Well August certainly lived up to its reputation as being one of the wettest months of the year. We even had to stop cultivating for the next crop on the driest, sandiest fields while it all drained away.

The potato harvester definitely had to be very selective for a week or so; fortunately the tow chain wasn’t needed too often.

Even now, some six weeks after cereal harvest, we still have some wheat straw to bale. This can only be positive for the future because it has helped to reinforce the decision to chop even more straw to return valuable organic matter to this light land.

See also: Read more from our arable Farmer Focus writers

I am sure that must be the way forward and combined with the anaerobic digestate, muck from chickens, pigs and cattle there will eventually be numerous benefits to our soils.

With the sugar beet factories set to open at the end of the month the next phase of the Euston harvest will soon be under way.

Recent rains have really helped to boost yields, but at £5/t for over quota sugar beet it really begs the question as to whether we harvest it or find something to eat it in the field.

The even bigger question is, of course, how we can cut our costs to ensure that we can make money next season with a contract price of just over £20/t, or maybe we ride it out and wait for a bounce in the world sugar market.

Just another example of the volatility that boom and bust cycles in world commodity prices seem to bring. One way forward was to fix the price for certain products by backing them off against a renewable energy contract.

Now it would appear that particular avenue is closing with the reductions in renewable tariffs. Has everyone forgotten about EU targets, fuel security and global warming or will all of that be irrelevant when we leave the European Union?

I hope that you have all helped in Red Tractor week and are continuing to help promote the Happy Farm Stay campaign that commenced on 14 September.

Do your bit and help promote good British food, good British Farmers and remember #TrustTheTractor. After all we are all in this together.

Andrew Blenkiron manages the 4,400ha Euston Estate, south of Thetford. Principal farm enterprises are combinable and root crops, including sugar beet. In addition the estate supports let land, sheep, outdoor pigs, poultry, suckler cows, horses and stewardship