Opinion – Midland Farmer Magazine

Combine harvester fire risk as temperatures soar

Opinion 29/07/2022

Heatwave conditions could spell financial ruin for farmers without insurance against fire risk, says Rupert Wailes-Fairbairn.

Good riddance to the basic payment scheme

Opinion 05/07/2022

Getting rid of annual support payments will mean lower land rents, says Clodhopper

Food strategy serves up little for farmers

Opinion 04/07/2022

It’s hard to know where to begin when commenting on the government’s long-awaited but half-baked National Food Strategy for England.

Farm rents must fall as basic payment is phased out

Opinion 27/05/2022

The farmland market must take into account declining basic payments, says Clodhopper

We must ALL learn to live with volatility

Opinion 27/05/2022

We live in uncertain times. Dangerously uncertain, in fact, especially when it comes to farming, food prices, and financial inflation. Experts say we could be looking at a 14.5 million tonne UK wheat harvest this year. Better than last year but still not reaching its full potential. And very... Read more

Better returns needed to combat ag-inflation

Opinion 06/05/2022

Farm input costs are rising much faster than food prices – piling pressure on farm incomes, according to the latest ag-inflation figures. Published by the AF Group, which measures input costs across nine different categories, the ag-inflation figures show that input costs have risen by almost 24% in the... Read more

Runaway farm costs are nightmare stuff

Opinion 04/04/2022

Few people will have seen prices rise as rapidly as they have in recent months – and that goes for farm inputs as well as farm outputs. Input and output values have reached dizzying heights. A year ago, few people would have forecast that wheat prices would hit £300/t. ... Read more

Clear view needed on farmyard manure

Opinion Uncategorized 02/03/2022

This month promises to be an especially busy time for farming. Fieldwork ramps up as more land becomes fit to travel after winter – and we are due a particularly important government announcement.