Quick one this month as I take a few minutes to sit down while we are getting the combine ready for long hours on another field. I am pleased to report that although as expected the crop yields are pretty disastrous on the whole, the weather over the last few weeks has at last been very much on our side so we can get on with the job in hand.
Normally rapeseed harvest would start around 27th July, with wheat following around the end of the first week in August. This year however due to crops maturing at different rates all over the place, we started harvest on some wheat on 3rd August, before moving to some rapeseed on 13th August, on to spring Barley on 19th August, back to finish rapeseed off on 21st August, before moving back into wheat later around 23rd August. Yes it has been challenging trying to decide which best to do first. Every time you change from one crop to another, it takes several hours resetting the combine for the job in hand.
The wheat and rapeseed yields have been very low, with rapeseed being 30 to 50% down on what we would hope for, however the wheat has so far been good quality, so although it won’t make many loaves of bread, at least they will good ones. The spring barley has been very pleasing with Father saying it was a pleasure to harvest. The yield was good and hopefully the quality will be also.
As well as harvest, I have been helping the guys bottle oil during the day as we are currently short staffed, and the summer sales continue to go well. It has been a while since I have helped in the bottling room, and although I would rather the timing being a bit different, it has been good to get back in there helping everyone along. We have a good team and it is important to help them when they need it.
That’s it for now, I am being called to go and help get on to the next field, so better show that I am not just hiding in the office drinking tea.