Harvest 2021 takes a big financial hit as most of the oil seed crop fails
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- Harvest 2021 isn't going to be good as an estimated 70% of the oil seed crop has been hit by cabbage stem flea beetle, which has killed much of the crop. The better news is the winter wheat is looking good and I take some soil samples to find out how much carbon my soils are holding.
As a petrol head and pest controller I find Harry so engaging - so much knowledge gained over years of doing what he does with passion and integrity. Thanks, Mr Metcalf, all the best.
Good comment sir
As a farmers son, just some info to anyone out walking e.g. on a public right of way land etc and they see a bull in a field, basically do not enter would be my advice. Harry obviously knows that animal and felt safe, you could see even he was keeping an eye on the bull when it was behind him at one point.
I know in a previous episode he said beef bulls were calmer than dairy bulls, and that may well be right but I got charged by a Hereford bull (a beef bull) ironically in Oxfordshire a good while ago while checking the cows with my cousin. we kept close to the gate and just about got out by jumping the gate before the bull got to us.
PS herds of cows can potentially be a source of danger esp if you have a dog with you or they have calves with them they think might need protecting.
Just some food for thought. :)
As a walker, and someone who was mobbed by cows on a public foot path (the cows were out of sight until it was too late), putting mother's with calves and bulls in fields with public foot paths should be prohibited or at the very least warning sign put up. I know farmers often don't like footpaths, and they are a pain to have on your land, but there were long before the farmer took over the land.
@@richcbri
Not really sure what the answer is here
Ultimately the farmer has paid for the land and surely must make use of it
If he didn’t own it it may well end up being a housing estate
Which is gotta be worse from a ramblers point of view 🤷♂️
I've seen warning signs. But at least use your loaf. If you're walking in the country side/farmers field you should at least expect livestock. I don't get the "until it's too late" bit. Use common sense. Sadly too many townies treating the countryside as "their" back garden.
@@twoeyedbob It's those that moved to country for the "peace and quiet"... 😆
@@philt5782 L shaped field on a steep bank, the cows were over the top of the ridge and round the corner, the field had been empty for the proceeding months, and the cows hadn't eaten enough to disterb the grass, I've lived in the country my whole life I know what I'm looking for.
Grass fed beef and dairy is ( in the Uk and Ireland) one of natures blessings. That we are talking about giving it up is absolute madness.
Yep, the word madness is synonymous with our current government!
They are too busy enriching themselves and their cronies - Britain has become one of the most corrupt countries in the world now!!! OUT!
True . As i said before , in a post on a previous Harrys Farm video , what's the most nutritious food we can eat ? Answer ; red meat , followed in second place by cheese . Broccoli , other vegs and fruit then after ( and you need to eat LOTs of these to match the nutrition found in red meat ) . I wish people would research food more , and what's actually the best thing for them to eat , and not listen to some "fruit cakes " blaming cow -farts for the destruction of the planet .
Previos generations had a solution. Periodic wars and conscription. Thin out the 20-something year old “Know betters” and leave the sages to make wise decisions.
@@thetessellater9163 it is one of nature’s blessings and if only it was all grass fed beef and not palm kernel, GM maize and South American soya... us arable farmers will feed you high protein feed, please value our produce over that GM shite and unregulated stuff traveling half way around the world with us on the doorstep... i cringe sometimes thinking about the “grass-fed” line when you look at the level of non-grass and GM inputs but not blaming the beef or dairy man himself, the entire system needs to incentivse and encourage local farm interdependence dialogue and linkage building... cycling back of waste nutrients is an area the arable men will be more than happy to help... “close the loop on the poop” 😂💪
madness seems to be quite in fashion these days! We've become a society of self mutilation and malicious pretending.
Lived in Devon all my life and never realised how difficult farming can be, I am finding all these videos very interesting. Thanks Harry.
Great video once again Harry. We raise our suckler herd almost organically. Over the last number of years one cause of depressed beef prices is foodservice/restaurants presenting meals with lesser beef cuts such as currys, beef salads, burgers, tacos etc more prominently than ever in place of higher value cuts. Speaking to a few butchers here in Ireland they all say that consumers are buying more meat than ever before (which is understandable give they are eating out a lot less), but are looking for higher quality meat too. I'm glad you are presenting this side of the story. One side of the argument gets a free ride, and the major flaws in their arguments are never tested while the agri lobby are hardly heard.
