Invasion of the barley snatchers: crop circles cost farmers thousands in lost revenue

[Still Waters]

More than 40 football pitches’ worth of arable land has been affected by crop circles in England since 2018, according to an analysis carried out by the Guardian.

Farmers lost £30,000 in income between 2018 and 2022 as a result of 92 crop circles of varying sizes. The wheat and barley lost over the period could have made 300,000 loaves of bread, and the flattened rapeseed could have produced 600 litres of canola oil.

Crop circles have come under particular scrutiny this year for the unwelcome toll they are taking on farmers’ harvests at a time of global food crisis. Grain prices have surged since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, with both countries major suppliers of crops to the global markets.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/24/invasion-of-the-barley-snatchers-crop-circles-cost-farmers-thousands-in-lost-revenue