Harvest kick-off: Weather permitting, some growers hope to begin harvesting winter barley next week. However, while many crops have become mature-looking in recent days, most still have green patches – which will reduce combine access. Some growers do not expect to begin cutting until early August.

Many oat crops have also begun to turn in response to the recent heat. Many winter oilseed rape crops are also showing signs of ripening and so must be watched for use of glyphosate for desiccation.

Many crops, both winter and spring, now show bleached patches arising from recent drought stress. Growers should seriously consider getting any form of organic matter onto these patches for a few years to help build organic matter, soil humus and moisture retention. Yield loss is inevitable when these burn off early.

Buffer strips: Many farmers are only beginning to realise their different buffer strip obligations relating to both nitrates beside watercourses and pesticides beside all water bodies. Many now realise they are not compliant, especially with regard to the cultivated strip beside watercourses, but there is really nothing that can be done at this point. No pesticide can be applied within 1m of the top edge of any water-carrying body, including a mainly dry drain. If you are beside a watercourse (as defined on the maps used for your BPS application), then a minimum 2m strip cannot be cultivated or planted along its edge. If you did plant it, do not attempt to cultivate it again as it is the cultivation that is prohibited. The only cultivation allowed on this strip is for the planting of grass.

Lodging and crows: The recent heavy showers have caused an amount of lodging and significant tossing, in winter barley in particular. This is most obvious in the patches that are still green and heavy, and on nitrogen overlaps. Lodged spots provide another point of access for crows and pigeons, which have become very active over the past week or two.

Crows are doing damage so action is required. Kites work well in local areas like lodged patches, but for long edges the use of the nylon thread on bamboo canes will be more effective (and cheaper). After these, you have the traditional methods like scarecrows, bangers and some lead, but it is easier to keep them out than to get rid of them.

Aphids: Numbers appear to be increasing, especially up to last weekend, in some winter wheat, spring barley and bean crops. Be guided by the thresholds of five aphids per ear on average in wheat and 5% of plants infested in beans.

High aphid numbers on spring barley leaves may impact less on yield, but they can impact on the brightness of the straw. Big numbers of aphids will leave a lot of sticky honeydew, which will result in sooty moulds on the straw.