Arable Farmer Focus FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: I'm now part of the sugar beet 100t/ha clubI’m going to start this column with some positives, because in these challenging times, I think it’s important not to forget that it’s rare that everything is rubbish at the… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: High disease pressure adds to the costsThe less said about the weather the better. After only 12mm in the past six weeks the crops are struggling, with spring-sown naked oats suffering the most. In contrast, spring… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Rain welcome but dry spell needed for silageThe last time I wrote, there was the possibility of another drought. Thankfully since then we’ve had nearly the perfect amount of rain for the time of year. Crops and… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Winter oats are best-looking crop on farmWe have finished planting the potatoes, and the main fertiliser applications are now complete. Our focus shifts to preparing for the harvest season. It is a busy time with spraying,… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: We need to adapt to changing rainfall patternsIt rained today. Twice. I feel very fortunate as I hadn’t long finished rolling in the SFI plots and everything needs a drink. Three weeks ago the oats had the… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Cattle return and major cropping changesTimes are a-changing here, and we have cattle back at Valetta for the first time since the mid-1990s. When we first moved to this farm, we ran some cattle alongside… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Iran war shapes next year's cropping plansWe finally had some meaningful rain over the bank holiday weekend. The winter wheat crops were starting to show signs of stress on the shallow soils with substantial amounts of… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Reminiscing now I'm back in the sprayer cabFor the past couple of weeks, I have found myself on the seat of the sprayer while our regular operator takes a well-earned holiday before he gets very busy. With… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: It’s going to be ‘death by houmous’With spring drilling now complete, our attention has been diverted to inter-row hoeing our organic winter crops and mowing fertility leys for the first time to knock a few overzealous… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: A working soil is key to reducing nitrogen useFertiliser and fuel seem to be a big topic of conversation at the moment. With the price of wheat, and unfavourable weather conditions (soil here is very dry), arable farming… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: My view of land use is changingSpring is a wonderful time to be on a farm. Hedges burst into life, oilseed rape is in flower and we have enjoyed welcoming new lambs into the world. This… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Getting to grips with new employment rulesI was recently scheduled to attend a local employment law event, but it was cancelled after only five businesses registered. Instead, the speaker visited the farm and delivered a one-to-one… More articles
