South: Remembering why God gave me legs!
Having been asked to hang a rope banger out whilst on my rounds, as I was driving up the well-worn tramline to the Official Rope Banger Stick, I suddenly thought “Next time I come round I won’t be able...
View ArticleSouth: All hands to the spray pump
With the exception of a number of fields of winter rape we’ve still been writing-off, our crops have taken on a new lease of life this month.Our winter wheats are a good 2-3 weeks behind this time last...
View ArticleSouth: Playing spot the yellow field
Temperatures have finally warmed up and crops are now growing away well. Any trip onto a high vantage point at this time of year would normally be greeted by a patchwork of prominent yellow fields,...
View ArticleSouth: Concern over late flush of broad-leaved weeds
Crops are trying to catch up to where where we would expect them to be in a “normal” year, but there is still huge variation. At the time of writing (13 May) most winter barley has leaf two emerging...
View ArticleSouth: Seed weevil numbers noticeably high in OSR
Well the dry weather gave way to rain, the warm weather went back cold again and everything slowed up dramatically. Now the sun’s out again, the rain’s gone away for a while and I expect everything...
View ArticleSouth: Prospects brighten despite delays
A long, cold, late spring was about the last thing our winter oilseed rape needed this season. So it’s no surprise most is only just coming into full flower – a good month later than usual. All but our...
View ArticleSouth: Incredible oilseed rape comebacks
Temperatures have finally warmed up, we have had some much needed rainfall and crops are generally looking well. Most oilseed rape crops are now flowering well. Some have made an incredible comeback,...
View ArticleSouth: Thin oilseed rape crops make recovery
Crops have responded very well to the spring weather that arrived a couple of weeks ago. Winter barley is now ear emerged and much of the wheat isn’t far behind. At the time of writing (9 June)...
View ArticleSouth: Lowest disease year in my memory
Normally this time of year the topic of my conversations tend to move towards where I’m going on holiday, what the chances are of England winning the Test Series and, eventually, what we are planning...
View ArticleSouth: Spirits lift as we near the season’s close
We’re rounding the final bend and entering this year’s finishing straight with many crops in better shape than we could have dared to hope. The prospect of continued sunshine and showers rather than...
View ArticleSouth: Spring barley looking superb
The largely dry and warm weather recently has really allowed crops to put on some much needed growth and it is fair to say that crop potential, albeit starting from a very low base, looks much better...
View ArticleSouth: Oilseed rape desiccation headaches
The sun is out and the temperatures have shot up over the last week (1- 7 July). This has driven all the crops on and most of the wheat is grain filling, with the exception being the late drilled crops...
View ArticleSouth: Harvest “better than expected”
Harvest is almost over, with just a few late crops of linseed and spring rape which are still not fit are dotted around, but for most the combine has finally been put to bed. Yields are best described...
View ArticleSouth: Crops flying out of the ground
With soil and air temperatures one degree warmer than ‘normal’ and warm rain, it’s no surprise that crops are flying out of the ground this year. Oilseed rape is anything from two leaf up to ten-leaf....
View ArticleWest: BYDV a potential threat in south-west this autumn
Since last writing autumn plantings have moved on at a fair pace. With an earlier and drier harvest than recent years the drilling of cereals started earlier than in the last few autumns. This combined...
View ArticleSouth: About time we had an easy autumn
“We’ve been owed it” is a comment I’ve heard quite a lot recently. “It’s about time we had an easy autumn”. And in comparison to last year, it’s been an absolute doddle. Crops have gone in to superb...
View ArticleSouth: Countering serious weed concerns
With the exception of crops after maize and those on the worst blackgrass ground, most of our first wheats are safely sown and establishing evenly from good quality seed-beds in a nice open autumn. Our...
View ArticleSouth: New blackgrass product working well
As I write this article on Sunday 27th October the mercury is falling and the wind is strengthening ahead of the remnants of the tropical storm which is about to batter us. Tropical is certainly an apt...
View ArticleSouth: Rain hinders field operations
Over the last two weeks we’ve had approaching 150mm rain, along with the rest of the country. This has put a different slight on field operations and those with late wheat crops to go in are...
View ArticleWest: Weather finally closes in, in the south west region.
With some very heavy rain through the latter part of October and early-November, the ground has now become very wet in many areas throughout the region. Most crops, including maize for grain and other...
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