Looming food crisis,what can uk ag industry do?

[glasshouse]

You mean you're not going to bankrupt yourself "feeding the world"?

More likely to go bankrupt not growing than growing

 

[Tarw Coch]

That will read well in the daily mirror

Quite agee, the reasons for not planting can be justified as a rational buisness decision, but the way it’s phrased would make shocking newspaper headlines.

 

[Lowland1]

That will read well in the daily mirror

Too right.
‘Wealthy Farmers say let the people starve unless we get farmers dole back’

 

[Renaultman]

I have 30ha of land waiting to be drilled with BB mix in the next week Am I going to bother contacting the powers that be to get a derogation for 12 months, and then try and source seed and fert and agrochems.....?

Nope, not a chance. After all, our wonderful Govt do not think that there is any problem, and who am I to doubt them....

I've just signed up to a new environmental scheme but taken no money yet, have asked the question if I can, permanently, take the arable options out again and still waiting for the reply.

 

[7610 super q]

But as Dr Wazzock pointed out a few weeks ago, do we use our savings to fund production ?
Most bought fert at less than £500/ton this season, but next year ? And diesel rising rapidly again ?
Spring drought again now ? Which means a soggy harvest again ?
I feel under no obligation to do anything. This ain't 1970 with grants for lime, grants for ploughing,75% grants for sheds, free ADAS advice..............

Quite agee, the reasons for not planting can be justified as a rational buisness decision, but the way it’s phrased would make shocking newspaper headlines.

 

[glasshouse]

This coming year is a great opportunity to make some money for once, yet i cant believe some dont want to plant.

 

[Ceri]

This is exactly why I am taking a fairly relaxed view on the LR, LNR and SFI that @Janet Hughes Defra is talking about. We have at last had confirmation that our CS MTS has been agreed. But with the rates Janet is talking about at the moment and by the time ELMs proper kicks in by 2024 (allegedly!), it won’t be worth the bother thanks to farm gate price inflation. I can well see us wanting to end or seriously amend out MTS in 2024.

Why stress ourselves with regards ELMs when by the time we get there it is unlikely to be in operation and highly irrelevant?
By the time we get there, there may well be a massive turn round by a Government desperately trying to get votes by trying to make food more affordable to the voters
I just hope the voters don’t forget the utterly ridiculous policy and direction we have and continue to be heading towards right now!

Basically, The Government has treated very badly and abused us.
It continues to do so.
I hope they don’t expect any favours in return.

Well said boss man this is exactly what I'm thinking..................

 

[Lowland1]

This coming year is a great opportunity to make some money for once, yet i cant believe some dont want to plant.

Stockholm Syndrome. Imprisoned by government policy and money but too frightened to head into the free market.

 

[7610 super q]

Stockholm Syndrome. Imprisoned by government policy and money but too frightened to head into the free market.

Not me. Lost my SFP in 2006. Which is why everything has to pay.

 

[Lowland1]

Not me. Lost my SFP in 2006. Which is why everything has to pay.

No problem that’s how it should be.

 

[warksfarmer]

But as Dr Wazzock pointed out a few weeks ago, do we use our savings to fund production ?
Most bought fert at less than £500/ton this season, but next year ? And diesel rising rapidly again ?
Spring drought again now ? Which means a soggy harvest again ?
I feel under no obligation to do anything. This ain't 1970 with grants for lime, grants for ploughing,75% grants for sheds, free ADAS advice..............

Exactly. 2022 nitrogen cost £237/t. I’m not paying £500/t, £700/t or £1,000/t for the normal amounts of nitrogen due to the risk factor. Remember the 2012 floods which hit yields and quality? Remember the droughts which hit yield and quality? I’m not funding food production with diversification income like some are going to do. The plan right now will be spring wheat and probably fallow and just spend the normal budget on fert. Apply it then walk away. From previous small on farm trials I know we can achieve 5t/ha with no nitrogen. We haven’t bought any bagged P & K for 15 years so that is of no concern.
But I stand by what I said about a food shortage. Majority of the worlds population think food comes from shops. Our government know what’s going on but they think farmers will just carry on in the hope we’ll produce enough to bolster the imports leaving this country with full shelves.
We need some empty shelves for the people to realise where food actually comes from.

 

[thorpe]

I've just signed up to a new environmental scheme but taken no money yet, have asked the question if I can, permanently, take the arable options out again and still waiting for the reply.

weve took a lump out of production this year , with rising prices ive been wondering if we had done the right thing, then i remembered why we took it out!

