Oak Glen Farm

We’re pressing on – maybe that’s the wrong term as we’re not growing grapes? But we are chasing around trying to keep our head above the crops and build our bank balance. Before expanding field 4, I needed to take down a couple more trees. That was accomplished quickly. Here’s the stump-grinder in action, removing the last remnants of them……I hate chopping down trees, so I’m glad that is over and done. I have planted a tree in a gap between the others that I left to form a field boundary.

Tragically, I have a real world equivalent that I’m currently dealing with. As a result of a series of dry summers, our Rowan tree is causing structural damage by taking all of the water from the soil under the house. That means it will have to be felled. I spoke to a tree surgeon earlier today and he will be coming on Sunday to check out the tree and give me a quote. It feels like I’m murdering a member of the family and I am more than a little fed up with the world at present 😦

I knuckled down and prepared the field opposite the farm. I couldn’t believe that it needed Lime – that means we’ve had 3 crops from that field and in game terms for me I believe that is a first! Never stuck with a farm-sim save so long – says that this map has given the sense of involvement I need to really enjoy the game! So I spread the Lime……Harrowed the ground to cultivate, fertilized it and sowed a crop of Soy Beans. I’ll add those to my existing harvest sitting in the silo at the farm before selling.

Last post I mentioned the Grass harvest still sitting in field 4 – we got on and did that……producing 10 silage bales……Now that field is ready to be ploughed and expanded into the newly opened up areas. But that raises another dilema for me; I had planned to sow grass and continue to use the field to produce silage, but I’m also looking at this field as another for crop production. It really is a difficult choice because when you put the costs behind growing crops against the simple fertilize-harvest cycle of a grass silage field, there is very little to choose profit-wise. I may decide to do a crop here first and sow 14 East with Grass to see how that costs in.

The Barley in 14 West ripened while I was doing those other chores so I spent the late afternoon harvesting……and then baling the Straw which I sold to the Stables…

So now I have £260k in the bank and I can afford that more powerful tractor to handle ploughing and some of the heavier jobs that the Fendt needs a rest from. I’ve narrowed it down to 3 contenders. The Massey-Ferguson 7726 at 280HP….., the Claas Axion 870 at 295HP……or the John Deere 6250R at 300HP……Each will allow me to use a slightly wider plough – .5 of a metre wider.. Whoopy-Do!! But whichever I choose to buy, it’ll spread the load, allowing the Fendt to remain in use along with the Massey 3090. Anyone out there want to suggest which I should go for?