Brett Vale Farming Diary - February 2026
We started the month with some operator training from Henry Pakenham of Omnia Digital Farming. This year we’ve adopted the Omnia app as our cloud-based farm management platform, which will bring all of our data, mapping, inventory and compliance tools together in one place. It’s a big step forward for us and will also allow us to go paperless with spray and fertiliser recommendations, making record-keeping simpler and more efficient.
We also enjoyed a trip to the 2026 Doe Show organised by Ernest Doe. Over breakfast, the conversation turned to what jobs we could tackle to improve efficiency and keep the workplace tidy. It didn’t take long to agree that our trusty farm portacabin was looking rather tired and in need of some attention. While at the show, we ordered materials to fit a pitched roof to stop water pooling on top, along with new guttering. You’ll see the difference in the before and after pictures, although it’s still due another coat of paint to finish the job properly.
Wheat continued to be loaded out this month, leaving several grain stores empty. This provided a good opportunity to immediately clean beneath the floor vents, removing any remaining food sources and hopefully keeping the mice at bay. Once that job was ticked off, we were able to get the Avatar drill into the shed for some maintenance. This included replacing a few bearings and other worn part, which is a relatively small cost compared to buying a new drill. Now we just need a long spell of dry weather so we can get it out into the field!
Before spring really gets underway, it’s important to spend time walking the autumn-drilled crops, keeping an eye out for early signs of disease and weed pressure. It’s also a good opportunity to check and record our companion crops within the winter cereals, which form part of the environmental schemes we are involved in.
Walking the winter beans highlighted just how high disease levels had become. The start of the year has been wet and mild, and with the crop slightly on the thick side, the leaves have struggled to dry out — ideal conditions for disease to develop. We were pleased to get a fungicide applied in good time. As ground conditions were better than expected and the sprayer travelled surprisingly well, we also took the opportunity to carry out some weed control in the oilseed rape.
​Later in February, I was invited to the NFU Conference ‘Building Farming’s Resilience’ at Birmingham ICC as a delegate of their East Region membership development programme. It was a great event with some excellent speakers and valuable networking opportunities. The final item on the second day was a panel discussion featuring four farmers who had built resilience in their businesses. There were some great take-homes from this and my favourite quote was “resilience is to just get on with it”, which, as farmers is very often what we have to do – mostly weather related!!
The last week of the month brought a welcome few days of sunshine, and it finally started to feel like spring. The team grabbed the opportunity and were out in full force with the two fertiliser spreaders. They completed applications across the oilseed rape, winter barley and second wheats. With both spreaders being new to us this season, it was a real relief that they ran without issue. Even better, the team used the new Omnia app to create records seamlessly, rounding off the month on a very positive note.
My marathon training is well underway.
I will be running the 2026 London Marathon on the 26th April for the Kyaninga Child Development Centre in Uganda. If you wish to donate, the link is below. I, and they, would be extremely grateful for anything you can give.​
https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/oliver-pratt
Very many thanks and see you next month!
Oliver Pratt, February 2026
Photo Credit: Oliver Pratt