Sean Dunderdale
BBC Radio Lincolnshire Presenter

Ask anyone within the farming industry and they'll tell you that this year has been one of the most difficult in living memory.

Constant rain throughout the autumn and winter continued into the start of 2024, leaving many fields under water, autumn crops washed away and the drilling of spring crops delayed.

A recent Farm Safety Foundation survey found 92% of those in farming aged under 40 rank poor mental health as the industry's biggest hidden problem, and there are fears this year's poor harvest will push that figure even higher.

Here in Lincolnshire, this was brought very much into focus when Louth Young Farmers chairman Alec Newlove took his own life.

He'd shown no outward signs of any issues. His death, back in March, had a real impact on many within the industry.

Image source, David Newlove

Having spoken with Alec's family and his friends in our Young Farmers Clubs across Lincolnshire, I had the initial idea to produce 24 hours of farming coverage in our county - a real chance to highlight the work they do and, importantly, to celebrate the positives.

Throughout August, with harvest under way, they will be working in long shifts, 24 hours a day. It can be a very isolating time.

They will spend both day and night alone in their tractor cabs, out in the field and radio is, of course, the ultimate companion.

I've been delighted at how the idea of a focus on farming has been embraced across the BBC Local Radio Network - and the wider BBC - and has now become Farmwatch.

What we'll be doing won't just be for farmers either. We all eat food. We all need fuel. We all have an interest in what our farmers are doing at this time of year.

Drive along any motorway or country road and you'll see strange machinery hard at work in neighbouring fields. At night, all lit up, it can look like aliens have landed.

I'm hoping we can - literally - shine a light on them and highlight what they're doing and why it matters.

• If you, or someone you know, have been affected by mental health issues related to agriculture, you can visit BBC Action Line for support and information

Welcome to our Farmwatch live coverage where we'll be sharing the experiences and views of farmers across England.

It's part of a 24-hour focus on farm life involving more than 20 BBC Local radio stations stretching from Sussex, Cornwall and Devon on the south coast up to Cumbria, Yorkshire and Tees in the north.

We'll be putting a spotlight on farming communities alongside the longstanding Farm24 campaign that was started by Farmers Guardian in 2015.

Stay with us over the next 12 hours to hear about the challenges facing the industry, the innovative ways farms are adapting, the hopes of the next generation of farmers and much more.

You can also share your own stories using the #BBCFarmWatch and #Farm24 hashtags.