Arable Farming: The Decisions That Determine Yield, Soil Health and Whether the Crop Actually Makes Money

45. The farm should have a machinery calendar

Before the season begins, estimate when each operation must occur.

The exact timing varies by geography and season.

The value of a calendar is identifying workload clashes before they happen.

If one sprayer is expected to cover an unrealistic area within a narrow disease-treatment window, the problem should be addressed before the crop reaches that stage.

47. Succession and skills are as important as machinery

Modern arable farms increasingly require competence in:

- Agronomy.
- Engineering.
- IT.
- Finance.
- Environmental management.
- Markets.
- Regulation.

A farm can own excellent machinery and still be vulnerable if only one person knows how the system works.

Document:

- Machine settings.
- Field records.
- Grain contracts.
- Spray records.
- Maintenance schedules.
- Supplier contacts.
- Digital passwords securely.
- Emergency procedures.

A resilient farming business should survive the temporary absence of one person.

48. An arable spreadsheet every farmer should have

A useful workbook could contain:

Crop performance

- Field.
- Crop.
- Variety.
- Area.
- Yield.
- Quality.

Inputs

- Seed.
- Fertiliser.
- Chemicals.
- Contractors.
- Machinery.

Machinery

- Fuel.
- Hours.
- Repairs.
- Cost/ha.

Marketing

- Tonnes sold.
- Buyer.
- Price.
- Haulage.
- Premium.
- Deductions.

Financial performance

- Revenue/ha.
- Variable cost/ha.
- Gross margin/ha.
- Fixed costs/ha.
- Net margin/ha.
- Cost/t.

Rotation

- Previous crops.
- Planned crops.
- Weed problems.
- Disease history.

That turns farm records into a decision-making system.

49. The 20 questions worth asking after every harvest

1. Which crop generated the highest net margin, not simply the highest yield?
2. Which field performed worst?
3. Why?
4. Which variety performed best?
5. Which treatment clearly paid?
6. Which treatment probably did not?
7. Which fields showed compaction?
8. Did drilling timing affect performance?
9. Which weeds are becoming more difficult?
10. Is resistance increasing?
11. Did nitrogen rates match realistic yield?
12. Did any crop fail market specification?
13. How much grain required drying?
14. How much did storage cost?
15. Was machinery capacity sufficient?
16. What caused harvest delays?
17. What broke down?
18. Which crop improved the following crop?
19. What was the break-even price for each crop?
20. What should be done differently next year?

The answers are often worth considerably more than simply knowing the farm's average yield.

50. The biggest arable mistake: Chasing yield without understanding margin

Imagine two farmers.

Farmer A

Wheat yield:

10.5 t/ha

Full production cost:

£1,950/ha

Farmer B

Wheat yield:

9.2 t/ha

Full production cost:

£1,430/ha

Suppose wheat is worth:

£190/t

Farmer A

Revenue:

10.5 × £190 = £1,995

Margin before other omitted income:

£45/ha

Farmer B

Revenue:

9.2 × £190 = £1,748

Margin:

£318/ha

Illustrative figures only.

Farmer A wins the yield competition.

Farmer B wins the business calculation.

That distinction deserves far more attention in agriculture.

The bigger discussion: Are we farming for tonnes, or farming for margin?

Arable farming has historically celebrated yield.

Highest-yielding wheat.

Best barley crop.

Biggest combine.

Fastest drill.

But future farm resilience may require measuring something different.

Not:
“How many tonnes did I grow?”

but:
“How much did each tonne cost me to produce?”

And perhaps eventually:
“How much profit did every hectare produce after accounting for the long-term effect on my soil and rotation?”

That is a very different way of viewing an arable farm.

A 12-tonne wheat crop can be impressive.

A sustainably repeatable 9-tonne crop with lower risk, lower cost and better soil may sometimes be the stronger business.

A question for the farming community

For those growing cereals, oilseeds or pulses:

What has had the greatest effect on your profitability during the last five years?

Has it been:

- Fertiliser cost?
- Grain price?
- Machinery?
- Blackgrass?
- Weather?
- Rotation?
- Soil management?
- Contracting?
- Storage?
- Changing drilling dates?

And perhaps an even more useful question:

Which farming practice did you once consider essential, but eventually stopped doing because the figures showed it wasn't actually paying?

Those answers could be particularly useful to younger farmers because agriculture often contains practices that continue simply because:

“That is how we have always done it.”

The strongest arable businesses increasingly challenge that assumption with records and evidence.

A successful arable farm is not simply one that produces crops. It is one that converts soil, rainfall, machinery, knowledge and capital into a sustainable margin while leaving the land capable of doing it again next season.

Important
A disclaimer can help explain the intended use and limitations of my research, but it cannot guarantee protection against legal claims or exclude liabilities that cannot lawfully be excluded. If you intend to distribute or sell the workbook, have a qualified solicitor review your disclaimer and any accompanying terms of use.