Kiev…we have a problem!

I have been on a lot of farms lately – hence the slow blogging week – and one issue has consistently cropped up.

Every tractor, cultivator, sprayer and drill I have seen has either been set up incorrectly, missing parts or with bits just falling off.

Every time I questioned the tractor driver they have been blissfully unaware that there has been a problem with the kit they have been towing around for the last 1,000 odd hectares.

Make of that what you will.

Oilseed rape agronomy update

Time to get back to some agronomy.

Walked some oilseed rape last week; moving into yellow bud and early flowering and pollen beetle just starting to emerge. 

Other points of interest include;

possible sulphur or magnesium deficiency seen on some crops;

possible boron deficiency;

and late frost damage.

Doing business in Ukraine?

Then you could do worse than check out the Business Ukraine website.

I like the recent piece from an international attorney on 10 legal pitfalls of doing business in Ukraine.

Pitfall No. 1: there are more than 10 pitfalls.

Probably a good idea to keep it away from your legal department or key investor as it will more than likely give them the heebie-jeebies.

Want to buy some wheat?

Then pop over to my new pals at EuropeanGrain.com and they should be able to sort you right out, don't forget to mention my name.

If your in the market for 6KMT of wheat, 10KMT of maize (that's corn to the septic's) or 2KMT of sunflowers then drop me a line after harvest.

They don't trade in buckwheat.

My final word on the subject of buckwheat

The ship load of buckwheat that arrived in Odessa from China last week cost $1,750/MT which is about $1,000/MT more than it should have cost.

Someone has made a shed load on the back of a much hyped story.

Enough!

It's been very dry...

...and hot over most of Ukraine as witnessed by this photograph taken earlier in the week. 

The upside is we might not need to worry about subsoiling. 

Weather is now on the turn and light showers are being reported from most regions. 

Whether there is enough to replenish the dry soil time will tell, in the meantime crops are not (yet) showing signs of drought stress but it won't be long.