This time of year, is always busy. Crops are growing fast and there are several key timings for fungicides in cereals crops. Normally you can be certain that the wheat needs spraying around the 20th to the 25th of May. This year it was a little later due to the cold and dry April followed by the cold and wet May.

My attention was also diverted by my sponsored hike on 25th May. So far I have raised about £4,500 for Leukaemia UK by hiking over 57kms across Cambridgeshire in a day. I am writing a blog about this trip which will be posted on the CG website at a later date (hopefully fairly soon). I received many generous sponsorships from my fellow directors as well as from Frontier Agriculture and Robin Appel. This support provided great motivation throughout the day and I am very grateful to those who have supported me. My page is still live for further donation, it is www.JustGiving.com/fundraising/john-jefferies4

After the hike I spent an easy day to recover a little and then the wheat had grown adequately for its fungicide. Which was great as over the school half term I had a camping trip planned to the Suffolk coast. We spent 4 days in the most beautiful sunny place. One evening I was bbq’ing some lamb whilst listening to my youngest daughter singing herself to sleep to “zoom zoom zoom, we’re going to the moon”.

When I got home on Thursday it certainly was zoom zoom zoom. The hot sunny weather had had an incredible effect upon the crops and the rate of growth and development between leaving for holiday and getting back was amazing. The linseed had doubled in size, the spring barley had produced a profusion of leaves, the winter barley was happily waving awns in the evening sun and the wheat heads were busting through the leaf sheaths. The potential within the crops at the moment looks good. The continuation of a nice summer will be very welcome as we strive to get these crops safely into store.

Stay safe & well

John