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Published by Agriconnect
Make time to improve your work-life balance
STRIKING a healthy work-life balance is a challenge, particularly for those involved in the farming industry, with home life and work life inevitably entwined together.
But we know the sector is facing a mental health crisis, as well as major hurdles in attracting the next generation to work in the sector.
Getting away from the farm is easier said than done, as many of Farmers Guardian’s In Your Field writers have alluded to when they do manage to get time away.
But as the RSABI survey on p9 shows, farmers do not need to hear from me about the benefits on physical and mental health, as well as relationships, taking more time away from the farm would bring.
Worries about no one else being able to manage the farm, the requirements of keeping livestock and the long hours many farmers work, mean a long holiday can seem like a big ask.
Farmers too often feel they need to be working 24 hours a day, seven days a week while civil servants and others are once again looking at four day weeks, with the Government considering making it easier for workers to request compressed hours.
And challenges of profitability for farms with high costs of production can also make it difficult to be able to justify spending money on a holiday.
Despite high prices at marts and increasing
milk prices, farmers are not seeing the profits they need, alongside huge uncertainty on the future farming landscape, regulations and subsidies.
While getting away for more than seven days at a time might be a hurdle too high for many farms, taking short breaks, perhaps a staycation at a diversified farm or somewhere completely different, or even a trip out to the local auction mart for breakfast, can make so much difference.
And we repeatedly hear from young people that the lack of work-life balance is one of the factors putting them off roles in the sector.
Gen Z and millennials are looking for roles which prioritise personal well-being, as well as their professional goals, but many of those who have grown up on farm have watched their parents feel unable to take a break.
If we want to attract the next generation of farmers, this is an area which the industry needs to be able to show how it is possible to take up a fulfilling career in agriculture, as well as being able to take that time for ourselves.
So, take a short break to read FG with a cup of tea and a biscuit in hand and maybe have a think about booking that trip away.
Speaking up for farming since 1844
‘We
Lib Dems aim to be the party for farmers
l ‘Sacking’ of Baroness Kate Rock condemned As
THE Liberal Democrat Party is the ‘party for farmers’ and should be the true political home for rural voters, according to a leading MP.
Speaking at the NFU Reception on the third day of the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference in Brighton, rural affairs spokesperson Tim Farron said he ‘could not put into words’ just how much farming was ‘valued’ by the Liberal Democrats.
He said: “Farmers need a party which is on their side – we will be the party of the countryside. Never mind the blue wall or the red wall, what about the dry stone wall? The Lib Dems are back, and back as a force in rural Britain.”
Mr Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said the party had campaigned for a further £1 billion to be added to the farming budget and
Farmers need a party which is on their side – we will be the party of the countryside. Never mind the blue wall or red wall, what about the dry stone wall?
TIM FARRON
would fight hard to prevent the recently revealed £358 million Conservative underspend from being lost. He also condemned the ‘sacking’
of Baroness Kate Rock and said the Government’s treatment of the author of the tenant farming review was ‘downright shocking’.
“Environmental Land Management schemes are working for the big landlords but not for everyone. Tenant farmers are the proletariat of the countryside and Labour would do well to remember that,” he said.
The event was hosted by NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos, who thanked party leader Sir Ed Davey and Mr Farron for being that ‘constant, eloquent voice for farming’. Ms Hallos also used her speech to point out that, on a day which had been dominated by climate and the environment, it should be remembered that farmers were very much a part of the solution, working alongside environmental groups.
“So please do not ever class this as binary – as food or environment – [because] we can do the two together,” she said.
PARTY CALLS FOR CREATION OF THREE NEW NATIONAL PARKS
THE Liberal Democrat Party has called for £50 million to be spent yearly on the creation of three new National Parks, which would support tenant farmers, boost rural communities, and restore and protect the natural environment.
Introducing the motion at the party’s
Autumn Conference in Brighton, rural affairs spokesperson Tim Farron said the aim was to ‘recommit to nature and to reimagine our National Parks’, adding it was time to increase the number and scope of ‘these places of astonishing beauty’ for those whose homes and livelihoods were under threat.
Mr Farron blamed previous Governments for the neglect of these areas, which he said were in danger of becoming mere ‘luxurious boltholes of the wealthy’.
He added the country ‘must not tolerate’ the ‘21st-century Lakeland clearances’.
Farming pesticide standards undermined by post-Brexit deals
POST-BREXIT trade deals and ongoing border control issues could see the UK flooded with food produced using illegal pesticides, a campaigner has warned.
Josie Cohen, head of policy and campaigns at Pesticide Action Network (PAN), told delegates attending a fringe meeting on pesticides that any potential Free Trade Agreement with the United States, as well as those already signed with countries such as
Australia and the nations involved in the The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), could lead to ‘extremely concerning’ levels of banned pesticides entering the food chain.
She also said the agreements risked ‘undermining years’ of work undertaken by the farming sector, with UK pesticide standards ‘far from perfect’ but some of the best in the world.
According to PAN, of the total 119 pesticides banned in the UK but permitted in CPTPP countries, 67 (56%) are described by the United Nations and the World Health Organisation as ‘Highly Hazardous Pesticides’.
The only hope, according to Ms Cohen, was that Defra Secretary Steve Reed would stand by Labour manifesto promises that trade deals would not lead to a dip in standards.
FARMERS URGED TO
FORMER paramedic Andrew Gibson has set out on a 500-mile tractor road trip to encourage rural communities to ‘harvest’ their prostate health, as farmers were less likely to engage in preventative measures such as cancer screenings. Mr Gibson, from Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol, was diagnosed after collapsing when refereeing an amateur rugby match in 2020. He set off on Tuesday (September 17) on a trip by tractor to and from Hoghton Tower, near his former ambulance station in Lancashire, to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.
New Efra chair ‘first in queue’ to point out where Government is going wrong
FOOD security, agricultural support budgets and biosecurity will be top of the agenda once the next Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee is in place, according to its new chair Alistair Carmichael.
Mr Carmichael, the MP for Orkney and Shetland, said that alongside the fight to contain bluetongue there was also a ‘massive piece of work’ to be done to protect Defra’s budget and ‘claw back’ any underspend.
He added: “The budget is too small already – we know that. Sharing out another £100 million here and there to other departments would be a major hindrance to what we want to achieve and what the Government says it wants to achieve.”
Mr Carmichael said he hoped the Efra Committee would be in place
within weeks of Parliament reconvening and would attract a wide range of MPs who shared a common interest in farming, food and the environment.
He said: “This is a massive policy area. I believe the more ownership the committee member has on an issue, the more productive the committee will be. I know what I want to do and am eager to get started.”
Mr Carmichael was proud of his farming heritage, after being brought up on a hill farm on Islay.
He said: “I have a farm, I am the son of the farmer, but I would never call myself a farmer. I have always been told you are not a farmer until you can reverse a tractor with a trailer on it, and I will never be able to do that.”
He added that his friends and neighbours, as well as many of his
constituents, were farmers, and his wife was a vet.
Mr Carmichael, who was Secretary of State for Scotland under David Cameron’s Coalition Government, has spoken out in Parliament on issues such as the supply chain, dairy sector contracts and abattoir closures.
Uncertainty
“There is a massive amount of uncertainty, especially among young people,” he said, adding farmers aged around 30 had spoken to him and asked whether the industry ‘really’ had a future.
“I think it has. But it just needs the political will to let it thrive,” he added.
Mr Carmichael said the protests by farmers and crofters in Scotland at the start of the year against changes imposed by the Cairngorms National
Park showed the depth of concern in the sector.
He said: “These are not people who are instinctive political activists. If you are pushing hill farmers and crofters onto the streets to protest, then you have got to know that something has gone wrong.”
Mr Carmichael added that the Efra Committee would not be afraid to challenge the Government.
“I am not there to make any Government look good. I am not there to deliberately make them look bad either, because that way the work of your committee becomes factionalised and diminished.
“But if Government is not doing what it should be doing, then I will absolutely be first in the queue to point that out,” he said.
l Challenges from restriction zones
By Chris Brayford
A SUFFOLK farmer has called on the Government to provide financial support for businesses dealing with the impacts of bluetongue restrictions.
Stephen Cobbald, a sheep farmer from Sudbury, has claimed he could lose upwards of £50,000 this year due to the challenge of operating a business in a restriction zone which restricts the movement of livestock from areas including Essex, Greater London East, Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Despite having zero confirmed cases on his farm, Mr Cobbald said he has been unable to attend markets outside of the restriction zones to sell his pedigree Suffolk flock, which had caused him a great deal of worry.
Cases
The call comes as UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss set out further measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, following 70 confirmed cases of infection on more than 60 farms in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Kent, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
A restricted zone in Kent has been extended to cover the entire county as well as East Sussex.
Financial and mental toll from bluetongue
Meanwhile an extended restricted zone is now in force in the East Riding of Yorkshire and parts of Lincolnshire – both of which have been designated high-risk counties.
National Sheep Association chief executive Phil Stocker said the current situation had caused ‘concern and uncertainty’ among
New bTB board will have ‘influence’ vows Minister
THE Welsh Government has revealed the members of its new Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board ahead of its first meeting in December.
The board is the latest development in the Welsh Government’s ‘shared goal’ of achieving a bTB-free Wales and follows the formation of the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group in April.
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said he believed the new board will have ‘significant influence’ on shaping the country’s future TB policy.
Advice
“This is why we have set them up so they can work with the advice that is coming up from the TB Advisory Group and ask, ‘What are we achieving? Where are we seeing success? Where do we need to do more?’” he said.
“But [it will] also seek that input from farming communities as well, to help the TB Advisory Group under-
stand what is going on on the ground in Wales.”
The programme will be chaired by livestock farmer and member of the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group, Sharon Hammond.
Other members include farmers Gemma Haines, Roger Lewis and Evan Roberts, alongside Alan Gardner, an elected director of Farmers’ Union of Wales and Professor Glyn Hewinson, chair of the TB Technical Advisory Group, who will provide a link between both groups.
There will also be representatives from the veterinary profession – Sian Evans and Philip Thomas, plus three ex-officio members: the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, the Head of Welsh Government Bovine TB Policy and a representative from the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
The Programme Board will meet quarterly and provide strategic advice to the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales and Welsh Ministers, strengthened by advice from the Technical Advisory Group.
farmers in restricted zones.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said Defra’s emergency authorisation of three vaccines had shown the ‘speed’ of the Government’s response to the situation, but said it was difficult for businesses in zones due to the situation moving ‘quickly’.
Now facing the realities of farming in a restricted zone, Mr Cobbald said he was concerned about the effectiveness of restriction zones and a claimed lack of support for farmers dealing with the virus.
“It is appalling that farmers have been hung out to dry by the Government to fight this awful disease,” he said.
“Farmers feel like they are at breaking point with their businesses and health taking a huge hit from the restrictions, which I do not feel have been effective at all.
“Farmers feel like they are being broken down physically and mentally because if we cannot sell our stock now, no one will want them in the future.
“It is a truly worrying time for farmers.”
Graham Miles, an agricultural chaplain for Suffolk, said rising cases of the airborne virus in England has placed a heavy burden on the mental health and well-being of those working in areas impacted by the disease which had reduced him to tears.
Chris Packham under fire for AHDB campaign criticism
WILDLIFE campaigner Chris Packham has been criticised for telling young people to ditch milk to ‘improve’ their health for plant-based alternative milk.
The conservationist has criticised AHDB’s ‘Milk Every Moment’ campaign, in collaboration with the British Universities and Colleges Sport, designed to promote the benefits of milk to young students involved in sport.
Mr Packham claimed the ‘biggest benefit’ to young students was to ditch dairy and reduce carbon emissions after citing an article from market research company Our World in Data on
the environmental impacts of dairy versus plant-based milk. However, AHDB’s cereals chair Tom Clarke quashed the claims and instead promoted the benefits of British produced milk and cheese as one of the most ‘efficient and green’ sectors in the world.
Sheep farmer Thomas Lloyd, from Brecon, said he believed talking about emissions without sequestration was ‘pointless’ in counter to the Springwatch presenter’s claims.
AHDB said it would be happy to explain the benefits of dairy to Mr Packham as part of a healthy and balanced diet if he was willing to have a conversation with the levy board.
Farmers in the South East are facing severe difficulties due to being in bluetongue restriction zones.
● Energy Secretary to provide ‘speedy’ consent
By Chris Brayford
ENERGY and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has vowed to take on ‘nimbyism’ in plans which could see solar energy infrastructure ‘accelerated’ across the UK.
Addressing the Energy UK Conference in London on Tuesday (September 18), Mr Miliband said providing ‘speedy’ consent to projects including wind turbines, solar farms and wind pylons could help break the UK’s reliance on fossil fuel energy in a bid for the country to ‘reduce bills, increase the UK’s energy independence and create new jobs’.
He added: “Dependence on fossil fuels leaves us deeply vulnerable as a country.
“My message is we will take on the blockers, the delayers, the obstructionists, because the clean energy sprint is the economic justice, energy security and national security fight of our time.”
Secured
Labour said it has secured 131 new clean energy projects since the party came to power on July 4, with 115 of those solar and onshore wind projects across the UK.
However, Mid Buckinghamshire MP Greg Smith said solar infrastructure had ‘no place’ on agricultural land and was concerned of its potential in ‘devastating and devaluing’ food security.
‘The clean energy sprint is the economic justice, energy security and national security fight of our time’, said Ed Miliband (inset).
DEFRA has announced the creation of a new taskforce to ‘bolster’ the UK’s resilience to extreme weather and flooding.
The Government said the Flood Resilience Taskforce was formed on September 12 to ‘turbocharge’ flood defences following record levels of rainfall over the past 24 months in the UK.
According to figures from the Met Office, the UK experienced 1,695.9mm of rainfall between October 2022 and March 2024, following extreme weather from storms Babet and Ciaran.
Defra said the current Met Office outlook suggested autumn could likely be ‘wetter’ than usual, with 5.5 million properties in England declared ‘at risk’ from flooding.
The Government has confirmed Floods Secretary Emma Hardy will chair the group, comprised of bodies including Defra, the Environment
Yorkshire tenant farmer Emma Sturdy, who farms 113 hectares of arable land at Eden Farm alongside her husband Rob in Old Malton, said the realities of solar infrastructure had been a ‘nightmare’ for the future of her family.
Having campaigned to stop farmland from being taken over for solar infrastructure, the ‘Save Old Malton Countryside’ campaigning farmer said: “We face a takeover on our land
First meeting of Flood Resilience Taskforce
Agency, the NFU and emergency responders, to discuss how to speed up and co-ordinate future flooding preparation and resilience in the future.
Confidence
NFU president Tom Bradshaw has said farmers’ confidence has ‘collapsed’ over the past 18 months, with challenges of navigating ‘unprecedented’ weather patterns having left ‘thousands of acres’ of farmland under water.
Defra Secretary Steve Reed said flooding has devastated communities and businesses across the country, and added the Government was acting with ‘speed’ to improve flood defences.
The Government confirmed the next meeting of the taskforce will take place in early 2025 to discuss ‘longer term oversight’ of wider flood resilience strategy and investment, as well as any rapid learning on the response to major flooding.
for a solar development and it has been truly devastating.
“As we approach four years of what we can only describe as hell, our hearts have been broken after being pushed from pillar to post about whether we can still keep farming.
“Our family has been farming for 70 years on this land, and to have that privilege of running a profitable business taken away would destroy us.
“That is why we must do all we can
News round-up
LAMBS SLAUGHTERED FOR MEAT BY THIEVES
■ THREE lambs have reportedly been slaughtered and processed for meat in-field after remains were found close to the farm.
Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team said the lambs were allegedly killed on-farm sometime between August 31 and September 1 near Sturminster Newton and Fiddleford.
The carcases of the animals were then taken away from the field.
Officers said the farmer was alerted to the incident when they found some of the remains nearby and highlighted the animal cruelty as well as the financial impact on farmers.
FIRE AT BRITISH SUGAR
■ SUFFOLK Fire and Rescue Service was called to British Sugar’s factory in Bury St Edmunds after around 1.5 tonnes of sugar pulp on a conveyor unit caught fire.
Ed Miliband vows to take on solar ‘nimbys’
to protect farmland from solar infrastructure takeovers.”
The Government said its ‘ambitious’ plans would still only impact less than 1% of agricultural land, adding its potential benefits to the public and energy security.
A spokesperson added: “Our plans to boost solar power do not risk the UK’s food security. The total area of agricultural land used for solar is very small and is often the lowest grade quality for food production.”
The fire service said access was difficult and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus worked to extinguish the flames, with the assistance of staff from British Sugar.
There were eight fire engines in attendance, plus a turntable ladder and the command support vehicle.
The incident was brought under control at around 2.30am and attendance was reduced to two pumps, which monitored the scene.
A British Sugar spokesperson confirmed the fire service had attended and were on-site for three hours.
“All site protocol was followed and nobody on-site was harmed.
“The area in question has been assessed and since reopened. Sugar production will not be affected as we start the 2024/ 25 campaign,” the spokesperson added.
Worry over farm stopping farmers from taking a break
● Only 37% took a seven-night respite
By Chris Brayford
A SCOTTISH agricultural charity has stressed the importance of taking a break away from farm, with a survey revealing that very few farmers manage to do so due to demanding workloads and stress.
RSABI had launched a survey at the Fife Show and promoted it at the Royal
Highland Show earlier this year. It was aimed at encouraging farmers and others working in the industry to prioritise time away from their demanding workloads.
More than 280 respondents completed the survey, which highlighted a number of challenges farmers face in taking breaks off farm.
Nearly 50% of participants said they took just two to five nights away from the farm during the entire calendar year.
Around 41% of those who completed the survey cited worrying about the
farm as a major barrier to taking an overnight break. And less than half felt confident that someone else could manage the farm in their absence.
However, almost 93% said taking a break could improve their well-being and productivity, while just 37% of participants managed to take a break for seven nights or more.
Pressures
RSABI said the findings had emphasised the pressures on those working in the agricultural sector and the crucial need for time off to maintain well-being and physical health.
A spokesperson for RABI said it welcomed the research: “In
A DAWN TO DUSK DOER
concurrence with their findings, our Big Farming Survey showed that almost one in three farmers [29%] across the UK hardly ever or never left the farm for leisure purposes.” They also said the survey found that the less often farmers took a break or holiday, the more likely they were to have poorer well-being and higher anxiety levels.
“It is encouraging to see through RSABI’s survey that more farmers are recognising the positive benefits of taking a break, and it is important for the community to know that there is emotional well-being support available for them wherever they farm in the UK,” added the spokesperson.
A recent survey highlights the challenges farming families face when prioritising time for themselves.
‘Pathway’ for sustainable, profitable farm future unveiled
● Farmers want to do the ‘right thing’
By Jane Thynne
FARMERS are keen to do the right thing on sustainability, but must have greater access to information if they are to balance food production, nature and profitability.
That was the message from Soil Association chief executive Joseph Grindley, as two reports setting out guidelines for a profitable, sustainable future farming sector were unveiled this week.
The reports have been launched under a joint initiative between the Soil Association and Lloyds Banking Group and provide a ‘clear roadmap’ for improving soil health, reducing carbon emissions and supporting biodiversity, while enabling farmers to achieve long-term business goals.
The first report reveals the results of the Soil Association Exchange programme which saw 685 farms take part in what has been described as a ‘first-of-its-kind assessment’ to establish a baseline from which farmers can enhance the natural environment while building resilience into their
Ember Energy
GRANT APPLICATION
reports provide a ‘clear roadmap’ for reducing
farming systems. The Lloyds study offers what it calls a ‘blueprint’ to unlock productivity and profitability.
Mr Grindley said the aim now was to get this new quantifiable data out into the wider sphere, targeting not just Defra but also the supply chain.
“We want to put out into the world just how the environment and agriculture go hand in hand. The Environmental Land Management [ELM] schemes have been great at getting farmers to try different practices, but it has been hard for them to see the outcome or the benefit,” he said.
“We are big believers that a farmer will always choose to do the right thing on their farm, but they often do not have the information they need to really balance food production with climate and nature.
“This report has taken a deeper dive into those practices and a closer look at what has been achieved by those
taking up ELM or Sustainable Farming Incentive actions.”
Come together
Lee Reeves, UK head of agriculture at Lloyds Bank, said both the Government and the wider supply chain needed to come together to help farmers secure a viable future.
“Sustainable farming is not just about reducing environmental impact – it is about securing the future of the entire UK farming and food supply chain,” Mr Reeves said.
“Farmers need consistent support, reliable data and financial incentives to make this transition successful.”
Mr Reeves added the reports set out a ‘clear, data-driven pathway’ towards sustainable farming and a ‘blueprint for environmental measurement’ that would give farmers the confidence to thrive long term, both economically and environmentally.
Notts council latest to go vegan
LABOUR-run Nottingham City Council has announced it will only serve plant-based food and drink at internal meetings from the end of September.
Councillor Sam Lux, the local authority’s executive member for carbon reduction, leisure and culture, told a full council meeting that non-vegan food and drink would be banned because of ‘the high-carbon impact of meat and dairy products’.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external policy for the Countryside Alliance, criticised the move as ‘absolutely the wrong approach’.
He called on the council to source produce from local farmers and urged the wider Labour Party and
Government to distance itself from the move.
A council spokesperson said it was committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2028.
“We are looking to offer dairy- and meat-free for drinks and refreshments, however we will take into account the customers’ dietary needs and requests,” it said.
“There are only a small number of meetings where refreshments are needed and this will not affect the Loxley House cafe used by staff and the public, but we will be promoting the benefits of plant-based milk in drinks to try and reduce the overall carbon impact.”
Just days left to register birds
ALL birdkeepers in England and Wales have until October 1 to sign up to the Government’s new compulsory register.
The new measures have been designed to better protect the poultry sector from future avian influenza outbreaks, as well as other diseases.
All English and Welsh birdkeepers must register – regardless of the size of their flock – with the Animal and Plant Health Agency. In Scotland, birdkeepers have until December 1 to register their details with the Scottish Government.
New
carbon emissions and supporting biodiversity.
PICTURE: JOHN EVESON
Veterinary failures costing UK meat industry millions
● EU deal ‘urgently needed’ warns AIMS
By Alex Black
GOVERNMENT has been urged to negotiate a veterinary agreement with the European Union as an urgent priority, as the industry warns veterinary failures are costing the meat industry millions.
The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS), said the failure of consistency in veterinary controls and the inaccuracy of certification processes post-Brexit have left UK businesses at risk of economic loss, waste and an increasingly unmanageable burden of bureaucracy.
It said since Brexit, the UK’s Border Control Posts (BCPs) have shown wide variability in how veterinary controls are applied, with individual veterinary decisions creating inconsistent outcomes.
AIMS said this has exposed importers to unnecessary risks, with different standards being enforced across BCPs.
Jason Aldiss, head of external af-
fairs at AIMS, said the situation was untenable.
“We are seeing a complete failure in the consistency of veterinary controls, which is compounded by the inaccuracy of the manual, outdated export certification system.
“Errors in veterinary certification
UK secures declaration to promote sustainable farming and food security
THE UK has helped to secure a declaration to support sustainable agriculture and promote food security at a meeting of G20 Agriculture Ministers in Brazil.
Signing the G20 Agricultural Declaration, the Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner affirmed the Government’s commitment to sustainable agri-food systems.
The Brazilian Presidency-led negotiations which positioned agriculture at the ‘forefront’ of addressing key challenges of fighting poverty, ending hunger and improving nutrition, while confronting the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Speaking at the G20 Agriculture Ministers meeting in Cuiaba, Brazil, Mr Zeichner called on countries to ‘deepen’ international collaboration, including through trade, to create sustainable agri-food systems.
Reflecting on the event afterwards in an exclusive online blog for Farmers Guardian, Mr Zeichner said the prior-
ities of this Government was to ‘safeguard food security, promote sustainable agriculture’ and to support farmers to ‘put food on our tables while playing their part in tackling the joint nature and climate crises’.
Mr Zeichner said: “The policy of this Government is to support and celebrate your work; to tell the brilliant story of British farming overseas; and seek trade deals which open up opportunities for you, rather than selling you down the river.”
Exclusive blog
READ the Farming Minister’s exclusive blog on the FG website.
are causing substantial losses for the industry, and, without immediate action, these inefficiencies will continue to destabilise the meat sector.
Additional paperwork
“Furthermore, the additional paperwork and compliance costs for each lorry carrying an export load can be up to £1,500 while UK importers are being charged up to £870 per truck in customs fees, even when only 2% of consignments are inspected.”
He added this cost was ‘no doubt’ passed on to industry and ultimately the consumer.
“Inaccurate veterinary certification is another ongoing issue, with the
manual, antiquated system in place for export health certificates also prone to human error,” he said, adding AIMS was regularly hearing of incorrect documentation which results in shipment rejections.
“These mistakes are costly to businesses and contribute to waste, as perishable products are delayed beyond their usable life.”
He added veterinary agreement with the EU was ‘urgently needed’ and would remove these issues.
“This would dramatically reduce costs, prevent delays and restore the efficiency that existed before Brexit,” he said, calling on the UK Government to act now.
Since Brexit, the UK’s Border Control Posts have shown wide variability in how veterinary controls are applied, according to AIMS.
NSA supports ATV campaign
THE National Sheep Association would like to add its support to John Geldard’s campaign (FG, September 13) to make ATVs safer.
As an organisation, we represent all sheep farmers who are probably one of the groups most reliant on quad bikes to reach their flock, often in remote areas over undulating and rough ground, and are therefore arguably more likely to have an accident.
While this risk can never be completely removed, the use of roll bars or cages would be a welcome addition to protect the user in case of an incident.
We feel that investigation into the benefits of roll bars and roll cages on ATVs certainly needs more investment and this should
come from the manufacturers themselves which have a responsibility to ensure their product is as safe as possible for the user.
However, it is also worth bearing in mind that no amount of safety equipment can be a replacement for proper training for all farmers and staff on the correct operation of ATVs.
We all know how easy it is to quickly hop on and go, and it’s easy to forget that awareness and care should be taken at all times.
Phil Stocker, Chief executive, National Sheep Association.
HSE quad bike research urged
HAVING been involved with the introduction of roll over protection
Social media reactions
READERS had their say after Farmers Guardian published a story on a farmer in Wales who was giving up farming following the ‘dreadful’ ordeal of going though a livestock worrying incident, with the dog owner only ordered to pay a £75 fine (FG, September 13) Here are some of the responses:
■ “This is disgraceful. It’s about time livestock were protected correctly by the law.”
SHEILA COCKCROFT
■ “Absolute disgrace. What a terrible ordeal for the farmer and the poor sheep. Adding insult to injury. Shame on the judge as much as the irresponsible dog owner.”
ANNA LOUISE KELLY
■ “I have Ryelands, they are such
for ATVs during the 1990s, I fully support the efforts by John Geldard to raise awareness of the
gentle quiet sheep. But any worrying is awful, the fine should have been more and dogs destroyed.”
JULIE ELLIS
■ “Beyond disgusting. The problem is folk think the food fairy puts food on supermarket shelves and the police and the courts have clearly been no help to this farmer or her flock.”
LOUISE HOBSON
■ “The dog owner should have paid for the cost of the vet bill or the loss of the animal, making them responsible, then they might keep them on a lead, then this would not happen.”
LYNN ARMSTRONG
danger of accidents involving quad bikes.
by Isobel Smith.
Most people, myself included, think that accidents are what happen to other people. The statistics show that regular users of quad bikes are more likely than not to experience a near miss or an accident every 10 years or so.
I urge the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to continue its research at pace, making full use of information from Australia, New Zealand and other countries where ATVs are used. It is important to note that many accidents occur outside of a workplace and as such do not feature in HSE statistics.
Llew Thomas, Carmarthen.
purposes of this policy, we are the data controller of personal data provided to us. We are a UK company specialising in providing information services including news, analysis, data, pricing, insight and market intelligence to agribusiness professionals across the globe. This policy sets out how we do this and applies the use of your personal data that you disclose to us by entering into our competition to win £200 for the Stockjudging Competition or £20 Love2Shop vouchers for the weekly Crossword Competition, referred to throughout this statement as the “Competitions”. How we collect your information: We collect the personal data you have provided to us by filling in the form on our website www.fginsight.com OR printed form when entering the Competitions. If you have entered the Competitions via our site we may also collect some technical information about how you use our site, for example, the type of device you are using, your operating system, IP address, uniform resource locator (URL), clickstream and length of visit. How we use the information you provide: We will use your personal information: • to administer the Competitions, on the basis that the use of your personal data for this purpose will be necessary to enter you into the competitions and, if you are successful, contact you to notify you of your prize; and, • if you are new to Farmers Guardian and where you have agreed to this, to provide you with news and updates from time to time about our services; and, if at any point in the future you do not wish to receive any news and updates from us or from, you can unsubscribe from our marketing list at any time by following the steps below. To unsubscribe from any communications using the link on the email we send you or by emailing us at dataprotection@farmersguardian.com. We will not use your information for any purposes except those listed in this policy without letting you know and getting your permission, if necessary, first. Who do we share your information with? We will not disclose your information to any third parties without your consent, except where: • it is necessary to enable any of our staff, employees, agents, contractors, suppliers or commercial partners to provide a service to us or to perform a function on our behalf; • we have a legal obligation to disclose your information (for example, if a court orders us to); or • there is a sale or purchase of any business assets, or where Farmers Guardian or any of its group companies are being acquired by a third party. Where we use third parties as described above to process your personal information, we will ensure that they have adequate security measures in place to safeguard your personal information. For how long do we keep your personal information? We keep your personal information for 36 months for the purposes for which it was collected or for any period for which we are required to keep personal information to comply with our legal and regulatory requirements, or until you ask us to delete your personal information. Your rights: You have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. These include the right to: • find out how we process your personal information; • request that your personal information is corrected if you believe it is incorrect or inaccurate; • obtain restriction on our, or object to, processing of your personal information; • ask us not to process
The Farmers and Me was very poorly received, as did Robert Reed, the farmer involved.
