Minette Batters’ Harvest: Farm, family and political insight

Farmers Weekly does not generally do book reviews. But when someone as high-profile and as respected as Minette Batters sends in a tome – well, it would seem rude not to read it…

Harvest is a free-flowing mix of personal history, entertaining anecdotes and an honest insight into the multiple challenges of family farming life, mixed in with an ample dose of policy, politics and agricultural history.

See also: 12 key takeaways from Batters’ Farm Profitability Review

In an easy-to-read style, Minette explains the discipline and work ethic instilled in her as a child growing up in the 1970s – putting overalls on top of uniform each morning to help out on the farm before heading off to school.

Minette remains mindful that many of her readers will have little knowledge of farming, so is quick to include basic explainers of some of the terminology and what some common tasks (such as calving) actually involve.

We learn of the early experiences that motivated her – being told by her father she could never be a farmer because of her gender – and gain insight into her ventures into horse racing as a teenager (eventually riding 30 point-to-point winners, with one major mishap on the way).

To help fund her racing, Minette then set up a catering business, showing the single-minded determination that ultimately paved the way to her taking over the running of the tenanted family farm in South Wiltshire as her father’s health deteriorated.

Public life

It was launching Ladies in Beef, however, that really kick-started Minette’s transition into public life, building bridges with retailers and bringing the farming story to consumers.

The “horsegate” scandal in 2013 raised her profile yet further, at a time when she was also making waves in the NFU – rising from county chairman to regional chairman and then securing the deputy president role at her first attempt.

The book provides real insight into the inner workings of the NFU – and the massive demands it places on senior officeholders, exacerbated for Minette when she was voted president in 2018.

From this point, we read about the working relations with senior politicians. All the big names are there: Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Kier Starmer – some of whom come across as more interested in on-farm photoshoots than delivering on their promises to British farmers.

© Penguin Books

Her time at the top also covered the fall-out from Brexit, the Covid pandemic and the global impact of the war in Ukraine – significant moments in history, every one.

Much of the book is given over to reflections on trade negotiations – a particular hobbyhorse for Minette – and the NFU’s efforts to secure proper political oversight and protection for UK farmers from lower standard imports.

Her frustration at the lack of farming knowledge among politicians and civil servants is clear to see, as is the “them and us” relationship between industry and government, in marked contrast to the more collaborative approach adopted in places like Australia and New Zealand.

Personal moments

Through all this, there are some touching personal moments – the feelings of guilt as NFU work takes her increasingly away from home, the emotional trauma when her young children are hospitalised, and a crippling fear of public speaking.

We also learn how, towards the end of her time as NFU president, she turned down a New Year’s Honour not once, but twice, fearing this might compromise perceptions of her impartiality – and that she then applied to become a crossbench peer, as a means of continuing to serve the farming industry.

The book rounds off with a section on Minette’s recent Farm Profitability Review, as she sets out a blueprint for policymakers to benefit food, soil and nature using both private sector and public funding.

This is a book that should be read by everyone with an interest in farming – but especially those ministers and civil servants whose job it is to shape farm policy in these febrile, uncertain times.

As Minette says: “The disconnect between Whitehall civil servants and farmers is one that continues to grow.”

Harvest by Minette Batters is published by Ebury Press and will be available from 28 May from all main online booksellers.