It’s a bit dry, isn’t it? We have had 15mm of rain since the end of February.

We were due a good rain event over the Easter weekend, so we put all the final fertiliser on the rye and wheat a few days before, but then only got 3mm.

See also: Signature seed dressing helps grow fungicide-free crops

It should be enough to wash it in, but not much else.

Since my last article I have had Assured Combinable Crops Scheme (ACCS) and Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) inspections.

Just to make it exciting, both inspectors were being inspected as well.

The ACCS went well and passed with no issues. The SFI was a little bit more interesting with an issue with cover crops not being written down correctly.

Historically, with fodder crops you would write down where they had been that winter whereas with SFI you need to write down where they are going to be.

We had a good discussion and I pointed out that I had spoken to various people at the RPA on the phone.

They checked the records and confirmed that I had been instructed to do it that way, so all was fine.

About the author

Robin Aird

Arable Farmer Focus writer Robin Aird manages 1,500ha on the north Wiltshire and Gloucestershire border, with a further 160ha on a contract farming agreement. Soils vary from gravel to clay with the majority silty clay loams. The diverse estate has Residential, commercial and events enterprises. He is Basis qualified and advises on other farming businesses.

Contact:

Email: robin.aird@charltonpark.estate

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The other interesting issue is IPM4. This is an arable whole parcel option.

We have grass margins around our fields for wildlife and potentially these parcels may now not be able to be claimed as that is grass.

I can see why it was put as a whole parcel to stop people spraying some parts and not the other, but this ruling seems a bit ridiculous.

It has gone higher up the chain, so, hopefully, someone will use common sense and we will then pass this as well.

Maize drilling has finished. The seed-beds were looking good, but the lack of rain has made them too dry.

We have planted into moisture on 90% of the fields, but the heavier headlands and tracked areas are bone dry and will need substantial rain to get it to chit and grow.

The winter rye and winter wheats are receiving their T2s and T1s, respectively, this week.

The rye is based around tebuconazole and azyoxystrobin. The crop is also having Terpal (ethephon + mepiquat) as it is quite leggy this season.

The winter wheats are having Ascra (bixafen + fluopyram + prothioconazole) with a sniff of azoxystrobin for the few rust pustules I am starting to see. Both are having manganese and magnesium.

I am now off to do a rain dance. Hopefully it will know when to stop when it does start.