Farm Diary October 1 2008

There is moisture in the ground and it is certainly warm enough, so we will keep going for a while longer. The biggest problem is that the growth that took place in the last two weeks before we sprayed is proving to be a nuisance, as there is too much of the old pasture in the way for the seed drill. We have had to top the fields, but there is more cut grass than we thought and that is now in the way. Cows are enjoying the sunshine and the good grazing conditions, although they are all fed at night in order to keep intakes up as I doubt the grass has much value having grown so fast in the wet conditions. We have not put on any fertilizer since June, and still we have plenty of grass on the farm. Quite incredible. We have cut another 200 acres of maize last week, and by the time you read this we should be about to bring in the bulk of the maize for the cows, leaving another 200 acres crop that was drilled in early May for another week or ten days. Yields at Ripley were exceptional, as the sandy ground has had a wonderful growing season with all the rain this summer. We will have to wait and see what the quality is like, but the pundits say that the lack of sunshine will not have mattered; I'm not so sure. Travelling up and down the country I see that the harvest is almost in, and cultivations are taking place as arable farmers catch up with the autumn workload. We all expect the wheat yield to have been a bumper one this year despite the difficulties of bringing it in and the drying costs. What price cereals next year and how many acres will be planted this autumn? Time will tell, but at current prices there will be little margin on arable crops going in the ground. It is incredible how much wheat prices and oil have come back, but is your bread any cheaper? Petrol and diesel prices at the pumps are still way higher than they should be, and fertilizer prices have not moved at all. Interesting how the prices of raw material is used as the main reason when prices go up, but a deafening silence when that raw material comes down again (which it always does). Looking at the dairy industry generally, there are some worrying signs on the horizon as farmers continue to cope with high input prices, huge investments needed in many areas in order to comply with new environmental regulations in the next two years; Bovine TB is now out of control in the countryside, with no calf exports as a result which has lowered calf income significantly. Forage quality this winter will be a problem for many as the weather has delayed silage cuts and therefore affected quality; this could lower production further as we head for the lowest milk production ever seen in this country, which will have huge implications on factory efficiency as they struggle to get enough milk to process. In the short term this will keep milk prices up, but if we begin to lose critical mass, then we are on the same slippery slope as the pig industry found itself a few years ago and look where they are now. The credit crunch has triggered a savage retail price war on the high street, and I predict that this will get a lot worse as we head for Christmas. I believe that the major retailers are gearing up for the biggest 'cut-price' Christmas ever, and this will have serious implications for all their suppliers. The banking crisis will affect farmer's ability to borrow money, and there will be some who wish to invest for the future, disappointed when they find that banking terms have changed significantly in the last few weeks. There is work to do in order to enable tenant farmers for example to continue to invest and grow their businesses. The lady in Cornwall, who appears to have contracted bovine TB from badgers, will hopefully focus this stupid government's attention on the disease and their total abdication of all responsibility to do something about it. The lady in question seems to have been infected through either a cut in the skin coming into contact with infected urine whilst gardening or through inhaled infection from badger urine or puss. Badgers are everywhere and their numbers are out of control, and if gardening and other activities, especially involving children at play are becoming hazardous; something should be done urgently. We have been telling this government for ten years that a wildlife management programme is needed; they may now have to think again and not be influenced unduly by a vociferous minority who like badgers rather more than they like people.