I only started writing for Farmers Guardian this year after Editor Ben [Briggs], as he is now known in our house, rang and asked if I could deliver positive, humorous and light-hearted family farming stories. I said yes, knowing my wonderfully weird family could provide me with content in telehandler-sized bucketfuls.
Positive is a word which creeps into Editor Bens emails to me a lot, so when I received the email asking me to write a positive round-up of the year, I was not surprised.
However, my first thought was whether Editor Ben was aware of what had taken place in farming, and the world, in 2021. This year has proven to be a year of massive highs, lows and increasing uncertainty for our sector, but I can never say no to a challenge, so here we go.
Firstly, the harvest of 2021 proved to be a bumper crop, with yields up and better harvesting conditions for many compared to 2020. Personally, this was felt at home with improved moods from the boss man, Dad.
Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper did an excellent job of educating a whole new audience of the real-life struggles of running a farming business, drumming up support for more of the public to back British farming. I for one cannot wait for series two of Clarksons Farm.
The incredible work of The Farm Safety Foundation and Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution have shown we do have issues with mental health in this industry, but at least now we are accepting of this and hopefully this can lead us on to tackling them.
Morrisons paid tribute to British farmers in its Christmas advert and, for me, it is the best advert on TV.
However, although all of this is great for me, the most positive thing to come out of 2021 is this industry coming back together again and proving it really is like no other. At the heart of this industry there is a community which, through lockdowns, felt very separated and isolated, but we have come back together with vigour.
Whether it be at auction markets, clubs such as Young Farmers, NFU or similar meetings, or just down the pub like my dad and his mates on thirsty Thursday, I do believe we have all benefited and enjoyed each others company so much more.
This has given us all a morale boost and a willingness to spend more time helping each other out. So whether you have been an ear to listen or have helped friends, family or neighbours out with getting bumper harvests in, long may it continue, as I really do believe we are a stronger industry together.
However, my uncle Paul may disagree after I sent a wrapped round haylage bale into the Leeds Liverpool Canal while helping him out this year, but hey, he can count this as his public apology.
To bring this column and 2021 to a close, I just want to say thank you for reading my silly little stories this year. Hopefully they may have even raised a smile.