Good to hear. Don't worry, I'll keep reminding viewers about the differences in beef production methods around the globe and how we should be proud of our grass reared beef suckler herds. I do get the feeling the message is starting to get through to UK consumers, though, which is great news.
@@harrysfarmvids I'd love to see you take on some of the principals of regenerative agriculture. It makes sense to work with nature instead of against it. I believe it could turn your farming practices around, eliminate risks and make your farm more profitable. Good luck whatever you do Harry.
You still need to balance the carcass - isn’t it good that cheaper cuts are being promoted too?
@@chriswalford4161 Fully agree Chris that all the meat is promoted. My issue is that it is being done in some cases to the extent that it is displacing the higher value cuts, in some cases almost completely off the menu. I don't want to put the boot into restaurant industry as they have taken more than their share of pain during the pandemic (certainly in Ireland at least), but an example of a local mid range restaurant here, has an 8oz striploin steak for €23, and 4 variations of beef in salads/strips/mince for €19.50 to €22 using very different cuts. They are paying much less for the lesser cuts, but selling the meal for close to the same price. Of course you could point out that there are 5 beef options on the menu and that good for the farmer. The point I'm making is when people are buying for themselves, them appear to look for higher quality meat than they would necessarily get in a restaurant.
@@harrysfarmvids How can we be certain that we are buying grass fed beef? Are there any clues on the packings to look for, or avoid?
This is truly excellent and informative content, I’m not a farmer but you make it a really approachable topic. Fingers crossed it goes as well as it can!
I spent my grad school years at Michigan State University (one of the world's premier agricultural schools) and, by god, I just love ag discussions. So thank you very much. Much, much enjoyed.
Nothing beats the weihenstephan university. ;D
We just had snow and a couple of cold nights here in Niagara. When I googled "frost damage on fruit trees" an excellent article with pictures comes up from MSU.
Hi Harry.
I'd like to just congratulate you on having one of the most fantastic agricultural channels on this whole platform.
You really are acting as an ambassador for our industry.
It's wonderful to read comments on your videos from people who were never really interested in farming ,or have never really understood (or cared) about what we do, saying they now having a greater appreciation of the challenges we face and the work that we do.
Your explanations about all the different subjects/topics are so easy for people outside of agriculture to understand, but you also manage to be technical enough for people within it to watch as well.
Theres no flamboyance, just "real" factual information.
Really is absolutely fantastic.
I hope to get my little channel up and running again in the future. Once I do hopefully I will be able to send anyone who hasn't discovered your videos across to your page, as I know they won't be disappointed.
Take care
Jonny
I know this is no laughing matter, but I was seriously expecting to see Harry 2 go zooming past on one of his Dakar bikes as Harry 1 was examining the bare soil and desert dunes of the failed oil seed crop...
Noticed similarly poor OSR just south of where you are, around Bibury. Had a look and yes it is CSFB. Remarkable how environmentalists get hold of something like the seed dressing 'problem' and wont drop it until the case goes their way. Same with oil, fish, meat etc. Only when they realise the alternatives can have such dramatic impacts will they understand that change is often more harmful. Environmentalism will certainly have the biggest impact on farming in the coming decades, and I have no doubt it will be to the detriment of British farmers.
I really don't think they will "realise" anythink, since they are sponsored by food industry. Their aim is to prevent us from being able to choose what we eat in a shop (not cost effective) and force us to consume "ecological" plant based mush ordered on-line (very cost effective). It's all about money. If you can't figure out why or what for, it's about money. If it seems weird and not good for anyone, it's about money. Sorry :(
What I don't understand is they ban UK use of seed dressing, yet allow the import of crops grown with dressed seed. Possible with no control of any other chemicals used.
I live in Vietnam and the public have stopped buying food grown in China, because of the heavy chemical use there. Supermarkets have had to stop selling imported veg as demand has dropped. Now this is the people voting with there cash not the government intervening. These facts have just been gathered by speaking with locals and no research has been done.
Much the same as environmentalists' blind-spot that you can't produce steel without coking coal. Let's not do it in the UK, but import it from China instead and let them carry the carbon debits. Doesn't help the climate, denies us a steel and coal industry, but we can all feel good about ourselves as compensation.
@@James-gf9jl Or buy credits from another country and carry on producing at home.
Sad to see the OSR in such poor state. Here in Poitou Charentes France, warmer admittedly but similar honey coloured limestone geology. The OSR is booming, need sunglasses on passing the fields. As of 24th april we are a few weeks into the riot of yellow.
