Oakley Farms

April Update Following on from the last update, the wheats have had their 2nd dose of liquid N now, making use of the showery weather last week to get that applied. The end of last week was dry enough to carry on moving soil for spring beans which is a risk later in the season but taking into account the N they fix in the soil and the fact we generally have a good crop of wheat afterwards we are going to persevere. That jobs pretty much there now and hope to start drilling today (Monday) we had Alan in yesterday to drive the 6R215 on the discs as Tom made a start putting T0 on the behind wheats. The timings are all over the shop this year, the forward wheats need a T1 middle of this week, they missed the T0 as it was too wet, the backwards late drilled wheats want a T0 but the forecast is wind all week. This will however let us get the beans in, even rolled maybe!? The ground that has been under water and flooded several times in the winter at the bottom of Selvinge and Ilford Bridges is going to have Linseed put in, we are going ti need to move the soil with something to get it to dry, possibly the Sumo LDS. In other news, John who comes in for us during busy times with the Claas has had a change of circumstances, his boss has retired, selling the tractor and making him redundant, we seized the opportunity to employ him on a part time basis as he looks to slow down later in life yet still be an asset to the team here, coming in as and when we need him. Simon managed to get hold of a mint condition 6930 for him and to act as a bit of a spare tractor, looks to fit in well here! Finally, at the back end of last year Simon made the decision to replace our nearly 20 year old 8m Vaderstad drill which was ageing yet served us well. The new one arrived on farm last week, the modern version, packed with more technology, seed eye, variable rate ready, and staggered packer wheels for ease of pulling. We were able to claim a grant to help with this purchase luckily. Hunt Forest group are in today to help set it up and get us going with the beans.

Early Spring Update At last some dryer weather to allow some field work! Tom has applied Sulphur to the Rape and some P&K to some of the wetter land where Wheat is struggling to promote some root growth. The Rape has also had both doses of Liquid N now and is on stem extension and starting to flower. Wheats have had 1 dose of 245L/ha liquid N and a herbicide on some land that was too wet for a pre em in the Autumn. The bowser has really helped more than double output. In the last week we had a nice drying wind which allowed the block up behind the farm to be Topdowned and then drilled with Spring Barley, it’s still dry here at the moment so we can continue cultivating for Spring Beans with both the Topdown and now Tom on the Amazone discs with spraying up together for a minute.

January Update I don’t think I can remember the farm looking in quite such a depressing state after the sheer amount of rainfall before Christmas. But things are slowly looking up after a few weeks of frost in early January, we drilled 80 acres of winter wheat at Eames Mill and have ripped up the stubble land behind the farm using the Horsch ahead of spring barley. Alan has been doing some major ditching work at the bottom of Selvinge where the River Isle passes through, a lot of the lower fields were under water for sometime and need to be re drilled in the spring. He also helped to install a weighbridge for us too which is now up and running. The new trimmer arrived and was put on Johns Claas, road hedges were cut during wet periods and now he is slowly making his way around the spring grounds. Maintenance jobs in the workshop have included going through the sprayer ahead of the huge workload, fert spinner, toppers, which will soon be out knocking down the cover crops which have had glyphosate already applied, and the topdown is having new wheel bearings and tyres fitted. We have fitted an extraction fan up on the gable end of the grainstore to help clear dust when loading and outloading, improving air flow too when cooling grain. Finally we have added a Bailey bowser to the line up for this year, now having a dedicated sprayer operator in Tom we want to maximise the time in the field and make better use of narrow weather windows.

Autumn Update To say the autumn has been tricky is an understatement, probably one of the wettest so early on that we can remember, putting a complete stop to any drilling for 5 weeks! Rained off on the 17th October we had managed to get a fair chunk of winter wheat in the ground including the heavy land at Bondip which was good but still had blocks at Boxstone, Yeabridge, Atherstone, Ilford and Eames Mill to get in. We borrowed a neighbour’s combination drill and mauled in Ilford but that hasn’t come up so will have ti be re drilled. Chucks of Selvinge were under water so the wheat there isn’t looking great, some ditching to do this winter there. Bondip isn’t looking fantastic either, hit but slugs and wet feet. It was a rush to get hold of what Spring Barley seed we could having given up altogether, luckily Frontier had some. Then after a week of dry weather and cold drying winds we managed 2 days of drilling on the frost with the Rapid after repairing a ram seal on the folding ram. Lightly passing through with the discs first, adding Boxstone and Yeabridge to the done list. We are probably going to have to look at wet weather alternative drills in the future. Whilst no field work has been done, November saw a big chunk of wheat sold on contract, making a big hole in the store, hauled by Alan in the Volvo, nothing is due out until January so we may bring his digger in before Xmas and start some ditching. In other news, it was time to move the old McConnel trimmer on after serving us well, time for a newer model, lets hope the new one is as good as this one has been, John is ready to start the road hedges when it arrives. I think that could be it for winter wheat drilling now, with not enough daylight hours when germinated we will probably write it off and put the remaining land into spring barley.

