Farmer Focus: We became part of combine fire statistic

August 2026 has certainly been one to remember – although that is probably the upbeat way of putting it.

We often read about machinery fires in the south of the UK, but I never imagined we would experience one ourselves. After finishing combining on Sunday 16 August, we left the combines in the field as usual. At 4.30am on Monday morning, the fire brigade was called to a combine that was, by then, well and truly burned out.

About the author

Annabel Hamilton

Annabel Hamilton farms 1,030ha of arable in the Scottish Borders with her parents. The arable area grows 65% winter and 35% spring crops. She is Basis and Facts qualified and runs a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. The farm finishes more than 300 Limousin cattle a year.  Follow Annabel on Twitter @annabelhami11

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There were three positives: nobody was hurt, there was no crop damage, and at least it wasn’t in the farmyard. Beyond that, it was quite devastating seeing the burnt-out shell of what used to be a combine.

We had to finish combining with our trusted 2011 Claas Lexion. Harvest finished slightly later than planned, but was finally done and dusted on 24 August. Investigations into the fire are ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether we will ever know exactly what happened.

On a slightly more humorous note, if anyone is looking for a second-hand 40ft Claas header trolley, I have one for sale – along with an OSR header kit.

See also: Harvest Photo Comp 2026: Your top shots – Farmers Weekly

Unfortunately, yields were below par. In my relatively short farming career, I have never been more disheartened adding up the loads going over the weighbridge. Wheat will average just shy of 0.6t/ha below our expected yield, along with the oilseed rape being a very mixed bag.

The crops seemed to die rather than ripen this summer, making for a frustrating and disappointing harvest. C’est la vie.

Spring barley, however, has provided a welcome positive. All barley passed for malting, giving us something to smile about and a little more confidence in the crop.

Meanwhile, spray recommendations have begun pinging into my inbox as we once again tackle cabbage stem flea beetle. One field, in particular, has us questioning whether that crop should continue. Time will tell.

To round off a summer of trials and tribulations, we were unsuccessful with our Food Processing, Marketing and Cooperation Grant application for some of the egg-packing equipment. As they say, you have to be in it to win it.