Comment – Mind your head

It’s still dry, my rain dance is defective, and we really could do with some rain. Fingers crossed.

Recently we shared the news of the operator of the UK’s biggest vertical farm going bust, and the main contributor being the energy cost to keep it going. Hot on the heels of this I was interested to read that GEA, the systems supplier for ‘food, beverages and pharmaceuticals’ or as we know them, milking parlours and kit, have invested  in a heat storage provider, Caldera. This is a clear recognition that in order for large swathes of industry (dairy farming included) to decarbonise, they need to address the energy cost of the process. Read this for a bit more depth.

Closer to home, I had a lovely evening looking around the lots at Penrith on Wednesday in readiness for Penrith Auctions quarterly machinery sale. Many dealers, traders and farmers are having a good clear out, including a couple of Lely Astronaut robot milkers, if you were up for a challenge! The auction ran well into last night, with some softer prices as the day wore on.

The NAMPO Harvest Days were also this week, in South Africa. Opening with a wreath laying at the Wall of Remembrance honouring farmers, farm workers and residents who lost their lives in farm attacks over the last year. Now there has been clear attempts to politicise this in the media, the BBC’s coverage is fairly decent regarding Trump and Musk, except it doesn’t address the root issue of are farmers being targeted. Digging a bit deeper and  Wikipedia came up with these facts. Now I’m not going to bore you, but suffice to say the South African Institute of Race Relations  (a liberal think tank who, since 1929, have been against segregation and apartheid) reckons that farmers in South Africa are 2 to 3 times more likely to be involved in Homicides than the rest of the population. Not something we have to deal with day in and day out in the UK.

Its Mental Health Awareness Week. Something we neglect at our peril. Having grown up in a world of ‘just get on with it’ and ‘big boys don’t cry’ I often think that we live in a culture of ignoring what’s in front of us, and not talking about it. because we think its normal. I’ve been to the funeral of a friend who couldn’t go on, and we have all been touched by this directly or otherwise.

Remember that it’s good to talk. There is plenty of support out there, both within and outside agriculture. Have a look at this blog specifically written this week by a counsellor working in farming.

Look after yourself and don’t be afraid to talk.

Andy