Hot weather creates harvest challenge for farmers

Farmers Hannah and Tom Martin are experiencing their first harvest as parents

Farmers in a county have been sharing their experiences of this year's harvest for BBC Farmwatch.

Norfolk has had three heatwaves in 2025, which has affected yields of crops such as wheat and barley.

Warm and dry weather in July has meant many farmers have been ahead of schedule in bringing the crops in, but some have been frustrated by frequent rain.

Kit Papworth, a farmer from Norfolk and National Farmers' Union Sugar board chair, said: "Harvest is earlier but yields have been depressed, we just haven't got the crop that we normally would have."

Arable farmer Kit Papworth said yields are down because of the multiple heatwaves the county had experienced earlier in the year

Mr Papworth grows cereals, potatoes and sugar beet on land between Norwich and Cromer.

He said the very dry growing season means many farmers have been irrigating to make sure plants get enough water.

"In a year where we have had three heat waves you can really see the difference between the crops that we have irrigated and those we have not.

"It's an enormous difference up to two tonnes per hectare difference in yield."

This equated to a 20% reduction in the amount of wheat and barley being harvested this year, he said.

He added that his farm has new rain water harvesting systems and technology to monitor dry crops to ensure water was used efficiently.

Unpredictable weather

Hannah and Tom Martin farm 300 sheep and grow wheat in west Norfolk.

It is their first harvest with their daughter Fenella who is seven months old.

Mr Martin described the weather for harvest so far as "catchy".

"The weather is very unpredictable. One minute its glorious sunshine the next minute we're getting rained off with a shower. Then before you know it we're out combining again in the evening," he said.

Mr Martin added he can work up to 17 hours a day to make sure the harvest comes in on schedule.

Mrs Martin said she was focused on keeping the livestock and her family looked after.

"I'm just trying to keep Tom fed, the baby fed and everything else going on the farm," she added.

The Martin's farm in Outwell is owned by Norfolk County Council and leased to them on a rolling 10-year contract.

The Council Farm Estate covers 16,795 acres (6,796 hectares) which is split into 95 farms, many of which offer young farmers without land an opportunity to work in agriculture.