Whatever the weather

BAD weather doesn’t just make farming difficult. Farmers are more philosophical than most about what the weather throws at them, getting on with the job and hoping the meteorological conditions average out over the year.

But no matter what the weather brings over the coming decades, it will have a huge influence in farming.

Because nearly everyone is convinced now that extreme weather is due to climate change. In England, Prime Minister Gordon Brown blamed it for the torrential rains. All round the world, in governments and in business, climate change tops the agenda.