June is usually the month we finish off various jobs including cleaning down the grain store and preparing the combine. This is interspersed with holidays so we have all had a break before harvest starts.

I end up with the first week in July, which until the rain came looked like a close call, as combining often starts here in the second week of July.

The arrival of the rain also meant some of my fungicide plans required yet another tweak. Wheat crops that looked like they might die off prematurely suddenly seemed a long way short of harvest, so a top-up for septoria and rust needed to be applied.

The rain also sparked off a large weed flush in the forage maize and the cover strips. The wild bird seed mix still looks pretty sick.

Another June favourite is the annual round of judging both here and reciprocally on other farms. It is always a pleasure to see what pride farmers take in their endeavours to produce a crop. I particularly enjoy seeing other areas of the country when we go out to judge.

We made the annual pilgrimage north to the Cereals Event, which although enjoyable is harder work than a long shift on the combine. Not sure if it was because we went on the second day or the more rural location, but we drove straight in.

Gleaned some useful information, collected still more leaflets and avoided the must-have give away. Most importantly I met up with some old acquaintances from my time in Kent. I still think it is time that the premier arable event moved on a permanent basis to Stoneleigh.

farmer focus arable: simon beddows