We have managed to keep drilling through the wet spells that affected our early autumn, with ploughs being pressed into service more than usual.

Establishment costs have risen, but most of the wheat is going in quite nicely and we have kept fairly up to date with the pre emergence flufenacet-based applications.

Ironically, the wet spell that delayed some of the wheat drilling has allowed another flush of blackgrass, allowing another glyphosate hit which is useful.

Happily, the forced break in the autumn work did encourage a huge attendance at our final charity gig of the year. With music from Short Notice, and another superb spit roast pig everyone had an excellent night, and we raised another £2500 for the East Anglia Air Ambulance.

I have been finishing off my HLS application, which is becoming more important as my ELS agreement nears maturity. As well as some excellent support from my Natural England adviser, I have been fortunate to have help from Niki Williamson who is a Farmland Bird adviser for the RSPB and as part of the “Fenland Farm Recovery Project” helps farmers with stewardship applications.

This help has been free and very useful, and we have completed a very good application for HLS. I am slightly concerned as to the funding for this, and the culture of uncertainty that government funding decisions to be made this month has created.

As an industry many of us have welcomed environmental cropping and there needs to be ongoing support for the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, which is easy with the use of stewardship schemes. While I can appreciate the national need for a spending review, we need to build on the work done so far by maintaining a practical and sustainable environmental stewardship programme.