neonicotinoid seed dressings on OSR a much bigger worry as it's led to a massive increase in general insecticides being applied instead, which will kill off the bee population. Madness.
@@harrysfarmvids I quite agree, Cabbage Flea Beetle is the bain of growing brassicas either organically or not neonicotinoid seed dressing kept this pest under control how we do that now I don't know?
We have a hive next to a fence of a vineyard which they sprayed with Roundup to keep weeds down. The hive was dead the next day. We didn't know they were going to spary or give us any warning...... They offered to pay for half a nucleus.......
I've never watched a crop farm programme in my life. Thanks Harry it's strangely interesting! I think you're obsessed with weather...like almost every serious cyclist! Do you drink lots of espresso to get motivated for farming???
Very well explained I was doing commercial horticulture when i first set out in the 80s. I did a 3 year diploma course and chemicals were of course part of that and highly topical. Reduced droplet size and as Harry says big in droplet + sprayer technology. My folks did keepa organic small holding when they retired and you had accept blemishes /bites/ arks etc that the supermarkets would never accept. Climate change hasn't helped one little bit as the bugs and beasties reproduce all the faster. Glass house whitefly (Trialuroides sp) is now all over the place whitef ly. I saw just problems so left it.
I love this series/channel - your enthusiasm and knowledge comes across slighty more here than on your other channel, but then you are a farmer who drives. Also love the education and your choice/logic behind the farming model that you choose - if only not only consumers but also politicians were hence educated and broad/wide discussion/approach to this and other subjects - go beyond the headlines, get down to the options and hence balanced choices. I have friends in West Wales who are milk cattle farmers, so this is all new to me. Fully support/love the idea to choose a tennant to farm organically where you can't, and also the choice not to farm organic - is there as you describe it that much difference between organic and "normal/standard" farming? This again shows = not a lot. Yes, more on machinery (which is why most of us probably came in the first place, but the informed education is why I would guess most are staying/subscribing), and would love to hear more about the farming year/the choices behind the system. Thank You - Good Luck!
Do you think the new Defender will still be being used as a farm work horse when it is 65 years old? I suspect not! The ecu’s (All 85 of them!) and fancy electronics will of seen it scrapped long before then
It's certainly a great system of planned obsolescence. Also works well for modern automobiles, and all sorts of once _durable_ machines that now have to be scrapped at regular intervals because it is impossible to maintain them.
I am loving the content and as a petrolheaded city dweller looking to move out a little, It is fascinating. A lot of the tasks around the farm seem to short sharp tasks that has quite specific timing based on time of year and weather... I would be interested in knowing more about how you plan your year - almost like a week by week calendar walk through and knowing what the down-times are as you obviously get to travel a lot for the more fun things in life. Also, even if its only anonymised (not your own farm's), understanding the economics/business model. Keep up with the great videos
Do you plant cover crops with various diff't plants? A certain type of beets, legumes, wild flowers etc. beets breakup the soil, others add nitrogen and organic matter. Less fertilizers needed in the future.
Great video Harry, obviously for you compaction is something you need to keep to a minimum,so does rolling with such heavy rollers not affect compaction?
@darren guest... The roller may be heavy but the weight is spread across the ground over it's 12m width so the weight per square meter is not high. You would actually have more weight and potential compaction from the tires on the tractor pulling the roller.
Do you use the manure out of sheds where they rear turkey's? I live on the Lincolnshire Wolds they use it round here. Stinks to high heaven when they are spreading it!
How would you control couch grass without glyphosate, l worked on a farm in the Cotswolds and in some fields we had a big problem with couch grass, until we used glyphosate. Thanks Harry for your informative videos.
hi harry , i really enjoy your videos well done. is it fertility or weed burden is the barrier to organic arable? im trying to farm stockless organic arable but small acerage in ireland , plenty of imported dung slurry etc . but weeds may be the issue.. not sure yet
Hello Harry, like you videos, informative. I’d like to tell you of my experience with arable frowning. I’m now almost 75 and way back in the very early 60’s, I was 17 and a half or just 18. I worked as a tractor driver for the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at their experimental farm at Cleppa Park, near Newport, Monmouthshire. Being an experimental outfit I used sprays not even on the market, including roundup, although it wasn’t called that then. Some of the sprays we disgusting, the smell, colour etc. We used to use TVO and a liquid soap to spray on carrots and parsnips to control weeds. Disgusting sprays on lettuce crops, on top fruit, the list goes on. My job was to cultivate, sow seeds, weed control, again the list goes on. We had about 75 acres, possibly 30 acres down to arable crops. There were greenhouses but I didn’t work much on the. Regarding tractors, I had two Massey Ferguson 35’s to work with, one tractor used mostly on bed work, 6’ feet wide track. An interesting part of my working life but how things have changed, I had no cabs, no computer systems, my computer was my brain but I loved it. A very interesting piece of history. I now live in Fishguard, West Wales over looking the sea, a perfect place to retire, with an allotment run as a 99.9% organic allotment. Keep up the good work, I envy you with your expenses tools. King regards, Basil Spooner
Nice way to slow down Basil...
