A record-breaking early harvest, a close call with a field fire and some big decisions about the cattle herd have made for an exciting July at Eves Hill Farm near Reepham - the subject of our monthly "year in the life of a Norfolk farm" features.
The summer harvest is always an exhilarating climax to any farming year - and it has proved an especially dramatic time for Norfolk farmer Jeremy Buxton.
It followed a sweltering July heatwave which sparked a worrying fire in a neighbouring farmer's field, and created the challenge of keeping cattle and pigs cool in the record temperatures.
But despite those concerns, it also created perfect conditions for harvesting wheat and barley - a task which was completed in record time, and earlier than ever before at Eves Hill Farm.
"It is a high point in the farming calendar, bringing home the harvest, " said Mr Buxton, as he carted grain away from a dusty field while his five-year-old son Edward rode in the combine harvester with contractor Andrew Bentley.
"It is the climax of a year's work, and these are the fruits of all of our labour.
"This is the quickest that our cereals harvest will ever be completed. Firstly, because we are not using our old 'yellow peril' New Holland combine, we are using our contractor's combine which is much bigger, so our cereal harvest will be over in three days. Last year it was ten days."
He added that the yields and quality of the wheat and malting barley were much better than he had hoped for after weeks of prolonged dry weather - with no significant rainfall since early June.
"We keep moaning about the little amount of rain we have had but now we are here at harvest, the heat and the sunshine is helping to fill the grain.
"These are lovely harvesting conditions, and you've got the feelgood factor because it is sunny and bright.
"The only thing is, because it is so tinder-dry, we are all very conscious of fire risk."
Fire risk: A near miss
During the extreme heat, Eves Hill Farm narrowly avoided disaster after a field fire started in a neighbouring farm.
"We saw the plumes of smoke and it was all of our worst fears," said Mr Buxton.
"Then we saw it was in our neighbour's field, but the wind was still blowing towards our field. It was panic stations, really scary times.
"Fortunately due to the brilliant and brave actions of our neighbours and the harvest workers, they managed to surround the fire and keep it under control before the fire brigade even got there."
Mr Buxton said he had taken steps to contain any blazes during his own harvest, including having a tractor and cultivator on standby in case it was needed to plough a fire break.
"Quite often these fires are started by the combine header hitting a flint and it can just create a spark, or there are overheated bearings and a bit of dust or chaff combusts.
"We have got a cultivator ready to go, hitched to another tractor, in case of fire outbreak, and because we graze our cattle around the farm we have got water access and pipes in every field."
Drought concerns
The other major weather concern is the lack of rainfall, following the country's driest July since 1911.
Although the farm's cereal harvest has been surprisingly successful, Mr Buxton is worried about how he can establish next year's crops in his parched fields.
"There's no moisture," he said. "If we are drilling into this dry soil the seed will just sit there and not do anything. So we really need some rain very soon."
Meanwhile, although some of his deep-rooted herbal leys are surviving well, there is no grass growing on the grazing pastures - prompting the need to buy in extra animal feed.
"It is dire to be honest," said Mr Buxton. "We have got no grass, so we are bale-feeding the animals with bought-in hay just to keep them going and make sure they don't lose any weight."
Changing the livestock system
Mr Buxton said his cattle "coped really well" in the record temperatures of July 19, with no heat stress problems as they were given as much shade and water as possible.
And, ahead of the very hottest days, the pigs were moved into shady woodland, where a new litter of seven piglets arrived last week.
But the challenges of the heatwave, and the lack of forage in the grassland, has brought forward a decision which will fundamentally change the farm's beef cattle herd.
About half of the 100-strong herd of Hereford cattle is being sold to make way for a new breeding programme to produce smaller Aberdeen Angus crosses.
"I see this as an opportunity," said Mr Buxton. "This is something that we have already planned, it is just happening earlier than we planned.
"For our cattle enterprise to work as effectively as we feel it can in our regenerative farming system, we need smaller cows that thrive on a 100pc grass-fed diet.
"In order to do that we have brought in new genetics and we are going to re-set the herd and start again.
"By reducing numbers it will take off some of the current pressure of lack of growing forage, and we won't have to feed as much bought-in forage."
Adapting to challenges
The change of cattle breeding is part of an ethos of adaptability at Eves Hill Farm - taking quick action to turn challenges into opportunities.
"As soon as we could see a problem coming, we decided to de-stock," said Mr Buxton.
"If you try to keep your numbers as they are and you haven't got enough food you are going to run into problems financially, and the welfare of your cattle will go down.
"Our plan is with that money we get back from the cattle is we are going to roll that straight into renewables to make the whole farm self-sufficient on energy.
"With energy prices as they are the sooner we get those solar panels installed, the better."
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