With all the rain we’ve had so far in May, hungry crops have been feasting on the nitrogen that was waiting for them in the soil.

Given the date, I’m guessing all cereals will now race through their growth stages to catch up.

Harvest never seems to vary by much more than a week – plants just want to get a seed head up. This will probably result in some frothy crops that were spared early high growth regulator rates.

See also: New SDHI fungicide seed treatment for winter cereals

Meanwhile, our disease priority watch has turned from rust to septoria. It’s a relief that we have plenty of Extase in the ground, with its high disease rating, as spray days may be at a premium in these wet and windy conditions.

Given the current lift in combinable crop prices, any potential is definitely worth preserving. Let’s hope forage maize has been drilled by now and has exploded out of the well-manured, moist soils.

Given the lack of grass, I think most farmers will be grateful for as much winter forage from this crop as possible.

We had an unexpectedly exciting virtual farm assurance inspection recently. All was going pretty well, despite our appalling internet speed, until yours truly suffered a bit of a medical emergency.

The amazing Great North Air Ambulance was on the scene within 10 minutes of the initial call — I can’t believe it’s still a charity.

As I’ve said before, the NHS is this country’s shining star. Free at the point of use and totally non-judgemental.

This overburdened service is far from perfect for its foot soldiers, dragged down as they are by red tape and low politics, but they constantly make the most of their resources and skills in a modern Dunkirk spirit.

As for me, I made the most of my three-day mini-break in York District Hospital by talking to all levels of staff.

And I found that made me feel a lot better – their positive spirit must be what got them through these past 12 difficult months. Mind you, it also made a difference having a secret agent smuggling in M&S food.