This Week in Farming: Mules, off-roaders and harvest latest

Welcome back to another edition of This Week in Farming, our round-up of Farmers Weekly’s best features and stories from the past seven days.

Here are five of the biggest topics, as selected by the editor, and a look ahead to what’s coming up on the next edition of the FW podcast.

Weather improvement

Finally, the clouds have parted, allowing much-needed combining and grass harvest to proceed in earnest.

There’s still 80% of oilseed rape still to cut in the North, but it’s fair to say the conclusion of most folk is that it won’t be a vintage year for the crop anywhere in the country.

Elsewhere, cutting conditions remain difficult for many despite it being dry overhead after previous storms have left crops flattened, pushing down yields.

Joys and perils of the season

It’s far from a disaster yet either, of course – there will be fun aplenty for the tractor-mad as the crops roll in, harvest suppers are taken in the field and the feeling of relief as another cropping year draws to a close.

Columnist Charlie Flindt has retired from arable farming his own patch of Hampshire and was contemplating changing the habit of a lifetime by going on holiday in August.

But just like Michael Corleone in Godfather III, he’s found a way to be pulled right back in again.

In my column this week, I recognise the pressures of a compacted season where it doesn’t feel like there’s enough hours in the day, but issue a plea for people’s welfare to still come first.

Mule trade latest

August isn’t just for sitting on your backside in a cab of course. The thoughts of many sheep farmers will be turning to the purchase of ewes and rams.

Business reporter Charlie Reeve went along to Thame Sheep Fair, the bellweather early mule sale, where trade was up on last year when the hammer was falling in drought-like conditions.

Not everyone is adding to sheep numbers though. In Scotland, Farmer Focus writer David Girvan explains why he is cutting back on the size of his flock after the departure of his shepherd prompted a rethink about how the farm’s enterprises are split.

Six-wheeler off-roader

Even the hills of Inverness from where the Girvan family hail would likely be comfortable terrain for the Can-Am Traxter 6×6 off-road vehicle – but would farmers who work land like that actually want one?

Expert machinery freelancer James Andrews casts a critical eye over the bulky vehicle in a bid to answer that question, and brings you a detailed write-up of the good and bad points of this high-maintenance machine.

Meanwhile, machinery editor Oliver Mark finds out the plans that Somerset contractor Tim Russon puts in place to keep wheels turning during the harvest period, and why he’s just spent a five-figure sum on trailer covers.

The groups helping farmers adapt

The farmer-contractor relationship may be the first example of collaboration in the sector you think of, but it’s far from the only one of course.

As part of the latest Transition edition in this week’s magazine, Louise Impey traces the rise of the farmer cluster group, with some 150 now in existence, founded by a range of farming organisations and local interest groups.

This is just one example of how farmers are seeking to adapt to overcome the challenges of changing farm policy across all nations of the UK, with more than two-thirds of them now planning some actions.

Shropshire farmer Matthew Williams has recently joined our Transition Farmer network, a group of businesses at all stages of change, which we are following to understand how this is happening on the ground.

Read his story on how he’s farming without area payments here.

Listen to the FW podcast

Don’t forget the latest edition of the Farmers Weekly podcast with Johann Tasker and Hugh Broom.

This week they bring you the latest market prices and, among other things, delve more deeply into the findings of the Transition survey results.

Listen here or bring us with you in the cab by downloading it from your usual podcast platform.