I thought that the discovery of the fact that the only way cows excreted bovine TB was through their slurry was worthy of further exploration/confirmation.
The reliance of the skin test for bTB is astonishing as it is only 40% reliable which is nothing short of a disaster.
The fact that it was illegal to do blood tests for bTB is incredible.
If I have got these facts wrong then I will stand being corrected.
It appears to me that no proper investigations of how bTB is spread has ever been done on a national level, just some very piecemeal local observations.
I am no great lover, or hater, of badgers and believe they have a place in the great scheme of things, but I believe that the establishment was showing an enormous bias because it was Brian May doing the investigations and not a Jeremy Clarkson-type of character.
Thank you Brian May, his vet and Robert Reed for opening my eyes to my limited knowledge of the problem. Who am I? A retired farmworker with a very limited experience but great love of cattle.
Geoff Miller, Bolton.
Jane Thynne News & Arable Reporter – jane.thynne@agriconnect.com
Farmers need more than warm words from above Leader
ATTENDING this week’s Lib Dem Autumn Conference, it was interesting to see first-hand the problem farming has in communicating its message.
No-one could dispute the role MPs such as Tim Farron play in fighting farmers’ corners and there was also no shortage of media teams eager to impress how keen politicians are to be aligned with ‘countryside custodians’. But dig a little deeper and the party members tell a very different story.
Attending a couple of environmental fringe meetings, the capacity audiences nodded and applauded as people spoke about the human cost of all cows being given antibiotics; how sheep that ‘no-one eats because we import lamb from New Zealand’ have ‘caused destruction’ to the uplands when the land would ‘so obviously’ be better devoted to carbon sequestration, recreation and ‘spiritual refreshment’. One lady even stood up to say after doing online research she had concluded her daughter was continually ill because they lived near a farm.
It is a dichotomy not lost on the NFU, and at the union’s reception later that evening, vice-president
Young Farmer Focus
‘It takes a lot to beat a Charolais, it is their style’
Family farm: I work at home on the farm alongside my father where I operate my own cattle clipping preparation service for show sales and showing.
After leaving school I completed an agricultural apprenticeship at Newton Rigg College, alongside working for Jonathan Watson, at Bowsden Moor, near Berwick-Upon-Tweed.
I gained valuable experience of the livestock sector which helped with the noted Tweeddale pedigree Charolais.
Pedigree: I am keen on breeding pedigree livestock.
Our livestock enterprise consists of sheep, Limousin cattle and a pedigree herd of Charolais under the Huttonend prefix.
Having a dairy herd here at home using artificial insemination just fits in with our system.
When choosing genetic traits, first and foremost it has to be a bull I like the look of, one which I think will breed good cows and bulls, so I also look at its progeny.
I just want to breed a quality calf that will both grow well and sell well.
I have always been interested in the Charolais breed, it is their presence and style when they walk in a ring, they really are flashier than anything else.
For me, it takes a lot to beat a Charolais.
Achievement: Winning the overall champion and female champion at the Royal Welsh Show in 2023 with
Rachel Hallos came out fighting, letting those assembled know that farmers fully understand that food production and environmental protection exist ‘hand in glove’.
But if the views above are of members whose leadership has set out its stall as the ‘party for farmers’, it is worrying to think what the rank and file at next week’s Labour Party Conference will be gunning for, especially at a time when so much hangs in the balance.
Sean Mitchell
Harestone Rapunzel was a fantastic achievement.
For a young person starting out I was delighted to do so well, and everyone I have sold to has kept in touch with me, they are happy with their purchases and the bulls are doing well.
The biggest challenge as a young farmer and breeder is just trying to get into farming.
Generation: We are the next generation for the farming industry.
As young farmers, we need to be
supported and incentivised to get our feet onto the first rungs of the farming ladder.
The most important lesson I have learned is that not everything comes at once.
To be successful, it takes time, dedication and effort. I can see this through all of my business.
Every day is a learning day.
MORE INFORMATION
If you would like to be featured, email chris.brayford@agriconnect.com
Skelton, Cumbria
Sean Mitchell, 23, is a Charolais breeder at Grassknop Farm, near Skelton, Cumbria. He is also a member of the British Charolais Cattle Society.
Sean Mitchell
Lack of support is a risk for NI sheep farmers
A LACK of support to help sheep businesses thrive could put farming families out of business in Northern Ireland.
The impact would be felt across rural communities, the environment and the supply chain, according to Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers’ Association’s Sean Fitzpatrick.
He highlighted that the sheep industry contributed £109 million to Northern Ireland’s economy in 2023.
He said: “But how can anyone expect our sheep farmers to maintain this when their income, which needs to support not only a business but [also] a home, is getting significantly cut?”
Concerns
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), Sheep Taskforce and industry representatives met with the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee on September 12 to raise concerns over the lack of specific sheep support in Daera’s future agricultural policy.
The UFU said the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) made up the majority of farm families’ income, with sheep farmers having ‘one of the lowest incomes’.
UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said: “We came away from the meeting having made it very clear that sheep support needs to be added into future agriculture support.”
He said sheep farmers were set to lose out on 18% of their BPS with no way to make up the shortfall, as they would not be eligible for other schemes.
The appointment of a Tenant Farming Commissioner was needed ‘as soon as possible’, said Robert Martin.
● TFA raises issues with management team
By Rachael Brown
THE relationship between tenant farmers and the Cornwall Council estate has become ‘strained’, with the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) receiving a ‘significant number of complaints’ from farmers.
The TFA has put forward a number of complaints to the council’s senior management team.
These included consistent lack of expenditure on repairs, an ‘unhealthy and unrealistic’ focus on rent levels, the short-term nature of tenancy agreement notices to quit being served, and ‘too many instances of tenants not having written tenancy agreements’.
Robert Martin, TFA chair, said he believed about half of the tenants on the estate were facing some sort of issue, many of which were TFA members, adding a ‘lack of communication’ was at the core of poor relationships.
“When you look at any good working relationship on any good estate, it needs give and take on both sides.
“But the tenants can only work with what they are given.
“If the tenants are communicating
‘Strained’ relations on Cornwall Council estate
[with the estate] with their concerns and they are not getting a satisfactory reply or getting no reply at all, then you can see why tensions become frayed.”
Mr Martin said the appointment of a Tenant Farming Commissioner (TFC) to ‘act on behalf of tenants’ was needed ‘as soon as possible’, adding it was not just the Cornwall Council estate where there were concerns – it was happening in many estates ‘across the country’.
Prior to the General Election, the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said a TFC would be appointed ‘by the autumn’. But the new Labour Government was yet to give an
update to the sector, despite being ‘positive’ about the role in opposition.
Mr Martin said it would be high on the agenda at the Farm Tenancy Forum meeting, which the Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner attended earlier this week.
Budget
When asked whether the looming autumn budget was contributing to the ‘hold up’ in landlord communication with tenants, Mr Martin agreed it had played its part.
“No-one can make a decision without proper clarity. Everything at the moment is put on hold. It is not easy,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Cornwall Council estate said the council recognised the role tenant farmers fulfilled in delivering its objectives.
If the tenants are communicating their concerns and not getting a satisfactory reply or no reply at all, then you can see why tensions become frayed
ROBERT MARTIN
“We do not recognise some of the issues that have been raised but have asked for greater clarity so any matters can be addressed and resolved as quickly as possible,” said the spokesperson.
They highlighted commitments in 2019 to invest £16 million into the estate as part of its refreshed strategy, with £9m spent to date, and more works to come.
“The focus has been on improving homes by the installation of improved insulation and heating systems as part of our climate ambitions, and [we] have also made investments into farm infrastructure to assist in farming operations,” they said.
PICTURE: GETTY
As we gear up for the eagerly awaited British Farming Awards 2024, I want to personally invite you to book your table or seats for what promises to be an unforgettable evening.
You are invited to the 2024 British Farming Awards
This year marks the 12th anniversary of the British Farming Awards, proudly powered by Farmers Guardian. We will be celebrating the absolute best of British agriculture, raising a glass to our winners and nominees alike.
This sparkling showcase welcomes hundreds of farmers for what many consider the best night in the farming calendar – a chance to highlight the pride, passion and innovation which flows through our industry.
We are also thrilled to have the fabulous Vernon Kay, from BBC Radio 2, as our host for the evening, adding an extra touch of excitement to the celebrations.
Editor, Farmers Guardian
It is a privilege to give voice to British farmers and share your inspiring stories. Whether they reflect success, overcoming adversity, or simply making a difference, these narratives motivate others to chase their farming dreams. Everyone in the room deserves recognition, because to be selected as a finalist is an achievement after a record-breaking year of entries.
What you can look forward to at the BFAs
n 5.45pm: Drinks reception and doors open
n 6.45pm: Welcome from Olivia Midgley, editor of Farmers Guardian
n 7pm: Three-course dinner is served
n 8.45pm: Awards ceremony and charity raffle
n 11pm: Hit the dance floor and party with our band
n 1.30am: Carriages
This year, we are especially excited to celebrate the 180th birthday of Farmers Guardian, a testament to our long-standing commitment to supporting the farming community. For nearly two centuries, we have provided a platform for farmers, ensuring your voices are heard and your contributions recognised.
The evening promises to be filled
with camaraderie, laughter and the joy of reconnecting with peers.
We will indulge in a delightful threecourse dinner, complemented by complimentary wine and the fantastic Hawkstone beers and cider, generously provided by Jeremy Clarkson.
I hope you will join us for a night filled with celebration and recognition of our industry’s finest.
And with our 180th birthday celebrations happening, that is an excuse in itself to join the party. Do not miss out on this fantastic opportunity to enjoy a memorable evening with friends, family, and fellow farmers.
I look forward to seeing you at the British Farming Awards.
For nearly two centuries, we have provided a platform for farmers, ensuring that your voices are heard
OLIVIA MIDGLEY
AGRI-CATION CIC
CHERYL REEVES, WREXHAM
XCheryl Reeves leads Agri-cation CIC, a community-focused initiative aimed at bridging the gap between urban and rural lifestyles.
Engaging with local charities and organisations, Agri-cation runs weekly sessions with dedicated volunteers, building a vibrant community hub. They collaborate with organisations such as Woody’s Lodge and North Wales Wildlife Trust to support veterans and promote environmental education. A key challenge is transportation to the site, prompting Cheryl to raise funds for a minibus to enhance accessibility for participants.
Agri-cation CIC also focuses on reducing unemployment in Wrexham by partnering with the DWP to develop bespoke programs that help individuals transition back into the workforce.
Their outreach extends to Berwyn Prison, where they aim to engage inmates with farming backgrounds or interests, providing opportunities for reintegration.
Cheryl manages a sustainable beef enterprise that utilises automated systems for efficient calf rearing.
They collaborate with local dairy farmers, rearing 50% of their own beef supply chain and are exploring innovative practices to enhance animal welfare.
Since its inception four years ago, Agri-cation CIC has successfully integrated on-farm education with beef rearing, supporting participants in practical farm tasks while gaining valuable skills. The initiative has proven effective in building confidence and creating pathways for individuals pursuing careers in agriculture.
DIVERSIFICATION OF THE YEAR (SMALL TO MEDIUM)
Sponsored by
XJannike Taylor, alongside husband Ben, operates Eden Yard, a farm business specialising in producing Cumbria’s only rapeseed oil.
After transitioning from agricultural contracting, they now manage 162 hectares (400 acres) of arable land and breed sheep.
Their diversification into rapeseed oil began from a passion for local produce and the desire to control the production process, ensuring sustainability and quality.
Facing various challenges, they recently established full production on-site, minimising reliance on outside resources.
Their product line includes flavoured oils, mayonnaise and rapeseed honey, contributing to their growing reputation in the culinary scene. Jannike and Ben actively engage with local food producers to promote regional ingredients, addressing the gap in arable production in Cumbria.
Eden Yard has gained traction,
supplying numerous Michelinstarred restaurants.
Their commitment to sustainability is evident through practices such as minimum tillage and entering Countryside Stewardship schemes.
They are also testing projects with local bakers to grow heritage grains, emphasising the connection between consumers and local agriculture.
Community involvement is essential to their mission. They host educational visits for local schools, aiming to raise awareness about the farm-to-fork journey. Their efforts to donate oil to local food banks further solidify their commitment to supporting the community.
This combination of business acumen and community engagement has revitalised their passion for farming and local food production in Cumbria, a county renowned for artisan brands and unique dining.
XKelly Richardson and her husband Adam run Lower Coates Farm, specialising in unique animal experiences that engage the public.
After leaving her teaching career, Kelly founded Walking the Goats, where visitors can interact with goats and alpacas, through activities such as goat or alpaca Olympics and animal grooming. This innovative approach
has attracted a diverse audience, including children and individuals struggling with mental health.
With many animal experiences offered each month, Kelly’s initiatives promote hands-on interaction, learning and relaxation among visitors.
The farm also hosts programmes for local schools, providing educational sessions for students
facing challenges such as anxiety and low self-confidence.
Their success has prompted continued partnerships with educational institutions.
As a small team, they strive to adapt to challenges such as rising costs and weather uncertainties, implementing effective management strategies to minimise waste.
Their positive reviews on social
media platforms such as Facebook and TripAdvisor reflect their reputation and commitment to quality experiences.
Kelly’s passion for farming and animal care drives her to create engaging experiences that raise awareness about agriculture.
Commenting on being shortlisted for the awards, Kelly said: “It completely reinforces my belief that
EDEN YARD JANNIKE TAYLOR, CUMBRIA
WALKING THE GOATS AT LOWER COATES FARM KELLY RICHARDSON, BARNSLEY
For the full shortlist, scan the QR code or go to agrc.im/finalists-2024
ELMWICKE CAMPSITE
RUTH AND JONATHAN POWELL, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
XAt Elmwicke Campsite, Ruth Powell wears many hats: cleaner, receptionist and cook at the on-site cafe.
Alongside her, her husband Jon, a full-time agricultural bank manager, helps at weekends, while their three daughters provide tractor rides and animal interactions for guests.
Over the past 20 years, the Powells have transformed their farming operation into a beloved campsite, responding to the growing demand for unique outdoor experiences.
In light of rising energy costs, the family has taken proactive steps by installing air source heat pumps and solar panels, showcasing their commitment to sustainability and future-proofing the business.
They are also planning to build a spacious indoor area for campers, which will allow them to apply for a license to serve alcohol, further enhancing the visitor experience. The newly constructed amenities block features accessible facilities, ensuring that all guests, regardless of their
needs, feel comfortable and welcome.
With a focus on creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, the campsite has become a favoured destination for families, evidenced by the strong repeat business and positive reviews. Ruth and Jonathan said, “our aim has always been to provide a campsite where everyone is welcome. Our guests have a great place to enjoy their holidays with good facilities; we help make lifelong memories for all those staying with us”.
Ruth and Jon utilise online platforms such as Campsites.co.uk and social media for marketing, but it is their remarkable word-of-mouth reputation that truly sets them apart.
Their engaging presence even extends to local media appearances, sharing their journey on Radio Gloucestershire and BBC Radio 5 Live.
This successful diversification has not only enhanced their business, but also allowed the Powells to balance family life while nurturing a community of happy campers, many of whom have been returning for more than 14 years.
I need to push the business forward, spreading the word about farming in my own unique way.”
By offering unique opportunities for interaction with farm animals, she hopes to strengthen the public’s connection to farming and promote British agriculture.
The farm continues to evolve, ensuring a fresh and exciting experience for all visitors.
THE HERDWICK EXPERIENCE
JO MCGRATH, CONISTON
XFounded from scratch through extensive research and creative work, Jo McGrath manages marketing and bookings, and delivers educational sessions at the Herdwick Experience, which is home to more than 800 purebred Herdwick sheep and 60-plus Belted Galloway cattle.
The farm attracts more than half a million visitors annually, primarily due to its picturesque location near Tarn Hows, a popular tourist destination.
Jo aims to enhance facilities to operate year-round and is raising funds for an educational resource area.
Her background in countryside interpretation and graphic design informs the educational content delivered during the 2.5hour sessions, which include an engaging presentation and handson sheep interactions.
Jo’s personal journey with mental
wellness inspired her to create this experience, recognising the therapeutic benefits of connecting with nature and animals.
The programme prioritises inclusivity, offering tailored experiences for individuals with mental health challenges.
With a focus on sustainability and the ancient fell farming systems of the Lake District, the Herdwick Experience champions local agriculture.
The initiative has seen increasing bookings and repeat customers.
Jo actively seeks partnerships with local businesses and healthcare organisations to expand outreach and impact.
By promoting understanding of farming practices, Jo fosters a deeper connection between visitors and the countryside, ensuring the success of the Herdwick Experience.
To celebrate with the finalists at the British Farming Awards, go to britishfarmingawards. co.uk to buy your tickets
With the UK set for a small potato harvest this year due to crop area and pressure on quality and yields, Cedric Porter takes a look at the market.
Potatoes remain a specialist crop despite stronger prices
● Concern about yields of late-planted crops
THE UK is on course for another very light potato harvest due to a small area combined with pressure on yields and quality.
The UK produced 4.704 million tonnes of potatoes in 2023, according to Defra, which was the third smallest crop after the drought-hit harvest in 1975 and the very wet harvest of 2012. In those years, it was severe weather that hit production, but last year it was a small area. That is being repeated again this year.
In 2023, the harvested area was 98,344 hectares, according to Defra, which compared to a planted area of more than 200,000ha in the 1970s. This year, most British potato industry watchers estimate an area of 100,000ha. A five-year average yield would deliver a crop of almost 4.8mt.
Agronomist Simon Faulkner, of SDF Agriculture, said: “It has been a very variable year, which probably means an average to below-average yield.
“In July, having experienced a warm, wet spring and early summer, the yield potential was large. Since then, the conditions have become predominantly dry, with below-average hours of sunshine.”
He said these conditions had
UK HARVESTED POTATO AREA AND YIELD
UK imported 845,000t of frozen chips or fries, according to HMRC figures, which was the second largest import after the United States. This figure was 58% more than a decade ago, with 92% of the volume coming from Belgium and the Netherlands. The trade was worth £1.09 billion, which was an increase of 216% on ten years ago.
French output
The decline in British potato production has been in contrast with an increase in French output. France is expected to plant a record area of 219,000ha this year – 7% more than last year and 30% larger than in 2014.
contributed to yields and there was likely an impact on later planted crops.
“Day lengths are shortening and overnight temperatures are low, which is not conducive to potato bulking. Skin set will also be prolonged as desiccation chemistry requires warmth and sunlight for optimum efficacy,” he said.
Yields
“Some growers on good silts have achieved yields of 50t/ha+, but many will be below that. There are questions over late-planted crops, and while general quality is reasonable, there are problems with bruising. Ironically, given the spring
rain, some potato crops could do with 20-25mm of rain, as conditions are still dry which could impact harvesting.”
The British still eat a lot of potatoes – they consumed 67kg per person per year in 2020, which was more than the French and even the Irish. But the decline in production means the UK could be less self-sufficient in the crop. In 2023, the UK produced just 62% of its potato needs, according to Defra. As recently as 1999, the rate was 90%.
The lack of British potatoes has proved very lucrative for other countries, especially Belgium and the Netherlands.
In the year ending July 2024, the
At the beginning of the century, French production was similar to the UK’s. Total French production was a little short of 9mt, making it the second largest European producer after Germany.
Northern France was the host of last week’s Potato Europe show. More than 15,000 visitors attended, with Europe’s major potato processing companies seeking to attract new growers.
One plant, which recently opened on the Belgium/France border, receives 70% of its potato supplies from France. The north east region, where the event was held, grows almost half of France’s potatoes.
Geoffroy d’Evry, president of
Freshways acquires Totally Welsh Dairy
FRESHWAYS has announced the acquisition of Haverfordwest-based Totally Welsh Dairy, effective from September 11.
Totally Welsh Dairy was established in 1990 and sources milk from local Welsh farmers within a 40-mile radius of its bottling plant.
Freshways said Totally Welsh Dairy’s existing operations would ‘continue seamlessly’.
It follows Freshways’ recent purchase of Milk and More from Muller, which completed on January 1 and operates a doorstep delivery service around the UK.
Totally Welsh Dairy has recently
invested in a new glass bottling line, and this will be utilised to serve the doorstep customers supplied by Milk and More.
Bali Nijjar, managing director of Freshways, said Totally Welsh Dairy’s commitment to ‘quality and sustainability’ aligned perfectly with Freshways’ values.
Growth
Mark Hunter, owner and managing director of Totally Welsh Dairy, said the sale would ensure the future growth and development of the company and allow it to become a ‘nationally recognised brand’.
Area in ‘000s hectares Tonnes/hectare
This year, most British potato industry watchers estimate a harvested area of 100,000 hectares.
UNPT, the organisation representing potato growers, said the potato crop was the only French crop that was increasing in production.
“Growers are attracted by the much better returns they can get [compared with] growing [other] crops such as wheat, while demand continues to increase as more processors open factories,” he said.
This harvest will see the full operation of a new processing plant in Dunkirk, operated by Belgian company Clarebout – it helped increase French processing potato usage by 40% in July and August. Fellow Belgian company Agristo is also investing in a new plant in France, which should be open in the next two to three years.
The lack of British potatoes has supported potato prices. The average
potato price in the first six months of the year was 158% higher than in 2020, according to Defra’s price index. In 2023, the price was only 37% higher than that reference year.
Newsletter Potato Call said that current free-buy prices for white potatoes were £300/t, with reds making up to £500/t. Up until 2021/22, there were only two seasons this century when prices averaged more than £200/t.
Risky
Mr Faulkner said growers had welcomed the increase in potato prices, but the crop remained risky and those growers who had stopped growing potatoes were unlikely to fully return.
“It is more likely that those who have stayed in potato growing will expand,” he said.
UK POTATO PRODUCTION IN ‘000s TONNES
SOURCE: DEFRA
SEPTEMBER
BOOST FOR QUALITY BRITISH BLACKBERRIES
SEPTEMBER is set to be ‘the best month yet’ for British blackberries, with sales expected to increase by 55% and 98% in the last two weeks of the month respectively compared to 2023, according to British Berry Growers.
But market penetration sits at just 14%, way below other berries such as raspberries, which has grown from a 7% market penetration to 48% in the past two decades.
British Berry Growers said this was vastly different from other countries as the
l Prices remain at or near all-time highs
By Cedric Porter
CATTLE and sheep numbers in England have reached historic lows, despite prices being at or near record levels.
There were 4.98 million head of cattle and calves in England at June 1, according to Defra’s latest midyear survey.
That was a drop of 2% on the 2023 figure, which was also one of the lowest on record.
The number of cattle was nearly 3m, or 37%, less than 40 years ago when current data began.
Current numbers are even substantially lower than the period between 1996 and 2005, which encompassed the BSE and foot-and-mouth outbreaks when there were mass culls to control the diseases.
The dairy breeding herd is also at an all-time low of 1.08m head, 5.4% less than a decade ago.
UK population had been slower to embrace blackberries, suggesting this could be due to the prevalence of wild ones.
Nick Marston, British Berry Growers chair, said the quality of this year’s crop has seen a positive response from
consumers, with growers looking to bring consumption more in line with other berries.
Numbers of cattle and sheep at record lows
The decline in numbers is set to continue, with the number of cattle under one-year-old down 3.2% on last year.
English sheep numbers were at 13.83m head at the beginning of June, according to Defra.
This is 4.3% less than the year before, the first time that numbers have dipped below 14m and down a third on the 1990 peak.
The number of ewes intended for first time breeding are down 11%, with the overall breeding flock at its smallest ever.
Prices
The lack of numbers is reflected in record prices.
The latest AHDB GB deadweight steer cattle price was 502.2 pence per kilogram in the first week of September – the first time that the 500p barrier was breached.
the English pig herd – up 1.3% to 3.68m head, but still the second smallest total after 2023.
In 1984 there were almost 11m English pigs. The female breeding herd is at its smallest ever at 251,000 head, suggesting no recovery in numbers soon.
Poultry numbers were at an eightyear low of 128.6m birds, down 1.5% on 2023 and 9% down on the 2021 peak, although still 42% more than 40 years ago.
Pig prices are in the region of 210p/ kg deadweight, according to the
AHDB, which is around 15p/kg less than their 2023 peak, but more than 60p higher than during the 2021/22 price crisis.
According to Defra’s price index, poultry prices are only 4% higher than the reference year of 2020, which compares to a 26% premium in the middle of 2023.
The continued decline in livestock numbers at a time of high prices means that there is still pressure on farm profitability for many producers, who are not feeling confident enough to increase output.
ENGLISH CALF AND CATTLE NUMBERS
The continued firm prices had raised questions as to whether stock has been held back this year
The GB deadweight lamb price reached an all-time high of 893p/kg deadweight in late May and, although it has since fallen to 654p/kg, that price is still 19% above where it was a year ago.
AHDB analyst Annabel Twinberow said: “The continued firm prices had raised questions as to whether stock has been held back this year, yet the Defra figures show that the population of lambs under one year of age declined by 3.5%.”
There has been a small increase in
● Greater range of choices available
By Rachael Brown
WITH the Government now funding dozens of new land use options beyond food production, and private markets paying for Biodiversity Net Gain and carbon sequestration and storage, there are more choices for farmers than ever before.
That was the message from Graham Redman, partner at agribusiness consultants The Andersons Centre and editor of the newly published edition of the Nix Farm Management Pocketbook.
Mr Redman said the Pocketbook’s updated gross margins for crops, forage and stock, plus its new section estimating variable costs and gross margins of the main land-based Sustainable Farming Incentive options, helped farmers to ‘compare options financially’ and was a useful tool for those who were yet to decide.
Mr Redman said the business aspect of farming was pressing on the farming community ‘even more so than ever before’, and he urged farmers to look beyond the headline figures on Government environmental
There was both ‘risk and opportunity’ in entering land into agri-environment schemes, said Graham Redman, partner at The Andersons Centre.
Farmers must weigh up land use options
schemes, which he said could look appealing but came with ‘obligations’ and ‘costs’.
Profit
“The headline figures are not necessarily the profit – once you have taken the costs off, you might end up with a different figure, so that all needs to be built in and reflected on,” he said.
Mr Redman said there was both ‘risk’ and opportunity’ in entering land
into agri-environment schemes. He said it made sense for farmers to look ‘critically’ at agri-environment schemes when faced with ‘uninspiring’ farm profits and when trying to manage financial uncertainty.
He added: “The downside is that when you are not in the market, you cannot benefit from bumper yields or high grain values if they go up, but the opposite is also clearly true.
“Also, there is no guarantee the
payment rates available will change in the three-year contract, but the associated costs will probably rise.”
When probed about the future direction of British farming, Mr Redman said there were ‘plenty of opportunities’ for those who were ‘prepared for them, structured for them and looking for them’, adding agriculture was likely to go through a ‘difficult phase’ over the next year, but would be ‘stronger’ for it.
PICTURE: WAYNE HUTCHINSON
Presidential candidates set out farming agenda
l USA election campaign heats up
By Alex Black
KAMALA Harris and Donald Trump have revealed their farming priorities as the USA prepares to head to the polls on November 5.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) asked the nominees for their stance on the most important issues for US farmers.
Zippy Duvall, AFBF president, said: “The challenge facing America’s farmers and ranchers continue to mount, from falling commodity prices to stubbornly high supply costs.”
He added it was important rural America knew where the candidates stood.
On which investments and policies the candidates would support to ensure the resilience of the
USA’s food system and farmers, Ms Harris said that as Vice-President she had invested in rural America.
She said the administration had invested billions of dollars to ignite long-term economic growth, adding that, if elected, the presidential team would ‘never stop fighting to create an economy where rural Americans cannot just get by, but get ahead’.
She said the team would also promote competition in agriculture markets to ensure farmers were treated fairly.
Mr Trump claimed to have been the ‘most pro-farmer President ever’.
