7 fantastic farmer videos to celebrate Harvest 2017
It started early, has given us a mixed bag of yields and quality and now rain is turning harvest 2017 into a late finisher in some parts of the country.
Slow progress at times has at least made for plenty of time to capture harvest action in all its glory, and once again British farmers have come up with a bumper yield of impressive farm videos.
As the great British harvest shifts into its final phases, we’ve picked out seven of our favourite videos from a campaign that has brought growers surprise, disappointment and frustration in equal measures.
See also: The latest news and analysis of Harvest 2017
Don’t forget you can still get involved in the harvest conversation by liking our Facebook harvest page, following Farmers Weekly’s harvest Twitter account and following us on Instagram.
Classical combining
If the stress of harvest makes your blood pressure rocket, the rather soothing classical music that accompanies this video by Northumberland farmer David Park is guaranteed to calm you down.
It’s almost enough to convince you that harvest is an entirely peaceful and stress-free affair. If only that was true.
See also: Video: Hands Free Hectare – what’s next for the farming robots?
Flexi-header does the business
While combining Zulu winter wheat on the rolling hills of Gloucestershire, grower Jake Freestone talks through the virtues of the MacDon flexi-header fitted to his combine.
He says it really comes into its own when combining lodged crops on undulating ground.
See also: How to create the perfect stale seed-bed for blackgrass
Aerial acrobatics
We all love a drone video and these bird’s-eye view shots of harvest in full swing at Trumpington Farms in Cambridgeshire are fantastic, especially when the drone sweeps directly over the combine and then twirls to the funky music. Hats off to Peter Casey on this one.
See also: Video: Helpful advice on autumn establishment and weed control
Dramatic harvest
We liked the pace of this oilseed rape harvest video filmed in the Chilterns by Thomas Monks.
Clever use of dramatic music, slick editing, swift drone shots and sped-up views from the tractor cab all make for an enjoyable video. Lovely stuff.
See also: 3 farmers share wheat establishment cost-cutting tips
Lights, combine, action!
Some awesome shots in this video. We particularly like riding on the arm of the telehandler with a wave of grain spilling towards the camera as more room is made in the store.
See also: The 2017 combine buyer’s guide
Classic combine duo
If you like your retro kit then you’ll love this video. Here we have a New Holland 8080 and what we reckon is a similarly aged Claas combine working together to bring in a crop of barley – although we are prepared to stand corrected on the make and model of the green and red machine.
See also: It’s coming – Massey Fergusson’s huge 650hp Ideal combine
Blast from the past
More machinery that’s clearly stood the test of time. Check out this 1970s John Deere 955 combine still going strong more than 40 years after it was built. Here it is chomping through winter barley on the Kent Downs.