multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
Definitely worse than 85
How much Harvest has been lost/abandoned in Scotland?
- Thread starter sheepwise
- Start date
I'm in the south west if Scotland and we are feeling very lucky to have got what we have got. We probably have got the driest pit silage for many years as got it the good spell in June,quite full pits too. We took the decision this year to stop growing spring barley as last year almost caught us out getting combine contractor . So this year went for wheat wholecrop for the pit which we had to wait a wee while fir a chopper but we got it done . We have our own baler and do bit of contracting with it so we have just been picking off silage whenever there was a dry day to cut and bake the next. We actually managed to make 200 round bales of hay on some steeper dry ground . It was cut knowing it would get wet but got few days of warmth and wind and got it.not great stuff but still hay . Hasn't been much fun trying to bale straw for others with big ruts everywhere, dragging the baler through some bits , had to leave one part of a field in one place. Bought a lorry and drag of straw earlier on in summer and trying to eek it out as getting more just isn't happening so have ordered sawdust to see how that goes , still a lot of cows out on hill ground but are making a mess so thus week most will be in but don't have housing fir them all.
CharcoalWally
Member
- Location
- West of Scotland
Hmm.
Sorry guys, but I'm going to disagree that this year is worse than '85 , I don't think it is.
I remember the day we packed the woolbags. The rain started to thunder on the roof 'til we couldn't hear each other speak. We looked out the shed door, and it was like someone had draped a solid sheet of water over the shed door - it looked like you couldn't walk through it. I've never seen that since.
The local drainage contractor couldn't get his 4 wheel drive jeep up the brae behind the steading, and that's normally a rock hard brae. If you stepped on the ground, you heard the saturation squelch go out for 50 yards around you.
@miniconnect , ask your father if he remembers Tarbert Fair Day 1985?
There were calves being loaded onto floats for the sale in a lightning storm in the early hours. The day was black as night only lit by the lightning which flashed menacingly all day.
Farm roads washed away. The main trunk road was flooded every few miles and was threatened with closure in the morning. Traffic crawled along at a snails pace, it wasn't safe to travel at any speed.
Back in town for a wedding in the late afternoon, you couldn't hear the wedding service for the thunder and the unrelenting rain. The streets were flooded and we had no power at the farm all day. That was July 29th.
1985 was the year the local NFU organised a boatload of Canadian hay delivered into the local harbour to feed cattle through the Winter as forage was in such short supply. I've never seen that since.
Cattle have come through this year better than 1985. That year dragged the guts out of them and there were a lot of cows went down with staggers.
I've had this very conversation with others recently, and we'd all be in agreement with '85 being the worst year we've all ever seen.
Sorry guys, but I'm going to disagree that this year is worse than '85 , I don't think it is.
I remember the day we packed the woolbags. The rain started to thunder on the roof 'til we couldn't hear each other speak. We looked out the shed door, and it was like someone had draped a solid sheet of water over the shed door - it looked like you couldn't walk through it. I've never seen that since.
The local drainage contractor couldn't get his 4 wheel drive jeep up the brae behind the steading, and that's normally a rock hard brae. If you stepped on the ground, you heard the saturation squelch go out for 50 yards around you.
@miniconnect , ask your father if he remembers Tarbert Fair Day 1985?
There were calves being loaded onto floats for the sale in a lightning storm in the early hours. The day was black as night only lit by the lightning which flashed menacingly all day.
Farm roads washed away. The main trunk road was flooded every few miles and was threatened with closure in the morning. Traffic crawled along at a snails pace, it wasn't safe to travel at any speed.
Back in town for a wedding in the late afternoon, you couldn't hear the wedding service for the thunder and the unrelenting rain. The streets were flooded and we had no power at the farm all day. That was July 29th.
1985 was the year the local NFU organised a boatload of Canadian hay delivered into the local harbour to feed cattle through the Winter as forage was in such short supply. I've never seen that since.
Cattle have come through this year better than 1985. That year dragged the guts out of them and there were a lot of cows went down with staggers.
