Gemma Smale-Rowland.
What felt like a very on long spring with endless days and weeks of rain, delaying harvest and planting by about three weeks, now feels a distant memory.
It seems hard to believe that conditions were so wet that tractors were struggling for grip at planting and a month on, we need a good dose of rain.
Dry
We have gone away from winter cereals due to our heavy soils and wet winters but with the second dry summer affecting the spring crops, maybe another rethink is needed.
A local farming stalwart recently recited the wives' tale ‘a wet and windy May will fill the barn with corn and hay' - well the barns are definitely empty, so we are waiting.
Cornwall has been under a hose pipe ban since last summer and the reservoirs only managed to fill to 80% over the winter.
With most back to 38% now, it is a concern with no sign of any rain forecast anytime soon. Water sourcing is creeping up the list of priorities for us, as I am sure it has for many of you.
Weather has always made farming interesting and will throw challenges at us that we have to adapt to, but these extremes seem to be coming much more commonplace and our challenge now is what and how do we as farmers do to try and reduce the pressures on ourselves, land and animals.
Show
Elsewhere and the excitement and fun fair of show season is here. For us all, it is a time we manged a few hours away to socialise with friends.
Locally, the turn-out of stock numbers have been high and the standard has ramped up.
As you wonder around county shows, the pure passion for what we do felt very strong this year and as I stand back and look around, I have realised how clever we all are as farmers to be caretakers of the county, work hard to help feed the nation and work tirelessly to breed quality stock, grow perfect produce and showcase what we do so well.
