Farming Year

Farming is a business built upon from one season to the next. It is a process which the success of one season is very much dependant upon the activities of the last. There are no short cuts – and very few days off!

Below is a very broad outline of the monthly activities at Beal Farm :

September

• Combine Harvesting of cereal crops
• Baling of straw and removing (“Leading”) from fields
• Cereals are dried and stored on the farm
• Ploughing of fields
• Cultivation of fields to be sown
• Drilling (Sowing) of winter wheat, oilseed rape and winter barley

October

• Continue with cultivation of fields
• Drilling of winter wheat
• Drill winter barley specifically for Geese as part of the Geese Management Program
• Begin to provide feed to Partridges and Pheasants

November

• Ploughing in preparation for spring crops. These fields will be left overwinter
• Cereals are sold from the farm to a network of grain dealers

December

• Cereals are continually collected from the stores on the farm
• Straw is also sold for animal feed and bedding
• Some crops receive sprays to help reduce the incidence of weeds in the crop

January

• Machinery service and maintenance
• Trees and hedges are planted

February

• Final machinery checks and preparation for coming season
• Final hedgerow maintenance

March

• Cultivation of fields for spring sown crops
• Drill spring crops with combined application of fertilizer
• Growing winter wheat received a first application of fertilizer
• Winter wheat and barley may receive an application of spray to help reduce disease

April

• Vining peas are sown into cultivated land
• Winter wheat receives it’s second, and final, application of fertilizer

May

• Cereals, peas and beans are checked regularly for disease and sprayed if necessary
• Preparations are made for the coming harvest – Stores cleaned with pressure washer

June

• Grain stores are checked and sealed to prevent disease or pests

July

• Peas are vined (Harvested) and taken to local processors
• Oilseed rape begins to be harvested
• Winter barley is the first cereal to be harvested

August

• Combine harvesting of cereals in full swing
• Straw is baled and removed from field