Farmer Focus: Diesel costs pinch as spring field work begins

The “Tango Tyrant” has thrown British agriculture – and the rest of the world – into turmoil again.

Diesel costs are rising as spring field work begins in earnest, and nitrogen fertiliser is back on the hard-to-come-by list.

With 60% of our current N fertiliser imported, and 35% of the world supply coming through the Strait of Hormuz, you would hope that food security would rocket up the UK government’s priority list alongside looking at sustainable N importation and production in the UK.

But alas it’s not, and it’s concentrating on overregulating N fertiliser instead.

See also: Fertiliser buying advice as Iran conflict squeezes supplies

About the author

Anthony Becvar

Anthony Becvar is a third-generation farmer of an 80ha mixed farm in East Sussex on heavy Weald Clay. Crops include spring beans, winter wheat and spring barley, alongside diversification projects which include two breweries and an agricultural mechanic.

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On a more positive note, I completed my first attempt at hedge-laying. I am slowly removing much of the mature willow from my hedges. The gaps, I therefore need to lay.

This first attempt was on the roadside, and luckily it doesn’t look as awful as I thought it might. I’ve been asked what style of laying I’m emulating, but I haven’t a clue and Chat GPT doesn’t know either.

The change of weather is wonderful. It feels like everything, including me, is coming out of hibernation.

The oats have weathered the winter well and after a dose of 100kg/ha of polysulphate and a first split of 55kgN/ha of urea, any hints of winter stress are disappearing.

The winter linseed companion crop is also looking well, I’m happy to add. I’m conscious that we have only reached “fools spring” though.

I’m currently getting Sustainable Farming Incentive plots ready and have decided to save money by not spraying areas off and also not ploughing them.

I’ve currently disced them twice to turn and desiccate a lot of the grass and may do this again and power harrow before drilling. I’ll be bulking the mix up with some farm-saved spring wheat to help increase plant numbers.

Being back in the fields with the sun warming the tractor cab feels wonderful, and my enjoyment of it seems to be mirrored by the birdsong. Dawn and dusk choruses are exuberant.

Our usual nightingale didn’t arrive last year after two of them appeared the year before (we think one was a fledged offspring), but we’re hopeful at least one will arrive this spring.

In the meantime, we have a song thrush giving the job of farm lead vocalist a good go.