past and present

Driving along the A303 last night at dusk, exactly opposite Stonehenge, a combine was spotted still working slowly and purposefully through an un-harvested crop. The failing light combined with the moving car made clear identification of the crop rather difficult but it appeared to be spring barley. From other recent forays around parts of Britain and from conversations with farmers around the country it is clear there are still many acres of arable  crops out there uncut, and thousands of acres of land remains untilled.

The energy bills at Prosperous Farm continue to mount as the electric fans and calor gas heaters have been running non-stop for over three weeks now and still we have not dried the grains sufficiently to turn them off. The atmosphere all around the farm yards are a mix of the heady scents of warm grain with a thick layer of dust that reaches everywhere. The forecast is for strong winds this week, so that should clear the dust and air for a while. We have finally got used to the continuous noise; I can only imagine it is similar to living near the District and Circle line with a constant resonant rumbling.

Meanwhile the news this morning is that a Spanish bank has swallowed up my nest egg, and a lot of other people’s money too and the Government is to take on the bad debts. I shall have to give thought to whether this is what I want or whether I shall chose to move my carefully saved pennies somewhere else. I wonder how other savers are feeling this morning, or what the savers with the Abbey, and the Alliance and Leicester felt when the same thing happened to them in 1994 and earlier this year?

In the meantime I must get on with the chores.

“all good gifts…”

Jethro delivered several sacks of grains [beans, wheat, oats, barley, and oil seed rape] and several wool fleeces to the local Church this morning, and a box of garden vegetables. It is the harvest festival tomorrow and while many are giving thanks for “all good gifts around us” the ploughing and scattering continues relentlessly on at Prosperous Farm, and all around the country .

The local school children have their harvest service next week too and we do like to show the fruits of the soil to reinforce the link with the countryside. Historically, the harvest services are held at this time of the year however if it was possible to hold the service a month later would mean the service actually tied in better with the farming year.

Four tractors worked today, and the seed cleaner, preparing seed to be sown for next year’s crop. Currently, all hands are working flat out for a minimum of twelve hours every day. The land is gradually being worked down towards a suitable seed bed but it is an arduous process for both man and machines. Some fields are renowned as “plough eaters” the iron hard ground wearing and tearing at the plough shares at an alarming rate.

Watching the occasional news bulletins from the sidelines I get the feeling that the world’s financial markets are being eroded at an even faster pace. It is not comfortable to witness; instead of ploughshares wearing away it will undoubtedly be homes and jobs.

I, apparently along with 2.5 million others, have a small nest egg with the Bradford and Bingley Building Society. I have been torn, on one hand between instinctively wanting to withdraw it, and on the other hand knowing it is well below  the amount protected by the Bankers Guarantee. I just hope that we will not be the first savers to have to try to claim on this scheme.

Another  sign of the times.

 

beans or gold?

Money, money, money is the talk of the media. Even Samuel Pepys seems obsessed with money on today’s entry in 1663.

I was asked a question this week. Who is richer in times of financial crisis: the man with the gold bullion or the man with the tins of baked beans?

Taking Maslow’s hierarchical needs  food and shelter come first. Land is needed to grow food as is knowledge. Is knowledge power? What will happen to the UK land prices as house prices continue to slip? Will skilled agricultural knowledge [farming] become a respected profession once more?

I cannot answer these questions right now, but time will answer them for us. In the meantime I think more and more people will dig for themselves as opposed to digging for Britain. This will naturally increase individual knowledge about land and production even if just from small plots and window boxes.  

We have lost our two long rows of main crop potatoes to blight this year. The stinking oozing tubers are a total write off, and one cannot help but think of the plight of those affected by the potato famines in Ireland and Scotland. It is such a terrible waste of good food [and effort], but nature is unpredictable and can be the final determining factor of food production. We are fortunate however, our early crop, although planted late, seems to be least affected and we have plenty of other vegetables to see us through the winter.

twenty minute land

Combining is finally finished; hooray! However the difficulties this season’s weather has produced are far from over. The very best description for the current soil conditions here at Prosperous Farm that I have come across was on the British Farming Forum, where a member called essexpeasant  posted* that: “a herd of elephants in stilettos would not give me the seeds to soil contact I now desire ….”

