As I read last week’s paper I couldn’t help admire the admission from Mr McGowan that he like others throughout the country succumbed to what he aptly described as a ‘blaze of optimism’ in early July when the mind was saying ‘Hay’ whilst in reality the call should have been ‘Hold’ in true Braveheart style.
There’s definitely a degree of comfort when you learn that someone else has made a similar judgment call which hasn’t perhaps gone quite to plan.
On reflection I’m not sure what I was thinking, I looked at the forecast didn’t think it could be as bad as suggested and phoned the contractor, who even asked ‘are you sure?’ when he was directed to the Pond field at Morangie next to the A9 heading north.
The names in the title and a week later the springs were in full flow below the grass and with torrential rain above it did resemble a pond. I thought I would play safe and spread the risk by cutting fields in different locations which has worked well in the past, that didn’t work either!
Anyway we have been out with the paddle rollers and stitched some grass/clover into the worst bits and before you know it the grass will be blowing in the wind again ready for tupping later on.
Making poorer quality silage or hay is something we have all done from time to time and one of the biggest challenges I find is managing the impact that this has on me and my wellbeing.
Silage and Hay in June (not normal) was what it should be, a full on process which was positive, energizing whilst securing valuable high quality feed for the winter, everyone was in good form and working together as a team.
Flip that in July and the opposite happened, it was draining, I worried about it, the team got fed up moving grass and when we did eventually bale and wrap it we had the added stress of removing it from the field and the damage it left behind.
Dealing with this type of challenge and the impact it has on me is something that Farmstrong and the people I meet through the program is certainly helping me with, I feel that I’m able to deal with challenges in a more pragmatic way and find myself referring to the advice and tips I pick up from other farmers on a regular basis.
In his recent visit to Scotland program director from NZ Gerard Vaughn shared his wisdom over a three week period, firstly meeting people at the Royal Highland Show and then touring around to get a feel for our country which will help him continue to support from afar when he returned home to New Zealand.
His impression of Scotland and its people was extremely complimentary and he has assured our steering group that as a nation we have all the ingredients to make the initiative really successful for our farmers and crofters.
Adverts will be out this week for staff members, keep an eye on the website www.farmstrongscotland.org for them and please share them when you see them, if you know anyone who would like to apply give them every encouragement.
As summer hopefully returns as we glide into August and with our own ‘Great from Grass’ production sale of tups and gimmers just round the corner our minds at Fearn are focused as they should be on what is one of our biggest days in our farming calendar.
It should be a cracking day out with something for everyone including those who just fancy a cold beer and stone fired lamb pizza, this really appeals to local arable farmers on a wet day who value the chance to catch up for a blether.
My slight concern with that approach to this time of year is that when we focus on something too much the eye maybe doesn’t see things going wrong elsewhere.
Juggling multiple enterprises is something we seem to handle reasonably well as farmers but when the heat invariably does come on its only a matter of time till one if not all of the balls land at our feet.
When you look around the wider industry it would be hard to argue the heat isn’t on at the moment there are so many factors out with our control influencing our markets and things can change in the blink of an eye, this has likely always been the case and its how we prepare for and deal with these challenges that defines us.
In simple terms our response to the turmoil of the outside world is to focus on the things we can control and this summer there have been two things high on our agenda.
1. We have worked hard improving infrastructure, mainly through fencing, water and handling facilities making growing grass and therefore stock more efficient. With more fields split on a semi-permanent basis than ever before we are beginning to reap the benefits, more grass of the right type grown for various stock classes and more made into hay (fingers crossed) and silage for winter consumption. New indoor handling facilities for both sheep and cattle have been a complete game changer for us, its something we should have done years ago, it’s made handling stock so much easier.
2. With Lucy from Foundry Vets and NZ based consultant Trevor Cook we have developed a worm management plan which the whole team have bought into, making sure we have a good handle on the worms we have and the most effective way there is to manage them. This hasn’t been straight forward as we face different challenges on different farms and need to think through the implications for each unit.
Looking ahead and with new team members arriving in September we have a chance to refresh our goals and objectives as a business.
One of the good things about having a young team which rotate on a regular basis is that every time someone new starts we can have a look at where we are and what we need to tweak and change.
They also bring fresh ideas and plenty of energy a commodity which is always welcome!
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