FARMERFOCUS
FARMERFOCUS
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 lull before the storm as far as field work is concerned has enabled a little catching up in the office and planning for the coming year.
Most of that planning centres on the 115ha (284 acres) of Nitrogen Sensitive Area grassland agreement which will terminate at the end of September. As part of the original pilot scheme most of this grass has been established for 10 years, and quite honestly the abrupt ending of the scheme can only be viewed as a complete environmental disaster.
Why, when farmers are being told that we will have to move away from direct payments to environmental stewardship, are we faced with this? There can only be one answer. The government can see the £2.3m a year it costs to run NSAs being replaced by compulsory uncompensated nitrogen vulnerable zones.
When you take into consideration the premium grass compensation of £440-625/ha (£178-253/acre) many of those not in the scheme will say our motives are purely financial.
I fully accept that in the present climate this figure adequately compensates. But during the 1990s the same could not be said, so over the ten-year term we have neither gained nor lost.
In 1999 we commissioned the Lincolnshire Trust for Nature Conservation to survey and report on the wildlife interest and benefit of the grassland. It was rewarding to find that it supports nationally important populations of skylarks plus lapwing and quail, which are important to the region. What a backward step if this good was to be undone.
Sugar beet movement was completed by Feb 7 including two rows that my four-year-old son, Sandy, had grown in the garden. He seemed quite at home supervising his father loading the lorry – but I have yet to tell him its all at C beet price.
Slightly more importantly we finished the campaign with an adjusted yield of 55.8t/ha (22.6t/acre), 17.4% sugar, 7% top tare, 5% soil tare and 66% average amino N. *
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
IN contrast to our wonderful January, February started with heavy rain on the 1st making the land very mucky after frost.
That was just for starters, as the weekend deteriorated into heavy snow and blizzards, the like of which we have not seen for many years – a level 8in and lots of drifting on the main highways.
The snow disappeared nearly as quickly as it came. But a quick thaw can really be messy, so once again we are chasing our tails trying to get heavier land ploughed that should have been finished by now.
It is amazing how a few good dry days can make your feet "itchy". But I guess this weekends forecast will keep the seeders in the shed even on light land farms.
Arable farming covers a multitude of chores, as I am constantly reminded. Today, in the teeth of a sleet storm, I was down a hole with a field drain washer, while a young fellow sat in the big warm tractor ploughing all day.
I must be mad, I thought. Surely we have got this the wrong way round. But then I remembered I asked him to push on all day while I spend half my time attending livestock.
Washing and mending drains can be very rewarding but also very frustrating in running sand. It may be expensive, but neglecting them is even more costly in the long run.
My troublesome wheat field remains unsprayed, but at least the young plants appear to be competing with the annual meadow grass. My SAC adviser assures me that there is no better option than using the herbicides we have had in store all winter – so that will happen very soon.
Other chores have included soil sampling and learning more about my computer. I really am beginning to realise its capabilities. All I need is a little more time! Field records, cattle registrations and movements seem very straightforward.
Lets hope this "real" winter is followed by a real spring and summer. *
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
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
IT is all like a series of very bad dreams. Rain, incessant rain, a foot-dragging urban government and now foot and mouth disease.
As an arable contributor, I shall leave the detailed comment on this latest blow to our industry to my fellow livestock Farmer Focus writers. But in passing I am shocked how long it took the farm in Northumberland to report the disease, the lack of any communication from local MAFF highlighting the detailed symptoms of the virus, a helpline etc and the delay in the disposal of carcasses on the Northumberland farm.
If it is established that imported meat was the cause it will be a salutary reminder to the government of the risks of allowing ever-increasing quantities of meat to be imported into the UK. I am now watching our 200 ewes like a hawk. They are just a week off lambing.
Now to other matters. At a recent meeting of our Arable Discussion Group there was widespread concern about blackgrass infestation, both where fields were treated, albeit late, and where no sprays have been applied.
We were reminded to be very particular in our calibration and choice of nozzles this spring and to avoid cheap oils. The cost of blackgrass control could be £60/ha, but crop losses could be even more.
It is now 13 days since we recorded measurable rain – what a difference that makes. I have started top dressing, first oilseed rape with 81kg/ha of N + sulphur, then October/November drilled wheats with 50kg/ha of N. Next week the wheat will get 0.8 litre/ha of the zinc compound Route to encourage root development.
The early September wheats are still over the top at 900-1100 tillers/sq m. I will discuss with Graham, our agronomist, what is to be done. Certainly we could reduce the wheat seed rate down to 150 seeds/sq m this September.
Finally, many thanks to farmers weekly for its support, free posters etc for the Countryside March on Mar 18. See you there – if it hasnt been cancelled due to foot and mouth. *
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
HAVING had nine consecutive days without rain, we have managed to do some proper fieldwork and have now all but finished our ploughing.
It is still not dry enough for any cultivations. But if the weekend stays dry and the outlook for next week is good, I am optimistic that we may be able to go drilling then. But it will only be on selected fields and will obviously mean dodging about, which wont be very satisfactory.
We have the results of our soil samples. Not surprisingly, nitrogen reserves have been severely depleted by the excessive rain and would appear to be about 30% lower than normal.
That said, some of crops of oilseed rape and wheat certainly do not look hungry, and wheat in particular does not need encouraging to produce more tillers.
We have applied 70 units of nitrogen to the bulk of the oilseed rape but left one or two very forward pieces that certainly do not need feeding.
Spraying of herbage seed for annual meadow grass, rough stalked meadow grass and cereal volunteers, has not been completed. The last application of 5 litres/ha of Norton (ethofumesate) went on last week and we plan to complete winter cereal spraying in the near future with a mixture of IPU and Stomp (pendimethalin).
Being a good little European I recently travelled through France on Eurostar to visit the Paris show. If you had not already realised growers over there are in as big a pickle as we are, and only on the lighter land have they been able to do any field work.
Some of that looks as if it has been done in desperation, with fields of potatoes, sunflowers and maize still unharvested. Perhaps we shall see a big reduction in European stocks and an increase in prices.
You have to be optimistic and right now any encouragement is welcomed. Hopefully, by next time I shall be able to report on a hectic drilling programme and continued dry weather. *