Ron Duncan
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
AFTER checking the weeks weather forecast, we decided that last week would be the week to make hay with the grass that has been "locked up" in the Countryside Premium Scheme.
Cutting must be delayed until July 15 for the protection of nesting game birds, but since cutting it we have had 47mm (1.9in) of rain and it looks like it could end up in a plastic wrap.
You no doubt saw the wild weather at Muirfield on television. Unfortunately, all Scotlands east coast caught it this time. But what a transformation on Sunday – glorious sunshine all day.
We also had a couple of good days in the middle of last week when the first winter barley in the area was harvested on July 18 – 7-10 days earlier than usual. First indications are good quality and good yield.
Spring barley does not look early at this stage, but does look promising. I have walked many miles rogueing wild oats, certainly one of the best ways to assess grain crops.
It also highlights problem areas such as poor annual weed control. Advice from SAC on herbicide looks to have been too conservative to be cost effective. Another 10g/ha of Harmony (metsulfuron-methyl + thifensulfuron-methyl) will be applied next spring. There is nothing worse for a combine driver than a "knocking" cutter bar struggling through an understorey of annual weeds.
This week we are having our farm assurance inspection, now a joint operation for cereals and beef. Very accurate field records must be kept, a useful exercise once the system is in place and also a meaningful reference. We have been in the scheme for many years now as all our outlets insist on membership.
With no winter barley, harvest here wont start until mid-August. We are in the process of checking machinery, making sure everything is properly illuminated and all trailers have braking systems.
Our machinery ring has drawn up a list of good practice in conjunction with the police, so ignorance is no longer an option. *
Winter barley harvest has started for some in Morayshire but Ron Duncan is battling to get hay from Countryside Premium Scheme swards baled.