Autumn sowing is now completed, so our focus turns to preparing land for spring cropping, which amounts to about half of our arable rotation. So there is a fair amount to get on with.

Some fields will be cultivated. Green manures are currently being grazed by our lambs and will be shallowly cultivated just before drilling, the remainder will be ploughed. 

See also: High-yielding wheat and more choice in barley for growers 

About the author

John Pawsey

Arable Farmer Focus writer John Pawsey is an organic farmer at Shimpling Park in Suffolk. He started converting the 650ha of arable cropping in 1999, and also contract farms an additional 915ha organically, growing wheat, barley, oats, beans and spelt.

Read more articles by John Pawsey

I am aware that this is the arable section of the Farmers Weekl, but my major concern this year has been our shepherd and sheep.

As I write, we are halfway through our winter feed, as due to a lack of rain, the leys that would be ample for our flock size have been overgrazed.

Subsequently our grass and clover were unable to soak up the full benefit of this mild autumn and grazing remains tight. Early winter feeding has been our only option to fill that gap.

Joe, our new shepherd joined us in April. It has been a baptism by fire. The constant putting up and taking down of electric fencing, coupled with three days a week taking water out to our parched ewes, has been relentless.

Hopefully, Joe will get some respite as our tups are about to come out and all the lambs will be gone by the end of January.

Some different weather next year and some funding through a Countryside Stewardship capital grant to put in a network of water pipes will, hopefully, save his sanity in the future. 

I was lucky enough to speak to the Southern Streams farmers group on 8 November in a room kindly provided by the Marriage family at the Dove’s Farm factory near Hungerford.

The tour in the afternoon was amazing and a fascinating insight into how one of our premium organic flour and breakfast cereal brands is made and marketed.

Michael Marriage has been farming organically since the late 1970s, and so speaking about my more recent efforts felt like taking some rather inadequate coals to Newcastle.

We owe so much to these regenerative and organic pioneers. We are riding on the shoulders of giants.