Country diary: September's hazy warmth has cheered the local farmers | Virginia Spiers

St Dominic, Tamar Valley: There was frenetic harvesting after the rainy gloom of summer, with maize next to be cutHarvest in this predominantly pastoral area entails a frenetic succession of grass cutting, spreading to wilt, rowing-up, baling, and wrapping in plastic as silage or haylage. The onset of hot dry weather, after weeks of rainy gloom, enables second cuts and cheers farmers who now anticipate sufficient winter fodder for their animals.The few crops of cereals have not thrived - moulds flourished in the damp summer, spoiling grain, reducing yields and providing sparse straw. To avoid complete loss, a field near home was "cut whole" one night in late August, carted back to base and packed into the silage clamp. Continue reading...