Farmer Focus: Winter cereals have run out of steam

The end is nigh! Well, at least it is for my winter cereals due to the ongoing drought this spring. Our light-land fields have really run out of steam. It is sad to see, as they looked superb coming out of winter.

I finished putting the T2 fungicide on the winter wheat over the spring bank holiday. This application was carried out at night because of the excessive daytime temperatures.

See also: Farmer Focus: I’m now part of the sugar beet 100t/ha club

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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The fungicide-free trial, or F3 as my agronomist has nicknamed it, looks no worse than other wheat crops suffering drought conditions. The F3 wheat had foliar nitrogen, trace elements and more of Aiva Fertiliser’s Nurture N at T2.

The spring crops have not fared well, either, with sugar beet germination slow and patchy, and spring barley straw very short. As more temperature records have been broken in May for the second year in a row, I do think I need to adjust the balance of our rotation to favour winter crops where possible.

My phone has been red hot with calls from livestock producers looking to book straw ahead of harvest. With demand so high already, it will be interesting to see where prices get to, here in the East.

On a positive note, we appear to be temporarily free from blackgrass. For the first time in 10 years I do not think any hand roguing will be necessary this season. The downside is that the verges, hedgerows and older stewardship options are absolutely full of brome – more than I can previously remember.

I don’t think I have ever known a spring so dry. On one farm I manage, I have recorded just 17mm of rain in the whole of May, after just 6mm in April.

It is the perfect storm. Drought, poor commodity prices, no direct subsidy, increases in minimum wage and inflated diesel and fertiliser prices. My original budget for the year is in tatters, and cashflow is certainly not positive as we edge closer to harvest.

There are going to be some very tricky decisions to be made for arable businesses in the East of England before next season. Do we all keep faith, remain calm and optimistic, or begin to look for the agricultural off-ramp?