July 13, 2026 • 7 mins
We ask our UK farming correspondent if football is indeed coming home? Plus, we look at the heatwave, drought, low yields and poor prices for arable farmers.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's a UK farm and correspondent farmer, Tom Martin, social
media influencer arable farmer going through tough times with a
heat wave and drought and low prices. But let's be
positive to start the swedescheat Tom, Football's coming home. It's
coming home, or is it? There's a rich irony around
the Argentina England game on Wednesday night, your time. Falkland's
(00:22):
war nineteen eighty two, hand of God? Was Maradona nineteen
eighty six a bit a needle? You can't beat that,
that's right.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
There's been a bit of a chat about raising the
talks again about turning the Falklands over to Argentina. Well,
of course we've been there since before Argentina was a country,
so I don't think it's something we're going to be
going to be raising again. But I do hope that
we give them a sound thrashing in the semis. I mean,
(00:50):
who knows, tremendous team, but England have performed really well
and they've done They've done what it takes, you know
what it took to win. So found a way, I think,
is what Harry Kane said. And I think you know
that great teams will find a way, As you know
the All Blacks fantastic team often find a way.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Well, do you think the England will totally come to
a standstore Wednesday evening your time?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I think it's very likely because this is the first
one that's been been a decent reasonable hour for us.
It's eight pm UK time. The previous games have been
at ten pm. We've had one at one am, we
had another one at ten pm recently, so I think
far more likely to stoke a bit of interest for
people who didn't have to stay up all night to
watch it.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And'll take your mind off some of the woes that
farmers are facing. We know all about your heat wave
and your drought. You've had Wimbledon. Wimbledon's normally sometimes it
can be a rainmaker for British farmers. Didn't really come
to pass this time round.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, come on, Jamie, it normally has the Jamie McKay
guarantee of any I mean, I think you've been more
confident in previous years, but it certainly hasn't come true,
and certainly not in the in the East and the
south of the UK where we desperately desperately need the rain.
They're talking about a little bit of rain coming at
the end of the week, but I don't you know,
(02:13):
it's it's not going to help us at all.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
How is this affecting crop yields because I'm assuming that
some of your autumn zone crops are now coming off.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
That's right. I started the week today, the winter sow
in the autumn zone week today in fields that look
great all year. Almost a lot of crops around here
have looked fantastic, tremendous crops all year long. And as
I looked out at the combine window, I looked at
a crop that should be yielding nine to ten tons
to the hectar. It looked great, and it was yielding six.
(02:47):
Now I really on our economics, I really need seven
and a half tons to the hectar to break even.
So it's absolutely shocking. I've been speaking to neighbors, although
it's been whispered because not many people are sharing their yields.
It's that you know that the people who typically share
their pub yields. Oh yes, I'm terribly disappointed there, and
you've got eleven tons of the hect air. They've been
(03:07):
very quiet recently, but a lot of neighbors are struggling
with wheat at the five and six tens to the
hectair mark and some even lower. It's going to be
it's going to be a critical time. There will be
businesses going under, and we're under a lot of pressure
already with with different tax regimes and things. It's it's
absolutely critical. I've got I've said this to you a
couple of times on our calls over the years, but
(03:30):
this is a really really tough time.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Some Swithen's Day is coming up this week. What relevance
does that have to your weather patterns? Isn't there some
old folklore around that?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Well? Do you know a lot of a lot of
old folk law is based on pretty sound observation back
when our forefathers had very little else to do, uh them.
Consider the weather basically, the the, the the the beautiful
little ditty. Basically it says, if it rains on since
Swithin's Day it's this Wednesday, then it will rain for
(04:02):
forty days, where if it's fair on Wednesday, we'll have
forty days of fair weather. Now, the forecast was for
drop of rain, which ironically, I don't think we really
want right now. I don't think we have forty days
of rain, but I'd take a little drop of rain.
But it's now changed away. The rain stayed away and
it's going to be dry on Wednesday. So I really
(04:22):
want half an into rain overnight every night for about
three nights. That'll do me, Thank you very much, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Well, that's not too much to ask for, mind you.
There could be a bright cloud on the horizon and
the form of Andy Burnham. I think he becomes your
new Prime Minister officially next Monday or is he going
to be worse for farmers.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
One of the first things he's been talking about is
a land value capture tax. He's one of these people.
