THE line being drawn on our barograph is steadily rising, so hopefully the rise in air pressure will bring some favourable weather, following a very dismal, often foggy and overcast week with barely a hint of sunshine. Here on Manor Farm a further 19mm of rain has managed to keep the fields soggy and, although temperatures have occasionally been in double figures, it has felt rather chilly.

Melissa and I particularly noticed this when doing a simulated Pony Club road rider test on our farm, followed by a C Test morning for members at the end of the week held on another local farm. The Pony club tests start at E level for the very young members, who progress through the levels (if they wish to) until they reach A level standard of riding and stable management. Riding is a great way to enjoy the countryside and Pony Club activities give the children a fun learning experience.

Here on Manor Farm Ian managed to find a window of opportunity to spread fertiliser onto some of our drier fields of winter wheat and winter barley. Prior to this our agronomist had walked the cropped area of the farm telling us that the crops look quite good and are well established, with only a few weeds showing at this stage. Ian used urea fertiliser, a crystalline substance containing 46 per cent nitrogen. Synthetic urea is manufactured from anhydrous ammonia, but it is a waste product formed by metabolising proteins in humans and other animals. Urea is highly soluble in water and at this time of year our crops are growing, so readily use available nutrients in the soil. Another fact about urea is that it is commonly used as a deicer.

On a walk around the farm during the week, I noticed that the fields of oilseed rape being grown on Manor Farm are just beginning to develop a yellow hue as the first flower heads begin to bloom. Flowering oilseed rape produces a valuable source of nectar early in the season, but there has been and still is a great deal of controversy about the use of neonicotinoid pesticides used to control a number of small beetles which can badly damage the crop. These pesticides are believed by some to have a detrimental effect on bees.

Since 2013 there has been an EU ban on the use of neonicotinoids on flowering crops. The EU now wants to ban the use of neonicotinoids on any crop not kept permanently in a greenhouse. On taking a close look at the oilseed rape in one of the fields on the farm I did find a few pollen beetles on some of the flower heads. Hopefully these will remain at a low level.

During the week Richard and I attended the Marlborough Downs Nature Enhancement Partnership (MDNEP) spring supper. We spent a most enjoyable evening hearing about the continued work being done by the farmers in the partnership since the initial three-year project came to an end in 2015.

The latest Space for Nature project is Bee Roads and we were told by Jemma Batten, who heads up the management team, how well the project is progressing. The enthusiasm of the group is the driver of its success, the farmers working with a number of partners within the community to organise and deliver a variety of events.

Next week sees the launch of Bee Roads, which brings pollinators into the lives of everyone on the Downs with events on bee friendly farms. We also heard how the farms have been managed to help boost the number of tree sparrows.