2022: Look back at East Anglia's extraordinary farming year

Here's a month-by-month look at the stories that were making the news:

January

Farming leaders - including National Farmers' Union (NFU) vice president Tom Bradshaw of Colchester and Mark Gorton, boss of Traditional Norfolk Poultry - welcomed the extension of a seasonal workers' scheme for fruit and vegetable pickers but said more action was urgently needed to fill worker shortages.

Farmers urged government to provide more details about its rewilding ambitions for the countryside.

Farmers in Suffok and Essex targeted by illegal hare coursers welcomed government plans to beef up sentencing and fines.

The government announced plans to lift Plan B Covid restrictions as it charted a course out of the pandemic. The news was a massive relief to Bruce Kerr, director of the Suffolk Show, who could finally take the event out of mothballs.

The government's much-vaunted free trade deal with Australia came under fire from farmers - who feared they would be hit by cheap food imports.

Some of the worst conditions for winter vegetables in a number of years meant half a million cauliflowers grown by TH Clements of Spalding and destined for the Christmas market couldn't be harvested in time. They were instead sold by Tesco at 49p rather than the hoped-for 79p in a January sale.

The NFU's water expert, Paul Hammett, prepared to hang up his diviners after a career spanning 40 years - warning with some presience that deeper and more frequent droughts would present farmers with greater challenges in the next 30 years.

Farmers across Suffolk and Essex dusted off their marquees and prepared for the return of agricultural shows.

The farming community mourned the loss of agricultural teacher and trainer Chris Keeble, who taught at Otley college and was an active member of Suffolk Farm Machinery Club.

Jeff Claydon, founder of seed drill manufacturer Claydon Drills of Wickhambrook, near Newmarket, was gearing up for further growth in 2022 - but progress was being hampered by a shortage of labour and materials.

NFU East director Gary Ford announced he was quitting his Newmarket post to return to a job in his home county of Worcestershire.

Farmland prices rose to an average of £8,410 an acre in 2021, a Savills survey revealed - the highest of any UK region.

The "Clarkson's effect" - from the hit TV show Clarkson's Farm - helped Suffolk Rural College at Otley to attract more students from a non-farming background - meaning intake for land-based courses there reached new heights.

Writtle University College appointed Wherstead farmer and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty as its chancellor.

Top Suffolk farmer Glenn Buckingham adopted agroforestry on his farm at Debenham, planting out 600 saplings.

February

The Doe Show returned to the agricultural dealer's headquarters in Ulting, near Maldon.

Woodbridge-based family-owned garden chain Notcutts marked its 125th year.

Farmers' Weekly 2021 Farmer of the Year Edward Vipond of Troston Farms, Bury St Edmunds, warned of the "sobering" financial risks facing the industry as traditional subsidies were phased out.

The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) held its Big Farmland Bird Count.

Up to 60 people whose lives were shattered by Covid were set to benefit from a new form of therapy created in East Anglia as Clinks farm at Beccles launched its Life After Covid Farm Therapy Project.

Farmers were offered up to £100k to exit the industry and retire as subsidies were phased out.

East of England farmers' total income from farming was £671m in 2020, government figures revealed, and was responsible for 28% of England's output of combinable crops and sugar beet.

Re-wilding was dividing opinion in the countryside, as farmers in Suffolk and Essex reacted to the government's Nature Recovery plan. Some wanted a more universal conservation plan with the role of food production given its due.

The dire plight of UK pig farmers was laid bare at a crunch meeting in Westminster as farming leaders and government officials held an emergency summit. A host of complications and factors - from supply chain issues to labour shortages - had brought the industry to its knees.

The NFU Suffolk branch voted in a new chairman - Andrew Blenkiron, director of the Euston Estate near Thetford.

Suffolk Agricultural Association gathered for its annual general meeting. Despite two years of Suffolk Show cancellations, careful management had meant its finances were still in good shape.

