“We are in the full swing of the harvest now,” says arable farmer Andrew Cutting, his voice a blend of glee and slight dread.
His grandfather, Ernest Edwin, established E E Cutting & Sons in Helmingham. A thousand piglets are produced every year, as well as winter barley, winter wheat, oilseed rape and sugar beat across 1,200 acres of farmland.
“I’ll be on the combine harvester, looking after the grain, helping stack food for the pigs,” he said.
Having been a farmer all his life, getting up at 7am and finishing at 11pm is nothing new for the 53-year-old. He realises those are the demands of a fruitful harvest.
“It’s the most important part of the year. You start in September and get your results in August. This year we were two or three weeks behind but the hot weather has helped. We thought it would be a complete disaster last winter.”
Reflecting on the importance of farming, he added: “It doesn’t just stop at the farm. Sugar beet companies benefit, lorry drivers, transport, the grain terminal at Ipswich docks, the barley industry helping brewers like Greene King.”
Even a hearty breakfast of egg and bacon comes from the farm.
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