This winter’s weather, more normal some 20 years ago, has never been witnessed by my daughters who enjoyed a couple of ‘Snow Days’ off school. But feeding and checking sheep around the Royston area on turnips and beet tops was less of a novelty for us older hands.

However, things change quickly on our chalk, and drills were soon out, ewes housed and lambing under way.

A reality check though came one afternoon with a trip the ‘swamps’ to play Ely in the away leg of the league, the game being played almost in slow motion.

I spent much of it staring at mud with my face only a foot away from the ground in a contest of attrition and endless scrimmaging.

Our return to growing spring barley last year has been short-lived. Despite our achieving record quality and yields on this land in 2008, the hassle and stress involved in marketing and delivering the produce plus unrewarding premiums has led to a no show for the crop on our farms this year.

The dearth of contracts for the 2009 crop and the likelihood of a big crop being sown up north and in Scotland also persuaded us to go for other options.

We’ve doubled our sugar beet area and increased the area of Zero 4 blue peas we grow for seed and commercial contracts.

The balance of some 200 acres will go into conservation oats grown for nearby European Oat Millers on a two-year rolling contract with a minimum price.

Conservation and environmental projects on farms should always be always on a voluntary basis through mechanisms such as ELS and not by cross-compliance and enforced set-aside.

If Natural England and NGOs feel more needs to be achieved it should be by attracting more scheme entrants rather than raising the bar.

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