Sunday 30 March 2014

CTF sugar beet

420 acres of Controlled traffic sugar beet. 
We have topdowned, subsoiled at 5.95 metres. Left over winter and spring cultivated with the 11.9 metre Dalbo. Ed Banks has come in and drilled on RTK at 5.95 metres, 12 rows at 49.5 cm spacings. We aim to harvest with the a 6 row at 2.97 metres, trailers to work at 2.97 metres on the previous pass. 
Inter row shielded spacing to control the weeds is planned. 

16 years of service

After 25 years which 16 years spent with us and 10 of those as the main machine we say good bye to our JCB 525 67. As a young buck fresh out of college It was the first machine I bought for the farm in 1998. Sad to see it leave for its retirement job with my cousin mucking out horses. 

Spring Drilling is underway for spring peas. Prophet variety for human consumption. Alexandre is using the Horsch 6 metre powerharrow combination with the John Deere 8345rt. 
Conditions at Pondersridge are going well with the cultivator in front pulling the land down. 

Friday 21 March 2014

Strip till demo for British sugar

I
We were asked by British sugar to provide a tractor to strip till the land for sugar beet drilling. Julian went to the black fenland at Holme. Mr Sly provided the machine. Did a brilliant job and look forward to the results. 

Thursday 20 March 2014

Spring beans are drilled

Sammy drilled the fuego Spring beans at 280kgha. Being grown for the human consumption market in Egypt. 
Tremendous amount of blackgrass grew over the winter allowing a stale seed bed pre drilling. It's amazing to see dust behind the drill, an inch below the surface is very wet. 

Sunday 16 March 2014

Spring is still here

With the raining keeping away we have started to make progress this week. Alex and Sammy are muck spreading all the oilseed rape fields and spring barley. Julian is drain jetting the underground drains after digging out the ditches. 
We had Chris Bullens leaving do on Friday night in the local pub. He is off for a new life in Worcestershire for a career in turf farming. He's been here for over 9 years, we all wish him well for the future. Spring drilling planned for next week. 

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Chicken manure spreading starts in CTF

With the sun being out all week and the rain keeping away we are in a position to start spreading chicken manure to the crops to put back organic matter and nitrogen rather than being reliant on manufactured nitrogen. Sammy is spreading and Julian is loading with the digger. The second spreader we hope arrives today to speed up the operation. 
I'm sorry for the smell over the next few days to anybody living locally.