AT LONG last the snows have melted in Eastern Europe and Scotland, and fields are drying up – although wet soils and significant flooding of fields around Kiev have slowed spring operations.

Spring drilling has now started in earnest and is going well, but there has been significant winter kill of oilseed rape in northern Poland and northern Germany. That’s similar to 2002, when prices rose significantly as a result, though crops in the south are much less affected.

Up to 20% of the crop is highly questionable in many of those northern areas. For us, good establishment and autumn management, coupled with snow cover shielding the rape from scorching March winds, has led to less than 1% effect in our Ukrainian business across an expanded rape area of 6000ha.

This area will produce enough bottles of cooking oil to stretch from Ukraine to Scotland! But, like all our produce, it is aimed at the local market.

The MATIF OSR index has risen nicely, but wheat is a different matter. While farmer strikes in South America have reduced supply and cover among feed processors, the European wheat crop is on a sounder footing. There’s much less winter kill than feared at one point and wheat marketing will remain sticky as a result!

This is in contrast to current rape prices. Although Ukrainian farm gate prices are £30/t less due to transport costs, our investment in storage will help us to market when optimum prices can be achieved.

European crop conditions were made clear on an unplanned 50-hour crop inspection transect across the whole of Western Europe by plane, train, automobile and boat because of the volcanic ash fall-out recently!

Although European wheats in particular looked well, soils were dry throughout the journey and then up into England and Scotland.

On our farms in the east, opportunities of machinery grants in Poland have been most welcome and insurance cover for replanting costs in around 100ha of damaged rape looks to have been a prudent investment. Wheat prices remain low and so we are examining the feasibility of a biogas plant based on maize production.

I was struck on my last visit by how well a difficult farm we took over five years ago now looks under the good stewardship of our Polish farms manager, Bruno.

Blackgrass is now causing us a wee problem in the min-till, but fortunately the Bayer SUs are working well, with rotational ploughing. Good land, environmental and social stewardship are key tools in maintaining leases and growing our business in Eastern Europe. We are in it for the long haul and we need to visibly demonstrate this to land agencies and regional and village councils – GAEC by default?

A small proportion of our Ukrainian leases are ‘dead souls’ – one-year lets held by village councils for untraceable or deceased owners, so it is important to maintain good community relations. This we do through paying our rent and taxes on time, offering significant employment in villages where up to 90% unemployment is the norm, and low cost-high impact social projects.

Post Ukrainian election, the business environment appears to have improved slightly and a new regional governor has been appointed. Unlike the UK, the civil service are politically appointed, so change after the election. The value of a steady state civil service is not to be underestimated.

Our expansion of sugar beet is going well, with 60% drilled so far of 2000ha.

We have also invested in a new one pass, six-row Grimme potato planter – the first of its type in Europe – which will cultivate, plant and ridge up to 35-40ha per day dependent on soil conditions.

Whilst a significant investment – along with the 380hp tracked Challenger to pull it – work rates and the quality of finish are excellent. By working two 11-hour shifts and two hours maintenance, the maximum return can be squeezed from the capital spend on machinery. Ukrainian labour is willing to work in this manner.

The investment which makes this technically possible is our spend this year on the John Deere and Challenger GPS automatic steering facility. It is quite something watching a 10m sugar beet cultivator match the bouts seamlessly with the driver’s hands off the steering wheel!

Experience on the farms I am involved with in Scotland has also been successful and allows operators to concentrate on other more important matters and be much more alert, as well as increasing workrates and accuracy.

Not so helpful was one of our 550hp Challengers sitting idle for several days awaiting a spare part from the US! Fortunately it arrived before the ash! The machine is now working alongside the 1hp plough working for the local farmer in an adjacent field!

There is some mildew in wheat, but Flexity will control that effectively. Talius is better, but more expensive in Ukraine than Scotland, where it is the preferred option. Crop protection availability is good in both Poland and the Ukraine, where IPU has just been launched!

Next month: Will the potato planting finish on time? What are the state of crops and will drought hit yields in the East?