Why food prices continue to rise, estate fencing finished & restoring Cotswold walls

Increasing food prices keep making the headlines, I try to explain why they are rising so fast in this video. Plus Toby from Wenham Young Fencing has finished the estate fencing on the farm and we start the process of restoring one hundred metres of traditional Cotswold stone wall.

[@paulcunnington818]

All credit to you Harry for the time and money you are spending on the stone walls. I admire you building for generations to come and for suporting local craftsmen like Mark Cheney.

[@mattbonnell7023]

Exactly what I was thinking. Supporting the local craftsmen and showcasing their skills on the channel.

[@Lanxe]

Agreed. Probably an expensive endeavour but those dry stone walls look amazing when done.

[@regembleton76]

BN12: Stone wall restoration You get paid £25 per m so it’s a no brainier for the land owner. www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/stone-wall-restoration-bn12#how-much-will-be-paid

[@ndudman8]

shame, but understandable that it will need wire/electric fence to protect from cattle, which he mentioned in another video.

[@anthonygornall1418]

Please keep banging the drum regarding food security Harry. We must have a informed and sensible debate on the issue. Our government is walking us all into a tsunami of food shortage and prices increases and must wake up.the supermarket’s also need to play their part and pay producers a fair price, if not in the near future they will be forced to cease production.

[@microfarming8583]

All engineered as was lab created covid. They're shaping the world for their new Bretton Woods moment.

[@JustMe-bx8gu]

Why would you encourage farmers not to work?

[@microfarming8583]

@@JustMe-bx8gu He's certainly not doing that dopey.

[@JustMe-bx8gu]

@@microfarming8583 Nice to see you defend Harry. But I of course referred to the government. Don't feel too bad though for making a wrong assumption, people do it all the time. But maybe next time you might want to check.

[@microfarming8583]

@@JustMe-bx8gu Ok thanks, I will check in future. But I'm not defending Harry. You were replying to someone's comment, which in a normal world means you are addressing them. You made absolutely no reference of the government. Perhaps for fellow KZbin users you could stop being so blasé with your comments.

[@K2shadowfax]

The stone wall rebuild, and the metal fence, look absolutely wonderful. More common sense reporting on the important food / agricultural issues of the day, too! Cheers!

[@jimmyjohnstone5878]

I did drystone wall work as a leader on conservation projects around Scotland. Every area has slightly different wall designs depending on stone type and terrain but the basic structure was the same. Hard work, in all weathers. Landowners got grants to restore the walls. I also did all sorts of other projects such as pond restoration, marram grass planting, removal of trees from moorland, tree planting, wild flower planting. All grant supported in some way. Eventually the money pit ran out and conservation took second place to purely agricultural use. Things go around.... I got fed up being paid a pittance and being eaten by midges in summer, or wet/frozen in winter.

[@markbriggs5531]

I'm so ignorant of farming matters so it's great to have a reliable source of information - a real education and Harry has such a pleasant and engaging manner. Looking forward to more videos as always.

[@paultucker4923]

My Uncle had a field stockade business in the Cotswolds and took great pride in repairing these old stone walls. He recited Pam Ayres' poem to me once. "I am a dry stone waller, All day long I dry stone wall, Of all appalling callings, Dry stone walling's worst of all."

[@ajay-xjs]

The estate fence looks amazing, sure it's pricey compared to timber but it'll be there for over a century and you're giving something back for future generations to benefit from. It's the same logic as preserving old Lamborghinis, makes no financial sense but makes perfect romantic sense. Beautiful

[@paulmulville1835]

Cracking addition to the farm, Stanley, providing great ambience to the videos, as well as 24/7 guard duty while you're on those fantastic car test-drives against pesky rabbits and other ne'er do wells.... Stupendous steel fence, it adds such class!

[@Z-u-m-a]

Interesting stuff, thanks Harry. I'm noticing again the lack of insects this year, as the birds hatch, even out in the countryside. It's usually put down to the amount of insecticides used in agriculture. It would be great to get your take on this, especially just how different crops, insecticides, and YIELDS are different now to back in the 80s when I remember cleaning my dad's car covered in splattered bugs. A thing we just don't see any more. Cheers.

