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.

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. 

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!!

1 hour ago, phil phoenix said:

Very nice work Alex, but I think we both know that JD wont be able to pull it😄.................Should look super behind the 765C though😎

The JD was only used to pick it up

1 hour ago, phil phoenix said:

Even a 6250R would struggle with that Sumo cultivator, good job the CAT 765 is available.

Yep, that’s what she’s going on

Thank you chaps. I’m pleased with how they came out

So this is the machine that Tom went to collect yesterday, a Sumo LDS with Stocks Ag seeder.

Harvest Log Day 14

Started cutting the block of land up behind the farm which is accessed up the ramp past where we made the trailer park, had Colin and Alan on Trailers today with the 155R and hired 185R. This block is high up and has caught the wind so some of the wheat is a bit lodged over, not completely flat but a big slower today. Dan was back around with Big Blue and the baler today, calling into the workshop for a few running repairs before baling up Knott Oak and then up to Bay Hill, he is slowly catching us. Tom also had a busy day, off to Compass tractors this morning to collect a new machine, needed his weight block to bring it back, then out with the truck and trailer to bring back a stocks seeder unit which he is going to mount onto the Amazone Catros discs to put in cover crops with. Last year we direct drilled them with the rapid but it burns a bit too much fuel lugging it around, it also contributed to extra wear on all the discs and coulters which really should be saved for cereal drilling where we actually have a return from a crop. So this idea should hopefully allow us to whip over the ground quicker and cheaply to establish them. Tom is quickly becoming a great asset to the team here, mastering the sprayer and now has a chance to show off his fabrication skills. He will soon be out using it after drilling rape. Everyone rained off just after 6 tonight, not a great deal of rain but enough to be a nuisance for today. I cut French Nut Park, Long Ponds, Great Owens Wood and just knocked the headland of 34 acre off before chucking in. Dan managed 2 fields up at Bay Hill, 3 left before he is in the same block as us. Off down the pub now

Harvest Log Day 13

Another 93 acres ticked off the list. Things we learnt today, Webbys Claas doesn’t like 18t trailers very much and the 60t/hr conveyors aren’t 60t/hr! A backlog back to the tip pit was there most of the afternoon with wheat coming in the fastest it has this season, a good crop, mostly stood up and not much of a haul for the trailers. Good chance to check the sample though. Simon has been pretty stressed today keeping wheat flowing. For some reason he has also decided to load Alan outside today and got more rape on the floor than in the trailer by the looks of it. Spoken to Dan who is hoping to get Bondip baled, closer to head back to his yard from there than ours tonight so he is coming back down tomorrow. 

Harvest Log Day 11&12

Completed the block of wheat up at Bondip North over the course of Wednesday and half of Thursday before travelling back to Knott Oak to finish off where we got rained off on Tuesday afternoon. Back harvesting at home now up at Bay Hill, dropped 2 trailers off the team now so Alan is back on outloading OSR with the lorry and Tom is burning off some stubbles ahead of OSR drilling at Yeabridge and Frogmore. Dan has been getting on well with his baler, and has Moolham and Kingstone all done with his lads on clearing them today. He has gone up to Bondip today to try and get that block wrapped but before the weather breaks down tomorrow. If it rains on Bay Hill and Knott Oak it doesn’t matter as much as there’s not rape going in after.

32 minutes ago, smithy said:

at least you are getting some done ,we just keep getting a bit of rain every day and yes i have very wet straw here i was going to turn it yesterday but it had another 6mm dumped on it so left it alone  

So frustrating! But we haven’t had a year like this for a couple years 

Harvest Log Day 10 and farm update 

Another very frustrating day hampered by the weather. After what we thought we had got away with this morning with no rain, it caught up with us this afternoon. Finished off up at Moolham and was debating whether to move or not as could see rain blowing in off the hills. We did but down the hill to Knott Oak, 50 or so acres here that isn’t destined for OSR next year but felt it was pointless moving all the way up to Bondip some 20 miles away with rain about. However that is the next and last block we need to clear ahead of drilling rape. We persevered probably a bit too long to finish two small fields in the rain but that was that and pulled out. 

Also this week so far, Alan is back with us from his 2 week holiday, bringing the bulker down Sunday night before going back to bring his John Deere 185 down on Monday morning which we are hiring for harvest. A quick change of trailers and straight on with moving out OSR up to the co operative store at Hopkins which is about 25 mile away. We have to shift the rape out as we don’t have enough room for all the wheat and beans and with a United Oilseeds store so close it works well. Simon was loading Alan inside the store so not to hold trailers in and out tipping wheat off from the field. It’s a bit tricky but doable. When we were rained off today the two tractors also helped shift some loads out too as they have sheets. Last night the combine stayed out up at Moolham so this morning was a good chance to see how the new bowser works, with a dual tank, diesel and Ad Blue it’s perfect for when we don’t bring the combine home at night and take fuel up in the morning. Also perfect for Bondip being far away. Talking of which we are aiming to move up there tomorrow now and forget Knott Oak as there’s no pressure on that. We will have all 4 trailers on, Tom in the 215 and 18t, Alan will jump on his 185 with the other 18t. Colin on the 155 with 14t and John is ready to come on with the last 14t and his Claas. Even then 4 don’t quite keep up. Having a bit of a nightmare with straw this year, since Sunday we have laid it on the floor for baling thinking the forecast was getting better, decent amounts off it too and although it’s not wet, Dan has been out to look at it and it’s too damp to bale, needs some sunshine on it and then today had heavy drizzle on it. So no baler has arrived yet. At this rate Simon will be telling him to bring a chopper I think!

Harvest Log Day 9

First full day combining for a while, felt good! The smaller block at Kingstone finished and a move literally up the road to make a start at Moolham. Pictures to follow later.