Jan 2025 It’s been a while since I last wrote a Farmer focus article in Direct Driller magazine. Harvest 24’ Seems like a long time ago, yet we’re now closer to the next harvest than we were the last. 2024 On the farm was a year to forget for many reasons, even before the Autumn …
Drone technology is unlocking the potential of traditional crop trials and helping to bridge the gap between detailed laboratory studies and field trials. Drones were used to assess an oilseed rape trial this spring at a site in Yorkshire, gathering data that hasn’t been possible before. The trial is a collaboration between Envirofield, Agrii and …
September 2024 Another year has passed and although I am without doubt a bit older, hopefully I am a little wiser from all the errors that I have made. We have tried to devise a rotation based around predominantly first wheats, interrupted with break crops of grass seed (down for two and a half years …
The 2023/4 seasons weather has presented significant challenges. Despite these difficulties, Winter crops sown in August and September 2023 held up relatively well. The OSR drilled in early August looked strong and mostly survived CSFB. Premium Crops contract HEAR (high erucic acid rapeseed) and HOLL (high oleic low linolenic) OSR varieties, which carry a premium …
Written by Clive Bailye It seems like such a long time ago now, but back in 2008 when we made the decision to stop cultivating and direct drill everything, there really wasn’t a lot of drills on the market to choose from. This made our choice relatively straightforward, but also brought compromises that often saw …
From Innovation to Evolution: A 16-year Journey in Direct Drilling Read More »
March 2024 It feels like a very long time since my last ramblings in the October issue of Direct Driller magazine. I’m sure I’m not the only one that thought we’d never experience another winter like we had in 2019, the wettest on record at the time! While winter 2023/24 may not have seen the …
I’m not going to dwell on the weather but as it is a major factor in what we do, I will say, despite having constant downpours of around 40-50mm we have fared better than most. My rain gauge filled so many times I must admit I gave up emptying it. Colin McGregor, 4 miles away, …
GENERATIONAL POINTERS Agrii agronomist Todd Jex gets a steer from his grandfather on how he’s putting newtech into practice. I really enjoy talking to the older farming generation about farming systems and the challenges they faced during their careers. My 92-year-old grandfather is often particularly keen to point out that many of the ‘fashionable’ and …
As I sit here on the last day of May writing this article it is blowing a gale outside and has been for quite a long time now. Our soils have gone from drenched at the beginning of May to having the life sucked out of them at the end of the month. It really …
Completing my last ever BPS application last month really got me thinking about the financial future of our farm. We all know the era of the Basic Payment Scheme and money for simply owning land is drawing to a close. So, what does the future look like and how can we ensure that our businesses …
