FOR most of us city folk, the fortunes of farmers is of little interest.

The washout summer caused far more concern about miserable school holidays for the kids, ruined social occasions and just general drudgery of looking out of the window at work as the rain hammered down.

Yet our farmers have been suffering a torrid time, with crops such as apples and, as we report today, wheat being devastated.

This will have a knock-on effect for us all, with food prices almost certain to rise because so many of our staples are based on wheat production.