The Year Round: Harvesting can now go beyond midnight hour

Markets' returns have been thrown awry by Putin's announcements that no Russian grain will be exported. Futures for corn prices are going sky high and straw merchants are scouring the countryside for supplies. It is the same with potatoes.

Our supermarkets used to latch on to any samples without a really bright skin and drive the prices down on the slightest pretext. I feel little sympathy for them when they now realise that a hungry Russian cares nothing about colour in a potato skin.

Our 12,000 laying poultry have come into full lay. The new fans installed to boost the ventilation in their houses have proved most efficient.

Potatoes show a flush of growth. They were drought affected a month ago but are now in excellent condition.

A field of Canadian Red wheat was gathered on July 29. It's pleased in every way except yield, being one-and-a-half tonnes per acre to supply Hovis. Grain samples were excellent.

After vining all the peas, we needed to cultivate the stubbles immediately. New points had to be fitted for the cultivator, but we realise that our soils are much less difficult to work than some only a few miles away.

As a result of early combining, there is a surprising number of deer and more wild ducks than I expected.

Wild ducks have grown strongly beyond the duckling stage, despite the dykes that link our fields being much lower in water than usual.

Pheasants and partridges are well-established showing the way that some organisations regularly blame intensive farming (whatever that is) for any shortages that displease them.

CW 14/8/10