Brett Vale Farming Diary - May 2026
Better late than never...
Apologies that the May entry is a little late. The last week of the month was half term, and I found myself in Croatia with the family. A swim in the Adriatic Blue Lagoon was an excellent way to wind down after a busy spring and ahead of harvest. I have encouraged all the team to take some time off over the couple of months before harvest begins; it's important to unwind occasionally.
We kicked off May with the excitement of two new tractors being delivered, thanks to Claas Manns for their help with the deal. We found that, with only one 400-horsepower tractor and the workload increasing last autumn, more pressure was being put on one man and machine. Buying a second large prime mover has allowed us to extend the expected life of the fleet by three years, reducing costs.
You may have seen some of the Brett Vale equipment at the Hadleigh Show – well done to all involved. It was a great day, with record attendance and favourable weather, although farmers would have been quietly pleased to see some rain on show day. We had a fantastic day, and the crowds seemed engaged by our display of farming through the ages.
Ably driven by Charles Course (with his own vintage 1950s Nuffield tractor towing the even older reaper-binder), Olly Pratt (with our shiny 6-furrough reversible plough behind the impressive 235 hp Claas Axion 830 tractor), Will Chaplin (towing the new Horsch Avatar 12.25 SD disc seed drill) and Martin Pratt (sitting proud in the imposing Claas combine).
We experienced some extreme heat during the latter part of the month, which has really affected the spring crops, with the spring barley looking worst off. The heat has meant some early mornings out on the sprayers so that we aren't placing any additional stress on the crops. In some cases, we are changing pesticide choices, and even abandoning some plans altogether, to reduce costs as we revise our yield forecasts downwards.
Organic fertilisers are an excellent way to reduce the need for manufactured fertiliser, and we have been taking delivery of turkey litter over the past few weeks. This provides useful nitrogen and phosphate but is particularly high in potash. Applying it to fields where we plan to grow maize and sugar beet in two years' time has reduced our inorganic fertiliser requirements by 60–70% in some areas. Great for the environment and our pocket. Apologies in advance for the smell!
When not out with the sprayers, we have been in the workshop getting our old Vaderstad drill ready for use. With the new Avatar, I'm not planning to use it, but it will stay in the back of the shed for now, just in case.
We also got out with the subsoiler on the fields where we lifted beet in February and, with the lack of rain, decided not to drill barley. This looks to have been a good decision. Subsoiling relieves compaction at depth, and this remedial work should give us a good start for the next crop.
It's been great to see how the farm changed during the week I was away. The ox-eye daisies seem to be enjoying the drought-like conditions, and it was wonderful to spot a pair of red deer. My grandad would have said, "A drip in June keeps things in tune," so fingers crossed we see some rain this month to help the wheat grain fill in and allow us to plant our environmental areas.
I also spent a couple of days in Sussex with the NFU in May as part of their Membership Development Programme, which I have been taking part in. It was great to catch up with the group again as we enjoyed a vineyard tour and wine tasting, alongside a visit to a large-scale vegetable enterprise specialising in sweetcorn and asparagus.
It wasn't all eating and drinking, though. We had some fascinating breakout sessions with NFU office holders, and it was great to hear about their experiences. It certainly provided food for thought on how we can help the organisation moving forward.
I have recently taken on the role of NFU County Vice-Chair for Suffolk, so if you have anything you'd like to discuss, please do get in touch.
Oliver Pratt, May 2026
Photo Credit: Oliver Pratt