Photo of the Week: Barley harvest begins in weather window

Fresh into our new Harvest 2024 gallery is this dramatic shot of the barley harvest in Cambridgeshire.

We like it as it sums up the harvest so far – a backdrop of stormy skies but an opportunity between rain showers to get the crop in.

The photo was taken by TractorToddler and features the winter barley harvest at Parker Farms, in Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire.

See more: Share your harvest photos and videos

If you enjoy following farming influencers on social media, you may have already discovered TractorToddler, a popular account following two young boys as they indulge their love of farm machinery. 

Based on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border, the boys – now aged five and three – have been tractor spotting since 2020, when the family were limited to their local area.

The account is ran by the boys’ parents, who wish to remain anonymous.

They told Farmers Weekly: “Combines have always been their favourite, and we saw 27 harvesting in 2020, 56 in 2021, 71 in 2022 and 101 in 2023.

“We are apparently aiming to beat the record this year, around school, work and – of course – the weather.

“We don’t have a farming background, but after making some friendships with local farmers when we kept popping up, they suggested we posted our pictures online, leading to me setting up TractorToddler on Instagram in 2021.

“[We] now also post on Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, and have grown a small, but loyal, local following, which means we often get messages with invitations or tip-offs.

“I’ve always been blown away by how enthusiastic the farming community has been in response to the boys’ interest – they are really lucky, and very keen to pursue an agricultural career!

“I have also learned an awful lot, trying to keep ahead of some very inquisitive boys.”

Upload your photos to our Harvest gallery and be in with a chance to get your photo on the cover of Farmers Weekly magazine. Just photos taken this year, please!

© TractorToddler