South: Diesel the most effective slug killer
The hopelessly wet conditions continue and although it has been drier of late, soils are saturated to depth. A farming friend informs me that in the last 28 weeks he has recorded an average rainfall of...
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East: Facing the harsh reality
A month has passed with very few opportunities to get on the land to do any sort of field work except yet more slug control! Visiting farms I seem to be the bearer of bad news, with the relentless...
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South: Less haste when writing off crops
Don’t get too hasty to write off drilled crops yet. Many are far better when you walk across them, than they look from the gateway or headland. The photo below is a classic example. Yes it looks like...
View ArticleWest: Rain scuppers drilling and spraying for the rest of 2012
Well another month has passed and I think if we are honest with ourselves most are in a much better place than we were four weeks ago, frustratingly for some on the heavier land every time it got...
View ArticleSouth: Expect some messy rape crops
Last Friday (8th Feb), a couple of clients rang me to tell me that they had managed to get a bit of last minute wheat drilling done. Not only that, but it had been sown in near ideal conditions, some...
View ArticleNorth: Last chance saloon may still be open
No doom here, we’re all practising the power of positive thinking. Now with five dry days in a row, last week’s heavy rain is just starting to go. Will we still get any winter wheat sown? Are we mad?...
View ArticleWest: Ground finally dries and promptly freezes
After nearly 11 months of constant rainfall the heavens have cleared and we are in a very welcome period of dry weather. The only down side is that the ground has frozen hard and is making field work a...
View ArticleNorth: Patience is key for grassweed herbicides
At last a spell of dry weather has allowed land to significantly dry up. It has allowed plenty of nitrogen to be applied, sprayers to get in fields again and some spring drilling to start on free...
View ArticleWest: Contrasting soil conditions
A welcome spell of dry weather has allowed some progress in the fields. Very late winter wheat and oats have been drilled, and a start to drilling spring barley and beans has been made. But spring...
View ArticleNorth: Two-tier agronomy advice stream
Nothing quite like repeating the obvious, but March was rather cool. In fact, a massive 3C below the 30 year average according to the Met Office. If we add to this near normal rainfall, but only 54% of...
View ArticleSouth: Diesel the most effective slug killer
The hopelessly wet conditions continue and although it has been drier of late, soils are saturated to depth. A farming friend informs me that in the last 28 weeks he has recorded an average rainfall of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
East: Facing the harsh reality
A month has passed with very few opportunities to get on the land to do any sort of field work except yet more slug control! Visiting farms I seem to be the bearer of bad news, with the relentless...
View ArticleClik here to view.
South: Less haste when writing off crops
Don’t get too hasty to write off drilled crops yet. Many are far better when you walk across them, than they look from the gateway or headland. The photo below is a classic example. Yes it looks like...
View ArticleWest: Rain scuppers drilling and spraying for the rest of 2012
Well another month has passed and I think if we are honest with ourselves most are in a much better place than we were four weeks ago, frustratingly for some on the heavier land every time it got...
View Article