Archive Article: 2000/09/15
Mike Rowland
Mike Rowlands 141ha
(350 acre) Bowden Farm,
Burbage, Wilts, is in organic
conversion, with 32ha
(80 acres) fully organic from
Oct 99. Potatoes, carrots,
wheat and peas rotate with
grass for suckler cows. At
Amesbury 404ha (1000
acres) is in conventional
seed production
AT last combining is done and yields are much better than expected. It has been hard work with more drying than usual on all crops. This has not helped when prices are down on last year and oil costs are rising. Wiltshire Grain Co-operative was very helpful in taking odd wet loads that do not fit in our system and even got a milling premium.
We have sold most of our Maris Bard conventional potatoes and the first few loads of organic potatoes. But the skins have been slow to set and we had to pull the harvester out of Cara because of skinning and fears for deductions. Topping and burning with the "Green Burner" well in advance is the order of the day.
Winter rape has at last been drilled, a week later than we would like, but into a moist seed-bed, unlike last year. It will be interesting to see if the difference has any dramatic effect on yield.
Beware of IACS inspectors. We had a phone call one Sunday morning to say they would check the farm the following morning.
They were fair but pedantic and I have learned several lessons. When drilling make sure you back into the corners, and if the drillman has a little miss in the field, resow it.
Trim all overhanging branches in fields. Ignore farm particulars drawn up by qualified land agents. Use only Ordnance Survey sheets, and keep pigeons off combining peas because weeds are no substitute.
If you have a field with a track or footpath through it, create two fields with different OS numbers to avoid deductions.
These are not all, but some, helpful hints. I assured the ministry that I have not tried to defraud them. But perhaps we need more training on how to avoid the pitfalls. *
All is safely gathered in and yields are better than expected, says Mike Rowland. But a visit by the IACS inspectors makes him wonder if IACS compliance training is now needed.
Bumstead – chap with shovel in grain store.
The slow, slow, quick, quick, slow harvest forced Stephen Bumstead to invest in a mobile grain drier to dry damp grain. Indian summer conditions will now follow, he reasons.
Keeler – chap with archery target
On target! Claire winter wheat did a barn-busting 11.4t/ha, the best ever wheat result on Andrew Keelers farm. Needless to say it features prominently in this years drilling plans.