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Thank you for letting me know. I would also like to let you know that your magazine is very popular with our students. Many of the students at this school are from a rural farming background and it has been fantastic to have some reading material that appeals to them, particularly the more reluctant readers.

Mrs Kathryn Durkan, LRC Manager, John Port School

John Port School, Derbyshire

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Crop fires - farmer's 'to do' list

Farmers can't do much to prevent this happening, it's unlikely to be their cigarette or barbeque that's the cause. They can, however, take some precautions to prevent the fire getting out of hand. Here are some ideas:

1. Warning. Fires start with a few wisps of smoke, often somewhere out of sight. Ask a few people - those who are at home all day - to be informal fire watchers. Give them your mobile number and ask them to call it should they see smoke. So often people assume the fire has been reported, when it hasn't.
2. Prevention. Hand painted notices asking those with access to your land to be careful with cigarette stubs, barbecues and glass is a simple way of reducing risk. People forget, need reminding.
3. Action. Keep the slurry tanker full of water. Fit a suitable hose to the auxiliary tap, if fitted. You have your own fire engine, should the fire service be unable to attend immediately.
4. Provide picnic areas with a barrel of water or sand so small fires can be extinguished.
5. Tractors. Sparks from tractor exhausts can set trailers of straw catch on fire. Fit a deflector on the exhaust of older tractors (which shed the most sparks) so the exhaust goes forward and sideways rather than stright up and back. Older tractors with coked up engines are far worse than newer ones.

pic courtesy www.nfuonline.com
Also - check out your insurance cover.

Reader reply:

RE Crop fires
Dear Mike,
We had a few to deal with many years ago beside a railway line served by steam engines.
The most effective tool was, yes, a plough!!! We always had a tractor with plough mounted ready to go. When the fire started we went well ahead of it in a SAFE distance, and ploughed about 6-8 furrows, usually in a half-moon shape, which easily contained the fire in a standing crop. It did not work with loose straw after the harvest, the wind lifted the burning straw and blew it easily over the small ploughed area.
Regards,
Richard