Agriculture basics Flashcards
Name the steps of crop husbandry
- Cultivations
- Drilling
- Fertilising/ manure
- Irrigation
- Pesticides
- Harvesting
- Storage
What factors impact cultivations
- Rainfall
- Soil
- Management
- Drainage
- Residue / organic matter
- Cover crop
- Traffic
- irrigation
- Pests / weeds
What happens in January on the farm
Farm Maintenance - hedge cutting, tree planting, ditch and drainage clearance, fencing etc
Sheep - are in lower pastures and being given additional feed
Arable - manure and slurry spreading particularly on hay and silage fields
What happens in February on the Farm
More general farm maintenance
Sheep - brought into shelter for pregnancy scanning
Livestock - given additional feed
Arable - muck and slurry spreading continues, early seed drilling for peas and beans
What happens in March on the farm
Sheep - sorted into lambing groups, lambing begins, breeding ewes are vaccinated and feet trimmed against footrot
Livestock - calving starts
Arable - Muck spreading continues, fertilise and spray crops including liquid fertiliser applied to potato fields. Top dress cereals. Sow sugar beet
What happens in April on the farm
Sheep - lambing ending
Livestock - calving continues
Arable - potatoes, beans and peas are being planted, fertilising grass production fields to boost yield for silage. Cereal crops sprayed with pesticides and top dressed with fertiliser
What happens in May on the farm
Sheep - lambs castrated and ear tagged, sheer long tails to prevent flystrike
Livestock - buildings cleared, stock removed from silage fields
Arable - fertiliser spread on silage fields to allow for 6 weeks of growth before cutting. Crops fertilised
What happens in June on the farm
Sheep - shearing and routine work (foot bathing and worming)
Livestock - spring born calves de-horned
Arable - hay and silage making, irrigate potatoes and other crops (leafy crops going to supermarkets)
What happens in July on the farm
Sheep - shearing continues
Arable - harvest begins (OSR, WB and WW), hay and silage making, irrigate potatoes and other crops, spray potatoes, bailing and carting straw or straw chopped and left in fields
What happens in August on the farm
Livestock - young cattle and sheep gaining size
Arable - harvest continues, some fields already being ploughed and sown with winter crops
What happens in September on the farm
Sheep - lambs sold as they finish or store lambs for further fattening
Arable - Harvest continues, straw bailed and removed or shredded. Harvest potatoes and beet, ploughing, harrowing and cultivations. Drill OSR, WW and WB
What happens in October on the farm
Sheep - continued maintenance (dipping and clipping)
Livestock - Calves weaned and cattle fed
Arable - last of wheat harvested if wet, maize harvested for silage, ploughing and harrowing continues
What happens in November on the farm
Sheep - tup sales
Livestock - house cows
Arable - ploughing and continued late drilling of wheat and barley
What happens in December on the farm
Livestock - feeding of cows and continued daily livestock work
Arable - ploughing, spray cereals
Farm maintenance begins
What are the key aims of the Agriculture Act 2020
- Increase competitiveness
- Productivity
- Use of technology
- Produce fairer returns
