The lateness of the year and lack of a spell of settled weather has put real pressure on the autumn workload.

The weekend saw us clear all the wheat fields of straw.

A few years ago, we put down a hardcore base so that wheaten bales, intended for the mushroom trade, could be stored on the farm until they are needed.

We need to get the oilseed rape sown over the next few days

We finished getting slurry out on the winter barley ground and began ploughing for winter oilseed rape.

We need to get the oilseed rape sown over the next few days and we will give a little 18.6.12 so it has as good a start as possible.

The only straw we have left to bale is from the oats. While we shredded the headlands, we left the centre of the field in rows – waiting for a suitable day.

We have already turned it once and are still waiting for enough time without rain to bale it up.

I am dependent on saving the oaten straw as in an effort to make up for the drop in cereal prices, I have sold all the winter barley and wheat straw.

But by far, the biggest quandary is on the cattle side.

At this stage, I don’t see any room for an upside

We continue to sell the bulls as they become fit but, with a no-deal Brexit looking increasingly possible and half the country’s cattle exports going to Britain, the possibility of chaos in the beef market around the end of next month is real.

At this stage, I don’t see any room for an upside even if emergency market support measures are put in place to prevent an EU-wide market collapse.

So for the first time that I can remember, we are selling cattle and not replacing in the late summer/autumn period.

As farmers, we badly need some forward guidance as to what market arrangements will apply for the next few months and beyond.

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