Oakley Estate Farms

[phil phoenix]

Well round these parts the most popular tractors in the 360-420hp bracket are the Fendt 942 and the JD RX370, So one of them I'm guessing. I would keep the CAT for cheap back up power.

[Barry]

JD 8RX, nice replacement for the Challenger?

[Oakley Farms]

5 hours ago, Barry said:

JD 8RX, nice replacement for the Challenger?

Good choice Barry, 4 tracks instead of 2? What about a Claas halftrack?

[Jack390]

I recon it’s either a 728 or a 942, saw one your way on Wednesday with a mole plough. 

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Days 18 & 19

Finished off Boxstone on Friday night which is good to get another block ticked off, a break from the wheat now as the last two blocks are later drilled and have had round up which needs 7/10 days or so. Into the only block of Spring Barley we have which is up above the farm yesterday. It was a dull grey day and one where you really wish you had a convio header, it’s a bit lodged in places and some of these fields are steep and undulating. The sun is out today so hoping it’s a better one! Rape drilling is going well, Alan is rolling in the mornings before swapping for a grain trailer when the combine gets going. 

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Day 20

Spring Barley finished, now we have a few days break whilst waiting for the last of the wheat, then the beans and little bit of linseed. They are giving a bit of rain tonight as well. Tom is now drilling OSR up at Bondip so Simon is taking up seed for him and then diesel at the end of the day, the rest of us will work on cultivations for a couple days, ripping tramlines, rolling etc. Here are some pictures from yesterday as we get going.

[phil phoenix]

On second thoughts about your forthcoming new tractor I think its going to be the Claas 960tt because you already have Claas kit, and the Wiking model is superior finish to a Britains 8RX🙃.......................Also get the manager to Demo a Fendt 728😁

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Days 21 & 22

On with harvesting the later drilled wheats now that had to be round up’d off and now have them in a corner. It’s been a bit stop start this week with showers but Eames Mill has been cleared and now in the last block at Atherstone. 6 fields left and then beans and Linseed. OSR drilling is going well, just the block we are combining at the moment to drill so on with cover crops whilst waiting for straw to be baled and tramlines ripped up.

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Day 23

In the early hours of Saturday we finished the wheat. Staying on to beat the incoming rain, turns out it was the right decision. A well earned day off for everyone Saturday and in fresh today. Cover crop drilling, catching up with rolling and pre emergence on rape if the wind drops is on the agenda. Need to check how far the beans are off from the combine, the linseed is about a week away. Last week a crane lorry arrived to take away our Yara liquid fertiliser tanks as we are changing suppliers this year, Simon has had his mini digger out hooking the bank out ready to put a bunded concrete pad in to comply with regulations.

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Days 24 & 25

Bank holiday afternoon after rolling in some cover crops the sun made an appearance and had a little go cutting some spring beans. A new block to us taken over from a neighbour called Lime Kiln, it’s not far from the farm so one trailer is ample since Alan returned home for the weekend and Tom is busy putting pre emergence on the rape. Grain store logistics are a bit of a nightmare at the moment with the Spring Barley in the way of the beans, so to start with we have filled up nearly both the wet bins until we can clear some out. Alan came back Monday night and loaded with Barley ready to take to Keysley Store in Wiltshire as it’s been sold through Frontier. We have local haulier Bonnings Transport on for 2 days as well so between the two of them, hopefully by Wednesday night we can start filling the store with Beans, until then we will have to tip outside or in the top corner of the wheat bay which isn’t full this year because yields are down. Yesterday we harvested nextdoor to Lime Kiln at Knott Oak and then down to The Park, still local with one trailer, Simon has been rushed off his feet loading both lorries all day and running the tipping pit and tipping beans in the corner, he will have to bucket these round to the tip pit when we have room. Yesterday the builders finished the concrete pad and bund ready for the new tanks coming this week.

[Oakley Farms]

[Oakley Farms]

[Oakley Farms]

Harvest Log Days 26-29

A weekend to forget. Generally a good productive week was had, nibbling away at the beans, temperatures not too high so no worries with shelling out, not long days either as it’s dark at 20:30 now. Wednesday, Thursday we finished down in The Park, Friday was opposite the farm in The Meads. Alan and Bonnings have cleared all the Spring Barley up to Frontier which allowed Simon to start clearing the backlog of beans from the wet bins and anything that was tipped in store needs bucketing round to the tip pit to go through the system. Saturday was to the last block over at Joes in Yeabridge, that’s where the fun started. With about 4 loads of beans left to cut, Simon lost all power to the dryer and conveyor systems, turning out to be smouldering which caught wiring alight. A fast response from the fire service prevented a major incident. Luckily it has happened at this point with next to nothing left only a tiny bit of linseed. So we have 2 of the Bailey trailers full and undercover and Alan grabbed his lorry to put the last of the beans in off the combine so we could finish up. The electricians are coming today to see if we can at least get the tip pit and conveyors working. Just to top the night off, as lifting the header onto the trailer Saturday night, something happened as it lifted right up breaking one of the lift rams. Fair play to Paul from Claas coming out on Sunday in the pouring rain to fit a new ram incase we were off harvesting the linseed, but the forecast had other ideas! So that’s all thats left, one field of Linseed and a bit that was patched in where it was flooded next to the river at Selvinge and we will be done. In other areas of the farm Tom finished drilling cover crops and have been rolled in, Webbers turned the last of the straw that was down at Atherstone a couple of times and baled it, just the last few fields of bales to shift, John made a start yesterday ripping up tramlines there but had to stop as the rain made it so greasy on top with ground so hard, might have to use the Challenger to do that job or Toms 215R with the wheel weights. We can then get the last of the OSR in here which is late enough now, debating whether to drill it or not with it being late and also had a poor wheat crop this year from being drilled late last autumn, possibly a second wheat if the weather doesn’t play ball this week. Omex also arrived with the crane lorry to put their new tanks in place ready for the first deliveries.