 Itis the same here “ a herd of elephants in stilettos” or even a division of Challenger tanks would not work miracles on this hard, hard land.

Jethro describes the land here as a “twenty minute farm”, which means it goes from very wet to very hard in no time at all. There are endless discussions as to which machine to try next and which field to leave ’til last, and today we have four tractors working:  two ploughs, one cultivator and one set of discs working this hard ground down. There is a good 3 weeks flat out land work to try to get next year’s crop in the ground. The fields will now have to be worked over several times, the cost of which, even if he had the time, Jethro dares not even speculate.

 *[post number 50]

hairy chops

We fetched in a large group of heifers and one of the bulls from the field in to the yard this morning. The bull appeared to have a lump on one side of his face. Further investigation drew a complete blank. No apparent abscess or tooth trouble. This particular bull just has very hairy chops, so we turned them all out into the field again!

the price of llamas

I have found another brilliant read, this time about llamas, by Matthew Parris. What he writes about llamas can be applied to farm livestock and quite a few breeding stock sales, especially those sales specifically for traditional native breeds. Apparently prices are significantly down from last year. It is a strangely converse fact of farming that in some years when the prime stock [ready for the butcher] prices rise then the price of breeding stock prices fall.

This Farmers Guardian report on the recent Native breed sale held at Melton Mowbray Market  says many of the entries went home unsold. One farmer who attended the sale told Jethro that “the prices had fallen out of bed.”

Strange fact I learnt today while perusing the internet – it says it is possible to be married at Melton Mowbray Market, and then I found by looking at other websites you can do this at other markets too.  I wonder if is this just for the party afterwards or the whole ceremony? I think the former is fine [lots of car parking] however if it is the latter it all sounds far too much like the hiring fairs of my first lifetime and I advise prospective brides to look out for the falling of the auctioneers gavel, just in case.

 

 

 

almost in

It is great to be able to report that at long last we have had a completely rain free week, and in the last two days some welcome sunshine which has lifted our spirits somewhat.

By tonight the corn that has remained standing in the fields should finally all be in, and in the garden the onion crop has is lifted and is now drying outside in the sun.

Today, everyone is working on the land, ploughing, combining and carting corn and the animals are relaxing in the sun.

blue and silent tongues

Recently, there have been huge developments in the fight against Bluetongue (BT) disease. I have received a lot of information from far flung parts of the country and it takes time, on top of a busy life here at the farm, to finally put it on here in a coherent manner.

The first information came from Wales which became a Protected Zone (PZ) earlier this month, allowing vaccination to start and trade to be allowed with all other PZ’s.

However this is not as straightforward as it seems as Wales is a huge livestock area, comprising many small farms, with incomes to match. The vaccine is expensive and there is much conflicting advice as to how best to proceed.

Apart from imported livestock [where does it state clearly anywhere in the public domain if these tests were for antibodies or actual infection] no actual new case of BT has been reported in the UK this summer, and apparently DEFRA have not looked for any. It is also quite cold, and farmers generally find it hard to believe that BT infected midges will cause havoc especially in Wales and in the north this year. Farmers have or are just about to put their rams in with the ewes.  It is a generally recognised fact that vaccination will have to be repeated next spring.  So the question from Wales is why repeat it next Spring, why not give primary vaccination next Spring?

 

The second information came from Scotland who have announced a compulsory vaccination programme for all farm livestock to be completed between 1^st November this year and April next year. Additional details can be found in this article from The Herald.

 

This heartfelt message came by email:

“There are no clinical guidelines on vaccine use and rumour is rife: muddles with half heard stories and Europe’s experience last year, also there is the alleged cop out from the vaccine companies who want to guard themselves against being sued, and DEFRA who appear to not take any responsibility either.

The confusion is such: don’t vaccinate your rams now or they might be infertile, don’t vaccinate ewes from 2 weeks before serving until 2 weeks after- the rams remain in with the ewes for 9 weeks here [Wales], so Christmas will come before it is ’safe’. 

