For my first Farmer Focus article, I thought I would choose an easy option by writing about our unpredictable friend and enemy, the weather, and how it has been very kind to us this winter for a change.

With only 181mm over the past four months, we are in a far better position than a year ago, when we had 573mm in the same period and our second major flood event in two years.

For those who have experienced flooding, you will understand not only the devastation it causes to land, crops and infrastructure, but the impact it has on workload and team morale.

See also: Farmer grazes 2,500 sheep on cereal crops for disease control

About the author

Neil MacLeod

Neil MacLeod manages 1,600ha of mixed soils on the east coast of Angus, Scotland. The majority of the land is in arable production with diversified enterprises consisting of soft fruit, sitka spruce, environmental stewardship, and renewable energy.

Read more articles by Neil MacLeod

Luckily, we had an exceptionally kind autumn in 2024 and achieved our aim of sowing the whole farm in winter crop.

We’re coming into 2025 in a relatively good position, with a more positive outlook for the year ahead.

Arable crops look well and thus far the pigeons haven’t discovered the oilseed rape. I am convinced their numbers have been decimated by avian influenza.

We have, however, suffered significant frost heave on one block of oats.

The land in question is poorly drained ex-moorland that was reclaimed in the 1980s and is not without its challenges – one of them being high organic matter soil prone to lifting.

With no chance of getting a set of rolls across it any time soon, we have instead employed the use of a few hundred sheep, whose hooves we need more than their mouths.

I’ve grazed various crops in the past, but never found it improved gross margin come harvest. However, in this instance it’s more about maintaining plant numbers than saving on a fungicide.

Going forward, this marginal land will only need to worry about harvesting sunlight as 50ha are about to go under solar panels.

Elsewhere we are getting on well with our winter programme of works, with the digger working non-stop on field ditches and drainage.

We are also demolishing two old sheds to make way for a new grain store, a major investment but necessary due to our increased risk of flooding.