James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
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Deloitte, which has 23 offices across the UK including Newcastle, is among the country's leading professional services firms » 
ClimateNE & Climate Change Schools Project support the move to a low-carbon, resilient economy and help businesses avoid risk and realise commercial opportunities. Posts by Jen Atkinson, Krista McKinzey and Harriet Thew » You might think all potatos are much the same and indeed that one potato farm is much like another....think again and check out Tiptoe Farm.
I was delighted to be present as Tiptoe joined Blagdon, North Bellshill and Lee Moor Farm as a demonstration farms for the organisation LEAF. So with the background of floods, an economic downturn and yo-yo commodity prices what is in the shop window of farming?
Farming is a capital intensive and seasonal business where the weather and politics have more impact than your own hard work and that can be very dispiriting. Thank the heavens that as the church turns its mind to harvest festivals that the local farming community is working all hours in the very recent dry spell to catch a deteriated harvest. All is not yet safely gathered in!
Our vegeatable and arable fields do tend to be next to our rivers and streams and with North Northumberland suffered a 1 in 680 year weather event then it is not surprising that - as they say in the world of racing - going is soft - heavy in places.
I was born in August 1965 and christened in my family church, St James, in Alnwick and my Father, Aunty Enid and Jimmy Dixon worked with two old combines through the night, finishing the harvest at 2am to get everything completed for the harvest festival and son and heirs christening! I understand a bottle of champage was popped to celebrate that all was safely garnered in. 30 years to the day on and my son Jordan was christened in that same church.
I am proud to be part on that rural rhythm even though I now grow willow and poplar rather than cereal crops which I have left to my landlord - whose modern machinery will very soon be in and out with a set of economics I could never have met.
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