Farmer Focus: Farming pulls together through the fire
© Angela Waites Photography What a month it has been, the largest swath of moor to burn in my lifetime has caused much worry to many and still smoulders in the peat today, two months on.
I give my thanks and respect to those involved in fighting the fire and protecting man, beast, flora, fauna and livelihood. In times of trouble, farming just steps up; it’s what we’ve always done.
I’ve been on both sides of the fence, and it’s humbling.
See also: How environmental schemes are affecting UK arable area
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Particularly after a rather mediocre harvest, costs must be studied. Rarely can I remember a time when 1t of bought-in cereal seed required nearly 4t of its production to pay for it.
Once again, we have tested, cleaned and dressed our own seed, saving nearly £60/ha before the crop is out of the ground
Tempering that saving slightly is cultivation. The latter part of my “As little as possible, but as much as necessary” policy has at times not seen enough exercise.
Given favourable conditions and more time than normal, we’ve been a bit fussier with seed-beds this year.
The challenging part is waiting long enough to get a weed chit before drilling, particularly with potato harvesting on the horizon.
Potatoes are also requiring patience. Dry matters vary but are generally high. The crops are dry and tender, so will need extra care harvesting.
Slow-to-dissolve mother tubers, which are undesirable in store, have been a challenge this year. It’s been so dry, they haven’t rotted away as usual.
One per plant is a huge amount to pick off the grader by hand.
It’s frustrating when yields are low, but we must do what we can to enhance storability.
Recent cooler temperatures have allowed a final bulking of our later potato crops, but the happiest looking crop at the moment is our sugar beet.
It received its final fungicide and some micronutrients at the end of August, as mildew threatened to upset prospects.
Crop digs suggest a reasonable sugar percentage, so I’m hoping for a full contract by the time it is all delivered later this winter.
As for next year, the jury is still out, but suffice to say I’ll not be looking for extra contract tonnage entitlement.
