Oilseed Rape Harvesting North Fife

Oilseed Rape Harvesting North Fife. I was alerted this morning by the grumble of a combine harvester, from my garden the combine drifted along, beyond The River Tay at low water exposing various sand banks.

I'm impressed by the sophistication of modern combine harvesters, here displaying the tilting table and undercarriage, keeps the operator level headed. lol.
This machine looks brand new... a massive investment.

Notice the reel on an opposite tack to suit the terrain and shredded debris issuing from the rear. Clever stuff.

May Blossom May North Fife

The River Tay at Newbugh yesterday evening, low water revealing the deep channel in which the ships are pilot  navigated along to Perth Docks.

 Today, pleasantly warm with more sunshine.

In the garden a mixed hedge is in full Hawthorn bloom

The leaves, flowers and berries can be eaten as a healthy food supplement.I've allowed the hedge to grow quite tall as a defence against the agriculture chemical spays. It's a sad fact that farmed countryside is now more hazardous a place to live given the noxious poisons regularly sprayed on the fields than industrial areas.
Pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, you name it. Dig soil in a field and you'll never find a worm and probably loads of other natural organisms/elements important for a balanced environment.
As a consequence my wee unkempt patch has become an oasis of living.

A tractor spraying the field of oilseed rape that surrounds my garden. I did inhale what ever it was in taking this shot.

Oilseed Rape North Fife 2012

Oilseed rape, a valuable crop used for cooking oils, margarine spreads and increasingly for motor fuel, in Europe a directive. The problem is that the price for food use goes up just to keep our motors less dependant on mineral oil. Ummmm not a good idea.

Oilseed Rape harvest north fife. These fields were spring sown, an usually wet and cold year has held back combining. Wet ground and unequal growth.

Oilseed rape being augered into a waiting trailer.

Earlier this year, a winter sown field. More

Carse of Gowrie from North Fife

Carse of Gowrie from North Fife 9th September, evening of a largely overcast day with a blast of sunshine on the harvested fields East of Errol. Here in North Fife the wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape harvest is about 50% reaped though we are in for a spell of rainy days delaying matters. Water saturated ground is not helping, spring sown oilseed rape has suffered from cold wet conditions and mixed maturity of seed.