A survey by the Farm Safety Foundation suggested the pandemic, extreme weather and other factors were affecting farmers' mental health

Suffolk Rural College at Otley hosted a farmers' winter meeting with speakers including Clarke Willis of Broadland Food Innovation Centre - which was set to become a food and drink cluster for the region.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 plunged markets into turmoil - and sent wheat prices rocketing to unprecedented heights. "Phones have been ringing off the hook - it's pretty insane," said one East Anglian grain trader. The wheat price soared by £16/t on the day of the invasion, on top of £8 on the eve of the onslaught.

Colchester farmer Tom Bradshaw was voted in as NFU deputy president.

Uncertainty over the future as farmers headed into the biggest upheaval the industry had seen in many decades was the theme at the 2022 NFU conference - which included  a speech from then environment secretary George Eustice

Storms Dudley, Eustic and Franklin struck in quick succession, causing extensive damage to farms and households.

March

Lavenham Farmers' Market scooped the top title at the National Farm Retail Awards held in Newcastle as it was crowned the best in the UK.

East Anglian farmers were reeling as they gathered for the inaugural Suffolk Farming Conference at Trinity Park after a rapid rise in wheat prices. War was tearing Eastern Europe apart as Russian troops advanced into Ukraine - one of the world's main breadbaskets. Wheat prices reached £259/t for feed wheat and £295/t for milling wheat. Oil, gas and fertiliser prices also went through the roof.

Daniel Green was appointed as British Sugar's new agricultural director and was keen to rebuild strained relationships with East Anglia's beet growers.

Ronald Kers, the boss of 2 Sisters Food Group, warned of the dire effects the Ukraine war was having on food security in the UK.

Huge spikes in feed costs sent pig farmers further into the red as the pig crisis spiralled.

British Sugar offered beet growers guaranteed prices as farm input costs rocketed.

East Anglian poultry farmers - including Paul Kelly of Kelly Turkeys, Paul Gorton of Traditional Norfolk Poultry and Alaistaire Brice of Havensfield Happy Hens - called for government to consider developing a vaccination policy to combat bird flu.

Shortages of inputs were fuelling price inflation, while wheat prices were hitting £300/t or £335/t for milling wheat.

Euston Estate director Andrew Blenkiron was expecting to face an eye-watering 37%-plus rise in his £120k electricity bill as prices rocketed. He was looking at a number of new ventures such as solar farms and a Pawlonia tree plantation to fill the half a million pound hole which would be left when the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) ended.

April

The NFU called for cuts in farm subsidies to be delayed as farmers grappled with soaring inputs inflation

The bird flu crisis in East Anglia deepened as a ninth case was discovered in a Suffolk flock - despite birds being in lockdown since the latter part of 2021.

Suffolk Young Farmers teamed up with Stonham Barns Park to launch a fun day in June showcasing farming.

Young couple Abbie Bryant and Andy Moye scaled up A&A Livestock, their regenerative farming business raising grass-reared beef at Long Melford, and became full-time farmers.

NFU Mutual urged farmers to ramp up security as commodity and fuel prices rocketed - amid fears farmyards could be targeted by thieves,

East Anglian farmers welcomed a raft of government measures aimed at helping them cope with soaring fertiliser costs.

Farmer David Black of Bacton Pigs launched his autobiography as he celebrated his 90th birthday.

Free range farms warned of egg shortages due to "suffocating" supermarket prices.

Agricultural inflation figures leapt by 23% in six months - posing an existential threat to businesses, the AgInflation Index from AF Group showed.

Regenerative Agricultural Community East (RACE) held its inaugural meeting in Bungay with the aim of promoting a joined-up approach to farm conservation.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust raised fears about farm animals including Large White Pigs and Norfolk Horn sheep.

Former Suffolk farm adviser Charles Hesketh was appointed as the NFU's regional policy manager.

Anxious East Anglian poultry farmers were feeling a mixture of nervousness and relief as a UK-wide housing order for flocks due to bird flu was lifted.

Top Suffolk farmer Andrew Blenkiron was furious after the government dropped plans to impose further checks on goods such as plant and animal products entering the UK from the European Union after Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said it would be "wrong" to impose new administrative burdens at ports as Britons were hit by a cost-of-living crisis.