Farming seems to be a high stake lottery now. Admire your resilience Harry.
I would say it's been a high stake lottery throughout all of history. In fact, I might say that the stakes are lower today than they have ever been. In the pas failed crops meant hunger, famine, and possibly death. Can't imagine any higher stakes.
Farmers never boast when they make big money from a bumper crop but always bemoan something................. but they all drive RR.
@@coyote5735 What an amazing statement... They all drive RR ? really ?
@@CaptHollister Have you ever met a farmer that doesn't poor mouth? I speak from experience.
@@coyote5735 ...and in your experience they all drive RR. Amazing...
Brilliant and insightful as usual! I really hope some politicians watch this to understand the challenges they create for our farmers!
My son attends the RAU. They were watching Harry's Farm in a lesson or what ever it's called.
"Doesn't seem like joined up thinking..." Yup, sounds like true government work to me. Why do they never get advisors who know what they're talking about ie in this case the farmers. Makes me mad to the core. Great vid Harry.
Yep. The seed-dressing ban is another brilliant bit of unilateral lunacy.
"Look at us! We're crippling our farmers to save British bees!" They should add: "We don't give a toss what happens to YOUR bees though, because they're foreign!"
Pure hypocrisy.
It makes about as much sense as a conservationist who thinks it's fine to shoot tigers as long as somebody overseas is making the bullets.
Having big government issues
Would it matter anyway, with this government's lies, lies, lies and total incompetence!
Don’t forget a large sprinkling of corruption .....
This is far more interesting and informative than any farming programmes I have seen on BBC or other MSM.
Fully sympathise with you Harry. We seem to have a generation of Politicians who jump on any passing (Virtue-Signalling) bandwagon and pay no attention to logic, science, or even common sense! 😨 Great vid, please keep them coming. 👍🏻
I wouldn't have swapped my late father for anything but imagine having Harry as your Dad.
I'm loving Harry's farm. I find it really interesting and gives me a really good insight to what farmers have to do and a better understanding of what they're up against.
Harry, thank you for taking the time. Always nice and balanced with your information, every video a school day.
I'm looking forward to these farm vids almost as much as the garage ones now. How T F did that happen?!
Same. Although, they’re less frequent than the garage ones so I’m kinda looking forward to these more.
Personally I like these even more than the garage ones haha
I think its just Harry he can make thing so easy to understand
They used to call Bill Clinton the “explainer-in-chief” but I think Harry could take that title when it comes to farming in the UK.
A terrific channel
Thanks Harry and sorry to hear about your oil seed crop. Harry’s Farm is hugely entertaining and educational for us non-farming types. I now have a modest understanding of how complex and risky farming actually is. Chin up and keep going.
The BBC should pick up on this channel Harry produces and broadcast this !
no please don't let the BBC ruin the production of Harry's videos! He is our treasure, let it stay that way! I'm sure Harry would turn them down regardless
That won't happen as Harry is a 'straight white male'.
Not woke enough for the BBC
The BBC? Do they still exist?
He wouldn’t fit in with the BBC’s agenda! They’d label him as some sort of climate change denier...
Used to grow OSR with some success too risky to grow now unfortunately was a good break crop early harvest and good entry for wheat .
Break crops diminishing as Sugar Beet was OK but now going the same way with Virus Yellows and Cercospora (leaf disease) hoping this years crop will be better . Looking forward to your soil sample results Harry.
I am sorry to hear that Harry, it must be most frustrating.
Always intelligent and educational commentary from Harry - very welcome (and rare) from what I've seen of other farm vlogs.
I completely agree. The other farm vloggers tend to talk a lot but don't actually say much, whereas with Harry most of his words are gold.
Harry should be The Minister of Agriculture
Superb video Harry - if only their were more like you and the government took the necessary note of your discussions!! Keep up the excellent work.