The rumours continue: the vaccine may cause foetal loss, may disturb cattle cycling, vaccination may reduce milk yield in lactating cows or goats and buyers of store lambs don’t want it as they are fearful of temperature affects on the meat.  Then there is the problem about fitting it in with other vaccines and medicines another raft of cautions given by the manufacturers excluding its use with any other medicine.”

Another famer asked if they should put off giving anti-liver fluke treatment for the vaccine but after such a wet summer missing a crucial dose against liver fluke would be a major mistake. Jethro once bought sheep from a fluke area [unknowingly] and they were very ill before we learnt what was wrong and treated them accordingly.

And another email came from a farmer with a strong background in human medical science:

“Really with farm animals that are about to get pregnant, are pregnant, are suckling young or fattening for the butcher the cautious advice from the drug companies means that hardly any can be safely vaccinated according to their guidance.  Of course the vaccine has been taken off the shelf as quickly as possible so perhaps some of the safety testing that might have been done on young or pregnant animals for example has not been completed yet.

There is no one for the vets to turn to for clinical guidance [unlike in human medicine], there are no consultants in veterinary infectious disease to ask for advice, so they must bow to the farmers who must pay for everything and withstand any financial loss. 

Even my own vet is going to wait and vaccinate his sheep flock next Spring.  Really, I have to agree that that is the most sensible and economic policy, however I have vaccinated my own livestock.

 Vaccination next Spring is really the most important vaccination time.  It would be most convenient when the animals are in and before lambing.  Somehow farmers must also learn they have to vaccinate the young next summer as well before there is a window for infection when maternally derived antibody has waned, in convenient batches.”

 

The livestock here at Prosperous Farm were vaccinated in May and June this year. We plan to vaccinate the cows and the ewes next March in what will become a routine annual vaccination. The calves and lambs will get some immunity from their dams, and will be individually vaccinated at around one month of age. The calves of course will receive a second booster dose 3 – 4 weeks after the first.

 It is a horrible situation for the whole industry. Conflicting advice, multiple rumours, lack of actual science and the sheer practicalities [and costs] of vaccinating millions of animals who reside for most of the year in the far flung hills and dales of Britain are truly formidable. Initial reports suggest that Cumbria and Northumberland will follow the Scottish plan but there is a meeting organised by the National Sheep Association to be held at Hexham on 30th September so it will be interesting to see if the consensus changes in October. 

 

There is one other important point to make and it will be a very contentious one. BT is a notifiable disease and by law must be reported to DEFRA immediately. However, even if farmers were able to identify that they had a suspected case of BT [clinical signs are not always obvious] in all honesty why would they actually bother to report it? There is no compensation, and it seems that there has been little routine testing by DEFRA out looking for this infection, or if they have been testing  it has been kept very quiet.

The consequences of reporting a potential case are all financial: movement restrictions, lack of trade, and potential longer term consequences especially if the farmer has pedigree livestock. I think that with human nature being as it is will mean that nothing will be said, except perhaps by a few.

 Nevertheless this worries me as I do firmly believe that the British farmer is generally honest, reliable, hardworking and cares deeply for his animals, it is the attitude of powers that be and lack of genuine concern for the industry that have let the farmers [and their animals] down and brought us sadly to this point.

 

Hansel and Gretel

It takes a while sometimes for us all to keep up to date with the news both national and international. Much to our chagrin no one will deliver a newspaper out here so much of our news reading is now done on-line and in busy times this gets either gets delayed or sometimes it simply does not happen. Life at Prosperous Farm can at times be like living in a bubble, and the outside world could almost be another planet and major things do happen of which we are blithely unaware until after the event.

 The harvest problems that Jethro is coping with, here at Prosperous Farm, are pale in comparison to some of the stories that are emerging,  for example in Friday’s Guardian newspaper.

We do still have oats and spring barley to combine, but we do now, after four fairer days, stand a chance of actually getting them in. The hours the combine can work are shorter now as the dank mornings take until at least midday to dry, and in the early evenings the heavy dew returns. The combine broke again last night but is now repaired and working once more.

