FARMERS FOCUS- RICHARD WARD

DEPRESSION and stress seem to be common words in farming circles these days, for a variety of reasons, such as the low pressure depressions which caused our wet harvest and made autumn drilling difficult, and the depressed cereal prices we”re experiencing.

As the autumn workload eases, the clocks change and daylight hours become shorter, many of us find it becomes difficult to keep motivated. Some feel there is nobody to talk to, except other

However things may not be as gloomy as they might appear. First, since the end of October, the weather seems to have cheered up. Although without doubt we have crop damage due to waterlogging and slugs, earlier fears about not completing any autumn spraying have subsided.

Fields we couldn”t walk on two weeks ago have dried surprisingly well and apart from a few wet patches, travelling conditions have been good. Only stressed crops established by min-till remain to be treated, once they have recovered a little more.

Cereal prices have risen a bit, which helps. We are told that soon food demands created by the relocation of several million Chinese from country to city to work in factories alone will cause a rise in world prices. China”s increased demand for oil and steel is responsible for the recent hike in world prices in those markets.

Discussing stresses with our wives and families can have a remarkably calming effect. But let”s not forget that in really serious cases of depression, there are several organisations that can help, such as www.farminghelp.org.uk, Farming Crisis Network and the Rural Stress Information Network.

 However, there is nothing like a decent spell of weather to help revive the spirits. ENDS (306 WORDS) Word count 321