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Is Lack Of Rain Is Already Giving Farmers A Headache ? .


marsh man
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With tomorrow being the last day of April and no rain forecasted around these parts it is already been one of the driest and coldest on record , according to the weather man the other night the average nights in April where the temp dip below freezing is eight , when he was reporting he said in our region it had already been eighteen and tonight look as if it could be another .

On many of our drilled fields we haven't had a drop of rain since the seed was put in the ground and our Peas are only just poking it's head above ground level , irrigation have now being on non stop for the last fore night and on the grazing marshes the outlook is already looking grim , last year they put the charity's horses on around now and with last years hot and dry weather they had to supplement the grass , or lack of it with hay as the horses were eating it faster than it could grow , this year they are not down there yet as the weather have been so cold the grass haven't moved at all .

So it is early days yet but I am beginning to think what the crops are going to be like in around 12 weeks time when the combines are getting ready to make a start .

How is it around your way ?

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Cereal crops will miss out one growth stage due to this drought. This means the plants will shoot straight to producing one seed head rather than several. Yields will be greatly reduced. 

The rape field opposite my house was fertilised one month ago and again last week. The granular fertiliser from the first application is still standing around and has not been assimilated into the ground. 

If it ever rains again cereal and rape crops will put on enormous growth overnight. 

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Our game cover plots were ploughed and harrowed about a week ago.  Having a poke in the soil, I was surprised to find that despite the dry crust that had been on top there was plenty of moisture just underneath.    Despite the lack of rain and a decent breeze, I'm presuming it hasn't gone too dry because there's been no temperature to cause evaporation

Spring cereals were drilled 3-4 weeks ago and they've taken off OK.

We're on quite heavy clay here, which is a PITA in just about every situation but maybe it has helped lock in the moisture?

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The peas are through already despite the fields being rock hard, but today we had the first day of showers, no sign of the deluge and gales predicted but lots of gentle drizzle, more forecast for every day this week right up to Sunday with winds increasing so not great for the shooting, but looking good for any new crops coming through,

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 29/04/2021 at 20:29, marsh man said:

I am beginning to think what the crops are going to be like in around 12 weeks time when the combines are getting ready to make a start

The weather gods must have read your post Marsh Man, it's done nothing but rain ever since!  Spring drillings have shot up like rockets and the winter sown barley I drove past today looked fully grown like it was just waiting to ripen!

Our game covers will be drilled in the next week or so and should flourish.  My only concern is the two months of long hard slog I've just spent running my Larsen traps might all have been in vain  - it's been so cold and wet I fear any wild bred chicks might have perished 😕

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3 minutes ago, Jim Neal said:

The weather gods must have read your post Marsh Man, it's done nothing but rain ever since!  Spring drillings have shot up like rockets and the winter sown barley I drove past today looked fully grown like it was just waiting to ripen!

Our game covers will be drilled in the next week or so and should flourish.  My only concern is the two months of long hard slog I've just spent running my Larsen traps might all have been in vain  - it's been so cold and wet I fear any wild bred chicks might have perished 😕

Well my mumping seemed to work Jim , like you we have had nothing but cold winds and rain and I am now going to see if the sun gods can do the same when I dance outside at the stroke of midnight with just a string vest and sun glasses on , maybe I won't have to because hopefully it is do to improve from mid week onwards , Saturday afternoon I was out trying to get a few Pigeons in the gloomy conditions and I did happen to see my first Swift , they say one Swallow don't make a Summer but seeing the first Swift you know Summer is not that far off , by the way , around these parts the old keepers used to say the weather in Ascot week is the make or break week with young game chicks .

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13 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Well my mumping seemed to work Jim , like you we have had nothing but cold winds and rain and I am now going to see if the sun gods can do the same when I dance outside at the stroke of midnight with just a string vest and sun glasses on , maybe I won't have to because hopefully it is do to improve from mid week onwards , Saturday afternoon I was out trying to get a few Pigeons in the gloomy conditions and I did happen to see my first Swift , they say one Swallow don't make a Summer but seeing the first Swift you know Summer is not that far off , by the way , around these parts the old keepers used to say the weather in Ascot week is the make or break week with young game chicks .

Over the prevoius week her MM we have had a huge amount of rainfall, I have had to empty a 100 litre waterbut almost on a daily basis that drains off a 8x6 roof in the garden. Never knew how much rain actually fell until we have started to capture it recently. We are forecast very good weather towards the end of the week also. Good to read your posts again and no harm in doing that dance,,,, just to be sure you know! :lol:

atb

7diaw

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58 minutes ago, marsh man said:

Well my mumping seemed to work Jim , like you we have had nothing but cold winds and rain and I am now going to see if the sun gods can do the same when I dance outside at the stroke of midnight with just a string vest and sun glasses on , maybe I won't have to because hopefully it is do to improve from mid week onwards , Saturday afternoon I was out trying to get a few Pigeons in the gloomy conditions and I did happen to see my first Swift , they say one Swallow don't make a Summer but seeing the first Swift you know Summer is not that far off , by the way , around these parts the old keepers used to say the weather in Ascot week is the make or break week with young game chicks .

Good luck with the dance... What are you going to perch the sunglasses on? 🤣

I know there's time yet for second broods but calculating roughly from when I knew the birds were first "getting on with it" around my patch, I'd estimated chicks to have been hatching from around early May right on cue for this filthy weather.  I hope that day comes when I drive round the corner and see a hen leading a little group of poults along, fingers crossed 🤞

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