Crop and estate management

The wheat crops that followed the oilseed rape and set-aside in the rotation (the 'first' wheat) were drilled at the beginning of September and the 'second' wheat (follows a 'first' wheat) at the beginning of October.

These wheats contain the next phase of the experimental work at Hope Farm. There is a second year of investigating if undrilled patches attract skylarks…

Crop and estate management

The brief hot spell at the end of July allowed the harvest to take place more rapidly than normal. We were expecting the rape and some of the wheat crops to be ready for harvest at that time.

The intense heat meant that the remaining wheat, expected to be ready for harvest later in August, was also ready. In this case, however, it was more sun-dried than sun-ripened, with the shortage of water…

Crop and estate management

The rape as well as looking patchy has increasingly looked very weedy with sowthistle coming through above the crop. In contrast, the wheat crops are virtually immaculate, that is weed-free. Since we are still in our baseline, full commercial practice period, the wheat is as planned. Inputs to the rape have finished but the wheat has had a last combined fungicide and growth regulator.

Unplanned…

Crop and estate management

March and April have seen the most intensive period of crop inputs with the rape and wheat receiving nitrogen fertiliser as they begin to pick up with the spring. The wheat has also received additional treatments for fungal diseases and, on a field by field basis following crop inspections by an agronomist, herbicides against cleavers and blackgrass.

The result has been virtually weed free and…

Crop and estate management

Nothing has happened to the crops over the last two months. This is simply because there is nothing to do to wheat or oilseed rape in this period other than keep the woodpigeons at bay.

Birds and biodiversity

The systematic counts across the whole farm continue to reveal the lack of seedeating birds. Skylarks picked up again after the mid-winter low and have been singing occasionally for some weeks…

Crop and estate management

The crops (wheat and oilseed rape) received their final treatment (a herbicide) in mid November and then, as they say, the gates were closed and the crops left for the winter.

Birds and biodiversity

The wheat in store has been steadily going out of the barn for final drying before sale. The inevitable spillage that occurs with these movements has attracted pheasants, collared doves and around 30…

Crop and estate management

The rotation of the last five years rolls on to give us a baseline prior to significant management changes. This has meant autumn cultivations and drilling of the wheat and oilseed rape. These began at the tail end of August and gathered a pace in order to establish 100 hectares of winter wheat and 50 hectares of oilseed rape (the remaining arable area is set-side). This was all complete by 4…