The damp grain and beans already in the stores is drying but at a huge cost: currently 2,000 litres of calor gas is burnt every week and the three 40 horsepower electric fans are running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The total energy bills will be frightening to read, never mind actually pay, but there is no choice – dry the crop or lose the crop. We have also heard stories of poor quality crops approaching spoilage being sold quickly for little value.

Jethro’s current bedtime reading is called ‘Drying and Storing Combinable Crops’ by K A McLean, this book must surely be riding up the farming best sellers list by now.

The rest of the world has had a good harvest [unlike last year] and this affects the world market for grain. Crop prices have fallen dramatically and the two per cent loss of protein in the wheat variety Solstice, grown here for milling, has knocked the value down to feed wheat on account of the low protein levels, this equates to a drop in value of £50 per ton. The Hagberg level was good and Jethro is steadily getting the moisture levels down, day by day, but there is nothing to be done about the protein levels except arrange for further re-tests in due course to double check the findings.  Jethro hears on the grapevine too that he is not alone with this Solstice disappointment.

The tiredness and relentless workload continues to dog everyone and both yesterday and today Jethro has left a trail of wheat grains from the grain store via his socks and his pockets all around the farmhouse up the passage and into the bathroom. It reminded me of the tale of Hansel and Gretel only before the bread was actually made. Please don’t anyone tell the birds as I hate to confess I have a long standing abject terror of birds in the house.

lipstick

Prosperous Farm, as many blog readers know, is situated in rural England, not in the USA, and yet a lot of people, even locally, are now making jokes about aspects of the American Presidential candidates and their campaigns.

Take one of yesterday’s comments:

“Are you sure you are just looking after the pigs, or learning to put lipstick on the pigs?”

Even heard from this side of the Atlantic Jethro thinks some of the comments allegedly made by the prospective Republican Vice President are scary…. especially regarding foreign affairs.

In my first lifetime America was just a new world, and now four centuries on the effect this nation has had [and continues to have] on the rest of the world is almost beyond comprehension.

This is a close up photograph of one of the pigs; she is due to farrow [ give birth] in November.  Lipstick anyone?

Update 8.30pm. I have just discovered 2 Bluetongue facts: Firstly that Scotland is making the vaccinating of farm livestock compulsory from November 1st, please see this news release. Secondly, that more positive tests of Bluetongue serotype 8 have been found in imported cattle, this time in Wales.

With thanks to Warmwell for the links.

courage and ingenuity

Farming, as a career, has always required courage and ingenuity by those involved and I am not sure in recent times that this has always been recognised.  However, perhaps as the credit crunch bites a bit harder people will reflect a bit more on what they buy to eat and how it is produced. I hope this will develop into a new found respect for those that are coping with the double challenges of this awful weather and diseases such as Bluetongue and Bovine TB.

This long running spell of poor weather has also impacted considerably on the livestock industry as both hay for feed and straw for bedding are in very short supply, and the quality of the grass for grazing animals is also affected by the incessant wet and lack of sun. We have enough hay, straw and silage here but there are many farms, particularly those in the Upland areas including England, Wales and Scotland who do not. This will feel like a very long winter for all of us as we all feel we missed out on enough sun and it has been a hard struggle since July.

Nevertheless the days are so busy, and so long, that there is no time to dwell on the latest disaster as there is always another chore to do. This is what keeps Jethro and all the other farmers going.

On top of moving yet more grain around, and finally finishing harvesting the wheat this afternoon [at only 16 % moisture] the ewe flock were all sorted today into the ones to keep and the ones to sell.  A top up dose of fly repellent was administered before they went back to the fields.

Later this week they will be sorted again into: the few ‘fatties’ to go on a diet with less grass and tighter grazing; the normal ones just turned back out into the fields; and the ‘thinnies’ to get some extra feed. All will be given a dose of wormer too. These vital elements of good flock management enable the majority of the sheep to be in the right condition for mating [tupping] in 8 weeks time. [NB: We lamb later than many sheep farmers on purpose to reduce costs and get the most from the spring grass.]

No year is ever the same and in truth probably no day the same either. An email message has gone around from the National Farmers Union and the RABI asking for farmers to help others in their area with either combining or drying corn. In this area we have not had it anything like as bad as many other areas. Some of the pictures posted on this page show just how the weather has impacted on harvest 2008.

