Farmer Focus: Thankful for my plough and combi drill system
Another calendar year has begun. Will it be a good one? Only time will tell. It will certainly be an interesting one.
As things stand we have got a very busy spring to contend with. The miserable autumn has left us with half the planned cereal planting still to do plus all the normal spring work.
It’s seasons like this that make me glad that I have retained a plough and combi drill system.
Without it there would be nothing in the ground.
See also: How to grow a 10t/ha-plus malting spring barley crop
If I had listened to a lot of the consultants and advisers out there, I might have believed that I had too much capital tied up in machinery and that I was killing the worm population and ruining my soil structure.
In the real world, where you have to produce something to make a living, I am glad that I run both a plough-based and a min-till system.
Both systems have their place. The secret is knowing when to use which one.
I hope that those putting together the post-Brexit agricultural strategy take the time to listen to those on the ground rather than putting in place overly prescriptive ways of managing our land which may not be either sensible or practical.
January started with the now customary team trip to Lamma. Year two at the NEC has seen some improvements, with less empty space.
It would be good if all the major manufacturers supported the event – after all, some of us spend some fairly significant amounts of money on their kit each year.
It is good for our staff to have the opportunity to meet the main players and discuss their likes and dislikes.
I hope that the show continues to flourish. It would be a huge shame if the British agricultural industry was not strong enough to support a significant machinery event.
We have a vacancy for a tractor driver for the season as we say thank you and goodbye to little Nick, who is leaving us to pursue the bright lights of farming in the eastern counties.
He came to us from outside the industry, learnt his trade and now has the opportunity to experience a different system. Contact me if you are interested.