The lead up to harvest is meant to be a quiet time on most farms, with holidays taken in preparation for the long hours ahead.

I have managed a fleeting break, but the past few weeks have been anything but quiet. I packed in two trips to Scotland within 10 days.

The first was with the Mardlers, a farming discussion group, to Aberdeenshire and Moray to visit farming businesses and take some inspiration before the year ahead.

See also: Why Herts farming family is moving their business to France

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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I was heartened by the optimism and entrepreneurship of the Scots I met, and I liked the amount of traditional mixed farming on show.

As we travelled passed Inverurie up to Buckie and then on to Inverness, I was really struck by the number of arable fields with good stock-proof fences, quite a difference to arable England.

I then flew back to Norfolk for a wedding, before driving back up to Mull for a proper break with my wife Flo and friends.

There is a history of Scottish farmers settling in Norfolk, particularly in the 1920s during the Depression.

After my 10 days in Scotland, I find it hard to understand why anyone would want to move away from such a beautiful place that produces such good grass and whisky.  

Back in Norfolk, we have been busy. Our Red Tractor audits (fresh produce, beef & lamb, cereals and sugar beet) were followed by a random Environment Agency inspection, three contract farming meetings, a trading standards visit and the bank manager’s annual visit.

Needless to say, I didn’t manage to get to Cereals, the County Show or Groundswell.

The extreme heat and drying winds have made for very difficult conditions harvesting vining peas.

They have been harvested, but one block was missed because the TRs rose too quickly for the harvesters to reach in time.

Thankfully a neighbour took those peas for wholecrop forage, removing both peas and haulm from the field so it didn’t leave me with a headache to incorporate in dry conditions.

We have since sown all the ex-pea fields with Sustainable Farming Incentive SOH3 compliant summer cover crops of phacelia, vetch, linseed and buckwheat at 10kg/ha.

Hopefully these will now germinate, despite the dry weather, for us to direct drill wheat into in September.  

robert@thscottandson.co.uk

Instagram: @thscottandson