Harry, I’ve been a “car guy” my entire life and always enjoy your auto stories. However, I’ve quickly become a huge fan of your farming videos and look forward to watching them. Extremely interesting and, of all things, very peaceful content. In these distressing times, your farm videos have a very calming effect on me. Thanks very much. Stay well and safe.
Harry, your videos are incredibly informative and also well presented. Thanks.
I worked at an organic arable farm during a summer break once. Their main herbicide was me and some other teenagers. Row of "beds" behind a tractor and removing weed by hand. This doesnt really work with wheat and barley but does work excellent with potatoes, onions, leeks and pumpkins wich they had there
It does work with grain crops. You just have to plant rows further apart and have tine-weeders that you are willing to use until the crop overshadows weeds.
Like many others, I subscribed here after watching your car videos. When I was much younger I used to drive tractors on my grandfather's farm (on the heavy clay in northern Netherlands) but without really understanding the logic behind the operations. You are a great presenter and make the stuff enjoyable and interesting to watch. Keep at it!
Would you mind talking about how and when you got into farming, how you acquired all that knowledge, etc.? It'd be quite informative to hear about your journey from the start.
Recomend watching the first two videos (and all the others, there's not too many of them yet), where @harrysfarm goes into the beginnings.
Watch earlier videos, but he got a college degree in farming.
ΝΟΜΛ thanks for this hadn’t spotted that !
Farming is a lesson in science well done to all the farmers like you love how you are so professional at your job thanks.
Nice to see the Series 1 out....... Looking forward to your thoughts on the new Defender.....
Enjoying these videos as much as the cars. Well done Harry.
My son directed me to Harry's Farm and I am really enjoying the lessons. My late grandfather used to work on a farm not too far from you in Kencot and Broadwell. May your tyres stay clean and your grain store be bulging.
Was never interested in anything to do with farming until this series. Brilliant!
Very informative. Answered a lot of questions I generate when I walk round the local farms here in Surrey. Thanks.
This channel will be massive, amazing content and beautifully delivered! 👌🏻
Love to hear about the science. Being a professional engineer I am fascinated how tech improves farm efficiency.
Really enjoying these. You demonstrate what we do, as farmers, in a really engaging way. The more people know about the work we farmers do to put food on the table, the better!
Hi Harry. As an environmental campaigner, on and off, since 1977 the Glyphosate issue has come around over and over again. Many years ago i did some book research and then later some internet research and my conclusions were that everything hinges on the active half-life. In a field it's around 50 days but can be as long as a year and as short as 2 days depending on climatic conditions and the weather. So I am not particularly worried from a herbicide perspective. But the other issue is that it is also a pesticide even though that is not its main use. The issue there is leachate; if you still have active glysophate reaching aquatic life, ponds, streams etc.. then it does have an impact on biodiversity. I think that is one issue. Another is the corporate behaviour of Monsanto and many activists hate Round-up because of Monsanto's activities in many parts of the world - some of those criticisms are well-founded in my opinion but have no connection to the science of glyphosate; so there are mixed opinions as to whether to use it.
I remember there was, years ago, a campaign to outlaw tanalising but I couldn't find a good reason to stop using fence posts that lasted up to 20 years as opposed to ones that lasted only 5 if you're lucky. I was told nothing grows around a tanalised post but I never witnessed it. The environmental agenda is crucial to our planet but it does seem muddled at times..
Comparing treated fence posts with glyphosate a globally marketed pesticide?!
@@MsMesem No, the fence-post comment was in a different paragraph and related to illustrating the need for nuance and specitivity when talking about environmental impact.
@@nagaraworkshop Glysophate has no nuance . Land that was used for treating timber is inaccessible for centuries. Smaller scale but long lasting effects.