A balanced view point from a farmer on the subject of the environment is very welcome - I only 'know' what I think I know from those who effectively shout the loudest. Love these videos - I feel I know so much more as walk around the countryside. Thak you Harry
As a Silsoe College old boy I think this is some of the best Ag content I have ever seen. I will be using the biogenic Carbon cycle in the future and I’m hoping to use your OSR description to show that climate change is happening - even in the cotswolds. Thanks for these videos Harry
I am sorry to see Harry's oil seed rape crop this year so distressed. I had not appreciated that Neonicotinoids use on OSR was a seed treatment, as a non farmer but interested and living in a farming community (Suffolk) I had thought of it a spray on the emerging plants. Last year locally to me those farms still growing it looked very much the same as Harry's. However, this seasons crop came up very strong near to me and was taller than I've seen in previous years prior to the onset of winter. It flopped a bit with the onset of frost and a little snow and suffered from pigeons predating on it. Despite this when the daylight increased it surged and at present it looks like a crop from the best of years. I perhaps wrongly assumed the farm must have got their hands on a neonics as I know the crop has been sprayed a couple of times. I now guess it is probably good fortune and a spray feed of some sort. Harry's enlightenment goes to show what I consider is a keen interest is not sufficient to comment or make any decision that has such wide ranging impact the banning of this treatment is having that seems to be the case by those that have made it. (simirlarly the beef and dairy issue)
Yes I wish I had rain here on my small farm , in Cornwall it’s so dry I am going to have to divide up my grass with electric a fence as it’s just not growing.
Sorry to hear this Harry!!! Did you ever think about growing maize on contract for local dairy farmers or bio gas plants IF that could work for you in your area!!?? Thanks for being so informative and honest!!!
Have you considered hemp. Farmer's weekly have suggested it as an alternative break crop to OSR. Quite a tough and versatile plant, can be used for oil or fibre. No idea what the market for the final crop is like though.
We are stuck for processing plants is my understanding until a politician can make a mint from it we will have to wait 🤔
@@What..a..shambles - or a cabinet minster's neighbour, maybe!
We ought to be growing lots of hemp for multiple uses.
Just make sure you’ve got the gear to harvest it as well as a market.
I would suggest growing only conventional varieties of osr, seed is much cheaper and you can just throw it at ground and decide early on whether there is a crop or not and if you take it through to harvest to can farm save seed for the following year. Too much risk with hybrid particularly if your land is prone to flea beetle.
If it fails possibly get winter wheat in still or a thing we’re doing now is always growing an amount of spring wheat, incase of wet winters, we can always get our wheat area in in the spring if we need to.
Thanks, I was thinking exactly the same thing and now rather wish I hadn't gone for a hybrid variety. As you say, the cheaper you can make the establishment, the less the potential loss. Next time..
Was just about to say Harry doesn't seem to reply to any of comments here... I stand corrected Harry.
Can you not grow potatoes as a break crop? Always a market for them.
It’s always a real pleasure to listen to Harry and learn about farming.
I suggest for your break crop in future you grow a grazeable cover crop mix with things like turnip, forage rape, fodder radish, rye, vetch and phacelia. you plant it in the autumn and it grows all through the year and then you graze sheep over it in july/august/september and then you cultivate it in ready for wheat drilling in october.
I don’t think the UK Gov has suggested we actually stop eating red meat or milk products. That said, sustainable beef would be unaffordable to many families.
Vegetarianism is the biggest driver of most of this nonsense, nowadays emotion is the driver rather than facts.
Very interesting Harry and very professional.
I was wondering of anyone had counted all the vegetarians farts, eating all that roughage etc, and, set it against cow farts in terms of methane production ?
Exactly, vegetarianism due to health is not so bad and understandable but veganism just isn't sustainable.
@@adkc19 Agreed Andy, don't know how many cattle there are in the world but there would need to be a hell of a lot to equal the methane produced by eight billion humans!
I can't take all this environmental stuff seriously until I hear them start to discuss exponential human population growth ?
It's the elephant in the room !
Bearing in mind how we all understand that the ecological balance is vital, after having listened to Harry’s explanation direct from the farmers viewpoint I’m wondering if successive Governments actually want the farming industry to prosper especially after Brexit
AS a petrolhead farmer I share your pain Harry. GR Yaris my fav hot hatch, this year Linseed and Wheat my favourite crops. Keep going with what you are doing, absolutely amazing RUclips channels. Regards from Herefordshire.
A very "interesting" spring day in central Ohio, USA...late April and we received an inch of snow. Bugger.
I must say, I find this channel fascinating!😅 I’m a petrolhead and have hence come across this channel via Harry’s garage, and although I know very little about farming, I find the business of farming, as insightfully articulated by Harry, very interesting indeed! Keep up the great work Harry, your car and farming content is really top notch!
Harry it is unfortunately not untypical that the environmentalists new regulation causes more damage than it was intended to solve...common sense is not very common and especially uncommon in big cities
You're lucky with your 4mm Harry,only 1.2mm here in Chesham,Widmore looks a bit dry!
