Out in the Fields

These articles are written by Seumas Foster and are reproduced by kind permission of  Hill and Dale magazine.

August 2011

PEAK WORK LOADS IN THE SUMMER

The eighth month of the year is when most of the harvesting is done, but it is also the start of the sowing season that will then continue, almost without a break, until the end of the tenth or maybe into the eleventh month of the year. 

Harvest will have started in July, although when we were standing in parched fields looking at struggling crops in April and May it did seem that we were in for an early start and early finish to harvest, but usually the natural world has a tendency to balance these things out.

The rain came at the end of May and continued during June and July and the crops responded, until they now look as if they won’t be too bad after all. (That is intentionally a modest appraisal because until the crop is actually in the barn nothing can be taken for granted). There have been some good dry periods to make a bit of hay this year, and we will also want some nice harvest weather in August, the sort of conditions that make for a good holiday.

The legacy of the dry weather can be seen in crops where growth has been uneven because of a lack of moisture, often in patches that correlate to different soils, reflecting the soils ability to retain moisture, or at least to let the crops root deeper or more extensively to find moisture.

Sowing for the future

The end of August can be very dry, which hinders the establishment of the first new crop to be sown, which will be Oil Seed rape, but can also affect new sowings of grass or stubble turnips intended for animal feed. At this time conservation of moisture is paramount, so cultivation techniques and establishment methods will be chosen with that objective in mind.

Good prices

Grain prices have been good and seem to be likely to stay high for a while, but are subject to rapid fluctuations by the ‘ markets’ so careful monitoring is important to get the benefit from the market while it remains so good. Unfortunately if you have livestock to feed then high grain prices have the serious consequence of increasing animal food prices.

The Opportunists

This year has brought a lot of insect activity, warm weather always brings them out, and breeding success has been achieved early. This has supplied lots of food for other animals, and I am pleased to report that the hedgehog is back in the garden again.

One warm morning recently I was checking the poppy crop growing on Swallick White Hill, which was in full flower at that time, to find the flowers were full of Pollen Beetle, and the temperature was over 20’c so the beetles were flying. This had brought about 100 swifts in to feed on the beetle and for easily and hour or so the swifts swept over the crop in huge wheeling circles, maybe taking advantage of the thermals off the hill. Swifts will start to migrate at the end of July and during August.

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Page last edited on 17 Aug 2011     © 2002-2008 Ellisfield Parish Council