He's amongst the crowd that want to tax wealth will
univerity commerce because we're we're losing money on the farm
and on every farm in this part of the country.
But yeah, so he could be I mean, he could
(05:06):
be an absolute disaster. Interestingly, the government said this before,
but uh, a lot of the labor activists who were
desperately keen to have an election when an unelected leader
became a leader of the Conservative Party there for prime
minister has been very quiet when when when the roles reverse,
So it will be very interesting. He's a dynamic, popular leader.
(05:30):
He's a guy who seems to have a history of
getting things done. Let's hope he doesn't absolutely cook our
farming industry, uh for kind of some taxation victory.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Just to finish on an interesting observation that you made,
we talked about the needle, the historic needle between England
and Argentina. Well that's nothing. That is a drop in
the ocean compared to the historic needle between England and Scotland.
And you're you're expressing disappointment, Tom Martin, that the Scotts
aren't baking your football side.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Well, as you may well know, I'm about unity. I'm
a fierce capatitors, so I love a good contest, particularly
with an odd shape or but like I could even
tolerate these uh, these soccer these soccer types. But what
I just find really disappointing, and it's not all Scottish
people by a long stretch, is that there seems to
(06:28):
be a certain number of people north of the border
who were passionately Mexican about ten days ago. They've had
a flirtation in Norway. All kinds of reasons why the
scott should support Norwegians and now all of a sudden
a nation that that was well. There was part of
the Falklands War against the Argentine in ninety eighty two
(06:50):
Scottish men died to defend the Bricks in the Falklands,
and now suddenly becoming massive Argentine fans. I just I
just find that a little bit. This point, I have
to say I would always support a Home Nation side.
Dare I say, gosh, I think even if they were
playing against the All Blacks, I think i'd despite being
a big fan of the All Blacks, I think I'd
probably cheer on Wales or Scotland or Ireland if they
(07:13):
were if they're playing it against you guys.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Mind you you're a big fan of Jacinda, so there
is no accounting for taste. Farmer Tom Martin, thank you
very much for your time.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It's always a pleasure. Don't you talk about that woman
like that?
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yes, I was only joking. That was Farmer Tom caught
up with them earlier this morning. He is just Senda's
biggest fanboy.
Here's a UK farm and correspondent farmer, Tom Martin, social
media influencer arable farmer going through tough times with a
heat wave and drought and low prices. But let's be
positive to start the swedescheat Tom, Football's coming home. It's
coming home, or is it? There's a rich irony around
the Argentina England game on Wednesday night, your time. Falkland's
(00:22):
war nineteen eighty two, hand of God? Was Maradona nineteen
eighty six a bit a needle? You can't beat that,
that's right.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
There's been a bit of a chat about raising the
talks again about turning the Falklands over to Argentina. Well,
of course we've been there since before Argentina was a country,
so I don't think it's something we're going to be
going to be raising again. But I do hope that
we give them a sound thrashing in the semis. I mean,
(00:50):
who knows, tremendous team, but England have performed really well
and they've done They've done what it takes, you know
what it took to win. So found a way, I think,
is what Harry Kane said. And I think you know
that great teams will find a way, As you know
the All Blacks fantastic team often find a way.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Well, do you think the England will totally come to
a standstore Wednesday evening your time?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I think it's very likely because this is the first
one that's been been a decent reasonable hour for us.
It's eight pm UK time. The previous games have been
at ten pm. We've had one at one am, we
had another one at ten pm recently, so I think
far more likely to stoke a bit of interest for
people who didn't have to stay up all night to
watch it.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And'll take your mind off some of the woes that
farmers are facing. We know all about your heat wave
and your drought. You've had Wimbledon. Wimbledon's normally sometimes it
can be a rainmaker for British farmers. Didn't really come
to pass this time round.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, come on, Jamie, it normally has the Jamie McKay
guarantee of any I mean, I think you've been more
confident in previous years, but it certainly hasn't come true,
and certainly not in the in the East and the
south of the UK where we desperately desperately need the rain.
They're talking about a little bit of rain coming at
the end of the week, but I don't you know,
(02:13):
it's it's not going to help us at all.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
How is this affecting crop yields because I'm assuming that
some of your autumn zone crops are now coming off.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
That's right. I started the week today, the winter sow
in the autumn zone week today in fields that look
great all year. Almost a lot of crops around here
have looked fantastic, tremendous crops all year long. And as
I looked out at the combine window, I looked at
a crop that should be yielding nine to ten tons
to the hectar. It looked great, and it was yielding six.
