Looking back at the last month, it is difficult to know where to start. I remember writing at the end of June that we were preparing our grainstores as I thought that we might be in for an early harvest … little did I know that 31 days later I can report that harvest is virtually over. As I write this we have just two days combining left. We have been harvesting nearly every day as there has been no let-up in the hot dry weather. It sounds perfect, but this harvest has brought its own challenges. Firstly, most of the harvested crops are too dry, with the moisture percentage being about three or four points below what is needed. This means that yields are lower due to less moisture in the grain. There is no financial advantage in selling below the required standard. Yields have generally been down compared with previous harvests, especially our spring-sown crops. Our oilseeds were particularly challenging to harvest as the oil cannot be successfully extracted from the seed if the moisture is below six per cent: we were finding that by 11am the moisture had reached this point, so we decided to start combining at 4am when there was a little bit of dew on the ground keeping the moisture in the seed. We did this for a week … everyone was pleased to see this part of harvest completed!
It only takes a spark
One feature of this year has been the number of fires across the country in rural areas. We unfortunately had two – in the same field, on the same Sunday afternoon. The first we believe was caused by a mobile phone which was left in a field adjacent to a golf course. It was picked up by the combine harvester and went through the thrashing mechanism, only to promptly set light to the straw as it came out.
Fortunately our grain cart man Darren and the following combine driver Callum quickly spotted the fire and managed to put it out using the fire extinguishers carried on their machines. This was when we spotted a burnt-out phone in the remains of the straw swath. It was a real wake-up call for us on our fire protection procedures, and we promptly filled up our slurry tanker with water and attached a cultivator to a tractor just in case we had to make fire breaks. Two hours later another broke out, started, we think, by a metal slat on the front of the combine striking a flint on the ground and causing a spark. This one was more than we could control ourselves. I rang the fire brigade and within five minutes they were on the scene – luckily they were attending an incident in nearby Blandford Forum. With two fire engines present plus our newly filled water tanker, the fire was brought under control, just as it was approaching a large field of uncut wheat. I was really grateful to the fire service for their prompt action, and thank goodness common sense has been taken in not closing several fire stations in Dorset.
In an exceptionally dry season we need all the fire stations available. Since our fire in the beginning of July there have been many more fires all over the country – they seem to feature virtually daily in the news.
Another 1976?
A drought has been officially declared covering the South of England, and other parts of the country. I am not sure of the government’s criteria, but I know that the last measurable rainfall we had was on 24th June – and none in July. Our cattle have virtually no grass and we have been feeding them hay or straw. The milking cows do not enjoy the heat, and milk production is down – especially on hot days, as they just don’t want to eat anything in the intense heat of the day. We have been making hay on one part of the farm and feeding it almost immediately to the cows on another part of the farm.
It is going to be a real challenge for us livestock-keepers to find enough winter feed to keep all our animals fed until next spring. We have already started feeding bales of silage, and when they have all gone we will have to start our clamp silage intended for the winter months
At the time of writing there appears to be no appreciable rain in the forecast. Many of us of a certain age are thinking that this is another 1976, when there was a severe drought. That year it started raining at the beginning of September and then kept raining for several months – so we will have to wait and see what happens.
We now have to decide whether to sow our winter forage and cover crops – even though there is very little moisture in the ground – or to wait for rain … another challenging decision to make.
At least in Dorset we do have our three agricultural shows – the Gillingham & Shaftesbury, the Melplash and the County Show – to look forward to. They are great days out for all, and this year there will be no concern as to whether harvest will be finished before the show season starts!
