Farming News – August 2023

If the weather dries up in the coming month, then that will be perfect. Almost all of the first crop of grass has been made into hay because it was drying out so fast in the sunshine that I just left it for hay. Why bother with the expense of wrapping it in plastic to make silage, when a couple of extra days in the sun would dry it enough to store as hay? The current rainy spell has encouraged the grass to grow again. Those who mow lawns will have noticed how much more grass is around, compared with last year.

At the time of writing, I still have yet to start harvest. The winter barley was almost dry enough a couple of weeks ago but once the rain arrived any chance of harvest was lost and we now have to wait until sun and wind dry the grains enough for them to store over the coming winter. I don’t mind a couple of weeks of rain in the middle of summer. It encourages the grass and the root crops to grow and I can utilise the rainy days to repair and service machinery. If the weather dries up now, it will be perfect!