Adam Henson, the BBC Countryfile presenter who has appeared on the programme since 2001, has laid bare the struggles facing arable farmers across the country, after drought conditions battered this year’s harvest.
Speaking in a video posted by Cotswold Farm Park, the Gloucestershire farmer delivered a bleak assessment from his Bemborough Farm in the Cotswolds.
Prolonged dry weather and thin soils have taken a heavy toll on crop performance.
“Sadly, this year it’s not looking good for us and lots of other arable farmers across the UK,” he said.
Adam Henson has laid bare the challenges currently facing British farmers
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BBC
Mr Henson revealed his winter wheat and winter barley crops had come in roughly a tonne to a tonne and a half below expected levels per hectare.
The presenter explained: “Because of the drought and because of our thin soil, the yields may not be that good.”
The shortfall has struck at a particularly painful moment, with global commodity prices for wheat and barley sitting at low levels.
“With the reduced yield and global commodity prices being quite low for wheat and barley, although they’re lifting a little bit at the moment, there’s not going to be a lot of profit in growing grain,” Mr Henson said.
The presenter has been a familiar face on BBC Countryfile since 2001
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BBC
Industry-wide data paints a similarly grim picture.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has confirmed the 2026 harvest is the earliest in at least two decades, with combine harvesters deployed sooner than usual across large parts of the country.
Cereal yields nationally have fallen below the ten-year average, according to the AHDB, with certain farms recording particularly sharp declines.
The farmer offered viewers a glimpse inside his farm’s grain store, where approximately 350 tonnes of barley had been gathered.
The presenter indicated this figure was considerably smaller than what the operation would typically bring in during a normal season.
Mr Henson acknowledged that farmers are now enduring a third consecutive season of hardship.
“We’ve had three difficult years. It’s really feeling a bit tough, and my personality is such that I want to be really positive about farming,” he said.
Despite his natural optimism about life on the land, the 25-year Countryfile veteran was candid about the severity of the situation.
Jeremy Clarkson has also issued a bleak warning about the state of this year’s harvest
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PRIME VIDEO“I think it’s one of the best jobs in the world, but actually arable farming at the moment is hard,” he admitted, describing harvest as the moment when months of effort and financial outlay should finally pay off.
Mr Henson’s concerns echo those recently raised by fellow farming television star Jeremy Clarkson, who has also painted a bleak picture of the 2026 harvest.
The Clarkson’s Farm presenter issued a blunt verdict earlier this month as soaring temperatures and prolonged dry conditions continued to affect Diddly Squat Farm.
Sharing a screenshot of a scorching weather forecast, the former Top Gear star declared: “Harvest already f***ed. May as well just enjoy it now.”
The Gloucestershire farmer admitted arable farming is currently ‘hard’
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BBC
The 66-year-old has warned that conditions could prove “catastrophic” for his Oxfordshire farm, having previously detailed the mounting financial pressures facing the agricultural industry.
Mr Clarkson also revealed he had left around 200 acres of land empty this year, arguing that the combination of fertiliser and fuel costs alongside a lack of rain meant planting crops risked producing a financial loss.
He has previously warned it has become increasingly difficult for farmers to turn a profit simply by growing food, suggesting some landowners could ultimately look towards alternative uses for their fields.
Despite his gloomy assessment of the season, Mr Clarkson has maintained his enthusiasm for farming itself, recently describing the satisfaction he gets from long days working through the harvest.