Will Howe resists selling his combine
Farming is one of life’s great levellers. Having not applied any early fertiliser to prevent too much vegetative growth in already lush crops, I went out at the perfect timing with the fertiliser and then waited for the rain to come. Unfortunately it hasn’t, so the perfect timing is now late and the crops look in need of a nitrogen boost. So much for informed decision making.
With many farmers in this part of the country worried about the lack of rain, many are turning to retail therapy. This may in fact have more to do with the imminent reduction in our capital allowance rather than the weather, but kitchen tables in the east of England are full of glossy brochures in an attempt to make use of the taxman’s generosity.
I am sure receiving a letter from a combine manufacturer recently was not entirely coincidental. I was pleasantly surprised to be told that my combine was worth more than my wildest expectations to the export market, and therefore, could be traded in for a shiny new one, which could still be delivered in time for harvest. I assume this series of combine is popular among exporters because it is high output, reliable and well-depreciated; the precise reasons why I am keeping mine, thank you.
While Stephen Carr was right to draw attention to many of the endangered stereotypes in agriculture, he did miss one burgeoning new breed. The “Pinstripe Farmer”, generally being defined as a son who has returned from a successful career in the city to the family farm. They bring with them a business brain, rather than necessarily a husbandry one, coupled with an unhealthy devotion to the Excel spreadsheet, and yet an insatiable appetite to learn in the field.
Perhaps with the taxman withdrawing from his Santa Claus role, we could all learn something from these newcomers?
