In 2011 we had a reasonably dry and warm Autumn period, a combination which doesn't fare well for farming. One of the UK's leading rapeseed oil suppliers, Larchwood Foods, however managed to stay on-top of the weather and keep their farm up to date. Every farmer wonders when will winter begin, how it will affect their crop and what exactly it will be like. In this case we're referring to rapeseed oil crops.
Predicting the weather is a nightmare. It's common knowledge that here in the UK the weather can change rapidly from one minute to the next. That's why as a farmer it's important to adapt to the weather and be ready for any changes you may or may not expect. It's probably easier, as rapeseed oil suppliers, to therefore say how we'd prefer the weather to be - the colder the better. In 2010 the memorably cold winter caused no harm to the oilseed rape on Larchwood Food's farms.
However a common trend is that with cold weather comes a lack of rainfall. By the end of December 2011 we had yet to reach 75% of our annual rainfall for the year. This was the first time in around 6 years rainfall numbers this low had been recorded. Obviously a lack of rainfall isn't exactly ideal for oilseed rape crops.
That said we spoke to rapeseed oil suppliers Larchwood Foods who informed us that heading towards Christmas time their crops were looking very well indeed. Although they told us that the soil was still dry and that they'd love a good few cm of rainfall before the New Year, their plant count is where they wanted it to be per square meter. They stated that they felt very confident in being able to produce healthy strong plants in the Spring 2012.
Sadly we don't have the power to change the weather. What's important for all rapeseed oil suppliers and farmers alike is that they adapt their crop management to match the weather. For more information about rapeseed oil and rapeseed oil suppliers, visit - http://www.larchwoodfoods.co.uk/
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