Family farm still operating during coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on the majority of industries, including farming, but according to one farmer he is still ‘very lucky’.

Colin Rayner is one of the farming directors of Rayner family farms, which has a history dating back to 1531.

The family owns just under 2,000 acres of farming land in Maidenhead, Windsor, and Slough.

Colin runs Berkyn Manor Farm, in Stanwell Road, Horton, and Stubbings Farm in Burchetts Green Road, Burchetts Green.

He said the pandemic is ‘very difficult for everybody, and it’s difficult for farmers’.

“It’s the most challenging thing we’ve ever had to do, but as farmers we’re used to challenges,” he said.

“But we’re not suffering as much as everybody else.

“I’m very lucky that as a farmer, we can isolate on a tractor with the air conditioning on and drive through our beautiful countryside.”

At his farms Colin grows wheat, barley, oilseed rape, maize and grass, all of which can continue to be farmed – ‘just about’ – but he says not all farmers are so fortunate.

He said dairy farmers are having to throw away milk, vegetable farmers are struggling to get staff and cattle farmers are subject to a drop in the price of beef and sheep.

“We’re growing wheat and barley,” he said.

“We hope that people will carry on drinking beer and eating bread.”

Something that does concern Colin is the possibility of carrying out the July harvest in lockdown – a task that requires more labour at the farm to lend a hand.

“It’s just another management problem we’re going to have to overcome,” said Colin.

At Berkyn Manor Farm Colin also has a small flock of ewes, with 18 lambs so far, and a mixed herd of Highland cattle and Belted Galloways which are due to calve next week.

“We’re now in the middle of calving and in the middle of lambing,” he said.

“Our biggest fear is one of our two men get sick.”

To date Colin said ‘my chaps have just given 100 per cent’.

In a bid to mitigate the chances of anyone becoming ill at the farm a ‘one person per vehicle’ policy has been implemented and no one else is allowed to use it unless it is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

Staff are also keeping to social distance of two metres, wearing gloves and washing hands, and the farm office has also been closed.

Colin said: “The management of our business have left the office and we’ve gone back on tractors and we’re running the farm from tractor seats.

“I’m having to re-learn how to plough, cultivate, and I’m actually enjoying it.”

Another impact of lockdown is that Colin has lost some event work including Windsor Horse Show and the Global Games Championships in London.

He said: “It’s just a matter of trying to keep everybody employed and keep the business going. We’re all still working, we’re hoping not to furlough anybody but we might have to do that, because we just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Agriculture and livestock at Berkshire College of Agriculture

Some of the land belonging to the Rayner family forms part of a shared farming agreement with Berkshire College of Agriculture (BCA) in Burchetts Green Road, Burchetts Green.

In the college’s 400-acre estate, 54 acres are in crop rotation as part of the agreement.

The college also has 256 ewes it is lambing, some calves, rare breed sheep, pigs, goats, alpacas, various poultry and a llama, as well as other animals in the BCA zoo.

During the lambing season the livestock team would normally rely on BCA staff, 40 agriculture students, and animal management students to help with lambing checks, morning duties, and husbandry tasks.

Head of agriculture, horticulture and floristry, Vicky Beckwith, said: “The team are working well to manage the lambing between them, and are socially distancing from the other animal unit teams. Lambing is in full swing and we have lambed nearly half the flock.”

Volunteers are on stand-by if the team becomes ill or overwhelmed.

“The main problem is that as the campus is quieter than usual, we have unfortunately suffered more casualties due to predatory wildlife.”