Gearing up for ploughing competition

The autumn planting is in progress with many farmers getting the plough out. Some will come to the Cruckton ploughing match, a competition to find the best ploughman or woman.

The Davies family from Condover are kindly hosting this event just two miles south of Shrewsbury just off the A49. It's only £6 for adults, with children free, so follow the signs for a different day out. See you there on Saturday, September 29.

It's often been said a hard winter will sometimes put the weather in an orderly pattern. I had to pinch myself in early June when baling some hay that the field was covered in snow only two and a bit months before. The spring was a bit wet and that set the scene for the harvest to come.

The heavy clay land was too wet to get vital fertilisers and sprays on the crops of winter corn. Spring planting of cereals and root crops, mostly potatoes, were also delayed. The lighter sandy land was paying off at this stage with most crops being planted on time, but this land needs plenty of water to keep them going. Who would have bet on a very dry hot summer?

The hot dry weather was perfect for making hay and that ran into corn harvest which was easy going on men and machine. The downside was the grass stopped growing with many cattle farmers seriously short of fodder.

Dairy farmers have been feeding their small amount of winter silage through June, July and august. Many have brought in fodder to fill the gap and praying for an open autumn to keep the cattle out as long as possible. Time will tell how they get through the winter and some very tough decisions may have to be made.

I don’t want to get into politics but Brexit with probably throw a spanner in the works of some sectors of farming, I have always said that we will get what we are given from Europe and not what we want from Brexit deal. Long term we may be better off without their ruling over us, but the bigger economics cogs of the world will change things more than anything.

Back on the farm the autumn work is in progress, with the harvesting of maize and potatoes. Yes, I know it means endless tractors and trailers on the road, hauling produce to make our food. I saw written on the back of a trailer when wheat was being harvested "Weetabix ingredients on board."

Richard Savage