Has the weather finally turned a corner? Monsoon season certainly went out with a bang 20 miles north-east of here, with 36mm of rain falling in half an hour.

Fortunately, we missed most of it, but it was too close for comfort and caused a lot of damage.

We’ve had another snatch and grab month, but we’re only about three weeks behind now rather than three months.

See also: Pto guards: High costs call farm safety into question

About the author

Andrew Wilson

Arable Farmer Focus writer Andrew Wilson is a fourth-generation tenant of Castle Howard Estate in North Yorkshire. The farm supports crops of wheat, barley, oats, beans, sugar beet, potatoes, and grass for hay across 250ha. Other enterprises include bed and breakfast pigs, environmental stewardship, rooftop solar and contracting work.  

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Email: wilsonbrickyard@gmail.com

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While topping cover crops last week we had a PTO guard expire. They’re only plastic, and it happens, but what a challenge it was finding the correct guard.

In my opinion, there is a big need for industry standardisation for the benefit of agriculture.

One design, three sizes, perhaps two initial lengths of guard, principally very much like three-point linkage balls.

Currently, it’s an absolute minefield. It is no wonder PTO-related accidents occur when such a simple thing is made so difficult to obtain and maintain.

Industry must step up and assist farmers in making the safe way the easy way.

A few simple things such as being able to turn every roller on a potato harvester or reverse a baler pick-up reel from the cab would virtually eliminate the need for operators to enter the danger zone.

Blockages will occur – simply bolting guards on is not the answer. Said blockage still needs clearing.

Potato planting is just around the corner, but with a lot field work to do and a pig batch change, I’d rather they went in a week later in better conditions than over stretch ourselves for a compromised crop.

We’ve managed to sow all but a small area of our sugar beet and planted some strategic pollinator strips to encourage predator insects to keep aphids at bay.

All the intended nitrogen is now on the winter barley and most of the spring cereals are sown. We plan a small N top up for the wheat shortly.

We still have about 12ha each of spring oats and barley to sow on some of our heaviest land, which will hopefully dry out soon.

It is surprising how quickly our strategy changes from trying to dry land to moisture conservation, but that’s often the case at springtime.