May

Food manufacturer and farmer Sam Fairs of Hill Farm Oils at Heveningham - who makes cold-pressed rapeseed oil - was feeling the full effects of rocketing costs. There was already a shortage of rapeseed - and soaring gas and energy prices - even before the Ukraine invasion and the situation had worsened considerably.

Delegates from the Institution of Agricultural Engineers gathered at CLAAS's headquarters at Bury St Edmunds where three members - Professor Jane Rickson, Dr David Lewellyn and Dr Nick Tillett - received awards for their outstanding contributions to the land-based sector.

A multi-million pound vertical farm was due to be launched by OneFarm in an empty warehouse in Newmarket Business Park.

Farm charity the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute (RABI) announced it was selling its flagship care home, Manson House in Bury St Edmunds, to a highly successful local care homes business started by farmers - Stow Healthcare.

Fifth generation farm machinery dealership Ernest Doe at Ulting, new Maldon, was crowned New Holland's 2021 UK and Ireland Dealer of the Year.

LAMMA, an agricultural machinery event held at the Birmingham NEC, was held.

Farmers were facing mind-blowing increases in what they were charged to apply for a licence to abstract water to irrigate their crops.

Woolpit Steam Rally returned after a three-year absence.

More than 130 descended on Kelly Turkeys' Little Claydon Farm as its held its 50th anniversary celebrations - delayed due to Covid.

A farm machinery sale at Clarke and Simpson's Campsea Ashe site broke all records when 3,000 lots went under the hammer.

Preparations were in full swing for the Suffolk Show on May 31 and June 1 as equipment was dusted off after a three-year pandemic hiatus. Top team Bruce Kerr, James Nunn, John Taylor and Tony Pulham and the show teams were hard at work pulling it all together.

June

Suffolk Show - held during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee week - was a triumph. The weather was variable with occasional showers on day one, but the enthusiasm was palpable and new parking areas were opened up as the crowds kept coming. 

Two farming stalwarts - Clive Watling of Naunton Hall Farms, and Ron Backhouse of RH & R Paul were awarded Class 3 Long Service Awards at the Suffolk Show for completing more than 60 years of service with the same business.

The British Horse Society warned of a big rise in road-related rider incidents across East Anglia during 2021 - including one horse death in Suffolk.

Rothamsted researchers appealed for help from farmers and growers in East Anglia as they studied two farm pests - large white butterfly caterpillars and wireworms.

A delegation visited Felixstowe Hydrocycle - a scheme collecting fresh drain water which would otherwise be lost to sea and diverting it to farm reservoirs so that it can be used to irrigate crops.

The government's newly-launched food strategy received a muted welcome from the region's top farmers.

The Church of England in Suffolk formed a team led by agricultural chaplain Graham Miles to help farmers suffering from mental health issues during a traumatic time for sectors such as pigs.

July

Farmers across East Anglia were being lessons in safety via NFU workshops as the industry strived to improve its poor safety record.

Records were already being broken as cereal harvests began - as the volatility of world markets continued and crops were being sold ahead at new highs - up to the high £300s per tonne for good quality wheat. Lack of rain in April/May had left some crops short of water - leading to some mixed results. 

But while cereal prices were breaking records, spuds were cheap and plentiful. The East Anglian crop was looking promising, but prices were disappointingly low - from £400/t for Maris Peer to £120/t for old crop baking potatoes. Some growers were looking to cut their acreage next year.

Cheffins reported a big uptick in enquiries from farmers looking to diversity with battery storage schemes.

Rare wild flower seeds were being collected by Breckland Flar Group volunteers from the Brecks on the Norfolk/Suffolk border so that they could be stored at Kew's Millennium Seedbank.

Phil Marsh of Cotton, a farming stalwart who spent many years working as a grain merchant, was honoured with a special award for services to farming by the Suffolk Agricultural Association.

Suffolk Show organisers revealed that an astonishing total of 97,218 people had attended the event this year - thought to be the biggest number ever.