I really enjoy all your videos because they are very natural and devoid of glitz and hype.
Harry, I hugely enjoy your videos, as it not only brings back fond memories, but it also shows me how UK agriculture has changed, and is changing. I worked on a farm for 2 years in Berkshire, before going off to agricultural college, and marrying the daughter of a Yorkshire farmer. That led to 10 years arable and grassland farming in Yorkshire. Then in 1996 I left the UK for South Africa, initially involved in agricultural type things (although not anymore). I also share your other passion, having owned some interesting cars in my time (best farm vehicle was an old diesel automatic G wagon, which was indestructible). Just realised one of my bucket list items and bought myself a new 911. Thankfully, I haven’t been “spoiled” like you being able to drive GT3’s and the like, so the base Carrera (991.2 2C) is quite enough car for me, even on the open roads we have out here!! Thanks too for Evo; without realising the people behind it, I was an avid subscriber to that too.
Like many (most?) I gravitated to Harry for the cars. Now find the FARMING more fascinating! I happen to live in a agri area of farther N. California, by far the dominant industry to me yet.....
I wanted to post exactly this question on the previous video but somehow I cocked up and I almost flung my phone at the wall, after loosing a well balanced but slightly long winded question regarding round up combined with the ecological part of the farm.
Great to see this video and I’m going to find a moment to really take it all in and enjoy the video!
Hi Harry. I see you have a faithful SWB Series 1 Land Rover to help out. It's the spare wheel on the bonnet that brings back memories.
In the 70s, I drove one of those machines here in South Australia. Starting it required a dose of ethanol spray down the throat of the carburettor, followed by some precise tickling of the accelerator after ignition. The very specific starting process acted as a built in anti-theft device, if anyone were interested in hot-wiring the old girl.
The spare wheel weighed a lot, and it was a regular chore lifting the bonnet to place the piece of wood in position as a strut while the ethanol was applied.
I actually miss that old Land Rover, but not its bonnet.
Really interesting and so important we understand the food cycle and how we can be sustainable and healthy.
This videos are just great fun and so interesting. Once again much goes into your presenting style and informative your videos are. Learned so much about farming watching your videos while living in a area of Finland that is as far from farming as possible here.
Thanks again Harry for a great Round-Up', a world I for one love to hear more about. Cracking to see the Landy make an appearance too. As a Disco 4 owner of a few years I'd be keen to hear/see your thoughts on the New Defender. Personally, I thnik they've smashed it and am looking forward to a test drive here in Oz in early 2020.
NCB I second this! Wasn’t a fan when it was announced, saw a few films on it and still wasn’t convinced but I’ve since seen one in person and it’s very much the rugged machine you’d hope for. Very impressed with the work they’ve done
Thank's for a very good explanation on using Roundup. Have been very reserved re: news on it being the worst thing possible, am on the side of science on this one (and most thing's, if I'm honest :) ). Enjoy watching your videos, keep doing the good work, thank you!
The worst thing possible is combining Roundup with genetically engineered Roundup-resistant crop. It's a giant bet that weed will not borrow the engineered genes, break the patent and become Roundup-resistant. At which point Monsanto will have another broadband chemical/resistant GMO ready for us.
Glad you're keeping it real, Harry. It's all very well for armchair environmentalists or cancer researchers to pontificate how farmers should do this or shouldn't do that but until you've been stood in a field trying to grow a good crop you really have no idea of how difficult farming really is and why farmers have to make compromises.
That is fine you keep eating glyposate, I won't as it destroys your stomach and suffering continues. I am sure that Harry is not feeding it to his family either.
@@ellanola6284 that's nonsense, and seeing Harry isn't an asshole I don't think he'd let the general public eat anything he wasn't happy for his family to eat.
@@MrRandomcommentguy Ignorance is a bliss.
@@ellanola6284 without herbicides half the world would have starved to death by now
@@MrRandomcommentguy money makes people do funny things
Harry
Here in the north of Spain (Navarra) we are authorized to use Roundup but only 6 lt/Ha ( around 0.6 gl/ac) allways before seeding wheat and barley ( October every year) and this authorization will expire next 31st July 2020. Here rains around 500-700 l/year ( around 110 -154 gl/year) and average harvest values are around 5,000 kg/Ha ( around 4,460 pd/ac) on medium production areas and around 8,000 kg/Ha ( around 7,137 pd/ac) on the high humid areas. No-till sowing is getting a common practice mostly in the low and medium humidity areas. As you show the sowing is made directly after the harvest without any movement (cultivator, discs, plow..etc)+ but in the high humidity areas the soil moisture is a problem ( not something to be preserved like in the less humid areas) and we are obliged to move the soil . Today instead of big plows ( with 3,4,5,..6 shares) we are using cultivator, roto tillers and the best replacement of the traditional big plow is the hidraulic-subsoiler ( digs till 660mm deep) but all this more in high humidity areas.
