He has got 10ha (25 acres) of oilseed rape still to drill. “It was a bit dry to start off with but we‘ve had 20mm of rain since Friday (Sep 10) which has really helped to get it going.”

He‘s had to do a lot of ground cultivation this year due to the wet August he had.

“We were making a mess in the field with the combine and trucks because it was so wet.”

However, after the recent dry spell, fields have dried out quickly, he noted.

“But then the ground dried out so much the discs weren‘t doing a good job. It‘s a difficult year to know what to do.”

The good weather has also made it easier for crops and weeds to germinate, he said.
 
“One good thing is the volunteers and weeds have come up in the stubble so we can just give it some Reglone to kill them off.”

He hopes to harvest his potatoes in just under two weeks time and remains fairly optimistic.

“Yield will be okay but the test will be how much rot and blight will be going into the store.”