Hopefully, by the time you read this, our spring drilling will be complete.

Nearly every field had wet areas, some of which had to be avoided, but overall we achieved good seed-beds.

Another area which was avoided for the second-year running was an oyster catcher’s nest, which is a lovely sight to see.

See also: How couple are developing an organic, no-till cropping business

About the author

Annabel Hamilton

Annabel Hamilton farms 1,100ha of arable in the Scottish Borders with her parents. The arable area grows 65% winter and 35% spring crops. She is Basis and Facts qualified and runs a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. The farm finishes more than 300 Limousin cattle a year.  Follow Annabel on Twitter @annabelhami11

Read more articles by Annabel Hamilton

We knew when the weather settled we would be flat out, with all hands on deck. It’s a huge testament to our staff who have got on with the job.

I even roped in my sister who enjoyed a few days here and there rolling and grubbing.

But as we all know, busy spells bring problems. Our hire tractor decided to give up the ghost, which caused a few grey hairs as it was destined for the 8m power harrow.

Luckily, most of the drilling was complete when it decided to break down and our trusted 4m machine took on the task along with a friend helping us out.

We can all have best-laid plans. Unfortunately, in our line of work, there is always something to deal with. But we get there in the end.

A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to attend, as a guest of Frontier, the Dinner of the Worshipful Company of Farmers at the Plaisterers’ Hall in London.

It was a fantastic evening of good company, along with four speakers. Three of the speakers were talking about dietary health, challenges in farming, the environment and sustainability.

The last speaker was the Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, who came in like a whirlwind at the end of the talks and, like all politicians, told us what we wanted to hear.

Anyway, I particularly enjoyed listening to Susan Jebb, a professor at Oxford and chairperson of the Food Standards Agency.

Travelling via the train on the East Coast mainline was also an enjoyable experience. You get a mile-by-mile view of the countryside, especially some of the ground we farm which didn’t seem to be looking too bad.