Countryfile presenter Adam Henson has issued an emotional appeal after revealing the devastating impact the weather has had on his farm during the last three years. The broadcaster, who co-owns Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire, has given an insight into this year's harvest and admitted the results have fallen considerably short of expectations.
Adam said the farm had endured a punishing combination of extreme weather and poor crop yields, leaving him facing a difficult financial picture. In a recent video posted on the Cotswold Farm Park YouTube channel, he guided viewers around the 650-hectare farm as harvest got under way. But the normally exciting period has been overshadowed by the conditions, reports the Mirror.
Bone dry conditions hit crops and livestock
"Although I love living on top of the Cotswolds, we're about a thousand foot up here and there's a bit of a breeze and a bit of cloud cover today," Adam said. "But it's been absolutely bone dry for over a month."
He explained that the lack of rain had also affected the animals, saying: "Our lambs here are going to need to be fed hard food and we're going to have to get some silage because you can see the grass has just turned brown. There's nothing much for them to eat."
The farm grows winter wheat, winter barley and spring barley, alongside its livestock and conservation work. However, Adam said the harvest had arrived unusually early, with the wheat being cut "probably 2 or 3 weeks earlier than normal".
Yields down and profits squeezed
"We usually wouldn't start the wheat until August and unfortunately because of all the hot weather and us being on quite thin stony soil, the yields aren't very good," he explained.
The financial consequences have been significant. Adam revealed that the farm's winter wheat and winter barley yields were "about a ton, ton and a half down per hectare on yield". "And so that hits us significantly when it comes to the profitability of the farm," he said.
"With the reduced yield and global commodity prices being quite low for wheat and barley, although they're lifting a little bit at the moment, there's not going to be a lot of profit in growing grain."
Three difficult years and a plea for 2027
The recent struggles follow what Adam described as three successive difficult years. "Despite harvest supposed to be a bonanza and exciting time, actually this year really made worse by a big drought last year and then 2024 was terribly wet," he said. "We've had three difficult years. It's really feeling a bit tough."
Adam admitted he usually tries to stay optimistic about farming, saying: "My personality is such that I want to be really positive about farming. I think it, you know, it's one of the best jobs in the world." Yet he added: "Actually arable farming at the moment is hard. Really hard."
Looking ahead, Adam said farmers were powerless against the weather. "When it comes to the weather, there's nothing you can do about it," he said. "You just can't beat baking hot sun that droughts your crops out and, rather than naturally ripening, they just shrivel up and die."
Following another challenging harvest, Adam made his plea for better conditions, saying: "We could do with a very good 2027, please." He added: "All we can do as farmers is just keep our fingers crossed and look forward to a better year in 2027."
Cotswold Farm Park was established by Adam's father Joe Henson in 1971, with Adam taking over its running in 1999. It combines a working farm with a visitor attraction showcasing more than 50 flocks and herds of rare-breed animals.