(02:47):
Now I really on our economics, I really need seven
and a half tons to the hectar to break even.
So it's absolutely shocking. I've been speaking to neighbors, although
it's been whispered because not many people are sharing their yields.
It's that you know that the people who typically share
their pub yields. Oh yes, I'm terribly disappointed there, and
you've got eleven tons of the hect air. They've been
(03:07):
very quiet recently, but a lot of neighbors are struggling
with wheat at the five and six tens to the
hectair mark and some even lower. It's going to be
it's going to be a critical time. There will be
businesses going under, and we're under a lot of pressure
already with with different tax regimes and things. It's it's
absolutely critical. I've got I've said this to you a
couple of times on our calls over the years, but
(03:30):
this is a really really tough time.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Some Swithen's Day is coming up this week. What relevance
does that have to your weather patterns? Isn't there some
old folklore around that?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Well? Do you know a lot of a lot of
old folk law is based on pretty sound observation back
when our forefathers had very little else to do, uh them.
Consider the weather basically, the the, the the the beautiful
little ditty. Basically it says, if it rains on since
Swithin's Day it's this Wednesday, then it will rain for
(04:02):
forty days, where if it's fair on Wednesday, we'll have
forty days of fair weather. Now, the forecast was for
drop of rain, which ironically, I don't think we really
want right now. I don't think we have forty days
of rain, but I'd take a little drop of rain.
But it's now changed away. The rain stayed away and
it's going to be dry on Wednesday. So I really
(04:22):
want half an into rain overnight every night for about
three nights. That'll do me, Thank you very much, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Well, that's not too much to ask for, mind you.
There could be a bright cloud on the horizon and
the form of Andy Burnham. I think he becomes your
new Prime Minister officially next Monday or is he going
to be worse for farmers.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
One of the first things he's been talking about is
a land value capture tax. He's one of these people.
He's amongst the crowd that want to tax wealth will
univerity commerce because we're we're losing money on the farm
and on every farm in this part of the country.
But yeah, so he could be I mean, he could
(05:06):
be an absolute disaster. Interestingly, the government said this before,
but uh, a lot of the labor activists who were
desperately keen to have an election when an unelected leader
became a leader of the Conservative Party there for prime
minister has been very quiet when when when the roles reverse,
So it will be very interesting. He's a dynamic, popular leader.
(05:30):
He's a guy who seems to have a history of
getting things done. Let's hope he doesn't absolutely cook our
farming industry, uh for kind of some taxation victory.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Just to finish on an interesting observation that you made,
we talked about the needle, the historic needle between England
and Argentina. Well that's nothing. That is a drop in
the ocean compared to the historic needle between England and Scotland.
And you're you're expressing disappointment, Tom Martin, that the Scotts
aren't baking your football side.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Well, as you may well know, I'm about unity. I'm
a fierce capatitors, so I love a good contest, particularly
with an odd shape or but like I could even
tolerate these uh, these soccer these soccer types. But what
I just find really disappointing, and it's not all Scottish
people by a long stretch, is that there seems to
(06:28):
be a certain number of people north of the border
who were passionately Mexican about ten days ago. They've had
a flirtation in Norway. All kinds of reasons why the
scott should support Norwegians and now all of a sudden
a nation that that was well. There was part of
the Falklands War against the Argentine in ninety eighty two
(06:50):
Scottish men died to defend the Bricks in the Falklands,
and now suddenly becoming massive Argentine fans. I just I
just find that a little bit. This point, I have
to say I would always support a Home Nation side.
Dare I say, gosh, I think even if they were
playing against the All Blacks, I think i'd despite being
a big fan of the All Blacks, I think I'd
probably cheer on Wales or Scotland or Ireland if they
(07:13):
were if they're playing it against you guys.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Mind you you're a big fan of Jacinda, so there
is no accounting for taste. Farmer Tom Martin, thank you
very much for your time.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It's always a pleasure. Don't you talk about that woman
like that?
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yes, I was only joking. That was Farmer Tom caught
up with them earlier this morning. He is just Senda's
biggest fanboy.
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