The rain has arrived and just in the nick of time. We had 48mm during the last 10 days of May, which has undoubtedly altered our harvest outlook for the better.

However, the prolonged drought has left lasting damage on light land crops, and particularly our winter oats.

This is a crop we are used to treating with kid gloves in terms of tank mixes.

See also: What’s in your grain store? Tackling pests before harvest

About the author

Neil MacLeod

Neil MacLeod manages 1,600ha of mixed soils on the east coast of Angus, Scotland. The majority of the land is in arable production with diversified enterprises consisting of soft fruit, sitka spruce, environmental stewardship, and renewable energy.

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Nonetheless, every application recently undertaken, even at higher water volumes, seems to have left its mark, with its drought-induced short straw feeling more like pampas grass on bare legs than a lush healthy crop. 

One uninvited visitor that has made a brief appearance on farm is blackgrass.

Now I know, for the sake of my pride, that I should probably keep this to myself.

However, I thought it may serve as a warning to other growers in the North that we are not immune to this devastating weed which perhaps, due to its scarce nature, goes unnoticed at times.

For us, we found it spreading out from the corner of a field, perhaps brought in by a baler and then pulled further in by the combine chopper the following year.

Needless to say, we have zero tolerance for our intruder, and the topper was called on immediately before the grassweed set seed. 

Like many who have moved away from a fully plough-based system, we are seeing an increase in brome and ryegrass across the farm.

With the benefit of three break crops in our rotation it doesn’t pose a significant headache.

As much as we try to maintain the efficiencies of our block farming principles, we do have one heavy farm where, due to persistent ryegrass and limited crop options, we have implemented a slightly more bespoke rotation focusing on first wheats, winter beans and green manures.

We are also helped, dare I say it, by the occasional reintroduction of the plough.

While achieving great results on this farm, I am very glad that I don’t have to adopt this policy across our whole acreage.

I was always told yield is king, however, surely not at the expense of efficiency.