Drilling, Drainage and Dirt

As the drilling season gets into full swing, here's another photo 'snapchat' from Loddington.

Our drilling scenarios are as follows 22 fields direct drilled or one pass strip tillage, 7 fields after a deep tine cultivation, 2 fields disced first and 2 fields after the plough.

The Dale drill on demo

30 acres ploughed after spring beans before wheat..blackgrass !!

 

Deep tine primary cultivation followed by the sowing
wheat with the Claydon drill

 

One pass drilling operation 

Radish cover crop today...spring oats in 2015

Grass, flower and pollen and nectar trial drilled on 5th September

 

CFE Operation Pollinator mix on the 26th September

Down in the dirt... it might be dry on top but its wet underneath. For all you drainage aficionados
-150mm main drain with 28  junction connections ..oh joy

400 metres later...

 

A drainage junkie's truck....



The GWCT's logo is a partridge,
 but all I found in this hedgerow pear tree was a hatful of pears

                                         

     This has been a Farmer Phil production.

August Snapshot

There was some great weather around the country in July and many of the crops ripened well. The calendar turned over into August, the combine rolled out of the shed and the showers tested our patience.

We finished combining wheat on the 24th August and yields have been above average, with other crops being about on our 5 year average. Forty hectares of spring oats and 120 hectares of beans are left to combine. The forecast is for the weather to pick up tomorrow so fingers crossed for the final harvest push.

As the drizzle sweeps across Leicestershire here are a few photos to show progress through August.

Last day of the glorious early August sunshine.

Harvesting direct drilled wheat into a grass ley

Moody harvest weather sunshine and showers!!

The fine weather is 'somewhere over the rainbow'

A diverse Leicestershire landscape...its still raining!

There will be better yields, but on this soil and after 2012 and 2013...its best not to be too greedy.
8.5 tonnes/ha on milling and 9.5t/ha on feed wheat. Will exaggerate in the pub!!

A new tup for Loddington Longwools

Cover crops and oilseed rape drilling

Still showers in the distance as osr gets drilled

Up, up and away for the osr and cover crop

Its a constant battle against slugs!!