AFTER LAST week's election of the extreme left-winger, Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party, I cannot miss the opportunity to predict that the Conservatives are going to have a free ride at Westminster for as long as he is the Opposition leader.

The majority of the UK population have moved away from supporting extreme left wing politicians, which means that he has absolutely no chance of ever entering No 10 Downing Street!

His appointment of a vegan as agri-spokesman for the opposition is almost a joke as her contribution in any meaningful way will be non-existent.

Her past record is as anti-farming as one could be, which means that Kerry McArthur's input to any constructive contribution will be of little, or no, consequence.

Now to some good news. The West of Scotland has had almost a month of acceptable weather in order to conserve fodder in every shape and form.

It might not be of the quality that many would have liked but it is either in a clamp or baled and will keep many cattle from going hungry this winter.

Harvest is another matter, although, as I travel the country, it is amazing how variable the work scene is on the same day.

One can see combines, balers, ploughs and one-pass seeders all working flat out to secure one crop and planting the next one.

The size and scale of the tackle working fields today, compared to say, 50 years ago, is just mind boggling.

Even my generation, who can remember that time, watch in wonder - so I can just imagine how amazed the previous generation would be if they could come back to see the changes .

That leads me onto the comment following my last article, on genetically modified technology with which Denise Walton, from Berwickshire, seemed to have some fun!

I share her views on labelling and transparency. But, let's remind readers that 10 years ago any mention of the use of GM had headlines of horror in every direction.

Today it is accepted by the majority of nations all over the world. In another 10 years time, it will be accepted as the norm in every country in the world and there will be no way organic farmers or anyone else can stop the progress of science and development of new products.

That is how the world has evolved. You may not like it or agree with it, but it will happen.

A conversation took place at the market the other day when a few of us (as someone pointed out, 'in our twilight years'!) were discussing why almost every product we farmers produce from the land in one form or another was on the floor, value wise.

We all came to the same conclusion that it was because we are all too good at our job.

Science technology genetics have, in many cases, doubled production in the space of our life-times and we all agreed it would continue, with maybe the reservation that it could not keep going at the same pace as the last 50 years, but who knows?

I am sure that increased production of all land based food will continue, whether it is by current genetic improvement or GM.

By the time you read my thoughts, the first of the big store cattle and sheep sales will have taken place, with the indications that values are holding surprisingly close to this time last year.

This has been unexpected by finishers of both lamb and beef because the margins that were left, from these animals that were purchased this time last year, were anything but exciting.

So, what is the cause of this faith that they will be any better this year?

It is certainly not currency, nor is it any vast profits being carried over. Feed costs might just be slightly easier.

All the statistics indicate that food consumption is down, yet no one seems to know why.

Is the population going on a diet? Watching the people walking down any High Street, would suggest that is simply not happening!

The customers that I supply keep telling me sales are sluggish.

The suckler cow guys I speak to tell me they are not making any money and, I know from my own experience, that finisher margins are tight.

The processor maintains he has no margin and the supermarkets are fighting each other like mad to try and increase their footfall.

Is the conclusion that all in the chain are surviving on small margins and is that the way it is going to be for the foreseeable future?

Some will say that nothing has changed. It has been like that all our lives.

Farming is a dedicated way of life but few are likely to make a fortune.

Many have already decided they cannot continue as farmers if the returns for what they produce does not take an upward move.

For example, the number of milk producers - down 30% in the last 20 years and still falling - a situation which could accelerate as we progress through this winter.

The same can be said about the suckler cow herds which are decreasing by 1% per year.

There is one thing for sure, the number of people farming will continue to decline and, if the margins do not see any sign of improvement, then that reduction will only accelerate.

I think the crucial decision time for many will be after the BPS payments are paid into bank accounts, hopefully in December.

There is no doubt that we are heading for less financial support from Brussels. Some would even predict it's demise!

This begs the question? How many of us could continue farming without these payments of support?

There would certainly be some dramatic changes if it were to happen in a similar way as it did in New Zealand back in the 1980s.

Maybe the lessons learnt from that change are being implemented in Europe, but at a much slower pace.

The reality could be that we will end up with no support but, unlike New Zealand, it will be over a longer time-scale.

If that is the plan - and I think it might be - then some very radical thinking needs to take place if we in Europe are to survive without support.

We will all need to ask ourselves many questions - the first being, do we want to continue as farmers and, if so, how?

I wonder just how many of us can continue farming without BPS?

My hunch is that production of what leaves our farms would drop significantly - it might even be dramatic!

One of two things would need to happen quickly - either our costs decline, or the value of what we produce would need to rise.

Both will be difficult to achieve quickly, which is why I think the start of that weaning away from relying on the use of support will come home to roost in January after we realise that there is only half of the support in the bank account compared to what we were receiving previously.

Another question that is on the minds of many of us is: what effect will the reduced support have on land values?

This past six months has seen more farms on the market than I can ever recall and, just in this publication alone, week after week there is a list of farms for sale.

I must admit, that I wonder how many are being sold, which is a statistic we are unlikely to find out!

So, between the reduced support and almost every product leaving farms at rock bottom, one wonders for how long land values can be sustained at previous levels, or is the reality they are edging downwards.

There is one thing for certain, returns from land at current reported values are totally unsustainable, particularly if the money has to be borrowed to finance the purchase. I suppose, it was ever thus!