June 2011

Well, well, what happened to the last month? It has truly flown by and a lot has happened in a short time. Firstly we have had some rain, and in some cases we have had rather a lot of it which was very hard and persistent at times. As they say, ‘It never rains but it pours!’, but then again it came just in the nick of time for our Barley and wheat. It will now have plenty of moisture to enable the grain to ‘fill’ and to develop into plump and heavy grain, well hopefully!

The barley does not look quite as light and airy as it did when we last spoke, the heads are filling out and so become heavier and start to bend over and also start to change colour. You will also notice that in some parts of those fields along straight lane, the crop has started to ‘lodge’ and tangle where the rain and wind has dragged the crop down, this I always think makes the fields look like a stormy seascape. Have a look and see if you agree or indeed come up with your own interpretation.

The wheat at the top of Parkgate Lane, and for that matter all over the farm, is now fully out in ear and is also benefiting from the rain. The flag leaf is still very important while the grain in the ear is filling, so we must keep an eye out for such diseases as Yellow and Brown Rust. These diseases are reasonable easy and quite cheap to treat, but they must be caught early so that yield loss can be kept to an absolute minimum. One of the varieties that we are growing this year is very susceptible to Brown Rust, it has just been treated but the coverage only lasts about a month’ so if you see the wheat on the south side of  Parkgate Lane by Seymour’s court crossroads going a red / brown colour let me know !!

On the 31st of May we knocked down the grass in Browns Ground, the Brickyard and Shawford with the intention of making hay. I cut it because I watched the weather forecast and it looked settled with two big high pressures coming up from the Bay of Biscay, by the Wednesday of that week the forecast had changed to rain by Sunday! The old man upstairs must see me put the mower on the tractor and think ‘must be time for rain Fuss is trying to make hay’. Even so, we did manage to get 14 acres made and cleared by the time the rain came, which meant we were able to get to Ellie and Geoff’s evening wedding party! Father and Brother of the bride ended up buying the hay that night (there were a few tissues needed, could have been the excitement of the day, or maybe the incredible price I gave them). Great day, amazing beer, very good hay! Heaven indeed.

It wasn’t until 15th of June that we picked up the rest of the grass and had to make it into haylage, (NB Hay is dry baled grass, and haylage is still damp and wrapped to preserve it). As the grass was still damp and after all that dry weather you just would not believe it!

Keep your eyes on the fields as they will be changing rapidly now, oh, and if you come spot any suspicious transit vans, please take the reg, I’ve come in this morning to find FABS has been broken into last night! Finding all our hire kit, cement mixers, jack hammers, whacker plates etc….gone !!! We even had three of our truck drivers sleeping in the yard in their cabs!
What is wrong with people? On this note I must dash, I’m off to’ you know where’ to see if I can get my kit back!

Andy