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Twitter round-up: Farmers battle in monsoon conditions

Emma Gillbard 01 October 2019
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Flooded maize

The recent wet weather has caused disruption on many farms across the country, with crops flooded, maize and potato harvesting halted and alternative feeding strategies being implemented on livestock enterprises.

We take a look at the tweets from farmers and growers struggling with the soggy weather.

This picture of maize underwater was tweeted by Farmers Weekly livestock editor Rhian Price.

Flooded maize field

Her husband, dairy farmer Henry Wilson, lost 8ha of maize through flooding back in spring.

But the remaining 8ha is once again underwater after the river burst its bank last weekend.

Arable farmer and Nuffield Scholar Peter Trickett has experienced nearly 100mm of rain in Yorkshire last week with parts of his land looking like ponds rather than fields.

Oilseed rape growers will be hoping that cabbage stem flea beetles will have drowned, although Herefordshire young farmer Ally Hunter Blair spotted this flea beetle surviving the floods at Wye farm.

Arable manager Annabel Hamilton, who farms in Northumberland, is not surprised that the rain is back and is causing havoc with plans with her oat drilling.

Lincolnshire farmer Andrew Welch’s oilseed rape crop seems to be hiding beneath a pool of water.

Some farmers on lighter land are managing to carry on, like South Lincolnshire farmer David Hoyles, who is flat out potato harvesting in between the heavy rain showers.

Alan Leedham, who farms cereals, oilseeds, pollinator crops and sheep near Tamworth, Staffordshire, thinks this could be the wettest September since his records began in 1983.

Davidsons Feeds based in Shotts, Scotland, share a picture of a customer creep feeding cattle in response to the wet weather.

And finally, in Alberta, Canada, farmer Henk Kamper is ready for potato harvest, but there seems to be a slight issue… snow!

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