Tendring Show at Lawford House Park returned in style with more than 150 trade stands and exhibitions.

Ferocious temperatures brought with them the risk of drought and field fires as extreme temperatures of up to 40C made harvest hot work. Field fires raged on wild grassland, cereal crops and post-harvest stubble across Suffolk.

Some crops wilted and even died in the punishing heat. Where possible, farmers irrigated more rigorously - putting pressure on depleted farm reservoir supplies.

August

East Anglia's pig industry was braced for 'Armageddon' after up to a fifth of producers headed for the exit as the cost of producing pigs outpaced the prices achieved.

Hoxne-based free range egg producer Alaistaire Brice of Havensfield Happy Hens joined calls for a temporary ban on releasing birds bred for shooting after a series of outbreaks of bird flu in the county.

Zoe Leach called for retailers to move away from the tyranny of rigid size and shape standards for fruit and vegetables as she stepped into her new role as NFU East regional director 

Drought pressures and soaring costs could force more farms out of the industry, Andrew Francis, farms director at Elveden Estate, warned.

Farmers already forced to ration dwindling supplies of vital irrigation water faced further possible restrictions as a drought was formally declared for the East of England.

Fourth generation pig farmer George Gittus of Symonds Farm, near Bury St Edmunds, decided to quit the pig industry after a dire 12 months for the sector.

Farmers were taking stock after a mixed fortunes for the industry - as livestock operations took a big hit from rising input prices.

Government outllined plans to curb rampant wild deer populations which soared to their "highest level for 1,000 years".

September

Winemaker and fourth generation north Essex farm Angus Crowther of Tuffon Hall, Sible Hedingham, was among of group of produce champions chosen to spearhead a tourism campaign for the county.

Rural people were facing a cost-of-living emergency that was more marked than in urban areas, according to a report by the Rural Services Network.

The huge mental pressure facing farmers in England was laid bare in a national study by the University of Essex and Farming Community Network (FCN).

The Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival at Snape Maltings brought together some of the region's top producers as the annual celebration once again drew visitors from far and wide.

Potato, onion and vegetable grower James Foskett of Woodbridge was facing eye-watering costs to store his harvested vegetable over winter  as energy prices soared.

Halesworth-based Truly Traceable Venison and Game Pies said it saw sales soar during the pandemic - but had noticed a marked dip as the cost-of-living crisis bit.

East Anglia was toasting a bumper grape crop as they got ready for harvest - helped by the extremely hot summer. Some though were looking at irrigation.

Pioneering East Anglian vineyard Chilford Hall at Linton, near Haverhill, went up for sale with a guide price of £2m.

The ongoing drought delayed the sugar beet harves in East Anglia - prompting British Sugar to push back factory opening dates to October.

More farmers in East Anglia would have to look at installing reservoirs on their farms to protect themselves against weather extremes, experts said.

Poultry businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex were ordered to house their birds to prevent the spread of avian flu.

October

East Anglia's crop tractor drivers showed off their ploughing prowess at a regional ploughing match at Ampton Hall Estate, near Bury St Edmunds.`

Suffolk farmers supporting more environmentally-minded food production slammed a possible shake-up of the UK's new subsidy system after new prime minister Liz Truss's administration took over the reins of government.

Essex premium producer Kelly Turkeys said it was putting up its Christmas turkey prices by 16% as costs soared. It meant one of its typical 5kg birds would retail at just over £112 this year.

Suffolk Rural College in Otley launched a fast-track route to farming through a 10-week course.

Regenerative livestock farmer Stuart Mayhew of Bungay urged more farmers to follow his lead at the inaugural Autumn Farming Conference at Trinity Park, Ipswich.

Large-scale Mid Suffolk farmers father-and-son David and James Nunn embraced pumpkin power after growing their first pumpkin patch to sell at a Halloween event during the October half term. They had grown well in the heavy soil - in spite of the heatwave and no irrigation.

Agricultural inflation leapt by 34% in the last year according to an AgInflation Index AF Group.

