Arable Farmer Focus FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: There’s been massive change in our systemIt’s 20 years since I finished college and started full-time farming, and I’ve seen massive change in our “farming system”. Back then, a large amount of land was in continuous… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Winter barley looks great despite weed pressureThis autumn has been a relaxed affair. We started drilling the winter barley on 22 September and it is all up in rows. We drilled our cleanest fields of wheat… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Autumn sowing is done and dustedAll is now safely in the ground with no compromises due to the weather. Many things can still go wrong before harvest is complete, but it’s encouraging to feel one… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Drilling ends and storms beginApparently, in the words of a famous Cambridgeshire YouTuber and farmer (James Peck), October drilling is for losers. Well, I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but we did… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Drilling finished with near perfect seed-bedsAnd just like that September has been and gone. Autumn drilling will be completed soon and conditions have been excellent for autumn cereals – seed-beds have been near perfect. Unfortunately,… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Accident sees me promoted to lambing shepherdTwo days before the start of lambing our shepherd got thrown from her horse; yes, I know, blimmin' horses. Once again it has been invaluable for Jayne and me to… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Battling to cut linseed without glyphosateI suppose after such a dry spell we were bound to get a wet one, which has done the overwinter cover and summer catch crops the world of good. They… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Navigating autumn crop establishmentWith harvest over, the long days diminishing and the night’s drawing in, we can afford to put to one side the lingering thoughts of the “what could have been” harvest… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Just about beating the cropping budgetI was at my local machinery dealer waiting for combine parts to be picked while desperately trying not to succumb to the lure of shiny spanners. It was harvest-time, and… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Weather raises wheat drilling date questionsThe continuing wet weather is already raising questions about wheat planting dates. It is, however, helping everything we’ve planted so far to grow, including, most importantly, the oilseed rape. If… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Lack of rain makes ploughing an expensive taskI would like to start by remembering David Richardson. I first met David in 2010, when I interviewed him for my university dissertation. I remember driving to his farm and being… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Nature once again delivers the essentialsWe have finally been having some very heavy rain bursts in the past couple of weeks, and what a difference it makes. Grass has turned green and cover crops are… More articles
