Waiting for the sun in Somerset
Harvest is yet to get underway at Alvis Bros’ farm near Redhills, Somerset, with only crimped wheat cut so far.
“We cut 8ha of crimped wheat yesterday (6 August) in three fields – and we had to leave 4ha in every field as it was too wet,” said partner Daniel Harding.
“There’s water just standing on the ground.”
He had about 200ha of winter barley and the same of oilseed rape to cut, and had had to spray off both crops to ripen them up.
“All the barley was green on the headlands under the trees, and in the tramlines, so we had to spray some of that.
“And we’ve had to spray off little bits of the oilseed rape at a time, because it’s been ripening at such different rates within the same fields – it just depends whether it’s north or south facing.”
With drier weather forecast towards the end of the week, Mr Harding hoped to start combining within the next few days.
“There’s not much cut around here yet.”
