Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Farming Today This Week: Harvest 2019

Sybil Ruscoe visits Cobrey Farms in Herefordshire where they harvest for nine months a year and talks to owner Henry Chinn about sugar snap peas, blueberries and seasonal workers.

It's harvest time on Farming Today and under grey sullen skies Sybil Ruscoe visits Cobrey Farms in Herefordshire to meet owner Henry Chinn.

Across 3500 acres the harvest at Cobrey starts with rhubarb in February. In March thoughts turn to asparagus, before giving way to the summer months and the bringing in of potatoes and beans. This year they've grown sugar snap peas for the first time and Henry explains that because they're hand-picked it's a costly and labour-intensive process. Syb tries her hand at 'blueberry tickling' as she coaxes a few of them off their branches.

The farm has up to 750 seasonal workers, mostly from Romania and Bulgaria, and Sybil asks Henry what might happen to them after Brexit, and whether the Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme that has brought in additional workers from Ukraine and Moldova might be the answer.

They also visit a Wheat field which needs to be cut soon as it turns out Wild Boar are quite partial to an arable appetiser.

Producer: Toby Field

Show less

25 minutes