 

[steveR]

I've just signed up to a new environmental scheme but taken no money yet, have asked the question if I can, permanently, take the arable options out again and still waiting for the reply.

Be interesting to hear if and when they respond... and the outcome.

 

[Renaultman]

Be interesting to hear if and when they respond... and the outcome.

Yes I'm not holding my breath

 

[Huno]

Tell your missus to ☆☆☆☆ OFF and do nothing if you are a farmer??

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Precisely.

This is exactly why I am taking a fairly relaxed view on the LR, LNR and SFI that @Janet Hughes Defra is talking about. We have at last had confirmation that our CS MTS has been agreed. But with the rates Janet is talking about at the moment and by the time ELMs proper kicks in by 2024 (allegedly!), it won’t be worth the bother thanks to farm gate price inflation. I can well see us wanting to end or seriously amend out MTS in 2024.

Why stress ourselves with regards ELMs when by the time we get there it is unlikely to be in operation and highly irrelevant?
By the time we get there, there may well be a massive turn round by a Government desperately trying to get votes by trying to make food more affordable to the voters
I just hope the voters don’t forget the utterly ridiculous policy and direction we have and continue to be heading towards right now!

Basically, The Government has treated very badly and abused us.
It continues to do so.
I hope they don’t expect any favours in return.

I find it quite easy to take the opposite view. It's the high cost of inputs combined with the possibility of falling grain prices which makes me very wary about spending too much up front.

It's the buyers of our products who continue to treat farmers badly. Look at the egg producers at the moment and the pig trade over the last few months; and what about the wheat, maize and other grains imported with no farm assurance?

The government are at least offering an environmental alternative with guaranteed rates of return for those more risk averse.

For those of you so certain of the high margins available, why would you bother with elms or any other government handouts?

And make food more affordable to consumers? How does that work in the "this time next year Rodney" scenario some are so confidently predicting?

 

[Tarw Coch]

But as Dr Wazzock pointed out a few weeks ago, do we use our savings to fund production ?
Most bought fert at less than £500/ton this season, but next year ? And diesel rising rapidly again ?
Spring drought again now ? Which means a soggy harvest again ?
I feel under no obligation to do anything. This ain't 1970 with grants for lime, grants for ploughing,75% grants for sheds, free ADAS advice..............

I don’t disagree with any of that.

We’re not at a food crisis yet where most people really do have to make difficult decisions about what to go without so they can afford food but if we do get to that point and journalists pick up on phrases like let them eat cake, fek em they can go hungry or let them knaw on bark and badger it will be front page farmer bashing headlines .
Of course the ones such comments above should be addressed to are our leaders, and the parasites that live off our backs,those who devise and advise on policy from government ministers to the NFU. We can see the potential future problems in food availability, it’s for those who are devising and advising on policy to come up with solutions.
It is entirely fair and acceptable for a farmer to say that against the backdrop of rapidly rising input prices and a total lack of trust in government policy and the food chain in the hands of large retailers that they aren’t prepared to gamble hard earned money on production to sell at a totally unknown price in the future. That’s just risk management.

All I’m saying is watch how you phrase things because in the words of the police, anything you say may be taken down and used in evidence against you.

 

[7610 super q]

As an aside, I can't be the only one pished off with the daily social media feed of veganism, farmers harming wildlife, farmers destroying hedges, farmers poisoning the soil, farmers cruel to animals, farmers responsible for climate change, farmers clogging up the roads.........

 

[Tarw Coch]

As an aside, I can't be the only one pished off with the daily social media feed of veganism, farmers harming wildlife, farmers destroying hedges, farmers poisoning the soil, farmers cruel to animals, farmers responsible for climate change, farmers clogging up the roads.........

If I see such stuff on Facebook I usually report it as false information or whatever options come up and seem appropriate.
Don’t know if it does any good or not but Facebook are a large entity monitored by computer patterns, stuff that seems popular gets pushed forwards, I don’t suppose any actual human looks at my reason for reporting a post but if enough people do the computer software will hopefully give such posts less exposure.
Maybe wishful thinking on my part but it keeps me happy

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

As an aside, I can't be the only one pished off with the daily social media feed of veganism, farmers harming wildlife, farmers destroying hedges, farmers poisoning the soil, farmers cruel to animals, farmers responsible for climate change, farmers clogging up the roads.........

It's society or civilisation not farmers that should be blamed for that. Farming practices are decided by society.