Community wildlife heroes gathered to share their stories as nature recovery movement WildEast held a series of events at Fritton Lake on the Somerleyton Estate near Lowestoft.

Farmers urged new environment secretary Therese Coffey - appointed by the new Rishi Sunak administration - to get Environmental Land Management (ELMs) schemes back on track after a long period of uncertainty over what would succeed the old pre-Brexit farm subsidy schemes.

East Anglia's poultry farmers were so worries about the threat posed by bird flu that some were considering whether to ditch their free range status.

Suffolk Agricultural Association hosted a glittering dinner at which it awarded prizes for the county's top farms. The winners of the Suffolk Farm Business competition were Mill Green Farm of Stonham Aspal (small farm), Porters Farms of Walpole (medium) and EJ Barker & Sons of Westhorpe (large).

November

Government vets ordered all bird keepers in England to keep them housed as the bird flu crisis deepened - spreading beyond East Anglia.

More than 100 people gathered for precision farming experts Agri EPI's annual conference held at Shimpling Park in west Suffolk to hear about how they could make agriculture more sustainable.

Farm conservation body Suffolk FWAG awarded its top accolades of the year to organic farmer John Pawsey of Shimpling Park Farm and Debenham farmer Glenn Buckingham of Helmingham Estate at an event at Trinity Park, Ipswich.

Business leaders in Suffolk and Norfolk called on new environment secretary Therese Coffey to tackle "serious flaws" in the government response to a devastating outbreak of bird flue which had swept the region and the wider UK.

Suffolk farmers urged their MPs to "Back British Farming" as they highlight the challenges they face at an NFU event at Westminster. 

Top Suffolk estate Elveden, near Thetford, entered a new era as farm boss Andrew Francis departed after 30 years to start a new venture, TEAM Ag (UK), and Nick Scantlebury took over the reins. Hadleigh farmer and entrepreneur James Buckle was earlier appointed its executive director of farming.

A concerted campaign to cut the use of antibiotics in UK livestock had led to a dramatic 55% cut in their sales for use in livestock since 2014.

Zoe Leach - who was chief executive of the Naitonla Pig Association before taking up the NFU East regional director post this year - scooped the David Black Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the pig industry.

Delighted Ipswich farmers Ben and Georgina Woolf of Oak House Farm were crowned Pedigree Pig Breeder of the Year at the prestigious National Pig Awards.

Members of the Suffolk branch of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) reflected on a year plagued by bird flue, field fires and political turbulence as they met for their annual general meeting at Fynn Valley Golf Club.

Bird of prey persecution remained at a "sustained high level" in the UK, with 108 confirmed cases, according to a report by bird charity the RSPB. However, there was just one Suffok case recorded - and another in Essex. But Norfolk topped the table with 13 incidents.

December

Increasing anxiety about bird flu was adding to a growing mental health crisis among farmers, Suffolk agricultural chaplain Graham Miles, leader of the Lightwave Rural and Agricultural Chaplaincy Team in Suffolk, said.

Around 300kg of meat was confiscated at the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich in a joint crackdown on illegal meat imports by food inspectors at Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority and Border Force. They were trying to prevent African Swine Fever from entering the UK.

Simon Eddell, manager of the Rougham Estate near Bury St Edmunds, was preparing for the festive season as 4,000 Christmas trees were cut down ready to be placed in town centres or sold to the public.

Colchester livestock auctioneers Stanfords celebrated a new record as the supreme beef champion at its Christmas show, reared by Lee Byam of Swilland, near Ipswich. It was sold to Boxted butcher John Coleman for £6.55/kg - the highest per kilogramme figure to date.

Ipswich butcher George Debman was predicting a "beef Christmas" as more of his customers opted for beef cuts for their festive roast dinners.

East Anglian farmers reported they were cutting back on key crops next year amid a costs crisis - and growing threats from weather and disease. Jamie Lockhard, boss of Brandon-based Frederick Hiam Foods, said he was cutting his onion and potato areas by between a quarter and a third.

Five teenage farm students at Suffolk Rural College at Otley launched a drive to encourage more women farmers.