Harvest: Harvesting is now all but complete except for beans and a little bit of spring barley in northern counties. It was a struggle in places to get crops ripe enough to harvest. Weather remains relatively kind for planting in most areas with early sown crops emerging well. The generally cool conditions with temperatures lower than normal may help decrease aphid and BYDV pressure in the weeks ahead. But you still need to watch the very early sown crops for aphids.

There has been a big demand for cereal seed and it seems likely that winter barley acreage will increase again this year. It is sensible to have a mix of crops and to have some winter barley on most tillage farms but it carries the same poor yield risk as all other cereals.

Planting: Drilling will be the main focus for the next few weeks. Unlike many recent backends, the majority of land is ploughing up good and dry and ready for immediate planting. Given where air temperatures are, it is possible that we may not suffer excessive growth in either plants or diseases this autumn. But low temperatures are a negative for those who sowed winter oilseed rape or catch crops.

As we move towards mid-October this is a safer time to plant spring oat varieties. There is still plenty time to plant winter barley and indeed many growers further south may be only beginning now. Seed may be getting scarce.

While seedbed conditions remain good, roll all fields post planting. Where possible, roll across inclines to help prevent water erosion down along wheel tracks. Where practical, delay planting in high take-all risk wheat slots until closer to the end of the month.

Drill winter barley at up to 350 seeds/m2 or 160-190kg/ha (10-12st/ac) depending on seed size and conditions; winter wheat at up to 250 seeds/m2 or around 140-155kg/ha (9-10st/ac); and winter oats at over 300 seeds/m2 or 125-150kg/ha (8.0-9.5st/ac). Higher seed rates are not a substitute for poor seedbeds, especially where slugs or crows are likely to be a problem.

For those intending to use high N manures like pig slurry or chicken litter, the latest date for application is 14 October. Winter barley in a low-fertility site needs some form of fertiliser close to the seed and roots. As the date for chemical fertiliser has passed, this can only now be provided by organic manures on such sites. Lime is critical.

Green cover: With so many later crops sprayed off with Roundup to get them to ripen, it seems likely that there will be many fields that will have little or no green cover present. But green cover is obligatory where a stubble is to be left over winter. So you may need to get something to grow, either by planting something cheap like fodder rape, mustard or oats or by doing a light cultivation to help get weeds and volunteer seeds to germinate and grow to provide the green cover.