The past three weeks have seen a noticeable increase in agricultural traffic on the roads and lanes along the Herefordshire and Worcestershire border. As I write, a cumulative 18 metres of power harrow is working the ground behind my office in preparation for a maize crop.
Perhaps it is helped by my children pointing out every tractor they see, but speaking to local farmers and contractors, the prevailing mood is one of cautious anticipation.
After a very wet winter, many are already wary of a potential drought, shaped by hard lessons from recent seasons when traditional first-cut silage was scorched off, leaving little for a second cut.
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Silage operations, potato planting and maize drilling are all underway earlier this year, aided by a spell of settled weather. However, for many, the decision to push on is influenced just as much by uncertainty.
With fuel prices still unpredictable and weather patterns becoming increasingly volatile, there is a clear drive to get crops established and clamps filled while conditions allow.
It may not always feel like the perfect timing, but in hindsight, it could prove to be the right one.
