#FeedTheNation: Farmers producing food amid lockdown

While the country remains in lockdown during the coronavirus crisis, farmers have been hard at work producing food. Here are some of the latest photos showcasing their efforts to #FeedTheNation.

See also: #FeedtheNation: Help us find farm heroes helping the community

Yorkshire farmer Phil Rowbottom has been having a busy spring on his arable farm near Wakefield. “Finished drilling. Finished plough. Sprayer out again,” he said.

Phil Rowbottom

Sheep farmer Toby Dance has been working flat out lambing at his farm in St Ervan, Cornwall. His partner, Georgie Bate said: “He loves his animals and dedicates all his time to his flock.”

Toby Dance

Giant #FeedTheNation message appears in Hampshire field

© Paul Sigley/Lord Wandsworth College

Farm manager Paul Sigley ploughed this huge #FeedTheNation message into a field in north Hampshire. It took about two hours to plan and write the message in the field on Sunday (5 April).

The farm is part of the 485ha estate owned by Lord Wandsworth College, a co-educational day and boarding school, with 650 pupils.

The field was originally destined to go into winter beans, but it was too wet and is now fallow. The plan is to sow it with a summer cover crop to help improve the soil ready for winter wheat in the autumn. 

Suffolk contract shepherdess and arable farmer Tash Wright took this selfie in the lambing shed. She said: “Six weeks into lambing, six to go. Most of the world is in lockdown, but the farmers have to carry on no matter what. Day in, day out.”

Tash Wright

In the Lincolnshire Fens, Nicholas Watts and his team are still lifting potatoes after the wet autumn and winter. They also started planting this year’s potato crop this week.

© Tim Scrivener

Philip Hirst was out drilling spring wheat into dry seed-beds on Monday (6 April) at Hirst Farms, Uffington, near Stamford, Lincolnshire.

© Tim Scrivener

Farmer Colin Rayner, who has been busy ploughing his fields in Berkshire, took this photo in his tractor cab.

Colin Rayner

Cornwall-based dairy farmer Grace Kempthorne was feeling blessed to be out working in the countryside. “[I] couldn’t think of a better place to spend a Sunday morning feeding up beef cattle and future dairy replacements…” she said.

© Grace Kempthorne

More than 430 local suppliers produce the food sold at the Fodder farm shop and café in Harrogate. Managing director Heather Parry says it’s the only business of its kind in the where all profits are donated to a farming charity (the Yorkshire Agricultural Society).

© Yorkshire Agricultural Society

#FeedtheNation

Farmers Weekly is getting behind the #FeedtheNation campaign to back UK farmers working flat out to produce safe, affordable and reliable food to feed the nation during the coronavirus crisis.

With our partners, we are raising public awareness of this campaign by highlighting the actions farmers are taking to get food to consumers.

Join in the campaign by sharing your stories with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #FeedtheNation or email us at philip.case@markallengroup.com or telephone 020 8652 4905.