Some farmers still have a sense of humour even if UK farming keeps them awake!

While reading some of the comments has been difficult for some of the team as many of us are close to agriculture and feel these issues keenly, we have had to smirk at some of the responses to our questions.

As it's Christmas, we thought we would share some of them!

WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT...?

'I won't let clueless politicians prevent me from sleeping but the increasingly clueless nonsense coming out of Westminster is pulling my chain fairish.'

'I’ve been suffering from Starmenellar now I’ve got Reeves disease'

'Nothing keeps me awake!'

'Wondering what dirty trick the Land Agent is going to pull next!'

'Currently it's APR, last month it was the rain. Next month it will probably be money. Farming always seems to have something else for you to worry about just when you sort out the first problem'

'I am eternally optimistic and believe, as Jeremy Clarkson said about the land tax - don’t worry this shower will be out in a couple of years.'

'Our purpose. What is it and should we be diversifying with a view to dropping food production down the list of priorities? Also my 5 month old.'

More on this independent research...

In early October, we launched an independent research project to better understand the stressors, opportunities, and influences shaping the lives of farmers. We asked the question:

“What keeps farmers awake at night?”

And then—just days later—the UK government announced significant changes to inheritance tax and business property relief, creating a seismic shift in the sector. As you can imagine, responses to our questions skyrocketed.

But that’s not all. We’ve also seen farmers share their views on Bovaer, food security, planning challenges, and environmental pressures—it’s clear that agriculture is navigating multiple, overlapping waves of change.

To capture a more accurate picture of what’s happening on the ground, we extended the research period to monitor how these challenges evolve over time.

So far, we’ve had over 500 farmers share their insights, and the results are shaping up to tell a powerful story about the realities of UK agriculture today. With the research closing in February, we’re excited to delve into thematic coding and sentiment analysis to uncover what’s really happening—with whom, where, and why.

A huge thank you to all our clients, partners, and contacts who have shared the research link. Benchmarking your audience against this wider farmer data set will be invaluable for decision-making, and we’re happy to help you use these insights effectively. An even bigger thanks to our community of farmers who have taken time out to answer the questions.

If you’d like to share the survey link or know someone who would benefit from taking part, get in touch—we’d love to hear from you and include the farmers you care about in our narrative! drop an email to hello@groundedresearch.co.uk