Happy new year all. I hope everyone had a fantastic festive period and that 2025 brings prosperity, enjoyment and some stonking yields.

Dad and I have almost completed crop planning for autumn 2025; it doesn’t seem like five minutes ago we were doing this for autumn 2024.

We are increasing our vining pea hectarage to bring another break crop onto the scene as our OSR rotation is becoming quite tight on certain farms and we always have clubroot issues in the back of our minds.

See also: Soils improve for Northants grower after a switch to regen

About the author

Annabel Hamilton

Annabel Hamilton farms 1,030ha of arable in the Scottish Borders with her parents. The arable area grows 65% winter and 35% spring crops. She is Basis and Facts qualified and runs a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. The farm finishes more than 300 Limousin cattle a year.  Follow Annabel on Twitter @annabelhami11

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We have secured some additional malting spring barley contracts, but these are becoming harder to find as the demand for malt seems to have dropped.

Over the festive period I had fraudulent activity on my credit card.

My brother found this hilarious, firstly that I actually had a credit card and secondly as he thinks I am so tight that I don’t spend any money for my account to actually be hacked.

It was a wake-up call that I need to be slightly more vigilant where I am putting my details.

We often talk about cyber security and the devastating effects it can have on a business when it goes wrong.

It’s worth ringing your bank and having a clear out of who has your details that possibly shouldn’t.

For Tom and I, 2025 brings its own excitement with the impending arrival of our first baby.

The due date is the 9 February, so preparations have begun of buying and borrowing the gigantic list of baby paraphernalia which seems to be required these days.

As my physical duties outside have now dwindled down to chief dog-walker, it has taken some adjusting to not be able to do those things I have always done like jumping on a piece of machinery or rolling out a bale.

This has been the part of pregnancy I have found the most difficult. Losing the capability to be self-sufficient is something I think is often forgotten about.

You do have to rely on others and let go of some responsibilities, but it is part of life and I am extremely excited for what is about to come.