Farm Diary by Reg Haydon
The rain that came at the weekend will help farmers and gardeners alike, but much more is needed. Most arable farmers in the south have finished hartvest and work will have started with ploughing and cultivations for the autumn, oil seed rape needs to be sown by the end of the month and winter barley and wheat by September, October.
It's a never ending cycle but what about the economics? In the past year tractor fuel pricxes have almost doubled, fertiliser prices have increased by 25 per cent, but grain prices remain more or less the same as they were in the late 70's. We are constantly told that the low level of world grain stocks, the new demand for biofuels and the increase in world population should trigger a big increase in grain prices, but it hasn't happened yet and I think it will take some time.
For full feature see West Sussex Gazette August 16