CEREAL drilling is progressing well despite the showery weather and many farms are almost drilled up. At High Mowthorpe we are almost finished, with only organic wheat after clover still to drill.

As we enter October, wetter and cooler soils mean seed rates should be edging up from those used in early and mid-September. We would recommend establishing about 250 plants per square metre for both wheat and barley. For most situations this will require sowing a minimum of 300 seeds and for tough working land, 350 will be more appropriate.

Most crops, which do not need blackgrass or brome control, do not require herbicides just yet. It is generally too early and warm for IPU, which will degrade quickly and "run out of steam" later. Where blackgrass is a problem and early emergence has taken place, apply Hawk from the one leaf stage; it is these early emerging weeds which are most competative. Where annual meadow grass is tillering and thick, increase the rate of IPU towards the end of October.

Infestations of cereal aphids are visible in early-mid September-drilled crops in southern and eastern England but are harder to find in our region. A treatment should be applied in late October or early November to prevent the spread of BYDV. Most crops have emerged quickly and grown away from slugs, however wetter weather and rougher seedbeds could make damaging attacks from slugs more likely in later sown crops.

In oilseed rape, phoma leaf spot is now appearing but the incidence of spotting is still generally low. More active spore release over the last few days is expected to lead to an increase in phoma leaf spot symptoms in two to three weeks time. Apply Punch C if 20pc of plants are infected at the end of October. Propyzamide (eg Kerb) applications can be made to rape after October 1, provided the crop is beyond the three leaf stage. It introduces a different mode of action that may help blackgrass control in situations where resistance exists.

We now have our final yield results for High Mowthorpe which, despite all the problems of the last year, are quite pleasing. Overall, wheat yield was 3.4 tonnes/acre. First wheats did 3.6 tonnes/acre, with Claire topping 4.3 tonnes/acre. The disappointment was late-drilled Hereward that struggled to do 3.0 tonnes/acre.

Second wheats, which were all Napier, did very well at 3.35 tonnes/acre. All of the quality wheats had a three-spray programme but the feed Napier had only two sprays, at half rates, making it very profitable. Despite the lower yield of our Hereward, the Hagbergs and proteins are high and this should sell at a good premium.

Despite my misgivings regarding the variety, it gives our farm manager, Steven Newall, much pleasure to tell me that old Avalon still provides the top yields and quality.

Our small acreage of second-year organic conversion wheat Malacca, after beans and clover, did poorly at only 2.0 tonnes/acre but sold for over £120/tonne. The surprise package was our first year conversion wheat Aardvark, after grass, which, with herbicide and limited nitrogen applied prior to the conversion date but no fungicide, produced an amazing 4.8 tonnes/acre.

Oilseed rape did 28 cwt/acre and spring beans did 36 cwt/acre despite the late drilling.

Our new man in the Vale of Pickering is David Martindale. Specialising in arable and business management, David comes from a farming background in East Yorkshire where he still helps out on a mainly arable farm during harvest while on leave from ADAS.

A graduate of Newcastle University, David studied agriculture before specialising in agronomy. Interests include a range of sports, with football top of the list. As well as "trying" to play football, he had the fortune, or misfortune, to be a supporter of Hull City for many years.

David is looking to establish in the Vale of Pickering, so if you have an arable or business management query, then please contact him on (07867) 906571.

This column is supplied by Derek Knight (01430) 861988, a consultant for ADAS in East and North Yorkshire.

Updated: 09:34 Thursday, October 11, 2001