Right now I know everyone would welcome a chance to draw breath and to know for certain that the weather was about to stay dry long enough to progress the work. Crystal ball anyone? Nevertheless wishful thinking must be better than being downhearted.

blowfly bother

The warmer weather has led to a sudden increase in insect activity and a small outbreak of fly strike amongst the breeding sheep. A few blowflies have lain their eggs on the sheep which are now hatching into maggots and unless treated will cause great discomfort and distress. Earlier in the season a small dose of insecticide is applied externally to all the ewes’ backs which usually gives the sheep good protection for up to 16 weeks. At this time of the year, and after so much rain, this protection is clearly waning and it depends entirely on the weather as to whether we need to apply a second dose. Today, even though it is a Saturday, Jethro has applied a second dose on the younger breeding sheep, and this year’s ewe lambs only as they are grazing in an area with a lot of trees which naturally increases the fly population and therefore the potential problem.

The rest of the day has been taken up with all the men moving grain around to ease the grain drying nightmare. Tractors, trailers and loaders have worked flat out moving grain all day. This is the first of many such days. Unfortunately there is no a fancy drying system here.

The beans are now all in, but very damp. No harvesting was done in this area today at all as the whole district had so much rain yesterday.

uncharted territory

We are entering uncharted territory, the grain stores bulge with wet grain and damp beans. Beans were combined until 1.30 am this morning and we hope to get the rest of the bean crop today before the next band of forecasted rain due at tea-time today, everyone is exhausted.

The challenge of the Century is to now dry these crops without spoilage. We are not alone. This occurrence is being repeated all over the country by those who either have harvested, or are still trying to harvest sodden crops from sodden fields.

At Prosperous Farm the moisture varies from 18 to 25 percent, 15 percent is what is needed. Both labour and energy costs will be very high this year as huge efforts by both men and machines are concentrated on preventing spoilage in these gigantic heaps. However, we are the lucky ones as many farmers have written off their crops and unless conditions improve some farmers will not even be able to sow next year’s crops either. The newly purchased grain stirrer is currently creeping around the very deep pile of wheat and the fans are on full. More calor gas and more heaters have been ordered, and reading the electric meters beside the grain stores, in due course, will not be a job for the fainthearted.

food and farming in the news

Today food and farming is in the news.

Compulsory cooking in schools, and free recipe books for 11 year olds, BRILLIANT. Cooking, or domestic science as it used to be called should never have been abolished.

There is also in depth harvest coverage on the TV news, or rather the lack of harvest of on account of the weather and the fact that farmers now have until 4th October to go on their waterlogged fields with extra permission from the EU. However, the media, EU and DEFRA probably do not realise that actually farmers do still decide for themselves if they are able [will] go onto the fields or not, whether to try to save a crop or write it off…

Boris is speaking out for farmers, and writes once again with knowledge and passion. There is so much extensively livestock production in this country on land that cannot be ploughed. It is what makes our countryside famous; think of the moorland and the hills from one end of the country to the other [Dartmoor, Peak District, Lake District, Pennines, Highlands, Southdowns etc], there are so many beautiful areas which have been shaped and cared for by farmers grazing livestock. Boris is right: it is not the animals that are the problem, it is the people.

My suggestion is: keep eating meat, but ASK where and how it is produced. And if you are able please choose local and extensively reared meat whenever you can. These types of systems are utilising the land in the best way possible and should be supported.

importing disease again

The DEFRA site now reports that 18 cattle imported into County Durham have tested POSITIVE for BLUETONGUE.

This has been allowed to happen before vaccination has taken place throughout the area and immunity built up in the North Eastern livestock.

Is there no common sense anywhere? In the farmers who should know better than to jeopardize this nation’s livestock or DEFRA for allowing importation into an area that was only allowed to vaccinate 10 days ago? It takes time for immunity to build up and cattle need two doses 21 – 28 days apart before this immunity begins to build [depending which vaccine is used].

I still believe that we are an Island and special care should be taken over importation.

Surely there is no single farming business so financially reliant on importing stock from a BT ridden zones that it is worth the risks to the entire industry?

