First Steps with the Claydon Drill

 

Our first season with straw rake and Claydon drill (See video below).

 

 

 

 

This autumn's issues.

• Fantastic weather for harvest,  warmer temperatures are just about right for oilseed rape growth.
• Dry September has delayed blackgrass flush and we are still holding our nerve and waiting to drill our final wheat fields.
• Tined cultivations and mole ploughing to remedy last year's soil issues have led to a few cloddy seedbeds

Cultivations before Claydon have led to a few cloddy seedbeds



 

In all fairness to the Claydon it has operated best when used as a direct drill, so lets wait and see what the crop emergence is like.

 



Backing British Farming Charter

Farming Delivers For Leicestershire and Rutland was launched at the Melton Food Festival on Saturday.  NFU LNR Chairman Richard Harris and Vice Chairman Phil Jarvis also signed the 'Back British Farming Charter' with celebrity chefs and food experts, Teresa Bovey, Stephen Hallam, Rachel Green, Jo Pratt and Alan Coxon.

“We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to showcase Leicestershire and Rutland’s farming story. It is a very visible way of showing farming’s strategic importance to our counties’ economy, its food heritage, the landscape and our future,” said Richard Harris.

 

Phil Jarvis commented  "It was a fantastic event on Saturday and it's tremendous to see the number of food retailers and customers. Leicestershire and Rutland farmers should be proud of the products they produce for the food market"

 

 

Food Festival organiser, Matthew O’Callaghan says: “Melton Mowbray is very proud of its food heritage; we’re known as the rural capital of food, and we wouldn’t be here without the strong foundations and the strong links between local food and local farmers. I know that farming delivers not just great ingredients for our cheeses, pork pies and the vast variety of food we produce in Leicestershire and Rutland, but also the landscape we love, green energy and jobs for now and the future.

“By signing the Back British Farming charter, we’ll be confirming the importance that food and farming play in our counties and in Britain. And by signing the charter, we’ll be showing our trust for our farmers who produce safe, wholesome food, on our doorsteps.”

 

NFU’s Farming Delivers for Leicestershire and Rutland is the latest strand in the NFU’s national campaign, rolled out this year to showcase the value of our industry in many different spheres. The Back British Farming Charter asks everyone to sign up to support our farmers in producing food to feed the nation, to work with the retailers, caterers and government to support British farmers and to pledge to buy British food.

 

 

YOU CAN SIGN THE CHARTER HERE

I've managed to get half our technology working !

Rain stopped play this morning, so time to catch up on a few jobs that have been on the back burner while we've been busy in the fields.
We recently sprayed the oilseed rape and I was interested to see how accurate GPS drilling was.

The crop has established well, but it has been dry and growth is slow. It is getting a drink from this morning's rainfall... 8mm in 2hours so far.

In the photo below, last year's curved tramline can be seen straddling the new straight GPS tramline

 

The picture below shows the sprayer route around the field, just about spot on!!

The next job was to check the crop store temperatures where the spring beans are drying, all looks well, with a click of a button the fan is turned off during the wet weather. Not bad as the store is 2.5 miles away! I suppose you could activate it from the other side of the world in the internet age

The temperatures in the store at Loddington is okay, but I still need to change some batteries in one of the sensors. I better get on with that now..... and visit the stores to make sure the computer is telling the truth.

As our other technology and the GPS on the combine, that is a story for another time.

Down on the Farm

Whats been happening" Down on the Farm"

Two legged mole plough.. improving the drainage

 

What a difference 12 months make... cracks in soil and we need some rain now

 

This oat and radish cover crop needs a drink

                                   

 

Blackgrass in amongst the osr

 

 

Flower/pollen and nectar plot preparation

Scarified plot ready for flowers/pollen and nectar

Seeding flower margins

 

Kings Campaign mix cover crop

 

Leicester Longwools could become Loddington Longwools

Combining spring beans 27th September 4.5t/ha from this field

nice heap in the store.. looks like average will be 3.7- 4.00 t/ha 

10.00am this morning ...last field of spring oats to complete this years harvest

 

7.00pm Last trailer into store... Goodbye Harvest 2013

 

September Report

All the spring barley and Spring oil seed rape is now cut and that leaves the spring beans and 75 acres of spring oats. Fingers crossed the forecast looks a little more promising for next week.

200 acres of winter oilseed rape was sown in the last week of August with the Claydon direct drill,  micro-nutrients were incorporated in the seed bed.  GPS plotted our tramlines and what a joy to roll and spray without peering into the abyss looking for slight indentations left by pre-emergence markers. A half rate of slug pellets and pre-emergence herbicide completed the operations.

Pre-emergence markers are easy to follow

More time to take in the wonderful Leicestershire landscape

Sometimes tramline planning doesn't always work out

The oilseed rape has now emerged although for nearly a fortnight the plants were short of moisture.
We will give the crop 28kgs of N and apply a graminicide to help with volunteer cereal control. Black grass and brome may take a bit more to control.

There is rape emerging here... promise!

Close up

Black grass is waiting in the wings !!!

 We have sown a cover crop on two fields that are coming into spring beans. Fodder radish and oats are just coming through. The late drilling date of Sept 1st, may not make this as successful as planned

1st Anniversary of Visitors Centre

On Wednesday the Allerton Project was host to a number of invited guests to celebrate the 1st anniversary of our visitors centre. Organised by Dr Alastair Leake and chaired by Hugh Oliver-Bellasis, Vice Chairman of the Trustees, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust

Our guest presenters included;

Dr. Lydia Smith –NIAB TAG

Richard Barnes – Game Cover & Conservation Crop Sales Manager, Kings Seeds

Bill Jordan MBE, Chairman, Conservation Grade

Rob Simpson – Managing Director, BASIS

Graham Hartwell – Stewardship Manager, BASF

Stewart Goldie-Morrison – CEO, the Country Trust

Rachel Crisp – The Women’s Institute

Sylvester Cheung – Sylvester Cheung Architects Ltd & ProHelp

Anniversary Group

Tour took in recycling, renewables and biobeds

Discussion on the transition to direct drilling

Richard Barnes and Phil Jarvis on the merits of different cover crops.



Dr Chris Stoate explains how soil and nutrients need containing on farm.
(Photos by kind permission of Morag Walker GWCT)

 Many thanks to all our guests and visitors and we look forward to many more anniversaries.

Wake me up when September ends

We think we have been dreaming, finally a decent summer.

It has been terrific weather for our wheat harvest and although we were keen to get crops gathered in as early as possible not much has been cut above 17% moisture.

We have about 100 acres of spring oats and 250 acres of spring beans left to cut.

We had a visit from BBC Radio Leicester, and the morning show host Jim Davis took a trip around Loddington to discuss Harvest 2013 (Press Listen Now and go to 2hr:39m:27s). Jim was broadcasting from Brooksby College on Wednesday 11th September. Some of what we saw is pictured below.

However, no sooner has the combine left the field........

Then the cultivator is getting the ground ready for next year's wheat crop....

The GPS system on the tractor allows us keep the lines straight and stops us from too much overlapping

 Next we will roll the fields to try and chit our blackgrass and then try the new Claydon drill in a few weeks time .

 

Farmer Phil talks to BBC Leicester's Jim Davis



As Jim Davis tweeted "not a bad office"