tractorboyjules1977

Some line oup of kit there Dave , keep up the good work !

Nice update Dave , good to see your busy

Just a quick update as we're all flat out , were well into 2 cut silage now and flat out with the balers , hay , haylage and silage ! The foragers back in now just getting readyed with the wholecrop header , should be on barley wholecrop from next week , around 450 acres across various customers, looking at what wholecrop we are probably about a week away so looks like we're be going from 1 to the other , a total of 1700 acres wheat to chop for customers and another 120 acres of our own , starting to look like we shall need extra trailers for the longer journeys to keep the forager wheels rolling !, looking forward we've stopped tanking dirty water just because it's too hot on the surface of the grass grounds , so looking at the weather for end of next week maybe a break for showers , hopefully get these grasses growing fast again !

Nice work there Gary

Thank you corky , much appreciated

After a cracking couple weeks of weather it's still all go , potatoe planting finished machines washed off and packed away for another year , 2nd app of fert on wheat grounds all completed and spraying duties all up to date ! The silage team flat out working 13/15 hour days to keep up with the work load , so far getting towards 2000 acres covered , nearing the end of 1st cut now , prob be some 2 nd cuts only a couple weeks away , with that said we've managed to get our own 350 acres underway , a bit behind but nearly all young leys so nothing gone too seed , just a few acres of old pasture ground we've decided to put in the clamp ! So far so good , nothing new on the tractor line up still deciding what deals tick all the boxes !!!

Looks like it's all go Dave , keep it going

It's been all go this week ,with redunded sheep ground now getting ploughed up for the start of maize drilling. , Decided not to start too early and hang on for a few more days as we would be mega early already , that said seems to be loads of acres gone in under plastic around our area , seems like a very expensive way to go !!! Potato planting now underway with the team on full flow , so far so good just a matter of the weather holding and we should have the 80 acres in by the end of next week ! Even the old 3350 called into work on the planter as shes on narrower wheels ! Man and machine been pushed to the limit before silage season starts !!!

Yeah Paul , chugging on steadily !!!

All spring drilling now complete with 500 odd acres drilled in the last 2 weeks , comprising of 3 drilling outfits job now done ! Today managed to get over some of the wheat with the sprayer , trying to avoid the heavier lying fields till it starts to dry after 2 days of rain at the end of last week, In the workshop the maize drill is in for a service and the 1 at of the power harrows also in for a going over , looking like the maize will start in a couple of weeks ,just deciding whether to put area acres of beet in later this week if the temp starts to warm up !! The cows now finally out by day just holding off keeping them out by night , bit chilly around here at the moment for that , Over the wknd a trip down to Smarts Agriculture to pick up a tidy 2nd hand bailey dilate trailer , too good a deal to let go in time for the silage season .

Good to see you busy Dave !

Cheers ferret ! Much appreciated

It's been all go here for the last 5 or 6 days , spring drilling started Friday with 175 acres of spring barley going in 1st which will soon be followed by 200 acres of spring beans , not to mention a mere 400 acres of peas/ barley forageable crop to put in aiming at the middle of April all being well , Grass harrowing well underway on the old pasture grounds soon to be followed cracking over the silage grounds , 1st day out with the rollers today , ideal conditions so far ! Nitrogen starting to go on silage grounds making the most of the conditions on the slightly heavier laying grass grounds .Spring seems to be in full effect now just waiting to turn the cows out now !!!!

With the 1st week of march out the way and a few good weeks behind us seems like we're on top of things lately , most of last week taken up with 4 spreaders out and loading shovel out either up at Orchard Dairy emptying out the solids in the lagoon or around a few local customers getting rid of field heaps , must say the weather has been on our side so has been ideal for traveling to and from field , Back at Orchard HQ the 1st application of some p&k being applied to a few acres of sickly looking wheat fields ! Yesterday back down to a bang with the weather , ideal workshop time with the scraper tractor in for a good service and Smarts Agriculture have been in sorting out the knackered boom on the JCB telehandler , good chance to catch up maintenance wise !!!

Trying to juggle jobs left right and centre , not enough tractors and not enough drivers at the moment , with the weather being kind to us at the minute trying to keep on top of things in case the weather changes . We've got 350 acres of ploughing booked in ready for spring operations , trying to keep the plough moving so dieseling in the field saving on trips back to the yard !! , the cultivator ready to go out with 200 acres in front of him , Just thinking of going out with the sprayer to burn off few overgrown stubbles before we hit it with the cultivator , At least hedge cutting nearly finished only a few more days left and we should be nearly all wrapped up , unless the phone rings again !

Christ Dave you expecting some serious snow !!!! , Keep us posted .

Looking good Sean , keep up the good work

Cheers ferret , cheap but does the job !

1st update of the new year , Orchard working flat out at the minute with snow due , all hands to the pump trying to get jobs completed before the white stuff arrives ! Slurry tankers on flat out , emptying lagoons up at Orchard Dairy unit , and trying to fit in 4 other customers , The slew back in the yard for maintenance work and a long overdue clean off before he goes out next week redying 2 new silage pits for Coombe farms . Thursday got a call from Branstons Potatoes wanting 4 loads of potatoes in before end of week , needless to say the potatoe grader been pretty busy , with more deliveries pencilled in for next week ! Getting ready for the snow attaching the bucket and brush before we get caught short , ideal tool for keeping the track clear .End the week looks like it's number crunching in the office !

Spot on update Dave , happy Christmas

That time of year again after a busy few weeks leading up to the Christmas period , time for the gates to close for a few well earned days off , hedgetrimmers back in the yard , wash off and grease up ready for the new year , last load of beet for today going up to the Dairy unit to see them through the next few days , the umbilical getting ready to pull out and return to the yard , back in the yard just enough time for the boys to sort out the security light before everyone potters off for Christmas , From all of us at Orchard we wish you a very happy Christmas

Busy few weeks at Orchard dairy , finally the new silage pits are finished and the new concrete yard , after months of planning and building to bring the yard more up to date providing plenty of room , on the cow side the arrival of a further 45 cows into the high yielders , now pushing the numbers up to where we need them and keeping the stockman team on there toes , Back at HQ both hedgtrimmers now hitched up and ticking along nicely day in day out

Nice update Dave , catch up down j24 track Sunday ?

Mid November update , drilling all now finished , the last 25 acres or so a long way behind the early drilled stuff but at least we got it all in ,with that attention turning to harvesting the carrots probably in the next week . Beginning of this week fodder beet harvest began , pretty good conditions especially on the slightly hilly parts of the farm , at the moment just picking days in between other jobs , the 1st loads being destined for the cattle part of there winter rations , potatoes being moved up to Branstons this week at a fair old pace , apparently shortage of good potatoes around this area , thankfully giving us a good price , Smarts Agriculture recently being up to do a service on the 7310r which is so far looking to be a shrewd purchase , Everything now seeking to be clicking in to winter mode !

Nice update Gary , hope health and safety aren't watching !!