Paul Vicary in the dark over new unit
Hello all. I’m eagerly awaiting the clocks going back as the dark mornings are becoming a pain because the new unit has no lighting yet, and with the fieldwork done, dark evenings are not so bad.
I was hoping to be writing this article about our new unit and how lovely it is, but alas no – the building and parlour works won’t be finished until December and I sincerely hope before Christmas. This has forced us to cull some cows early to accommodate all the stock in the old buildings, with the top cow making £840. I was considering buying some cows to fill the unit, but cull prices this high will put a strong floor in the milking cow trade.
The success of last year’s grass leys direct drilled (DD) into wheat stubble prompted us to try again, this time with mixed results due to wire worm and being unable to consolidate the seed-bed. What comes will be cut and ploughed up and put into maize. We also direct drill winter wheat into sprayed off permanent pasture grass stubbles. This has been a success, particularly in such a dry autumn, and we will try again as the savings are at least £40/acre.
We are trying to invest in the soil with more liming and correcting P and K indexes and save on the establishment with direct drilling. High yields are the only real cost saver though. I have considered more precise field yield and nutrient mapping to try and target resources better across the farm, but do not know if it can be justified over 500 acres.
This is the last article for the year and I hope you all have a good winter and I look forward to writing again in the new year.