I have said it before, this is a bluetongue mess, and complacency must not win. We have to unite, to vaccinate and not import from disease ridden areas.

Everyone has collective responsibility from the stakeholders, DEFRA, and each individual livestock farmer. Our livestock depend on us making the right decisions to keep them healthy and this includes not taking unnecessary risks such as importing without thinking through the consequences of such acts and the relevant policies.

NB: Bluetongue only affects livestock and does not affect people.

Added 9.20pm 11 Sept 08

For important information regarding import testing please read this ProMed commentary. More information can also be found at Warmwell.

 

which higher power?

Grey and wet yesterday, and today we woke to a nondescript morning, is there any other type of weather?

 Nevertheless we do feel very lucky compared to many others in parts of the country especially the NE and the West. To date we have had 19 inches of rain already this year [average is 22 inches], and already in September we have had over 1.5 ins [40 mm] , and over 3 inches [80mm] in August.

This afternoon is much brighter and drier although the wheat still tests at a depressing 24% moisture, which would normally be too wet for Jethro to cope with. However he has come up with a cunning plan involving the hire of space heaters and all manner of inventions in order to try to keep moving forward and dry the grains. The combine is presently , as I update this, moving forward, and we just hope it doesn’t get stuck.

The ploughing has restarted over the last few days and has been going quite well; it is what to do next that is Jethro’s current problem. The beans are too soft to harvest and the ground is too wet. These clay soils are the very worst in these sort of damp ongoing conditions and the quandary is not knowing whether it will continue to be wet or might we get a dry spell, and if so for how long?

Despite modern 21^st Century agriculture having the most up to date equipment and technology when nature intervenes [or is it determined by a Higher Power?] there is nothing to be done except revert to old farming principles and make it up as best as you can as you go along. Just wait and see, there will be many fewer yellow fields next year as the oil seed rape cannot be easily sown this year.

It appears not just to be nature [or even a Higher Power] that is making decisions, farmers are ruled by the European Commission rules on almost everything. This article shows how very ludicrous it all is… allowing it is one thing but whether the wheels will be able to turn is another matter altogether.

Once upon a time farming was simpler, now I am not at all sure that the huge workload combined with the weather, the effort, and dealing with the POLITICS of it all makes it worthwhile. Perhaps I am just feeling my great age.

Later edit: 7.30pm The combine is now trying to open up a path through the bean field next to the wheat, as the wheat field is now too sticky to turn in.

Jethro says it will take 1 million BTU’s of heat to dry this wheat cut at 24% moisture…. what ever will the cost of that be?

tagged

Yesterday, Jethro double tagged the ewe lambs. Their first ear tag was put in at lambing time to uniquely identify them, and today we put in a second tag with the breed society requirements so that we can register these pedigree sheep. Any ewe lambs which lose their unique identity tag before the second tag goes in are sold as prime lamb for meat. With pedigree sheep we have to know exactly how every sheep is bred in order to ensure that in-breeding does not occur. We have full traceability and total transparency – the farm database records the full pedigree of every animal as well as all the activities, treatments and movements from birth to slaughter of all the cattle and sheep and we are looking at getting a similar package for the pigs, as their records are still paper based.

All the ewes will be sorted through too. Their teeth, udders, feet and general condition are thoroughly checked and any sheep not fit to be kept for breeding will be moved on to fresh grazing to be fattened up for slaughter later in the year.

The rams and ram lambs will also have a second thorough check, the first one was done in early August. The ram lambs are generally left to their second year before any final decisions are made as to their suitability as sires however we have marked a couple to go already. Unfortunately the biggest ram lamb born this year, with outstanding  body conformation has very wonky front legs that are not straight at all, it would be totally irresponsible to breed from him so he has a large red cross sprayed on his head and will be sold with the cull ewes when the time comes. Another couple of rams – one a shearling [born last year] is just not good enoughto use and another older one has very troublesome horns which leads to huge fly problems so both these will also be sold with the culls.

pasties anyone?