Harvest Log days 25 & 26 Well harvest fans, thats a wrap for 2023. Beans at Bondip took a day and a half, yesterday being a half day, Tom took over driving the combine for the last 2 hours as I finished early as the rugby season has started again. Simon then left the grain handling to take on Toms trailer. Filled all the trailers and parked them under cover to tip into the pit on Monday since nobody was in the yard. Tom brought the combine back with the header on the back and everyone had a well earned Sunday off. The bowser has been used everyday for the last week as we had been cutting outlying blocks, down at Joe Broughtons and up at Bondip especially. Very much a stop start harvest now thankfully in the shed. Thanks for tuning into this years Harvest Log, stay tuned for the autumn drilling campaign. Cultivations start properly tomorrow.

Harvest Log days 22, 23 & 24 Harvest is now in a corner, Spring wheat all done and back on the beans, yields are shocking this year, awful and very sparse. Yeabridge wrapped up last night and we are currently working through the block at Boxstone tonight. This just leaves Bondip left and that will be it.

Harvest Log Day 20 & 21 Back on the combine after what has seemed ages, cutting Spring beans yesterday at Atherstone. Yields are nothing exciting, quite poor in fact. Colin had his last day Aug 31st so Tom and Alan are on hauling duties. Today we have finished up at Atherstone and moved to an 80 acre block of smaller fields at Eames Mill, some later finishes this week to make the most of this potential last hot spell and get finished up. If we finish here tonight we will have ago at some Spring wheat tomorrow at Knott Oak and then over to Joe Broughtons at Yeabridge. This is all of his wheat crop to mill for his pigs as well as having the straw. Whilst over there we will cut his Spring beans too. Cover crop drilling is as up together as possible before clearing more ground with the combine, Alan took the 185 back off hire but needed a jump first as the battery was flat. Finally a good lump of this years winter wheat seed has arrived on farm and we are going to dress the rest of it from home save seed.

Farm update A pause in combining to concentrate on OSR drilling has been a welcomed break for a few days. A reduction in acreage slightly this year has made it easier to get it in on time. Ready to go at the little bit of spring wheat we have and the beans are pretty much ready but we don’t have the weather now so have started cultivations and cover cropping. Had the Challenger out for a day on the Topdown and weighted up the 215 for the discs which makes a great set up. Change of stead today though as the Challenger is discing and sowing the cover crops as Alan rolls in behind with the hired 185 whilst Tom puts the pre emergence sprays on the rape.

Harvest Log Day 19 A Sunday well spent, winter wheat harvest is in the barn. Piggery down at Ashwell and the straight work in the Meads made an easy day with Dan baling up behind. Nice to have that finished but still daunting to think we have just shy of 1000 acres of spring beans which look terrible, and 150 or so acres of Spring wheat to come in. Going to pause combining for a few days to concentrate on drilling rape and catch up with spraying, also allow that last of the crops to ripen off as they were reasonably late drilled this spring. Dan will hopefully get the straw that’s down up above the farm turned a few times and baled this week and that’s his contract for this year completed. Colin just bringing the header back and Alan tipping the last of the wheat in the pit.

Harvest Log Days 17 & 18 We have been cutting our way through the park the last couple of days on the final block of winter wheat. Some decent sized fields down here so good outputs. We were aiming to finish today with one field left down here towards Ashwell and the straight work in The Meads still to do, however drizzle early this morning and damp in the air is preventing us so rape drilling it is today which is good in a way as it frees up someone for rolling and Tom can get some roundup on stubbles. Dan moved some wet straw yesterday but hasn’t baled it and it’s now damp again. Not sure if he will bale what we cut yesterday today or not yet.

Harvest Log Day 16 Back at it yesterday evening, 17% MC at 5pm, wasn’t a particularly late night as the straw wasn’t particularly enjoying going through the combine, in the season of heavy dews now and by 9pm down it came. Pretty soft underfoot now so left the straight work of the big field in the Meads so not to drive the straw thats already down on the headland from Sunday night into the ground. Cut the other 3 fields and then today into the last block of winter wheat. Tom started drilling OSR yesterday at Kingstone, Sumo is going well into plenty of moisture. It’s a bit of a juggling act now with roundup needing to go on, rape to be drilled, hedges need cutting around the rape fields, rolling in rape and of course combining.

A wet day at Oakley, a good chance for a day at moving the rape out of store with Alan and Colin handling this with the Lorry and 155R. Only a couple loads left now to finish tomorrow. Tom and I got the new Sumo rigged up the Cat, calibrated the seeder and ready to drill some rape, maybe tomorrow if dry enough. John has been around and put the trimmer on, started to go around the fields up a Kingstone before they are drilled.

Have you given up growing rape now Smithy?

Harvest Log Day 15 Didn’t think we would cut anything today but Simon gave the go ahead after lunch to carry on from last night. Working my way around the block up behind the farm. It was fun and games this evening as I cut open a few fields to allow the trailers to come in and out from the side of the yard rather than all the way up the back and around. One field in particular is very steep and a bowl shape, so it’s always uphill to get out. First Tom can’t get up and out in the 155 as his 215 is in the workshop from yesterday on the Amazone Catros, so he goes to grab the Cat, overkill and not normal I know but not worth messing around after what happened back in 2007 in this field (see pictures) Alan didn’t bother and went back to grab the 215 and put on a 14 tonner with the front weight. Just to finish this last bit of steep land beside the farm. Finished off and now just moved across the road into The Meads and got the headland off before rained off yet again!!

The JD was only used to pick it up