In your field

The leaves are turning and we have had 120mm of rain in the last week or so and we keep on finding mice in the cottage. Autumn is definitely here.

Stephen and Ben have what I think is a fairly typical father/son working relationship; they usually work very well together but occasionally there is a little wobble.

Silly season is upon us and we are right in the thick of it.

We had a great day at Usk show. The sun shone and the hospitality stands were brimming with thirsty farmers grateful for the alcoholic beverages offered to them.

September rolls on with the local area mostly caught up now. Fields of grain, straw and silage have led to some very full barns locally.

So after the longest of waits harvest 2021 is nearly complete here in the soggy North West and with it came its many stresses. However, I find none as stressful as trying to move the combine down the road.

It is that time of year again when the weather person on TV talks about increasingly autumnal conditions and you know summer is nearly over. That said, it has been a lovely spell, allowing us to get second cut silage and arable silage cut and baled with little stress.

There is a distinctly autumnal feel in the air now. August has come and gone in a flash, and with September now upon us, the nights are well and truly drawing in.

Summer harvest 2021 has been busier than ever. Labour shortages combined with few ‘good combining days’ have certainly seen the grey hair count increase rapidly.

Spring barley harvest started for us last week and has so far been very stop start, with the opportunity to cut reasonably dry malting barley limited to three sunny afternoons.