We need to think before we sink!

The fields are absolutely sodden following weeks of rain, including the worst flooding we have ever seen in my lifetime in the Nith Valley on December 30.

These unprecedented events have been experienced time and again across the length and breadth of the country and, frankly, everyone is totally fed up with it.

Day to day tasks have become impossible to plan and the damage to fields, fences, property and livestock will be enormous.

The 'hidden' costs of this continuing deluge will be equally significant. Dealing with cattle slurry is nigh on impossible and the promised cold snap for this week has now disappeared from the weather forecast as well.

Melting snow and rain has turned fields back to swamps literally overnight. We haven't scanned ewes yet and I would be amazed if a significant number haven't reabsorbed with the stress of all this and goodness knows where we will be able to feed them in sodden fields when the time comes.

There are also many reports of widespread pneumonia in cattle as a result of the mild wet weather. Damp bedding and humid steamy sheds aren't really what we need with buildings full of stores and cows coming towards calving, but that's what we've experienced now for three months.

While the weather continues to depress, so does the state of commodity markets which seem to have no bottom at the moment.

Crude oil hit $27 a barrel this week with some analysts now predicting $20 a barrel - as global inventories reach record highs. Apparently, there is nine months' worth of oil currently in stock across the world which is unprecedented.

Agricultural commodities continue to follow suit with further price reductions for milk and pig products with seemingly no end to the pain in sight.

There also appears to be a concerted effort to force down the price of finished cattle at the moment.

I guess the changes to the payment grids for cattle by some processors is having a dual impact. The changes to the pay weights and penalties for fat and conformation are costing some finishers serious money with little or no warning to allow them time to adjust their finishing systems.

I'm astonished that none of the organisations that are supposed to represent our interests have got really animated about this as the financial consequences for finishers and store producers are enormous, but once again hardly a whimper.

If the losses on individual animals are not bad enough, many animals that would normally be destined for the spring and early summer market at over 420kg will almost certainly be getting killed early putting further pressure on prices as supplies of beef increase.

The impact of this may be reversed in the spring/early summer when supplies tighten so there could be a better chance for prices then. But, of course, Irish and Polish alternatives are never far away as we know only too well.

This co-ordinated cynical strategy by the processors is really a very clever way of ripping margin out of beef finishers' pockets. But it will inflict more long term damage on suckled calf producers, a sector which has been fragile at best for years, as finishers pass the financial pain down the line.

So how can we protect the Scottish beef sector from the worst ravages of commodity markets and commodity players, or is this just another fait accompli?

I have a couple of ideas that will no doubt be shot down in flames.

Firstly, it is us the producers that own the Scotch Beef brand, so why don't we do something radical with it, and make it a true luxury brand.

I recently noticed butchers complaining that QMS is encouraging and supporting retailers using Scotch Beef at seriously discounted prices, meaning butchers get squeezed out.

This has been a perennial problem which, of course, has been made much worse by the success of Aldi and Lidl and all the current problems of the big four or five supermarkets.

So how do other luxury brands do it? Car makers like Mercedes and BMW sell their brands through bespoke showrooms.

It is impossible to simply set up a dealership and start flogging these types of cars; the manufacturers just won't wear it. Getting a dealership means agreeing to high standards in the showroom, of after sales service and a whole range of other requirements.

It also means that the manufacturer sets minimum prices for selling these high end vehicles that other dealers can't undercut, protecting their margin. This model has ensured these high end car manufacturers have grown into some of the most successful manufacturing businesses on the planet.

So, why can't we do the same for beef and lamb? QMS owns the brand, so anyone that wants to stock the product has to agree to a minimum recommended retail price that QMS sets and monitor to ensure it is not abused.

That way, discounters can't undermine the brand identity by selling it for two fags and a balloon as a loss leader. It might also allow enough margin in the chain for producer, processor, retailer and butcher which just isn't the case currently.

The multiple retailers protect their margin by bullying their suppliers, while the producer and processor are left to fight for the scraps, meaning they seldom make money at the same time.

QMS could also control promotions at times of the year that help manage the balance of the sales of different cuts. That way, promotions that we currently indirectly fund anyway might actually work for us as well.

So, instead of telling us how many percentage of people recognise the Scotch Beef or Lamb logo, QMS could start actively managing the brand and its value to producers and processors.

Of course, I will be told that this would be deemed anti-competitive and challenged by the EU, but Mercedes, BMW and many other owners of luxury brands can do it, so why can't we?

I will also no doubt be told that it will kill the brand because we won't get enough volume of product using it. But from where I'm sitting, we are devaluing the brand and killing it anyway by allowing it to be used to effectively sell commodity products at discounted prices.

If the brand offers something special, and I believe it does, then protect it, enhance it and start charging a real premium for it which reflects the costs of all parts of the production chain.

If English, Irish or Polish beef is the preferred choice at discounted prices then fine. Not everyone buys Mercs or BMWs so not everyone will buy the Scotch brand, and if they don't want to or can't afford it that's fine as well. Keep it on the top shelf and forget about the rest.

My second suggestion would be to help manage market volatility in the beef sector which makes planning and budgeting almost impossible.

Arable farmers, for example, don't sell all their crops at harvest time. They manage risk (even in difficult markets) by hedging their sales across long periods - certainly months and in some cases years out.

This can be risky in itself and requires very careful controls, but it's something that happens every day around the world across most commodities, so why not for beef?

There are more 'paper trades' in the world every day than 'physical trades' so why doesn't QMS get in tow with a couple of major trading houses and try to create a product (or products) designed to address this?

There are also a lot of clever traders who now own land who understand farming and commodity trading who I'm sure could help them get this off the ground.

So, while we grow old waiting for Richard Lochhead to press the pay button and for the rain to stop, why not start thinking out of the box before we drown - literally!