He committed to halving energy bills in the first year, criticising Ms Harris for embracing net zero.
“We must avoid the fate of the United Kingdom and Germany, two countries which are experiencing shrinking economies as a result of this misguided, high-cost energy agenda.”
On international trade, Ms Harris
said as Vice-President she had stood up to China and would not tolerate unfair trade practices.
Mr Trump said as President, he had taken action to ‘pry open’ foreign markets and knock down barriers to US goods and promised to always side with farmers.
Tax
Ms Harris said under her plan, no American earning under $400,000 (£304,464) per year would pay more tax.
She also suggested that under Mr Trump, farms were told the only path to success was ‘to get big or get out’, but she committed to fighting for a tax code which was fairer for everyone.
Mr Trump said he would take immediate steps to defeat inflation and increase real farm incomes.
He added he had delivered pro-farmer tax cuts during his presidency.
We must avoid the fate of the UK and Germany, two countries which are experiencing shrinking economies as a result of this misguided, high-cost energy agenda
DONALD TRUMP
Democratic candidate and current Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump.
Farm Profile
Edited by Angela Calvert – 07768 796 492 – angela.calvert@agriconnect.com
For more features, go to farmersguardian.com/farm-life
Engaging with the local community and direct selling is the route to success for a Swiss mixed farm. Chloe Palmer visits Neuhof Farm to find out more.
Expansion plans in place for Swiss farm
Successfully fending off competition from 80 other hopefuls led Simone de Coulon and David Gschwind to the start of their farming journey at Neuhof Farm in Basel-Land in Switzerland.
After seeing an advertisement for the tenancy of a Basel City Council owned farm, the couple developed their business proposal and were shortlisted for interview.
Simone says: “We were invited to present our concept and strategy to the panel. I think the fact we are local and understand the area, climate and soil and we also know the local farmers so we can potentially cooperate with them, worked in our favour.
“We highlighted our enthusiasm for community engagement and our
plans to sell direct to local people and they seemed keen for us to do this.”
Simone and David moved to the farm 18 months ago. Before this, Simone earned her bachelor’s degree in agriculture and continued as a research assistant before working on a nearby dairy farm, Neumatthof, also owned by Basel City Council.
Customer base
David originates from neighbouring Therwil where he took over the family vineyard. He is excited about their plans for Neuhof and sees developing a local customer base as key.
He says: “We are so close to our market – there are 20,000 people on our doorstep in Reinach. But this also brings challenges because they do not know the difference between grass
and wheat, so we have to educate them so they do not let their dogs run wild in our cereal crops.”
Neuhof recently won a regional conservation award with the previous tenants for the creation of biodiversity areas, but David and Simone want to go further.
Simone says: “We are now in our last six months of conversion to organic and we are increasing the
amount of home-grown forage in preparation for the taking over of the dairy herd at Neumatthof.
At Neuhof, the main enterprise currently is the organic laying hens, with all the eggs sold direct from the farm.
“When we moved here, more than 60% of the farm was down to cereals but the yields were declining even though inputs were remaining the same or increasing. The soil is very free draining and shallow here so is very drought-prone and in a typical summer, it will dry out in April and stay dry until the rains return in autumn.
“It is our goal to increase soil organic matter to hold more moisture and nutrients in the soil so we have started growing lucerne across the poorer ground which does not yield well under cereals. We are already on our fifth cut this summer on some fields and we will probably manage another.
“We are also trying to move away from the plough and opt for minimal tillage wherever possible. This will save on time and fuel and we hope we will lose less carbon from the soil and minimise erosion risk.”
Laying hens
At Neuhof, the main enterprise currently is the organic laying hens, with all the eggs sold direct from the farm.
“We used to sell through an honesty box but we lost 40% of the value of the eggs to theft so we installed a vending machine which is open 24 hours a day to solve the problem. We also sell to local restaurants, bakeries, a nearby care home and a milkman in Basel.
“We keep two breeds of laying hens,
We love what we do so have to be careful we do not work too hard and try to achieve too much too soon
DAVID GSCHWIND
the Leghorn and the Dual Brown hen. The Leghorns are very productive but new requirements under the Bio Suisse organic certification make it mandatory to keep the male chickens to at least 60 days old.
“The male Leghorns are very aggressive and will kill each other and they do not flesh out well so secure a lower price at slaughter. We are now switching to the Dual Brown hen which lays well but also reaches a weight of 1kg at the end of its productive life so makes a better carcase as a soup chicken,” Simone says.
David points out that use of antibiotics is prohibited by Bio Suisse except in acute circumstances so they operate strict biosecurity protocols including a one-month gap between slaughtering one batch of hens and bringing in another to minimise disease risk.
Switzerland Farm Profile
The next big development at Neuhof will be the arrival of the dairy herd from nearby dairy farm Neumatthof.
Neuhof recently won a regional conservation award with the previous tenants for the creation of biodiversity areas.
A small sheep flock of Swiss Alpine ewes is kept at Neuhof and as well as utilising the areas of permanent grassland, the lamb is a mainstay of the farm shop.
Selective grazers
David says: “Swiss Alpine sheep fatten well, being good converters of forage to meat and they also achieve an excellent kill out percentage. But they are quite selective grazers and struggle with footrot on this ground.
“We have started to introduce some Shropshire ewes as they are very good grazers and we are considering using a Texel ram on the Swiss Alpine ewes in the future.
“We have to lamb inside here as in February there can be lots of snow and it is often very cold. We have quite a few problems with foxes, although currently the population has reduced due to an infestation with fleas.”
Lambs are generally finished at eight to nine months old at about 30kg deadweight. All the lamb is sold direct from the farm either as joints, or as ‘dry’ aged lamb or as the Merquez Spanish sausage or a smoked lamb sausage.
Alongside the livestock enterprises, a small area of arable is still retained at Neuhof and the plan is to move to heritage cereal varieties this season.
Simone says: “The spelt grain from
Farm facts
■ Neuhof extends to 72 hectares (178 acres) and a further 8ha (20 acres) is farmed near Therwil, three miles to the north west of the home farm. An additional 8ha (20ha) of land at Aesch will be added later this year
■ Cereals account for 20ha (49.5 acres), with lucerne grown across 40ha (99 acres) and 9ha (22 acres) of conservation land including various pollinator flower mixes, a bird seed mixture and wide hedgerow corridors. The remainder is permanent grassland and woodland
David Gschwind and Simone de Coulon farm at Neuhof, Basel-Land.
Farm Profile Switzerland
We are aiming for a low input, low cost system where the cows milk entirely from homegrown forage
SIMONE DE COULON
Kamut, a heritage wheat variety, is renowned for its flavour when used to make sourdough bread. We have a local mill in Basel which will take our grain and have restored an old oven in one of our buildings where we could bake this bread and sell it through our farm shop.”
Popular attractions
Alongside the commercial enterprises, David and Simone also keep a few goats, mini pigs and have a couple of donkeys on livery, with these proving popular attractions for the children who visit the farm.
“We take at least two school parties a week around the farm to explain to the children where their food comes from and so they can see the animals. Three-quarters of the cost of the visit is funded by the Government but we have to sign up to be part of a formal initiative to do this.
“We also host at least 60 children’s parties a year and we have visits from local care homes where the residents are able to come and see the animals. These visits provide a valuable income stream but also help to educate local
people and bring us closer to our customers,” Simone says.
The next big development at Neuhof will be the arrival of the dairy herd. Around the same time, David and Simone will also gain an additional eight hectares (20 acres) nearby which is down to grass and cherry trees.
“I used to work at Neumatthof and so when we learned that the tenant was giving up the cows, I approached him and he is selling the herd to us at Christmas. We are already producing half of the forage needed for the herd at Neuhof and I help out at the farm,” Simone says.
The herd comprises mainly Swiss Fleckvieh cows with some Brown Swiss and a few Holsteins, but Simone
The herd comprises mainly Swiss Fleckvieh cows with some Brown Swiss and a few Holsteins.
and David have now bought a couple of Montebeliarde calves and the plan is to switch to this breed over time.
Simone says: “Our plan is to leave the calf on the cow until weaning as this fits with our farming ethos, plus we hope this will give us a healthier calf with improved daily weight gain. At the moment the herd is averaging 6,000 litres and obviously this will decrease with our proposed system.
“We are aiming for a low input, low cost system where the cows milk entirely from homegrown forage as we can grow high protein crops such as lucerne.
“At the moment, the cows are only out to grass for a limited period each day because much of the land is near to
main roads. We have a bigger grazing platform at Neuhof, so we will be able to graze the cows for much longer periods throughout the spring, summer and autumn.
“We will breed our own replacements rather than buying-in first or second calvers and we will plan to rear the beef calves and sell them either direct through our shop or fat to other outlets.
Milk
David says: “We hope to sell our milk through a vending machine at Neuhof and also one at Neumatthof. Currently around 300 litres per day of milk is sold direct from Neumatthof for cheesemaking and yoghurt in Basel for CHF1.20/litre [£1.06/litre] so we hope to build this market.”
Although it is early days for David and Simone, their commitment and drive has enabled them to make rapid progress along their farming journey and they have more exciting plans for the future.
David adds: “The first goal is to complete the development of the barn ready for the cows to arrive. Establishing the new herd here will be very exciting and dairy farming is entirely new for me so I have much to learn.
“We have no wish to expand in scale because finding people to work with us who are as committed and enthusiastic as we are is difficult. But we do want to bring more of our diversification ideas to fruition, especially adding value to our products.
“Looking ahead, we hope to make and sell our own cheese and ice cream. We love what we do so have to be careful we do not work too hard and try to achieve too much too soon.”
Edited by Jane Thynne – 07882 219 917 – jane.thynne@agriconnect.com
For more arable content, go to farmersguardian.com/arable-news-hub
England predicted to have third worst harvest on record
● Fears raised for all five key crop yields
By Jane Thynne
ENGLAND could be heading for one of its worst harvests on record, according to the latest data from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) and AHDB.
ECIU said months of significant rainfall had reduced the wheat harvest by almost a fifth in what it predicts to be one of the three worst harvests since records began in 1983, sitting just behind those of 2020 and 2001.
The unit used provisional data on English crop areas for wheat, winter and spring barley, oats and oilseed rape combined with yield forecasts from AHDB to estimate this year’s harvest for these key crops.
Although the harvest is not quite as poor as feared in spring immediately after a wet winter, it is still historically bad, leaving the UK dependent on imports to meet demand for bread and other baked goods.
Year to forget
Commenting on the data, Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the ECIU, says: “It has been a year to forget for many farmers, as the recent benign summer has failed to make up for six months of seemingly endless rain over the winter, the effects of which are now becoming apparent.
“More than most, farmers are on the front line of climate change and this is what that looks like. Extreme
The English wheat harvest is estimated to be more than 2.2 million tonnes down on 2023.
weather is already feeding through to higher food bills and a greater reliance on imports.”
The English wheat harvest is estimated to be more than 2.2 million tonnes or 18% down on 2023. And the rest of Britain has fared no better. The harvest for the whole of Britain is also set to be one of the worst in decades, with the total harvest for these five crops down by more than 13% or 3mt on the five-year average.
Alex Green, farm business consultant at GSC Grays, says while fairer weather during most of the harvest proved positive for many growers,
it came too late for crops such as winter barley.
“Some of the wheats will benefit and the spring crops will definitely have got a boost, but the significant amount of bare land and patchy fields right across the UK will inevitably let yields down,” Mr Green adds.
Earlier industry forecasts were even more pessimistic, and previous ECIU analysis did predict a bigger deficit compared to other years.
Worryingly, this lower total could still come to pass in the event of a 5% smaller overall crop area than forecast, analysts say. This would knock
Climate-resistant crops win £3m funding
A CONSORTIUM of four UK research organisations has won £3 million Defra funding to enable the development of climate-resilient legume crops.
Led by the John Innes Centre in Norwich, the Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network (PCGIN) will use the funding to provide improved breeding material for the cultivation of peas, beans and other pulses in the UK. The research will address existing and new threats from pests and diseases, such as root rot in pea and bruchid beetle in faba bean. It will
also target nutritional traits such as protein content, minerals and flavour components.
Expand
Prof Janneke Balk, group leader at the John Innes Centre and co-lead of PCGIN, says: “Over the past 17 years PCGIN has made critical contributions to pea and faba bean development that are now close to being brought to market. In the new funding phase, we will expand our research to lentil and common bean, which could be grown more widely in
the future as we see higher temperatures in the UK.”
PCGIN is in collaboration with the University of Reading, NIAB in Cambridge, the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University, and the Processors and Growers Research Organisation, Peterborough.
The consortium will also look at future climate impacts on UK pulse crops using models from the Met Office. In addition to conventional genetic improvement, gene editing methods will be developed for pea and faba bean.
close to 1mt off the projected wheat harvest, according to AHDB figures. Applied to the other winter crops –winter barley and oilseed rape – crop areas 5% less than current estimates would make 2024 Britain’s worst harvest this century.
Farmers wanted
LEVY body AHDB is looking for farmers with a passion for nutrient management to join its Crop Nutrient Management Partnership.
There are opportunities available for farmer levy payers to take part in the Nutrient Management Steering Group; the Arable Technical Working Group and the Grass and Forage Technical Working Group.
To qualify, growers should have a good working knowledge of RB209 (a FACTS qualification is desirable) and be an active participant in the Crop Nutrient Management Partnership. Meetings take place twice-a-year (usually in spring and autumn) either online or in-person at the AHDB main office near Coventry, and independent farmers can claim expenses in line with the AHDB expenses policy.
FIND OUT MORE
For further information, contact nutrient.management@ahdb.org.uk
PICTURE: TIM SCRIVENER
Arable Potato Days UK
Ways of making potato growing more sustainable was a key feature of Potato Days UK, hosted by Dyson Farming at Nocton in Lincolnshire. Teresa Rush reports.
Fresh ideas for more sustainable potato production
● Engagement needed with UK food strategy
WELCOMING visitors to the event, GB Potatoes’ chair Mark Taylor called for collaboration and longerterm thinking, urging those involved in potato production to work together to develop a more ‘progressive and sustainable’ business plan and enable the sector to be the ‘best it can be’.
Highlighting the ongoing contraction in the sector, Mr Taylor said that in 2004 there were 133,000 hectares of potatoes grown in the UK, by 2014 the area had fallen to 122,000ha and currently stood at around 100,000ha.
He said: “We are seeing better returns from a smaller national crop at the moment, but I do have a
concern that our industry has probably contracted too far; we need to keep a critical mass.”
Better free buy prices last year
GROWING POTATOES REGENERATIVELY
VISITORS to the crop plots at Potato Days UK had the opportunity to catch up with work underway in the Transformative Reduced Input in Potatoes (TRIP) project.
TRIP is a 36-month research programme aiming to develop regenerative approaches to address issues around intensive soil cultivation, high levels of energy and input use and emissions of greenhouse gases CO2 and N2O.
The project will receive £1.74 million over a 36-month period running for three growing seasons until harvest 2025.
A number of regenerative potato growing options, including low input late blight-resistant varieties; minimal cultivations planting and optimised nutrient formulations, combined with minimal agrochemical
applications, were demonstrated in the Dyson Farming Research plots.
Work led by Simon Fox at Emerald Research is focusing on reduced nitrogen and phosphate inputs by combining optimised foliar nutrient programmes with reduced fertiliser inputs.
These trials are being replicated in large-scale strip trials at several farm trial sites around the country.
Dr Katherine Steele, team lead at Bangor University, provided an update on six potato breeding lines, bred from existing varieties and selected for their late blight resistance and low input needs.
Dr Steele said: “The idea is that we are combining newer combinations of resistance genes and, hopefully, stacking multiple resistance genes.
“Every year since 2018 we have taken 80-100 different clones and made sure that they have been
had provided a boost to grower confidence, he added, but had not benefited everyone and, while welcome, did not compensate for the tough years experienced previously.
“There are continuing challenges with returns, so we must see more stability in our markets and our contracts and supply arrangements must reflect that as we go forward.
Engage
“I believe we must engage with national governments to support a UK food strategy.
“I think we have too much focus on an environmental conversation, which is important, but let us have both the environment and food in the same conversation, because today they are separate.”
He said that regaining some of
the sector’s productive capacity was vital.
He said: “Rebuilding relationships across the supply chain is vital to make that happen, so is working
exposed to blight - so no fungicideand we have selected for late blight resistance.
“More recently we have tried to select for the ones that are potentially more commercial.”
Potato Days UK was hosted by Dyson Farming at its Nocton headquarters in Lincolnshire. The business produces around 15,000 tonnes of potatoes annually.
Mark Taylor
Dr Katherine Steele is leading work at Bangor University to breed varieties with late blight resistance and low input requirements.
Potato Days UK Arable
Event details collaboratively as a sector and regaining our confidence longer term. The UK potato sector delivers significant value and we must retain that.”
PRODUCING SUSTAINABLE FIBRE FROM POTATO HAULM
FIBE co-founder David Prior Hope is aiming to scale up the manufacture of sustainable fibre from potato haulm for transformation into textile fibres for use by the clothing industry – while at the same time providing potato growers with an additional income stream.
Earlier this year, the London-based material science company announced it had developed the world’s first textile fibre from potato harvest waste.
Mr Prior Hope said: “The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil and gas, and this is somewhat due to cotton, a crop which uses up a land area equivalent to Germany every single year and hundreds of trillions of litres of water.”
Despite growing consumer awareness of these issues, demand for clothing is increasing, and the environmental problems associated with clothing manufacture are expected to increase.
Committed
However, some manufacturers, including H & M and Inditex, parent company of Zara, are committed to the adoption of more sustainable practices, said Mr Prior Hope and, by 2030, it is expected that some 88% of textile fibres will be made using sustainable materials, although there are challenges around scalability and affordability to be addressed.
He said: “We knew that to address these, we would have to look at readily available feedstocks at mass scale. We turned to agricultural co-products, and within these the potato stem.
“Potatoes are the third most important crop in the world; they are local everywhere and potato haulm is generally considered to be a nuisance by growers, especially in the face of the diquat ban.”
Commercial agreements have already been signed for the supply of yarn
Fibe has calculated that some 300,000 tonnes of potato haulm is discarded in the UK every year, and around 150mt around the world.
“We think this could be the largest untapped agricultural co-product,” said Mr Prior Hope.
“With our patent pending technology, we can convert this 150mt opportunity into 70% of the world’s natural clothing demand with just a fraction of the environmental impact.
“We would enable growers to not only produce a staple food, but also a feedstock for cotton-like fibres, using no additional land, 99% less water and 82% less CO2e.”
With an agreement signed to begin supplying potato haulm fibres in 2026, the race is on to scale up production.
He said: “We know that to have the biggest impact possible, we need to work at the biggest scale we can.
“ And that is why our long-term ambition is to work with the major producers in this space.”
Fibe has partnered with potato machinery manufacturer Grimme in a Farming Innovation Programmefunded project to develop a method of automating the haulm harvest and a prototype machine is at work this harvest.
Harvest
“This prototype has already been a huge help in helping us get to our 7.5t harvest target this year,” said Mr Prior Hope.
“We have successfully proved concept in our trials this year, the tubers are not being damaged, and we think with a bit of improvement, the machine could smoothly integrate into harvest operations and offer cost savings to growers.”
Potato irrigation with brackish water
RISING sea levels and an increase in soil salinity are among the effects of climate change likely to be experienced by potato growers in coastal areas.
Research under way at Lincoln University is looking at how soils might be prepared in advance for these changes.
In a three-year experiment conducted at the university’s Riseholme campus, potatoes grown in pots have been irrigated with fresh or salt (brackish) water. While there was no difference seen in marketable potato yields between the irrigation methods,
brackish water irrigation was found to change soil microbial communities and reduced the presence of some potato disease agents, said Prof Matt Goddard.
“When we look at the soils and the biology in the soils, we have definitely changed the soil microbiome and, with no hit to yield, we are beginning to adapt those soils to tolerate salt,” he said.
The research has now been moved out into the field, with large-scale plots trials taking place with partner growers in Lincolnshire this season.
POTATO Days UK was organised by DLG in conjunction with GB Potatoes, Dyson Farming, McCain, AVR, Dewulf and Grimme.
Dyson Farming Research is investigating the potential for growing potatoes with minimal cultivation by growing them under a straw mulch.
produced from potato haulm.
For one Norfolk farming business, getting to grips with black-grass has involved a full farm appraisal and an acceptance that practices had to change. Farmers Guardian reports.
When intensification reaches its limits
Spanning 972 hectares of Norfolk farmland, Bradenham Hall Farms has it all: a glorious house, formal gardens, arboretum, and perhaps not so illustriously, black-grass.
As on many farms, the problem did not arise overnight, so it is difficult to lay the blame on any one action or event. Rather, it is a symptom of a system under strain.
Farm owner Chris Allhusen says: “The first realisation was that the issue we faced was the consequence of a short-term focus on profitability. This had been at the expense of our soils, which had been overlooked.
“As a result, drainage was poor, compaction was widespread, ditches and hedges had been poorly maintained, and the rotation lacked the species diversity to be considered sustainable.”
It is a scenario that will be familiar to many growers.
The question that follows is how
The issue we faced was the consequence of a short-term focus on profitability. This had been at the expense of our soils, which had been overlooked
CHRIS ALLHUSEN
to remedy the situation – and at what cost?
Andrew Melton, Frontier Agriculture regional agronomy manager
and the farm’s agronomist, says: “There was a recognition that we needed a fresh start; the system needed to be reformed.
“We did not dwell on costs or herbicide strategy, the focus was on the fundamentals.”
The recruitment of a new farm manager in David Pike provided a fresh perspective and, between the three of them, they set about shaping a new strategy with a focus on long-term sustainability.
Back to basics
Mr Pike says: “There was a desire to get the basics right. We started by clearing ditches and repairing drains.
“We included two spring crops within a six-year cycle and agreed a muck-for-straw arrangement.
“Muck helps increase soil organic matter levels to improve moisture infiltration during periods of wet weather, while also retaining moisture during dry periods.”
Early experience with spring
barley proved disappointing, but successive wet years in 2019 and 2020 led to a trial with spring wheat
A longer rotation has proved key to reducing the black-grass population at Bradenham Hall Farms.
which proved far more worthwhile.
“We struggled to grow malting barley, but we could grow spring milling wheat,” says Mr Pike.
“This was positive in that the spring wheat matures later, meaning we do not have to interrupt the winter wheat harvest to cut spring barley.”
The spring wheat has been financially positive too, with gross margins close to winter wheat.
Spring crops
One reason why Bradenham Hall Farms has enjoyed success with spring crops, says Mr Pike, is because they were grown with serious intent.
The decision to give over roughly one third of the cropping area to spring crops has eased the autumn workload and helped reduce fixed costs.
“It is not that we were operating more equipment than needed, although there were some changes to the machinery portfolio to better fit the main draft tractor.
“But the expansion of the spring crop area means we can now do all our autumn land work with a single tractor,” says Mr Pike.
“If we were still trying to drill
everything in the autumn it would necessitate another seed drill, tractor and operator, or the use of a contractor. And there is no chance we could afford to delay drilling to promote better grassweed control.”
To some, such reliance on a single tractor might be a concern, and should it break down in the middle of drilling there is a risk that the situation could slip out of control.
Mr Allhusen says: “We have tried to counter this by having a machine on a long warranty.
“If it breaks down, the most we will lose is a day as the dealer is obliged to stand us a replacement machine until ours is fixed.”
Within the cultivation policy, no one operation or philosophy dominates or is excluded. Most of the ground follows a min-till approach, with the cultivation depth varied each season to avoid creating a compaction layer at depth. But where necessary, ground will be ploughed.
Herbicides
A smaller winter cereal area gave the opportunity to focus on the details of the herbicide programme.
Mode of action diversity, appropriate dose rates, resistance management and good application technique are all important in decision-making.
Upgrading the sprayer from a 10-year-old machine with a 3,000-litre tank and 30-metre booms to a new machine with a 6,000-litre tank and 36m booms has helped with that focus.
Technology
Mr Allhusen says: “The gains go beyond just greater capacity. The generational shift in technology with the new machine has enabled us to be more precise, consistent and timely in every application.”
Mr Melton adds: “The intention is to achieve at least two weed chits after harvest and prior to autumn drilling, with each sprayed off with glyphosate.
“To ensure pre-emergence herbicides are applied in good time, no more land is drilled than can be sprayed in the next 24 hours.
“This is one of the disciplines adopted to succeed in [the] battle with black-grass.
“Farming is often about doing the basics well.
“Pre-em herbicides are really the
last piece of the jigsaw. The real work is done by effective cultural measures and two applications of glyphosate intersected with a light cultivation to stimulate a second flush prior to drilling.”
Six years on and one full rotation completed, has the farm been successful in its objectives?
Mr Allhusen says: “We no longer see pools of standing water because we have rectified the compaction and poor drainage issues that were the cause.
“Cover crops have also played a part as these have helped to support good structure and improve soil biology. The soils look visibly healthier, and it is rewarding to see.”
Results
And what of the black-grass?
“We certainly have a lot less of it, but we have not won the battle,” says Mr Pike.
“Nor could we have made the progress we had if we had not adopted a longer rotation.
“To protect herbicide efficacy while reducing our reliance on them, we need to rotate them. We could not do this properly without a suitable rotation.”
Left to right: Frontier regional agronomy manager Andrew Melton, trainee agronomist Kerris Poland, and Bradenham Hall Farms farm manager David Pike.
Edited by Angela Calvert – 07768 796
Champion gimmer lambs lead trade at Kirkby Stephen
● Second prize lambs sell for £380 per head
MORE than 8,000 North of England Mule gimmer lambs went under the hammer at Kirkby Stephen averaging £154.38, up £33.66 on the year, with a 100% clearance and no lambs selling under £100.
The sale topped at £500 for the overall champion pen of 10 lambs from H.R. Hayton and Son, Great Asby, which were bought by Messrs Brown, Leyburn.
The first prize winners in the small breeders class from Messrs Burrow and Rutter Armstrong, Langwathby, were also reserve champions and went on to sell for £260 to Messrs Fox, Clitheroe.
Average
They also had the leading average of £216.36 for 22 lambs.
The second prize in the open class went to K.A. Brown and Sons, Great Asby, whose lambs sold for £380/head to James Robinson, Carnforth.
Also making £380/head was the fourth placed pen of 10 lambs from W.M. Hutchinson and Sons, Redgate, which were bought by Messrs Richardson, Dufton.
Messrs Brown sold a pen of 22 at
£240/head, a pen of 20 at £198 and a pen of 30 at £195.
Kilnstown Farms, Roweltown, sold their top pen at £320/head, a pen of 20 at £210/head and averaged £166/head for 504 lambs. Messrs Buckle, Bleathgill, also sold a pen of 20 at £210.
The trade of the day was for the running lambs with most of these selling between £130-£150. Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Working Genes online sale peaks at £14,000
THERE was a complete clearance at the Working Genes online production sale on behalf of the McGowan family, Incheoch, Perthshire.
The sale peaked at £14,000 for the Aberdeen-Angus bull, Inchisla Jordon Eric, a Milah Murrah Nugget son, which sold to James Biggar, Chapelton.
The 14 Simmental bulls topped at £10,200 for the dark red, homozygous polled Incheoch Patrick, which went to James Hamilton, Aikengall.
Luings sold to £7,200 for the roan polled bull, Dirnanean Chief, which was knocked down to John Scott, Fearn. Overall, the 19 bulls averaged £6,737.
Texel rams topped at £7,350 for a son of Easton Dunsyre, which had one of the highest performance figures in the breed. The buyer was Ian Murray, Glenway.
Rams
Three more rams by the same sire broke the £3,000 barrier, going to Alister Shaw, West Lethans and two to Jim Logan, Romavale.
The 57 Texels averaged £1,845, up £629 on the year.
The 55 Lleyn rams averaged £1,086 up £207 on 2023 topping at £2,750 for the highest index ram, Incheoch Monarch, which sold to Christiane Geiger, Germany.
THE 99th sale of Clun Forest sheep at Ludlow topped at 1,500gns for Sarnesfield Gold-Dust, a AberRheon Alun son from L.E. Lloyd and Son, Hereford, which sold to M. Eckley for the Court-Llacca flock, Powys.
Next at 950gns was Nipna George, a shearling ram from Anna Pennell, North Yorkshire, which was knocked down to J. D. Williams and Son, Shipton.
The Honddu flock of I. T. Davies and Son, Brecon, took the red rosette in the three male classes with the male championship going to their shearling ram, Windsor Gruffalo, bred by A Phillips, Pembrokeshire, which was bought privately as a lamb with several daughters retained by the flock.
It sold for 820gns to Messrs Vernon, Staffordshire.
The reserve male champion was the second placed shearling ram, Aber-Rhaeon Gethin, from Messrs Eckley, and bred by M. Davies, which sold for 300gns to D. Duggan, Leominster.
