Volatility has been a long-discussed topic when it comes to farm commodity prices, but historically that volatility has been relatively small compared with the extremes we have recently experienced.

We used to get excited when wheat went up £10/t. It would have been impossible six months ago to imagine a drop of £30-£40/t in a week, followed by an increase of similar amounts the week after, or that wheat would be at the £300/t mark.

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About the author

Matt Redman

Farmer Focus writer

Matt Redman farms 370ha just north of Cambridge and operates a contracting business specialising in spraying and direct-drilling. He also grows cereals on a small area of tenancy land and was Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year in 2014.

Contact:

Email: office@mattredmanag.co.uk

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@redmanmatt

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Current high prices are like a fire door in a burning building, artificially holding back the flames, but it could give up at any time to expose the contents of the room – the UK farming industry – to the flames.

The Rural Payments Agency has offered a small fire extinguisher by paying us half of the Basic Payment Scheme money in July, which will buy some time, but it won’t address the problem.

This is much the same as increased credit facilities or delayed payments – they all help in the short term, but in the longer term this is going to require some work from all areas of industry to find solutions.

As farmers we have to help ourselves, but we also need help from suppliers, end users, customers, landlords and government.

On a more positive note, is there a better month of the year than May? The farm is bursting into life, hedges are green, margins are starting to flower, crops are coming into ear and livestock are out in fields.

I always wrongly perceive June to be the quiet month before things start to get busy. It’s a mistake I make every year, without fail.

While it isn’t a challenging “busy” time and provides some important time away from the farm with events such as Cereals, Groundswell and various trials, there is also that seemingly never-ending to-do list that needs to be worked through before harvest.

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t again mention my AHDB Monitor Farm launch meeting, which is on 6 July.

I am really looking forward to welcoming everyone to the farm and using the platform over the next three years to move all of our businesses forward.