11th
September 2003
Easy harvest for Devon's arable farmers |
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| It's
been a good summer for Devon's arable farmers |
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The
dry conditions of late summer this year have led to one of the easiest
harvests ever experienced by Devon's farmers. And, with the rest of
Europe hit by drought, Devon's producers are enjoying unusually high
prices. |
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Farmers
in Devon have described this year's harvest as "unprecedented"
as a result of the warm, dry weather.
The helpful conditions have made this year's harvest the easiest ever
experienced by many arable farmers in Devon.
While the lengthy dry spells this year has meant that yields aren't
as high as they could be, the blue skies during harvest have been
a real boost, and the quality of the yield is largely good.
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| The
dry weather has led to an easy harvest |
Devon's
farmers are also benefiting from the drought problems being suffered
in Europe, where yields are drastically down.
One farmer who's enjoyed a good harvest is Stuart Cole, whose family
has a 400-acre arable farm at Nomansland in mid Devon.
"This year's harvest was unprecedented," he said. "It
was a non-stop harvest - no delays at all. We didn't have to dry anything,
so there were zero drying costs.
"I've run the farm for 12 years and for ease of harvest, this
is easily the best year."
And it's a similar picture at other farms in Devon's arable stronghold
in mid and east Devon.
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| Most
of Devon's arable farms are in the east of the county |
"I've
talked to farmers around Exeter and it's the same story," said
Stuart.
"The quality was higher on the barley and the oats. The wheat
suffered a little bit with the drought earlier on.
"I think nationally, yields will be down - but that's also partly
because the overall harvesting area is down."
The drought which has affected France and southern Europe has pushed
prices through the roof - which is good news for Devon's producers.
"We've seen a 20% to 30% increase is prices this year because
of the drought in Europe. In France, yield is 15% down and that is
driving prices up."
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