A violent storm dumped inches of hailstones on Stuart Southgate’s Park Farm, Rockland St Peter, Norfolk last week causing damage to about 200 acres of crops.

Part of his farm was hit on 15 June with a hail storm half a mile wide which deposited 6 inches of hailstones each measuring about half inch across.

The leaves of a beet crops were completely stripped bare across 50 acres and there was flooding in some areas. Spring barley suffered approximately 10-15% grain loss from the ears and winter barley suffered a 75% grain loss.

The winter oilseed rape took a battering too and the green pods have turned white because of severe bruising. It is expected that most pods will shatter prior to see maturity with a yield loss of 80%.

Pictures kindly supplied by agronomist Andrew Watson. You can also read David Richardson’s take on the storm here.