Farming Matters!_Harvest 2001

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Farming Matters!
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Updated 26^th September
new links below.
Harvest 2001
Briefing

Prayers 2001 This year the harvest is overshadowed by the ongoing Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic. For those areas still under restriction (Wales and the Borders, and the Northern Counties of England) there are problems with the transport of grain from fields into farm store and from store to merchants’ vehicles. This causes extra work, cost and stress at a time when these are already high. The bad press that farmers received in some national newspapers also raised the stress levels, (one published a report entitled ‘Why farmers are scum’). As we draw towards the season of Harvest Festivals let us give thanks for our daily food and pray for those who work in its production as well as for those in need.
Financial help for farming families

Farming Matters Grain Harvest Situation
This year has seen the longest harvesting period for many years. The weather has been changable (as ever!) but more important, the wet autumn last year affected sowing and led to the widespread use of late ripening spring sown cereals. 'Bale don't chop' ARC-Addington fund needs your straw

Yield of all crops has been very variable and prices look to be somewhat higher than in the immediate past. Milling wheat is in short supply and the price ex farm is up by about 12% on last year. However a ‘bog-standard’ Supermarket loaf only contains about 5p worth of wheat flour so the price should not increase by much! Genuine wholemeal bread will see an increase of 4 - 5p per loaf. Over the longer term prices are still way down on 5 years ago. For example Malting Barley in 1996 was making £150 per ton, this year it is £72 per ton.

ARC
National Fodder Bureau,
Harvest briefing by Chris Jones, FCN etc. Prayers for the Farming Community need to take into account the ongoing financial crisis in farming and rural areas. Many businesses are running at a loss, with pressure from lenders becoming more intense as the Foot and Mouth crisis eases in some areas. Small family and tenant farmers are the worst hit and will take the longest to recover, if they can manage to survive at all. Many of the prayers written earlier in Foot and Mouth crisis are still applicable - as is the prayer of a Devon farmer's daughter along with the new prayers produced by the Arthur Rank Centre for Harvest 2001. Harvest worship
from the Arthur Rank Centre

The Rev'd Nick Read has also written an article suggesing that in the current crisis we should be holding 'Harvest Reflections' rather than 'Harvest Festivals'.
Main index

	Farming Matters!
Updated 26^th September new links below.	Harvest 2001 Briefing
Prayers 2001	This year the harvest is overshadowed by the ongoing Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic. For those areas still under restriction (Wales and the Borders, and the Northern Counties of England) there are problems with the transport of grain from fields into farm store and from store to merchants’ vehicles. This causes extra work, cost and stress at a time when these are already high. The bad press that farmers received in some national newspapers also raised the stress levels, (one published a report entitled ‘Why farmers are scum’). As we draw towards the season of Harvest Festivals let us give thanks for our daily food and pray for those who work in its production as well as for those in need.	Financial help for farming families
Farming Matters	Grain Harvest Situation This year has seen the longest harvesting period for many years. The weather has been changable (as ever!) but more important, the wet autumn last year affected sowing and led to the widespread use of late ripening spring sown cereals.	'Bale don't chop' ARC-Addington fund needs your straw
	Yield of all crops has been very variable and prices look to be somewhat higher than in the immediate past. Milling wheat is in short supply and the price ex farm is up by about 12% on last year. However a ‘bog-standard’ Supermarket loaf only contains about 5p worth of wheat flour so the price should not increase by much! Genuine wholemeal bread will see an increase of 4 - 5p per loaf. Over the longer term prices are still way down on 5 years ago. For example Malting Barley in 1996 was making £150 per ton, this year it is £72 per ton.
ARC National Fodder Bureau, Harvest briefing by Chris Jones, FCN etc.	Prayers for the Farming Community need to take into account the ongoing financial crisis in farming and rural areas. Many businesses are running at a loss, with pressure from lenders becoming more intense as the Foot and Mouth crisis eases in some areas. Small family and tenant farmers are the worst hit and will take the longest to recover, if they can manage to survive at all. Many of the prayers written earlier in Foot and Mouth crisis are still applicable - as is the prayer of a Devon farmer's daughter along with the new prayers produced by the Arthur Rank Centre for Harvest 2001.	Harvest worship from the Arthur Rank Centre
	The Rev'd Nick Read has also written an article suggesing that in the current crisis we should be holding 'Harvest Reflections' rather than 'Harvest Festivals'.
	Main index