In your field

The recent rain has been very welcome here, as I am sure it has for most of the country.

The expression ‘the perfect storm’ seems to be a phrase used more and more recently. Unfortunately for farmers, it sums up what many of us are going through in 2022. Whichever way you look at the outlook, economic or weather-related, the picture does not appear to be hugely rosy.

Since I last wrote we have had 10mm of rain, all of which arrived this week. 

It will be no surprise that I am beginning with this constant topic of conversation, the weather, especially as the green green grass of home is a yellow, burnt crisp exposing the shallow soil. 

What a difference a week of changeable weather can make.

As I am writing this article it is currently Farm Safety Week (July 18-22), which inadvertently lets you in on a little bit of Farmers Guardian magic with deadlines for articles always a week before actual publication.

We have been experiencing a more typical British summer than the past three years of scorching sun and high temperatures.

I have recently returned from an interesting few days visiting farms and conservation projects in Latvia.