Farm Incomes Fall – Bad Weather and High Costs Blamed – Rainwater Tanks A Bonus

According to Western Morning News, farm incomes have fallen and a combination of bad weather and high costs are blamed. The report refers to figures from the latest farm income statistics released last week that cover the last twelve months to February 2014. According to the figures, farm business income is falling on cereals, general cropping, and mixed and grazing livestock farms. However, dairy is bucking the trend, as is specialist pig and poultry farming. The wet autumn of 2012 affected the subsequent harvest of 2013 with yields down. In addition, the report also details that a weakening global marketplace played a role in depressing UK crop prices. In fact, more than half of the country’s UK cereal farms made a loss over the 2013 to 2014 period. There have been mixed reports surrounding fertiliser prices, as the report details that variable costs for chemicals and fertiliser were said to fall. However, fixed costs for labour and machinery increased, forcing some fifty per cent of all UK cereal farms into a negative financial position throughout 2014. Regardless of fluctuations, fertilizer is an expensive commodity and storing fertiliser in dedicated vertical storage tanks and horizontal tanks enables bulk buying and reduced mixing efforts. The wet weather may have resulted in negative outcomes for crop yields, but a degree of saving can be clawed back implementing rainwater tanks in the form of plastic water tanks collecting large volumes of rainwater. With pressure through abstraction rules and impending mains water supply price rises, rainwater tanks are one area where farmers can stay more in control of supplies and costs.

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