I'll try not to turn this thread into too much of a whinge, but do people
realise how crop and food production is influenced by the weather. Here are a
few examples.

Spring this year. Prolonged dry period. restricted crop growth and nutrient
uptake. effect yield decrease resulting in higher flour prices and higher bread
prices.

wet period july 25th-31st. grain ripe and ready to harvest. does not like
getting wet. tends to think its time to grow again. problem as its still
attatched to stalk. effect damages quality of already low yielding crops.
increases flour price etc etc.

Dry autumn. Impossible to get any crop to grow. has everyone noticed how grey
the countyside looks at the moment. no green and pleasant land. effect is
surely to limit crop growth for next years harvest.

Fag packet estimate today that the weather has cost my business £25,000 this
year. Is there any other industry that is so vulnerable to the elements.

Mike
Holme, Peterborough
Fed up with this drought

"EUROGROW" wrote in message
...
I'll try not to turn this thread into too much of a whinge, but do people
realise how crop and food production is influenced by the weather. Here are a
few examples.

Spring this year. Prolonged dry period. restricted crop growth and nutrient
uptake. effect yield decrease resulting in higher flour prices and higher
bread
prices.

wet period july 25th-31st. grain ripe and ready to harvest. does not like
getting wet. tends to think its time to grow again. problem as its still
attatched to stalk. effect damages quality of already low yielding crops.
increases flour price etc etc.

Dry autumn. Impossible to get any crop to grow. has everyone noticed how grey
the countyside looks at the moment. no green and pleasant land. effect is
surely to limit crop growth for next years harvest.

Fag packet estimate today that the weather has cost my business £25,000 this
year. Is there any other industry that is so vulnerable to the elements.

Oh, I'm sure you'll be compensated for it.
Just like every other bloody time something nasty happens to the farmers.

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

"Col" wrote in message
...

"EUROGROW" wrote in message
...
I'll try not to turn this thread into too much of a whinge, but do
people
realise how crop and food production is influenced by the weather. Here
are a
few examples.

Spring this year. Prolonged dry period. restricted crop growth and
nutrient
uptake. effect yield decrease resulting in higher flour prices and
higher
bread
prices.

wet period july 25th-31st. grain ripe and ready to harvest. does not
like
getting wet. tends to think its time to grow again. problem as its still
attatched to stalk. effect damages quality of already low yielding
crops.
increases flour price etc etc.

Dry autumn. Impossible to get any crop to grow. has everyone noticed how
grey
the countyside looks at the moment. no green and pleasant land. effect
is
surely to limit crop growth for next years harvest.

Fag packet estimate today that the weather has cost my business £25,000
this
year. Is there any other industry that is so vulnerable to the elements.

Oh, I'm sure you'll be compensated for it.
Just like every other bloody time something nasty happens to the farmers.

In six of the last eight years dairy farmers earned less than the average
minimum wage, and saw their net worth, (value of business etc) fall by an
average of £70,000, which probably means their over drafts rose by something
similar.

if you are so sure of being compensated I can pretty well guarantee to find
you a tenancy somewhere :-)

Jim Webster

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

"Jim Webster" wrote in message
...

In six of the last eight years dairy farmers earned less than the average
minimum wage, and saw their net worth, (value of business etc) fall by an
average of £70,000, which probably means their over drafts rose by something
similar.

if you are so sure of being compensated I can pretty well guarantee to find
you a tenancy somewhere :-)

Well that just goes to show there are too many farmers in this country.
The inefficient should be allowed to go to the wall and whoever remains
should be able to run efficient and profitable businesses.

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

"Col" wrote in message
...

"Jim Webster" wrote in message
...

In six of the last eight years dairy farmers earned less than the
average
minimum wage, and saw their net worth, (value of business etc) fall by
an
average of £70,000, which probably means their over drafts rose by
something
similar.

if you are so sure of being compensated I can pretty well guarantee to
find
you a tenancy somewhere :-)

Well that just goes to show there are too many farmers in this country.
The inefficient should be allowed to go to the wall and whoever remains
should be able to run efficient and profitable businesses.

Actually this will not happen. The cost structure is wrong because the main
thing farmers need is farms, and the price of land and rural housing is not
determined by its agricultural value but by urban aspirations. What will
happen is that production will continue to drop (pig meat down by 50% in
last five years) and more and more cheap imports will come in. The
governments determination to go for world prices means that we are competing
directly with cheap third world labour. This is common enough in other
industries, but other industries, e.g. electrical goods, the imports
produced by this labour have to meet EU standards. Interestingly enough with
food, this does not apply. Hence you will see large amounts of, for example,
chicken, imported from the far east where they use growth promoters illegal
in the EU, or from Brazil where they can get the price down by using cheap
GM feeds.

We have the interesting, and somewhat ironic situation, where the EU (and UK
government) impose higher and higher standards, which of course mean higher
costs of production, which of course mean that the food produced is priced
out of the market, by imports which under WTO don't have to meet these
standards.

So what you will see is a gentrified/suburbanised/yuppified countryside,
(over 60% of farms are bought by non-farmers who have no intention of
farming, just run something pretty to keep the grass down) plus shops filled
with cheap imports.
Obviously this will be cheaper than the current system, and you can buy any
food you want, provided it can be imported cheaply enough to guarantee a
supermarket margin.