The Nipna flock also had the
The champion pen of lambs, from H.R. Hayton and Son, Great Asby, which sold for £500 to Messrs Brown, Leyburn.
Clun Forest sale reaches 1,500gns
champion single female, a Nipna Earl-sired shearling ewe which sold for 460gns to new breeder, A. Collier, Lancashire.
The highest female price went to a pen-mate, a daughter of the 2018 Royal Welsh Show inter-breed supreme ewe, which sold for 560gns to F. Hendrie, Talgarth.
The champion pen of females was from the Furlongs flock of G.R. Roberts and Son, Ludlow, which sold for 190gns/head with the highest priced pen of five, two-year-old ewes from the same flock selling at 220gns/head to G. Williams, Gwynedd. The winning pair of shearling ewes from S. Thackery, Ludlow, sold for 300gns/head to Messrs Collier.
A Texel shearling from Gordon and David Gray’s Ettrick flock, Selkirk, which sold for £35,000 to Paul Slater for the Whiteley Hey flock, Macclesfield.
Texel shearling from Gordon and David Gray’s Ettrick flock, Selkirk, which sold for £18,000 to Michael James, Wales.
Record-breaking trade tops at £35,000 at Kelso Ram Sales
● Three tups sell to high of £18,000
WITH just short of £4 million changing hands, it was a record-breaking trade at this year’s Kelso Ram Sales. With 190 fewer tups sold than last year, the record average was broken once again with 3,254 tups sold to an average of £1,229.18, up £172.83 on the year with a clearance rate of 86%.
Leading the trade across all 15 rings were Gordon and David Gray, Selkirk, with a Texel shearling from their Ettrick flock, which sold for £35,000. By Sadlehead Fury, which the family bought from Lanark for just 1,000gns, it was an ET brother to the £42,000 Ettrick Grey Goose and maternal brother to the 17,000gns Ettrick Everest. Knocked down to Paul Slater, of the Whiteley Hey flock, Macclesfield, it marks the Gray family’s highest price to date for a shearling at Kelso.
Three tups sold to a high of £18,000, the first being the top price Texel, also from the Gray family. Another Sadlehead Fury son and out of a Claybury Dunkirk-sired ewe, it sold to Michael James, Wales.
The next at £18,000, and topping the crossing Bluefaced Leicester trade, was Malcom and Gary Thornborrow and Marian Porter, Easter Dawyck, with a shearling by the 65,000gns P1 Riddings. Out of L1
Riddings, the shearling was used last year as a lamb, with its first crop of tup lambs heading to Hawes and Carlisle next month. It sold to Martin Allan, Knock Hall.
The third at £18,000 was the top price Beltex, a shearling from Gary Beacom, Co Tyrone. A Lurg Grand Slam son, which Mr Beacom bought for 45,000gns from Carlisle two years ago, it was out of Aviemore Curie, which was female champion at the Lanark Beltex sale in 2018. It marks Mr Beacom’s top price to date for a Beltex tup and was knocked down to the Story family’s BorderEsk flock, Carlisle.
Top price
Making £13,000 and third top price for the Texels was Steven Renwick, Glenrath, with a shearling by the 52,000gns Midlock Express. Out of a Sportsmans Cannon Ball daughter, the shearling was third in the Texel National Show this year and sold to Ted Fox, Lanarkshire, and Jonathan Watson, Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Topping the trade for the traditional Bluefaced Leicesters at £12,000 was Derek Brown, Weston. By R19 Kirkstead, which was purchased at Carlisle for 1,000gns, and out of an L30 Kirkstead ewe, it sold to Lisa Fleming, Falnash.
Suffolk shearlings sold to £5,200 on two occasions, in both the registered and non-registered sections. The
Traditional Bluefaced Leicester shearling from Derek Brown, Weston, which sold for £12,000 to Lisa Fleming, Falnash.
Ingram family, Aberdeenshire, topped the registered Suffolks with a Langside Roger son from their Logie Durno flock. Out of a home-bred ewe, it was the first time out for the shearling, which sold to Caroline Brown and Sheila Mason, North Yorkshire.
John Elliot, Kelso, topped the non-registered Suffolks with a shearling by Bessiebell Evel Knievel, which was bought out of Ballymena for 5,000gns. Placed champion in the non-registered Suffolk pre-sale show, the shearling was knocked down to the Shaw family, Smailholm Mains.
Cross-bred tups sold to £6,200 for a Beltex cross Texel shearling from Craig Mellor, Annstead, which sold to the Peart family, Frosterley.
Jimmy Douglas of the Clola flock, Cairness, led the Border Leicester trade at £5,000 with a Knockglass Bright Eye son out of a Muirmouth ewe, which sold to Duncan Whyte, Glasgow.
AVERAGES
Crossing Bluefaced Leicester shearling from Malcom and Gary Thornborrow and Marian Porter, Easter Dawyck, which sold for £18,000 to Martin Allan, Knock Hall.
Auctioneers: Border Livestock Exchange, C. and C. Auction Marts, Harrison and Hetherington, Hexham and Northern Marts, Lawrie and Symington, North East Livestock Sales, United Auctions.
Top price Beltex, a shearling from Gary Beacom’s Lakeview flock, Co Tyrone, which sold for £18,000 to the Story family’s BorderEsk flock, Carlisle.
UK’S
Scots Valais Blacknose record price smashed
● Overall male champion leads trade
A SCOTTISH record price of 11,000gns was achieved at the inaugural show and sale of Valais Blacknose sheep held at Lanark on behalf of the Scottish Valais Blacknose Club.
The sale topper was the overall male champion, Highland Jazzy from Raymond Irvine and Jenni McAllister, Inverlochy, Glenlivet. This two-shear ram is by Highland Furryboots and out of the homebred dam, Highland Erin II. It sold to Messrs Wood, Prendwick Farm, Whittingham.
Getting some of their outlay back, Messrs Wood led the shear-
Leyburn sees rearing calves to £750 high
THE late summer rearing calf show at Leyburn for the Peter Metcalfe Memorial Trophy saw Judy Metcalfe, family and friends there to present the trophy to the champion calf, a British Blue bull from David and John Smith, of M. and D. Smith, Keighley. It went on to sell to the judge, Katie Grainger, Bedale, for £750.
Reserve champion went to a Charolais heifer from Stephen Sowray, Bishop Thornton, which made £680 to Michael Radford, Bedale.
The second placed British Blue bull consigned by Stuart Whitehead, West Burton, made £590.
David and John Smith took all three prizes in the Blue heifer class and made £455 and £450 twice.
Bulls
Limousin and Charolais bulls from Stephen Sowray took first and second prizes and made £615 and £640, with John Pratt, Bainbridge, in third with a British Blonde which made £565.
The native bull class saw Aberdeen-Angus in first and second place, with both making £595 for Alwyn, Mark and James Spence, Aysgarth, and Mr Sowray respectively. In third was Messrs Smith with a Hereford at £495. They also had first prize heifer of the same breed which made £410.
Auctioneers: Leyburn Auction Mart.
ling ram trade at 2,000gns with Prendwick Knight Rider. By the Cheshire Incredible Hulk and out of Prendwick Faith, it sold online to Richard Beattie, Glenpark, Omagh.
Female trade
Topping the female trade at 1,000gns was a ewe lamb, Prend-
wick Lady Top, also from Prendwick Farms. The ET-bred lamb by Yew Tree Bertie out of Prendwick Dot, sold to Steven Dace, Over Alderley.
Overall male champion, Highland Jazzy, from Raymond Irvine and Jenni McAllister, Inverlochy, Glenlivet, which sold for 11,000gns to Messrs Wood, Prendwick Farm, Whittingham.
Breeding sheep in demand at Ruswarp sale
AT the Castleton Crackers evening sale of rams and females at Ruswarp both male and female championships went to Deborah Whitcher, Whenby, with the overall supreme going to her Charollais shearling ram, which went on to sell to J.L. Smith, Hawksker, for £700.
Her champion female, a Charollais gimmer, made £360 to the judge, Jim Stenton, Thornton Dale, with Charollais ram lambs from the same home selling to £400.
Ian Ford, Glaisdale, took reserve champion male with his Texel cross Charollais shearling ram which made £800.
James Floyd, Ugthorpe, had the winning non-MV ram lamb with a Texel which sold for £500. He also sold Texel shearlings to £620.
MV section
In the MV section the red rosette went to James Wilkinson, Sneaton, with a Suffolk ram lamb which made £480 with his Suffolk shearlings selling to £500 twice.
M.W. Cook and Son, Kildale, sold a Meatlinc cross Beltex shearling ram for £680.
Brendan Drew, Glaisdale, took reserve female champion with a Cheviot gimmer shearling which made the top price female price of £500. It sold to young local breeder Charlie Parker, Grosmont, who also bought a gimmer lamb from the same vendor for £300. Auctioneers: Richardson and Smith.
Yearling ewes to £500 at Bishops Castle
THE sale of 3,500 breeding sheep at Bishops Castle included a flock dispersal of 60 Charolais and Texel yearling ewes from J.S. and B.M. Vance and Son, Minsterley, which averaged £389/head topping at £500/head. Overall the 2,322 yearling ewes averaged £237.50.
The winning of pen of Welsh
Mules from Phillip Pugh, of N.L. Pugh and Co, Much Wenlock, went on to sell for £280/head.
The Derek Pugh Challenge Cup for the highest priced pen of 10 or more commercial-bred ewes was also won by Messrs Pugh with a pen of 20 Texel ewes which sold for £272/head.
The 180 aged ewes averaged £160
and peaked at £202 for G. and S.J. Jones, Bishops Castle, with 1,000 ewe lambs averaging £160 and peaking at £186 for G.H. Bayliss and Son, Kerry. The 12 breeding rams averaged £475 topping at £650 for a Texel shearling from N. and K. Unwin, Carno.
Auctioneers: Halls.
Overall the 2,322 yearling ewes forward at Bishops Castle averaged £237.50.
NEMSA lambs to £750 high at Hawes
● Champion pen leads trade on day two
THE Farmers Guardian-supported two-day show and sale of more than 19,000 gimmer lambs at Hawes on behalf of the North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) averaged £167.74, up £41.71 on the year.
Trade peaked at £750/head on the second day for the champion pen from Messrs Lord, North Stainmore, which sold to Winter Bros, Appleby. Another pen from the same home made £400/ head to J. Morris, Northampton.
The second prize pen from W. and D. Lawson, Westhouse, was also awarded the trophy for the best pen from the Hawes NEMSA branch. They went on to sell for £300/head to J.S. Robinson, Carnforth.
Fifth prize pen
Also selling for £300 was the fifth prize pen from J. Allison and Sons, Swaledale, which were bought by C. and T. Hewitt, Tatham.
The fourth prize winners from J.C. Walker and Son, Dunsop Bridge, sold for £340/head also to Messrs Morris.
On the first day the champions
To find out where we will be next, go to farmersguardian.com/mth-roadshow
from G. and H.R. Shields, Ravenstonedale, went on to sell for £650/ head to Winter Bros.
The second prize winners and best pen from the Hawes NEMSA branch were consigned by J.A. and R. Caton, Bell Busk, and sold for £410/head to Messrs Morris.
The third prize-winning pen from W.A. and A. Booth, Feizor, sold for £480/head to M. and B. Allen, Staithes.
Making £640/head was the fifth prize pen from M. Allan, Appleby, which were knocked down to J. and H. Tustain, Banbury.
The quality top pen lambs regularly sold in excess of £200/head. Strong good types of tupping lambs sold between £175 and £200. Strong runners and small tupping lambs were £155-£170. The smaller lambs were in big demand selling between £140 and £155.
Auctioneers: Hawes Farmers Auction Mart Co.
Averages were up £41.71 on the year at the two-day show and sale.
First day champion pen of lambs, from G. and H.R. Shields, Ravenstonedale, which sold for £650/head to Winter Bros, Appleby.
Second day champion pen, from Messrs Lord, North Stainmore, which sold for £750/head to Winter Bros, Appleby.
PICTURES: WAYNE HUTCHINSON
Hawes saw more than 19,000 gimmer lambs forward across the two days.
Auctioneer Ian Atkinson
● Shetland sheep sell to £315 for ram lamb
THE Farmers Guardian-supported show and sale of rare and minority breeds at Lanark topped at £504 for the Hebridean champion, Glendoick Jagerbomb, a ram from Euan Dunbar, Errol, Perth, which sold to Eric Medway of E.R. and E.A. Medway, Knox Hill.
Next at £315 was a Hebridean shearling ram from the same home, which went to Hopetown Estate, South Queensferry.
Making £294 was a Hebridean ram from M. McCornick’s Whitestone flock, Newton Stewart, which was knocked down to P. MacNeil, Isle of Barra.
Mr McCornick then paid the same money for a Hebridean shearling ram from Cathy Cassie’s Ronasvoe flock, Armathwaite.
Also at £294 was a Hebridean shearling ram consigned by J.R. and C.J. Mosely’s Bryland flock, West Linton, which went to Peter Forman, Halkirk, and a shearling ram from V.C.K. Mason’s Sycamore flock, Nantwich, which sold to C. Strang, Halkirk.
Shetland sheep sold to £315 for a
Hebridean champion Glendoick Jagerbomb from Euan Dunbar, Errol, Perthshire, which sold to Eric Medway of E.R. and E.A. Medway, Knox Hill, for £504.
from Kate Sharp, East Lothian, which sold for £315 to A. and F. Hipwell, Kinross.
Hebridean ram tops Lanark rare breeds
ram lamb from K. Sharp’s Ewington flock, Humbie, East Lothian, which sold to A. and F. Hipwell, Kinross.
Making £168 was a Shetland gimmer from D. Alcorn’s Annavale flock, Biggar, which went home with B.D. Marshall, Newton Stewart.
Top price in the Castlemilk Moorit section was £84 for a gimmer from Ian Stewart’s Aquhorthies flock, Huntly, which sold to A. and M. Sherwood, Lilliesleaf.
Auctioneers: Lawrie and Symington.
Top price for the Shetlands went to a ram lamb
Left to right: Caitlin Palmer of sponsors Harbro, first prize winner Fiona Hipwell, judge Anne Artis and reserve, Denise Palmer.
Hebridean judging at Lanark’s show and sale of rare and minority breeds.
Young handlers take to the ring to show their sheep.
Auctioneer Sandy Moore
Scotch Mule ewe lambs make £195/head high
THE sale of Scotch Mule lambs at Dumfries topped at £195/head for a pen from Caruthers Farming, Merkland.
The judge, David Morgan, Herefordshire, awarded the championship to a pen from T. and T. Anderson, Dornal, which went on to sell for £185/head.
The reserve champion pen was from D. Henderson, Sweetshawhead, and made £182/head.
Overall lambs averaged £160.10, up £43.50 on the year.
Blackface ewe lambs were a selective trade selling to £115 for Kirkland Farming, Kirkland.
Scotch Mule breeding ewes sold to £188 for Grange Partnership, Barnmuir, with two-/three-crop ewes.
Store lambs topped at £117 for Texels from J.D.M. Thomson, Pilmuir.
Auctioneers: C. and D. Auctions.
Champion pen, from T. and T. Anderson, Dornal, which sold for £185 per head.
Simmental heifer to 8,000gns
● Ballinalare Farm line-up tops 4,900gns
SIMMENTAL females sold to 8,000gns at the joint production sale for the Ballinalare Farm herd from Joe and Alan Wilson, Newry, Co Down, and the Ranfurly herd of David and Jonny Hazelton, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, at Rathfriland Farmers Co-op.
The sale topper was the show
heifer Ranfurly Weikel 52 from Messrs Hazelton. This 15-monthold heifer is by the Auchorachan ACDC son, Ranfurly Limelight out of Ranfurly Weikel.
It was junior champion at the NI Four Breeds Calf Show 2023; reserve junior champion at Balmoral in 2024 and a first prize winner at the National Show, Antrim, and sold to John Warnock’s Templefyn herd, Carrowdore, Co Down.
Two heifers sold for 6,000gns.
First was the January 2022-born incalf heifer Ranfurly Weikel 47 by Samark Superman. It sold, in-calf to Clonagh Tiger Gallant to David Smith and Rachael Reid for the Bowhill herd, Ayrshire.
Daughter
Also selling at 6,000gns was the November 2022-born Ranfurly Stella 15 a Woodhall Ferrari daughter, which went to John Byrne, Banbridge. Leading Joe Wilson’s Ballinalare
New Hill Radnor record set at 780gns
A NEW female record of 780gns was set at the Hill Radnor Flock Book Society show and sale at Talybont-on-Usk for the reserve champion. This was a yearling ewe from D.C.L. and C.J. Williams’ Trawscoed flock, Brecon, which sold to the Dillon family, for the Gwarallt flock, Carmarthenshire.
The female champions, a pair of yearling ewes from V. Ellingworth’s Rohan flock, Carmarthen, sold for 310gns/head to the Catteshall flock, Surrey. Yearling ewes averaged £248.85.
Two-year-old ewes topped at 300gns and averaged £233, while three-year-olds topped at 180gns and averaged £154.35.
Older ewes averaged £157, while broken mouth averaged £94.50. A three-year-old ewe with a ewe lamb made 320gns.
Male
Top price male at 1,260gns went to a shearling ram from one of the judges, Owain Jenkins, of the Derri flock, Pembroke. It sold to Seth Mather’s Holbourne flock, Lancashire.
Next, at 1,080gns, was a yearling ram from the Castelldu flock of D.C. Jones, Brecon, which went to the Amgueddfa flock at the National Museum of Wales, St Davids.
The champion ram, a yearling also from Messrs Jones sold for 790gns and the reserve, a ram lamb from the Trawscoed flock sold for 440gns.
Older rams topped at 600gns and averaged £445.20, yearling rams averaged £530, ram lambs topped at 440gns and averaged £173.25.
Auctioneers: Clee, Tompkinson and Francis.
Farm line-up at 4,900gns was January 2023-born Ballinalare Farm Polly by Curaheen Wakeman. Buyers were P. and R. Murtagh, Newry.
AVERAGES Ranfurly – 2 in-calf heifers, £4,515; 12 maiden heifers, £4,646; Ballinalare Farm – 2 heifers with calf at foot, £3,412; 19 in-calf and maiden heifers, £2,990. Auctioneers: Rathfriland Farmers Co-op.
J36 Mule gimmer lambs to £335
AT the sale of North of England Mule gimmer lambs at J36 the class for the ‘stars in their eyes’ individual gimmer lambs was won by T.A. and J.A. Dixon, Yoad Pot, whose lamb sold for the top price of £335.
Overall lambs averaged £151.14 up £34.82 on the year. The main sale topped at £290/head for R. Lawrence, Grange-over-Sands, followed by Messrs Hodgson, Rydal, at £275. Stronger lambs were £160 to £180, runners nicely £140-£155, with only smaller and younger lambs £125-£135.
Auctioneers: North West Auctions.
Prime lamb demand sees prices reach 432.7p/kg at Kirkby Stephen
THE 2,787 prime lambs on offer at Kirkby Stephen on Tuesday topped at £212 and 432.7p/kg for a 49kg Beltex cross lamb from Messrs
Sowerby, Ormside which was bought by Lancashire Direct Halal Meats.
This home also sold a pair of 51kg
Texel cross lambs to make £202 and a 52kg Beltex cross lamb also making £202 to the same buyer. Cast sheep topped at £260 for a
Texel cross ewe from Messrs Slater, Whiteley Hey Farm, Macclesfield. Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
PICTURE: ROBERT SMITH
www.leekmarket.co.uk
4,750
STORE LAMBS
Friday 27th September - 10.30am
Catalogues are available at www.bagshaws.com
We are now taking entries for the following sales: Friday 4th October - Theaves & Ewes Saturday 5th October - Ram Fair, Show & Sale, MV Section Friday 11th October - Store Lambs Call the Bakewell Office on 01629 812777 (option 2)
UNIT 10 WITHAMBROOK INDUSTRIAL PARK, GRANTHAM NG31 9ST
SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER 2024 AT 10AM
Viewing from 10am until 3pm on Friday 4th October 2024
On Instructions from R C Setchfield Ltd
Large Array of Merlo, Manitou and JCB Handlers (Merlo’s- TF65.9TCS-170 (22’), TF38.10CS-136 (23’) TF42.7CS (23’), TF42.7-145 (21’), TF35.7-140 (22’) TF27.6 (23’-89 hours), P34.7 Plus Panoramic (13’) JCB’s- 542-70 Agri-Xtra (21’) 542-70 Agri Super Loadall (20’) 538-60 Agri Super Loadall (21’), 531-70 (21’), 525-60 (18’) 530-70 Farm Special, Manitou MLT 630-115 Elite & Blanche TW36 Mini 4WD Loading Shovel JCB 4220 Fastrac, 4WS (20’)
Kioti RX 7330 4WD c/w KL7320 Power Loader (24’)
Kioti DK 6020 HST 4WD c/w KL551ON Power Loader (24’)
Ride On Mower, RTV’s and Vehicles, Loading Shovel & Yard Forklift Mowers and Hedgecutters, JCB 8008 Compact Excavator (18’)
Kubota B1750 4WD Compact Tractor, Small Plant Equipment, Weights and Buckets
Telehandler Attachments, New Parts and Agricultural Supply Accessories
Workshop Furniture, Tools and Sundries
For further details: Mark Elliott on 07973 673092 || 01889 562811 email: mark.elliott@bagshaws.com www.bagshaws.com Or James Walton 07920 496350 & Anita Riggall 07966 597930 Of the Brown & Co Humber Office 01482 421234 www.brown-co.com
Sale of all classes of Breeding Ewes, Gimmer Shearlings, Breeding Rams & Gimmer Lambs. Plus special sale of Store Lambs Catalogue Entries by Friday 27th September
Monday 28th October - CLAIMING DATE
Dairy Dispersal Sale on behalf of DJ A & L Sutcliffe, Throstle Nest Farm, Winmarleigh
Saturday 21st September
10am Second Sale of 2000 Breeding Sheep 10.30am 193 PEDIGREE SHEEP DAY
Society Sales on Behalf of Northern Beltex Club, Blue Texel, Badger Face & Dutch Spotted Societies.
Tuesday 24th September
10.30am ALL CLASSES OF PIGS 1pm PRIME LAMBS & CAST SHEEP
Thursday 26th September 10.30am Fortnightly Sale of 5000 STORE LAMBS
Friday 27th September – DRAFT EWE DAY
Great Annual Show & Sale of 6,000 Hill Bred Draft Ewes, Gimmer Shearlings & Gimmer Lambs
To Include The Rough Fell Sheep Breeders Association Annual Prize Show & Sale of Breeding Females
Tuesday 1st October ‘BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN’ Evening Sale of 350 Terminal Sired Breeding Rams
Show & Sale of 300 Registered & Unregistered Bluefaced Leicester Rams & Females
Thursday 10th October
Second Sale of GIMMER LAMBS
Saturday 12th October
The Rough Fell Sheep Breeders Association Show & Sale of Rough Fell Rams
The Charmoise Hill Society Sale of Rams & Females Catalogue Entries by Thursday 26th September
Saturday 19th October ‘LAKELAND FAIR’
Closing Autumn Sale of Breeding Sheep & Rams
Delivery: Monday 30th & Tuesday 1st (9am-4.30pm)
Sale to Commence: Friday 4th October
ONLINE
MACHINERY SALE
Thursday 19th – Saturday 21st September
Viewing of items Today Fri 20th 9am-4pm & Sat 21st September 9am-12noon
SALE OF SUFFOLK & EURO RAMS (INC MV SECTION)
Saturday 21st September
Judging 9.15am, Sale 10.30am. Suffolk & Euro Sale – 135 Rams. WEEKLY PRIMESTOCK SALE
Monday 23rd September 11am Further entries accepted on the sale day.
Tuesday 24th September 12.30pm Prime Lambs & Cull Ewes
Thursday 26th SeptemberShow 10am, Sale 11am. Horned & Hill Going – 1500 Forward comprising of Swaledales, Cheviots & Lonks
on behalf of K Smith, Wholaw Tonge Farm, Coal Pit Lane, Waterfoot, Rossendale, BB4 9SB- John Deere 6520 Reg Q772 PCY, JCB JS131 Yr 20 Manitou 526 4 Meter,CRX 816 Loadall 942 Hours Year 2022,JCB 526 Loadall 8900 Hours, DAF 45.140 285,000km, BMW X1 62 Reg, 1 Tonne Mini Digger & Buckets, Lazer Compact Tractor, Yamaha Grizzly Quad 2015,Ifor Williams 14ft Tri Axle Trailer C/W Decks 14x6,Ifor Williams Plant Trailer CX84,Herbst Plant Trailer 18Tonne,Loadall Bucket, Rotor Spreader, Ballast Roller, Karcher Professional Power Washer, Quad Spreader, Large Tipping Trailer, Cold Water Power Washer 30 Meter Lead, Nilfish Auto 3 Phase Hot/Cold, Self Compact Pellet Boiler ,Cattle Race, IAE Sheep Scale, Sheep/ Quad Trailer, Daxara 107 Trailer, Manitou Bucket, Qty Sheep Hurdles, IAE Sheep Race, Qty Sheep Troughs, Qty 9ft Farm Gates, Qty Heavy Duty Farm Gates, Bale Squeeze, Chain Harrow, Qty Water Bowls Foot Trimming Crush, Hay Rack, Calf Creep Feeder, Qty Ring Feeders Cattle/Sheep, Muck Grab, Bale Spike, Sheep Turnover Crate, Pig Weigh Scale, Plus the usual selection of sundries. Caterers in attendance
SALE ON BEHALF OF THE MIDLAND SHIRE FOAL SOCIETY
Saturday 28th September at Field House Equestrian Centre, Marchington, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 8NX. To include all Heavy Horse Breeds & Associated Tack. Sale starts 10am tack follow by Horse’s 1:30 pm Prompt
FARMSTOCK AUCTIONEERS, BROKERS & VALUERS
BORDERWAY MART, CARLISLE
Tel: 01228 406200
RARE & MINORITY BREEDS
Saturday 21st September
Ring 1: 11am Sale of Piglets, Donkeys and Goats Ring 2: 10.00am Sale of Cattle, followed by Jacob & Kerryhill Sheep Ring 3: 10.30am Sale of All Other Breeds of Sheep, followed by the National Shetland Show and Sale Ring 4: 10.00am Sale of Poultry & Waterfowl Ring 5: 10.00am Sale of Poultry & Waterfowl
STORE LAMBS also BREEDING SHEEP
Monday 23rd September- 11.00am
Including Mule gimmer shearlings and all breeds of ewes, Breeding RAMS
Please advise entries –
Rory Livesey 07535 0015441 or Joe Bowman 07736 883670
COLLECTIVE SALE OF SMALL TOOLS
Within Borderway Mart
Thursday 26th September - 10.30am
To be included in the Small Tools sale within Borderway Mart
On behalf of the late Malcolm Watt - Including 2 Massey Ferguson Tractors, 12ft Ifor Williams cattle trailer c/w decks, 21ft Marshall bale trailer, Portable sheep dipper, Slurry tanker, Trailer, 12ft Ifor Williams flat trailer, Water bowser, Mower, Post Knocker, Sheep Pens, Cattle hurdles (x20), Sheep hurdles (x 20), Sheep troughs (x5) Calf pens fronts (x10), saw bench, work tools
STORE CATTLE STORE & BREEDING SHEEP including the Blackface Show and Sale
Thursday 26th September -11.00am
Kindly sponsored by the Blackface Sheep Breeders & Grange Quarries Ballot Friday 20th September
KIRKBY STEPHEN
Tel: 01768 371385
1,780 BREEDING SHEEP
Saturday 21st September
Judging: Females 9.30am Rams 12 noon
Sale: 1800 Females 10.00am followed by rams approx. 1pm
Annual show and sale of 180 TEXEL & CONTINENTAL RAMS
Also other breed rams
BREEDING SHEEP
Friday 4th October
Special sale of Swaledale ewes, shearlings and gimmer lambs. Show for registered and unregistered uncrossed and cross correct Swaledale ewe and shearling Entries close 10am Thursday 26th September
Wednesday 25th September - 9.30am Show for NEMSA members
Tues evening 24th Sept – 4.00pm
Prize show and sale of BLUEFACED LEICESTER and SWALEDALE RAMS
Saturday 12th October
Also rams of other breeds
Entries close 10am Wednesday 2nd October
Uncrossed And Crossed SWALEDALE BREEDING FEMALES
Also other breeds of ewes and shearlings
Special prize show and sale of EWES & LAMBS
Saturday 12th October
Entries close 10am Wednesday 2nd October
LOCKERBIE MART
Tel: 01576 202332
4,738 NORTH COUNTRY CHEVIOT “HILL” FEMALES
Tuesday 24th September – 11.00am 2205 NC Cheviot Hill Ewes 1364 NC Cheviot Hill Gimmers and 1169 NC Cheviot Hill Lambs
453 NORTH COUNTRY CHEVIOT “HILL”RAMS
Wednesday 25th September – 10.30am
MIDDLETON MART
Tel: 01833 640281
Annual prize show and sale of Uncrossed registered and unregistered
SWALEDALE EWES & SHEARLINGS
Monday 30th September
Entries close 10am Monday 23rd September
SWALEDALE SHEEP BREEDERS ASSOCIATION
“A” District RAM SALE
Wednesday 9th October
Entries to District Secretary
UPCOMING MACHINERY
SALES
Thursday 26th September - 10.30am
ON-SITE SALE OF SMALL TOOLS at Borderway Mart
Wednesday 2nd- Thursday 3rd October
MONTHLY ONLINE
MACHINERY SALE
Entries close Wednesday 25th September
Thursday 24th October
ON-SITE SALE of SMALL TOOLS
At Lockerbie Mart
Friday 25th October
Dispersal sale of FARM MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT & SMALL TOOLS
At Cowdens Farm, Brecktonhill Ecclefechan on behalf of F & M Stirling
Saturday 26th October
Dispersal sale of FARM MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT & SMALL TOOLS
At Robbery, Hunsonby, Penrith On behalf of Messrs Horn
Wednesday 6th – Thursday 7th November
MONTHLY ONLINE
MACHINERY SALE
Entries close 30th October
Friday 22nd November
On Site dispersal sale of PLANT, MACHINERY, VEHICLES & WORKSHOP TOOLS
At Glendinning Groundworks, Walkerburn On behalf of Glendinning Groundworks
Friday 1st November LIVESTOCK CLASSES
Entries close 27th September
TRADE STAND & GIFT RING BOOKINGS
Applications close 27th September
For full details and application forms visit www.borderwayagriexpo.uk
H&H Group plc (H&H)
SALE OF 2520 SHARES OF £1 EACH IN H&H GROUP PLC BY AUCTION
Thursday 3rd October 2024 – 10.30 am in the ring at St Boswells Auction Mart
If you are unable to attend the auction, you can make alternative arrangements to purchase shares either by phone or by leaving commission bids with Margaret Irving on 01228 406334, 07912 485326 or margaret.irving@hhgroupplc.co.uk
Please note that copies of the Annual Report for the period to 30th June 2023 and Interim Report to 31st December 2023 are available on our website at http://hhgroupplc.co.uk/share-news/
Please note that only existing shareholders or restricted investors will be permitted to bid for these shares. If you are Interested in purchasing shares you should contact Margaret Irving to establish whether you meet the eligibility criteria as a relevant investor under relevant legislation. Investments in shares are for the long term. The value of your investment and the income derived from it can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you originally invested. You should not invest unless you are prepared to lose the money you invest. Investment is high risk and you may not be protected if something goes wrong. If you are in any doubt about purchasing shares, you should consult an independent financial advisor author-ised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
This financial promotion has been approved by SPARK Advisory Partners Limited (“SAPL”) under s21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act. SAPL is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. SAPL makes no recommendation as to the suitability of shares in H&H Group plc as an investment.
