It was a wet December, January, and now February looks to be the same. Our farm is well-positioned, and the land is generally well-drained, one of the reasons it has been farmed for 1,000 years is because it is less prone to flooding. We have a deep creek that runs through the old farm, and where the tiles collected the water from the fields.
The builders are telling us that many construction projects are delayed because of the weather. That is partly why we have a large crew inside the house working on our daughter's new quarters. On many sites, the ground is saturated so heavy equipment cannot circulate.
It also means that planting has been delayed, and what has been planted has rotting roots. Obviously, our high tunnels are unaffected by the weather. Soil moisture is higher than normal as it leaches in from the outside, but it doesn't cause any problems for our plants. It is still too early for us to plant our Wheat and corn, we don't plant winter wheat, as ourse is not a wheat farm. Jennifer has already signed two forward wheat contracts representing 15% of our expected yield.
We are lucky, other farms around us are looking at their local rivers and are concerned by the rising waters. This is why farmers need good profitable years to support the bad ones. It is still too early to conclude that 2024 will be a difficult year for British farmers, but the first 30 days of the year look challenging.
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