At last, the ground is drying up, tractors are out and about preparing fields for spring crops and livestock are being turned out onto pastures which only days ago were sodden if not under water. It has been a long-wet winter which has hit farmers hard up and down the country with flooding, waterlogged fields, and perished crops.
Many livestock farmers have run out of silage, hay, and bedding. The cost of straw has skyrocketed as happens when there is a shortage - I never understand why. Only a few months ago you could buy straw at £60/ton, now in some area it is over £100/ton. It is the same stuff, it does the same job – someone is exploiting the market at a time when we should be helping our farmers, not bankrupting them.
The barns are empty, and the prospect of filling them in time for housing livestock next winter is looking increasingly unlikely as we survey our winter sown crops, much of which has already given up or looks decidedly sick. We will be having to buy straw at harvest for the first time ever.
Last week Plumpton College hosted a conference, sponsored by the CLA and Virgin Money. The chairman, Emily Norton whose background is farming, law, and political research, was exceptional, I would take her on to chair a meeting anytime, she was a breath of fresh air.
There were three excellent young speakers, Joe Stanley, Head of Sustainable Farming at the GWCT’s Allerton Project, a research farm in Leicestershire. Eleanor Gilbert who was named Countryfile Young Countryside Champion 2022, and Flavian Obiero who grew up in Kenya, came to the UK aged 15. He recently took on the lease of a county council farm where he rears pigs. He is also training to become a butcher and balances his studies for an MSc in livestock Health and Production at the University of London.
They were all inspiring and full of wisdom above their years, demonstrating enthusiasm for their chosen profession, optimism about the future of farming and food production and had a determination to draw new entrants into farming. Each regularly tour the country speaking at events such as this and going into schools to spread the word.
The fourth speaker was Lord Deben, formerly John Gummer who came to notoriety for trying to force feed his young daughter a beef burger in 1990 during the outbreak of BSE “mad cow disease”.
The first case was identified on a farm in Sussex in 1984; over 4.4 million cattle were slaughtered. The disease spread to humans, 178 people died through eating infected beef. British beef was banned from export in many countries.
Lord Deben, a former Secretary of State for the Environment, and later Agriculture in the 1990s, stood out as being a pessimist regarding anything British, and is clearly bitter and traumatised by Brexit. Fortunately, the other panellists carried the day and charmed the audience.
Many livestock farmers have run out of silage, hay, and bedding. The cost of straw has skyrocketed as happens when there is a shortage - I never understand why. Only a few months ago you could buy straw at £60/ton, now in some area it is over £100/ton. It is the same stuff, it does the same job – someone is exploiting the market at a time when we should be helping our farmers, not bankrupting them.
The barns are empty, and the prospect of filling them in time for housing livestock next winter is looking increasingly unlikely as we survey our winter sown crops, much of which has already given up or looks decidedly sick. We will be having to buy straw at harvest for the first time ever.
Last week Plumpton College hosted a conference, sponsored by the CLA and Virgin Money. The chairman, Emily Norton whose background is farming, law, and political research, was exceptional, I would take her on to chair a meeting anytime, she was a breath of fresh air.
There were three excellent young speakers, Joe Stanley, Head of Sustainable Farming at the GWCT’s Allerton Project, a research farm in Leicestershire. Eleanor Gilbert who was named Countryfile Young Countryside Champion 2022, and Flavian Obiero who grew up in Kenya, came to the UK aged 15. He recently took on the lease of a county council farm where he rears pigs. He is also training to become a butcher and balances his studies for an MSc in livestock Health and Production at the University of London.
They were all inspiring and full of wisdom above their years, demonstrating enthusiasm for their chosen profession, optimism about the future of farming and food production and had a determination to draw new entrants into farming. Each regularly tour the country speaking at events such as this and going into schools to spread the word.
The fourth speaker was Lord Deben, formerly John Gummer who came to notoriety for trying to force feed his young daughter a beef burger in 1990 during the outbreak of BSE “mad cow disease”.
The first case was identified on a farm in Sussex in 1984; over 4.4 million cattle were slaughtered. The disease spread to humans, 178 people died through eating infected beef. British beef was banned from export in many countries.
Lord Deben, a former Secretary of State for the Environment, and later Agriculture in the 1990s, stood out as being a pessimist regarding anything British, and is clearly bitter and traumatised by Brexit. Fortunately, the other panellists carried the day and charmed the audience.
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