It’s excellent to get a change in the weather, which has suddenly brought spring upon us.

I managed to get the first fertiliser dressing of Double Top (ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate) on to the oilseed rape at the end of February. But then 10 days of conference and course attendance kept me largely off the farm for a while.

In those few days the lighter soils dried out well and most crops are now moving fast in the warmer temperatures. This has kept me busy with crop spraying and more fertiliser spreading.

We have also ploughed the over-wintered stubble land ready for sugar beet, and this year has highlighted the importance of site selection for this option.

The first two years of ELS participation coincided with some of my lightest land falling available for spring cropping; ideal for ploughing after 14 February under the rules for the over-wintered stubble option.

But this year the rotational movement of spring-cropped land means it has fallen on some of my heavier skirt soil. This and the rapid drying have made creating a sugar beet seed-bed a little more challenging than usual.

Ultimately, the best strategy was found to be a shallow, but intensive pass with the power-harrow towing an old set of trusty Cambridge gang rolls on a length of chain. Initially, the rolls tacked from side to side in a comical, but annoying fashion. But after a few modifications the rig eventually worked well.

It’s an interesting reflection on the huge variety of soil types under my management that ,while some land is drying out too fast, I also have some areas that are still very wet. But recent ditch maintenance and land drain jetting has alleviated most of the difficulties with waterlogging on the affected places.

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