Last year we finished the wheat on 18 August, this year it was 9 September, so a quick turnaround is needed.

Despite the various ups and downs, we finished the cereal harvest last Wednesday night. The part of the combine that broke arrived from the continent and in fairness, was fitted quickly and competently by the contractor’s main dealer and we were up and running in the final field of wheat.

It was the second wheat after maize and it yielded a strong 5t/acre at around 18% moisture.

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This is not the first time I have noticed good second wheats after maize – provided the seed is sown in good time and conditions.

The straw contractor followed with two big 8x4x4 balers, so we also got the straw baled in remarkably quick time.

The maize itself this year, however, is feeling the effects of a consistently cooler than average summer. A high proportion of the plants have two and even three cobs – a sure indication of plants under pressure. The cobs themselves are still a pasty white.

Last week, just ahead of the rain, we also got the grass seed sown and rolled.

In advance of the mid-September deadline for artificial fertiliser spreading, we got out some N, P and K compound onto the rolled ground.

With the slurry deadline not until mid-October, the emphasis now is on getting the tanks in the slatted houses as empty as possible in advance of everything coming in.

The new weanlings are now out on grass. Some of it is excellent aftergrass and some is too strong to be ideal, but I would like to get everything eaten before the winter. For the last few years, we have stopped all meal feeding to weanlings at grass on the basis that research work seems to have shown that there is little lasting benefit from it – but it does mean that a close eye is kept on them, especially the softer ones, that may have got meal for a fair while after being weaned, and the lighter ones.

There are still some of last year’s bulls out that will come in over the next week for their 120 days of final feeding and finishing, which will bring us right up to the Christmas period.