The blast of cold weather has visibly stalled growth in both grass and tillage crops.

We are now on our second grazing of the earliest paddocks, as the slurry applied in good conditions after the first grazing was washed in by the mild rain and we got excellent growth after that.

However, while the dry weather has allowed work to take place in excellent conditions, we have been advised to wait until heat builds up again before going out with some specialist herbicides and growth regulator on the wheat.

The harsh weather has also meant that the slurry on the newly grazed paddocks is just sitting there

Cold, frosty weather, such as we are getting this week, can cause herbicides to be taken up inefficiently and can cause scorching, which can knock back the plant and inevitably, in my view, knock back the yield to some extent. So, we will wait until conditions are a bit kinder.

The harsh weather has also meant that the slurry on the newly grazed paddocks is just sitting there, and again, some but not too much mild rain from the southwest would be welcome. We have now effectively closed the gates on both the oilseed rape and the beans.

Last week, as the prices for cereals wobbled after a continuous rise for the last few months, we took the plunge and sold forward

The beans, as I mentioned, were sown and rolled in perfect conditions and on scraping away a few inches of soil, we could see the emerging sprouts. But again, the cold weather has stopped them emerging above ground. In the past, I have seen crows attack beans at just this vulnerable stage, so I hope it doesn’t last too long.

Last week, as the prices for cereals wobbled after a continuous rise for the last few months, we took the plunge and sold forward, for September delivery, about 30%-35% of our expected winter barley harvest.

If we don’t reach the pledged amount, then we will have to make up the difference in hard cash – this happened to me some years ago, but normally selling less than 40% of the expected yield should be OK.