COMMENT: Yorkshire farmer/contractor, Nigel Thornborrow: Umbrellas and Ostriches
I can’t avoid the subject any longer, probably due to a bit of ‘ostriching’ on my part, but it doesn’t matter if you’re trying to grow beef, barley or begonias the weather has the ability to take your methodically drawn out plans and burn them to a crisp or wash them down the drain, or both.
We are currently facing one of the wettest Springs on record leaving soils waterlogged, unworkable and even stagnant. If you were lucky enough to have got winter crops sewn you’re not out of the woods yet as prolonged water exposure is slowly making countless acres unviable. Those recently trying to establish a seedbed have been resorting to the good old plough in an effort to turn up some dryer soil, but late sown crops show diminishing returns as time progresses. All this adds up to a forecasted fall in harvest yields across the country with wheat nearly 30% down.
So where does that leave the UK in respect to food security? Especially when the incentives to grow herbal leys become more lucrative than cereals. All you corn-barons shouldn’t feel alone in your damp despair as we botteur de merde are feeling the brunt too. Slurry stores are brimful, straw is becoming scarce, paddyfields are being created overnight and lambing is a fight.
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