Last year, the yields of oats and beans suffered in the extreme drought.

This year, we had heavy rain and high winds over the weekend and it was with some trepidation that I looked at all the crops on Monday.

The wind seems to have had little effect on the crop

The wheat was standing perfectly though humid, warm weather is most unwelcome at this time of the year.

Last week, as I mentioned we took advantage of the one dry day that was forecast to add a pod sealant to the desiccant for the oilseed rape.

The wind seems to have had little effect on the crop.

The winter barley has also held up well, though there are a few patches where the straw has broken down; the sooner we get it harvested and the straw baled, the better.

At this stage, the main fallout from the wind and rain is the oats

While it looks ripe, the grain is still a bit too soft, but a few warm dry days would work wonders.

At this stage, the main fallout from the wind and rain is the oats. I would reckon about 10% of the field is lodged - not particularly badly, but you can easily see where the south westerly rain battered the crop. How much economic loss will result is unclear. I have never had oats lodge before.

As it’s for the gluten free human food market and is harvested by the company I am growing it for, I am not certain how they intend to deal with the lodged areas.

Meanwhile, on the cattle side, we are continuing to sell bulls, but at a price that’s far below our most pessimistic budget

The fact that it was well rolled after sowing and hand rogued for any contaminants should give some confidence, but we will have to wait and see how the crop develops and what the company attitude is.

Meanwhile, on the cattle side, we are continuing to sell bulls, but at a price that’s far below our most pessimistic budget.

We have not begun buying any replacements until we get a clearer view as to what we can count on over the next eight to 12 months - if that’s possible.

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