‘I don’t think there’ll be any profit’, says Nottinghamshire farmer after hot summer

Parker, 34, said the earlier and shorter growing period caused by the hot and dry weather had meant the yields were lower for the spring barley, with costs remaining the same.

He said the impact on output was “roughly 20-25% down on what we’d normally expect”, and while they plan on conditions “being the new norm” they have had to re-examine how they run the farm.

“It leaves a hole in your books, and then you’ve just got to cover that,” he said.

“I don’t think there’ll be any profit, it’s just whether we break even this year, that’s what we’re looking to do.

“I think it’s an ongoing concern – this is the third year in a row that we’ve had difficult weather in this country, that’s meant that we’ve not had a normal yield and a normal output, and therefore a normal return, so everyone’s looking at doing different things.

“The push is towards different businesses and different diversifications, but it seems a shame when a lot of the country is built on this.”