Archived News

14th August 2016

This month sees the anniversary of the catastrophic combine harvester fire during our 2015 wheat harvest which has resulted in quite a different feeling about harvest 2016 as we are using a contractor for this job for the first time and this year we're growing fewer acres of combinable crops as they're just not viable and farming becomes less tenable.

Following on from one harvest we begin to sow the next seasons crops.  The choice of crop for each field is determined by many factors including what was grown there the previous year,  the type of soil such as sandy or clay soils and what can successfully grow in that soil; pests and diseases that affect the success, failure or yield of a crop and whether there is a demand. 

For example with a lot of wheat on the World market the price paid for a tonne of wheat has been similar to the price paid over thirty years ago, whilst the cost of production has risen.  We look at whether there are new varieties that might yield better on our soils as well as any cost savings that could be made, but given all the factors involved we may decide to grow less of  a crop or cease growing it at all.

The barley and oil seed rape harvest is already complete.  We have grown less barley this year and only 90 acres of oil seed rape was harvested, due to 60 acres of this crop being lost due to flea beetle damage.

We have grown two varieties of milling wheat this year;  Skyfall and Crusoe but the total acreage is 50% less than we grew in 2015 because we're not paid the cost of production let alone receiving a profit.  We are still growing some class 1 milling wheat and spreading risk and of course do hope the price of wheat might rise!

The wheat and peas look as though they will be fit for harvesting at about the same time and with continued sunshine the contractor may begin on the wheat on Tuesday.

With the lull in harvesting,  the pastures without livestock have been topped and about 80 acres of clay soils have been 'moled'.  The moling aids drainage and prevents water logging.

In the 1950's farmers could apply to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to assess field drainage and the ministry would install drains. We still have original maps from the ministry which show the position of the drains and the direction required for moling. 

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