The Wheat Cheque! | Baldock Bard

The wheat cheque has arrived! For an arable (or crop-growing) farmer, the arrival of the wheat cheque is a most important time of the farming year. Without it no seed is put in the ground, no nutrients are fed to the crop and no harvest can take place. When I first started out on my own, twenty years ago, wheat was worth £150 per ton. This year, for the first time since 1992, it has climbed back above that level. During that time everything needed to grow the crop has increased in price: fuel, fertilizer, spare parts and machinery etc. At its lowest, the value of a ton of wheat fell to £56. Perceived value of food also fell, it was judged to be more important to own the latest i-Anything than have food on the table. With world shortages of food arriving at our doorstep, rather than being the exclusive preserve of poorer parts, the job done by a farmer and the food he produces may just be valued once more…

The wheat cheque has landed on the mat
I sigh with relief “thank heavens for that!”
It’s even more than I first thought
Bills can be paid – fertilizer bought
But I spare a moment for those whose crop
Has either failed or had a quality drop
There will be less food to go around this year
Let’s hope it’s less disastrous than it would appear
With grateful thanks to everyone at Fengrain Co-operative ( http://www.fengrain.co.uk) for ensuring that my wheat cheque is guaranteed to arrive on time every time!

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