Has Covid lived up to your expectations?

Sonoftheheir

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
West Suffolk
Well a year ago I was worried, what was going to happen? Would food stop coming from the EU? Would all of my family die from Covid? Would we have to arm ourselves to defend the farm and our produce?

My agronomist said to me once, things are never as good as you think they’re going to be, but also never as bad as you think they could be.

My experience so far is, it hasn’t been as bad as I worried in those first few months of the pandemic. And I did worry, those news conferences every day with their stern delivery of the numbers certainly put the wind up
me! Nevertheless I still don’t know anyone personally who has died from Covid or even anyone who has tested positive! When you look at the stats still only 4% of the population has tested positive and only 0.2% have died within 28 days of a positive test.

I guess all the measures have worked in a way, but where would we be without them? Lockdown hasn’t been too bad imo for us farmers, but I’ve certainly missed people. I know we’re not anywhere near out of the woods yet, but I wonder what will be taken from the whole pandemic learning curve?
 

JCMaloney

Member
Location
LE9 2JG
Society will have changed on a scale we don`t yet understand.
The days of piling in the pub before football or rugby, just squeezing onto a train/bus.
How we are seen to behave by others.
How we shop, where we shop and what we actually need.
Maybe "consumerism" will die back a bit?
 

Sonoftheheir

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
West Suffolk
I find the whole thing of treating everyone like their Lepers quite embarrassing. How close do you get to someone? They say the 2m rule atm, but I’ve walked down the street and crossed the road, or stepped into it to let people pass. They say thanks etc, but I really don’t like it one bit. I really do miss shaking peoples hands also!
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
The biggest change has been a social one. Humans are herd animals and it has been tough for many. My wife doesn't miss spending most of the day getting to and from a 2 hour meeting in London but pines for more face to face contact.

I think that we are yet to appreciate the full economic effect of the pandemic. I am very glad that I'm not in the hospitality or travel industries as the effects of control measures are being delayed and masked by furlough schemes. When there are another 3 million unemployed next year we start to realise what this has cost us, regardless of the pent up demand by consumers who still have jobs and unspent disposable income.

My agronomist was crop walking with a colleague last week. That person subsequently tested positive & his kids brought it home from school. My chap tested negative since and has had his 1st jab 2 weeks ago but I wasn't going to spend the day with him in a truck cab even with masks on. Just talking to him in the yard I had to keep my distance & I had to keep edging back away from him. I apologised to him for treating him like a leper but the known risk of an outbreak in a team of 9 just as we start getting busy on land work just wasn't worth taking.
 

essex man

Member
Location
colchester
The virus has caused no significant increase in mortality rates so has lived up to my expectations.
Has always been the case that respiratory viruses that can spread easily by residing high in respiratory tract are not very harmful.
The government reaction has lived down to my low expectations of them.
their desire to put their own popularity above the common good has been well illustrated.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
I find the whole thing of treating everyone like their Lepers quite embarrassing. How close do you get to someone? They say the 2m rule atm, but I’ve walked down the street and crossed the road, or stepped into it to let people pass. They say thanks etc, but I really don’t like it one bit. I really do miss shaking peoples hands also!

Yep, it is bloody odd walking around the village and to have folk visibly cower back and stop in gateways. There is one lady in particular and I am bloody minded to take an axe out with me soon - so at least I have an offensive weapon to justify these actions. I do not miss the bloody Frog cheek pecking - always peeed me off.
 

Sonoftheheir

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
West Suffolk
It's not the bubonic plague no matter what the media would have people believe. I personally think people are pretty cowardly these days. Although the Government have led the retreat.