But I suspect I have wandered somewhat off topic for this newsgroup so
apologise

Jim Webster

The farmers here brought us 'Mad cow' disease, Foot &
Mouth, many have died (CJD) and will continue to do so,
please, don't whinge here
..
On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 22:43:03 +0100, "Jim Webster"
wrote:


"Col" wrote in message
...

"Jim Webster" wrote in message
...

In six of the last eight years dairy farmers earned less than the
average
minimum wage, and saw their net worth, (value of business etc) fall by
an
average of £70,000, which probably means their over drafts rose by
something
similar.

if you are so sure of being compensated I can pretty well guarantee to
find
you a tenancy somewhere :-)

Well that just goes to show there are too many farmers in this country.
The inefficient should be allowed to go to the wall and whoever remains
should be able to run efficient and profitable businesses.

Actually this will not happen. The cost structure is wrong because the main
thing farmers need is farms, and the price of land and rural housing is not
determined by its agricultural value but by urban aspirations. What will
happen is that production will continue to drop (pig meat down by 50% in
last five years) and more and more cheap imports will come in. The
governments determination to go for world prices means that we are competing
directly with cheap third world labour. This is common enough in other
industries, but other industries, e.g. electrical goods, the imports
produced by this labour have to meet EU standards. Interestingly enough with
food, this does not apply. Hence you will see large amounts of, for example,
chicken, imported from the far east where they use growth promoters illegal
in the EU, or from Brazil where they can get the price down by using cheap
GM feeds.

We have the interesting, and somewhat ironic situation, where the EU (and UK
government) impose higher and higher standards, which of course mean higher
costs of production, which of course mean that the food produced is priced
out of the market, by imports which under WTO don't have to meet these
standards.

So what you will see is a gentrified/suburbanised/yuppified countryside,
(over 60% of farms are bought by non-farmers who have no intention of
farming, just run something pretty to keep the grass down) plus shops filled
with cheap imports.
Obviously this will be cheaper than the current system, and you can buy any
food you want, provided it can be imported cheaply enough to guarantee a
supermarket margin.

But I suspect I have wandered somewhat off topic for this newsgroup so
apologise

Jim Webster

here, here
..
On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 22:07:41 +0100, "Col"
wrote:


"Jim Webster" wrote in message
...

In six of the last eight years dairy farmers earned less than the average
minimum wage, and saw their net worth, (value of business etc) fall by an
average of £70,000, which probably means their over drafts rose by something
similar.

if you are so sure of being compensated I can pretty well guarantee to find
you a tenancy somewhere :-)

Well that just goes to show there are too many farmers in this country.
The inefficient should be allowed to go to the wall and whoever remains
should be able to run efficient and profitable businesses.

Col

As has happened several times of late a slight invigoration of a weak front
as it crossed the North Downs gave welcome rain and I measured 1.4mm around
20.30 hrs this evening.
I drove around the M25 to a venue at Uxbridge in Middlesex this morning. The
countryside was far from grey here in Surrey and thence north into
Middlesex. Yes, the grass is straw coloured but the trees bordering the M25
were fabulous shades of russets and gold enflamed by the sun as it appeared
in and out of the stratocumulus and cumulus. The sunshine and warmth during
the summer and through September together with the dryness has enriched the
colours and the heavily wooded Surrey countryside is beginning to look like
New England. It was a joy to be on the M25 this morning though perhaps my
enthusiasm would have been stretched to the limit this evening with 15 miles
of virtually stationary traffic.

Ian Currie-Coulsdon
www.Frostedearth.com





"EUROGROW" wrote in message
...
I'll try not to turn this thread into too much of a whinge, but do people
realise how crop and food production is influenced by the weather. Here
are a
few examples.

Mike
Holme, Peterborough
Fed up with this drought

In article , "Ian Currie" writes:

I drove around the M25 to a venue at Uxbridge in Middlesex this morning. The
countryside was far from grey here in Surrey and thence north into
Middlesex. Yes, the grass is straw coloured but the trees bordering the M25
were fabulous shades of russets and gold enflamed by the sun as it appeared
in and out of the stratocumulus and cumulus...


I have been visiting arboretums around the central south of England and what
appears clear to me is that the smaller specimens are dying. In some instances,
what appeared from a distance to be glorious autumn colours were, in fact,
deeply scorched leaves.

I have found many small trees and shrubs, and many young trees, dead or
dying. Staff have told me of the difficulties of digging and having to use
pick axes to form planting holes. All over the countryside, the ground is
opening up with cracks in which you can easily place your hand.

Some taller trees are also showing signs of stress, but most seem to be OK
and still green. I assume in most cases their more extensive, and deeper
root systems have kept them going, and the warm weather has delayed the
development of autumn colour.

This weekend's weather in the central south was absolutely glorious, and I
think the drought has "enhanced" the autumnal colouring, especially
in smaller specimens, making the season quite exceptional. However, I have
lost at least one tree, myself, and I suspect there may be quite a few
casualties, generally.

The sunsets in the central south last Wednesday (particularly) and Thursday
were quite the best this year!


Cheers,

keith





---
Iraq: 4 thousand million pounds, 50 lives, and counting...

EUROGROW wrote:
Is there any other industry that is so vulnerable to the elements.

Tourism
Transport
Travel
Insurance
Utilities
Retail
Sport

Steve