FINAL SAY Fen Tiger


When harvest was (almost) too hot to handle


Cherryade and pea crops drying on tripods and are just two of Fen Tiger’s memories from the long, hot summer of 1976.


I


am old enough to just about recall the humid days of 1976 and – if current weather pat- terns continue – future genera- tions may look back at the sum- mer of 2018 the same way. Yet it is often forgotten that summer 1976 started with snow in June. I remember standing on a


cricket fi eld and watching the white stuff fall. From then on- wards, though, it was hot. Very hot. By late June, we had seen 15 consecutive days of tempera- tures hovering around 90º – for in those days we measured things in Farenheit, not Celsius. Even the umpires at Wimble- don that year were allowed to re- move their jackets. Wildfi res were frequent with fi elds so parched and dry. The great drought saw rivers and reservoirs all dried up and water restrictions were im- posed across the country. Even a drought minister was appointed. Then, it ended just as quickly


as it started. The heavens opened on August bank holiday and the summer of 1976 was replaced by one of the wettest autumns on record.


Safety nightmare My dad has always said that the 1976 harvest was started and fi n- ished in July. We grew peas that year – mostly for the fi sh and chip shop trade. We used the tripod system – for those who have no idea what I am talking about, I will explain.


Still going


strong – a Claas Senator 60 in action last month at Lavenham, Suffolk.


The peas were cut and left in a


swath and wooden tripods erected like the old fashioned Indian wig- wams. Peas were then stacked, by hand, on to the tripods to dry. And once they were considered dry enough, they were fed into the front of the combine. From what I can remember,


today this would be a health and safety nightmare, The reel of the combine was removed and I re- call an old wooden ladder being roped across the header to pre- vent unwanted entry. The peas were then fed into the combine manually and each tripod dis- mantled by hand. What memories come fl ood-


ing back. They are not of the back-breaking work or the com- bine standing still yet munching through a pea crop at full speed. Rather they are of the farm fore- man arriving each morning with a crate of Corona fi zzy pop – cher- ry fl avour I think – which he had ordered from the local shop.


Early mornings The conversation back then was never about safety regarding the wooden ladder across the front of the combine but woe betide an- ybody who forgot to return their empty Corona bottle and claim back the deposit– yes, these were glass bottles not plastic.


It was so hot that summer har- vest started at 4am every day. Much like on some farms this summer. When midday came, we all went home until tea time and then came back for the evening shift. With yields down, I cannot re-


call the price of wheat but remem- ber father saying the price had jumped up but the yield was so low high prices did not compen- sate. I wonder if harvest this year is starting to go the same way?


upwards of £150/t – refl ecting shortages and hot dry weather. Many farms took a punt and sold for harvest. Perhaps now that price seems a little low – but it remains a good starting block for future sales. With such a cold and wet


spring, prospects for grain quality look less good. With a small root system and too much moisture in the spring, most local wheat crops on the lighter lands are now start- ing to show signs of water stress.


“Now, as then, grain markets are climbing on the back of rising temperatures.”


Today, grain markets are ris- ing on the back of rising temper- atures and drought conditions. There are already concerns in Russia and northern Europe over yields, with Denmark reporting its driest season for over 50 years. The only factor starting to limit grain prices is political. Trade tensions involving US trade measures against China and the European Union could have a big impact. Meanwhile, UK grain prices show a wide variation with the highest pric- es around the bioethanol plants in the north-east.


Quality prospects Closer to home, we have already seen July ex-farm values pushed


It is very rare – if not impossi-


ble – to have a year with high pric- es and high yields. Yields right now are a worry and quality is also a concern. Wheat crops which were three or four weeks be- hind are now two or three weeks ahead. Have they fi nished natu- rally or died early?


Bushel weights as ever are


key. And with combines rolling early, many farmers will be un- happy – although others will be happy just to have a crop to har- vest. As always, the weather will either line our pockets or not as the case may be. At least today peas can be com- bined direct and not stacked on those wooden tripods – even if I do miss the Corona and those return- able glass bottles. Happy harvest!


74 ANGLIA FARMER • AUGUST 2018


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