[@nephos100]

Weather modification. Just look up at the skies. There are cloud types never seen before. Solar Radiation Management programs are now global and the UV index is off the charts. Not to mention the fallout from SRM. 80 to 90% of aquatic and terrestrial insect populations are gone. It's the same here in Australia. A light on the patio used to be swarming with all types of bugs at night. Now barely anything.

[@Auraxium]

I think we should have a Stanley interview soon, he is a very important part of Harry's farm

[@romeandcurry6915]

Great update Harry, just got quoted for 100m of estate fencing inspired by yours, £7000 - £44/m is just the steel and the quote is valid for 2 days due to the volatility! The era of cheap food in the west is coming to an end, we have always been able to outbid poor countries for food using our pocket change. If you have been hungry your whole life living on $1 a day and suddenly you have $5 a day you’ll spend most of that $4 on food. Lastly keep challenging Defra, their current policies are nuts.

[@alanreid3063]

I think that was the most beautiful fence I have ever seen, maybe in the long term it might pay for its self but worth it when you can admire it daily

[@wendyandrew3707]

More please Harry, you are educating me on the current situation in farming and food, which I need to support farmers in my political party.

[@seayavietnam]

Love that steel fencing. Worth every penny. True craftsmanship and a pleasure to see these guys making the countryside look so beautiful. The dry stone walling is stunning. Please keep our local people working Harry! ❤️

[@ianmedium]

Actually, that is actually good value for that beautiful fence. There was a great deal of work involved not to mention a lot of steel. Honestly, I would have said £30,000

[@jackw9920]

Having seen the price of some RSJ’s recently I agree!

[@boblovell5789]

I understand that the quality of wooden fencing has fallen due to the dilution/alteration to the modern preservatives that are currently used in manufacturing.Not a happy situation if you need to fence on a large scale.

[@jamesgulland]

The new fencing looks very smart, what a great job they did.

[@tiptopup602]

Your straightforward explanation of the factors affecting food prices and security of supply have enabled me to plan ahead at the retail end of the market. I’m not sure I can avoid the consequences but I do feel a little more in control. Stock holding a few significant commodities has served me well as I cannot put up prices every day. Keep up the good work.

[@henrymichaelwilson8107]

Hello Harry. It's good that you're keeping the dry wall intact. The slope on the wall is a batter. I was a dry stone Waller for 40 or more years. There's more dry walls in Ribblesdale than anywhere. We got paid by the yard. On average you would earn £100. A day. Your wall will take a bit longer due to the size of the stone. It looks quite small.

[@AnarchyEnsues]

Your global food production report is what I look forward to hearing.

[@iain101010]

Well I do and I don't... I do, because it is very interesting and informative, I don't because it scares the .... out of me!

[@clockwork9827]

@@iain101010 well i'll brace myself at the supermarket

[@thomas316]

Grain prices might go higher, I was reading today that India has banned exports. Others will likely follow. You can see that PPI in the UK is nearly 11.9% while CPI is only at 6.2% so costs are not being fully passed to consumers. That's why your seeing forecasts of UK inflation going to 10%+ unfortunately. The cost of living squeeze is getting worse.

[@microfarming8583]

All WEF manufactured crisis. Several airplanes flown into food processing plants in US and record levels of plants burning to the ground. Bill Gates becoming largest farm owner last year is no coincidence.

[@lucifarian93]

Building tons of houses on good land in East Sussex , black soil turned to building plot in Ringmer , sickening.

[@thomas316]

@@lucifarian93 The UK has typically pursued horizontal (i.e. sprawl) rather than vertical housing solutions due to planning laws and economic incentives. Fixing this would be a huge problem because of NIMBYism.

[@geoff4397]

Only 4% of the CPI figure includes food prices, which of course is crazy when food represents a large percentage of household budgets. If CPI was worked out using 1980 methods it would be nearly 20% in the UK.

[@normanrussell5526]

I do admire the craftsmanship that has gone into the beautiful stone wall work, that is perfection in art. Not many countries are crisscrossed with dry stone walls like the UK.