Our own very important food security at Prosperous Farm is being severely hampered by the poor conditions and inability to lift the onions. Last night’s supper was absolutely delicious – home-made Cornish pasties with everything in the traditional beef and vegetable pasties grown here except for the pastry flour.  Jethro says he likes a challenge and that [the flour] will be addressed soon, however on account of the wet conditions I am not sure that this is the year to try out milling. We will have to see what the wheat quality is like.

I will probably now be prosecuted for using the name Cornish pasty since we do not live in Cornwall, but I feel safe in the knowledge that as they were for our own consumption we can call them what we like and all the evidence has been eaten.  However a “Prosperous Pasty” doesn’t to my mind conjure up the same image of melt in the mouth pastry, succulent beef [that had been hung for 28 days] and tender juicy vegetables [straight from the garden], all seasoned with sea salt and ground black pepper [methinks Jethro could not supply the seasoning either, but he always was, and still is a resourceful lad] and served straight from the oven .

We do have progress to report in the bathroom lighting department however only as far as we now use a gas lamp! As you may now realise daily life at Prosperous Farm sometimes runs on a slightly different time zone compared to what the rest of the world is used to.

the forgotten slaughter

Why does DEFRA think it is perfectly acceptable for thousands and thousands of cattle to be slaughtered following a diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis?

This news story  from the Farmers Guardian makes shocking reading and needs shouting from the rooftops. And according to this report in Hansard, the predicted numbers of cattle to be slaughtered this year will be in excess of 40,000.

The disease is continuing to spread into new areas and another story clearly indicates that the veterinary profession believe that badgers are the main source of infection.

 

Do the bunny huggers hold such sway over the powers that be that infected badgers are worth more than all these cattle? Or does the public just not know about the thousands of cattle deaths?

The suffering of both the cattle, and the families who own these infected bovines cannot be underestimated and all need our sympathy and support.

Here are the latest figures.  Surely this indiscriminate slaughter cannot go on.

the naughty cow

 This is Ruby saying “hello”.

 She is Jethro’s pet heifer, due to calve in the New Year, and be milked for the house.

Ruby will do almost anything in return a scratch on the right part of her anatomy [just above her tail] and if she doesn’t get what she wants can be very naughty and give a little reminder with her horns. She follows Jethro around the field like a dog and they talk to each other every day.

that sinking feeling

We are totally waterlogged.

If sinking almost to the ankles, whilst pulling a few carrots for supper in the veggie garden last night, gives you a clear enough visual picture then you get the idea of the problems the industry is facing over the unfinished harvest and subsequent land work. Even MORE rain fell in the night and Jethro says that on the plus side at least the livestock are still growing [and the grass].

Apart from checking the livestock and feeding the pigs no one is working today, it is impossible to get any machine onto any land anywhere on the farm.

The effects of this weather are however beginning to filter into the mainstream, this opinion piece is quite informative, with a peppering of interesting historical anecdotes and quotes.

Since reading the article I have found Samuel Pepys’ entry in his diary , which particularly mentions the rain and poor harvest on Wednesday 8th July 1663. Further mentions, by Pepys, of the unseasonal weather can be found on the entries for the 11th, 19th, and 21st July 1663.

   

Boris’s economics

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, shows a deep understanding of both the country and the countryside in his latest blog entry. It is a brilliant read and should be thoroughly enjoyed by all those who applaud good writing.

I say no more.

rising testosterone

The rams are looking better, after a series of foot bathing [wet summers are bad for sheep's feet]  and a gradual increase in their daily feed ration of barley as we prepare them for the breeding season. As the days shorten their testosterone levels naturally increase and this leads to bouts of fighting amongst the group.

There are always one or two very dominant rams in a group, but one of the worst offenders in the group for fighting had to be put down after ripping his ear almost clean off in a fight. He was an old ram, and was going to be sold this year anyway but his cantankerous nature obviously hastened his end. Instead of a trip to the processing plant he was dealt with at home, which I am sure is probably preferable anyway.

Any new rams brought in to the flock during the next couple of months have to be kept completely separate otherwise serious injury or death can occur. As Jethro turns them out with the ewes late in the breeding season, in mid November, the daily fracas can become quite serious as the testosterone levels rise even further and their frustration mounts. However, as we lamb the flock outdoors we prefer to start the birthing season around the 10^th April as we hope to benefit from warmer weather and plenty of grass which reduces both the labour costs and inputs (feed).

