I very rarely mention the weather in my articles, but it seems hard not to this time.

Last April, we had more than 100mm of rain. Currently, at the time of writing we have only had 5mm – quite a stark comparison.

This has meant fertiliser and spray applications are well up to date and it has even allowed my mother and father a few days away getting some well-deserved relaxation time. Cue the scrap metal skip.

Just joking, Dad – you aren’t away for long enough.

See also: Crop Watch: Rain arrives and yellow rust race concerns

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

Read more articles by Annabel Hamilton

I mentioned in my last article we were waiting to the end of the month to start spring drilling. However, the conditions got the better of us and we cracked on, beginning on the 19 March by drilling some Golden Promise barley.

This was then followed by the remainder of the spring cropping.

With our 6m Horsch Pronto and 8m Kuhn Powerharrow it does not take long to romp through the 240ha of spring cereals and 14ha of forage peas.

All this ground had been winter ploughed and we are struggling to remember a spring where crops have gone into such good conditions and finishing drilling in March.

Is this the new norm or just a reminder that our climate is testing us on a monthly basis it seems. I believe the latter.

On the livestock side of things we are definitely in a period of “Up Horn Down Corn” as Dad put it to me recently.

Cattle prices have shot through the roof – both from a buying and selling perspective.

These situations make me slightly nervous, but we must – as they say – make hay while the sun shines.

The month of May will see Ian Jackson, a semi-retired North Northumberland farmer embarking on the journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats on his Massey Ferguson 65 multipower vintage tractor.

Ian will be raising money for two charities – Pickups for Peace and Cancer Research UK.

We wish Ian all the best on his 850 mile journey – may the weather be with you!