[@AJRichards925]

I was hoping the stone wall expert would be Gerald 😁

[@davidedge2189]

Same

[@peterwhitehead2453]

Love Stanley’s timing, arriving right on cue for the end of the video!

[@haydnjones2232]

Thank you for another real world review of farming and critically important food production. I wish government would understand and properly consider the negative impact of allowing farmland to be lost under solar panels and the like in forming policy.

[@ronanmc2112]

Can we see the ha-ha in a future video? Love the estate fencing. It looks great. Worth every penny.

[@bernardh9994]

Employing craftsmen creating lasting features such as the fence and wall is fantastic. 👍 to those men and Harry

[@Orwic1]

Very interesting video, many thanks. It’s clear that food prices are going to rise significantly. Many challenges ahead!

[@DroneShots_UK]

Things I never thought I'd hear myself ever say - that's a beautiful looking fence & gates.

[@SWR112]

I came for the Cars but honestly I’d watch Harry talk about anything. 😁

[@normansufrin207]

Thanks Harry. Great vid as always. With the current price of fuel and fertilisers surely the government would be better off switching the grants from growing wildflowers to helping with the costs of growing actual food.

[@snapdragogon69]

Not going to happen. That would be the opposite of what their UN / WEF puppet masters have ordered.

[@cornbeef]

It doesn't matter how much the fencing cost, it's your land, it's your money so you spend it as you see fit. It look fantastic! Kept someone in a job and everyone that passes it can enjoy it. The dry stone walling will look brilliant too and brings a lovely touch to the countryside. Can't wait to see the finished result!

[@clockwork9827]

great to see Stanley doing his thing in the field - that steel fencing is great, love the curves

[@andyjones8448]

That is amazing fencing. I have spent £18 on wooden post and rail. Some of it is already rotten 12 years later. I reckon £40 is worth the money. looks stunning.

[@harrysfarmvids]

That's not good. The post and rail we replaced was installed in the late seventies, so had lasted well. I've heard several times before today's post and rail doesn't last nearly as long, hence why I went for estate fencing, which I think looks better anyway..

[@garyprince2867]

@@harrysfarmvids The estate fencing is going to make a very classy photographic backdrop for the Garage videos!

[@davidjones2867]

Well informed Harry ,looking forward to your next report Thanks😃

[@ronmccullock1407]

One word Harry, fantastic! the way you explain things is spot on

[@stevemccormack9948]

Lovely gates and fencing Harry. There's many a home gate system that does not look that good.

[@lilblackduc7312]

Thank you very much, Harry. I look forward to the next update!

[@bentullett6068]

Farms that can produce food should keep doing it rather than wasting decent growing land for environmental schemes. The environmental schemes should be allocated to parkland, green public spaces, around housing estates/public building or private house land spare not being used for farming use. Anyone with a garden can grow wild flowers and last year we planted a load of wild flowers in a redundant flower boarder in our garden and they take a while to grow first time round but this year they have shot up and some of the flowers are about to bloom. Another annoying thing I hate that never gets mentioned is large plots of land being brought up for large housing estates and warehouses. Some of the plots of land I see being built on around Warwickshire and the West Midlands tend to be fields where crops were grown and the more of these valuable pieces of land we loose the issue of food shortages will increase.

[@jonathanbeale3978]

Thank you for the up date Harry. We, as consumers need to waste less as the cost of everything is going up. Petrochemicals for fertiliser, fuel (red diesel ban has not helped on the farm), transportation are driving up costs. The Government needs to put the re wilding on hold for a few years to allow more to be produced. Thank goodness most of our sheep and beef cattle are grass feed in the UK.

[@dahorn100011]

I may be mistaken. But farmers aren't banned from using red diesel. The folk getting banned from using it are operators of non agricultural off road equipment. Such as cranes etc.

[@shaunjones6049]

Lovely looking fence Harry, credit to you for splashing out the extra cash 👍 money well spent will be looking good for years.

[@zzebowa]

Excellent vids Harry, very very informative, I never knew farming was so complicated. You explain things so well, And I agree, beef and dairy is carbon neutral if it is grass fed, like in the UK. It also doesnt use machinery or chemicals to produce the grass.

