Farmer Focus: Lack of rain makes ploughing an expensive task

I would like to start by remembering David Richardson. I first met David in 2010, when I interviewed him for my university dissertation.

I remember driving to his farm and being so nervous to meet the man whose words I had read for years as I grew up, thumbing my way through Farmers Weekly.

See also: How to companion crop successfully in winter wheat

About the author

Robert Scott

Robert Scott farms 1,450ha of arable in mid-west Norfolk for seven different landowners. He grows combinable crops and sugar beet together with cover crops, grass leys and extensive countryside stewardship schemes. He also finishes 2,000 lambs a year. robert@thscottandson.co.uk Instagram: @thscottandson

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David was warm and welcoming, and put me at ease with small talk about his friendship with my grandfather.

As I interviewed him, he offered me his opinion on UK food production, conservation and the Common Agricultural Policy.

What left an impression on me is that he listened just as well as he spoke, giving me time with my young opinions.

Since then, I have joined the Mardlers discussion group which he founded, and I am fortunate to follow him with my own small slot in this publication.

David was always there for me with a supportive word or two, and the Norfolk farming fraternity will miss his presence.

September is proving a busy month. We have been establishing grass leys for haylage crops. We plough these seed-beds to prevent volunteer cereals in the grass.

Due to the lack of rain, this has been a very expensive task with no moisture at depth. I dare say our wearing metal suppliers will be reporting record sales.

Wheat drilling is next. We are using seven varieties across the farms, with a £40/ha spread in cost depending on seed rate, dressing and variety.

For our earliest sown wheat crops I am trying a two-way blend of Goldfinch with either Palladium or Graham.

We grow insecticide-free cereals and I’m hoping this will be a good way of keeping barley yellow dwarf virus at bay while providing some disease diversity.

A two-way mix will also keep things simple for drilling with our two-tank drills.

To till or not to till is the next conundrum. I normally like to direct drill wheat into oilseed rape stubbles.

But for the last two wet autumns slug pressure has been a real problem.

Pulling a set of shallow discs over these fields first will remove surface trash and destroy slug eggs.

It’s nice to be idealistic about zero-till, but sometimes you have to be realistic when dealing with pests.