We are taking social distancing to the limit here in this photo. No gatherings over 2 people and at least 2 metres apart. I think we have ticked those boxes. We meet each morning in the large and airy workshop. We started off 2 metres apart and are now nearer 5 metres. The three tractors that we run are all 215 horsepower John Deere but … Continue reading Three’s a crowd
Farmers are never happy! First it’s too wet then it’s too dry. Actually, it is just really good to be doing something at long last. Soils that a few days ago were soaking wet are rapidly drying out and turning to concrete. We all knew that when it stopped raining it was odds on things would swing in the other direction. The sun and the … Continue reading From bog to concrete in a week.
Amazingly this winter linseed has spent most of the last few months submerged, mostly for just a week at a time, but it is still hanging in there. I am hopeful that it will recover and the surrounding fields that we failed to get drilled over the winter might still get a crop in for harvest. The sun, working with the wind last week, has … Continue reading Time for some optimism?
So now you know, if you hadn’t already worked it out, it has been very wet! The above diagram is courtesy of the Environment Agency although I found it through ADAS. Pity those poor souls that find them selves in the black areas. It’s not surprising that they have little or no crop in the ground. We fall into the above normal/notably higher area but … Continue reading A short respite.
As the water recedes from the winter linseed after the Thames flooded for the third time since Christmas, I can’t help thinking about those living further north and along the Welsh borders who have suffered much worse than we have. At least we have not suffered any damage to property or vehicles. We expect to get land under water on this part of the farm … Continue reading Time to build an ark?
My wife Liz decided she would have a go at dry January, but not until after her birthday! Technically she managed 21 days dry, which was considerably more than the weather achieved, as can be seen from our Sencrop data above. Our 5 year average for January is 70 mm, but this is distorted somewhat by the 29mm recorded in 2019. When just a … Continue reading Dry January and a mad March.
I have been working with Soyl for a number of years and have found them to be very helpful. They are always happy to listen, even when some of my ideas seem a bit off the wall. I realise there are many other companies now offering this type of help, but it is Soyl that I have chosen to work with. We have very variable … Continue reading Margin maps and variable applications with Soyl.