Upcoming Dates for September
Monday 23rd September
NSA Builth Wells Main Ram Sale
September
Thursday 26th September at 10.30am Annual ‘Tow Law’ Prize Show & Sale of 6000 Mule Gimmer Lambs (Bluefaced Leicester x Swaledale) Consigned by the Weardale Branch of NEMSA
Friday 27th September at 9am
Sale of 1500 Cast Sheep & 6000 Store Lambs Including Show & Sale of Hill Bred Store Lambs Sale of 500 Store Cattle Entries close 10am Monday 23rd September
Monday 30th September at 4pm
Annual Show & Sale of Crossing Type Leicester Rams & Ram Lambs
Thursday 3rd October at 10am
Sale of 6000 Blackface & Swaledale Draft Ewes & Gimmers Sale of Mule, Cheviot, Swaledale, Blackface & Other Ewe Lambs
Entries close Wednesday 25th September
Genuine Flock Dispersal of 300 Texel & Cheviot Mule Aged Ewes & 25 Pure Dutch Texel Aged Ewes On behalf of Messrs J E Henderson & Sons, Burntongues
Wednesday 9th October
Second Sale of Texel, Suffolk, Bluefaced Leicester & Crossbred Rams & Ram Lambs Entries close Tuesday 1st October
Friday 11th October at 9.00am
Sale of 1800 Cast Ewes & 7000 Store Lambs
Annual Prize Show & Sale of 600 Continental Store Cattle & Suckled Calves
Young Farmers Over Wintered Store Cattle Competition 2024/2025
Multi-breed Pedigree Ram Sale to include the following breeds: 403 Texel – Sale at 10am
335 Blue Faced Leicester – Sale at 10am
66 Charollais – Sale at 10am
99 Suffolk – Sale at 11am
52 Border Leicester – Sale at 11:30am
138 Charmoise Hill – Sale at 12:30pm
Please contact the office for more details/catalogues
Mark Lee: 07980924179
Simon Lamb: 07815 188125
Ryan Spackman: 07725 653542
Mark@nortonandbrooksbank.com
MONDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER (10.30 AM) AT
CARMARTHEN LIVESTOCK CENTRE, SA33 5DR GATROG HERD DISPERSAL (280 HEAD)
Dispersal of the renowned GATROG herd, the property of Elwyn and Cheryl Thomas. One of the country’s most outstanding herds to go under the hammer this year. A master breeder herd, displaying the ultimate combination of deep pedigree’s, high production, renowned cow families and show potential. 160 sell in milk with 33 Excellent and 97 Very Good (inc. 39 VG-2yo), comprising 116 bred from 6 to 16 gens VG/EX in the milkers alone. Current herd average of 9,686kg 4.62% 3.20% cell count under 100. Fed on a complete ration of grass and maize plus a blend, housed in cubicles, 2x milking. 120 youngstock sell, providing a unique opportunity for the future, comprising 35 in calf heifers, many due shortly, 47 maidens and 42 calves at foot. Top proven sires throughout, backed will full pedigree’s from families such as Adeen, Ambrosia, Celicia, Cosmopolitan, Farrah, Ghost, Jodie, Lila Z, Oralie, Rapture, Roxy and Vaakje, to name a few. High Health, IBR Vacc., BVD monitored & Free (Gwaredu BVD Scheme) with NO positive Johnes. This sale offers cattle for all systems and should not be missed. Join us for what promises to be the event of this Autumns sales calender.
Sale in conjunction with Nock Deighton (Llyr Jones 07812 934964).
Sale via MARTEYE. Catalogues available by request, call, text, email for copy.
WORCESTER MARKET
SATURDAY 21st SEPTEMBER
Sale of 800 Easycare Sheep
Sale at 11.00am starting with the females, followed by the rams For more information please contact Worcester Office on 01905 769770
BUILTH WELLS NSA RAM SALE
Monday 23rd September
Follow us on
McCartneys are pleased to offer for sale by auction 640
top quality Rams & Ram Lambs
Regulated by
viz:- 426 Suffolk (RING 8), 34 Texel & Texel X (RING 9), 116 Beltex & Beltex X & Charollais X (RING 9), 16 Blueface X (Ring 9), 18 Hampshire Down, 6 Charmoise Hill, 6 Charmoise X (Ring 3), 7 Cambridge (RING 9), 4 Blue Texel & 6 Poll Dorset (Ring 3) All Rings commence selling at 10.30am Catalogues / Enquiries Tel: 01905 769770 (Ref: JA)
AUCTION MARTS
Tuesday 24th September at 10.30am
100 Store & Breeding Cattle
9,000 Store Lambs including Special Sale of Cheviots & Blackfaces
Monday 30th September at 10am
7,500 Border Cheviot Ewe & Ram Sale 7,500 North & South Country Cheviot Ewes (incl. regular age dispersals), Gimmers & Ewe Lambs
N.C. Cheviot Society Sale of 150 Park and Hill Shearling and 2-Shear Rams
Special Sale of 80 Traditional Bluefaced Leicester Shearling Rams
Tuesday 1st October at 10.30am
9,000 Store Lambs to include Cheviot and Blackface
Show 10.30am Sale 10.45am Entries & Enquiries to Kyle PRIME, CAST & FEEDING CATTLE
Sale 11.30am (TB exempt section available) PRIME LAMBS - Sale 12.30pm followed by CAST EWES, RAMS & GOATS
Tuesday 24th September
2nd Show & Sale of 5,815 NEMSA MULE GIMMER LAMBS Sale 10.00am
Wednesday 25th September
40 FEEDING BULLS Sale 10.00am followed by 35 BEEF FEEDING COWS &
400 STORE BULLOCKS & HEIFERS & 60 BREEDING CATTLE
Inc Herd Dispersal of Beef Shorthorn Cows & Calves on behalf of Gill Bottom Farm Ltd & Retirement Sale of 10 Cows with Calves at Foot/In Calf Cows on behalf of A Gaythorpe
Saturday 28th September
Complete on farm dispersal of Tractors, Machinery & Equipment on behalf of DG Boothman – Halton East Details on www.ccmauctions.com
Pre-Sale Commission bidding is available via the online auctions page until Friday 27th September
Tuesday 1st October
Fortnightly Sale of BREEDING EWES & SHEARLINGS
Special Pennines Sale of CHEVIOT, LONK, GRITSTONE & WHITE FACED WOODLAND EWES & SHEARLINGS & Annual Sale of DRAFT & BROKEN MOUTHED HALFBRED & HORNED EWES
(Entries close Monday 23rd September)
Annual Evening Show & Sale of 143 BLUE FACED LEICESTER RAMS & FEMALES
Judging 3.30pm Sale 5.00pm
Wednesday 2nd October
Sale of 8,000 STORE LAMBS & FEEDING EWES
(Entries close Monday 23rd September)
Dairy Cattle
Monday 23rd September
SHOW & SALE OF DAIRY CATTLE
Sale 12.00noon
Monday 14th October
SHOW & SALE OF DAIRY CATTLE
Inc AUTUMN JERSEY & COLOURED BREEDS Entries & Enquiries to Sarah 07710 795585
Breeding Sheep Sales
Saturday 5th October
Annual Show & Sale of SWALEDALE EWES & SHEARLINGS
(Entries close Monday 23rd September) Monday 7th October Evening
Special Sale of SWALEDALE RAMS (Entries close Monday 30th September)
Tuesday 8th October
Annual Show & Sale of SWALEDALE, DALES
MULE & MASHAM GIMMER LAMBS & Open Show & Sale of MULE GIMMER LAMBS
(Entries close Monday 30th September)
Pedigree Sheep Sales
Thursday 3rd October
REGISTERED LLEYN BREEDING SHEEP
Friday 4th October
Annual MULTI BREED RAM SALE
(Entries close Friday 20th September)
Saturday 12th October
50 PEDIGREE CHAROLLAIS FEMALES
Farm Sales
Thursday 10th October – Claiming Date
Farm Sale on behalf of W, J & E Harker & Son, Pateley Bridge – Listing Available Online
Working Sheepdog Sale
Friday 11th October
LIVE FIELD SALE OF WORKING SHEEPDOGS
(Entries close Wednesday 25th September)
Horse Sale
Saturday 19th October
110 COBS, HORSES & PONIES at Upper Austby Farm, Langbar, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29 0EQ
Incl. Mares and Foals, Horses and Ponies broken and unbroken.
On instructions from BH Gray&Sons
Border Fine Arts & Collectables
Saturday 14th December
Agricultural Themed BORDER FINE ARTS & BESWICK PIECES
& New Sale of AGRICULTURAL THEMED TOYS & COLLECTABLES
More details & entry forms available soon
BENTHAM AUCTION MART
015242
Friday 20th September at 1pm
419 RAMS-TERMINAL SIRES
inc. 170 Texel, 151 Beltex/XBR, 75 Suffolk & 25 Misc.
Tuesday 24th September at 10.30am 7000 STORE LAMBS
Wednesday 25th September at 10.30am
30 Newly Calved Dairy Cattle followed by DISPERSAL SALE OF THE HEATHWAITE HERD OF 110 PEDIGREE & CROSSBRED JERSEYS Viz. 61 Jersey & 26 Crossbred Cows and Heifers & 25 Mainly Crossbred In-calf & Served Heifers On behalf of JA Jenkinson & Son, Fordsyke Farm, Carlisle
To be held at Bentham Auction in conjunction with Kivells Contact Mark Davis 07773 371 774 or Will 07590 876 849
11am 100-150 Rearing Calves 2.30pm 2500 Cast Ewes followed by 3000 Spring Lambs
Friday 27th September at 11am BREEDING EWES GIMMER SHEARLINGS
Flock Dispersals from J & E Nuttall viz 400 Mule Shlgs-3 Crop & 200 Texel x 1-3 Crop. Messrs A Hoggarth viz 250 Mule 1-3 Crop. SJ Wainwright viz 340 Texel x/ Mule Shlgs-3 Crop
Saturday 28th September at 10am 5000 GIMMER LAMBS
4000 NofE Mule & 1000 Masham, Chev Mule etc. Monday 30th September 10.30am Feeding & Cast Cows & OTM Cattle Followed by 200 STORE CATTLE Entries for catalogue close Friday 20th September Tuesday 1st October Annual Show & Sale of 5,000 SWALEDALE, CHEVIOT & OTHER HILL EWES & GIMMER SHEARLINGS DALESBRED ASSOCIATION SALES
Friday 4th October at 11am 1500 DALESBRED EWES, SHEARLINGS & GIMMER LAMBS
Monday 7th October at 11.30am 200 DALESBRED AGED & SHEARLING RAMS
HAWES, NORTH YORKSHIRE, DL8 3NP
01969 667207 www.hawesmart.co.uk
Tuesday 24th September 10am
2000 Prime Lambs
400 Cast Ewes & Rams 20 Calves 10:30am
Thursday 26th September 5pm
AShow & Sale of 213 Terminal Sire Rams & BFL Rams.
Section for MV Accredited Rams
Judging at 3:30pm Sale at 5pm
Sale Sponsored by Midgley Motors, Skipton & Castle Farm Vets, Barnard Castle
Friday 27th September
Sale of 3000 Store Lambs.
Monday 30th September 9am
110,000 Mule, Cheviot Mule & Cont x Gimmer Lambs & Shearlings. Judging 8am Sale 9am Sponsored by JN & E Capstick Insurance Consultants
Thursday 3rd October 9am
Annual Show & Sale of 673 Bluefaced Leicester crossing Rams & Females On behalf of the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Association.
Monday 7th October Show & Sale of Swaledale Breeding Ewes & Gimmer Shearlings. Sale includes Uncrossed & Crossed ewes. Catalogue closes Tues 24th September
Saturday 12th October
Annual Show & Sale of Swaledale Gimmer Lambs & Shearlings. Cat closes Tuesday 1st October
Ian Atkinson 07957 256337 Kenton Foster 07711 469280.
TWO FARM STOCK SALES ON ONE DAY
The company are delighted to have been favoured with instructions from two highly respected South Tyne family farming enterprises to conduct retirement dispersal sales, both on the same day.
Saturday 28th September 2024 at 10.30am BURN HOUSE, COANWOOD, HALTWHISTLE, NE48 0PX. On behalf of P.H McVittie Esq. (Retiring)
Tractors & Handlers etc; New Holland TM140 Power Command 4wd Tractor (FX04 FXR/5708hrs); New Holland TS115 Turbo 4wd Tractor with Quicke Q950 Fore end Loader (SA52 LPJ/5700hrs); Manitou MLT523 Turbo Maniscopic Telehandler (NK06 FHX/3608hrs); New Holland LS160 Skidsteer Loader (PX07 HMY/1960hrs); Attachments (Euro Brackets); 3 sets Pallet Forks; Fork Extensions; Slewtic 6ft Manure Grab; Two 6ft Buckets; 4ft 6in Bucket; Dinsdale Skidsteer Yard Scraper; Snow Plough; Skidsteer Bucket Brush; Concept 8ft & One Other Access Crate; Two ALO Flexigrip & One Flexibal Bale Handlers & One Other; Concept Bag Lifter; Concept Bale Spike; Skidsteer Silage Pusher; Euro/Manitou Adaptor; Skidsteer/Euro Adaptor; Bobcat E26 Mini-Digger c/x Hydr. Hitch, New Tracks & 4 Buckets; Polaris Ranger Diesel 4wd Utility Vehicle (ND21 0SP); Honda 500ES 4wd ATV c/w rider ‘pod’ (8938km). Machinery; Portequip 22ft Twin Axle Bale Trailer & One Other; Marshall 8.5tn Twin Axle Tipping Trailer c/w Hydr. Door; Ifor Williams GX126 Tri-Axle Plant Trailer & P6E ‘Tup’ Trailer; Graham Edwards 14ft, Tri-Axle Drop-sided General Purpose Trailer; Ifor Williams 14ft Tri-Axle Livestock Trailer; Taarup 3024 Mtd. Mower; Kuhn GF8712 8 Rotor Tedder (2019); Major 9ft Trailed Pasture Topper; Transpread 830 Trailed Fert. Spreader; Einbock 5mtr Mtd. Grass Harrows; Jarmet 5mtr Folding Harrows; Hardi Master HYB 1000ltr Mtd. Crop Sprayer; NC Vacuum Tanker (Spares or repair); Watson & Twose Field Rollers; Massey-Ferguson Discs; Mole Plough; Taarup 852 Mtd. Bedding Machine; Protech P200S Mtd. Post Knocker; Teagle PTO Cement Mixer; SGM Balemaster Unwinder; Logic ‘Multi-Feeder’ Snacker; Logic ATV Sprayer & Boom; ATV Chain Harrows; Logic Quick Hitch; Slurry Aerator; Set 4 Dual Wheels (24/36); 17 Bale Clamp; Lister Bale Elevator; Tractor Rear Weight Block, etc. Livestock Requisites & Misc; Three Portequip Hogg Hoppers; Two Double Cattle Troughs; Two Cradle Ring Feeders; Volac Automatic Calf/Lamb Milk Feeder; Ritchie Galv. Lamb Weigh Crate; IAE Galv. Sheep Turning Crate; Glendale Galv. Sheep Dressing Stand; IAE Galv. Sheep Race;Qty Asstd. Galv. Sheep Hurdles; IAE Sheep Adopter Gates; Qty Asstd. Trolley Hay Hecks; 4 Engineered Double Wool Packing Crate; Qty Sheep Troughs; Sheep Box Feeders; Lamb Warming Box; Gate Hecks; Three Feeding Barrows; Asstd. Vet & Med.; Asstd. Fencing Materials; Ladders; Brayton Super 1500 Steam Cleaner; Compressor; Lister & Longhorn Clipping Machines; Workshop Items & Small Tools, etc., etc.
Directions – Burn House lies five miles South of Haltwhistle and two miles to the East of Coanwood. Access is via a single track minor road and over a narrow bridge therefore lorries should approach with caution and four wheel drive vehicles are advised. The sale will be signposted from the A69 on the Haltwhistle by-pass. At the conclusion of the Burn House Sale and not before 2:30pm
WHITECHAPEL FARM HAYDON BRIDGE, HEXHAM, NE47 6DZ
On Behalf of Messrs J Herdman & Son (Retiring).
To include; John Deere 6200 4wd Tractor with Tanco 978QA Fore end Loader (P159 AJR/ 7481 hours); Slewtic Loader Bucket; Fordson Major Vintage Tractor; Honda 420cc 4wd ATV (3409hrs); AS Marston 6 Ton Tipping Trailer; Bale Trailer & One Other; Hudson 12ft Livestock Trailer; Logic & Two Other ATV Trailers; Car Trailer; LandMec RK1650 SIP Mower; International 440 Conventional Baler; Mesko-Rol Z275 Haybob; Kverneland UN7558 Bale Wrapper; Twose Bale Handler; Bale Spike; Lister Elevator; Slewtic Pasture Topper; C-Dax ATV Snacker; Fraser Corn Crusher; Premier Unistock Cattle Crush; Two Double Cattle Troughs; IAE Galv. Lamb Weigh Crate; Sheep Dressing Stand; Cattle & Sheep Hurdles & Gates; Adopter Hurdles; Feed Bin; Sheep Troughs; Footbath; Shepherdess Milk Bucket; Gas Dehorner; Two Diesel Tanks; Compressor; Power Washer; Anvil; Qty Asstd. Fencing Timber & Wire; Qty Building & Flagstones & Slates; Qty Firewood; Glazed Troughs & Sinks; Garden Seats; Hen House, Poultry Crates & Nest Boxes; Cast Rake Wheels; Oil Can; Aero Seed Fiddle; Two Milk Churns; Acrow Props; Ladders; Qty Lead; Husqvarna Chainsaw; Lister Shearing Machine; Cattle Clippers; Stack Sheet; Tow Bar & Wires; Jack; Qty of Hand, Fencing & Garden Tools etc; Qty Scrap Metal, etc. etc.
PLEASE NOTE – BOTH SALES WILL BE LIVE AUCTION FORMAT ONLY – NO ONLINE BIDDING ALL LOTS BECOME THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PURCHASER AT THE FALL OF THE HAMMER, LOADING FACILITIES AVAILABLE ON SALE DAY ONLY.
ALL LOTS TO BE REMOVED WITHIN 5 DAYS OF THE SALE REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE AT BOTH SALES
Tuesday 15th October,
Sale of Store Lambs & Breeding
Directions – Whitechapel lies three miles West of Haydon Bridge on the North Side of the A69 Newcastle to Carlisle trunk road and will be well signposted on the approach from both the East & West. Please note access is directly off a particularly straight and fast-moving stretch of the carriageway and should be approached with caution. Please also be aware if the weather is inclement 4x4 vehicles are advisable and lorries by arrangement only.
Contact the auctioneers for further details. Images of selected lots for both sales can be viewed at www.hexhammart.co.uk and on our facebook page.
WEDNESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER – 11AM
BENTHAM AUCTION MART, NR LANCASTER LA2 7HF
DISPERSAL SALE OF 110 PEDIGREE & CROSSBRED JERSEYS
On behalf of JA Jenkinson, Fordsyke Farm, Carlisle
The Sale comprises: 63 Jersey & 27 Crossbred Jersey Cows & Heifers and 20 In Calf & Served Heifers Sale in conjunction with Richard Turner & Son Call Mark Davis 07773371774 or Will Alexander 07590876849
Forthcoming Dairy Sales
Friday 11th October - 11am
Exeter Livestock Centre, Devon EX2 8FD
Dispersal Sale of the entire well classified ‘Loford’ herd of Pedigree Holsteins on behalf of M Wade of Bideford, Devon - In conjunction with Norton & Brooksbank
Tuesday 15th October - 11am
Exeter Livestock Centre, Devon EX2 8FD
Dispersal Sale of the Master Breeder awarded ‘Hollafrench’ herd of Pedigree Holsteins on behalf of Messrs WS Jose & Son, Holsworthy, Devon - In conjunction with Norton & Brooksbank
ONLINE BIDDING AVAILABLE FOR ALL DAIRY SALES VIA Full details & Catalogues available on www.kivells.com
For further information on the above sale please contact: Mark Davis 07773371774 or Catalogues from 01392 251261
CLWYD WELSH PONY & COB ASSOCIATION Sale @ 11am Of Registered Welsh Ponies, Cobs & Part-Breds At The Vale of Clwyd Livestock Centre, Ruthin. LL15 1PB On SATURDAY 28th SEPTEMBER 2024
Catalogues being prepared and online as soon as ready @ www.ruthinfarmers.co.uk *** *** *** ***
SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2024
ANNUAL SALE OF SUCKLER BRED WEANLING CALVES At the Vale of Clwyd Livestock Centre, Parc Glasdir, Ruthin LL15 1PB
10,000 MULE GIMMER LAMBS & CHEV MULE
10,000 MULE GIMMER LAMBS & CHEV MULE
FRIDAY 18th OCTOBER (10am) AT TILSTONE BANK FARM, TARPORLEY, CW6 9QH For TJ & SL Mansell DISPERSAL SALE OF THE TILSTONE HERD OF 400 HOLSTEIN FRIESIANS Further
MARKET DRAYTON MARKET LTD
01630 652 926 | marketdraytonmarket.co.uk
Jonty Cliffe 07595 453 306 dairy@barbers-auctions.co.uk Catalogues by post on application only
marketdraytonmarket.co.uk
Jonty Cliffe 07595 453 306 dairy@barbers-auctions.co.uk Catalogues by post on application only
PATELEY BRIDGE AUCTION MART
SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER
of 170 cattle & 500 sheep Sale at 11am
JOHNS CHAPEL AUCTION MART
FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER
PRIZE SHOW & SALE OF 1950 NEMSA MULE GIMMER LAMBS Sale at 11am
SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER
PRIZE SHOW & SALE OF 1300 SWALEDALE EWES, GIMMER SHEARLINGS & GIMMER LAMBS Sale at 10.30am
TUESDAY 8TH OCTOBER
Swaledale Sheep Breeders D District Ram Sale 250 RAMS Sale at 10am
BROUGHTON AUCTION MART
TUESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER Sale of 270 Ewes/Shearling/Gimmer Lambs & 21 Rams & 900 Store Lambs Sale at 11am
MONDAY
Tel Libby Bell Auctioneer on 07818435728
...Yorkshire’s Friendly Mart
WEDNESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER
Dedicated Slaughter Market
350 Prime Cattle 520 Prime Sheep 175 Prime Pigs Pigs 9am Sheep 9.45am Cattle 10.30am
SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER
Store & Breeding Cattle at 10.45am Breeding & Store Sheep at 9.45am Store & Breeding Pigs at 9am
*ALL SALES SUBJECT TO CURRENT BLUE TONGUE RESTRICTIONS*
Contact Office for Details MART OFFICE: 01757 703347
RICHARD HAIGH 07768 594535
www.selbymart.co.uk
The Darlington Farmers Auction Mart Humbleton Park I Darlington I DL2 2XX
*Anniversary Week*
To celebrate 4 years at our Humbleton site please join us for the following sales;
Monday 23rd September
Show and Sale of 400 suckled calves and store cattle and 2000 store lambs
Sale of cattle to commence at 11am Sale of sheep to commence at 10.30am
Tuesday 24th September
Show and sale of 1,700 gimmer lambs & 1000 breeding sheep plus 2nd sale of 100 breeding rams & ram lambs.
No MV section in place Sale to commence at 10.30am Thursday 26th September
Show and sale of prime stock (Catalogues for Monday and Tuesday are available on our website)
Tuesday 8th October
LEYBURN MART
Contact Office for Details MART OFFICE: 01757 703347
RICHARD HAIGH: 07768 594535 www.selbymart.co.uk
150 Suffolk & Continental Rams (Show & Sale) Female Breeding Sheep: Order of Sale:350 Mule & Cont Shlgs & Ewes at 10.00am. 100 Mule & Texel ewes for the late Robert Watson. Show & Sale of Swaledale Breeding Sheep with dispersal for AG Dent & Partner Judging 9.30am. Sale 10.45am.
150 Rams of All Breeds. Judging 10.00am. Sale 11.30am. Entries (other than Swaledale) by noon Mon 23rd Sept.
Special sale of breeding sheep and show of gimmer lambs. Plus 3rd sale of breeding rams. Incorporating the annual ‘Hill Of A Day’ sale of hill bred sheep
Saturday 12th October
Autumn collective sale of tractors, implements and machinery. (Entries close Friday 4th October)
Tuesday 1st October Monthly Machinery Sale Entries to the yard by Mon 30th 2pm
Thursday 3rd October
10.30am PRIME BEEF followed by CULL CATTLE
10.30am REARING CALVES
11.00am MASSEY FEEDS with LELY LONGTOWN SHOW & SALE OF DAIRY entries to Eleanor by MON 2pm
Saturday 5th October
9.30am WEEKLY CAST SHEEP & PRIME LAMBS
10.00am BREEDING, FEEDING & STORE CATTLE
inc 1st suckled calf show & sale & dispersal of the ‘Buffs’ herd Pedigree Simmental cow & calves SEASONAL SHOW AND SALES Sat 12th Oct- OCTOBER BREEDING FAIR OF SHEEP Sat 26th Oct – 2nd OCTOBER BREEDING FAIR OF SHEEP Sat 2nd Nov – 2nd SUCKLED CALF SHOW & SALE 24-25 YOUNG HANDLERS OVERWINTERING BUYING WINDOW IS OPEN! For
information –herefordcattle.org 12th October
Next Sales
Carlisle: Friday 27th September
Next Sales
Omagh: Friday 27th September Catalogues: beltexsheepsociety.co.uk/sale-dates/
209 Shearling Gimmers Thursday 15:
10.00am: Pre-Sale Show
2.00pm: Sale of Ram Lambs
5.00pm: Sale of Gimmers Friday 16: 10.00am: Ring 3 Aged Rams & Shearling Rams 10.30am: Ring 2 Shearling
A complete farm dispersal sale on behalf of Graham Towers & Rachael Heard
To be held at Hill House Farm, Sulby Road, Welford, Northamptonshire, NN6 6JQ.
