Mike Cumming
Mike Cumming
Mike Cumming is manager
at Lour Farms, Ladenford,
Forfar, Angus, where spring
malting barley and seed
potatoes occupy about half
the 749ha (1850 acres).
Other crops include winter
wheat, barley and oats,
oilseed rape, swedes and
grass
RAIN, rain for two solid weeks. Fortunately, most of the winter weed spraying was complete before the weather broke.
Standard treatment for the barley and wheat was 1.25-1.5 litre/ha of Javelin Gold (DFF + IPU), plus 0.5-0.75 litre/ha of Duplosan (mecoprop-p) depending on weed pressure – or should I say spring rape pressure.
Spring rape has been dropped from the rotation after ruining a Synergy crop last year with volunteers from three years previous. It seems we grew spring rape for three years but will suffer the consequences for many. One field sown to stubble rape for sheep this autumn has been covered in flowering spring rape for several weeks. Be warned, spring rape volunteers are a nightmare.
The wet weather neatly coincided with the start of potato grading which is still on-going. Although business is slow, three varieties are trading much better than last year. All my Desiree SE2 is sold, plus as much Maris Piper as I wish to trade at this time. We chalked up a first last week with a load of Desiree exported to Israel.
Talking about exports, I listened to Lord Sewel at the Crops Scottish conference this week. He was outlining his thoughts for the arable sector and talked about golden opportunities ahead for UK farmers. Freed from government interference, controls and bureaucracy we will be able to export competitively on world markets fuelled by new discovered efficiency, he said.
Such increased efficiency will seemingly result from reduced agricultural support which will have the added bonus of allowing new entrants to the industry. Puzzled that this doesnt make sense? So were we. But question time was a farce.
The minister took all the questions first, then chose about three to answer. On a well-timed nod from his secretary he shot out of the hall faster than a Formula One donation from a Labour Party account. Thats politics.n
Spring rape volunteers emerging and flowering in this years winter rape crop remain a problem for Scottish farmer Mike Cumming.