Long days on the sprayer for Keith Challen
I didn’t get the Holland and Holland Range Rover for my birthday that I asked for, but B&B Tractors did deliver our new Fendt 939.
I’m pleased I restricted myself to a subtle amount of bling, namely a stainless steel grill and chrome exhaust guard.
Bling aside, this tractor is now our prime mover and will have to earn its keep hauling either the Horsch Terrano or Simba Freeflow drill, leaving rape drilling and mole ploughing to our old Quadtrac.
With John still off with a bad back I feel like a slave to the sprayer, seeing both 4.30am and 9.30pm from the seat for several days during the recent hot weather.
We used SHDIs at T2 with robust rates of Adexar or Seguris tank-mixed with Terpal and magnesium nitrate to help keep it standing and green.
Oilseed rape received a third sclerotinia spray in the form of Filan and is soon to receive 40kg/ha of foliar nitrogen to help maximise potential.
Patriotism ran high in the Challen household during the Jubilee weekend, with the whole family attending a street party. OSR fertilising can wait until Her Majesty gets back to the day job. I must admit to being in awe of the Battle of Britain memorial flight when it flew over Belvoir on route to the palace.
At the moment most of my spare time is taken up with training my challenging Labrador puppy. But last week I traded my dog whistle for a pair of Converse and a Superdry hoody (ask your kids) as I headed for Coventry City’s football stadium to watch Coldplay perform.
After several hours of off-tune singing and some terrible Dad dancing I headed back to the sticks, knowing I’d shown the kids a thing or two. I can still hear them laughing.
Keith Challen manages 800ha of heavy clay soils in the Vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire, for Belvoir Fruit Farms. Cropping includes wheat, oilseed rape and elderflowers. The farm is also home to the Belvoir Fruit Farms drinks business.
