Oakley Estate Farms

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Day 11&12

Camelot West cleared nicley over the weekend, yielding the best so far this year at 4.4. Moving the combines back down home this morning for 52 acres down by Knott Oak dairy, these are the last 3 fields of rape for 2016 so we will knock this off by early afternoon and then revert the headers back for wheat, see if we can have a nibble in The Meads this evening, open up and see how it goes.

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Day 12 Part 2

A cracking days progress with more achieved than I thought we were going to, a whole 60 acres of wheat knocked off in the meads which is right opposite the farm, with promising yields of around the 9t/ha mark...until disaster strikes, on the way back into the yard tonight Mark has sheared the hub off the Challenger that's on the chaser bin, the newest out of the two as well. That's scuppered tomorrow's plans with a long haul from North Petherton needing every available tractor on the road, of course Iv got the other old Challenger but he is already behind on cultivations! Have a better look in the morning at the damage but it's bound to not be cheap and then get my head around a plan. I thought things were going to well so far this season.

[smithy]

12 minutes ago, Oakley Farms said:

Harvest Log Day 12 Part 2

A cracking days progress with more achieved than I thought we were going to, a whole 60 acres of wheat knocked off in the meads which is right opposite the farm, with promising yields of around the 9t/ha mark...until disaster strikes, on the way back into the yard tonight Mark has sheared the hub off the Challenger that's on the chaser bin, the newest out of the two as well. That's scuppered tomorrow's plans with a long haul from North Petherton needing every available tractor on the road, of course Iv got the other old Challenger but he is already behind on cultivations! Have a better look in the morning at the damage but it's bound to not be cheap and then get my head around a plan. I thought things were going to well so far this season.

Thanks for the update Alex wont hit the like button on this one as you may/will be having a big bill for repairs and I don't like that ,but you are not alone on the breakdown front I had a bearing on combine go at about 4pm today took me and 3 of my mates till 10-30pm to get it off it was really tight on the shaft 20ton puller on it plenty of heat and the important big hammer finally won the day hope to get bearing in morning   

[Oakley Farms]

Ah frustrations Smithy, I hope you get back up and running quickly and the rest of the harvest is smooth. What are you on cutting now?

[Fenside MF]

I do like following your harvest log Alex,great topic,keep at it

[Oakley Farms]

Cheers mate, glad you enjoy it, harvest moving at a fast pace and the log will be updated daily to keep you all in the loop

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Day 13

Well the damage to the Challenger was assessed first thing and it's pretty serious, quite a big job, she is going to be out of action for a few days whilst we wait for parts but it's stripped down ready. Got by today by putting the older Challenger on the chaser with no cultivations happening. Phoned around today with the possibility of Lister Wilder's demo 775E from Thursday should we need it. On the harvesting front all good, The Meads wrapped up and moved to North Petherton, got 120 acres down for a very fussy customer, plagued by his baling contractor all afternoon insisting in being in the same field as us, leaving bales on headlands really messing CTF up, not like our contracting partner Orchard who have been into The Meads today and baled, complying with CTF and a tidy job too, always willing to help out like today supplying a tractor and driver to help haul and this year supplying a driver for our bale chaser, we thought this was a logical idea to liaise with their baler drivers but we have hired a tractor for the job as things are so stretched. We will be out of Petherton tomorrow night and not sure where to next, Joe Broughton said to have a look at his at Yeabridge as he was also on hauling today in his Massey, had to drag the irrigation tractor on a trailer too to make up the 9, we also had 2 of Bonnings lorries on. Whilst not on a combine a lot of planning is going on for next years cropping, it's nearing the final stages with at the moment a massive drop in OSR area, increase in whole crop, introduction of winter barley and dropping grass completly but we will go through this and reasons in time.

[smithy]

14 hours ago, Oakley Farms said:

Ah frustrations Smithy, I hope you get back up and running quickly and the rest of the harvest is smooth. What are you on cutting now?

