Farmers feeling weather beaten

Recent heavy rainfall is hampering the final harvesting sessions for the area’s farmers.

Rainfall for September has already exceeded the average for the month, and wet fields mean arable farmers are unable to bring in the last of their crops and prepare the ground for next year.

Mr John Miller, of Manor Farm, Kelham, the National Farmers’ Union chairman for Nottinghamshire, said he had not been able to get on his land for about a week.

He has about 975 acres of combinable crops, including about 500 acres of wheat.

About 160 acres of wheat still need to be harvested, but Mr Miller said the soil would just compact if he tried to harvest fields in their current state.

“We are doing nothing on the land. It is too wet to get on. This means we can’t do any cultivating in preparation for next year’s crop. It is very frustrating,” he said.

“Most that we have harvested hasn’t come in dry.”

He said there was then pressure to do the work in less time and that there was added expense in drying the crops.

Mr Miller said: “As time is getting on, the quality will be affected by the weather too.

“There will be fewer warm days, fewer long days and so it will be harder to get the job done.”

Pig farmer and vice-chairman for the Newark branch of the NFU, Mr Des Allen, of Drove Lane, Coddington, said last week would usually have been the final week for combine harvesting.

Farmers would usually be ploughing, ready for next year’s crop.

“Normally, we have finished harvesting by the end of August but we are already behind,” Mr Allen said.

“It is fairly typical of farms in the area and, on top of the harvest problems, any straw that is not baled and stored is becoming sodden.

“It then makes a mess of the field getting it cleared.”

Mr Allen said the quality of the grain was also badly affected.

He has about 45 acres of beans and about the same of wheat and would need only about three good weather days to complete his harvesting.

Mr Allen uses his crops to feed his pigs, but said many farmers selling on their wheat and grain could be causing delays for the people they supply.

Balderton farmer Mr Robert Hutchinson, who had harvested all his wheat but was waiting for a chance to combine the remainder of his neighbour’s wheat and all of his neighbour’s beans, said the problem for him was next year’s crops.

He said: “There is no real problem for the wheat and barley yet but oilseed rape should ideally all be planted by September 15 and that is just not going to happen.

“The land is just too wet to do anything and I wonder if the rape will be worth planting at all by the time we can get back on the fields.”

To add to problems for farmers who did not pre-sell their crops the price of wheat has fallen because of a good harvest in mainland Europe.

The outlook for the weekend is more rain, and the indication is that September could be an exceptionally wet month according to Mr David Griffiths, of Cottage Lane, Collingham.

He has recorded rainfall in his garden for 48 years.

He said from September 1 to 6pm on Monday, 2.56 inches had fallen, already exceeding the average for the month, which is 2.04 inches.

This follows a slightly wetter than normal August when 2.63 inches fell, compared with the average of 2.45.

The level of rain is causing problems for Mr David Moore, of Porter Provisions, Bridge Street, Newark.

Mr Moore had to sweep water away from drains in front of his shop at the weekend.

He said about six or seven inches of water covered the drains on Saturday, which some people did not realise, and so they often tripped over.

He said: “It was atrocious on Saturday. It was getting dangerous and I just didn’t want to see anyone get hurt.”

Mr Moore said water leaked from the full drains into his cellar, where stock including meat and cheese, was kept.

This created more work as he had to ensure the stock was off the floor.

A spokesman for Severn Trent said they had not had a complaint about the drains but as a precaution would investigate to see if there were any blockages.