Yes but you wouldn’t want to be called a Covid idiot would you? I guess my problem is I don’t like upsetting anyone, and with this you don’t know what the boundaries are because it’s not normal. I think I’m a pretty good judge of distance but I’ve heard many people complain that people have got too close to them in the super market etc.
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
Yes but you wouldn’t want to be called a Covid idiot would you? I guess my problem is I don’t like upsetting anyone, and with this you don’t know what the boundaries are because it’s not normal. I think I’m a pretty good judge of distance but I’ve heard many people complain that people have got to close to them in the super market etc.
I think that's the problem I don't deny there is virus that's potentially fatal to a minority of the population so i am prepared to keep my distance and sterilise my hands etc but I think people are totally over the top with their fear.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
Yes but you wouldn’t want to be called a Covid idiot would you? I guess my problem is I don’t like upsetting anyone, and with this you don’t know what the boundaries are because it’s not normal. I think I’m a pretty good judge of distance but I’ve heard many people complain that people have got too close to them in the super market etc.

Always have my 2 metre sheperds crook to hand - don't leave the house without it. Marks distance and also allows for a sharp jab at the potential assailant. That and my ex BAOR nerve gas attack gas mask, double disposable gloves and bakcpack of sanitiser and I am about sorted. I was OK once I realised those drinking water back pack you see cyclists with could be used for carrying sanitiser - to be recommended.
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
Always have my 2 metre sheperds crook to hand - don't leave the house without it. Marks distance and also allows for a sharp jab at the potential assailant. That and my ex BAOR nerve gas attack gas mask, double disposable gloves and bakcpack of sanitiser and I am about sorted. I was OK once I realised those drinking water back pack you see cyclists with could be used for carrying sanitiser - to be recommended.
Very sensible. You may be one of the few to survive the pandemic.
 

Sonoftheheir

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
West Suffolk
I think that's the problem I don't deny there is virus that's potentially fatal to a minority of the population so i am prepared to keep my distance and sterilise my hands etc but I think people are totally over the top with their fear.

Spot on, some people I know are quite extreme with their measures, way over the top imo. Leaving shopping in their porch for so many hours etc.

Then on the other hand, there’s been stories on the news of people dying from it who haven’t even been out and have been “very careful” how did they get it?
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
Spot on, some people I know are quite extreme with their measures, way over the top imo. Leaving shopping in their porch for so many hours etc.

Then on the other hand, there’s been stories on the news of people dying from it who haven’t even been out and have been “very careful” how did they get it?
As people are sick of hearing my Dad got it in Hospital. Neighbours down the Fen here shrink behind their curtains when we go for a walk because we've come from a country that was having about 2 deaths a day into a country that was having about 500 deaths a day but we may be bringing a new variant.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
As people are sick of hearing my Dad got it in Hospital. Neighbours down the Fen here shrink behind their curtains when we go for a walk because we've come from a country that was having about 2 deaths a day into a country that was having about 500 deaths a day but we may be bringing a new variant.

But you mention 'down the Fen', to be fair they probably shrink away if someone from higher ground comes down the Fen - dread to think what they think about someone who can live at altitude such as from Potterhanworth.
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
But you mention 'down the Fen', to be fair they probably shrink away if someone from higher ground comes down the Fen - dread to think what they think about someone who can live at altitude such as from Potterhanworth.
We are from the Fen. I was in Potterhanworth today but I did have oxygen. In fact we got as far as Sleaford before altitude sickness forced us back.
 

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
Yep, it is bloody odd walking around the village and to have folk visibly cower back and stop in gateways. There is one lady in particular and I am bloody minded to take an axe out with me soon - so at least I have an offensive weapon to justify these actions. I do not miss the bloody Frog cheek pecking - always peeed me off.
Every cloud... best thing from the last year, we don't even have to see that bloody stupid 'air' kissing. :)
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
We haven’t had a lorry driver here who has taken a blind bit of notice of any of the advice. One contracted the virus quite badly as did his family. They survived it. About 12 people in our village of 200 have had it. Some nearly died. Some left with serious thrombosis etc and look like they will never be quite the same again.
Personally I think there is nothing “brave” or clever about exposing people to a virus when a few simple and hardly difficult or arduous precautions could save a lot of people a whole load of grief and expense.
I really haven’t found the precautions that arduous, just sensible. I never was an “up close” person anyway.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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