It is highly interesting to listen that in UK (apparently with higher rain ratio) you are using no-till agriculture methods understandable for low humidity areas (I.e: from the Pyrénées to the south).
Cheers
Fantastic informative videos Harry I’m very pleased I viewed your new channel, as a petrol head I’m addicted the your car channel, excellent work 😁
From a distance this huge machine looked like a giant 747 spreading its wings combing the fields........! What a fantastic view indeed.....
Harry could you possibly do a tour of your farm. I think that would be very interesting.
he does with his paris dakar bike
i believe the episode is stone wall
I am an organic dairy /arable farmer ,and by no means an expert ,however I think it is possible to grow an arable organic rotation without grass .it involves using a cover crop to follow a first wheat ,this crop is then crimped with a roller ,and then left on the surface to smother weeds.The following arable seeds are direct drilled into dying cover crop.
👏 someone who gets it massive respect.
Hello Harry. Very good series of videos so far. Would you mind doing a video regarding your cattle wintering housing feeding and dosing ? Also a crop up date every month on the motorbike as your camera works well stay safe.
Well ...as a "townie" you're vids are giving a great insight THANK YOU.
Discovered your channel from the garage video’s. Must say it is really good to have someone provide explanations for what is going on, many thanks. I follow several farming channels in the US, this is my first for here. Looking forward to going through all the video reports.
Enjoying this series as much as the Garage but now a lot of us are keen to have you test drive the new Defender as we respect your opinion above many others.
Wow Harry. Gone back to agriculture after all your car ventures. Good old Shuttleworth College. Those were the days. I was down there last month.
Ppl must have vendettas against Harry. Like, who is watching his videos and disliking them? They’re excellent!
Thanks Harry, as a city dweller this is fascinating so I hope you continue throughout the year.
I’ve always thought your a pretty cool cat Harry but digging Earth and operating farm equipment wearing a Patek Annual Calendar just elevates you! So many of these high end watches are cosseted but you wear them in all occasions! I have a friend who builds the Omega Tourbillions and she always says that her and her fellow watchmakers are always disappointed when they see their watches sitting in watch boxes never worn. They made them so we could tell the time, not sit like a bit of art doing nothing!
An interesting and very nicely answered point on the use of roundup. I’m a farmers son and totally agree with you. Best wishes. 🙏🏽
Bloody hell Harry, this video got to me just in time, i was getting strung out :D don't leave it so long next time please. You certainly have got a lot of rocks in that land Harry :O
The rocks and stones breed very rapidly in the Cotswolds.
Just love these videos. The soil is so bloomy stony!
Very very interesting, Harry. Fascinating actually, to see what pays for the car projects.
No, but there is carry-over of roundup onto finished grain, especially after dessication treatments close to harvest.
Chris Walford that’s what’s more worrying than using it early in the process to kill weeds in my opinion
Sure, maybe. But the toxicity levels of glyphosate in animal models are high. Like 100s to 1000s of mg/kg of tissue. You'd need to be eating raw glyphosate by the spoonful, every day to get anywhere near a dose that you'd even notice.
Drew Clarke: I think we need to treat all toxicity / specificity data with caution - these compounds have been developed precisely because of their biological activity
@@drewclarke7123 glyphosate found in almost all French ground water in breast milk....... horrific
very good practices, organic and soil assoc, are like the mafia. I agree on your practices, makes the livestock a pleasure rather than a chore. I personally am interested in the US regenerative agriculture movement, which stresses the web of life in the soil above the regolith , they are saying that fungal mycorrhiza act as tubes moving nutrients to the plants and creating pathways for soil fauna, also the potential for CO2 removal and carbon sequestration. i am not suggesting change for you personally. My interest is that if we can take carbon out of the atmosphere, through gentle adaption, that may be an essential role for future agriculture in harmony with biodiversity and production. At the same time increasing water retention and infiltration capacity, then you would reduce fertility losses from above ground run off. What you need is grant change to other services ie; flood prevention, carbon capture and sequestration, biodiversity conservation. I like your videos and your expanations, keep up the good work ;0) !
steve king you should listen to some podcasts from John Kempf, they’re very interesting
Fantastic video, thank you much, Harry!
