Well it seems that my theory about the weather is proving cloe to the mark. Hardly done anything in August for the rain. About three inches this month and about four in the last fortnight. To be honest we needed it. This just about the opposite of the UK, as per normal. I reckon we have about 75 tonnes of oats standing in the field and 50 tonnes of straw so not critical. The grass is, however, more valuable and if we get a better second half of August we should get another hay crop off, hopefully before the start of autumn sowing.
The previous drought has led to talk of a subsidy for the cost of reseeding (about £100 per hectare). Necessary for those who got a tonne a hectare harvest. Down side is that they insist on buying certified seed. Problem is that they may not allow imports and that means seed from a compromised crop. Germination on certified, tested seed here also seems to be very variable. Was planning to import from Austria/Germany to ensure quality and to buy into years of proper plant breeding but that may mean no subsidy. Of course local Department of Ag. do not know the answer. May try and test our own crop and see if I can use that. Secondly the Minister of Ag wants to insist on having crop insurance. Not sure who is going to underwrite it or what the premiums will be. Pay out I expect will be based on a percentage below the normal national average (about 2.5 tonnes per hectare) so virtually no chance of ever getting a payout. What a farce! A pity they had just not thought a little before destroying the land holding structures in the early 1990s and with it 3,000,000 hectares of irrigation systems. Now that was a crop insurance policy.
God save us all from bureaucrats and politicians. Or maybe God would provide us with one or two who know what the agricultural industry is really about!