Pumpkin-picking farms across the UK closed over the weekend of 24 and 25 October as storms Austen and Boelo brought strong winds and heavy rain, disrupting seasonal events and damaging farm buildings, Farmers Weekly reports.
Bates Farm in Risley, Warrington, was expecting about 1,000 cars for its pumpkin-picking day on Sunday but cancelled after the storm destroyed a marquee and several gazebos used by food sellers. Sisters Ali and Fiona Wilshaw, who run the farm, told the BBC the financial hit was about £50,000, counting repairs, lost pumpkin sales, ticket refunds and other costs.
Brookleigh Farm in Menston, West Yorkshire, closed from Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday, and Greenlands Farm Village in Carnforth, Lancashire, cancelled its Sunday activities after Boelo damaged animal shelters and brought down a tree. High Roosebeck Farm in Cumbria, Brockbushes in Northumberland, Libby's Patch in Cheshire and Valley View Café in Devon also suspended their pumpkin events.
The Met Office issued wind warnings as the two storms crossed the country in quick succession: Austen in the south, then Boelo with severe gusts and heavy rain in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, reaching up to 80mph in exposed places.
Hannah Binns, rural affairs specialist at NFU Mutual, said further yellow warnings were being issued with the potential for a third named storm. She urged farmers to avoid risky repairs during storms, check warnings, prepare for power cuts, identify higher ground for livestock in case of flooding and move vulnerable machinery to safe places.
Photo: Visitor7 (a pumpkin patch) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Farmers Weekly
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