Best of 2007 – Arable Farmer Focus columnist quotes of the year on the bottom line

Our Arable Farmer Focus writers always provide an entertaining take on farm life each week – here’s a selection of their best comments on THE BOTTOM LINE.

“The drop in beet price will send a draught through the farm’s cash flow.” Jim Alston (26 January)

“Pig producers are asking why productive land is still set-aside.” Andrew Peddie (2 February)

“More attractive and sustainable malting premiums have put the spring back into spring barley.” Steve Bumstead (2 March)

“The prospects for agriculture as I see them (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) are set ‘fair to good’.” Chris Harrold (23 March)

“We need to brace ourselves for a ramping up of our variable costs next year.” Mark Ireland (29 June)

“Winter wheat has been more like a politician, full of promise but failing to deliver.” Matthew Dale (24 August)

“The long overdue increase in grain prices has finally returned them to the levels I was achieving when I started farming.” Kevin Littleboy (7 September)

“The situation for pig producers without forward cover has gone from concerning to desperate.” Andrew Peddie (14 September)

“Like many who care to admit, I sold some ofmy tonnage forward.” Steve Bumstead (14 September)

“Current and future cereal prices make nonsense of the massive amount of money and effort being poured into alternative crops.” Allan Chambers (28 September)

“The potato crop we finished early last month was a mixture of quite good and downright awful.” Jim Alston (2 November)