I've had this very conversation with others recently, and we'd all be in agreement with '85 being the worst year we've all ever seen.
miniconnect
Member
- Location
- Argyll
yes, dad has spoken about tarbert fair day, him, grandfather and douglas coming home to get the cows in in thunder and lightening.
mum and dad got married that year, they were on honeymoon in late september and we had cattle grazing out the laggan, grandpa went to check them one day and they were all on an island totally surrounded. by chance he met a nearby estate manager who offered grazing.
Recently dad spoke of it the same way as yourself, but he says 85 came good, late in the 2nd week of october, and he thought most folk did get a decent first cut of silage. but there were more floods.
this year its just been constant wet. yesterday was just another top up.
- Location
- Ardrossan Ayrshire
I would have to disagree on your assessment re 1985. I do not disagree with your recollection of biblical rain, I am sure I remember that day too.
SilliamWhale
Member
Still a bit of corn in pembrokeshire to cut
- Location
- Sorn Ayrshire
I dont think thers any doubt 85 was wetter with far more heavy rain here stock did melt in 85 just this no drouth and by this time in 85 it had started to dry up The reliance on hay then meant fodder was that much harder to get and subsequently scarce . Hopefully this is not viewed as moaning we are pretty good at adapting and modifying, kina running out of ideas at the moment though.
- Location
- Ardrossan Ayrshire
I remember those bales. Wire tied with orange string handles. And heavy!!!
rc mx110
Member
Wouldn't know. Seeing as I'm a product of 86
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
So you were conceived in a wet miserable year, no wonder you moan and whinge
rc mx110
Member
Not
Not sure. The nasty could of been done in the new yr. As I due in sept. But was early so was early aug
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
But 85 was a great October, I remember dad cutting spring barley and it was dry the whole time
CharcoalWally
Member
- Location
- West of Scotland
'85 eventually came dry here in late October, but it was too late to repair the damage that had been done. I tried the mower once round the silage field in mid October, but it was still too wet to go on to, and I had to give it at least another week to dry up.
I remember it as it was the same day as a neighbour's funeral.
Gatehouse Farm
Member
- Location
- Kent
No, only got here yesterday. Going to be spending a lot of the week in Glen Kinglass.
- Location
- Ardrossan Ayrshire
Enjoy. Superb scenery abounds in all that area.
Gatehouse Farm
Member
- Location
- Kent
Oh yes the track in is a bit cheek clenching in places
fermerboy
Member
- Location
- Banffshire
We are lucky(NE Scot)that it has dried up for a few days at a time.
A hell of a lot of straw was baled last weekend. Neighbour had 5 or 6 balers going for two days, and he still has a little bit left that wasn't fit to bale.
Heard today of one farmer that still has 500ac straw to bale, big wide cut combines are great but trying to dry out 40' of straw in a day or two isn't going to happen.
I see bits of fields that have had to been abandoned and cut round, but most are at least cut and baled up now.
Some boys having a hard time trying to lift tatties too.
85 was pretty bad but when it dried up, it dried up properly and folk got going.
I have heard some horror stories from the SW and that guys have my sympathies, its bloody hard going on man and machine and very hard physically and mentally.
A hell of a lot of straw was baled last weekend. Neighbour had 5 or 6 balers going for two days, and he still has a little bit left that wasn't fit to bale.
Heard today of one farmer that still has 500ac straw to bale, big wide cut combines are great but trying to dry out 40' of straw in a day or two isn't going to happen.
I see bits of fields that have had to been abandoned and cut round, but most are at least cut and baled up now.
Some boys having a hard time trying to lift tatties too.
85 was pretty bad but when it dried up, it dried up properly and folk got going.
I have heard some horror stories from the SW and that guys have my sympathies, its bloody hard going on man and machine and very hard physically and mentally.
willie waver
Member
- Location
- walking in the ayr
it was November here before it dried up for the spring barley. I remember opening a hole in the hedge at the bottom of a steep field, combining down the field, out the hole and driving up the road to the gate at the top and combining down again, 10 foot header, that took quite a while. same with the baler. couldn't use a sledge or trailer. had to put them out singly and then gather them up on an old dicky camel. what a year
Speedstar
Member
- Location
- Scottish Borders
Things have been bad in the Scottish Borders as well, but most things are cut ,still straw to bale , I think 1985 was wetter but it did come good in October , which it has not done this year, think it is going to be a long winter for a lot of farmers this year, good luck