The speed that Fridays flick by astounds me. Here we are completing another week as we head towards, for me, one of the most looked forward days of the year. So much happens in the lead up to this day. Christmas card writing, purchasing of presents to loved ones, school plays, decorating the house with seasonal symbols and enjoying time off work and the company of friends and family whilst consuming large amounts of food and drink.

As you read this we will be just 4 days short of this day, the winter solstice, when the orbit of our planet around the sun passes the point whereby daylight and the promise of warmth returns to the northern hemisphere.

It is also a time to reflect on the past year. The harvest, what went right and what could have gone better. I try to spend time learning the lessons and increasing the experiences I have to fall back upon in the future. Sadly, I have yet to do this successfully. But maybe one year!

The harvest of 2021 was a success. We had tough conditions. A dreadfully wet autumn, a long dry and cold spring followed by a damp and cool May and a relatively sunless June. This produced an average harvest, which in fact is an excellent result and shows the resilience of the crops that we grow.

But we do not farm in isolation and the troubles and woes that other farmers have faced across the globe have certainly caused commodity prices to improve markedly so I am looking forward to a significant reversal in the financial performance of the farm than the awful set of accounts for harvest 2020 that landed on my desk in September.

As the day length increases and we head into January I will have great joy as I see the crops grow and develop towards my next harvest. The crops in the ground have germinated and grown so well in what seems like the best autumn of my farming career. Possibly the best autumn since 1983 and those of us who are long enough in the tooth will certainly be able to remember the delight of harvest 1984. So, prepare the store for a bumper crop in 2022. You heard it here first!! Empty your silos and sweep out the corners of the stores cos we are going to fill them and some.

Stay safe and well this festive period

John Jefferies