Farm Diary

LIGHT rain has provided some much needed moisture in the last week. The grass is growing strongly now, and our new seeds are coming up, with some 'lime green' showing in the drill rows. We were all drilled up and rolled before the rain came, so it was perfect for us at Crouchlands, and of course the sand at Tillington is always in need of rain between now and October!

We are starting to work down the maize seed beds this weekend and we will be drilling the first fields as you read this. We are on target this year, but due to the delay in delivering and spreading the last fields with 'lime cake' from the sewage works, we might have to work some 24 hour shifts in order to get the last 100 acres in on time.

I have got some lime being spread this week, as a result of testing every acre of maize ground for acidity, and we are applying a little extra chemical Nitrogen and some chemical Potash, in order to get nutrient balance absolutely right.

It will be interesting to see if all this attention to detail and extra money makes a difference, because in the end we are at the mercy of the weather. Hopefully though, we will maximize our returns whether it is a good or bad year.

My worry is that in a bad year, will the extra time and money invested yield a return? Seed bed preparation, drilling at the right time and most importantly weed control, especially at the early stages of growth, are the key factors to growing good crops of maize.

I am still smarting after the poor tonnages of last year.

For full story see West Sussex Gazette April 15