It’s rained! Which is a source of great relief in our part of Suffolk. We have had 32mm of rain over the past week or so which was greatly needed and already showing signs of having a positive impact on the crops.

Looking at our wheat crops around the farm our Skyfall destine for Camgrain probably looks to have the most potential in terms of yield, but the feed wheats are also gathering well after some less than perfect establishment last Autumn. Our Spring barley behind sugar beet is also gathering pace now that things have warmed up.

During the dry spell disease levels in crops was generally low due to lack of moisture and cold, however following the rain our sprayer has been out a lot to try and keep the yield potential up, as the crops now push through their key growth stages.

Having taken some time in recent months to analyse our combine yield maps we have been exploring our rotation options for next years cropping. Our Mid Tier Stewardship is coming up for renewal at the end of this year which puts some more rotational options into the mix as well as giving us the opportunity to look again at the less productive areas of the farm. Many of the stewardship options have changed since our last scheme was created 5 years ago when we took on the tenancy of the farm.

With the benefit of greater insight gained over that period, its looks likely that we will be increasing our stewardship area from next year by adding in more in field wildlife corridors, grass strips and wild flower margins. This will take some of our least productive, wet, over shadowed headlands, and awkward shaped part fields out of the arable rotation. I hope this will add to our bottom line through more efficiency in the areas in production and a more reliable income from the poor bits of the farm. We also look forward to adding some more colour and habitat to the farm as well!

While we are starting to get more detail about new Environmental Land Management Schemes it is still unclear how the fine detail will work and the potential income streams from it. While I am sure all of our members will be looking at how the scheme could benefit them, I think the majority would rather see their core arable business sustainable and profitable in its own right. From that point of view the recent improvements in grain prices are very welcome. Fingers crossed we continue to get some regular rain between now and harvest to get the yields we all need to really capitalise on those prices!

Stay safe and well

John