To include: 1997 Matbro TS270 Telescopic Handler, 2007 Izusu Denver Rodeo Pickup, 2010 Ifor Williams 3.6m Livestock Trailer, Marston 7.6m Bale Trailer. Together with: Bateman Ambassador 510-21 Squeeze Crush, Spearhead 2.2m Flail Topper, Cattle handling equipment and field & yard gates, Livestock Feeding Equipment. Plus: General Farm Machinery, Livestock Equipment & Sundries, Fencing Equipment, Agricultural Requisites, Workshop Equipment, Stocks in Store, Rural Bygones, Poultry Equipment, Garden Equipment. To be sold by auction on the premises on Saturday 28th September 2024 at 10.30am
Catalogues & Information Tel: 01788 564749 7 – 11 Albert Street, Rugby, CV21 2RX www.howkinsandharrison.co.uk/auctions
Stirling Agricultural Centre, Stirling, FK9 4RN 01786 473055
Displenishing Sale Friday 4th October at 10.30 am Traditional On Farm Displenishing Sale On behalf
NNR (4000 hours):McCormick 60.40 4WD Tractor c/w Loader SV15 BUW (6000 hours): McCormick MTX 150 4WD Tractor SF13 OAP (8000 hours):Ford 7840 4WD Tractor L668 FSE (Approx 1500 hours):DIECI Agristar 40.7 EV02 Telehandler SF22 AFZ (4000 hours):MF135 Tractor ESM 545L c/w Grass Topper: Honda TRX 500 Quad Bike (1800 hours) PX69 EFD: Honda TRX 500 Quad PX68 DCY (2100 hours):Honda Big Red 250:Abbey VF1650 Tub Mixer (2016): Lucas Castor +30 Straw Chopper (2 yr old): Quad X Weed Wiper 8ft: Fraser Silage Trailers (F15T) x 3:TWOSE Cambridge Roller:Star 2000 Tanker: KRM Fertiliser Spreader:Schuitemaker Feeder 50: Grass Harrows:Team Alpha 12m Boom Sprayer: KRM L20 (Lineplus) Fertiliser Spreader (1yr old): Krone Single Rotar Rake (42/13): Norman Raw 10ft Grubber: Grays 10ft Multiharrow (New discs): Tandon 10ft Grass Rollers: Malone Post Knocker: Krone 7:82/6x7 Tedder: Ifor Williams Double Axle Stock Trailer 12 ft: Kvernland 3 Furrow Plough: Galvanised Double Axle Stock Trailer 20ft (2010): Malone 8ft Mower (2016): Buckrake 8ft (Manatou Brackets): Silage Pusher: Fleming Bale Squeeze (Euro Brackets): Tomb Stone Ring Feeder: 10 Ring Feeders: IBC Tanks x 4: Double Trough x 5: Concrete & Plastic Water Troughs x 10: BO Steel Calving Gates x 2: Calving Gates x 4: 10ft Cattle Gates x 20: Field Gates 12ft &14ft x 40:Portequip Calf Creep x 12: Portequip Feed Trailers 14ft -16ft x 8: Pushoff Buckrake: Fiona Grass Drill: Strimech Bucket & Brush Attachment: Logic Quad Bike Trailers x 3: Cashels Bale Squeeze (Manatou Brackets): Various Buckets & Grabs: MF Trailer: Petrol Pressure Washer: PTO Pressure Washer: Small Tools: Shear Cordless Clippers x 2: Various Cattle Clippers: Calving Jack x 3: Electric Fencer Post & Wire x 4: Chain Saw: Grinder: Welder (GYMS 1): Various Workshop Tools: 4 x Farm screen 360 calving cameras: INPUTS: Krone S Wadro TC880 Rake: John Deere 455 Ride on Lawnmower (please note no further inputs will be taken at this sale)
All sales are subject to UA Livestock Limited’s Terms and Conditions. Bidders and purchasers shall be deemed to have full knowledge of these Terms and Conditions and by taking part and bidding in any auction, you agree to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Copies of the terms and conditions are available on request. Buyers must obtain a bidding number from the office prior to purchasing. PAYMENT TERMS STRICTLY CASH AT SALE
Contact: John Roberts 07885 580778 Andy Williamson (Farm Manager) 07702 847334 Refreshments will be available on the day.
BEEF
CATTLE THAT SOUTHWEST SCOTLAND TO OFFER
SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER
SHOW AND SALE OF 1000 SPRING BORN CALVES AT 11.00AM RENOWNED FOR STRENGTH AND QUALITY THIS SALE OFFERS CATTLE WITH A REPUTATION OF GOING ON AND DOING WELL FOR ALL CUSTOMERS MANY CALVES WITH SHOW POTENTIAL
Come and work for Agriconnect.
We have the following opening Sales
Media Business Development Manager/ Executive
Agriconnect is the largest multi-platform agricultural information business in the UK. Our brands reach deeply into all the major agricultural sectors - arable, dairy, livestock, agricultural machinery, finance, and equipment.
We offer an excellent package including:
• 25 days holiday increasing to 27 after two years
• Hybrid Working (minimum 2 days in the office each week)
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• Long service awards and employee of the month
• Employee discount scheme
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• Exceptional career progression. We are ever-evolving, if you work hard and do well - with our help and support there are no limits to your speed of progress
For more details on any of our vacanies, or to apply, please scan the QR code or call on 01772 799500.
Our Brands
Wanted Herdsman/ Herds Manager
Due to retirement
We are looking to recruit a keen motivated person to take responsibility for 280 Holstein cows on our mixed farm in Abbots Bromley Staffordshire.
To work as part of a team, with good husbandry knowledge.
Roles to include day to day running of the herd. AI,foot trimming would be an advantage but not essential as training would be offered to the right candidate and liaising with vets and play a role in the breeding of the herd. Modern 18/36 parlour with ADF and auto-drafting
Very competitive salary according to level of experience.
The job would suit somebody already experienced or a person looking to advance the career to the next level.
We currently have a wide range of positions available nationwide to include:-
• Unit Manager, North Devon, 450 cows
• Assistant Herd Manager, North Dorset, 700 cows
• Herdsperson/Manager, Leicestershire, 240 cows
Relief Herdspersons Nationwide
LKL provides the perfect solution for finding the very best herd carers and managers. Visit our website for a full list of our current vacancies.
Web: www.lklservices.co.uk Tel: 01722 323546
Do you enjoy the countryside?
Do you like to socialise and meet new people?
If you are looking for new friends in a relaxed and informal environment, then try Country Link – the social network for the countryside. Open to anyone, and with a national network of local groups, Country Link offers a variety of pre-arranged meetings, events, and activities to suit all tastes, encouraging friendship but is not a dating agency.
Take a look on our website, call 07932 537183, or email contact@country-link.co.uk for more information and to find out what is happening in your area.
TAYLOR & SON (PS) LTD
BRIDGE Lancs, Cumbria, Cheshire. Yorkshire.
CHRISTIAN DATING
Looking for a service that does Christian dating differently, with a personalised service that offers unparalleled support? Then contact ‘Friends1st’ and discover a whole new way of meeting people. Plenty of farmers have found success through us and you can too. Call us today on 0121 405 0941 to find out how they have succeeded and how we can find you someone special as well. www.friends1st. co.uk
WOOL WANTED All types required. Full payment. L.Pierce Wool Merchant: Scotland & North England - Grace Dobson- 07743 628405 or 07754 702187 or Southern England and South Wales- John Wood 07980 655637
BAMBER
BULK MILK TANKS FOR SALE
New Roka Silos and Tanks available from 500 Ltrs to 50,000 Ltrs!
16,000 Ltr Delaval
16,000 Ltr Fabdec (holds 17,000)
15,000 Ltr Serap
14,000 Ltr Fabdec
12,000 Ltr Roka DX
12,000 Ltr Roka + new cleaner
12,000 Ltr Fullwood Packo Instant Cooling
10,000 Roka RKC *NEW – Special Offer*
10,000 Ltr Fabdec
8,000 Ltr Roka Silo
8,000 Ltr Roka
7,200 Ltr Delaval
6,750 Ltr Delaval (holds 7,000 Ltrs)
6,500 Ltr Mueller
6,000 Ltr Roka
6,000 Ltr Fabdec
5,000 Ltr Packo
5,000 Ltr Mueller Model “O”, 5,000 Ltr Roka
4,000 Ltr Mueller
Refurbished 2T Ice Builder suitable for 20 / 25,000 Ltrs every other day
2 x Refurbished 1T Ice Builder suitable for 10/12,000 Ltrs every other day
Refurbished 1.3T Ice Builder suitable for 16,000 Ltrs every other day
Refurbished 1.5T Ice Builder suitable for 18/19,000 Ltrs every other day
CUSTOM BUILT HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEMS, TAILORED TO YOUR REQUIREMENTS
Smaller bulk tanks available, emergency open & enclosed, loan tanks available to rent, main dealer for new Ro-ka milk cooling systems. For further details please call S.W Refrigeration specialising in “On Farm cooling Equipment” 01392 210344 or Paul on 07974 140949
REGISTERED SHEEPDOG PUPS
Sire - Lyn Howells tremendous young Taff dog, with brains and power to spare.
Dam - is by Tanhill Alex 3rd at The International Sheepdog trial 2017. Both parent’s DNA CEA clear. Also, a litter of unregistered pups, a previous litter same way bred are all excellent workers. Telephone: 07831 140720 (P)
SAVERNAKE SUFFOLKS
18 Outdoor reared, grass fed, pedigree and commercial Suffolk shearling rams for sale. Vigorous modern type, with some New Zealand genetics, selected for low birth weight, high growth and muscling, and balanced terminal and maternal characteristics. MV accredited. Mid-season discounts available. Also 12 well priced Shearling Ewes available.
Miles Wise, North Yorkshire T: 07890 135183 | E: info@suffolkrams.co.uk
Beltex X Texel X Charollais
Shearling
Rams
Excellent conformation, tight skins, ready for work. Heptavac P. Naturally Reared, no corn
Contact Mr Brocklehurst on 07764 196462 or 01260 223338
Charollais Sheep
25 breeding ewes, 17 shearlings born 2023 and 8 born 2022 by very good sires. Fully registered, Heptavac and wormed, MV accredited. Ideal for January lambing.
BELTEX x TEXEL, BELTEX x CHAROLLAIS & CHARMOISE x BELTEX shearling rams. Carefully bred for over 20 years, over 40 available, grass produced, no corn. The rams need to be seen. Heptavac P. No silly price.
(Pedigree Blue Faced Leicester ram crossed with a Pedigree Suffolk ewe)
DAIRY CATTLE FOR SALE
A weekly selection of freshly calved & in-calf dairy cattle sourced from the UK. All guaranteed and delivered anywhere in the UK Finance can be arranged.
Please feel free to contact Richard – 07816 173689
Resulting in Outstanding Hybrid Vigour, Growth & Performance
Suffolk Ram Lambs & Shearlings
- MVD Accredited
- Heptivac P Vaccinated
- Red Tractor Assured
- Insured for 4 months
Seafield Pedigrees – 07715 764 351
BIDLEA HERD
Holstein Freisian Bulls For Sale
Pedigree Polled Hereford Bulls
TEXEL SHEARLING TUPS
Excellent conformation. Extremely well-muscled. All home bred.
Tel: 01298 872500 or Mobile: 07570 272376 Derbys (P)
3 Well bred, Halter trained Bulls 18 months - 2 years. Vaccinated for BVD + IBR, TB 4 Area John Procter, Waterbeck.
Black & White and some Red & White Plenty to choose from - first come first served! Tel: Ray Brown 01477 532220 or 07885 652718 Cheshire (T)
and select Females for Sale from a high health herd, with fully registered pedigrees.
SOUTH DEVON BULLS
Gisburn Auction Mart, Saturday 21st September 2024
www.lowergroveherefords.com Contact: Paul on 07730095062 or paul@lowergroveherefords.com
Further details contact David 07971 719728 Haslingden (P)
FRESH REARING CALVES
2 - 3 years old. From a long established herd. Good calving record, growth rate & conformation. DNA tested Tel:01952 222134 or 07811 593260 Shropshire (P)
Tel: 01461 600257 or 07729 405369 Lockerbie (P) FOR SALE FROM LEESEMANOR BEEF
most parts of the country
Continental Bull and Heifer calves 3-5 weeks old available now. Quality store cattle sourced directly from Welsh/Shropshire Borders Farms, delivered to your farm. Delivery Nationwide.
Quality, home-bred Limousin cross British Blue young cows and heifers, with Lim x and BB x calves at foot. Also two excellent Lim x British Blue bulls. Eager for work, all quiet, TB tested and ready to go. ALWAYS
Bloodlines include Balthayock, Blelack, Glenericht, Wesley, Whitecliffe and Woodpark.
SAC Premium Cattle Health Scheme. BVD vaccinated and johne’s level 1 accredited
To be held at Carmarthen Livestock Market SA33 5DR on Monday 7th October Approx 12 noon. For more information call Rob 07970 006945
SEAFIELD PEDIGREE ABERDEEN ANGUS BULLS
Ready to work, delivered direct to your farm, very quiet, easy calving. Females available.
Health monitored, grass fed, full pedigree with each animal, Red tractor. Semen Available.
• Fertility Tested
• SAC Premium Health Scheme
• From Top Bloodlines
•Closed herd Telephone: 077157 64351
POGHALL ANGUS BULLS FOR SALE
16 months old Ready to work
TB4 - SAC premium health schemeHigh Health Status
Very high scan index, from top bloodlines. Easy Calving and very quiet
Herd health checked for IBR, BVD & Johne’s. TB4. Also bulling heifers and yearling heifers for sale Tel: 07952 228632 West Yorkshire (P)
Biscon Meal (Approx. 12% Protein/14 ME) £255 del Cereal Mixture (Approx. 14% Protein/13 ME) £265 del Cereal Blend (Approx. 16% Protein/13 ME) £285 del Mixed Pellets (Approx. 18% Protein/13 ME) £305 del
NEW STORE IN CUMBRIA
One Tonne Bag Collections
Mixed Pellets (Approx. 18% Protein/13 ME) £275 ex store
Biscon Meal (Approx. 12% Protein/14 ME) £225 ex store
** SPECIAL OFFER **
Regular Lorry loads of Fresh Stockfeed Green Beans available. Great for fattening or the herd. Terrific food for Cattle / Pigs / Sheep etc. You send the bulker lorry, we weigh it over our weighbridge and load you with stockfeed. Our address is PE321EX (just outside King’s Lynn. Norfolk). You must pre-book with us so we know what we have sold at any moment in time. We sell stockfeed all year every year. Call Carol on 01553 630689 or Sue on 01553 630768 or email admin@innisfreeinvestments.co.uk
LIQUID FEEDS to encourage forage intake. Molasses and molasses blends plus additional minerals if required. J E Morten: 01663 734621 High Peak, Derbyshire (T)
LOWER YOUR VET BILLS WITH WASHED SILICA SAND CUBICLE BEDDING * Helps to eradicate mastitis problems and lowers your milk count * Equestrian sand also available Tel 07730 897138 / 01484 603130
FGBuyandSell.com
1”
1
2”
2 1/2”
3”
2” x 2.5 £0.68/ft
2 1.2” x 3mm £1.03/ft 3” x 3mm £1.31/ft
Rebar 10mm £10.15/ft 12mm £0.21/ft 16mm £0.38/ft
2 2/2” x 1/4” £0.71/ft 6” x 1/2” £2.59/ft
4” x 5/16”
PleasevisitourwebsiteforourdailydealsontheFarmersCorner Flat Bar
hectares (44.39 acres)
Elder
Property Landscape Resilient outlook amid economic shifts
Land values maintain steady growth
The rural property market in Northern England continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience despite ongoing economic fluctuations.
Over the post-coronavirus years, land values in the region have maintained steady growth, reflecting the underlying strength of the market.
Several key factors contribute to this positive outlook.
Kirsten Wright 07775 031701 kirsten.wright@brown-co.com Tim Atkinson 07919 694224
The historically low supply of land, combined with robust demand from a growing pool of buyers, has kept values on an upward trajectory.
Park Hill Farm is being offered for sale by the Long Family, well-known dairy farmers in south Warwickshire, with their herd under the "Wagtail" prefix. The property comprises:
For further information or to arrange a viewing, please contact:
Market sentiment is also expected to improve as some of the negative economic pressures begin to ease.
Relief
While inflation remains a concern, recent trends indicate a gradual decline, offering some relief to profit margins in the sector.
The recent rate change by the Bank of England is likely to influence the rural property market in the north of England, although its effects may differ from those seen in the residential housing or commercial real estate sectors.
In the rural market, particularly with farmland, interest rates can affect borrowing costs and, in turn, influence purchasing decisions for some buyers, especially those who rely on financing.
However, the rural property market often attracts buyers with substantial capital reserves –referred to as ‘waiting cash’ – who may be less affected by changes in interest rates.
Furthermore, the unique factors driving the rural market, such as limited land supply, strong demand and the appeal of long-term investment, tend to mitigate the direct impact of interest rate fluctuations.
It is essential to price land sensitively, especially given the
challenges posed by higher interest rates and farm profitability concerns. However, pricing also needs to be realistic enough to reflect the ongoing competition for land and the scarcity of available properties.
While interest rates are an important consideration, the intrinsic value of land and the strong demand from buyers who view it as a long-term investment continue to drive the market.
The North’s rural property sector is built on fundamentals that are not easily swayed by shortterm economic changes.
Balance
Sellers must strike a delicate balance – setting prices that are attractive given the current economic conditions, while also capitalising on the enduring demand for this limited resource.
In summary, while the Bank of England’s rate change presents new considerations, the core drivers of land value in northern England remain robust.
The region’s rural property market is well-positioned for continued growth, offering a stable investment environment for those interested in agricultural and rural assets.
Harry Morshead is a rural chartered surveyor with youngsRPS. Call 01434 609 000, or email harry. morshead@youngsrps.com
Harry Morshead
As the new Labour Government looks to gear up house and infrastructure building across the UK, Will Leonard, of Saffery Champness, takes a look at the implications for tax.
Capital Tax considerations for compulsory purchases
Government targets on house building, pledges to improve rail infrastructure and a drive toward renewable energy are likely to result in some landowners facing Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) across the UK.
And those affected need to be aware of the tax considerations to plan ahead, according to Saffery Champness.
As part of the reforms to planning, there will also be changes to compulsory purchase compensation rules so payments are ‘fair but not excessive’.
Following the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, from April 30, certain bodies may apply for a direction that hope value is ignored when calculating the compensation payable under a CPO.
For major schemes, neighbouring landowners may also receive compensation payments as a result, with the possible issue of capital taxes arising.
On Capital Gains Tax (CGT), a purchase triggers a disposal for CGT purposes. CGT is broadly charged on the difference between the payment received and the cost of the land.
The exact date of the disposal will be determined by the precise terms of the CPO and whether any conditions are attached.
It is important to look at the current ownership of land which might be affected and consider whether any changes should be made WILL LEONARD
As part of the reforms to planning, there will be changes to compulsory purchase compensation rules so payments are ‘fair but not excessive’.
The receipt of a compensation payment may trigger a part disposal of the land in question for CGT purposes, with the cost of the land apportioned between the compensation payment and the value of the remaining interest in the land. Any compensation for the temporary loss of profits will be treated as trading income.
For residential property, CGT will normally be at 24%, and for other types of land it will be at 20%, subject to the seller’s available annual exemption and basic rate band, together with any brought forward losses.
However, it may be possible to obtain relief from an immediate CGT liability provided the sums under the CPO or compensation scheme are reinvested in other land or property.
Rollover relief fund may be available. However, this is subject to conditions such as reinvestment being made within one year prior to the sale or within the three years after it and the proceeds must be rolled into the purchase of other land or property.
However, the proceeds do not have to be reinvested into land to be used as a business asset, although any new property purchased must not be used
as a main residence by the taxpayer. Relief will be withdrawn if the use of the property changes to that of a main residence within a six-year time frame.
Will Leonard, director at Saffery Champness, said: “There can be issues posed by reinvestment, with agricultural land being scarce.
“Although reports state that more agricultural land has come on stream this year, prices remain resilient, and those affected may not be able to find suitable land to purchase at an affordable price within the timescale.”
Depending on the payment received, and the relative value of the original land holding as a whole, it may be possible to claim exemption from CGT under the small part disposals rules, but care must be taken to make sure the conditions are met and the appropriate elections were made before the deadlines.
Where reinvestment in land or property is not possible, some planning ahead will determine whether a disposal of land will potentially qualify for Business Asset Disposal Relief, which will bring the CGT rate down to 10%, subject to the lifetime cap.
Inheritance Tax considerations
should also be considered, as the cash resulting from CPOs or compensation payments will not benefit from relief unless reinvested into other qualifying assets.
Mr Leonard said: “It is important to look at the current ownership of land which might be affected and consider whether any changes should be made, or where cash received could be invested.
Security
“It is also possible that where the land affected is currently used as security for a loan, banks may seek alternative security if the land value drops significantly due to parcels being compulsorily purchased, or because the land is blighted.
“This also may give rise to further Inheritance Tax problems under the Inheritance Tax debt relief restrictions.
“For those unable to find suitable replacement land within the narrow time window, they may not only have a CGT liability, but potentially exposure to IHT also,” he said, adding those who may be affected should seek professional advice as soon as possible.”
PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES
Superb diversified livestock farm in a beautiful setting
Douglas Savills York 01904 617 800 wdouglas@savills.com
High Oxenfell Farm
Coniston, Cumbria, LA21 8DL
One of our most nature-rich holdings in the Lake District with extensive areas of fen, mire and bog, wood pasture and species rich grassland, extending to circa 159 ha including a 3-bedroom farmhouse with a one-bedroom holiday let annex, and a range of traditional farm buildings plus an opportunity for a separate holiday cottage.
To be let on a 15-year Farm Business Tenancy.
A great opportunity for a pro-active tenant to work in partnership with the Trust to develop a successful business based on a nature first approach, excellent habitat & landscape management & high-quality livestock, as well as diversification opportunities.
Pre-viewing application to be completed prior to being invited to the viewing day, which is by appointment only.
For letting particulars please download from www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/farms-to-let or by e-mailing northwestlettings@nationaltrust.org.uk
GRAZING WANTED
Pennant Finance
Specialist Agricultural Finance Broker
Are you looking for a mortgage, secured or unsecured loan, overdraft, bridging facility or refinance?
For further details call us on 07917 715321 www.pennantfinance.co.uk
Pennant Finance is a broker not a lender and is independent with access to the whole of market.
Pennant Finance (FCA Number 955468) is an Appointed Representative of Watts
DO YOU HAVE LAND?
Sites of 1- 1000 acres required for residential development. If you think that your land has potential for development, or you have been approached by a developer, then you will need expert advice that is not available at traditional sources. Michael Rutherford is a specialist agent acting and negotiating for landowners. Contact me for a confidential and expert consultation at no cost. All areas of the UK covered.
The Yard is arranged as 32 individual pens, suitable for intensive beef finishing of up to 2000 head The yard is a well designed system and is provided with concrete passageways, stone lanes, feed storage areas and an excellent race and crush. Maize silage and straw is available if required this would be an excellent opportunity for a beef finishing business to expand as there are large amounts of veg and feed by products available locally.
UNDER PREPARATION
2016 FORD RANGER XL DOUBLE CAB, 26,000 MILES, GREEN, CANOPY LOAD LINER AND TOW PACK. VERY GOOD VALUE AT £13,750 NO VAT !!
2019 TOYOTA HILUX ACTIVE DOUBLE CAB, 48,000 MILES, GREY, CANOPY LOAD LINER AND VERY GOOD BFG ALL TERRAIN TYRES £16,500 +VAT UNDER PREPARATION
2019 TOYOTA HILUX DOUBLE CAB, 53,000 MILES, GREY, CANOPY LOAD LINER AND TOW PACK, 4 NEW ALL TERRAIN TYRES £16,500 +VAT UNDER PREPARATION
2020 TOYOTA HILUX SINGLE CAB, 29,990 MILES, BLACK, TOW PACK, TIDY £18,000 + VAT
NEW ARCTIC AT35 Auto in Valencia orange metallic, ready to roll, other colours available, call for full spec & price.
DEUTZ AGROPLUS 95 4wd. 4285 hours, nice tidy tractor, front weights, front mudguards, 2 x hydraulic assister rams.
Machinery
Edited by Toby Whatley
– 07583 054 831 – toby.whatley@agriconnect.com
Advancements in technology pave the way for an automated harvest. James Huyton visits John Deere’s press event in Germany to find out more.
Beyond dropping the word ‘Series’ from the end of the brand’s combine range name and a few cosmetic tweaks, including the black tank lid, you would be forgiven for thinking little has changed from the previous models of the S combine.
But on closer inspection, more has changed than it might initially appear.
The new range covers four variants of the S7, with the 700, 800, 850 and 900 all offered with a single-rotor threshing system.
CABIN
OPERATORS are greeted by a refined and spacious cabin which has been drawn from the larger X9 combines and features John Deere’s latest G5 touchscreen terminal.
The LED lighting pack is claimed to be 25% brighter than previous variants. To help reduce dust ingress, the cabin now features an electronic door closure system.
More storage compartments, cup holders and an Apple Car Play/Android Auto infotainment system are said to improve operator experience.
John Deere’s latest S7 in action
Taken from the larger X9, the new S7 cabin offers a spacious and comfortable operating environment.
Extra storage and cup holders offer plenty of room for that all-important brew.
The S7 line-up includes two tank capacities of 10,600 litres in the entry level 700 model, and 14,100 litres in the three larger models.
Standard features include a built-in Bluetooth infotainment system.
RESIDUE MANAGEMENT
THRESHING AND SEPARATION
MUCH of the S7’s threshing system remains the same as previous variants, retaining the single rotor design. The three-in-one rotor is 724mm in diameter and 3,124mm in length. This rotor system is the same across the range and offers 2.75sq.m of threshing area.
The Dyna-Flo Plus cleaning shoe uses slope-independent augers, which are claimed to prevent lateral movement of the grain and allow even loading of the cleaning shoe.
The system delivers 740cu.m of airflow for efficient cleaning. Uniform regularity is controlled
by the engine’s management system to offer a consistent fan speed, even if the load on the engine changes due to slopes or other conditions.
Prospective buyers looking to tackle slopes can choose from four sidehill compensation options. The base machine offers compensation on gradients up to 7%, with a further optional sidehill kit to provide compensation up to 14%.
For steeper terrains, the active slope adjustment option allows users to tackle inclines up to 18%, and the full-spec self-levelling Hillmaster machines are capable of working at an angle of 22%.
DRAWN from the larger X9 machines, the latest S7 also features a new residue management system. Most of the combine’s fuel-saving ability is due to driveline improvements and efficiencies –the new chopper is claimed to save 15kW of power consumption compared to the previous version.
New Xcel chopping knives with a
ENGINE
THE entry-level S7 700 is equipped with a nine-litre JDX power plant delivering a rated power output of 407hp. The three larger variants are powered by the same 13.6-litre JD14X engine featured in the X9. Rated power outputs from the larger engine range from 480-551hp, and all models are capable of a maximum power output boost of 60hp.
A new residue management system is claimed to use 15kW less power than previous derivatives.
straight blade are designed to reduce drag; small dimples on the knives’ surface, similar to the dimples on a golf ball, reduce air resistance.
Once worn, knives can also be reversed to extend the operating life. The mechanically driven chopper unit also delivers greater residue spread.
compared to previous versions. The engine speed management system also allows the JD14X engine to run at 1,600rpm in transport mode and 1,200rpm when stationary, again providing further fuel savings.
Machines specified with John Deere’s ultimate technology package will also incorporate Harvest Intelligent Power Management.
John Deere says the latest version of its HarvestMotion engine management system achieves maximum power at a reduced engine operating speed of 2,000rpm. In turn, the lower engine operating speed is claimed to give greater fuel savings
The IPM system uses a combination of software and hardware to monitor and regulate engine output. The IPM system is said to offer torque increases and greater engine power outputs at times of increased load, and permanently if needed.
All S7 variants feature an adjustable spout with a 150-litre/second unloading speed.
Design engineers have also introduced a secondary air vent to aid throughput.
Machinery
TECHNOLOGY
ALTHOUGH many of the S7’s mechanical components remain the same, major changes to the electrical architecture have been implemented to future-proof the combine, providing a path to full automation in the future.
Domain controllers allow the integration of additional ethernet communications, so the combine can rely and act upon real-time field data.
John Deere has added one sensor per cleaning shoe bay to aid in more accurate loss sensing. Upgrades to a multitude of sensors around the combine allow for greater automated adjustment across the machine.
The new electrical infrastructure
is the building block behind John Deere’s latest generation of Ground Speed Automation (GSA).
Historically, the Harvest Smart system has been reactive, using sensors on the machine to adjust features including header height.
