Is this Autumn already?

[jayonabike]

We too have windfalls.

I'm not surprised, I was in Norfolk last week and one morning it felt like the caravan was going to blow over

 

[Saluki]

I'm not surprised, I was in Norfolk last week and one morning it felt like the caravan was going to blow over

It's not so breezy today but it's still not as still and calm as it has been. Might well venture out for a nice autumnal ride in a while.

 

[jazzkat]

Glass half empty or what!*
I've just come back from a ride, it was a bit windy but it was a nice temperature. OK not hot, but not cold either! All this talk of 3/4's, soup and mudguards.
Bah! Softies.



*I'm actually in denial, I just don't want the nice weather to end.

 

[laurence]

it certainly is in my heart. summer ends with le Tour.

 

[Arthur]

You are a month out,
Jun-Aug Summer
Sep-Nov Autumn
Dec-Feb Winter
Mar-May Spring

Definitely this, in Kent at least.
We should still have a couple of weeks or so until the last of the wheat stubble will have been ploughed back in and the fields are back to brown mud.
Till then it's still summer, regardless of how cold / wet / windy it gets.

 

[classic33]

I wonder if it did? I noticed on a couple of rides recently, after the storms, that the cereal crops seemed to be holding up really well, although we did see combines and tractors rushing about before the forecast deluge began. We remarked on how good the fields looked, as it was unexpected. I'd be interested to hear from any farmers about this. The cereal varieties these days have very short stems compared with the old-fashioned long straw, which might have made a difference, perhaps.

More is cut with a higher moisture content than would have been accepted in the past. Modern drying methods make this possible.
If the rain was as heavy as was forecast, it could quite easily mean the crop would be lost. At best it would need a prolonged dry spell to dry it and the ground out to enable harvesting. One drawback of modern methods is their reliance on heavy machinary. An added complication, even with the low pressure tyres fitted.

 

[classic33]

Spuds will be dearer this year, due to the recent rain.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I wonder if it did? I noticed on a couple of rides recently, after the storms, that the cereal crops seemed to be holding up really well, although we did see combines and tractors rushing about before the forecast deluge began. We remarked on how good the fields looked, as it was unexpected. I'd be interested to hear from any farmers about this. The cereal varieties these days have very short stems compared with the old-fashioned long straw, which might have made a difference, perhaps.

I'm holding my breath for the latest NABIM report (members only):
http://www.nabim.org.uk/
Up until the storms this last week the UK crop was looking good.
Rain before harvest is generally not good, this years storms in N. France prior to harvest have had a significant effect on wheat quality with a larger than expected amount being downgraded to feed usage only.
Wheat performance (and availability in sufficient volume) is critical to our business. Maize is the next big worry ....
The next 2 or 3 months are our busiest period as we adjust to the new crop. Will be racking-up the air miles ....

 

[screenman]

Still swimming in an outdoor pool at 7am most mornings. The journey from changing room to water is getting quicker, even more so in reverse.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Ah, I see that I was naively only looking at whether it was flattened or not. Fascinating, and not something that most people think about enough when they are glib about climate change.

Mould and in particular high enzyme activities are the major issues:

Sprouting or pre-harvest germination is caused by damp or rainy weather conditions during the final stage of maturation of the new crop. The germination causes an accelerated production of the starch degrading enzyme alpha-amylase. Severely sprouted grain kernels can contain several thousand times the amount of enzyme of sound unsprouted kernels. Because of this, very low levels of severely sprouted kernels mixed into sound wheat can cause the entire lot to exhibit significant amylase activity ....

 

[Paulus]

Blimey you lot, a couple of cool days after the remnants of a storm and you think summer is over It is the low pressure lull. Think positive, The warm weather will return for a few more weeks yet.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Spring has sprung early here for some trees. The wattle trees have been covered in tiny yellow flowers since early August. Here's what they typically look like:

 

[Paulus]

Nice and sunny in North London again...must be summer

That's the spirit

 

[classic33]

[QUOTE 3228292, member: 259"]It must depend on where you are. Most people here are getting huge yields this year, and they are reporting very low wholesale prices for spuds as a result. Lots of farmers are worried (as usual). Flemish local TV - if it isn't about potatoes or beer, don't bother covering it![/QUOTE]
Late planting, prolonged dry spell and then fields flooded(increasing the risk of blight) with limited access for machinary.