Jane King's blog - All Comments

re: Sorry to see Rooker go

viewfromtheothersideofthefence — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:45:01 GMT

I'm afraid you encapsulated Lord Rooker's difficulties all in one go in your second paragraph.

"He is that rare breed - a plain speaking Government man who says it as it is and who has listened and supported the industry well. Often described as "a farmer's friend", Jeff has been prettty vociferous in farming's favour on the major issues, most memorably for action over bovine TB. He was prepared to get out on farms and understand the real issues on the ground and he pushed hard up the line to influence Benn's thinking."

Nuff Said.

re: Ladies in agriculture

David Richardson — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:57:49 GMT

Jane - you really are a brick! I don't know how you stand the pressure of all these posh lunches in opulent surroundings. But I suppose someone has to do it, so hang in there. We're all rooting for you. I'm just surprised you still have the time to edit such a lively and relevant mag as well as attending them.

Just one suggestion: Next time you're invited to such an occasion remember and try to include some of your impecunious contributors who are shrinking away for lack of sustenance and who might appreciate the company of all those beautiful ladies even more than you do.

re: Students - we need you

farmerdan — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:02:55 GMT

you need to get some lackem students as a second year nda in my opion for nda you cant beat lackem

re: Students - we need you

Tim.Relf — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:44:06 GMT

There are now more than 60 photos of the Harper Graduation ceremony on FWi!

www.fwi.co.uk/.../default.aspx

re: Barometer farmers have their share of problems

flutefriend — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:07:00 GMT

Ian Bird has just emailed me this comment:

hi andrew, very interesting sat here on 10 sept chucking down with rain we havent cut anything for10 days with over 2 ins of rain at the weekend the jobs a bloody mess i invite any one to visit the farm to have alook,and to show them huge diesel bills for drying wheat. thanks ian bird

re: Barometer farmers have their share of problems

peter snell — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:50:45 GMT

Tesla, Sorry to hear you're disheartened with our farm reports in the fw. I'll make sure I try to mention all the problems too. I agree with your comments, in respect that there is often more to be learnt from actions or experiences that don't always go according to plan, or worse! When I wrote my last harvest report it was in July and everything was looking good, today we still have 60 acres of our own left to cut (which I appreciate won't take too long). We were cutting wheat yesterday at between 23 and 25% and today we've been trying to cope with it on the drying floor and stirring it with the grain butler. What has been drawn up by the stirrer resembles wet porridge! Fingers crossed it'll come right. Good luck with the rest of your harvest and autumn work, Peter

re: Barometer farmers have their share of problems

barr — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:20:01 GMT

Tesla, I agree that veracity is paramount and promised myself to always tell it how it is when I started the Barometer thing. I do empathise because I too am not impressed by comments such as 'our wheat yielded up ten tonne a ha' because that could mean anything! I am determined to only give yields as weighed in at my storage co-op diveided by RLR area. I shall try and fit some more disasters in if you like - to make a start I had 8ha of second wheat yield 4.5 t/ha ! ( but this is only combine yield meter at this stage). But quite honestly overall it has been a decent year yield wise. I genuinely feel for people who have not finished conbining - I have been lucky.

cheers

Andy

re: Barometer farmers have their share of problems

flutefriend — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:51:06 GMT

Tesla,

It's not only Ian Bird and Andy Barr who are prepared to acknowledge that things do go wrong on Barometer farms. Tony Reynold's admission (on page 63 of our 29 August issue) that he has just had to deliver 250t of wheat sold forward three years ago at £85/t is another example. It shows that our participants, who I stress are all volunteers, are clearly not all the perfect farmers you suggest.

Andrew Blake

re: Barometer farmers have their share of problems

matty s — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:50:41 GMT

Please stop wineing Tesla, isn't it a good sign that all farmers arent being miserable.

I'm sure the barometer farmers have problems as do the farm owners and managers we see, meet and hear about but its the people who are seeing the glass as half full the people who we need in the industry.

It should be, glad we got the oats cut, not, this damn weather, i want the wheat finished.

Andy barr FW 11/1/08 page 44, rabbits, blackgrass, low input crops that clearly arent (there is more for me to keep going) were just some of his problems - its not all rosey for them either mate!

I' not tryin to cause a rift.

re: Barometer farmers have their share of problems

TeslaCoils — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:12:23 GMT

I can sympathise with crap weather coinciding with combine breakdown. We were set to clear up the last days work of wheat when a major part bust. No part in the country a certainy, but no part at all! Sounds like a push to get a new machine.

Not that is nice to hear disaster stories, but the impression given by the barometer farmers is that they get it all right, and I know for a fact that they certainly do not. It would be nice if they could have the decency to show things that didnt work as well as those which did.

Especially given the wet, a bit less of the "well glad we got that all cut, and sold at £200 a ton too" as it really hits a nerve for us who are in a more precarious position.

Farm managers who have access to wads of cash, essentially rent free land, and staff/facilities to die for make poor barometer farmers as their experience is so far from what the rest of us have to contend with.

re: Someone turn the tap off

TeslaCoils — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:06:07 GMT

Do you vet your barometer farmers? They seem to never have any problems and always have the best yields for the least effort. Either that or they are liars.

re: Loving the web and your pictures

ak — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:55:29 GMT

I have really enjoyed all the harvest highlight photos and hope that you do the same for cultivation corner and when thats finished how about livestock specials, but I am a very keen photographer !!! We have always got the farmers Weekly for years, it keeps you up to date with the farming news and my favorite bit is farmer focus, reading what where and how straight from the farm.I agree with Kansas farmer about we all share a common bond, I dont think you could find a stronger & truer community than a farming one. Been able to share things on the web site is just widening your audiance and getting a larger feed back.And the more we share the stronger we become. Keep up the good work

re: Loving the web and your pictures

Jane King — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:35:46 GMT

Thanks for the positive feedback Kansasfarmer. I know you are one of our most prolific international users of www.fwispace.co.uk and your observations are immensely helpful to farmers over here too. It really helps to get a wider global perspective on things and the support you offer farm businesses in the UK via your contributions is invaluable. This is increasingly the case as tackling issues such as food shortages and animal disease becomes a worldwide challenge affecting us all.

We have a growing international audience visiting the website. It will be good to encourage them to be proactive on the forums and blogs as well.

re: Loving the web and your pictures

kansasfarmer — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:19:10 GMT

What originally motivated me was trying to learn a few things about the UK previous to my coming over. What keeps me coming back is I think all farmers share a common bond, and are fascinated by the way other farmers do things. The fascination is greater the farther away a given farm is from your own. It is also somewhat soothing to learn others face problems similar to your own.

The pictures are the icing on the cake. They give a visual aspect to what you read is going on. All in all, Fwi is becoming my favorite source for farm news, even though very little of what is reported impacts me directly.

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