We only mix the rams together again in January when they come back to a field close to home after a couple of months out with the ewes. At this point they are much quieter with no fight left in them, until Autumn comes again.

wet, wet, wet

Water pouring down the tramlines of the un-harvested fields.

Ploughing stopped.

Livestock huddle under the trees seeking shelter from the relentless rain.

A soaking wet Jethro comes in and finally deals with a lengthy waiting list of phone calls. His dripping clothes hang all around leaving large muddy puddles.

Welcome to September 2008.

lack of progress

It is cooler now and the wind already feels chill. Wherever our summer went to this year it did not come to Prosperous Farm. The Rayburn in the kitchen was lit this morning partly to ease the dampness in this old house and also to take off the chill.

 We have had yet more terrific downpours of heavy rain and hail and on Saturday the harvesting of this year’s crops came to a complete stop, once again, with no idea as to when we might be able to combine again. There is still one hundred acres of spring barley, sixty acres of oats, fifty acres of wheat, and one hundred acres of beans to get. The harvest report from the National Farmers Union shows a very mixed picture and makes an interesting read.

It is not all bad news however, the meat is selling well and we have two tractors with ploughs on the go trying to do something constructive with the heavy clay land. However any more rain and they will find the field conditions too challenging to continue. Last year this land was ploughed too [after THAT wet summer] and with fuel costs so high it is a disappointing occurrence, but it will be the only way to break it down for a suitable seed bed for replanting.

The potatoes in the veggie garden were been stripped of their greenery on Saturday to set the skins and hopefully prevent the spread of blight as Jethro thought he spotted minor symptoms on some of the plants last week. The carrots have grown enormously and at last we have runner beans. Three hundred onions are ready for easing away from their roots, and in due course lifting but I had hoped for some warmth or at least dry weather to help this process. I am just wondering how best to deal with them, do I lift them and put in the greenhouse for drying, or wait a bit longer?

the bluetongue mess

Yesterday, we vaccinated seven calves against Bluetongue (BT) disease. This is the eighth time since May that Jethro  has had to get the cattle in to vaccinate against this hideous disease. We were one of the first areas to be given the vaccine and owing to the fact that the cows calve steadily through the spring and summer months it has meant batching the calves and doing a few at a time, and then repeating 3 – 4 weeks later with the second booster dose on each calf. It is not an easy task, but one we take seriously and I wish that all the nation’s livestock keepers and policy makers were of the same mind.

The country is in a mess over the vaccinating programme, as devolved Scotland has decided so far not to vaccinate, despite the National Beef Association petition [please sign].

Wales and the north of England [ Cumbria and Northumberland ]are this month able to vaccinate and yet many individuals are dithering over whether to do so as they worry over potential trading difficulties with Scotland and other areas. However, in July, we were offered steers to buy from Lincolnshire and we turned them down as they were not vaccinated. The vendor was not bothered stating clearly that because others had vaccinated he did not need to. We have a lot of midges and whether there is BT around here or not*, we choose to vaccinate all our cattle and sheep, and we do not want to jeopardise our animals’ health and well-being by bringing in un-vaccinated ones. The new born calves get some immunity in the antibodies from the colostrum [first milk] until we are able to immunize them individually. [* DEFRA should do further testing across the country so we know if there is an underlying problem with BT infection or not. However the test must be able to discern the difference between either infection related antibodies or a stimulated response following vaccination. Clarification here]

Britain is a small country and to protect our livestock we need to be totally united, as we and all our livestock all reside TOGETHER on one island there should be one policy and devolution should be overruled.

talking a market down

Well.

Does anyone currently running (?) the country have any common sense at all?

The whole of the farming community knows that markets can be talked down.  However, according to the international exchange rates for Sterling just shown on the tv lunchtime news, the pound is down, and this fall is being attributed, by the on screen commentators, to the Chancellor’s weekend statement.

Further details as seen in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph can be read here. 

Obviously those in charge did not learn in their formative years the old adage: “ If in doubt, say nowt”!