Looking back at my post this time last year we have gone from the earliest harvest start to the latest one. This is because we really have not had a proper summer here at all this year.

Dull days and regular showers have been the norm, which has resulted in a very late and stop/start harvest. We eventually began harvesting winter barley on 12 August but at 23% moisture.

Luckily, a couple of days later, the weather improved and we managed to get the rest of it in at 16.5%. Despite the dull summer, the results were quite pleasing for this farm, with Cassia achieving 8.2t/ha and Volume 9.4t/ha – all over my new grant-aided weighbridge.

See also: Read more from our arable Farmer Focus writers

Contractors got all the straw baled the following day, which was quickly lifted by neighbouring livestock farmers just before the rain arrived again.

“To add to our woes, our department announced last week that they intend to cease all arable research here due to lack of funding” Robert Moore

I started into winter oats on 29 August but the damp weather returned and the combine sat in the field for six days before I managed to get going again. Very frustrating.

The yield, as I suspected, was very disappointing. I established them via min-till, but germination was poor, compaction was a problem, and they never fully recovered, with the crop ending up very patchy and short. I won’t be doing that again.

At the time of writing, in the first week of September, I am hoping to start wheat in the coming week, but I’m a little apprehensive as although the crop looks good, grain fill appears to have suffered from lack of sunshine and warmth.

As for spring crops, I have no idea when they will be ready for the combine as they are only starting to turn now. So, a somewhat frustrating time and my sense of humour is failing me.

To add to our woes, our [goverment] department announced last week that they intend to cease all arable research here due to lack of funding.

This is a strange decision given that our minister seems hell bent on spending a reputed figure of £40m of public money to build a new HQ. Priorities and common sense have obviously been tossed out the window of the old building.

Robert Moore farms on the Molenan Estate in Northern Ireland, where his family have farmed for more than 200 years. He switched to arable production in the late 1990s, away from beef and sheep. He still has a small suckler herd on non-suitable arable land