West Wales dairy and beef farmer here. No proper rain for weeks and weeks now. Grass is not growing and the cows will soon be short. Didn't realize it was a nationwide problem.
as an observation i was just thinking of wearing a dress watch and smart watch on either wrist the other day.. now its been verified as OK.
Great upload Harry, Farming is always challenging!
A lot of people do not realise that farmers, growing crops , are at the mercy of the weather elements
Too much rain and the nutrients gets wash away
Too much sun, and there is a drought
It is hard work trying to be profitable as a farmer
Looking at the oil crop.
A healthy crop..your fields would be a sea of yellow. And the height would be above your waistline
But this is not so
I can only wish you stay healthy and happy
I'm so sorry to hear that the OSR failure will cost so much. Hopefully you'll be able to make up the loss in other ways. Educational as always, thanks to you and your wife for the videos.
I have certainly noticed my lawn is slow to grow this year. As always, thanks for the content Harry.
Fascinating stuff Harry, please keep them coming 👍
We stopped growing rapeseed some years ago because of the flea beetles. Replaced it with beans.
I have large plants of that everlasting sort of kale in my garden (some call them kale trees) and the end of this winter after the heavy freezing periods I noticed the largest and usual most vigorous plants had all gone limp. This is very unusual as the plant is very frost hardy.
As it got a bit warmer a couple of the smaller plants started to progress and grow but the big ones were all stunted as described.
I broke apart some stems and they were all brown and rotten inside. I thought it was disease as I didn't know of a pest that does this.
Thankfully I had the sense to burn these plants in time that the surviving small plants were not infected. And I did a few clones too.
I really had no idea this pest even existed !
Thanks Harry. You rant away, I completely agree with you.
What's the history of your farm?
If your agronomist is telling you to spray the pollen beetle he needs sacking, pollen beetle become a beneficial insect once the flowers start opening. This fact coupled with the amount of resistance to insecticides the pollen beetle now have means you’d be doing far more damage by spraying.
I wonder about doing a fodder crop instead, oats or fodder beet ( like we grow in nz ) and either selling it as fodder (for silage etc ) or utilizing it as part of the beef operation. I don't know what the practice is there for fodder crops but just a thought. Perhaps if you could just run at a reduced profit/break even and get the break crop benefits that would be ok?
Interesting to see what is going on elsewhere. Thanks for the vid.! A.
Beautiful cattle. Came here from Harry's Garage. Not disappointed
I watched the whole thing and I don't even like farming videos. I feel your pain Harry, so many good ways of producing sustainable beef and dairy but they are being ignored so the Vegan argument takes hold. Keep at it
Excellent video as always, Harry.
Great stuff Harry, very enlightening.. must be a frustrating business on times.
Yet another Great video Harry thank you
Look forward to hearing back from the soil results. Sad to see that the rape has failed but then we import it from overseas where the chemical is still being used!
Hello Harry, great to watch, loads of information, why do you/other farmers have to do the things the 'desk farmers' in Westminster suggest, your reason for not following their instructions seems very sensible to me , treat the seed not the plant !!!!!! Regards, RichardA.
Really good vid. I think we should be focussing on where the “cheap” meat comes from. Dunno if Lidl or ASDA meat in burgers or even takeaway meat comes from grass fed, local cows or imported from intensive mass farmed places. This is where focus should be. Traceability, culpability & polluter pays etc. Fine for the government to target those though.
Grow your own barley and start your own micro brewery Harry. There will always be a market for alcohol 🍺
Get the politicians too drunk to show up to work so they can't keep screwing things up for farmers
There used to be a brewery in Burford, just a couple of miles away, Garnes, until it was taken over by Wadworths and then closed to be used as a store. But now it`s housing, as is the way today.
Charmed life of Metcalf continues to amaze me. He can now talk to the animals. He’ll have a pushmepullyou on the farm next 🤣
Lol - every time my Dad cobbled together some homebuilt tool for the garden he called it a Pushmepullyou. I miss him ...
It may be news to you but we all talk to our animals. If you have a dog or cat, don't you talk to them?
@@hedydd2 looks like the country folk didn’t learn sarcasm at cow whispering school. 🤦♂️
@@bmanduprit2962
They did and learnt how to treat it with the contempt it deserves.
@@hedydd2 #triggered 🤣
Misery loves company. my OSR If anything looks even worse as the Brent geese here in Essex also love eating it.
