On a wet October morning it is, with some relief, that I write having finished most of our winter drilling. Most of the drilling campaign has been relatively benign this year with dry weather enabling us to get most crops drilled in good time. However, the weather seems to have turned and drilling will be more testing from hereon for those still with crops to drill.

A few weeks ago, the most difficult decision was deciding what not to drill as the weather was kind and we were conscious of getting maximum weed control. Some wheat fields were left for a further ‘chit’ – this is when we allow weeds to grow so that we can spray them off prior to drilling. The theory being that there will be less weeds in the subsequent crop if they are killed before the crop is drilled. Theory is great, but it’s quite stressful when you leave fields undrilled, and the weather turns. On our cold, wet clay, once the ground gets wet in the autumn it rarely dries until the spring. However, the gamble paid off and we have managed to spray off some good flushes of weeds and get the crops drilled into decent seedbeds.

Slugs have been at unprecedented levels in the seedbeds. Slugs will nibble at the newly emerging crop and can cause a lot of damage. We have therefore been applying slug pellets when drilling and topping up where necessary to limit damage to the recently sown crops.

Once the crop is drilled, it is essential to get a pre-emergence spray on in a timely manner to control weeds that will emerge with the crop. If applied at the right time, in the right conditions, these pre-emergence sprays can be very effective. However, where they don’t work, we will be fighting an uphill battle against weed control for the rest of the season.



Thoughts now turn to sugar beet, which is being lifted this week, although the weather has currently put a halt to proceedings. Beet is lifted and delivered straight into the factory at Bury St Edmunds, so we don’t have to worry about storage, which is a welcome break from harvest logistics! On heavy land beet is a slightly risky crop due to the ground being very reluctant to dry out and a right old mess can quickly be achieved. However, when all goes right the crop is profitable, is very good for blackgrass control and provides a useful break from cereal crops. Weather permitting, we may drill some wheat behind the beet, but we won’t lose sleep if we have to park the drill up until spring.