Recent developments are designed to make the system both proactive and more predictive to crop and operational conditions.
Algorithm
GSA uses an algorithm to collect and process data such as loss levels or engine target power from the machine’s parameters, allowing the combine to react to in-field conditions.
Data from coverage maps,
header height and terrain allows for proactive processing.
Combines specified with the Ultimate Technology Package incorporate predictive GSA. Collating data from both satellite views and the cluster of forwardfacing cameras mounted on the cabin, the combine is said to be capable of real-time adjustments, with this only possible when all the systems work in conjunction with each other.
When satellite data is poor or when operating in lodged crops, the cameras are designed to pick up the functionality slack, while in difficult terrain or light conditions, the system makes greater use of satellites, says John Deere.
The latest version of combine automation on the S7 allows the operator to pre-select performance limits. These limits relate to acceptable grain loss levels, cracked grains, and ad-mixture in the sample.
Adjustments
This means the combine can make automated adjustments to forward speed, engine target power, concave clearance, rotor speed, fan speed and sieve clearance.
These automated adjustments are claimed to increase productivity and efficiency by up to 20% during a working day compared to an operator alone.
Ground Speed Automation uses satellite biomass maps in conjunction with a cabin-mounted camera system to automatically adjust the harvester settings to suit conditions.
JOHN Deere has made significant advancements in automating harvest procedures with the latest S7 variant. Linking existing operator platforms to a new generation of automation, and building on the previous Harvest Smart concept, the latest S7 is firmly aimed at the professional user looking to maximise data collection within the arable business.
When equipped with the Ultimate Technology Package, the latest S7
might reduce the pressures around finding a skilled operator to set up and maintain machine performance, but the true benefit of automated harvesting will be in helping them achieve continuous optimal performance.
Linked to John Deere’s existing precision agriculture technology, the S7 offers farmers and farm managers an insight into real-time crop yield and combine performance remotely.
Milling wheat growers may also
wish to specify the S7 with the HarvestLab near infrared sensor, which measures and monitors harvested grain protein levels in real time.
This could benefit growers looking to separate out different crop qualities for storage, marketing and sale.
Grain protein levels are also mapped and logged, and this data is claimed to aid the calculation of nutrient need for next year’s crop,
potentially allowing for a more informed variable rate application of fertiliser.
Future
The S7 offers an insight into the future of automated harvesting and its potential to aid both operators and business managers. Farmers focused on data collection to make informed cropping decisions could find John Deere’s latest technology a useful tool for the future.
FG verdict
Provided as five models across an 80-117hp power band, the new T5 range promises hydraulic and driveline improvements, alongside new connectivity and guidance options. Toby Whatley reports.
New Holland launches new T5 Dual Command range
● Rear lift capacity increased by 7%
DEVELOPED for mixed and livestock farmers, New Holland’s recently launched T5 Dual Command range will be offered in five models from 80hp to 117hp.
All machines are powered by an FPT 3.6-litre, four-cylinder engine, with several of the new features
claimed to improve productivity and operator comfort.
The transmission for all models operates through a mechanical 24F/24R unit, with four speeds, three ranges and a two-speed powershift.
Rear lift capacity has been increased by 7% to 4,700kg compared to previous models, with a new 82-litre/minute hydraulic pump also now fitted, which New Holland
says provides a 30% increase in hydraulic flow.
The renewed range includes a choice of front axle widths and designs, which extends to a new HD variant which New Holland says has been developed specifically for machines operating with a front loader or front linkage-mounted implements.
SuperSteer
Originally designed for orchard and vineyard machines, alongside some Ford high-horsepower tractors in the 1990s, the T5 can be specified with a new design of SuperSteer front axle. The design has remained unique to New Holland and pivots the complete axle alongside each wheel to give a claimed 76-degree steering angle to improve manoeuvrability in small fields and tight yards.
Loader operators can now order machines with a range of loaders factory fitted, with self-levelling or non-self-levelling versions offered.
All models are supplied with the manufacturer’s Dynamic StartStop system which disengages the transmission when the brake pedals are pressed, which claims to improve machine productivity during loader work.
Loaders are controlled through a new joystick which incorporates forward-reverse shuttle control buttons, allowing transmission changes and simultaneous loader functions.
Externally, machines feature a new U-shaped exhaust to improve forward vision, and upgraded worklights and headlights with an optional LED light package. Mechanical cab suspension is provided as standard. For the first time, the new range can be supplied with telematics and precision farming technologies such as automatic guidance through the manufacturer’s IntelliView IsoBus terminal.
New Holland says this is reflective of the wider uptake of guidance and precision technologies by grassland and mixed farming customers.
The new T5 range covers a power band of 80-117hp.
A range of loaders can now be factory fitted.
Irish machinery manufacturer McHale unveiled its latest fixed chamber baler, the F5, at the National Ploughing Championships. James Huyton reports.
McHale has announced the launch of its new F5 fixed chamber baler range. Set to replace the current F5000 range, the new line-up will comprise four models: the non-chopper F5-540 variant; the semi-automatic F5-550 with 15-knife chopper unit; and two 25-knife chopper variants, the F5-560 and F5-560 Plus, which are both fully automatic balers, with the later flagship model capable of film binding.
Unveiled this week at the National Ploughing Championships, the new F5 range incorporates the manufacturer’s latest Profi-Flow pickup reel. The redesigned pickup system is said to provide increased crop flow and throughput compared to former variants.
A tapered feed channel has been developed to guide crop flow from the pickup through to the rotor and into the chamber. McHale claims this improvement aids throughput and
McHale launches new fixed chamber balers
that uprated, heavier duty drivelines also reduce chain load and wear.
Prospective buyers will be able to choose between a five-tine bar camtrack pickup reel, or the optionally specified six-tine bar cam-less variant.
Crop flow
McHale says other changes have been made to improve crop flow into the bale chamber, such as adaptive intake, which allows the baler to automatically adjust in relation to material volume. The manufacturer claims the new design will aid the intake of lumpy swaths and reduce the risk of blockages.
McHale F5 balers are fitted with a 540rpm gearbox as standard, but prospective buyers can also choose the optional fitment of a 1,000rpm gearbox. Running the 1,000rpm gearbox at the recommended 890rpm pto speed is claimed to reduce torque on drivelines, allowing 10% more capacity in clutch settings.
The F5 is said to have improved tensioning performance in both net and film binding – a rubber feed roller applies net to the bale while steel roller clamps pull the net to the chosen tension. IsoBus-controlled machines offer net tension adjustment from the operator cabin. A range of other
features, including auto unblock, automatic drop floor reset and auto knife drop and cleaning, are also available in IsoBus-compatible machines.
Bale density
Bale density adjustment can be controlled through McHale’s iControl-5 terminal. Operators can select from 10 settings to determine bale density and shape depending on crop conditions. Finished bale sizes can be adjusted from 1.25 to 1.30 metres to suit crop type and operator preference, and internal panel lighting can also be optionally specified on IsoBus-controlled machines.
Bale density adjustments can be controlled through McHale’s iControl-5 terminal.
The McHale F5 range has a newly designed pickup reel to aid crop throughput. Finished bale diameters can be adjusted from 1.25 metres
● Need for overhead monorail is removed
SWEDISH manufacturer DeLaval has added to its Optimat range of robotic systems with the introduction of an autonomous feeding robot.
The fully-electric OptiWagon works in conjunction with the brand’s existing feed kitchen, which operates with a fixed TMS mixer to produce rations, with intake material drawn from a range of bunkers and silos.
The manufacturer’s current feeding system uses a suspended monorail distribution wagon which travels through the buildings to deliver feed.
The introduction of the OptiWagon removes the need for overhead monorails and is claimed to be capable of supplying a variety of animal groups with different feed mixes up to 12 times per day.
Control of the feeding routes and individual mixes is managed through the manufacturer’s DelPro farm management system.
the existing
DeLaval introduces new autonomous feeding robot
Forage can be automatically loaded into DeLaval’s electrically powered OptiWagon, for an entirely autonomous feed solution for herds of up to 100 cows.
DeLaval says the existing Optimat feed kitchen has been installed at more than 600 farms, mostly across Europe, and has the capacity to deliver feed to herds of up to 1,000 cows.
Lemken upgrades its Rubin disc cultivators
LEMKEN has upgraded its MR and TF Rubin disc cultivators, which are provided as either a fully mounted machine with working widths of three and four metres or as a trailed variant providing working widths of four to seven metres.
Changes to the trailed machines include an increased spacing between the disc gangs of 1,350mm disc bar which allows the organic matter to settle after the first row of discs. Lemken claims this improves the cutting and mixing effect of the second row of discs.
In addition to the existing straw harrow option, two further front options have been added with a levelling tine section and a leading cutting roller.
Both features have been added to improve the machine’s ability to work in heavier post-harvest residue and cover crops, with the cutter roller specifically designed to cut and shred standing material
The Rubin 10 disc cultivation range has been upgraded for 2025 with changes to the mounted and trailed versions.
before mixing with the discs. The range of rear consolidation rollers has been expanded to include a quick-change roller system for both
the mounted and trailed machines. This is claimed to allow users to easily switch between different single and double rollers,
depending on field conditions. Both versions of the Rubin 10 will replace the existing models from 2025.
Livestock
Edited by Katie Jones –
07786 856 439 – katie.jones@agriconnect.com
For more livestock content, go to farmersguardian.com/livestock-news-hub
UK Dairy Day celebrated its 10th anniversary this year and the panel sessions focused on the theme
of ‘opportunities’, with
speakers discussing everything from
cows to carbon. Katie Jones and Jonathan
l Issue of carbon considered by panel
IF you had one piece of advice for farmers on how they can reach and cash in on reaching net zero, what would it be?
That was the burning question asked during a panel session considering the issue of carbon, and it produced a range of answers.
For Prof Liam Sinclair, of Harper Adams University, the key lay in efficiency.
He said: “Get into the top 25%, and preferably the top 5%, of producers for performance and profitability. There is a clear relationship between technical efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
“If you are making money, you can afford to invest in new slurry stores or to cover them over, and invest in equipment which can help reduce carbon and meet milk processors’ requirements.
“And if you are not making a profit, it does not matter very much because you will not be there in the future.”
There is a clear relationship between technical efficiency and reducing carbon emissions
PROF LIAM SINCLAIR
Wheeler report.
Reaching for net zero
Heifers play a key role, he added, being responsible for between onequarter and one-third of the farm’s carbon footprint, while not yet producing milk.
Lyndon Edwards, AHDB sector chair, said he was a champion of genetic improvement and added this could reduce carbon emissions by 1% on average and 3% if used really well.
And with that improvement being cumulative, he said this could lead to significant progress.
Mr Edwards added he grew lucerne to feed his organic dairy herd.
He said: “I have never found a plant which roots as deeply as lucerne, which is putting carbon deep in the soil.”
Answers
Lancashire farmer Ed Towers suggested farmers may already have answers at their fingertips.
He said: “Look for the opportunities which are already there in your business. Figure out what drives profitability and work on it. That will make your business more efficient as well.”
He added he believed in combining elements of precision farming with the efficient use of resources and the harnessing of some of the tenets of regenerative agriculture.
John Powell, head of agricultural sectors team at Defra, urged farmers to measure their carbon footprint so they could measure progress.
He said the new Labour Government was committed to supporting agriculture; shown by the focus on net zero, and increasing profitabil-
IS THERE A SECRET THREAT IN YOUR SILAGE?
JUST because silage looks good in life and on paper, does not mean it is mycotoxin free, farmers attending a seminar at UK Dairy Day heard.
The observation came from Jessica Webster, a final year PhD student at Harper Adams University.
She has studied silage on 37 farms, spread everywhere from Cornwall to Scotland, to assess the risk posed by mycotoxins in the grass.
And she said the levels she found were sometimes surprising.
“The level of penicillic acid in a badly made, uncovered silage heap was 2,169 parts per billion, whereas that in a clean-looking, well managed clamp face was 10,541 parts/bn.”
Risk factors
Key risk factors she found were the fermentation profile of the silage, sward management and extreme weather.
“Higher levels of acetic acid and ethanol in silage were associated with
ity, while improving sustainability and resilience.
Mr Powell said farmers should look at the range of grants on offer, including for improvement of slurry handling and storage facilities.
He added he was keen for farmers to collaborate to exploit larger scale, more complex opportunities pre -
a higher risk of mycotoxins, despite these compounds having antifungal activity,” she added.
“In fact, these are products of heterofermentative additives that are added to silage with the aim of improving aerobic spoilage.
“Just because visible fungi are not present does not mean there is no mycotoxin risk. If the grass has experienced drought or flooding it may increase fungi levels by affecting the speed of fermentation.”
sented by digestion of slurry and carbon capture.
He said: “There are opportunities there to maximise their ability to transform farming practice and achieve net zero production.”
MORE FROM UK DAIRY DAY See pages 84-85.
She also found evidence that mycotoxin levels tended to be higher in grass-only swards than they were in silage made from multi-species swards and herbal leys.
Once the silage was made, clamp opening and face management were also issues. So too was top weighting.
She said: “There is an opportunity for aerobic spoilage if the top sheet of the clamp is not efficiently weighed down when the clamp is open.”
Prof Liam Sinclair
Lyndon Edwards
Ed Towers
John Powell
The Phipps family runs a 170-cow Stabiliser suckler herd at Bragborough Hall, Braunston, Northamptonshire, and are aiming to produce high quality beef which suits the demands of the consumer and has as low an environmental footprint as possible.
And in search of further progress in this area, Tim Phipps, who farms with his brother Louis and parents Geoff and Odette, has been working with Morrisons and consultants at Map of Agriculture and RAFT Solutions for several years to trial projects on-farm to understand how emissions can be lowered and carbon offsetting increased.
One of the projects Tim has been involved in was supported by a grant from Innovate UK and assessed the practical opportunities to adopt precision breeding.
This project, which was led by RAFT Solutions, looked at how sexed semen could be transformative in terms of genetic progress and by enhancing sustainable reproductive success in the first phase of the breeding season.
Quality tested sexed male semen and artificial Insemination (AI) combined with precision nutrition management, to produce results in terms of productivity cost benefit, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and key performance indicators.
Mr Phipps says that as part of the herd sustainability strategy, bulls with strong maternal traits have been used to breed cows that would suit the system. Bulls with strong growth traits were then selected as sexed male AI semen to put on the replacement females to produce efficient finishing stock for the trial.
Mr Phipps adds: “By using sexed male semen in this study, the aim was to move the ratio of calves from 50:50 male:female towards majority 80:20 bull calves and consequently extra beef yield.”
Several innovative ideas are helping the Phipps family ensure the beef they supply to Morrisons has as low a carbon footprint as possible. Jonathan Wheeler finds out more.
Feeding and breeding key to lower emissions
The programme produced additional bull calves which modelling predicted would produce an additional three tonnes of beef per 100 cows/year.
As well as clear economic advantages, the project also proposes that a precision breeding approach offers significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions intensity, which can be amplified if female sexed semen with enhanced maternal traits are also used for breeding replacements.
Improvements
Jonathan Statham, vet and chief executive of RAFT Solutions, says: “Sustainable breeding improvements lead to decreased days to slaughter, reduced waste and increased resource efficiency.
“Sexed semen offers a key tool to target maternal genetics in the animals bred as replacements and ultimately terminal beef traits in animals less suitable for breeding replacements, producing more efficient and lower emissions beef.”
As well as the use of sexed semen, another area of focus has been forage utilisation, with Mr Phipps working with Hugh Martineau, of Map of Agriculture to look at grassland strategy, fertiliser usage and the use of feed additives.
Mr Phipps says he hopes that by focusing on grassland management he will be able to provide forage that is
suited to the differing needs of his suckler cows and finishing stock.
The 344-hectare (850-acre) farm includes 80ha (200 acres) of permanent pasture – traditional ridge and furrow land or areas unsuited to arable production.
The rest is in a five-year arable rotation that includes two years of a GS4 ley which is rich in clover, legumes and herbs.
Mr Martineau says this rotation
helps Mr Phipps achieve the efficiency he is seeking.
“That species mix, especially the clover portion, has enabled the Phipps to progressively reduce fertiliser applications over several years from 70kg nitrogen/ha to 25kg N/ha,” says Mr Martineau.
He adds it also enables them to produce high quality forage which, when combined with home-grown barley, eliminates the need to buy-in any other feed.
The two-year leys are followed by three years of arable cropping. Ahead of drilling winter wheat – the farm’s key cash crop – Mr Phipps spreads manure, which helps further reduce fertiliser needs.
Bulls finish at 14.5 months on average and produce 377kg carcases, with average emissions of 10.1kg/CO2 equivalent per kg of beef
TIM PHIPPS
Tim Phipps farms at Bragborough Hall, Braunston, Northamptonshire.
That is followed by winter barley, grown primarily as cattle feed. After the barley harvest a cover crop is planted ahead of spring wheat.
When Mr Phipps embarked on this rotational system, a ‘baseline’ soil carbon test was completed, which included mapping the entire farm, with support from Downforce Technologies, assessing both the soils and the above ground biomass.
Mr Phipps says: “That showed us what we already had in terms of organic matter and what our potential for improving it is and how much carbon we might be able to sequestrate.”
The herd calves from mid-March
onwards so cows and calves can go straight out to pasture, where they receive no additional feed until creep feeding through weaning.
Weather
Mr Phipps says they plan to leave them out until mid-November, although on their heavy loam and clay soils the weather may sometimes dictate an earlier date.
“If we get a poor autumn the cattle could make a mess on our soils if we do not take care or move them frequently enough.
“We are aiming to protect our soils and avoid doing any damage that might affect the arable crops.”
When housed, the bulls’ daily ration is 7kg of silage and 7kg of home-grown barley, with the only additional ingredients being supplementary balancing minerals.
Cutting the farm’s reliance on bought-in inputs such as fertiliser and cattle feed has helped insulate it against the huge variations in price and also cut its carbon footprint.
Several factors combine to achieve this, including their use of lower in-
A five-year arable rotation includes two years of a GS4 ley which is rich in clover, legumes and herbs.
MAXIMISE FLOCK FERTILITY
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l Use pre & post lambing to help produce stronger, more viable lambs, improve milk quality & growth rates.
“I used the pre tupping drench before tupping and before lambing on all of my ewes. The lambs were excellent quality and the ewe’s milk was rocket fuel…” – Whitadder F
The Phipps family runs a 170cow Stabiliser suckler herd.
Livestock
puts; using home-produced feed that has no manufacturing and transport emissions and running a closed herd. And circling back to the sexed semen project, finishing all male animals as bulls also plays a role because they are so much more efficient than heifers.
Mr Phipps says: “Bulls finish at 14.5 months on average and produce 377kg carcases, with average emissions of 10.1kg/CO2 equivalent per kg of beef.
“The figures for the heifers are different. They finish around 22 months old and produce 317kg carcases, with emissions of 15kg/CO2 equivalent.”
The herd’s overall emissions – including both cows and progeny –have been cut by 15% in recent years and currently stand at 23.1kg/CO2 equivalent.
Further cuts
Mr Martineau suggests these figures could be cut further – to below 22kg/ CO2 equivalent.
He says: “It is very challenging to reduce emissions further in a suckler herd within the bounds of innovation available to us now.
“Achieving further reductions gets harder as the residual emissions from biological processes are hard to shift in a highly efficient production system.
“But innovations such as methane inhibitors could provide further opportunities.”
Mr Statham says: “Precision nutrition is essential to target expensive resources such as protein and amino acids where needed and reduce wasteful blanket protein overfeeding approaches, which can even reduce growth rates.”
To this end, with support from Morrisons, Map of Agriculture and the wider farm team, the Phipps are experimenting with feed additives like enzymes, which would help cattle optimise the use of the nutrition their forage contains.
Mr Statham highlights the import-
MORRISONS have an ambition to be the first supermarket to be directly supplied by net zero carbon British farms by 2030 with products sourced directly from British farmers.
As part of this Morrisons is working with a number of farmers, like Tim Phipps, to achieve the net zero goal.
Mr Phipps’ farm has become one of Morrisons’ blueprint beef farms and Mr Phipps works closely with supermarket’s farming and agriculture team, as well as a range of industry leading experts from businesses and organisations such as RAFT and Harper Adams, to trial projects on-farm to help understand how emissions can be lowered and carbon offsetting increased.
Mr Phipps says that as part of the herd sustainability strategy, bulls with strong maternal traits have been used to breed cows that would suit the system.
ance of health and welfare in the sustainable beef vision.
He says: “Precision health is also important to target individual treatments only when needed and focus on preventative measures such as vaccines to reduce the waste of disease. Mr Phipps has very high health and saves both financially and in net zero terms as a result.
“Artificial insemination is still not that commonly used in UK beef cattle, unlike USA. However, AI can have many benefits, including allowing farmers to select sires suited to their herd’s breeding programme, for example maternal versus terminal traits, and potentially sires in the top 1% of breeding values hence improving genetic potential and efficiency.”
In a bid to keep emissions low, Mr Martineau also emphasises the benefits of long-lived cows that produce calves regularly.
He says: “For that reason the herd’s 95% calves born alive, and ability to first calve heifers around 24 months old are both key.
“The most environmentally efficient cows are those that produce their
Once net zero has been achieved on Mr Phipps’ farm, he will play a key role in helping demonstrate how this has been achieved and the blueprint used on this farm will be cascaded to the rest of the farmers to help them make the same progress.
Championing
Sophie Throup, technical and sustainability director at Myton Food Group, manufacturers for Morrisons, says:”Working directly with farmers like Mr Phipps is what continues to give us such pride in championing great ideas and processes to create a more sustainable, net zero supply chain from British agriculture.
“We have got ambitious goals at
Tim Phipps works closely with the team at Morrisons, including buying manager for livestock Jessica Tomley Bastard (pictured), to help understand how emissions can be lowered.
first calf at two years old and then calve regularly for a good number of years after that.
“Cows with extended unproductive periods, which includes the time to first calving, and which produce fewer
MORRISONS WORKING WITH FARMERS TO REALISE NET ZERO AMBITIONS
Morrisons to support farmers on the road to net zero; working with expert vets, modellers and sustainability consultants all helps accelerate the programmes our farmers bring forward.”
Mr Phipps says he would encourage all farmers to study their own farm’s carbon footprint in order to inform decision-making and ultimately to enable change to take place to improve overall efficiency.
He says: “Often what is best for your carbon efficiency is also best for your bank balance. Also having a baseline and knowing where you are in terms of carbon efficiency can only place you in a better position for future opportunities.”
calves are always likely to have higher emissions per kg of beef produced than more efficient herd-mates.”
At the moment the key to achieving their current levels lie in getting both breeding and feeding correct, says Mr Phipps. As part of his work with Morrisons over the last seven years, a whole farm survey has been carried out to identify potential contributions and how to improve things.
Silage-making
He highlights silage-making as an area he has focused on within this.
He says: “If we can make 20% protein silage, as we have done for the last several years, then we do not need to buy-in anything else.
“The key is taking the cuts good and early and getting it baled quickly. We need 300-400 big bales of good, premium-quality feed for the youngstock.”
At the moment all forage is big baled because they do not have a silage clamp. The best quality material is saved for the finishing bulls, with the cows being fed any lower quality produce.
THE DIVERSIFICATION EVENT FOR FARMERS
Farm Business Innovation is thrilled to host Prof. John Gillard OBE
DSc as its Keynote speaker on Thursday 7 November. John is a willow and livestock farmer from Northern Ireland, whose farm has been independently verified as “Beyond” New Zero. Not only is he respected farmer, John is a policy expert and researcher across the agricultural industry. His Keynote address will discuss carbon capture and why it is such a valuable asset for farmers.
Alongside our Keynote speakers, you will be able to hear from experts on topics including rural planning, business diversification, succession planning, nature tourism and effective social media promotion.
Join us at the NEC Birmingham, 6-7 November to hear John clearly break down the subject of carbon and how we can all work together on a journey towards net zero. a
6-7 November 2024 NEC, Birmingham
For your free ticket, scan the QR CODE or visit agrc.im/register
Co-located with
Results
Two cows made history by claiming back-to-back championships in the cattle show classes at this year’s UK Dairy Day. Ellie Layton reports.
Show history made at 10th anniversary UK Dairy Day
l
Holstein and Jersey retain breed titles
MARCEL Egli made the trip from Switzerland to judge this year’s National Holstein Show, where he said he had the ‘hard task’ of judging ‘some of the highest quality cows’.
He said he was looking for a consistent and balanced cow and his final line-up was made up of three Walnutlawn Sidekick daughters.
Making UK Dairy Day history, being the first cow to claim the supreme title for two consecutive years, Evening Sidekick Jennifer was tapped forward by Mr Egli as his overall Holstein winner.
Bred by James Wilson, Carlisle, who runs the Evening herd of 450 pedigree Holsteins, this November 2018-born cow is out of Evening Stanleycup Jennifer and classified VG89. The cow gave 15,000kg in its heifer lactation and is now giving 62 litres daily.
Commenting on the win, Emma Wilson who paraded Sidekick Jennifer in the ring, said: “The quality at this show is getting better and better every year, so it is an honour to win once, but we are over the moon to have done this twice and hope to see her in the ring again next year too.”
The reserve spot went to fouryear-old cow, Mag Pandor from the Laird family, who runs the 500-head Blythbridge herd in Peeblesshire. The cow is owned in partnership with Ferme Blondin, Canada, after being purchased privately from France last January.
Out of Mag Nacoby, this cow is giving 60 litres daily. Earlier this year it was the inter-breed champion
at the Borderway UK Dairy Expo and the Royal Highland Show.
This year’s Red and White champion made an impression, being part of the final five supreme lineup. Brought out by Jack O’Neill, Redsky Altitude Jazz is part of John Suenson-Taylor’s Grantchester Holstein herd.
The third calver was bought from the Black and White sale in Carlisle and was inter-breed champion at the Royal Cheshire Show earlier this year. Jazz resides with Mr Suenson-Taylor’s 30 Holstein cows at Seaton Farms, Audlem, and is producing 68.5kg daily.
Retaining title
Another cow to make history, also retaining the breed title following last year’s win was the Jersey champion, Rivermead Verdi Pixie, from the Davis family, Tiverton. The 2018born intermediate cow in milk is sired by Futuredreams Valentinos Verdi and was shown giving 34kg daily. The fifth calver calved down in March to Victorious.
Reserve champion went to Logan Chrome Caribbean, from Brian and Micheal Yates, Castle Douglas. The VG89 second calver is giving 37 litres daily. Earlier this year this cow claimed reserve inter-breed dairy and breed champion at the Royal Highland Show.
Under the watchful eye of Yorkshire judge, Ian Collins, it was the junior cow, Swaites Lois 8 from John Adamson, Lanarkshire, which took the top spot in the Ayrshire National Show. The Whitecroft Nectar daughter is out of a home-bred cow and is classified at VG85.
Reserve champion was Mid Ascog Patricia 3 from the Lindsey family,
Holstein champion, Evening Sidekick Jennifer, from James Wilson, Carlisle.
Jersey champion, Rivermead Verdi Pixie, from the Davis family, Tiverton.
Brown Swiss champion, Kedar Rhappily Ever After, from the Lochhead family, Dumfries.
Holstein (Judge, M. Egli, Switzerland) Supreme, J. Wilson, Evening Sidekick Jennifer; reserve, Blyth Farms, Mag Pandor. Jersey (J. Waller, Yorkshire) Sup., Davis family, Rivermead Verdi Pixie; res., B. and M. Yates, Logan Chrome Caribbean.
Ayrshire (I. Collins, Yorkshire) Sup., J. Adamson, Swaites Lois 8; res., L. and C. Window, Hunnington Wren 7.
Brown Swiss (B. Tomlinson, Leicester) Sup., T. Lochhead, Kedar Rhappily Ever After; res., A. Clough, Kedar Aldo Snogging. Dairy Shorthorn (P. Harrison, Northumberland) Sup., I.R.G. Collins, Churchroyd Heather 123; res., S. Dixon and G. Holliday, Shaunlea Geri 25. Guernsey (I. Collins) Sup., A. and R. Thomas, Kimcote Brogdon Fragrant 8; res., A. and R. Thomas, Kimcote Penney Susan 6.
Holstein UK Premier Herd competition winners
SOUTHERN region herd finalists, R.K. and S.G. Miller and Sons, of the Moorshard herd, Bridgwater, Somerset, have been crowned as the national winners of Holstein UK’s Premier Herd Competition.
The Millers were presented with the award at UK Dairy Day.
The award recognises the most outstanding Holstein herd in the UK, with the winner of each individual club’s herd competition competing against neighbouring clubs to become one of the seven regional finalists in the National Premier Herd Competition.
Reserve
Following in reserve were Andrew and Debbie MacKellar, of the Drointon herd, Staffordshire, and taking the honourable mention honours were Paul, Bessie and Bryn Williams, of the Waliswood herd, Carmarthenshire.
