Northernlights

Yes a wonderful day with combines on the go but yes you are correct some fields have been abandoned because of wet ground or the crop is so flat and sprouting and has very little value. The fact that the wet spell was so long and the crop very ripe it is collapsing with any wind or heavy rain.It"s a long time since I have seen Nairnshire with so much crop still not cut when it is so ripe. I think only 1985 would have been worse when there was still a lot of crop to cut in mid October. Another observation is that a lot of big units are stuggling trying to do large acreages with the minimal machinery based on say 50 working days.If however there only 20 dry days for working in they are in trouble. I am reminded of my old college economics lecturer in the seventies who said that when she went onto a farm where there should only be one combine and she found two,the first one was treated as a machinery cost and the second one as an insurance cost agaist bad weather and breakdowns. In the seventies there were twice as many combines in the north of Scotland as theoretically needed just to match the poor climate.Some of these lessons seem to have been forgotten today.

More overnight and morning rain been a very wet spell now.Cleared to warm sunshine this afternoon but with no wind it became oppressively humid and you would have thought we culd have got a thunderstorm at any moment. Farmers with crops of cereals and tatties in this area to harvest must be despairing of any dry weather.Had another calf last night took cow into calve because of the wet and put cow and calf out in sunshine this afternoon, calf soon fast asleep in the sun after a good feed from the cow. Temperature got up to 17 c this afternoon

Even the east here looks like rain now in spite of the local forecast saying dry till 4.00pm. Mild though at 15c Some combines went all night last night and anyone with a combine who is finished are helping others out but a lot of grain will need a lot of drying and a lot is being rejected for malting. Its fast becoming a salvage operation.

Dry and sunny above this mrning and currently 11c. Out this morning at 5.00pm in the dark to check on first calver that we have kept in to observe and had the dog with me. As we approached the steading there was a terrific growl and a clatter as something jumped into the fold and hit the gate.Must have been a badger again. Dog was hilarious with every hair standing up on her back!! Ground still saturated with a very heavy dew and patchy mist this morning.

But even on netweather the local 1-3 day forecasts have been very inaccurate this summer for haymaking and even for this coming weekend Sunday has been either bone dry or showery in the last 12 hours. Into our 18th hour of rain now so total shutdown in the fields and currently 11c

Great blue sky dry day after a cool start at 5c, what a change, combines appeared all around us in the afternoon.Thousands of geese here now probably a fortnight earlier than usual but they probably decided to come early hitching a ride on the northnorthwesterly wind of the last few days

More steady rain this morning Even for a farmer that has secured the harvest the almost continuous rain of the last ten days is getting tedious.A NNW wind can be a wet direction for the south side of the Moray Firth. Fields are waterlogged now. Took in the first cow to calve last night and we have nice heifer calf born at 5.30am. At least it will get to dry off before we put it out later today. Currently10c

Cute start to the day with two young roe deer looking in the window at me. They are in the turnip field next to the farm not afraid of humans and very inquisitive.Tried to get a photo as they moved away so a bit blurred. Currently very wet and 9c so feels and looks like mid October. A lot of crop still to cut in the area as well as straw to bale so everyone looking for some dryer weather.

Mean"t to add first snow of the season on Ben Nevis this morning

Cool autumnal start to the day at 6.30am at 6.5c. Went out the door to be greeted by the sight of the first huge skein of honking geese passing overhead heading south with a tail wind behind them.Took a few more steps round corner the garden wall and almost collided with a pair of roe deer calves who have taken up residence in the turnip field behind the farmhouse. They just stood there looking at me and then walked off going under the gate and then back into the field.Less than 18 inches clearance under the gate too.Currently overcast and 11c

Another wet dreich mid October morning with more heavy rain overnight. Currently 8.5c. Ground getting very wet now. Even clearing round bales is going to be a messy job unless we get some drying winds.

A real dark mid October morning here today with periods of very heavy rain a strong NW wind off the Firth and currently 10c

Yes quite a considerable quantity of cereals to cut up here still and the quality will soon be lost if these heavy showers keep up.even tattie ground will soon be very wet for lifting. The autumn is not keeping up the good start it had.

Yes a very autumnal day here with sharp showers and a few sunny intervels and the fast changing colours on the trees make it look much later into autumn.A farmer on the Black Isle posted a photo of a formation of geese . If they are the first migrating ones it seems quite early.He also said all his swallows had left but there still quite a number here.Currently 10c

Another fine day, breezy, sunny intervels and a maximum of 17c. Finally finished the last batch of this seasons hay and baled the last straw field last night. Have done more outside work that needs dry weather in the last four days than in the last four weeks so tired contented farmer but only for a week or so as cows about to calve. At least if the forecast rain and wind arrives then we are up to date as we can be.

On looking at photos photos of harvest am struck by how all the plants have senaced very early this year from peas in the garden to bracken( no keen frost to date) to the leaves on the trees including larch needles to the barley stems (straw) which has boken up into tiny pieces in the combine as it was so dead ripe. The autumn colours are well and truly here.Maybe the snow won"t be long either! A sunny start to the day with a heavy dew and currently 9c

Yes a cracking harvest day dry, low humidity, with almost clear blue skies and a breeze this evening allowing the combine to keep going, no dew so far. There is even dust Yippee!!!

A nice autumnal start to the day at 5c with some sunny intervels. Just hope the afternoon showers stay away and the combines roll again.

Welll another tropical afternoon as a shower arrived just as I was half way through baling a field. It seems to rain every afternoon mostly after a good drying morning. Currently overcast dry and 15c.

Well another local forcast to bin supposed to be dry afternoon.Combines in area started about 1.00pm and all got rained off at 3.00pm. This is turning into a very catchy harvest.

Sun is shining with a blue sky and fresh wind.Grain is very soft so will be tomorrow before its dry enough to cut again. Currently 20c

A lot of conifers are showing signs of yellowing needles as well..Could this all go back to the very dry winter ,spring and early summer to mid July and be the result of earlier drought conditions

The very same thing is happening here almost a month ahead of normal. Just put a comment on the Scottish thread earlier. Daylight response with lots of spring, early summer sunshine ?or something more unusual like rising background CO2 levels forcing the trees to grow too fast.?

Just the same here with a few patches of blue sky now .Currently 17c. Very Autumnal looking this morning with the fog and drizzle and nearly all the leaves on the trees turning fast .Seems very early is the good weather in spring the reason?

Spot on forecast for today WET!!!! Combines forlornly parked up in half cut fields. Can"t wait for autumn to start maybe it will be less humid with a few dry days in a row occasionaly. Currently raining calm and 17c