[@jacohauptfleisch935]

Grain prices may be high now but the next crop in will be expensive with the crazy prices on fertilizer. Balancing act. Crazy times.

[@laytonphillips6667]

Great video harry, lovely to see the Stone walls being rebuilt, lovely fencing, crops looking good, soon be time to get the combine serviced up.

[@farmerfuller87]

Feel like I am stood next to Harry in a field not spoken down to just genuine bloke who brings the facts about farming thanks Harry. !!

[@camelia9802]

Harry, another very interesting video. Your steel fence and stone wall looks superb.

[@PVAglue-fi4kc]

A scarcity of food is not a problem for farmers to solve. An abundance of food is. Either way the market price solves both in the long run. If 33% of food purchased is wasted annually, we're a long way from running out. Food shortages are mainly down to a distribution breakdown. There are thousands of tons of potatoes and vegetables left or dumped back in fields every year because they're not pleasing to eye of the consumer.

[@airthreypark]

Love the fencing..... we have similar and loved watching them build it in situ and weld it up. Excellent.

[@LynGriffiths70]

Really interesting stuff, between you, Clarkson snd Kaleb I've learnt more about farming this last 2 years than in the 50 before.

[@willfriar5163]

Great videos , the estate fencing is a thing of beauty

[@davidedge2189]

The retailers aren’t the ones keeping food prices low .That’s the farmers ,the retailers make massive profits at the farmers expense.What do they need all the money for ?Its not the oil and gas industry that should pay a windfall tax,it’s the retailers .

[@ianclarke4660]

Interesting video. Thanks for doing an update on the farm. I well remember watching your video on the environmental schemes. As an ex farmer who packed up in the late 70’s I think your biggest problem is going to be controlling costs. Ultimately that’s what undid me as the size of the farm wasn’t big enough to get economies of scale. Please keep doing the videos and I will be particularly interested in your cropping choices for next year with increased fertiliser costs etc.

[@johnfurnival4133]

The stone wall great true craftmanship on show, and what a nice chap, the fence looks great all painted, the food prices are crazy, the middle man making a big wad of money

[@grahames9228]

Gotta love Stanley.

[@srodigital]

The fence looks great, but that wall...how precise does it look, hell thats some skill.

[@thecideralquaeda]

Love Stanley!!! Keep up the good work- from the son of an arable farmer whose farm was grabbed by Nat West in the 90’s.

[@anonanon7497]

Grabbed how? If you don't mind me asking.

[@thecideralquaeda]

@@anonanon7497 who are you to ask?

[@martincrocker3784]

Excellent thankyou for the informed knowledge and look forward to Stanleys cameo appearance

[@Jimbo-qd5zz]

Stanley is LOVING it!! :)

[@stuarttyson786]

Very envious - struggling to even get seed in the ground this spring in the Canadian prairie, wettest seeding time in my 22 years here. Less than 1000 acres in May 18, app 3000 acs to go. Keep up your very informative toobs Harry.

[@ewanstewart8011]

The fencing and walling are a credit to you and show your stewardship of the farm is in good hands Harry. I never thought I’d live too see the day that possible starvation would be happening in Britain, families on the breadline would be very worried if they knew what was coming 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@anonanon7497]

We've had decades of mishandled agricultural policies, reckless money printing and uncontrolled immigration; The writing has been on the wall for a long time. They still won't address these core thorny issues however, it's much easier to implement some fancy sounding but meaningless policy and pass the problem on to whoever is voted in next - like a ludicrous game of musical chairs.

[@cgoodwin2875]

I do love the warts and all analysis but it was hard to focus once I realised there was an english bull terrier kicking around. Thanks for posting.

[@maxmartin-merrells3723]

Sir Stanley in fine fettle!

[@edwardrook6246]

Have been waiting for an update on the farm. As usual very interesting and informative. I do like the wall and new fence. The walls blend in with the countryside so well. Well done.

[@bellevue260]

Thank you for your frank comments on food security. I'm in the US and it a sounds me that my food travels so much!