Back up and running by lunch time today went to bearing company this morning and matched up old one and only £20 would have been a lot more from main dealers ,we are now cutting GATOR Winter Wheat done 2 10acre fields today only just got home a few minutes ago ,it is yielding 3.5tons to the acre which is below what we have got in the past but for this year I suppose it is the best we can hope four  

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Day 14

A quick one tonight, finished North Petherton at 9.30 now the whole team on the way back to the yard, an hours journey, it's going to be nice to be back around home for a few days! And even better news the Challenger will be back up and running tomorrow so we can crack back on with some ground work, full steam ahead!!

[smithy]

50 minutes ago, Oakley Farms said:

Harvest Log Day 14

A quick one tonight, finished North Petherton at 9.30 now the whole team on the way back to the yard, an hours journey, it's going to be nice to be back around home for a few days! And even better news the Challenger will be back up and running tomorrow so we can crack back on with some ground work, full steam ahead!!

Good news on the Challenger just hope your bill wont to too big ,I moved back home today and yes its good to be local as I have 2or3 days work combining and bailing right at the edge of my farm yard . We had rain all round us today and at my farm yard it rained for a good half-hour but I was cutting about 2 miles away and sun was shining and in the next field was a axil-flow case 9230 with what looked like a 30foot table mowing down the wheat 

[Oakley Farms]

Ah how frustrating scattered showers can be! At least you managed to keep going! The weather down here is very settled at the moment, it threatened to rain yesterday but didn't come to that thankfully but I was shocked how dark it got at 9 last night! We are up at Kingstone today for 233 acres, that'll be a challenge in itself, only 10 mins from the farm though. 

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Day 16

A really cracking day today combining for Joe Broughton at Yeabridge, proper harvest weather and a stunning evening, and the yeilds are as stunning, 11.9t/ha! Joe is a happy chap and agrees CTF is working well. Off next door to Wigborough for a few days now. Phil has got some Cover crop to drill up at Camelot west block and then we will look to get Kingstone into Rape probably Monday if Orchard have the straw baled and shifted. Some pics over the last few days.

[smithy]

Well done Alex sounds like you are getting good yields , last year we was getting 4ton+acre but this year so far my best has been 3.7 tons acre, and my worst field with a lot of blackgrass did 3ton acre I would like to have the big fields you keep showing as I think that increases the total tonnage as not so much headland if you now what I mean my biggest field is 30acres ,smallest is 2acre . Very few farms around me have done well out of rape and barley this year some are talking of dropping both crops been to busy to see anyone to ask about the wheat

[Oakley Farms]

Definitely know what you mean Smithy, bigger fields makes the rolling average look more attractive! They may look big fields but average field size for us is 20ac, we have a couple 50 acre fields, 3 60 acre fields and one 80. What makes you decide to grow Leeds? Iv heard many are dropping OSR and barley, next year for us it's back to winter barley, first time in 15 years and reduced area of OSR, not going to give up completely yet as we don't suffer with flea beetle down here and the possibility of others giving up hoping for a price rise to gain a margin, down to 600 acres next year from 1,680 this year.

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Days 17,18,19

Time for an update, Well a busy few days over the weekend and Monday, starting with the cultivations team, Camelot West block was direct drilled with the 12 metre horsch with DSV Terralife cover crop mix over the weekend by Phil and rolled in by Dan, this completed all the post harvest rape ground either cover cropped or had its first pass with the Carrier so today we decided to pass the Carrier over some wheat stubble in the Meads ahead of winter barley. Probably looking at drilling rape the end of the week now instead of today as the weather looks more catchy for combining, so phil will get on with spraying down beans and potatoes. Combining wise we have finished 600 odd acres at Wigborough tonight which wraps up 3 days there and it hasn't been without its problems, the end of Saturday the header auger on combine 1 sounded awful so the whole thing was popped out Sunday morning by Vaughans, bearings changed and in again by 11am! All good Sunday with Germany's demo team bringing down a new Lexion model for us to try, nice weapon, increased output and a cleaner sample with 4D sieves on wigboroughs slopes. Tonight we have had an elevator pack up on intake pit 1 so having to bypass this by tipping into pit 2 which goes into the two wet bins, out of there and up into the dryer, this slowed everything up as it can't handle the rate it's coming off the field at with 2 Lexions, ended up tipping direct into store tonight but it does need putting through the dryer for a touch of cleaning and a few percent knocking off as the dew this time of year was in at 9 tonight. Electrician and James working through the night to get this up and running and run that wheat through over night so it's out the way before starting Frogmary tomorrow. 

