At Smithy Briggs there is only a small area of arable land growing wheat, oilseed rape and vining peas for Birds Eye.  2012 has not favoured a small arable farm.  The UK is dominated by arable crops and all have been challenged and will suffer a yield penalty this year quite imply down to too much wet and not enough sunshine.

The first known casulaty at Smithy Briggs where the Vining Peas, due to nothing but wet since planting there was barely 10% of the field where there was even a crop growing,  the rest had literally died and rotted.  Oilseed Rape yieled the farm 5 year average yield which was respectable!

As for Wheat, every farmer would have reported an excelltnt looking crop in early April, since then the wet and dull weather meant disease pressure was enormous and lack of sunshine left the corp unable to actually produce grain as designed!  Wheat crop yields varied higely around farms with localised disease pressures leaving some crops desimated.  Unfortunatley Smithy Briggs block of 50 acres of wheat was one of the blocks where disease took hold.  The yield was less than 1/2 of the 5 year average.

Mother Nature reminds us that nothing will beat her – if we needed reminding!