All is safely gathered in...

All is safely gathered in e’er the winter storms begin…

The harvest season is a time of joy and celebration on farms across the country. The rewards of a year’s hard work have been safely stored away and it is right that our thoughts should turn first to God for his bountiful provision.

Following the flood in the days of Noah, God gave him and his family a promise that seedtime and harvest would not pass away – and that promise rings true each and every year. Seedtime may have changed in practice – ploughing the fields is frowned upon as it releases carbon to the atmosphere so minimum tillage (min-til) is the order of the day and the seed is precision drilled rather than being scattered on the ground. But the dependence on God’s provision of the sunshine and the rain in suitable proportions remains the same.

Psalm 104:14 says: “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth.” The production of food lies at the core of everything a farmer does and while they have found this year particularly tough economically, with significant drops in the prices they receive for products such as milk, beef and lamb, we are greatly blessed to enjoy a climate that allows a bountiful harvest without the climate disasters seen in many countries.

In times gone by, the whole population would have had close links to the land for even when not actively farming, they were only one or two generations removed from the land and had a deep understanding and appreciation of what was involved in the production of food. Now there are only 25,000 farms in Northern Ireland and many of these are run on a part-time basis by farmers who have a secondary source of income.

There have been big changes in the structure of farming in the last 40 years. In 1984 there were over 8,000 dairy farms; now there are only 3,000, with the number of farmers growing cereals falling from 8,000 to 2,000 and those growing potatoes dropping from 6,000 to just 380. While these figures reflect the trend towards farms specialising in a single enterprise, they also point to a steady decline in the total number of farms.

But whatever the scale of the farming enterprise, the joy of a completed harvest remains as strong as ever.

Farming remains the most dangerous occupation in the country…

The traditional image of harvest celebrations is the end of the grain harvest in the autumn, with imagery of ‘bringing in the sheaves’ with rejoicing. In more modern times, the grain harvest has moved earlier in the calendar, commencing in mid-July with winter barley and winter wheat crops. These are so-called as they are sown in the autumn and have germinated and commenced growth before the winter sets in. They are then ready to make the most of favourable spring weather and are ripe by mid-July. This of course brought its own problems this year as July was so wet, but most years it is a more preferable time for the harvest than September/October.

The potato harvest too is spread over a longer period, with earlies in the shops since June, although digging the main crop remains a job for the autumn months, as does the apple harvest. Vegetable harvesting can continue right through the winter to meet ‘just in time’ demands of supermarkets.

But the majority of farms in Northern Ireland do not grow any of these crops. The only crop they grow and harvest is grass, saved in the form of silage for winter fodder, with harvesting commencing in early May and running right through the growing season. The true harvest for the grassland farmer is the milk and meat produced from their livestock.

Whatever the crop being harvested, suitable weather is all important and making the most of weather windows has shaped the development of farming down the decades.

Getting as much crop harvested when a suitable day comes along has dictated that tractors and equipment have got larger and faster with each generation. Much of the harvesting is now done by contractors as individual farmers find the purchase of high-speed machinery to be out of reach, as well as a lack of available labour to help with the extra workload.

The equipment is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Tractors today are highly computerised and can be fitted with GPS navigation systems, while many of the major tractor manufacturers are now developing driverless models. Harper Adams University in Shropshire has several years of experience of the ‘Hands Free Hectare’ project where a field has been cultivated, seed sown, sprays and fertiliser applied and crop harvested, all without anyone entering the field. Each stage is completely automated.

GPS systems on tractors have become the latest target for thieves and there was a spate of such thefts earlier this summer in Northern Ireland.

…whatever the scale of the farming enterprise, the joy of a completed harvest remains as strong as ever.

The issue of rural crime is never far from the minds of farmers. It is hardly a new phenomenon as even Jesus referred to it in the parable about thieves breaking into the sheepfold. Sheep rustling still goes on, as does the theft of other livestock and machinery – quad bikes seem particularly attractive to thieves. Do pray for those who live in fear of repeated thefts.

Farm safety is also often in the headlines. Farming remains the most dangerous occupation in the country and many readers will have seen the hard-hitting safety advertising produced by the Health and Safety Executive. Harvest time and the associated rush to make the most of breaks in the weather heightens many of the safety risks around farms, with much vehicle movement and long hours that dull the alertness to dangers. Do pray for the safekeeping of farmers and additional helpers or contractors at this busy time.

While farmers have always been proud of their role in producing food for the nation, culminating in a harvest of grain, potatoes, vegetables, apples, milk or meat, there has in recent years been increased scrutiny of their role as custodians of the countryside.

Many farmers endeavour to do what they can to live in harmony with nature. A common desire is to improve a farm before handing it down to the next generation. Now much of that care for biodiversity is becoming a prerequisite for any government support. Planting of hedgerows and woodlands to create wildlife habitats is expensive but with suitable assistance farmers have shown their willingness to co-operate in these endeavours.

The farming sector has always met challenges and crises head on and come through difficult times. BSE, foot and mouth, Covid – farmers’ resilience has shone through. Now they face the challenges of climate change. Farmers fear having swingeing limits on stock numbers imposed on them in order to reduce emissions, restricting their ability to provide for their families.

Farming should be seen as part of the solution rather than simply part of the problem. Farms are currently undergoing carbon audits and producers will hope that any negative impacts of livestock farming will be balanced by the positive carbon benefits of crops, grassland, hedges and trees that proliferate across our beautiful countryside.

Part of the solution may be the growth in energy crops, with significant amounts of grass already being fed to anaerobic digestors and other specialist energy crops may follow. But many farmers question the ethics of restricting food production or using land to produce energy rather than food in a world where millions still face starvation.

There are many challenges facing the farming community on a daily basis but it, and indeed each of us, can lean on this promise from Lamentations 3:22–23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Robert Irwin is an elder in First Portadown and former editor of FarmWeek newspaper.