Looking back with a Crystal Ball
I am sitting here at the end of June, the weekend before Groundswell. I have just read through my last article I wrote for the Direct Driller magazine, which is from September last year and wondering what I would tell myself if I could go back in time to then. Two main things I think; 1) get on the tractor and start drilling everything. Yes the Blackgrass, BYDV and take all pressure would have been higher but I would have saved myself a lot of stress in October looking out the window at the rain with only 10% of wheat drilled, then the stress in December scrabbling around fields wondering if it would all germinate (not all did). 2) just put our SFI 24 application in in January, not worrying about the gremlins in the computer system not allowing me to apply for every little parcel and option I wanted. If I had done both above, then the farm would be financially a lot better off. I did not though and cannot change the past and have to learn for the future. The main thing to take from the last year is the weather is getting increasingly erratic, and we need to keep evolving our system. We need another drilling option for wet weather on our heavy ground or maybe do not be so optimistic and just stop planting in marginal conditions.
Since the horrifically wet autumn, we as predicted got a very dry spring but even with all that most of the farm looks okay, not good and I certainly have a few fields that I will be relieved when the combine goes through them and we can start again, but okay. The wheat certainly has less biomass, but the ears are big, and we have had a LOT of sunshine, so hopefully the specific weights will be high. Winter Beans are average to poor; I think it is due to the lack of moisture why the beans have not flowered for long enough and we have a narrow pod canopy on the plants. After the monster crops of last year, it is disappointing as we have not done anything different. Grass seed, God knows? Linseed is okay but stressed, it was not easy keeping the flea beetle off the crop, but we did manage to get it established without the use of insecticides by using a couple of doses of liquid fish. The liquid fish did deter the beetles for a few days after using it which gave the plants a chance to grow away from the grazing. Spring wheat will probably flatter to deceive, again who knows? I think the crop of the year could be the lentils and camelina (hope I have not jinxed it now). The lentils seem to have kept on flowering and podding during the current June burn up and looks great. The same cannot be said about the one small field of spring beans that have stopped flowering and podding and looks less than ideal.
We have had two on trials on farm this year. The second year of the compost extract trial will be harvested in a few weeks and hopefully we might see a positive result like last year. The other trial we are doing is testing a of couple of products that are new to the UK. Nano Urea and Nano Phosphate are the two products. Hopefully if we can get the dose rate correct, we will be able to reduce traditional fertiliser rates by 25-50% without the adverse environmental issues of traditional fertiliser.
This week I will visiting Groundswell, it is always a good event to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. I will be going though with a different mindset than a few years ago. My BS radar will be on full alert! In recent years there have been many claims made without evidence in the regen ag sphere and I have had my fingers burnt. Too many products are being sold without any independent trial data, too many claims without evidence. If you ask for evidence and get given a number of a farmer that has had good results and nothing else, then walk away. This problem could be the real potential downfall of the movement. Lots of people jumping on the bandwagon without understanding the system.
I wish all a good harvest and hopefully a better year next year!
