Wheat direct drilled into winter linseed stubble on some of the gravel is just starting to poke through the ground. Even on the more friendly soil, we have had problems in fully closing the slot this time. Normally the John Deere 750A drill would be followed up by the ring rolls, but not this year. We have managed to get 80% of our winter barley … Continue reading Green shoots
74 ha of wheat and 91ha of winter barley have been moved from the bag to the soil. I hesitate to use the words drill or sow because that might indicate a successful outcome. A massive compromise better describes the week’s activities, but at least we are making some progress. Not being able to fully close the slot in places and no follow up with … Continue reading On we plod.
The weather forecast was for a much better week. However, apart from a lovely day on Tuesday it failed to deliver. Never the less we have at last been able to make a start. The hybrid winter barley was due to go in the ground in early October, but torrential rain put paid to that. We do have a few fields which are a clay … Continue reading Made a start, but it’s still raining!
The last 25ha of winter linseed to drill has been abandoned. Thanks to the persistent rain it is now too late to get the crop established so that it produces a plant large enough to survive the winter. We still have just over 100ha growing away nicely, but in need of a graminicide to remove barley volunteers. It is interesting to note that the competition … Continue reading Drilling on hold, and irritating fuel problems.
The first fields to be sown with winter linseed are emerging, thanks to the recent rain. So too are the volunteers from the previous winter barley. This field was sown 11 days ago on the 19th September. The barley straw was baled and then the stubble was left for 5 weeks to ensure the meadow broom, that had shed in the previous crop, would not … Continue reading Winter linseed is on the move.
Harvest is over now the maize is in the clamp. Two weeks ago it still looked like it had a way to go. However the weather had a different idea. No rain and increasing temperatures saw the gravel areas start to rapidly die off rather than ripen. Fortunately, the contractor was able to fit us in before we lost too much weight, as we sell … Continue reading Maize all done.
As harvest fades from memory it’s time for a short period of reflection on how it all went. We are left with a large pile of wheat which day by day is worth less and less. It is saved to some extent by the fall in value of sterling, thanks to the Brexit debacle, other wise it could be worth even less. We have a … Continue reading So that was harvest.
