The Wardman Wire

This morning the Farming Today programme on BBC Radio 4 was about the disastrous 2008 harvest - possibly the worst for 20 years - and the effect it is having on farmers in the UK.

At present, one week into September, perhaps a third of the harvest has not yet been brought in, and already plans for 2009 are being changed as a result.

This segment of the programme is about 10 minutes.

“After yet more appalling weather across the country this weekend, many farmers are talking about this year’s being the worst harvest in living memory. It’s estimated that up to a third of the country’s cereals are still unharvested. Crops lie flattened, grain is starting to sprout in the field, and what has been gathered in is extremely wet, and needs drying out - at further expense. Mark Holdstock visits a farm in Northumberland to see the effects of the weekend’s downpours, and tries to see if there’s any reason for optimism at all. “