Andrew Gloag's expanded autumn drilling programme, run from Busby House Farm, Stokesley in North Yorks, is almost complete thanks to his two-man teams working 12-hour 7am-7pm shifts.
"We've had a very good run and the 1.8in of rain we had last week was just perfect."
The 6m system involves Jonny Sadler or Malcolm Neal driving a 600hp Challenger 875 with a Sumo Quatro to create stale seed-beds. These are sprayed off with glyphosate, and the same team then follows ahead of the Vaderstad drill with a Simba Cultipress.
The drill is pulled by a Challenger 325hp 765 driven by James Tempest or Mark Ward.
"We've been doing about 250 acres a day," said Mr Gloag.
"This time, with some extra contract working to do, we shall have done about 4,700 acres including our own.
"We finished the 550 acres in South Yorks, all second wheat, last Monday, and this morning we have only about 300 left."
No pre-emergence cereal sprays have yet been applied, but the 172ha (425 acres) of barley, all Saffron, will get Crystal (flufenacet + pendimethalin) soon.
Mr Gloag's main concern is for the 506ha (1250 acres) of oilseed rape, split equally between the hybrids Excel and Excalibur and conventional Castille and Catana.
Sowing did not take place until 5-12 September and most of the plants are still only at the cotyledon stage. "It's looking very vulnerable."
There is no noticeable difference in emergence between the hybrids and conventional varieties and there has been little slug damage so far, but the whole crop has received 10kg/ha of mini-pellets to protect it.
Wheat drilling began on 12 September with 65ha (160 acres) of Claire, originally destined to go in a week earlier.
"It's never let us down, but we were busy sowing rape.
"We've dropped Alchemy, which I admit may be a bit rash, and we're majoring on Humber and Oakley."
Like other Barometer farmers Nigel Horne and Troy Stuart, Mr Gloag has experienced a lot more outside interference with his operations this autumn. "Fly-tipping in gateways is becoming a major problem."
He was also without his Land Rover for a while after it was stolen by an opportunist thief.
"I'd left it in a gateway while I went no more than 35 yards to see how things were getting on. I turned round to see it being driven off."
He admits his mistake in leaving the keys in the vehicle, but thankfully it was recovered by police (minus its radio and keys) in Middlesbrough.
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