Farmer Focus: Soils may be getting a little ‘linseed sick’

Things are hanging on in Devon after a 15mm drop of rain in mid-May. The wheats arguably look as good as they ever have. There’s not much to pick between the first and second wheats at this stage, so yield potential for both straw and grain look as good as ever.

Even with three fungicides so far, there are flecks of yellow rust appearing in the blend, mainly due to the fact most if not all varieties carry the Yr15 gene.

See also: Novel electric weeder works without chemicals or moving soil

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Richard Harris

Richard Harris manages his family farm in partnership with his father in south Devon. The farm grows wheat, barley, linseed, grass and cover crops, with a small pick-your-own pumpkin patch.

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It’s not a disease we’ve had an issue with before. We’re mainly concerned with the wet-weather diseases: septoria, mildew and eyespot. So I might have to go back to the drawing board this autumn.

The linseed is now away, and with the broad-leaved weeds knocked back, it’s just the grasses to try and square up.

Four of the five fields look well, but I wonder if we are getting to the back end of linseed as our break crop. I get the feeling the soils are getting a little “linseed sick” and would benefit from a change.

On a small acreage the economics of scale do not allow for a nice wide rotation, so a one in three is as far as we can stretch it.

With current new-season nitrogen prices feeling far too expensive, I might be tempted into spring beans for 2027. They establish well with a Claydon-type drill, which would fit our system, so it might be worth a punt. Although it could prove to be an overcrowded market for 2027 if nitrogen prices stay high.

We are a few days away from drilling the last crop: pumpkins. With these hot dry summers, I’ve pushed back the drilling date a couple of weeks to ensure we don’t have orange pumpkins at the end of August, like last year.

The land was ploughed and worked over back in March, so I am hoping it held in some moisture so we get a flush of weeds out of the way before drilling. The pumpkins seem to cope with the dry heat quite well, but July rain is vital to get good fruit set. So as ever, we live in hope.