You did an amazing job with this video. It was so much fun!
Harry, lovin' both of your channels and thank you for being very transparent about how modern farming works - yet, can't help it, 7-8x blanket spraying sounds complete madness to me. No wonder certain pests get stronger and out of hands. Certainly the seed-dressing must have less environmental impact...
cowboy Harry ! thank you so much for making these videos and ones from your garage. I have learned so much : )
Interesting about the OSR. Is it weather /soil conditions that are affecting it as well? Here in norfolk we seem to have fields and fields of very healthy looking yellow crops!
Not always popular but biblical advise on crop growing is to leave the land fallow every 7th year to allow for the land to rest and recover and maybe allow all those bugs etc to clear off or be eaten?
Maybe try it on a couple of fields and see what difference it makes?
Also have the corners untouched for wildlife etc.
Good program enjoyed it
Less than 6" of rain on average so far at the end of April - exactly as happened last year. Where IS our rain going? I am beginning to think that geo-engineering is a real thing. The insane cycle of dependency of chemicals is reducing productivity in ever decreasing circles. Solutions? No mono-cultures, organic if possible, MORE animal husbandry to improve soil fertility, restore hedges and meadows. Many farmers are locked in a cycle and as tenants can't escape. No easy answers, but as long as people are concerned with our island food security the better we can start to redress so much damage to our farming/food culture. It is sinister that dairy and beef herds are being blamed for any perceived effects on greenhouse gasses.
Fascinating as always Harry. I wonder how you (if you have to) manage public rights of way on your land? It always feels odd crossing over a farmers crop on a path. I also seen some people commenting on how to best deal with cows when on a path across farmers property, personally they scare the crap out of me so i avoid them at all costs, especially with a dog or if i'm on a run. Keep up the great insights sir!
Harry love the channel - could I ask for a few reviews of real farmers pick ups and off-roaders, something that’s sadly missing in the UK... 543k of views on the new defender video shows there’s demand.. Plenty of good options coming and some of the Chinese & Indian vehicles are very good value for a UK farmer
Interesting video. Thank you Harry from Alabama, USA. Great channels all.
have to say,driving round somerset,devon and cornwall all the rape crops i see are looking very healthy, nice thick crops ,pretty tall and been in bloom for a couple of weeks now in some places, saw it starting to flower around the 23rd of march in somerset
So also in North Bedfordshire, OSR in full healthy flower!
The ground is cracked in my garden you don't normally see that until mid-summer, very, very dry.
I think rain is on the way soon
Hemp and CBD production ,what the UK needs is some precessing plants ,so many uses for it the paper and cotton baron's got it banned 🧐
Harry what’s the chances of reversing the seed dressing policy for rape , now we are out of the eu, considering we buy osr from country’s that use the seed coverings , this is our second year now with out rape in the rotation, we are just relying on spring beans atm ,
Another great informative video btw
I referenced the GSMin your other bids, which we are coming out of now, but poles are weakening affecting the jet streams expect more variable weather going forwards.
More cold, odd extreme heat and drought.
Maybe poly tunnels might help in certain situations.
There Was some good oil-seed crops in Dorset when I was out on the CB650 this Sunday..
Feel your pain with the OSR Wheat looks great ..lets hope May warms up with a few more showers to get the grass growing thx for great video .🍻
Thank you for the update. I wish more would see the type of farming that is done here.
Sorry to hear the rape crop has failed again, in my area of Buckinghamshire I’ve only seen one maybe two fields that look good the rest look very sorry for itself. Lovely looking cattle you got there Harry , good interesting video again thanks 👍
Very interesting. We were just commenting on not seeing much rape around this year. Never knew about the problems. Thanks for the video 👍
I am beekeeper and so understand the concerns over neonicotinoids. However, the impact that the ban has is clear, both on your farm and in my area (E Anglia). There is vrtually no OSR being grown here, whereas in prevoius years it was everywhere, vastly reducing the forage available for the bees. That, combined with the cold, dry weather has left my bees struggling to develop this spring. Perhaps there is a better balance to be found in the legislation?
I was over in Herefordshire enjoying the sunshine in my 1932 Morris Minor yesterday and there were quite a few big fields of rapeseed in full flower. I guess they're not getting affected by the flea beetle, but it's not exactly very far from Harry's farm in the Cotswolds, so would expect the same result.
