Farmer Focus: Root crops lifting in decent conditions

The last month has seen us in the thick of root crop harvesting and this time of year can be fairly stressful, given my focus on potatoes and onions.

A seriously wet autumn is something that I prefer not to think about as I have yet to find a way of mitigating its effects. Luckily, we have had a reasonable run at it this time.

Crops have lifted in decent conditions with just about the right amount of soil moisture protecting the tubers as they come out.

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A wet last week of September put us a little behind plan, but from what I gather, other parts of the country would love to have the conditions we have presently.

Potato yields are reasonable, all things considered, and close to our pre-burn-down estimates.

Wastage, particularly greening, also seems to be at sensible levels. No records broken, but it is likely to be a solid performance.

Drilling is well underway. I started a week later than planned, thanks to the late September weather, and still have some catching up to do.

The barley is almost finished, but wheat remains ongoing until we have finished lifting potatoes.

I have stuck with Tower again, where feed barley is appropriate, alongside Maris Otter for malting on the lighter ground.

There have been a few changes on the wheat front where, alongside our regulars of Diego and Evolution, I have introduced Siskin, Costello and Graham.

Brexit uncertainty ahead

The last month has seen us host a number of visits from key customers and other interested professionals.

The key point that comes up on each occasion is what UK agriculture will look like post-Brexit. I am yet to detect a clear preference from anyone, just uncertainty.

The unofficial noises emanating from government at present suggest that there is a strong view that we become an open, free trading country.

There is nothing wrong with that in principle, other than it has potential for a fairly uncomfortable ride for this industry.

I for one need to give considerable thought to how I plan ahead.


Jeremy Oatey manages 1,200ha of arable land in Cornwall, near Plymouth, and is 2013 Farmers Weekly Arable Farmer of the Year. Cropping includes wheat, barley, OSR, oats, beans, potatoes, onions, swedes and daffodils.

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