This morning the BBC reported that the Bank of England stated that the problem with the UK was that we were 17% lower in productivity than the country should be. Robert Peston, the BBC economist gave one explanation that low interest rates meant that low productivity companies were being kept afloat by very low interest rates. In normal times these would not go bankrupt in the face of better competition. He described such companies as Zombies.
My bank manager visits the farm once a year. We discuss the state of our accounts and plans for the future. When it comes to the sea buckthorn it is accepted that as the crop takes six years to come to peak yield that this will be a “slow burn” development. It will not be returning profit in the short term, but it will develop the whole business in the future.
As I was mowing between the rows of sea buckthorn plants today I puzzled therefore whether the farm was a zombie business. A plan to develop only in the mid term is not productive in the eyes of accountants that look for profit in three years. But then sea buckthorn is a perennial crop where its initial investment is planted for a twenty year life, maybe more.
But then my business at the moment has to accept a third definition. As I drove up and down the rows I passed a variety that last year had been one of my favourites. Altaiskaya producing a modest sized berry that is both high in oil content (7%) and sugar (9.7%) and lower in acid (1.1%). Good on vitamin c ( 98 mg/100g) and carotenoids, this Siberian variety promoting the name of its home was going to be my chosen one. Imagine therefore the disappointment when I reflected upon a high percentage of the mature plants having a disease. Leaves green but drying out and dropping.
Farming is not manufacturing. Producing nuts and bolts is quantifiable, costs are understandable and profits are predictable. Once commissioned into a production line sales can start as the first box of product emerges. Growing a crop is to some degree at the mercy of the elements. Growing a crop that is new to the country has the added issues that one has to wait for the challenge to arrive and then solve it.
But my business is farming and the life and environment in which I work is rewarding. Sea buckthorn has some added bonuses. It comes with a supportive community that work together to develop the crop and find the solutions to turn a crop into a profitable enterprise. It was with great regret this week therefore when it was reported that one of founding members of the German sea buckthorn industry has passed on. Professor. Dr. Karl Heilscher inspired co-operation, research and development on a scale that drove a little known berry crop from Eastern Europe into becoming a global phenomenon Highly intellectual, scientifically challenging and a great personality. He will be sorely missed, but like many that champion their cause, his legacy will be to always meet each problem with determination and not be satisfied until only the best solution is attained.
