Harvest is over for another year; luckily it didn’t drag on into September as it did for others across the county and country.

Oilseed rape and wheat did better than expected, although flea beetle, dry weather and the fact that last year was so good ensured expectations weren’t huge.

Winter beans were good, but down on last year, and the number of bruchid beetle holes was also disappointing, compared with other years, although they should still make the grade for seed.

This year it proved quite a challenge to find good seasonal staff. Before harvest it seemed to be a common problem with a number of people I spoke to.

See also: Read more from our arable Farmer Focus writers

There wasn’t necessarily a shortage of applicants, but there was of “employable” ones. Failure to read the job description before applying and poor spelling or presentation give a bad first impression, while the lack of industry qualifications such as telehandler certificates didn’t help, either.

Employers look for experience, and harvest positions are where experience is gained. Being able to give someone the opportunity to extend their skills adds another element of satisfaction to the job.

Obtaining some industry certificates before applying for jobs shows initiative and makes it much easier for employers to provide opportunities.

Related qualifications or experience aren’t always needed for top jobs, however. It would seem Jeremy Corbyn wasn’t too worried when appointing the new shadow Defra secretary.

With Kerry McCarthy having campaigned against the use of neonicotinoids, large-scale farms and meat consumption, her appointment is hardly good news for the industry. So far I’ve failed to find one area that she actually supports.

Harvest may be over, but that means things are about to get busier and with delayed drilling and additional pre-emergence sprays to complete against the weather, the autumn campaign is sure to continue into early November.

If things always went smoothly, we’d all get bored.

Matt Redman operates an agricultural contracting business and helps out on the family farm at lower Gravehurst, Bedfordshire. The 210ha farm grows mainly wheat, oilseed rape and beans