[Oakley Farms]

Forgot to mention we are now just over half way through harvesting our total combinable acreage and over half way through wheat which is fantastic, fingers crossed for a few more settle weeks to see the wheat and beans in, digging Shepody spuds next week too!

[smithy]

13 minutes ago, Oakley Farms said:

Definitely know what you mean Smithy, bigger fields makes the rolling average look more attractive! They may look big fields but average field size for us is 20ac, we have a couple 50 acre fields, 3 60 acre fields and one 80. What makes you decide to grow Leeds? Iv heard many are dropping OSR and barley, next year for us it's back to winter barley, first time in 15 years and reduced area of OSR, not going to give up completely yet as we don't suffer with flea beetle down here and the possibility of others giving up hoping for a price rise to gain a margin, down to 600 acres next year from 1,680 this year.

I thought your fields was big as at the top of your maps it say the area which I probably thought was one field . Last year a neighbour had some Leeds I it looked a nice dark-green all though the growing stages and it yielded over 4ton acre and is suitable for lighter land as I rent 34acres of light land about 10miles away from my farm I said to myself that Leeds will do the job which is has done 3.5tons acre , my Evolution and Gator only did 3ton acre but on sunday I cut a 10 acre field of JB Diego which was planted mid October after sugar beet and got 43 tons .Are local radio station have been talking to farmers all day today and yields are down all round especially rape and barley . yes a lot of farmers round here are dropping rape because of flea beetle but as I only have 30 acres I hope to keep on top of it ,I am also keeping with the barley but changed from KWS Cassia to Tower and its going on the lighter land      

[Oakley Farms]

A lot of our wheat is JB Diego after we switched from Alchemy. When do you usually drill your winter barley Smithy, mid Sept? We need some advice on it! Spray and fertiliser programs would be very helpful! Nice to hear your local radio station connects with rural issues, makes the link between farm and plate better and people appreciate Agriculture.

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Day 21

Got going a little later than normal today at 11:30 after fixing the elevator and trying to clear some of the backlog in the grainstore, although when we did get going this  never really cleared all day and poor old James has been pushing wheat about all day and after working most of last night too so we didn't press on too much tonight and it's getting very chilly by night now. Myself and Tom have re loaded trailers tonight and tipped into intake 2 to fill wet bins and then clean overnight to clear. We have been over at Frogmary today which is the site where the digester is located and the largest poultry site, 190 acres done today, 23 left in the morning and then back to Selvinge on home turf, this block is being chopped, first time ever! We need this block off for rape and the weather is on the turn so it will help out Julians team on the balers to catch up and get bales hauled whilst we still press on clearing hectares. Full steam ahead.

[smithy]

25 minutes ago, Oakley Farms said:

A lot of our wheat is JB Diego after we switched from Alchemy. When do you usually drill your winter barley Smithy, mid Sept? We need some advice on it! Spray and fertiliser programs would be very helpful! Nice to hear your local radio station connects with rural issues, makes the link between farm and plate better and people appreciate Agriculture.

