Thriplow Farms Annual Report 1996: Fasten your seatbelts

The year began with wheat prices moving sharply upwards. The world was running out of grain, demand was overwhelming supply, and optimism - at least in this part of the country - spread like listeria on soft cheese. By May the price of wheat touched £130 per tonne and it was clear that it could only move in one direction; upwards. The price of land - which, for some strange reason,  inevitably reflects the wheat price - sailed through the £3000 per acre barrier, and for the first time in almost two decades, there was a waiting list for certain tractors. Even the gloomiest arable farmer (and I have yet to meet one who does come into this category) had to admit that the future rarely seemed brighter.Read the full report