Spring Sowing

All the spring sowing has now finished, with all the crops going into the ground in good conditions. The Laureate Spring malting barley is already through the ground, and dare I say it would benefit from a day’s rain! We have also given the Winter Wheat and Winter Barley there second application of variable rate nitrogen. This is done with the help of satellite imagery and a computer program from SOYL. This helps us apply the nitrogen in specific areas, to help even up the crop and utilise the fertiliser as best we can. The Oilseed Rape, Winter Wheat and Winter Barleys have all been sprayed with some chemicals to prevent disease and to tidy up any weeds.
We have also spent quite a few days rolling grass. All the fields that were previously spread with FYM last month have been rolled. This is done to push down any surface stones; we pay particular attention to the fields that will be cut for silage or hay, to prevent damage to machinery.
Livestock
The calving and lambing has been in full swing this month, with plenty of calves and lambs being born. The weather has been great if a little cold at times with some cold east winds. The early lambing has finished, but the April lambing got started in the second week of this month with 395 to lamb. We have had a bit of a problem with the ewes all wanting to lamb in the same corner of the field, this has lead to a good deal of mis mothering, which all ads to the workload.
The calving on the other hand has been going well with very little problems so far. Fingers crossed that it continues in the same vein.