After the trials and tribulations of last year’s harvest and much to the surprise of my farm staff, neighbours and colleagues, I traded in two combines for one large yellow version.

While preparing the machine for harvest Mark, the driver, was unable to locate the crop lifters. Enquiries were made and we were told that these were an optional extra.

He also learned, on an operator’s training course, that such was the advanced nature of the table design that lifters were no longer required.

Being sceptical we purchased a full set of lifters for the 30ft table; and, needless to say, on the machine’s first day having gone only 100m in a swathed crop, they were fitted and have remained in place ever since.

Cropping plans for next year continue with a gap being left for sugar beet if British Sugar eventually comes to the table with a sensible response to the NFU’s proposals and matches its stated enthusiasm for the long-term future of beet growing in this country.

Recent results for BS’s parent company ABF which show a 21% growth in earnings mean there is more to play for, despite BS crying wolf.

We have just completed a month of inspections which have covered everything from to determining the number of plant species in a grass/wild flower mix to the now annual discussions about the location of baiting stations and who is our nearest beekeeper.

With harvest underway in earnest the impact of the protracted dry periods we have endured this year are becoming evident in the level of our barley yields.

Even more disappointing are the prices for both old and new crop barley. A grain trader told me today that we could go into the main wheat harvest with a million tonnes of wheat unsold on farms.

• More columns from Robert Law
• More columns from other Farmer Focus writers