Very informative as always, and Grass Fed Beef and Dairy one of life's blessings never should be given up, even if only available as a luxury treat!
HI HARRY ,LOVE YOUR VIDEOS,PITY ABOUT YOUR OIL SEED AND THE LITTLE BUG ERS IN THE STEM YOU MENTION YOUR WHEAT IS GOOD WITH THE MINUS FOUR FROSTS, WHY DOES THIS NOT KILL THE BUG ON THE OSR.
I never could get on with a pointy spade, got myself a small "lady" version now, much easier 💪😀
Wheat looks well. We've got to start to looking at fertility building environmental grass lay type options instead of break crops I think, then hope government don't screw up on a glyphosate ban.
You shouldn't call a shovel a spade mate :)
The point about grass-reared beef is a good one. Although I would add the caveat that soil carbon can't accumulate indefinitely, it will reach an equilibrium level at which point absorption and emissions are likely to be equal. This is not the same as carbon sequestration in peatlands or similar where sequestration can continue indefinitely (and which form geological carbon deposits). Having said this, think there is a need for a lot more work on actual long-term emissions from different farming practices.
meat and dairty are an essential part of agriculture,especially grazing animals
It wasn't just me then. The winter has been really long and pretty cold. I understand why politicians are jumping on anything that may pose an environmental risk but I think they need to do more research before making a decision because it doesn't sound like they are doing enough. Either they have researched the ramifications of the decision and don't care or they haven't researched it at all.
Global warming.
Ha
@@thefreedomwarrior The weather is unpredictable and so is the climate.
Grass fed cattle has been done in the UK for literally thousands of years, way before we started seeing carbon ppm in the atmosphere increase. It’s probably the most sustainable agricultural practice that goes on today. Granted, that land turned over to forest would sequester more carbon, but we do have to produce food for humans to eat.
I agree that grass fed cattle is a sustainable system but it uses a lot of land. The way that so much of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared to produce beef is surely wrong, but we did exactly the same thing here in Britain so long ago that most people think the country was always as it now is.
Humans are omnivorous though, and there are many other ways to produce food which give much higher yields per acre.
@@majordendrocopos yes certainly, reduction in consumption, ban on export and therefore reduce unnecessary production. Can also introduce more silvopasture. But I think eradicating animal agri in the UK all together would be just as damaging as keeping it at current levels, animals do play a key role that without would require more chemical inputs. Harry’s video describes it perfectly how banning the seed dressing for a possible link to bee deaths has increased general insecticide usage which is probably more damaging overall. It’s not just as simple as saying, (x) produces this yield but (y) produces 4*yield(x)for the same nutritional value so just ban (x).
I’m not a farmer but I’ve heard good arguments both sides, unfortunately the farmers side who are the experts and understand the technicalities and have knowledge passed down through generations often get drowned out by environmentalists that neglect these technical issues in favour of more romantic ideals.
@@andy199121 I agree with you that there are no simple answers here, and the basic problem is the massive increase in human population. We are the top predators on the planet and there are far too many of us!
Population is a problem that no politician wants to deal with though. Who is going to tell people that they can’t have as many children as they might want? Okay, they did do it in China some years ago but I can’t see that happening in the west.
I have no solution to this problem.
Great to see your videos. I run a campsite that sells on wildflower meadows. We are doing the rain dance everyday. How do you deal with the lack of rain?
couldnt you grow maze ? sell it for feed to a dairy farmer ?
The wrong people are getting into politics, talkers and non-achievers who have little or no experience of commerce and have likely never achieved against the odds outside of academia. Politics is an easy route to fame and fortune for those who in normal circumstances would (rightly?) vanish without trace. Ever thought of standing for Parliament? We need experience and ability to hold these also-rans to account, this country deserves far better. Can OSR be genetically modified to prevent the beetle?
Cattle pick up stones,old bones and pieces of wood, it’s called picca and usually means a mineral deficiency such as phosphorus. Horses chew on wooden feeding troughs and doors. Pregnant women eat all sorts of odd things because their body is craving for minerals.
Have you tried Mustard Caliente 199? Very good and reduces pests greatly the following season once dug in. Thanks
Can't help thinking that reduction in aviation has influenced the climate. Hardly anything over the UK on Flightradar24 compared with pre-pandemic days. Been a lot of windscreen scraping in April up in Yorkshire, grass isn't growing much at all and it's very dry.
Great information Harry I could not agree with you more regarding the shortsightedness of those in power on the green bandwagon.