Spring planting on a Lincolnshire farm has been overshadowed by soaring fuel costs, with diesel expenses doubling since six weeks ago. Colin Chappell, writing for the Country Diary, reports that drilling peas now costs £15 per hectare for fuel, up from £7.50, placing severe strain on farm finances.
The 485-hectare arable farm, which achieved carbon-neutral status in 2024, uses 50,000 litres of fuel annually. Chappell notes that while the Middle East conflict drives global price hikes, the farm has some protection from its low-disturbance cropping approach, which reduces tractor use and improves soil health.
Fertiliser prices are also a concern, with the traditional practice of buying a year's supply in June now threatened by skyrocketing costs and the absence of UK production. The farm follows a regenerative approach, minimising inputs and using no insecticides, with over a quarter of land dedicated to environmental measures.
Crops include milling wheat for Warburtons, milling oats, marrowfat peas for fish and chip shops, seed wheat, forage barley, spring barley, feed beans, forage maize, and miscanthus. The farm's habitat mosaic has attracted wildlife such as otters, curlew, and yellowhammer.
Heavy rainfall adds to worries: 550mm since 1 October, against an annual average of 650-670mm, with fears of a dry spell from August onwards.
