An unexpected cost of the very late spring and dry summer has been the lower number of grazing days and the extra length of time the cattle have been in the houses. This has meant that some of the bulls did not get out for any grass in the February-April period and then on age and weight grounds it was time to put them on full feed – a mainly cereal-based diet.

While the cattle have killed out satisfactorily enough, the cost of weight gain from cereal instead of from grass is far higher. We have also the additional cost of handling the significantly higher amount of slurry. It’s just as well we finished the harvest and straw so early as we are having to put the slurry out on the wheat ground prior to ploughing for winter barley.

As cattle become fit and are being sold, we are replacing with weanlings. But the word back is that suckler numbers are diminishing each year with sales getting smaller.

On a positive note, grass growth has recovered well after the drought. With moisture and heat in the ground, the grass fields have turned a brilliant green. We will take a slightly bigger autumn silage cut than seemed possible even a fortnight ago.

We have now worked out the rotation for the 2018 / 2019 crop year. At the moment, we are ploughing for oilseed rape and intend to have it sown before the weekend.

The difference in the ploughed ground this year and last is unbelievable. Last year, the earth turned up in sticky, shiny slabs of clay – this year, it’s already a loose, friable tilth. It will gain from a good harrowing but the ease of cultivation and sowing will be on a different scale. Last year, we had to plough up a small field because of poor germination, hopefully there will not be the same difficulty this year.

Elsewhere, on the crop side, we will reduce the bean acreage. We will desiccate the present crop such as it is over the next few days. I am fully prepared for a miserable bean harvest after a late sowing and a long, dry hot spell at the worst possible time – hence the planned reduction in acreage.

We will stick with the normal barley and wheat and give the oats another chance to redeem itself.

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Home Farm: activity after early wrap-up

Home Farm: harvest almost complete