I STARTED doing this column back in 1982 and during the years since there have been various subjects that have caused controversy and discussion.

One which caused considerable discussion 12 years ago was depression, which, after pressure from The SF editor, I followed up with a second article and then Karen Carruth did a full page on the subject.

I thought last month’s column might receive a few comments regarding the zero farming VAT subject, but it only brought a whimper! What has eclipsed all my years of writing, by far, was my paragraph on the challenge of generational change, which caused comments to come from, book-keepers, bankers, accountants, lawyers and a great number of farmers.

The book-keeper of more than 30 years took the trouble to ring me – with number withheld – followed by a voice telling me not to hang up, as it had taken her several days to find out how to phone me without disclosing her number or who she was for confidentiality reasons.

The discussion lasted about half-an-hour. She told me she did the books for haulage firms, butcher's businesses, and a significant number of farmers every month. She said she heard WW3 every week, but her thoughts were that in the past 30 years it had become more aggressive, especially where there were single sons.

She only had one client with a daughter who was going to carry on the family business and that family had an excellent relationship.

Where there were more than one son, her experience was that relationships between the generations were marginally better, but she had no doubt that the most stressful aspect of virtually all cases was how the older generation’s experience and knowledge was passed to the next generation in a way that they appreciated what has been done for them. She concluded by repeating that this aspect of family business caused more stress than any other part of farming.

Two days later I received calls from two bankers on the subject. The conversations were similar, but came up with the same words of advice to the industry – communication, communication, communication. If that does not take priority, it is bad news!

Let me conclude this subject, which all began with Grierson Dunlop’s story about a father and son, and WW3, and hope that the next two cases are rare.

The first is an average farm with good land, well farmed, where father and son have fallen out completely. The parents are in their 60s, they sold the farm, bought a house in one village, and another for the son, some distance away – and he now drives a digger for a construction firm.

The second case had father and son not seeing eye to eye. And as happens in similar cases, the mother, as the peace-maker, takes the side of the son. But this case has taken an extreme turn, with a divorce taking place between the parents. A decision has still to take place about what is to happen to the farm!

Sadly, the outcome cannot be good and as I said, hopefully these are two rare happenings. But, in all the years this pen has been going, there has never been a subject that has caused so much discussion and comment.

It all comes down to sharing roles amicably before the eventual reversing of them, but neither can happen without communication.

Grierson’s story and my subsequent article created much discussion on this subject of generation change and I understand that this publication is to follow it up in the near future, which I hope will help to alleviate the stress.

Strangely, the weather never ceases to cause much discussion amongst farmers, so I am hoping I can bring good news, due to the recorded rainfall of the past winter – from October 1 to March 31 – which has been six inches more than the same period last year. This time last year I mentioned what might happen as the result of 2016/2017 being the driest for a long time.

Now I am not saying that because it has been a much wetter winter, that we may have a much drier summer – but I am hopeful, because it is amazing how it averages out over the year.

I am also optimistic for another reason. Historically, April has been the driest month over the past 30 years. As I put pen to paper on Monday, we have had 2.25 inches of rain and last year we only had 0.75 inches for the whole month. Let’s hope there is a re-balance coming!

Is it a late spring? In some parts of Scotland that answer will be 'yes', but if you go back to 1986 – which followed the 'bad' summer of 1985 – we had no cattle out until May 18, or the latest that I have ever recorded.

Only this morning, I passed two farms close to me with grass waving in the wind – but neither had any sheep grazing at any time. Both are fairly early farms that managed to apply slurry at least a month ago and to the north side of me dairy cows have been grazing for at least the last four days.

If we get better conditions for the next week or so, we should see many more cattle outside, which means that it is won't be the latest spring in this part of the world.

Maybe it is the late spring in some parts that is setting record seasonal grass lets. I hear of figures in excess of £400 per acre for young, well-fertilised grass around Forfar which I presume is 'boys land'.

As many farmers of my generation do, from time to time, we go for a drive to see how our fellow farmers’ farms are doing! Last Sunday, with another farming couple from 15 miles east of here, we found ourselves travelling for four hours (including a couple of food stops) round Fife, where we found some contrasting situations.

Near Crail, we saw some excellent crops of winter grain, then a little closer to St Andrews, grass from last year was being cut and round baled. It did not look pretty, but it was clearing the field!

During our trip, we only saw four tractors working – one spreading fertiliser, one ploughing, one grubbing an end-rig, and the fourth drilling grain, with thousands of acres still to plough and drill with some wet end-rigs needing to dry out.

The East Neuk of Fife and the surrounding district is certainly looking different this year compared to last. Having said that I am told that another favoured area part of Scotland – the Black Isle – is now well ahead with the spring work, having had at least 10 dry consecutive days with some drouth to dry up the land.

It is also good to see a sector getting a lift in returns, which is certainly happening to folks with sheep to sell. I looks as though the same thing is going to happen with spring lamb, not to mention cast ewes.

Most sheep people will tell you that it is much needed after two poor years, particularly for hoggs. Sadly, after hearing of many disaster stories from the lambing fields, it won't be a record for numbers!

It is 20-plus years since the demise of the milk boards and there has not been much good news for the sector since. Declining numbers has been the one constant, so what will the announcement of the Arran and Bute 'Creameries for sale' sign mean? I do not want to be all doom and gloom, but there is one thing of which I am certain and that is that it is going to be a tough road ahead.

In spite of its faults, the SMMB looked after all its producers equally, which meant that dairy farming was the engine room of Scottish agriculture. Prime Minister Thatcher brought that to an end and it has been downhill ever since.

The numbers have shrunk to a few hundred producers from thousands and that decline is not going to stop. Will these island producers be the next?

I do not know the age demographic in those areas, but that will be a major factor in the future of milk production there. This means some tough decisions will have to be taken soon.

I milked cows for 50 years and it is 12 years since we stopped. We, in a three-member partnership, have no regrets from making that decision. Those Kintyre and Arran producers have to ask themselves three questions and their age will have a big factor on the answers.

* Where are we now?

* Where do we want to be?

* How do we get there?

So, the best of luck with your decision-making.