Farmers counting cost of the floods
Gazette & Herald
2nd August 2007
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk
By Laura Williams
Farmers across the county have been hit hard by the wet weather - with some fearing they may lose the majority of their crop.

Arable farmers, dairy farmers and cattle farmers alike are all struggling to cope with the torrent of poor weather. While only a handful have been struck by floods and water-logged fields, most have seen the effects of heavy rain put a halt to what is usually their busiest time of year.

Cattle farmers have been unable to make hay and fear there may be a national shortage towards the end of the year when cows and horses rely on it as part of a staple diet.

Brian Thornton, from Moorshall Farm, said he was worried he may have to buy hay in over the winter for his 100 cows. The 62-year-old said: "In order to make hay you need three or four days of sunshine - to give it time to dry out. "We just haven't had that so haven't been able to dry the grass and make hay. If it carries on raining I can see there being a real hay shortage this year. That could have a real knock on effect leading to a shortage of food and inevitably, a rise in prices."

Dairy farmers are struggling to feed their herds of cows as their fields have become a massive mudbath.

John Gough, 43, of Forest Farm in Pewsham, has been moving his herd of 100 cows from field to field in a bid to find enough grass to graze them on. He said: "Where the ground is so wet - as soon as you let the cows in the field, they trample around and it just turns into mud. I've had to find extra dry feed for them."

But arable farmers and flower growers have been hardest hit by the torrential rain - with fields of crops and plants rotting away by the day.

Among those hardest hit is nursery owner Derek Upton, whose farm in Langley Burrell is currently submerged under several inches of water.

He said: "Luckily, my animals were in unaffected fields when the flooding began, but all my crops are underwater - I just don't know if we can salvage anything. "There is absolutely nothing we can do - just wait and hope for the best."

Susanne Wilkins, 61, grows wheat, barley and beans at Nolans Farm in Calne. She said: "We haven't been able to do a thing with our seeds. They've been sown but the ground is too wet for our combine to get in there and turn them. If we can't get out and combine it over the next few weeks we could risk losing the whole crop. We are praying for sun everyday."