So many obstacles to go organic, min till option sounds great!
Olly’s Farm you and Harry should do a joint video at some point - fancy a trip to the Cotswolds?
Sounds like a plan!
Sounds good to you bad for the planet nice one 🙄👍
Harry, any thoughts on the hedgerows, wildflowers and the role of farmers in preserving bird life?
The sound of those rollers is so evocative. My family business made cambridge rolls for many years, first trailed and then hydraulic folding. A question about min till....doesn't it lead to over-compaction of the soil just below the surface, where the cultivation tackle doesn't reach? And couldn't that lead to poor drainage? I seem to remember that being an issue when non-ploughing direct drilling became a fad
This was super informative and made me think differently about round up etc
Very interesting mate. I'm 16 and have just got into farming. I am restoring my great grandads 1974 IH 354. Seeing you have a case 150 puma, you may not like the fact I have a massey Ferguson 135 multi power too 😂
This is a good channel, don't want to sound like an old grump, something to ponder for those interested. Using herbicides such as glyphosphates is fine up until you get cutaneous T cell lymphoma and then you think, oh, was it those sprays I used.
Glyphosate is an organo-phosphate, originally used as a boiler descalant and they found that it worked as a herbicide. Because it inhibites mineral uptake so that plants can not make plant proteins, that's the reason why it kills plants. Unfortunately it also has an antibiotic effect and it kills certain bacteria as well. The problem; as with many herbicides, this one is an unknown Factor and they have found traces of glyphosate in cereals and our food chain, so we have actually no idea what it's doing to our gut biome.
Would burning the straw be an option?
In my area of the southeastern US, burning a wheat field after harvest is still done by some farmers. The excess straw is burned away and then soybeans are no-tilled into the charred stubble. This is a less common practice today versus 20 years ago.
Burn offs are done all over Australia.
We went through a phase of burning straw in the uk but it often got hairy. Sometimes hedgerows burnt, ash falling from on high onto peoples washing hanging out to dry, and sometimes bad/no planning before striking a match led to fire becoming a scary master. Like most people I guess I found it satisfied a primitive caveman urge to create fire but I agree it was a good decision to ban it here.
There are organic farms whit no-till and it works fine. Greetings from an wet Finland and thank you for sharing your grate work!
Another super video, really fascinating. Thank you.
A welcome respite from the problems of the world.
that one case in the USA is extremely questionable, for 1 juries do not decide science, and for 2 it’s sounds like the fella wasn’t using correct PPE, and was spraying a crazy amount of glyphosate out of a backpack sprayer
Correct, there is no evidence at all the poor blokes NHL came from Roundup and his attitude to PPE was alarming to say the least, even more worrying was the second case heard in the california civil courts where the judge said the law was as much art as science so they weren't going to bog the hearing down by allowing any science to be used. That is a clear indicator of the level of ignorance and prejudice there is out there.
@@alastairblair It's the result of a country with more lawyers than scientists that has developed a complete mistrust of basic science. For a civilized nation, the US has an unbelievable level of scientific illiteracy compounded by the fact that everybody feels qualified to have an opinion.
@@CaptHollister As an American who feels like one of the few who does understand science and reason, yeah you pretty much nailed the US...it's disgusting how much people are encouraged to be ignorant, and proud of their ignorance, in this country.
Monsanto sold out to change name and hide their Link to Roundup... billions paid out to ill people now. See prof Stéphanie of MIT. Glyphosate is a pesticide.
having seen some of the comments, there is always a trade off, everytime you put a machine on the ground you are using fuel. I know this is not used now due to legal reasons but if you were allowed to burn off the stubble you'd get rid of most of the weed seeds and the ash would feed the ground
Burning made cultivations much easier but had big downsides and went wrong more often than you'd hope. I need to get the combine to chop straw better, so we'll look into that over the winter.
Is there no run off of Round-Up from the arable to the grassland?
No, it breaks down very quickly in soil. If it reaches an unintended target, it was very poorly applied. Sprayer operators have many qualifications these days.
Another fantastic video - many thanks Harry. Keep up the great work. We love the information you give us about farming.
