Recap of The 2025 Season

The 2025 season has had its challenges, but good ground conditions and favourable weather allowed for both winter and spring crops to be planted in good conditions. Disease pressure was relatively normal, Net blotch in the spring barley and yellow rust in the winter wheat are the two that will stand out for this year. Yields were above the 5-year average for most crops this year. Oil seed rape was the standout crop doing 6.4T/Ha on average on the farm. Winter wheat did 10.7 T/Ha, winter barley 10.1 T/Ha, spring barley 8.8T/Ha and Spring beans doing 4.5T/Ha.

Looking towards 2026 harvest, the kind autumn has allowed for great soil conditions and optimum timing for sowing. We started with the Winter oil seed rape and cover crops back In August where we got sown on the 21st of August. We then got to sow the winter rye plots on the 25th of September. There was very little slug activity this year and the early sowing helped also to allow the rye grow ahead of any potential slug risk.

We got our winter wheat and barley trials sown on the 9th of October and are doing really well. These crops also got a pre-emerging herbicide so we will just watch temperatures and activity for aphids for now. Winter oats were sown on the 28th if October. They have also emerged, but we are currently having a lot of rain but good soil conditions the day of sowing and getting it rolled has stopped any water pooling and water is getting to soak away.