Farmers mark the start of the agricultural season at Rochester cathedral
This ancient tradition allows the community to congratulate the harvest and hard work from agricultural communities.
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00:00 Farmers from across Kent have assembled at Rochester Cathedral to celebrate the start of the agricultural season.
00:07 Like many businesses across the country, farmers say they've been hit hard by the cost of living crisis, Ukraine war and rising inflation,
00:17 not helped by the problems caused by extremely hot summers and freezing winters.
00:22 It's been like every other business, like every other profession, it's been a tough four or five years.
00:29 We've had Brexit, we've had Covid-19, we've had a Ukraine crisis and now we've got fairly raging inflation,
00:38 which has impacted, all of them have impacted on farming, reduced farm incomes and left many farm balance sheets in a much worse place than it was in 2016/17.
00:52 This is the Cathedral's annual Plough Sunday, a tradition dating back to Victorian times that celebrates the hard work of those in farming and agricultural communities.
01:04 Dean Phillips stressed the importance of buying Kent produce to support local businesses, hoping this will help Kent farmers to keep sowing seeds throughout 2024.
01:15 It's a tradition really that grew up particularly at the beginning of the Victorian period. It was a time when the farming community would come together to mark the beginning of the new agricultural year.
01:26 So it's a time when they've been off for Christmas and Plough Monday would be when they got back to work.
01:32 So on the Sunday before there was an opportunity to come together and give thanks for the food and the blessing of the forthcoming harvest.
01:40 Part of the ceremony involves bringing a communal plough to the centre of the Cathedral to be blessed with seed by the Dean, whilst the public can get involved through singing carols.
01:51 The plough behind me is the centrepiece for Rochester Cathedral's Plough Sunday service. It's a classic farming tool used for farming grain.
02:02 Many Kent farmers hope this year they'll be able to sprout and grow towards a bright future.
02:08 Henry Luck for KMTV in Rochester