Great video! Glad I stumbled across this channel. Have you tried making a "false seedbed"? Basically, instead of spraying off the weeds after cultivation you cultivate again. It's usually done in the context of a plough+harrow system I believe, but it would be interesting to see how something like a carrier would do. If harrowing kills off weeds cultivating with a carrier might, too. If you're currently only cultivating once you'd be doubling your cultivation, but if you could do that instead of spraying (maybe only once in a while or on certain fields) that could be worthwhile...what costs you more money, a pass with the cultivator or a pass with the sprayer? Would be an interesting experiment to try on one field, if nothing else.
its more expensive to do multiple passes with a cultivator, 2ndly there is a theory currently out there when cultivation's take place CO2 can be released in to the atmosphere which is as we all know a cause of climate change. harrowing twice can work but the conditions need to be right. if its too dry your just burning diesel. some plants can also transplant, so a chemical control which is cost effective like round up can save a farmer thousands of pounds across a field, that the yield loss of high weed populations in the following crops., which if they can be controlled successfully can also be very costly with alternative products.
Harry, thanks so much for posting these! Do you have any opinions on using roundup for domestic use? I understand in agriculture applications you’re not really coming in contact with it. Thanks!
People don't understand how difficult farming is. We all try our best to help the environment but we have a million hurdles in our what. If we loose (roundup) common name. I dread to think what the future holds. We already lost the dressing on rape seed. The one dressing will increase sprays tenfold 😕 we're fighting a loosing battle.
Harry you are an excellent Farmer. What I call a Sustainable Farmer. Your soils are always improving. Your system of Farming is extensively used in Australia. Being a much dryer nation minimum till also is a great way of preserving moisture.
One Court Case in the USA with a Jury with unknown prejudices proves nothing.
Unfortunately most "so called" Organic Farmers are still gradually but surely destroying there Soils for the future.
Hi Harry. Just finished all your garage channel videos (loved every minute and learned so much!) and now on with the farm stuff. This is all very interesting for me as i come from a farming family but dont know much about it. Learning from you is SO interesting. Love it. Thanks for all that you do.
Question.......which spray is the one that hurts the bees.?
Another great HF video. Balanced, articulate and full of information for a townie like me. As an avid viewer of HG it was nice to see the S1 make an appearance. More of that would be great - although a workhorse that keeps on working doesn't necessarily make for compelling content. I wonder if the new Defender will make an appearance on HF... Keep up the great work on both channels Harry. Oops just seen your tweet!
Hi Harry. Started off watching Harry's garage but I'm just as hooked on Harry's farm now. Thanks for the interesting insight into farming. Living in a rural area it's good to understand what is going on in the fields.
helpful as an add-on to the recent discussion about Round-up with wheat. i dont buy organic
Another informative video Harry.
Have you tried using the straw rake immediately after the combine in chopped straw or baler to get the weed seeds and such to grow through quickly? (Depends On moisture I suspect) also, any joy with cover crops?
(I bet the new rangey was the contractors 👍😉)
Harry: Being a retired beekeeper, I am led to understand that RoundUp can affect bees badly, hence the reduction in rural bee population and increased success in urban hives where no farm insecticides are present. What are your comments on this?
My understanding is that neonicotinoids are to blame, not round up.
my understanding is that you arent a verry good beekeeper,because nobody blames roundup for the reduction of the bee population
Cannot see any reason why Roundup would have a detrimental affect on bee population. The banning of neonicotinoid seed dressings on OSR a much bigger worry as it's led to a massive increase in general insecticides being applied instead, which will kill off the bee population. Madness.
@@harrysfarmvids I quite agree, Cabbage Flea Beetle is the bain of growing brassicas either organically or not neonicotinoid seed dressing kept this pest under control how we do that now I don't know?
We have a hive next to a fence of a vineyard which they sprayed with Roundup to keep weeds down. The hive was dead the next day. We didn't know they were going to spary or give us any warning...... They offered to pay for half a nucleus.......
Harry
Would it be better to run a stone picker through the ground or do the stones retain moisture ?
I've never watched a crop farm programme in my life. Thanks Harry it's strangely interesting! I think you're obsessed with weather...like almost every serious cyclist! Do you drink lots of espresso to get motivated for farming???
Very well explained
I was doing commercial horticulture when i first set out in the 80s.
I did a 3 year diploma course and chemicals were of course part of that and highly topical.
Reduced droplet size and as Harry says big in droplet + sprayer technology.
