FARMERFOCUS
FARMERFOCUS
Ron Duncan
Ron Duncan farms 222ha
(550 acres) in partnership
with his wife and eldest son
at Begrow Farms, Duffus,
Elgin, Moray. Crops include
winter wheat, spring barley,
swedes and beetroot,
alongside a pedigree
Limousin suckler herd
WE have had the best part of a month with no rain, which has allowed us to crack on with every chore that has to be done at this time of year. But that all changed on May 15 with gentle showers that have increased in volume since. We needed the 25mm (1in) to date, but thats enough now for a week or two!
With beetroot drilling just completed in very dry conditions, the timing of the rain was perfect. It will also allow us to work in Treflan (trifluralin) on the swede ground. We have resisted sowing because of very dry conditions up until now. My neighbour reckoned the seed would be doing as much in the packet as the ground last week.
Looking through the diary we have had an incredible number of sunshine hours since I last wrote. But to sunbathe you would have had to find shelter from the cold east wind which has persisted for weeks. It has been great weather for feeding and calving cows outdoors, which has taken up 75% of my time this spring. However, that distracted me from rolling the last sown spring barley, a big mistake on light land when late ploughed.
On the whole though, spring barley looks really well and will benefit greatly from the rain. A big spraying programme lies ahead as soon as weather permits. Winter wheat had GS30 herbicide mix of Harmony (metsulfuron-methyl + thifensulfuron-methyl) mecoprop-P and Oxytril CM (bromoxynil + ioxynil) and now needs a GS 31/32 with a fungicide as there are signs of septoria, but no mildew as yet.
The plan is a 0.6kg/ha Unix (cyprodinil), 0.4 litre/ha Opus (epoxiconazole) plus 0.1 litre/ha Fortress (quinoxyfen) mix.
Now I must get back to these endless movement permits which have to accompany all the wintering cows as they move back west for summering. I suspect that is a discipline we will have to continue with long after this election. But we are grateful to be able to move them at all. *
Paul Warburton
Paul Warburton farms
208ha (514 acres) of mostly
chalky loam at North Farm,
Shillingford Hill, near Oxford.
He is an owner-occupier,
running the business in
partnership with his wife
Hilary. Cropping includes
feed wheat, feed barley
and oilseed rape
WHAT a very busy month. It reminds me of one of farmings true sayings: What is the difference between a good farmer and a bad farmer? A fortnight.
These days I think it is more like a week and I have been trying very hard to keep within that week. That has been much helped by the ground drying up very rapidly and all field work is now up together.
Top dressing is complete, with rates raised by about 31kg/ha (25 units/acre) over the norm to compensate for suspected winter loss of ground nitrogen. That meant ordering more fertiliser than was budgeted for and I was seriously shaken when the inevitable invoice arrived at £135/t, a league above what I paid last July. Lets hope current talks with the fertiliser trade will bring prices down.
Wheats are pushing on at GS33 after a slow start. Septoria is abundant, but has been checked with a second 0.5 litres/ha of Landmark (epoxiconazole + kresoxim-methyl) plus routine manganese and pgr. Regina barley is almost in ear but rather short – I was hoping to bale 3.7t/ha (1.5t/acre) of straw.
Winter oilseed rape is three-quarters through flowering and so far Escort appears very similar to Apex, only slightly taller. Because of the recent thundery showers I applied 1.85 litres/ha of Caramba (metconazole) to control sclerotinia.
All last years wheat has now been sold and collected at £73/t for feed and £78/t for the Soissons. Low Hagberg and protein meant that price was somewhat disappointing, especially as it was cut in late July in good order. However, I was pleased to receive £2/t more than I would without ACCS registration. Whether that is a premium depends how you look at it.
The general election is upon us and I am somewhat disappointed at the huge indifference shown by both farming and non-farming friends. Many are saying: "I dont see the point in voting. They are all as bad as each other." With that attitude we will get the government we deserve. *
Mark Ireland
Mark Ireland farms with
his father and brother at
Grange Farm, North
Rauceby, Lincs. Sugar beet
and barley are the core
crops on the 1004ha (2481
acres) heathland unit
THE past month has seen us complete drilling in a manner that I hope we never have to again. We broke every rule taught at college and many learnt through experience at home.
That said, there is a certain sense of relief that everything that could have been drilled has been. Unworkable land meant we missed the drilling window for spring beans on two fields but sugar beet has gone in instead as an insurance to making our quota.
Such exceptional circumstances as this spring once again brought the sounds of our 1942 D2 crawler rumbling across the fields. Parked in the corner of a shed it generally comes out once every three or four years when everything else has failed. This year it enabled us to tread lightly on land that was very wet underneath, preparing a mould on top to drill a half decent crop of beet.
When the sun gets to work it is quite amazing how quickly things begin to dry up. Until a very welcome 37mm (1.5 in) of rain last week we had had no measurable rain for 16 days. That was starting to take its toll and walking our own crops and "looking over the hedge" further afield I am very pessimistic regarding the forthcoming wheat harvest. I am in no doubt that trade forecasts of 12mt or more are on the high side. Many of these crops have little or no root structure and another dry spell will see fields that statisticians sitting behind office desks consider to be well established return less than satisfactory yields.
Two months ago in a rash, unbudgeted moment we invested in a second-hand sprayer to back up our Househam Super Sprint. Some financial commentators would say we are over-equipped. But already there have been advantages. Spraying is up to date, narrow and wide tyre changes have been kept to a minimum and life is generally a little less stressful than it can be at this time of year. *
Tim Piper
Tim Piper farms at
Churchlands on the edge
of Romney Marsh, Kent.
Wheat, barley, oilseed rape,
herbage seed and vining
peas occupy 890ha
(2200 acres) of the
1105ha (2730-acre) unit
THERE is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. The past month has flown by and we have just our forage maize at home and vining peas for the vining group left to drill.
Odd showers of rain have helped and we should have some work for the combine come harvest. However, we still need a regular sprinkling of rain as late-planted spring rape and cereals will not put up with a prolonged dry spell.
As discussed last month, we opted to omit a mid-flower fungicide on an outlying block of oilseed rape. Everything else had 1 litre/ha of Caramba (metconazole) plus 0.5 litres/ha of carbendazim and has now nearly finished flowering. Considering the mostly cold and wet weather we seem to have a good pod set.
Flag-leaves are just days away on winter wheat but what mixture of strobilurin and triazole will go on has yet to be decided. Early sown spring wheat has had 1.0 litre/ha of chlormequat with 1.75 litres/ha of mecoprop and 1.5litres/ha of manganese sulphate.
With old crop wheat reaching the dizzy heights of £80/t, we have sold the last of our wheat bar the durum, which will hopefully go during June at £110/t or better.
It is good that MAFFs attitude towards farmers is becoming more flexible in what have been very trying circumstances this spring. Our IACS forms went in on time and though the intention was to do it by e-mail I ended up printing out the sheets and sending them in registered delivery for the May 15 deadline.
Electioneering has started in earnest and I am already sick of it. I have no confidence in politicians in general, or their ability to do the job, a sentiment I suspect I share with most of the population. That said, for Britain plc I think Labour has done a reasonable job. However, its attitude to the countryside leaves me undecided where to put my mark. *