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Over the farm gate - this week kindly supplied by Jo Robinson, Brackley
We have had an unbelievable autumn, so very kind for autumn cultivations and drilling, but we now need some hard frosts to slow up the plant growth and kill off some of the bugs. Since we finished drilling on 10th October we have had 92 mm of rain and temperatures have varied from 3 degrees to 19 and the average about 15 degrees. (apparently 14.3 is the average temperature when people turn on their heating) I believe above average temperature is why you can see a large plant growth on our oilseed rape in photo below. With warm temperatures no doubt it's been difficult for stores to get the average grain temperatures down to safe levels. We have one more spray to apply to the crops before we finally close the gates until spring. The high winds and a wet leaf are making it hard to get a spray window suitable to complete the job but next week’s weather looks more promising. We have had some beautiful early mornings recently, see photo below.
Having just had my Red Tractor inspection today it reminds you how much easier it is when you're 100% committed to Camgrain as it excludes a lot of inspections and paperwork. However it’s very easy to get complacent on my farm as a result but I had one minor non-conformance I’m glad to say. I hate to think what a TASCC inspection is like that many of you endure!!
We have had the use of a digger so we have been maintaining a footpath where a stream had got blocked and needed a new pipe and hard core over, see photo. Cleaning the ditches so the drains are free to take the water off and away from fields is so important to stop water logging as this effects plant growth.
With spare time, I am comparing different accounting software packages for farming as my current provider is upgrading theirs and I need to establish if it’s worth investing in a upgrade or changing to an alternative provider. It’s the time of year also to complete financial accounts and report to HMRC etc, This seems to take longer and longer each year as we are having to provide HMRC with an ever increasing amount of information.
Since my last newsletter I have visited both NAPC and SAPC and marvel at both the developing Navara project and the Yelo business. Yelo continue to invest in their business alongside Camgrain providing a much needed end use for the crops our members grow. Their usage is also increasing substantially.