My folks did keepa organic small holding when they retired and you had accept blemishes /bites/ arks etc that the supermarkets would never accept.
Climate change hasn't helped one little bit as the bugs and beasties reproduce all the faster.
Glass house whitefly (Trialuroides sp) is now all over the place whitef ly.
I saw just problems so left it.
Fascinating, Thanks Harry
Harry do you spread any organic matter on your stubble before sowing such as FYM/compost etc???
When I was a kid they used to burn the stubble in the fields. What happened to that and would it help to kill weeds?
I love this series/channel - your enthusiasm and knowledge comes across slighty more here than on your other channel, but then you are a farmer who drives. Also love the education and your choice/logic behind the farming model that you choose - if only not only consumers but also politicians were hence educated and broad/wide discussion/approach to this and other subjects - go beyond the headlines, get down to the options and hence balanced choices.
I have friends in West Wales who are milk cattle farmers, so this is all new to me. Fully support/love the idea to choose a tennant to farm organically where you can't, and also the choice not to farm organic - is there as you describe it that much difference between organic and "normal/standard" farming? This again shows = not a lot.
Yes, more on machinery (which is why most of us probably came in the first place, but the informed education is why I would guess most are staying/subscribing), and would love to hear more about the farming year/the choices behind the system. Thank You - Good Luck!
Great to meet you at Goodwood yesterday, I have always loved cars and Harry’s Garage but now I’m fascinated by the farm! Keep up the good work Harry
Do you think the new Defender will still be being used as a farm work horse when it is 65 years old? I suspect not! The ecu’s (All 85 of them!) and fancy electronics will of seen it scrapped long before then
It's certainly a great system of planned obsolescence. Also works well for modern automobiles, and all sorts of once _durable_ machines that now have to be scrapped at regular intervals because it is impossible to maintain them.
Any lasting effects from the biblical rain we had over the last three months?
Blimey Harry, what with the garage I’m surprised you get any sleep!
I am loving the content and as a petrolheaded city dweller looking to move out a little, It is fascinating. A lot of the tasks around the farm seem to short sharp tasks that has quite specific timing based on time of year and weather... I would be interested in knowing more about how you plan your year - almost like a week by week calendar walk through and knowing what the down-times are as you obviously get to travel a lot for the more fun things in life. Also, even if its only anonymised (not your own farm's), understanding the economics/business model. Keep up with the great videos
Do you plant cover crops with various diff't plants? A certain type of beets, legumes, wild flowers etc. beets breakup the soil, others add nitrogen and organic matter. Less fertilizers needed in the future.
Back with a latest gen Range Rover again Harry?
Andrew Hurst No, on loan. Not mine
Great Video 👏👌🏻👍
Would you use Roundup on your vegie garden? I doubt it.
Cracking vid, I'm in love with the series 1 landy
Hi Harry loving the farming videos, why cant you burn the straw/stubble, we used to do it back in the day lol
Outlawed a few decades ago! You can still burn crop residue but not stubbles.
Now THAT’S a Landrover Defender 👍🏻
Yes, a death trap on a motorway
Love the videos! Thanks for keeping it basic so non-farmers can understand
Good to see a proper Land Rover, none of this £80K new-look Defender nonsense!
loving the vids harry all the way from johnstown pennsyvania usa
Great video Harry, obviously for you compaction is something you need to keep to a minimum,so does rolling with such heavy rollers not affect compaction?
@darren guest... The roller may be heavy but the weight is spread across the ground over it's 12m width so the weight per square meter is not high. You would actually have more weight and potential compaction from the tires on the tractor pulling the roller.
Do you use the manure out of sheds where they rear turkey's? I live on the Lincolnshire Wolds they use it round here. Stinks to high heaven when they are spreading it!
How would you control couch grass without glyphosate, l worked on a farm in the Cotswolds and in some fields we had a big problem with couch grass, until we used glyphosate. Thanks Harry for your informative videos.
How did farmers control couch grass _before_ glyphosate? Maybe they could do that.
Lovely video, close footage of the equipment and the way you explain everything is very interesting for a non-farmer like me.
I use a lot of different chemicals in the USA!!! Wouldn’t raise much without them!! Enjoy your videos..
Nice video. Beautiful L405
hi harry , i really enjoy your videos well done. is it fertility or weed burden is the barrier to organic arable? im trying to farm stockless organic arable but small acerage in ireland , plenty of imported dung slurry etc . but weeds may be the issue.. not sure yet