Arable Farmer Focus FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Monitoring bee activity with on-farm sensorsFinally, the oilseed rape is reaching skywards so quickly I had to stop and stare to see if I could actually see it growing. This is just as well, given… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: A poor crop costs as much as a good oneLate winter here was as kind as early winter was cruel. Crops on the whole look decent, but I took the decision to terminate 14ha of wheat in two fields.… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: First time in a while field work is in orderWhile the dark clouds of politics still linger over our industry, the settled weather over the past six weeks has certainly bolstered morale on the farm. For the first time… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: What I learned from US milling wheat growersI recently returned from Michigan where I gave a talk to US farmers about winter wheat and my Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) win of 16.5t/ha in 2023. I went through… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Busy drilling, spreading digestate and rollingWhat a fantastic three weeks of weather. It is a pity we cannot say the same about the politics of this country, or the rural economy. It is nice to… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Finally sold low-protein Wildfarmed wheat cropI feel desperately sorry for those businesses that did not manage to get into the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) before it shut. I have an existing SFI agreement which started… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: A 1am wake-up to talk cover crops and cocktailsSpring has sprung. Although we’re probably in Fool's Spring, or is it False Spring or the Spring of Deception? We’ve sprayed off the cover (failed wheat, blackgrass, chickweed and meadow… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Looking for extra income to support the farmThe past five weeks have flown by, and I can’t quite believe we are into the middle of March and Arthur is seven weeks old. It seems that, at the… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Why do such few people exercise so much power?The world has gone mad – there’s no other way of putting it. How on earth so few people in power can exercise so much power over the rest of… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Comparing arable soil to ancient hedgerowsThe first few days of March have been a joy at Shimpling Park Farm as the sun makes a welcome appearance. Feeling those early spring rays changes everything. Everyone’s mood… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Dream of summer continues for Captain HopefulLast month, I spoke of an absence of summer, and cold wet weather during the flowering and grain fill period here in New Zealand. I had some optimism that our… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Nov-drilled wheat is our best disease controlThings have perked up over the past few weeks in south Devon. Crops are certainly looking healthier after a few frosts and some much-needed sunshine. Soil conditions have dried up… More articles
