A SMALL break in the weather has at last allowed us to get on with some silage making – with some of this article being written from the tractor seat!
Mowing and typing, of course, seems an impossible task but with the invention of auto steer technology and iPhone voice dictation, it is amazing how much office work can now be completed in the tractor cab.
This week, we are chopping silage on the home farm but our smaller pit at Thurso East Mains was filled at the start of last week. It ended up going in a bit wet, but at least the silage fields are cleared to allow preparations for the Caithness County Show that takes place there on July 20.
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Hopefully, summer will have returned by then –although it has not made much of an appearance to date! The first half of June provided almost winter-like conditions, so much so that we decided to take our summer calvers back inside for a week as the calving parks were beginning to poach.
Despite the climate being miserable for livestock, growing conditions have been good. Grass is plentiful and some of the oat crops look particularly heavy and have required a more robust PGR programme than normal to ensure it (hopefully) stays on its feet.
Barley is looking well too although it is desperately in need of some sunshine to ensure it reaches its full potential.
Our arable thoughts now turn to our involvement with the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN). This will be our third year entering crops into the network and this year I have chosen two fields of oats and one of barley.
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The idea is to feed as much data and samples into the system as possible and the outcome is a fully detailed post-harvest crop report showing why the crop performed the way it did and comparing it to all the other entries from around the country.
The report is based on everything from soil sampling, leaf testing and grain analysis. We are even required to send off a sackful of plants pre-harvest to allow the lab to assess the grain count and the harvest index (percentage of grain vs straw produced).
The detail of the crop report is fascinating and I have learnt more about growing crops over the past two years than ever before. What I found even more interesting is how much is not yet fully understood about growing cereals.
For example, it is not exactly known how far down roots can travel to find moisture in drought conditions and also how much nutrition roots can gain from different types of subsoil. These are all things that YEN hopes to find answers to and also break the yield plateau that has been the curse of grain growers for many years.
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On a different note, Margaret has mentioned to me once or twice why my farm facts don’t include her herd of Highland ponies? I think it is probably because I try to pretend they are not there but as they seem to be multiplying, with two foals born in as many years (and the arrival of a stallion), it seems they can no longer go unnoticed.
I must admit that having a Highland foal born on the farm is quite exciting, especially when you take into account there are only around 250 of the breed born annually in the UK. To further their defence, they are also a great way of utilising what Jeremy Clarkson would describe as the ‘unfarmed’ part of the farm.
The latest addition, Broynach Evening Primrose is doing well. As with everything else, she would appreciate a little sunshine!
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