Arable Farmer Focus 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… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: N-fixing bacteria provides good gut feelWe’ve had a great spell of weather in south Devon. We caught an accumulation of 20mm of rain, which washed in the second dose of nitrogen plus sulphur fertiliser. The… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Wheat varieties are a hare v tortoise raceMy Bamford wheat has hared away this spring and, in its haste, caught a dose of septoria. The problem is, I was bitten a couple of years ago with my… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Why I'm feeling cautiously optimisticCautiously optimistic – that’s how I’m feeling. Optimism is an essential trait if one is not to become consumed by the wacky world around us. Seeing crops flourish this spring… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Stressful times both for the crops and meIt has been a stressful time for both me and the crops. I sadly lost my 49-year-old best friend to a heart infection called endocarditis which led to sepsis. For… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Flooded fields to drought stress in a blinkWell, I guess it was predictable – we’ve gone from too wet to too dry in what seems like no time at all. Heavy land is starting to crack at… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: A few April showers would be welcome for cropsSpring has well and truly arrived, almost in the blink of an eye. After a very long stretch of wet weather, it has suddenly turned dry, perhaps a little too… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: What I've learned about potato productionPotato planting has begun, and I’ve been reflecting on what has worked well over past years. It’s tricky, as we have about 25 weeks from planting to harvest. It’s always… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Why are CSF reports only valid for two years?The past five weeks have been productive. We have applied all the fertiliser to the winter barley and have one dose left to do on the winter wheat. Digestate spreading… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: I've never had less confidence in farm's futureWow, the daily episodes of Celebrity President USA sure are packing several plot twists into each day. We seem to live in a time in which international diplomacy is conducted… More articles