Will come back to you with a bit more info bit later as bit pushed for time right now as nearly midnight and got a 6am start in morning and still got to have a shower as been in the dust   

[chris.watson]

7 hours ago, Oakley Farms said:

A lot of our wheat is JB Diego after we switched from Alchemy. When do you usually drill your winter barley Smithy, mid Sept? We need some advice on it! Spray and fertiliser programs would be very helpful! Nice to hear your local radio station connects with rural issues, makes the link between farm and plate better and people appreciate Agriculture.

Great updates Alex. Ref winter barley, we always look to have it in by the last week of September. Our jb Diego has been the star of this harvest, it was a first wheat this year and done an average of 4.35 ton an acre over 100 acres. Our venture winter barley was down 0.4 ton an acre, but made the weight and spec and went for malt. 40 acres of wizard winter beans today and that's us finished.  Dickens and skyfall wheats have been excellent.  It looks like on our farm its been a better wheat harvest than last year.

didnt grow rape for this harvest, and what a result that was. Yields around here have been poor.

[Oakley Farms]

Thanks Chris that's very helpful. Do you spray off your beans? Much the same story down here, rape is really looking down at the moment, hoping a reduction in area nationally will make a premium next year, final chance next year with a 66% area reduction for 2017 here

[smithy]

On ‎16‎/‎08‎/‎2016 at 11:16 PM, Oakley Farms said:

A lot of our wheat is JB Diego after we switched from Alchemy. When do you usually drill your winter barley Smithy, mid Sept? We need some advice on it! Spray and fertiliser programs would be very helpful! Nice to hear your local radio station connects with rural issues, makes the link between farm and plate better and people appreciate Agriculture.

We try to get the barley planted about the 25 September but as long as its in by the 10 October its ok ,we like to get CRYSTAL sprayed on within 48hrs from drilling but seed must be at a depth of 32mm so good seedbeds is a must, if its a bit cloddy we go at peri-em which is then followed by a Cypermethrin spray end of oct/start nov and then in the spring hopefully just the fungicide . the seedbed would have a 0-12-12 Fibrophos at 500.0kgs/ha before drilling then in the spring feb/march it will have nit/sulphur at 192.0kgs/ha then appox 25 days later just nitrogen at 232.0kgs/ha  and the 3rd dose of nit before the end of april at 116.0kgs/ha. Are local radio station every week have  the same farmer on saying what is going on down on his farm and what is happening round the world also they have other farmers on from time to time and also the debates about slow tractors on the road and holding all the busy people up as they go to work and why do farmers always put mud on the road when harvesting sugar-beet,the station is BBC RADIO SUFFOLK and doing the day there is often tractor driver phone in for songs to be played or to enter the quizzes/competitions and a lot of them have nick-names the best one is Grumpy-tractor-driver allow he is quite jolly when on the air      

[smithy]

23 hours ago, Oakley Farms said:

Thanks Chris that's very helpful. Do you spray off your beans? Much the same story down here, rape is really looking down at the moment, hoping a reduction in area nationally will make a premium next year, final chance next year with a 66% area reduction for 2017 here

We did not spray-off are beans but some do depends on how clean they are

[chris.watson]

On 17 August 2016 at 11:35 PM, Oakley Farms said:

Thanks Chris that's very helpful. Do you spray off your beans? Much the same story down here, rape is really looking down at the moment, hoping a reduction in area nationally will make a premium next year, final chance next year with a 66% area reduction for 2017 here

No Alex, we don't spray off the beans, they go naturally. Currently here in Essex everyone is square wheeled at the moment as the ground is rock hard and ploughs won't go in the ground. I ploughed half an acre yesterday and you could have made a road out of what it turned over.  Neighbour done 15 acres with a topdown and tore out a set of points, another snapped his plough beam in half. Heat wave forecast next week aswell. Re rape seed, we just can't get it in as its to dry. Some people around here have got it in and it had 5 mm rain yesterday and it went bone dry again in 2 hours, so that's no good for them. New rape dressing for flea beetle on the horizon for next year from DuPont.