Farmgate prices are higher now than they were 50 years ago but, when input costs and inflation are considered, are farmers any further forward? Leicestershire farmer Joe Stanley doesn’t think so.

In his new book, Farm to Fork, Stanley gives an insightful overview into a year on his arable and suckler beef farm, while outlining many of the challenges facing UK agriculture at present.

Leicestershire farmer Joe Stanley with his dog Ted.

One key issue is farm profitability and Stanley presents his argument by comparing the prices he receives today to what was paid when his grandfather ran the farm in the 1970s.

Back then, a tonne of wheat was worth £32 but has averaged close to £150 in recent years. Stanley suggests wheat should be worth £506/t today if prices had rose in line with inflation.

Likewise, a litre of milk fetched 4p/l in the 1970s and should be worth 63p/l today if it followed inflation, rather than current prices of around 30p/l.

The most drastic example set out in the book is wool. Fifty years ago, a fleece was worth £1.40, and Stanley calculates that it should be worth £22 now instead of being virtually worthless.

Rising costs

Trends in farm costs have gone the other way. In the 1970s, a 60-horsepower tractor cost £1,350 and Stanley suggests a modern 120-horsepower equivalent should cost £21,000 when adjusted for inflation, instead of today’s typical price of £62,500.

He calculates that hired labour should cost £5.50/hour today and not £9/hour, while an acre of prime farmland should be worth £4,100 instead of current values of around £9,100.

“Every new innovation, every boost in yield, every flashy piece of kit; none of it has improved the long-term profitability of the average farm business,” Stanley argues.

He says price trends within the agri-food sector are “defying gravity” as farm margins are being relentlessly squeezed and the proportion of household income spent on food continues to fall.

But it’s not all doom and gloom in the book. Although Stanley diligently sets out the difficulties that UK farmers are up against, from farmgate prices, to regulations, to weather, he also portrays all that is good about farm life.

Remember, working outdoors, looking after animals, growing crops and being your own boss would be a dream job for many non-farmers.

Myth busting

Stanley is on a mythbusting campaign where he debunks many of the overly simplistic arguments that are often put forward by critics of modern agriculture.

Anyone who thinks that “re-wilding” farmland would be good for the environment should get a copy of the book. Likewise, it would be a worthwhile read for those who argue that abolishing farm support payments will suddenly make UK farmers more productive and profitable.

A lot of Stanley’s arguments come back to the folly of moving food production overseas.

He points out that scaling back domestic agriculture will lower greenhouse gas emissions within the UK, but whether you like it or not, the UK population must eat. If we grow food locally then we at least have control over how it is produced, from environmental regulations to labour laws.

“Climate change knows no borders, and merely offsetting our impact elsewhere achieves nothing in the long run; the chainsaws would merely intensify in some of the most delicate and valuable ecosystems of the world while we let our own productive farmland go to waste,” Stanley argues.

Perhaps, Farm to Fork would be a worthwhile read for some of our politicians at Stormont.

Insight into a large English arable farm

Many farmers in NI would be jealous of the 720-acre arable and grassland holding that Joe Stanley’s family have rented for three generations. But it is made clear in Farm to Fork that running a lowland tenant farm brings its own challenges.

Stanley admits that money is tight and there isn’t spare cash to invest in things like a modern grain dryer or even new field drains. Not owning a farm also puts tenants off investment. It turns out that running a large farm in England is not straightforward. Far-off fields aren’t always greener.