Many Scottish farmers have endured one of the worst summer/autumn harvest seasons on record and indeed still are, but while the forth coming months will undoubtedly be a challenge for all, there are viable options to consider.

According to SRUC beef and sheep team leader, Gavin Hill, livestock farmers in particular face several issues due to the poor weather.

While most were able to harvest good quality first cuts of silage, second and third cuts have been hampered in many areas, with the result that forage nutrition and mycotoxins could be a potential issue on some units. Add to that the lack of available quality straw and the extortionate cost of buying in this year, and the question of what to bed cattle on is also a big issue.

"Feed, forage and bedding are likely to cause problems for many cattle farmers this year, but Scotland is a big country, and there have been huge variations in the weather in various areas," he told The Scottish Farmer.

"Areas of Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, right up to Lanarkshire and north Aberdeenshire have been particularly bad, while Fife and Angus seems to have faired better. Orkney and Stornoway don't seem to have been too bad either, but then you see the farms in the west, who with being in environmental schemes, were not able to harvest any silage until August when the opportunities were limited due to very poor weather and so their crops are not as needed. Often we talk about being efficient but when overheads such as machinery are reduced but we become more reliant on the contractors who were stretched this year especially making silage.

"We are still seeing people trying to get harvest or second or even third cuts of silage. There is also still a lot of wet straw lying about waiting to be baled," added Mr Hill.

However, all is not lost, as the beef specialist advised farmers to look at their systems, assess the quality of their forages, bedding and the amount of cattle they have.

"A lot of cattle have not come through the summer well, depending on the weather in the area, and will need a bit of quality feeding to improve their condition, if they are to calve in the spring. There is no point waiting until prior to calving and then starting to increase feeding. Spring-calving cows and heifers should be in good enough order to calve in the spring by the New Year." Quality forage or concentrates are needed to gain condition quickly and he said this may well be a winter for many to have their productive cows and young heifers on farm.

Mr Hill also highlighted the extremely wet summer of 2012 as an example of what can happen if producers end up calving under nourished cows.

"That year there was an abundance of poor quality silage which was severely lacking in dry matter, energy and protein, and provided 'gut fill,' only. But, it was assumed that by feeding extra forage during the first part of the winter, that would make up for the lack of quality. Unfortunately many found the quality was not in the forage and after New year their cows slipped in condition downwards. The result was they ended up at calving time with very lean cows with not enough milk, problems calving and downer cows.."

It was a similar situation amongst growing cattle, which struggled to gain much weight.

Instead, Mr Hill advised beef producers to consider the quality and quantity of their forages now and if both are particularly bad, to contemplate selling such animals, when store and indeed breeding cattle prices are relatively buoyant.

Those on the other hand, however, who have sufficient quality feeding, but are struggling to find bedding at reasonable prices, he said are looking to cheaper alternatives such as wood chip, paper waste, sawdust and even peat.

But while winter costs for some are likely to be horrendous, Mr Hill was quick to point out there is still a lot of optimism in the sector.

"I have never had so many phone calls about cattle systems and breeds. People are looking more to the maternal types and breeds of cattle with good fertility, longevity and easy calving traits. They are looking for cows that are more suited to their environment and to types that can also produce the type of calves demanded in the marketplace.

"The beef farmers who are achieving the highest margins are not necessarily those in the east coast with large amounts of arable ground. Quite often it's the farmers with the extra size and scope – even if it is only molinia grass/hill ground – and cattle that suit that environment, who produce the best net figures. These farmers are able to keep their cattle out for longer and by bulling them to a continental sire, they are also producing a calf which is sought after in the marketplace.

"These farmers don't have the highest input or the overhead costs and they don't produce the top priced calves in the market place, but they don't have the mortality rate, barren figures or the vet bills at the end of the day. They also have a herd of cows that are fertile and last a lot longer too."

Adding to the optimism, he admitted that while a select number of farmers are selling off their cows, there are more looking to expand and build slatted courts to avoid having to buy in large amounts of expensive straw every year.