We are at the end of September already!! The Indian summer we had hoped for has not arrived, and it is feeling very autumnal on the farm. The days are certainly getting shorter, and the temperatures are dropping overnight. We have even had our log burner lit on a couple of occasions!!!
Sadly, it has not been the drilling season we hoped for because of the weather. In previous years, we would normally be well into getting next years crops in the ground by this point, however the recent spell of wet weather has meant we are unable to travel in our fields. A lot of people have asked, why with our big machines we don’t just crack on with it, but if we did, we would do a lot of damage to the soil, and also get our vehicles stuck in the mud, because they are so heavy!
Despite the weather, we are winning, and getting some of our crops in the ground on the nicer days: Our rapeseed was drilled at the end of last month, but sadly due to the biblical rain we had, it failed. However, it was re sown a week later and is now establishing itself nicely and will hopefully make a good crop. We are slowly getting some of the wheat crops in and at times have had the seed drill running 24 hours a day to try and beat the forecasted rain showers!! Whilst this is not ideal, it has certainly taken some of the pressure off, knowing we are starting to put a dent into the workload! I don’t think we have ever scrutinised the weather reports as much as we have this year. I know I speak for all farmers UK wide, when I say the weather this year has made our jobs a lot more stressful than normal!
I think the lads are pleased, the rain appears to have stopped for now, so they can get out of the workshop and back in their tractors. The one bonus of wet days is that the repair jobs and maintenance get done: we have been replacing points on the ploughs, tines on cultivators and power harrows and have even built a new trailed Avadex boom spreader. This has been quite the labour of love for Richard, and he has certainly shown how superb his welding skills are with this project.
We are excited to have another new tractor coming today; the JCB Fastrac has been quite the work horse for Dryden Farms, but it is time to upgrade and she is off to a new home where she will have an easier life! We have decided to break the mould this time and we have purchased a Case tractor, so a nice shiny red one will be joining our fleet of blue New Hollands!
Our lamb boxes have been a huge success, and we have received some wonderful feedback about the taste and quality of the meat. This is what makes doing them worthwhile and we are over the moon to know we have so many happy customers. We will be selling some more in mid-October, and due to their popularity, we plan to continue selling them over the next few months. Please do contact us if you require further information or to place an order.
Our turkey orders have also been flying in, and we are at a record level of sales for this time of year. If you wish to order for this Christmas, please do get your order in soon to avoid disappointment. Orders can be made on our website, but should you have any issues, please do not hesitate to give Tanza a call on 07736 018822 or pop her an email: tanza@drydenfarms.co.uk .
The next few weeks look to be busy, and we are hoping to get the combines back out of the sheds and finish the last of the harvesting. There are still beans and spring barley left to harvest, and we are all anxiously weather watching and checking the ground daily to see if it is dry enough to travel and combine! It will be a huge relief to get our harvest for 2023 finished, and once this is done, the girls (our combines) will be given a good clean and wash and put back in the shed until next July, when we will be doing it all over again! We can only hope the weather is kinder to us all next year ?
Until next month. Wishing everyone all the best,
Martin, Judith, Richard, Tanza & George