[@peterdawson5115]

Always enjoy the updates Harry, an interesting world that many don’t think about, Stanley looks like a real character 👍

[@michaelodonoghue7688]

Those old stone walls can sometimes be hundreds of years old as they were the original land borders amazing how Harry maintains the original well worth doing correctly with a the stone Mason who is expert as he says

[@jamesavickers5961]

Fantastic another great episode oh to be in England now that spring is here ..the farm looks great harry.. i am in sweltering south of Italy 🇮🇹..the grass is always greener as they say take care mate

[@dtaylor9673]

Government agriculture department staff should study food production history as part of their training. It always shocks me how short a memory some people have. Whilst wild life conservation has an important part to play in British countryside, it should never be at the expense of food production and continued food security.

[@edlakota]

I wish Harry was my dad. What a lovely interest in things around you to pass on...

[@duncangrainge]

Difficult times Harry. Madness in some areas. Re the food security, I read somewhere that as a nation we need to immediately address the ridiculous volume of food waste whilst maximising output. The article was referring to WW2 where there was almost zero food waste and output actually increased (dig for victory et al) the same article also pointed out the level of general health of the population from 1935 - 1960 increased significantly. It’s not rocket science really is it? Grow more food, eat all of it, throw nothing away, and eat healthy. 🤯🤬😡

[@thomas316]

Generally consumers in OECD countries only spend a small percentage of their incomes on food. Where it hits hardest and fastest are poorer countries which are not self-sufficient. North Africa is a good example of that, you might see Tunisia and Egypt go bankrupt if they keep trying to subsidise food.

[@oakfieldfarm4131]

It’s generally accepted that the reason for the increase in health and life expectancy during WW2 was rationing, ie people were forced to eat less, leading to reduced obesity and improved health. The quality of the food also decreased, which would have been detrimental but this was offset by the increase in health caused by the reduced food intake.

[@duncangrainge]

@@oakfieldfarm4131 I agree. I think the article was pushing the food waste angle and the reduced production today (for multiple reasons) and reliance on food grown abroad. Which has been interrupted due to (again) various reasons.

[@robertcook2572]

We imported vast amounts of food before and during the war - wheat from Canada and beef from South America being the staples. Agriculture had been neglected for tens of years and was very much in the doldrums. The war served to shake us out of our complacency and led to our farmers being super productive. The downside, of course, was the detrimental effect on native flora and fauna. It's a very difficult circle to square.

[@Taz6688]

What's happening now is planned, we got rid of gasometer and reduced our storage to around 5 days supply, Germany has around 3 months, government allowed this to happen, no thought for our energy security, government allows building on green field sites, while many houses lay empty, buy to let has gone mad and people live in many cases substandard housing at high rents, by building social housing (small unsuitable flats and cramped houses) housing groups have built on farmland which we need for production. Governments have allowed our manufacturing to be destroyed and moved production to the East, lessening our Co2 output by exporting to, to countries where health and safety are almost non-existent, people have been forced to move into cities and left no choice but to work in factories or construction instead of their own communities where they grew their own food, governments have allowed investment and control of our utilities, power, energy, water, and water treatment by other countries, we had to ask EDF if we could turn on a power station, all we hear is "Market forces" its government which has let us be controlled by foreign counties and turned a blind eye to lack of investment but higher prices. When something happens like the Ukraine prices rise that day and keep going, no matter what it is the rises are blamed on the crisis of the day, yet much of the grain we are using will be from last year's harvest, next year will be grim, companies are recording record profits at our expense, this is not by accident, today we are told diamond prices will rise due to Russia not exporting, ignoring the glut of diamonds in South Africa, United States: 16% of total exported diamonds, India: 15.3%, Hong Kong: 14.5%. It's all a scam to push prices up regardless, Harry was showing a grant scheme the UK government was offering for farmers to quit producing altogether a few weeks back, we are being lied to and taken for fools

[@HurstatElnup]

Great background information Harry, I think I need to buy more freezers to stock up on the expensive food , buy now and save !

[@JohnJones-cp4wh]

You`ll need to plant some more windmills to power them.

