Brett Vale Farming Diary - August 2026
It’s the end of August and it’s raining! In true farmer fashion though, it is not raining enough! We have had 14mm at one end of the farm and nothing at the other. Guess which end we want to drill oilseed rape on…. To be fair, even 14mm would hardly be enough to confidently establish a crop, such is the deficit we are in.
Let’s head back to the beginning of the month, where we continued our campaign to apply nutrients into the soil, but this time it was less smelly!
We applied the bagged phosphate, potash and magnesium fertilisers to fields that will be planted with sugar beet this season. Beet has a high requirement for these nutrients, so even on land where levels are good, we apply this to make sure they stay that way.
Cultivations have continued slowly. The hard ground caused me to do some shopping when the subsoiler was parked up waiting for parts to be manufactured. A new (to us) machine turned up a few days later and now the pair are running in tandem.
Being so ahead with work has meant that we haven’t worked a single weekend in August. There have been many summers in the past when we have worked all of them, so the novelty has been enjoyed.
A couple of the team have used some annual leave and I was able to spend time with the family, two of which have August birthdays, so this was a nice change.
Ironically, our minds turned to waterlogged land and we had some drainage work carried out. As much as it’s difficult to imagine now, drainage is fundamental to growing successful crops. These weren’t full schemes, but some additions to existing ones to help some historically wet areas. I always find it amazing when they are joining new schemes onto 50–60-year-old ones that they are still working, and how many times over they have paid for themselves. It will be very satisfying to see these run in the winter.
From the 15th August, we were able to start cutting our pollen and nectar Countryside Stewardship areas. These had actually fulfilled their purpose a long time ago and, being so tall and dry, were causing more of a fire risk than providing a habitat for insects. Farming by conditions rather than the calendar is normally the right call.
We also harvested our maize on the 15th, the earliest we have ever done by three weeks – there’s a theme recurring. While there was a yield penalty, another theme, it was nice to get the crop off in good conditions and cause no soil damage. The crop was taken to a local anaerobic digester to be converted into energy.
We did end the month making the countryside smell a bit more like, well, the countryside! The contractors were back and we spread the turkey litter and the cattle muck. Again, we were right behind them with the cultivators incorporating this, so hopefully it didn’t last too long!
If we get enough rain over the next few days, we may be able to drill some oilseed rape next week. So, while I am keeping my fingers crossed for a wet bank holiday weekend, I know the Red Rose are doing the opposite for their beer festival. I know they have plenty of marquee space and, perhaps more importantly, beer, so it will be a great event either way.
Oliver Pratt, August 2026
