Will’s World: Your alternative, doom-free, farming news
© Lee Boswell Photography I’m no psychologist, but I often wonder if the mental health crisis that’s gripping our society is in large part due to us being bombarded by negative news on a near-constant basis.
I suppose it’s always been that way. Back in the pre-internet days it was tabloid newspapers that profited from keeping people sad and angry, but at least you had to actively seek them out.
In the time of the ubiquitous Doom Rectangle – otherwise known as the smartphone – it’s almost impossible to escape the bad news.
See also: Top quality forage minimises feed costs in autumn-block herd
About the author
I’ve been trying, though. For the past few years I’ve actively avoided anything remotely negative on social media, rarely listen to any mainstream news, and never – and I mean never – look at the comments section below articles.
The unhinged lunatics on there are enough to make anyone lose faith in humanity, never mind if you happen to be feeling a bit down.
Surviving manfully
Nevertheless, it has been pointed out to me that I come across as slightly long-suffering in these columns, despite my best efforts to the contrary.
I could reasonably reply that, living as I do with five females, and farming as I do with my parents, is enough to make any sane man long-suffering.
But I don’t want to risk offending my entire family, so I won’t. In fairness, it’s me who got the best part of those respective deals anyway, and they all have far more to put up with than I do.
Instead, in an effort to cheer everyone up, I’m going to talk about some good news items. I might even make this a semi-regular feature, so watch this space.
1. Forward wheat prices, driven by global supply concerns, are creeping up
Granted, this is only good news for those of us who grow and sell the stuff, and not the people who have to buy it.
But surely even the most hard-hearted of livestock-only farmers would concede that the arable sector deserves a bit of good fortune.
At not quite £200/t for November, it’s hardly anything to be dancing in grain stores about, but still it’s positive. With crops currently looking well, fingers crossed harvest 2026 will be a bumper one.
2. Sheep farmers should have more of a spring in their step than, well, a spring lamb
The trade for both cull ewes and new-season lambs is on fire, domestic consumption remains relatively steady, export volumes to the EU are forecast to grow in 2026, and there’s more grass about than you could shake a sward stick at. Happy days.
3. If you’re in poultry at any sort of scale, you’re currently swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck
The hilariously short-lived vegan era is dead and buried, and you can’t move for health and fitness influencers promoting eggs and chicken as the new protein-rich superfoods to be seen eating.
The tremendous opportunity for young people to gain extremely well-paid and secure jobs in both the broiler and egg sectors is something the industry should be shouting from the rooftops.
4. Scientists at the John Innes Centre have found a way to speed up the germination of new disease-resistant ash tree saplings
To my mind, this should have dominated UK news cycles. Such progress usually takes two to three years, but incredibly they’ve done it in just seven days.
The potential to reverse the arboreal tragedy that is ash dieback is enormous and, as farmers, perhaps we’ll all get to play a part in bringing back to the land this most mighty of native British trees.
Bravo boffins, ain’t science grand?
Keep smiling, folks.