[@jamesalexander4203]

UK PLC needs agric lecturers like you Harry. Great knowledge sharing. (Nice fencing also)

[@sanctuaryfarm4067]

Great video Harry, after watching your previous videos, I have put estate fencing around our farm similar to yours. So thank you

[@andrewjones-productions]

I agree. Whilst some wilding in appropriate areas is necessary, the government have gone a little overboard in their approach. If they are so keen with wilding, why don't they start with places like Hyde Park?! Please note that I am differentiating between using headlands to allow wild grasses, flowers etc to grow and good arable / grazing land. A more balanced and sensible approach is necessary.

[@anonanon7497]

They talk about rewilding one of the most densely populated landmasses in the world whilst continuing to allow in unprecedented amounts of immigration. Conservation takes a back seat to the lobbyists who want artifically inflated competition for land, jobs, products, etc.

[@davidbownes7300]

Another great video, educational is so many different areas. Keep pushing the powers that be to explain the current polices and how they intend dealing with the rapid rises of commodity costs, people need to know what’s coming! And as always, great to see Stanley living his best life…!

[@amandar7719]

In the old days (Captain Fanshaw), I can’t remember ever jumping a Cotswold wall. They were so broken down, we’d just trot carefully over the gaps. Great place to take young horses. It wasn’t “done” to jump railings… 😬 The Worcestershire Hunt hedges, though! 😳😮 5ft/6ft square with 10 ft drops onto old narrow cart tracks. 🤢

[@anmihovil]

I'm glad you mentioned that 'Ministry of Silly Walks' went quiet. I was in eager expectation, for some time, of their 'profound' food market analysis. I'll have to wait 'till the next year, I guess.

[@niceviewoverthere4463]

As a Physicist, not a botanist, I find these videos intriguing. Thankyou. Of course, your Jag V12 is more so :)

[@derekwarner6898]

How good it is to receive a balanced view of what id really going on in the farming world, not all good news by any means but at least we have an understanding thanks to Harry!

[@benchasinghorizons9428]

I've been waiting for you to mention the subsides now with what's going on in the world... Madness.

[@eltonkingsley5617]

Stan the man is already becoming a scene stealer!

[@nickturnbull4302]

I just love Stanley

[@FrogBoyDances]

Love seeing the stone walls being repaired. More Stanley please 😁👍 Hope the crops do well 🤞

[@GenaF]

Lovely to see Stanley bouncing through the wheat 🌾

[@jazzjokesjalopies]

What magnificent fences!

[@trevorjarvis3021]

Superb video Harry, your fencing looks fantastic and that dry walling is beautiful. Typical government handing out incentives to plant fields of wild flowers when wheat prices are through the roof. What on earth is going on? Extremely high costs of Fertiliser and chemicals having to be imported when our own plants are in mothballs or not allowed to produce anything? Crazy!

[@brucebello2049]

Thanks Harry for the comprehensive update, take care

[@etusuku7076]

Beautiful crops

[@Rob-zx8lm]

Crazy environmental schemes. Placing solar panels on fen soils- grade 1 & 2 land. Likewise growing crops to feed digesters which produce electricity, when there are other alternatives.

[@Rob24727]

Great video Harry! That estate fencing looks fantastic hoping to get a bit myself just brilliant with the dry stone wall look forward to seeing that progress... Brilliant watch look forward to seeing more soon 👍

[@JustMe-bx8gu]

Thank you for educating us Harry.

[@philt5782]

Ahhh the voice of reason. I hope some of the gov bods watch your program Harry.

[@jonpeddel9616]

Would love to see more Stanley in the videos.

[@kingofalldoughboys]

Stanley! 💙💙💙🐾🐾

[@davidfisher5507]

Another very interesting video. Always a good watch.

[@z06doc86]

I love Harry’s farm almost as much as his cars and bikes.

[@richardgill9484]

That fence is stunning. Well worth it if you have the budget.

[@garyprince2867]

Thanks Harry, very informative and pragmatic as usual.

[@benpenagonzales6014]

Great insight as ever, Harry. I’m investing for TCFD in forestry for long dated cash flows (for pension liabilities), already invested in low carbon power and renewable energy, but really interested in agri as an institutional investment.

[@nicke6394]

That drystone wall is stunning 👌

[@lorddrake2418]

Good to see are doing well and thank you for the update.