Old rhyme's lesson in getting rid of troublesome thistles
July and August have been two extremely busy months.
The early harvest combined with excellent prices on all commodities has led to very heavy farmer selling, which is good. Yields have been better than anticipated on this side of the country but there has been significant variation with yield on different land types, that is, the lighter soils have not fared quite as well as the heavier soils.
So all this has led to great excitement in the grain markets with a large rise taking place in the month of August with prices for after Christmas touching £200 per tonne. I found myself trying to persuade some customers that £200 was a selling point which was a bit surprising as these are figures that we all dream about!
In July I was asked to judge the Cleobury and Ludlow farms competition which was an absolute joy. With the very able help of my co judge, Brian Williams, from Shipton and guide Stuart Rogers, we judged wheat, maize, oilseed rape, grass, cattle and sheep.
We saw farms that varied from the very traditional to the ultra modern and after a very close fight Nick Hamer from Henley won.
What was really very interesting was how farmers attitudes have changed over the last 30 years. I mention this because as we travelled around one old pal's pasture trying to find his cattle in the thistles, I was commenting on how high they were and shouldn’t he have topped them? Stuart (whoops) told me two things: 1) the thistles are good for the bees and 2) he reminded me of the old tale, cut a thistle in May and it will surely stay, cut in June and it will be back soon, cut in July and it will surely die.
I cut our thistles in June and I can report that the rhyme is quite right! But how attitudes have changed – 30 years ago those thistles would have been sprayed out of sight!
Drilling is virtually upon us so let’s hope we have a bit of moisture to help the crops on... but not too much.
David Roberts, of G.O Davies Ltd. G.O Davies (Westbury) Ltd grain merchants
