Tinderbox Harvest

Generations of Dan Willis's family have grown crops on their farm in Berkshire but he's questioning the future after a difficult harvest. The farm has seen less than two inches of rain since the spring, stopping crops in their tracks. Record temperatures meant an early harvest, often gathered in the early hours of the morning, and in the daytime heat, the ever-present risk of a spark from striking a stone setting the field ablaze. This is the third very dry year out of six and it comes when the economics of arable farming are poor. Prices are relatively depressed whilst costs are rising, not least because of instability in the Middle East driving up the price of fuel and fertiliser. Farmers in England have also had EU subsidies phased out faster than originally planned, and a hiatus in the replacement Sustainable Farming Incentive. Dan is desperate for the farm to have a future, because his stepdaughter Eleanor Gilbert is making farming her career. She's enthusiastic about the possibilities technology and new ideas could bring to the industry. Last year she was harvesting grain in 45 degree celsius heat, and in snow, driving a combine on the 2,000 mile harvest route across the USA. She tells Sarah Swadling that, somehow, the heat feels worse at home.

Produced and presented by Sarah Swadling.