Drought

[Muddyboots]

Pretty much, as with @Flat 10 we also missed most of the thunderstorms 4 weeks ago, we had a couple of drops of rain a few days ago but it hardly damped the dust in the yard and wasn't enough to make the roads wet. I've just about given up looking at the crops as there's nothing I can do about it.

Same here!

 

[DRC]

The funny thing is, you can bet someone in the farmers weekly will be combining wheat in July and still saying it’s doing 4.5 ton /acre .

 

[Clive]

The funny thing is, you can bet someone in the farmers weekly will be combining wheat in July and still saying it’s doing 4.5 ton /acre .

if they are "only" getting 4.5t they will be blaming drought for why they are not doing the usual 5t plus average form their blackgrass riddled fields that are becoming uneconomic to farm

 

[franklin]

The funny thing is, you can bet someone in the farmers weekly will be combining wheat in July and still saying it’s doing 4.5 ton /acre .

And they always look so disappointed too.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

what parts of the country have still not had rain in the past month?the forecast last week looked like the whole country was getting it/saved

Devon and Cornwall have areas which have had little/ no rain.
It was 'wet' here last week but not enough to have ort to measure in a gauge.

 

[bankrupt]

a Minister for Drought is appointed (as in 1976)

But he wasn't appointed until late August by which time all the yield damage had been done.

My recollection is of standpipes being installed, with a dozen buckets for each, all up the village street and only two days later 2" of rain and an enormous gale, and all the buckets blew away.

Then being confronted, at the bar, by an American tourist and his good lady, staying the week in the expensive 15th Century village pub, claiming that local farmers must have stolen them all.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Howell

 

[7610 super q]

The water board were cutting supply for a few hours a day to conserve water. I can remember my dad filling churns when the water was on, to tip into drinking troughs later. It was quite wet in June that year, apparently, and only dried up in July/ August. For us to have a dry May / June/ July and August would be unprecedented, I think.

 

[bankrupt]

Devon and Cornwall have areas which have had little/ no rain.
It was 'wet' here last week but not enough to have ort to measure in a gauge.

Same here, Jackov Altraids.

My take on this year's crops post mortem will be that agronomists have specified far too much straw shortener, given the conditions.

Good example of that was the newsletter from one of our suppliers advising the application of ethephon to increase this year's straw income.

Certifiably insane.

For the record, we've used appropriate product on only 10% of winter barley, 15% of winter oats and no wheat.

 

[solo]

This sums up light ground wheat.

 

[jondear]

This sums up light ground wheat.
View attachment 684756 View attachment 684758

Interesting comparison example !Do you always have a bottle handy?

 

[Devon James]

Same here, Jackov Altraids.

My take on this year's crops post mortem will be that agronomists have specified far too much straw shortener, given the conditions.

Good example of that was the newsletter from one of our suppliers advising the application of ethephon to increase this year's straw income.

Certifiably insane.

For the record, we've used appropriate product on only 10% of winter barley, 15% of winter oats and no wheat.

Difficult one. As last year post mortem was not enough growth reg was used. And memories of flat as a pancake spring barley didn't want to be repeated. Can't really predict the wet period continuing on and on last year, and the dry doing the same this.

 

[solo]

Interesting comparison example !Do you always have a bottle handy?

knapsack spray blackgrass over the last three weeks and now use small squirter for the odd ones missed. Bit lighter to carry.

 

[bankrupt]

Difficult one.

Quite so.

Thank goodness some growers can still take the decisions influencing their financial outcomes upon instinct and experience rather than upon blueprints and hype.

 

[Grem]

There are some very odd weather signs here,springs I would expect to be dry by now given the dry winter are really hanging on,and I have never seen oak leaves fully out with ash still in bud before.It is 11 years since we had a dry summer here,if it isn't this year I will be very surprised.

Oak before Ash - in for a splash, Ash before Oak - in for a soak.

 

[4course]

Europe harvest looks poor and wheat prices rising. Balkans part of my 4 country tour so will report back what it looks like.
One eye witness reported late spring -20c following week +32C.
Not conducive to good growth.

having had a birds eye view down the uk there are not many fields that are full from hedge to hedge most have patches of poor or missing patches say @ 5%

 

[DeeGee]

Oak before Ash - in for a splash, Ash before Oak - in for a soak.

I used to believe in this one until about five years back (can’t remember which year, may have been 2012) the oak was out well before the ash and I told everyone we were in for a dry summer.

Turned out to be one of the wettest and lousiest summers for years. Made nearly all my hay that year in September, it was the only month when we had enough decent weather to make any.

Ever since then I have been very sceptical of the ash and oak saying.

 

[Grem]

I don't blame you really -

I used to believe in this one until about five years back (can’t remember which year, may have been 2012) the oak was out well before the ash and I told everyone we were in for a dry summer.

Turned out to be one of the wettest and lousiest summers for years. Made nearly all my hay that year in September, it was the only month when we had enough decent weather to make any.

Ever since then I have been very sceptical of the ash and oak saying.

I don't blame you really. The weather can be very localised and I'm sure daylight and temperature has more to do with which trees buds open first. Although Mr Foggit of Thirsk believed all the old sayings.
Here in Monmouthshire we have had very little rain since April. Our spring is only trickling and if the forecast runs true it will have dried up by the end of next week. Our only water then is what we managed to store during the winter.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

what parts of the country have still not had rain in the past month?the forecast last week looked like the whole country was getting it/saved

We’ve had 2mm of rain in June, the spuds have had 60mm of irrigation so far.Giving the sugar beet a drink this wkend before the heat wave then straight back into spuds again. Very time consuming!
Wheat is starting to die off in certain places on some fields in this area.

 

[Farmer Roy]

FFS - you softcock whinging whining pansies wouldn't know what to do if you ever had to deal with a REAL drought . . .
When the cactus start getting moisture stressed - then you can say it's a drought

 

[Charlie--chalk]

FFS - you softcock whinging whining pansies wouldn't know what to do if you ever had to deal with a REAL drought . . .
When the cactus start getting moisture stressed - then you can say it's a drought

It’s all relative! That’s your extreme and the current weather is our extreme (or will be by the end of next week). No good for you or us!