Farmer Focus: Maize amazes, but turnips are flea beetle feast
© Kathy Horniblow I thought I would get this article in to Farmers Weekly in plenty of time. A few easier days have been enforced after an accident while shearing.
Contrary to the movie depictions of fighting on after a stabbing in an action scene, a shearing comb into my biceps muscle switched function off immediately.
See also How to get the best from stubble turnips for forage
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The paramedic later told me it is a defence mechanism. So off to A&E with a pressure bandage at about 6.30pm.
Our local unit shuts at 8pm, and after sitting patiently until 7.45pm, the nurse came into the waiting room to inform everyone that there wasn’t enough time to see us all, and if anyone was feeling better (or could wait until the next day) to go home.
I took the bandage off and it looked OK-ish, so stood up to go – and was told he didn’t mean me!
There are so many time-wasters in for silly things (like sprained ankles and scratches), it is no surprise the NHS is under pressure. After cleaning and patching, it is healing nicely.
Surprisingly, with all the sunshine, some of the ewes are still sticky to shear – a few days extra and a bit of rain isn’t hurting. At the same time, the lambs are getting a second fly spray as the maximum possible fly and midge deterrent.
The February lambs have done really well, with some interim growth rates in excess of 400g/day.
We sold one load of 44 in the wrong week, with prices down £15 a head.
The next batch (just before the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha) went up £30 a head, but only for a few days.
It shows how important awareness of market fluctuations is.
The end-of-March lambs are growing OK (I haven’t weighed them yet) though have definitely been affected by reduced grazing.
We silaged at the normal time for us (22 May) with yields down about 30% because of the dry weather.
The crop was actually going backwards, so a reset was the best thing.
We finished just before rain came, and hopefully second cut will ensure enough grass silage in the clamp.
Amazingly (excuse the pun) our maize has found some moisture, because on 1 June some was already waist high and absolutely flying.
Our break crop of turnips, however, is the opposite, with 8ha (20 acres) still in the bag and 3ha (8 acres) merely feeding the flea beetles.
We will now just leave it fallow and reseed as soon as the late summer weather is favourable.