Arable Farmer Focus FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Dry days test patience - and profitI know I’ve said previously in this column I prefer a dry time to a wet one – and we won’t be the first people to refer to irrigators as… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Yields vary by up to 5t/ha in the same fieldThe wheat harvest started on 13 July, which is the earliest by far since I’ve been at Belvoir. Even the heaviest of the clay soils couldn’t hold up to the… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: A la carte weather is rarely on the menuHarvest is halfway through at this stage, and it's wonderful to be able to get up and work every day with no weather interruptions. That's the positive side of our… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Harvest gets off to an encouraging startIt is 22 July as I write this, and harvest is in full swing across Herefordshire. As you travel the county, it is clear that August is going to be… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Opting for new dairy as arable no longer paysWe are actively working towards milking cows by July 2028, alongside desperately trying to find a way to remain arable farmers. Likely with a simplified arable rotation and a greatly… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: My next idea is more Zen than YENAs I write, the combine (or parts of it) should be heading over to Little Goldsmiths Farm for harvest 2026. This will be the first time I’ve started harvest before… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Wheat harvest a month earlier than usualI think I may have been a little too optimistic in my previous article when I said the rain would do a world of good and that the spring crops… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Change is inevitable – just don't give upChange is inevitable. Unfortunately, it is with a sad heart that I write I am no longer managing Brewood Park Farm. The pain and anguish of losing the farm I… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Fuel price fall welcomed as harvest approachesWith winter barley about to receive its pre-harvest glyphosate, thoughts once again turn to how valuable this product is in terms of making crops harvest ready for ease of combining,… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: We need both the magic and the science eventsWe are playing the harvest waiting game in Shimpling. Given the searing forecast, by the time you read this submission we should be immersed into our winter crops. Other news… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Poor rural mobile signal adds to summer stressManaging stress is challenging. Small things cause you to lose control. My trigger at the moment is rural phone signal. Every time I try to receive a phone call on… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: The perfect family farm wedding for my sisterFor us all as a family, June was marked by a fantastic celebration as my younger sister, Rosie, married Andrew Dixon. It was the perfect farm wedding, complete with his-and-hers… More articles
