No let-up in weather: This backend is certainly out to set a new standard for awkwardness. While rainfall amounts remain variable around the country, very few areas have been able to get a clear run at work for any more than two to three days. It is so frustrating for growers looking out at so much work to be done and little or no opportunity to do it.

One would have hoped that ground would get a chance to dry, especially where it was sown in less than favourable conditions. But as we move into November there are signs of waterlogging in sown fields.

Limited planting: There was limited planting done over the past week but most growers have now parked the idea of planting any more winter barley, except perhaps in the south of the country. For most growers, wheat is now the main target crop as it is that bit hardier. Some still wonder about planting oats but that would be risky unless seedbed conditions are good enough to get good seed coverage. One would also like to see an amount of sowing taking place locally at the same time to help dilute crow pressure.

Soil temperatures now appear to be average, or lower, for the time of year. This will further slow establishment from now on. That means more problems and for longer but who knows what next spring will bring either. We must always remember than nature is the only thing that acts to control or reduce production and it can do that in many different ways.

While many areas were behind on their annual rainfall up to September, most or all of these have now caught up again. Wet ground conditions are also making harvesting of potatoes close to impossible. Maize and beet are problematic too but they make some effort to dry out the ground when they are still alive at harvest time.

Aphids: While the autumn has been very wet, it has also been quite mild, on average, so we cannot discount the necessity for aphid control for BYDV prevention. And even if temperatures drop now, they will not drop low enough to kill our problem aphids which can survive up to -8ºC.

So the early sown crops should be sprayed with aphicide (if possible) somewhere in early November. While a drop in temperature will slow aphid feeding and multiplication, it is unlikely to reduce numbers where a threat exists.

Lower temperatures now will remove or reduce the need to spray crops that were only planted in the past few weeks or so. However, if temperatures rise again the risk returns and action may be needed at a later date.

Soil testing: While wet ground is not ideal for taking soil tests, it may be one of the few jobs you can be doing while waiting to get more planting done. And even if you are not, this is still a good time to get soil samples taken and sent away to guide fertilisation in the years ahead. For official uses, a sample must be no more than four years old and you need a sample for every five hectares you are farming.