Agronomy

A physiotherapy career is not a natural precursor to farming, but Hannah Darby has brought insights from outside agriculture back to the family farm. Chloe Dunne reports.

At the beginning of the month a wise farmer told me if there is no rain in the first week of May then there will be none for the rest of the month. After a brief interlude of 8mm rain last Sunday he has not been far wrong.

In conjunction with Bayer we will be keeping track of winter wheat crop development this season as emergence is likely to be variable following the challenging conditions.

With many wheat crops either poorly established or drilled particularly late, ensuring micronutrient requirements are met can give yields an extra boost.

Yellow rust pressure has been rapidly building over the last three weeks with overnight dew and high winds promoting leaf-to-leaf contact.

Unseasonably cold nights were experienced across much of the UK last week, with frosts hitting the south of England and snow falling further north and into Scotland.

EAC Chairman, Philip Dunne MP has voiced concerns that the decision to suspend work on the Chemicals Strategy could disrupt chemical availability once the Brexit transition period comes to an end.