Life Consultants

Farmers worries – Up horn, down corn?

Farming is a classic example of home, business and personal life intersecting, and any arable farmer who is not worried at present is either very lucky or brilliantly farsighted.

Wheat yields are lowest since 2020, but prices are still down; bread wheat is c.£184 against c.£200 in 2020.

Livestock prices look more encouraging – beef has doubled since 2020, and lamb is also up.

And milk prices are up but in our area (Oxford, Bucks, Herts) this year’s grass yield (DM per hectare) is well down following the drought, and 5 year feed costs have averaged 13% increase.

And for everybody there is still the likelihood of the carbon tax on fertilisers starting in January 2027, which will mean a substantial reduction in margins – arable and grassland.

Little surprise, then, that tractor sales are well down; most farmers are simply making their kit last longer and hoping that it will keep going without expensive maintenance bills.

Meanwhile, home life has to continue – but with those business pressures, it ain’t easy to keep your sense of humour, and sharing family problems is very challenging.

We don’t offer farming advice – but we can help clarify views and sort out priorities.

If you would like to try a relatively anonymous conversation, do please use our contact form.