Down on the Farm
I have been asked to contribute a regular article about current happenings on
the farm. Just to introduce the farm, we are part of a large business based
south of Cambridge farming for ourselves and other people, I will just talk
about the Swaffham farm. This report is slightly longer than will regularly
appear - just to set the scene!
Our main crop is wheat of which there is three main types: milling, soft and feed. We grow the milling for bread making: this will be sold to the highest bidder and usually ends up in R.H.M. in Manchester. The soft wheat generally goes to Wheatabix and the feed either goes to Icklingham, where the gluten is taken out then on to H.P.sauces, or it sold as straight cattle feed.
At the time of writing all of the inputs are finished and we are waiting for harvest. The last few weeks have been especially busy on the crop.. .there has been an outbreak of Orange Blossom Midge.... what is this you all ask? A very small midge which appears only once every 5-10 years, it comes out in the evenings such as we have been having these first weeks in June, or good Barbequing weather. If not controlled the midge will wipe out 30-50% of the crop so we had to spray. We also added a fungicide to protect the wheat ear from any late fungal diseases; this helps protects the grain so when it is milled there is a quality and colour to keep the most discerning cook happy.
Sixty five hectares of wheat (160 acres) we have got is being grown for seed. Extra money and time have to be invested in the crop -.to meet the standards of the seed house. This will all be processed in early autumn for this year's planting in September/October. We will employ people to walk through the crop pulling out any weed which should not be there so when the seed inspectors turn up the crop should pass and become someone's seed for next year.
I have been busy this spring working with a French company looking at a way of
applying nitrogen fertiliser using satellites. Basically a photo is taken of
the crops when they are still green and the colour is then analysed to
determine the area "leaf index" - this measures the crop density. The
nitrogen is then applied using this data putting on only what is needed in the
particular part of the field so not wasting the product or polluting the ground
unnecessarily.
If you have ventured down Station Road in mornings during the last month a very delicate colour of blue would have greeted you. This crop is linseed. We had not planned this in our rotation but due to the very dry and hot autumn of last year the oilseed rape which was drilled all failed, so an alternative crop had to be put in.
As most of you know sugar beet is an important crop in this area, we grow our fair share of it. Again at this stage of the year most of the work has been done on the crop, work always starts in the autumn when fertiliser is applied to the beet ground. Ploughing takes place before Christmas so to allow any frost to work the ground. This is so much better than a tractor and cultivator plus there is no cost!
Once we have a fine seedbed the seed is drilled by a precision drill placing the seeds a 7" spacing in 20" rows. On one field next to Black drove we have left gaps in the drillings so to encourage Sky Larks and other birds to flourish, This is being monitored by the RSPB so at the end of the season we will know what birds we have had visit us on that field.
Once the beet is in we have to control the weeds as small beet is very susceptible to competition. Sometimes when we are controlling the weeds a trace element such as Manganese and/or salts are added to the mix. The beet will continue to grow right through to when they are harvested in the autumn and winter.
Set-aside has always been an emotive issue. We have to put 10% of our combinable acreage aside each year to keep the Men in Brussels happy. During the year all this is going to change and it may result in a lot more unfarmed lands but more of this in a later news letter!
The non cropping job on the farm at this time of the year is cleaning out grain stores, which is a job every one to avoid, but it is one of the most important tasks of the year. As I say to people, we have wheat going directly from our store to Wheatabix, it must be of a sound quality and clean1iness to be made straight into your next weeks breakfast cereal. Holidays are also an important part at this time, because once harvest starts in mid July we do not stop until October or when the work is done.