Lanarkshire. The VG87 third calver was champion Ayrshire heifer in 2022 and is a Bruchag Starman daughter out of a home-bred cow.
Regular show winners the Lochhead family, Dumfries, stood at the top of the Brown Swiss line-up at the breed’s National Show with Kedar Rhappily Ever After.
This 2020-born daughter of Kedar Calvin Rhapsody EX95 was previously Brown Swiss champion at the 2017, 2018 and 2019 UK Dairy Expo, going on to become reserve inter-breed at the 2018 show.
Brown Swiss judge, Blaise Tomlinson, Leicestershire, said his winner was a credit to the breed and was listed as one to watch in the future.
Kedar breeding also featured in reserve with a heifer in-milk, Kedar Aldo Snogging, taking the rosette for J. Wilson and A. Clough, Appleby. The 2022-born Aldo SG daughter is out of Kedar Blooming Smooches.
Dairy Shorthorn
The junior cows caught the eye of Northumberland dairy farmer Paul Harrison, who cast his eye over the Dairy Shorthorn classes. His champion, Churchroyd Heather 123 was brought forward by the Collins family, West Yorkshire. This cow is a 2019-born Churchroyd Wildcard daughter, which is classified at 87.
The reserve champion, Shaunlea Geri 25, stood next to her champion all day, being second in the same class. The Marleycote Tripple Blend daughter, which placed second at the Great Yorkshire Show earlier this year, was exhibited by Shaun Dixon and Grace Holliday, County Durham.
UK Dairy Day Livestock
Kimcote Brogdon Fragrant 8 stood out for Guernsey judge Ian Collins among the ‘outstanding line-up because of its phenomenal udder’. Bred and exhibited by A. and R. Thomas, Leicestershire, this cow stood reserve champion last year and is a daughter of Kimcote Legend Fragrant 4, which itself was champion at UK Dairy Day in 2018.
The Thomas family also took the reserve spot with 2022-born, Kimcote Penney Susan 6. This heifer stood champion at last year’s All Britain All Breeds calf show and is a daughter of Springhill JC Penney and is out of Kimcote Claret Susan 2.
There were 12 heifers competing for the Holstein heifer title, with Logan Latenite Shania Red taking the top spot for Brian and Micheal Yates, Castle Douglas. The December 2021-born, Avant Grand-Latenite daughter led the South West Scotland Holstein summer herd competition.
Standing in reserve was Boclair Lambda Hope 18, from the partnership of David Brewster, Glasgow, and Greentower Farms, Lanark. The VG87 first calver was shown giving 40 litres.
In the Ayrshire heifer championship, Bigginvale Buttermilk 130 came out on top from the Billings family, Derbyshire. Mr Collins credited the heifer for its clean lines, femininity and quality throughout.
The August 2021-born Blackaddar B B Kellogg daughter, Hunnington Naomi 8 from L. Windows Walker, Birmingham, stood reserve.
Dairy Shorthorn champion, Churchroyd Heather 123, from the Collins family, West Yorkshire.
Guernsey champion, Kimcote Brogdon Fragrant 8, from A. and R. Thomas, Leicestershire.
Judging underway at this year’s UK Dairy Day.
Livestock GrassCheck
GRASS GROWTH ACROSS THE UK
The South 51kg DM/ha/day (20.6kg DM/acre/day) 23.4 11.8 5.1
Grass growth Soil moisture (cb)
Soil temperature (degC) Rainfall (mm per week)
DAILY GROWTH FORECASTS
Region Seven-day forecast 14-day
North England 36.2kg DM/ha (14.6kg DM/acre) 29.5kg DM/ha (11.9kg DM/acre)
South England 43.6kg DM/ha (17.6kg DM/acre) 32.3kg DM/ha (13.1kg DM/acre)
Wales 48.7kg DM/ha (19.7kg DM/acre) 34.2kg DM/ha (13.8kg DM/acre)
GRASS QUALITY
GROWTH RATES
MANAGEMENT NOTES
■ Measured grass growth was very close to the seven-day predicted values from last week
■ Modelled growth of 35–45kg of DM/day is predicted, which will help to maintain average farm cover while weather and ground conditions are good
■ Grass DM% is dropping so the challenge to maintain target intakes
remains. Plan to graze wetter/heavier areas first and try to achieve good post-grazing residuals on any remaining high sward covers
■ Take the opportunity to apply organic manures post-grazing
■ Inspect recent reseeds for a possible quick graze-off
■ Check young grass and clover plants with a ‘pluck test’ before grazing
GrassCheckGB is a collaboration between The UK Agri-Tech Centre, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Rothamsted Research, AHDB, Hybu Cig Cymru, Germinal, Handley Enterprises, Sciantec Analytical, Yara, Pilgrim’s UK and Quality Meat Scotland. Regular updates will appear in Farmers Guardian.
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Dairy Including Dairy Show Preview
Check maize is mature before harvesting
It is important to check maize is mature before harvesting this year, as a difficult growing season has produced variable crops.
Maize drilling usually occurs in April, but April 2024 was the sixth wettest for the UK since records began in 1836, so many growers were delayed until May.
Dr Simon Pope, crop protection manager at Wynnstay, says: “Some maize may have been drilled in less than ideal conditions in April, and some may have waited for better conditions in May.
“If maize is sown under good conditions, it is easier to produce a good crop, but if it is sown under poor conditions, it becomes much more difficult to get a good outcome at harvest.”
The summer of 2024 has been the coldest since 2015, however the recent spell of warm weather in August should help to bring harvest back on track, but producers should make sure the maize is actually mature before harvest.
“It is important to check the crops are at the right stage of maturity. And just because your neighbour is harvesting, does not mean you should be,” says Dr Pope.
He adds that an immature crop will have lower starch levels.
“The whole point of growing maize is for the starch. As the crop matures, starch forms in the kernels.
Nutritional value
“If a crop is cut too soon, the process of cob-filling will not be complete and the silage will have lower nutritional value.”
Conversely, Dr Pope says if the crop is too mature, there needs to be careful consideration when cutting.
“Make sure the processor on the chopper is set-up correctly to ensure that every kernel is cracked, to allow the bugs in the rumen to access the starch. If the kernels are bullet hard
they are more difficult to process, increasing the risk that grains could pass straight through the animal.”
There is a simple way to check for maize maturity.
“Break off a few cobs that are representative of the crop, strip the sheath off, snap the cob in half and squeeze the grains from the broken surface halfway down the cob,” he says.
“If when you squeeze them they squirt, it is not ready. A little bit of moisture is fine, but anything more than that then it is not ready to chop.
“It is also possible to cut the plants around six inches above ground and wring the stems like a tea towel. If a lot of liquid is squeezed from the crop, it could probably benefit from longer in the field.”
Producers should also consider chop length when it comes to cutting.
“A longer chop is often favoured from a feeding point of view, but a shorter chop allows for easier consolidation and better fermentation with lower levels of aerobic spoilage,” he says.
“Speak to a nutritionist to find out what sort of chop length is needed to suit the ration.”
An additive might bring advantages, too he adds.
“With maize, a lot of attention is devoted to growing the crop, if as much attention to detail was paid to the harvesting and subsequent pit management to reduce waste and losses there would be more forage of higher quality to feed out.
“An additive is a way of protecting the investment that has been made throughout the growing season,” he adds.
“By using the right additive, growers can reduce fermentation losses by 50%, so there is more dry matter to feed and silage is of a higher feed value, compared to untreated crops,” says Dr Pope.
An immature maize crop will have lower starch levels than a mature one.
The introduction of Dairy Shorthorns to the two herds producing Westcombe cheese has been integral to a more holistic approach. Gaina Morgan reports.
Dairy Shorthorns a great addition to cheese-maker
The Dairy Shorthorn was introduced three years ago to the two herds owned by the Westcombe cheese business and run at two separate farms; Manor Farm and Milton Farms in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.
Richard Calver, company director since the 1980s, explains the breed is helping underpin production of one of the UK’s most popular unpasteurised Cheddar cheeses and is also helping improve the farm’s soil health and diversity of pasture.
The Westcombe cheese business is diverse and, as well as cheesemaking which sees 120 tonnes of Cheddar made a year as well as Caerphilly cheese and Ricotta, also includes veal calves for charcuterie, pigs fed on herbal leys, a small acreage growing heritage grains, a micro brewery, as well as a restaurant and bakery named
Landrace in Bath, owned by Richard’s son, Tom, and his wife Mel.
Richard says the Shorthorn was introduced for a number of reasons.
“In particular we thought the breed
would be a better grazing animal and better for the cheese,” he says.
He explains the herd now includes a number of ‘blended Shorthorns’.
He says: “We are only in the third
year of Shorthorns joining the herd, but every year we are going back to Shorthorn and so we are getting more and more Shorthorn in there.”
Richard adds that the smaller cow is more adaptable to grazing, which in turn has an impact on the cheese making process.
He says: “We have not grown maize since 2019. The perception is that maize is good for cheese making; it is a source of starch, so you get high protein milk for cheese, but it also changes the nature of the fats.
“It makes for more saturated fats in the milk, so shorter chain fatty acids which are prone to harder fats and quite a lot of fracturing. We were getting cracks in our cheddar and that would allow blue to get in. You have a harder, more brittle cheese.
“Whereas a more grazing-focused, multi-species diet, promotes longer chain fatty acid milk profile, richer in
The cows calve from June to November to provide a sustained supply of milk for the cheese.
Tom (left) and Richard Calver.
Farm facts
■ Manor Farm and Milton Farm comprise 283 hectares (700 acres) home to two milking herds
■ The herds are now predominantly Dairy Shorhorn
■ All milk is made into cheese, either on site or sold to Barber’s Cheddar
■ The cheese and other produce enjoy a ready, niche market including high-end London restaurants, exporter and wholesaler Neal’s Yard Dairy, Waitrose, M&S, The Fine Cheese Co and various farmers markets
■ Cheese is also supplied online and through the farm shop
polyunsaturated fats, which lead to a more yielding cheese.”
The two herds are run individually – 195 cows at Manor Farm and 165 cows at Milton Farm, but the business is run as a whole. For example, the silage pooled into a main clamp and then is taken to each farm.
Richard says: “The farm staff intermingle between the two farms, so for the milking there are two people: one scraping out and sorting the beds out, the other milking.”
There are five full-time members of the team, an apprentice and some part-timers. The two farms run to 283 hectares (700 acres), a mixture of owned and rented, and include some steep ground.
Calving
Cows calve from June through to November, the longer calving period is important to sustain milk supply for cheese making.
They are now fed on a spring grown wholecrop of barley, peas and vetch grown as a combi-crop, with winter wheat grown for crimping or wholecrop.
For the past six years, the herd at Milton Farm has been managed by Nick Millard and his appointment marked a crucial development in the business. He has built up a strong
working relationship with Neal’s Yard Dairy and had spent four years with organic farming pioneer, Patrick Holden, in West Wales.
He studied international agriculture at Greenwich University and his dissertation was on how cow nutrition affects the sensory properties of raw milk cheeses, which led to his visiting and working on farms in France and Italy.
Nick is enthusiastic about the two farm system and feels it is better in terms of knowing the cows as well as cost.
He says: “It makes us a bit more resilient, having two small herds. And bovine TB is an issue with raw milk cheese makers, so generally if one herd is down with bTB, the other one is clear.
“You have to pasteurise if you are down with bTB. You cannot do raw milk cheesemaking. We prefer to make the cheese from raw milk because of the flavour and because the market is there.
“And it is better for health. People talk a lot more now about feeding the gut microbiome. There are a lot more
and
Today, most of the herd at Milton is Dairy Shorthorn sired, with only 30 pure Holstein remaining.
The blended type means the bloodlines comprise Scandinavian Red, Red Holstein and Ayrshire. The need for
adequate yield means an element of Holstein genetics will remain.
Nick says: “When I came here, this herd was averaging 8,900 litres.
“We were not pushing the cows particularly hard, although we had a few cows doing 14,000 litres a lactation, but still had lots of the issues that came
Grazing rather than maize feed produces better milk for the cheese.
micro flora
fauna in raw milk cheese than in pasteurised.”
Blended Shorthorns are becoming the mainstay of the herds at Westcombe cheese’s two farms.
with high-producing animals. The average now is 8,400.
“There are a few caveats and one is that the fertility has improved so much over the past three years.
“On this farm we have gone from a 385/390 calving interval six years ago to a 367-day calving interval.
“We have lost milk by tightening up, because the cows are not having as long lactations. But I am seeing the cows look after themselves in the first couple of lactations.
“They do not burn out and we have third lactation Shorthorn cross Holsteins giving 10,000 litres.”
The cows spend as much of the year as possible out, with both herds rotational grazing.
Nick’s herd at Milton Farm is mobgrazed on an extended rotational paddock system of up to 55 days, with the milking herd followed by the dry cows.
The herd at Manor Farm, which is managed by Raymond Stone, is on 20day rotational grazing. The normal
grass measuring was abandoned this year, due to the almost incessant rain.
The crop rotation involves winter wheat, followed by an over winter cover crop of Westerwolds ryegrass and vetches, cut in the spring as a one off silage crop. Next the spring wholecrop
WESTCOMBE CHEESE
is planted, coming off in the summer to be followed by a herbal cutting ley. It brings diversity to the cows’ winter diet, when not grazing says Nick. It is difficult to monitor the effect on profit, given the economic and climate challenges of the transition period, as well as the pandemic and global insecurity.
Nick stresses though that the cheese is better than ever, with less wastage and vets bills have dramatically dropped. He says the cows’ diet is ‘undeniably’ responsible.
The herd at Milton Farm is mob-grazed on an extended rotational paddock system of up to 55 days.
They produce 120 tonnes of unpasteurised Cheddar a year.
Average production is 8,400 litres per lactation.
Seminars set to focus on securing future talent
For many dairy producers up and down the country, labour remains a crippling issue. But there is a much bigger picture, which the Dairy Show aims to tackle with a holistic approach.
Held on October 2 at the Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, the show is set to make people more of a focus, with a careers-themed seminar programme elevating the importance of attracting, recruiting and retaining new minds, perspectives and skill sets.
Hugh Pocock, co-founder of the agricultural consultancy Cultura, will discuss how good communication and a healthy workplace culture can attract and retain high-quality staff.
“Looking at when and how people communicate is one of the areas we will talk about, because it is often limited and starts too late,” he says.
“So getting to grips with what makes for good communication and when it should start, is going to help lay strong foundations.”
Building a business profile is key in communicating who you are as a business and team, advises Mr Pocock.
“Having a simple but effective presence will help sell your business when the time comes to recruit – prospective employees have to sell themselves, but so does the business,” he says.
His session will also look at workplace environment, inducting staff,
The Dairy Show
■ When: Wednesday, October 2, 2024
■ Where: The Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN
■ Tickets: Advance tickets are available at £20 per adult, increasing to £25 on the gate; students, with proof, will have discounted entry at £15 and children under 15 years of age have free entry
■ Parking: Car parking is free
communicating tough messages and training and management.
With the likes of First Milk, Riverford Organic, Marshfield Farm Ice Cream and Daylesford Organic becoming Certified B Corporation businesses, renewable energy consultant, Your Eco UK, will be holding a session on what it means for agricultural hirings.
Company director Amanda Spicer says: “B Corp is a certification for ethical businesses who work not just for profit, but to benefit people and the planet.
“It is also a very collaborative effort with certified B Corps working together to find solutions to specific challenges.”
Pipeline
Strengthening the talent pipeline for food production in the UK must be a priority to avoid future shortfalls in skills and labour.
That is why Ruthie Peterson, careers manager at the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture, will share an update on an innovative and free virtual work experience (VWEX) programme aimed at mobilising the next generation of agriculture’s workforce.
The show’s inaugural Dairy Discovery Day will further the society’s efforts to help build a workforce for the future, linking farming with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
“We have about 100 students, aged 14 to 15, from a Shepton Mallet School participating in the careers tour,” says shows and education co-ordinator, Lilanie Self.
“The tour has been designed to introduce students with an interest in STEM to agriculture, kicking off the day with an introduction to British farming and common myth-busting, before heading off on an interactive tour to learn about the wealth of career opportunities the industry can offer,” she said.
The show will also host exhibitors from all over the country, competing
in a variety of breed classes, before respective champions go head-to-head for the sought-after supreme champion title.
The Dairy Show will once again be the venue of choice for the National Shows of the UK Jersey Cattle Society and the English Guernsey Cattle Society, and there will be classes for the next generation of
The Dairy Show at Shepton Mallet is to have a focus on people and careers, as well as seminars and the showring.
handlers in the showmanship classes for young handlers between the ages of seven and 26.
This, followed by the calf classes, will be a chance to spot a few new showing stars.
MORE INFORMATION For more details, visit bathandwest.com/the-dairy-show
Dairy Dairy Show Preview
The Rockett family combine their passion for showing with keeping the milking herd at Ebsworthy Moor Farm going strong. Ruth Wills finds out more.
Showing dairy cattle is a family affair on Devon farm
Les Rockett bought Ebsworthy Moor Farm, near Bridestowe, Devon, in 1983 as a bare site.
He says: “I was born on a farm, but when my parents divorced, we had to sell the farm, but with the few pennies I had I was able to buy the greenfield site.
“I built everything up from there; I started by milking 40 British Friesian cross Holstein cows, then slowly increased to 80 cows plus 80 followers.”
Mr Rockett started showing his animals 34 years ago, with his late wife, June.
But the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001 decimated his herd.
“I then bought a whole herd of
Friesians from Agatha Christie’s Greenway Estate and kept the Greenway prefix,” he says.
Sadly, June passed away in 2010, but a little while later Mr Rockett became close friends with Tracy Marshall, who he later married.
“I used to do the school run with my daughter Abi, and we would stop when the cows were crossing to be milked, or going back out to their field,” says Mrs Rockett.
Showing
“We would stop to talk to Les and June, and then after June passed, Les asked if Abi would like to do any showing.
“So, in May 2011 we went to the farm and Abi, who was nine at the
time, had the choice of two calves. Funnily enough, the calf she chose was Greenway Matchmaker Colleen and they have been together ever since.”
In 2020, Mrs Rockett had a serious health scare: “I remember we had a TB test that day, but I suffered a stroke – I had a clot stopping blood getting from my heart to my brain.
“I was in hospital for a week. I lost my balance and the use of my legs.
“Once I was home again, Les helped me get back out to the farm by using a walking frame – I looked like I had escaped from an old people’s home when I was waiting for the cows to cross the road.
“But I have bounced back. It took a while and I still get anxious that it will happen again.
“The hole that was left in my heart was mended and I would say I am 98% recovered.”
The couple were married in December 2022 and they now show as Les and Tracy Rockett and Abi Marshall.
They milk 65 cows with 40 followers of five different breeds; Holsteins, Ayrshires, Jerseys, British Friesians and Guernseys.
“I like my British Friesians and Jerseys, Abi likes Holsteins and Ayrshires and Les likes Ayrshires, and he is warming to the Holsteins, but we all have a soft spot for Guernseys,” Mrs Rockett says.
At Ebsworthy Moor Farm 65 cows plus 40 followers are milked.
Dairy Show Preview Dairy
Farm facts
■ Milk 65 cows with 40 followers
■ Arla contract
■ Yield 7,400 litres per year on average, at 4.7% butterfat and 3.5% protein
■ Two part-time relief milkers
■ 56 hectares, all grass
■ Six-abreast milking parlour
■ Diet consists of concentrates in the parlour, grazing in the summer and round bale silage in the winter
All the cows are served with artificial insemination, she says.
“We always used to use proven bulls, then we dabbled in genomic tested bulls, but we have found proven bulls suit us better – it is just truly knowing what you are going to get rather than just looking at figures.
“When we are choosing a bull, we look for good feet and legs, mammary system, temperament, fertility, butterfat and protein.
Compare
“We use Ayrshire Cattle Services, Cogent, Genus and Semex to compare the bulls, and Blondin Sires to buy the semen.
“We calve all year round, which can be a little stressful and we are not getting any younger, so over the past year we have been putting a lot to beef and selling the calves at a month old.”
The trio made their showing debut at Liskeard Show in 2011.
“We have been doing all the shows we can since then, between 12 and 15 every year,” Mrs Rockett says.
“Abi has been well and truly bitten by the showing bug and has gone on to travel with her showing skills.
“She won a trip to Toronto Winter Fair in Canada, with the National Young Stars competition and she has represented Devon and Cornwall at the All Breeds All Britain [ABAB] Calf Show,” says Mrs Rockett.
“She has always been competitive and Les’ passion for showing has really rubbed off on us both.
“The first time we went to the ABAB Calf Show, Abi was with the Holstein Club representing Devon, so I went wandering around the
British Friesians and talking to the breeders – they all said we should bring some Friesians next time.
“So, the following year, we went out to the field and picked out a calf.
“We had her halter broken in six weeks, then went to the ABAB Calf Show and won champion calf.”
Miss Marshall has also started milking cows locally.
“Even though she has left home,
The family’s herd is a mix of Holsteins, Ayrshires, Jerseys, British Friesians and Guernseys.
Left to right: Les Rockett, Abi Marshall and Tracy Rockett.
Dairy Dairy Show Preview
The 65-strong milking herd yields 7,400 litres a year on average, at 4.7% butterfat.
she is only five minutes away so helps us out with show preparations and showing,” says Mrs Rockett.
“The long-term plan is for her to come home when she is ready.”
The couple love to educate the public and the next generation about farming.
“When Les is at the shows he likes to get the public and the youngsters involved; it is surprising how much people do not know,” she says.
“We go to the Bath and West showground in April for the Field
In a show animal we look for depth of rib, openness of rib, width through the front and a nice deep body
to Food Day, which is a day when primary schools are invited to the showground to learn about farming and where their food comes from.
“We take cows and the children love stroking them. They all have personalities and names; we are so attached to them all, even the difficult ones,” says Mrs Rockett.
Their show team also has some strong accolades.
Champion
“Last year at the Royal Bath and West Show we won supreme dairy champion with Greenway Ross Great Jubilee, or Granny as we call her.
“Then this year she had reserve supreme at Devon County Show, before taking reserve dairy supreme at Royal Bath and West Show and supreme champion at Liskeard Show,” says Mrs Rockett.
“We also had success at North Somerset Show this year with Greenway Thea taking supreme champion and champion of champions.”
The Dairy Show is a firm favourite and the family are hoping to take a big team in October.
“We will take Ayrshires, Holsteins, Friesians and maybe the odd Jersey, as it is the Jersey national show,” says Mrs Rockett.
“We have had several wins at the Dairy Show; last year we had any other dairy breed champion with Greenway Solo Billie Jo, with Greenway Bombardier Billie Jean as reserve champion.
“An honourable mention went to Greenway Billie Jilly – Billie Jo’s daughter.
“And an Ayrshire, Greenway Platinum Jubilee, took reserve champion in the any other breed calf class.
“In 2022 we had champion Guernsey with Autumn Gold Little Lady Duchess. We love the Dairy
Show because it is a great atmosphere and a nice show.”
Miss Marshall says: “In a show animal we look for depth of rib, openness of rib, width through the front and a nice deep body.
“Teat placement and depth through the udder are also important.”
The family plans to continue showing.
“We will show as long as we can, and when we cannot, we will support Abi – I think it will always be in her bones,” says Mrs Rockett.
“It is lovely watching her and makes us feel really proud.”
The family have had huge success showing across the South West.
Hereford breed claims championship on home turf
shire. This November 2023-born heifer is out of a home-bred cow Dieulacresse Pansy 13 and by Haven Virtual.
Inter-breed beef and Hereford champion, Rempstone
from M. Ludgate, Thame, Oxfordshire.
By Ellie Layton
ONLY a week after claiming the supreme title at the National Poll Hereford Show title at Moreton-in-Marsh Show, Rempstone 1 Alpha N688 dominated the competition at Kington Show where there was a bumper entry of 40 cattle in the Hereford section and higher entries across the board in the new undercover lines.
Bred and exhibited by M. Ludgate, Thame, Oxfordshire, the bull is out of Danish-imported dam Rosenkaer Miss World and by Dendor 1 Nairobi Rempstone 1 Alpha.
The March 2023-born bull has had an impressive run throughout summer, taking championships up and down the country, including recent breed and inter-breed championships at the Edenbridge and Oxted Agricultural Show.
The reserve came from the commercial section and was brought forward by Steven O’Kane, Newtown, on behalf of J.M. and S.M. Rowlands, Dolwen, Llanidloes. The July 2022-born Limousin heifer, Taylor, was on its second outing of the year after being bought at Brecon market in the store section.
Winning the any other native breed championship was a Welsh Black heifer, Aur Du Champagne, bred and exhibited by Sally Lloyd, Leominster. The November 2022-born heifer is an Aur Du Yogi Bear daughter.
Securing the Limousin championship were Terry and Sheila Jones and family, Hereford, with their cow and calf outfit, Sherry Sparkle and heifer calf, Virginia. Sparkle is a three-yearold Wilodge LJ daughter out of homebred cow, Nerys, a Mereside Lorenzo daughter which was first in its class at this year’s Royal Welsh Show. The calf is a January-born Dinmore Jonesy daughter and was shown and prepared by the Jones’ grandchildren. Reserve breed and female champion Hereford was Dieulacresse Pansy 17 from Messrs Spooner, Stafford-
In the sheep ring, last year’s reserve champion did one better, taking the supreme inter-breed title. This was the Bleu du Maine two-year-old ewe, Danygraig Wasima, from husband and wife team, Dylan and Charlie Jones’ 20-ewe Danycraig flock, Llandrindod Wells.
Out of an Artnagullion-bred ewe and by Wasina Valentino, it is in-lamb to Haydon Wildfire. No stranger to success, the ewe was second at this year’s Royal Welsh Show, reserve breed champion at the Royal Welsh and reserve breed champion at the National Show at Royal Three Counties in 2022.
Double
The Jones family did the double, also winning reserve champion with another two-year-old ewe, their Zwartbles Danygraig Luscious which was breed champion at the show last year. Out of the home-bred ewe, Jerri and by Wallridge Moor Kelso, it is in-lamb to Cernyw Ffortiwn.
The North Country Cheviot championship went to Darren Bevan’s Knowle-Harbour flock based in Presteigne with a home-bred ewe lamb.
The championship in the any other native section went to Rob Davies, Brecon, with his yearling Talybont Welsh ram, bred from his hill flock.
The Badger Face Welsh Mountain judge Neil Dillion, Carmarthen, chose the ewe lamb as champion from Dewi Bowen, Powys.
In the pig section, Martin Snell, Somerset, chose the traditional champion as his supreme inter-breed winner. The Large Black gilt, Pfolly Constance 345 came from David Lang, Builth Wells. The January 2024-born gilt is a daughter of Parcyrhwyd Attempt daughter out of a home-bred sow.
Reserve inter-breed champion went to Worcestershire breeder Rob Bemand with his champion modern breeding sow, Leysters Spring Tessa 2. It is part of his large Welsh pig herd.
Results Beef
Inter-breed (Judge, P. Stanley, Leicester) Supreme, M. Ludgate, Rempstone 1 Alpha N688 (Hereford); reserve, J.M. and S.M. Rowlands, Taylor (commercial). Hereford (R. Jackson, Lancashire) Sup., M. Ludgate, Rempstone 1 Alpha N688; res., Messrs Spooner, Dieulacresse Pansy 17. Highland (A. Hill, Shropshire) Sup., Caradog Fold, Gruagach Of Caradog; res., S. Smith, Cairistonadubh Of Stockley.
Any other native (J. Brigg, Worcester) Sup., S. Lloyd, Aur Du Champagne (Welsh Black); res., D. Powell, Shelsleys Kwagla (Belted Galloway).
Limousin (P. Rogers, Prestigne) Sup., T. and S. Jones, Sherry Sparkle (Limousin); res., A. Jones, Mojo Umberto (Limousin).
Any other continental (P. Rogers) Sup., A. Roberts, Onley Topsy (Salers); res., S. Linton, Bella (Piedmotese). Commercial (P. Rogers) Sup., J.M. and S.M. Rowlands, Taylor (Limousin); res., N. Lloyd, Ralph Lauren (British Blue cross).
Sheep Inter-breed (M. Eckley, Hay-on-Wye) Sup., D. and C. Jones (Bleu De Maine); res., D. and C. Jones (Zwartbles).
North Country Cheviot (S. Pendrick, Newton Abbott) Sup. and res., D. Bevan.
Inter-breed sheep and continental champion, Danygraig Wasima, from Dylan and Charlie Jones, Llandrindod Wells.
Badger Face Welsh Mountain (N. Dillon, Carmarthen) Sup. and res., D. Bowen. Herdwick (D. Harrison, Cumbria) Sup., M. and D. Davies; res., F. Davies.
Any other native (H. Parkes, Shropshire) Sup., R. Davies (Talybont Welsh); res., M. Thomas (South Wales Mountain).
Ryeland (S. Unwin, Shropshire) Sup., I. Lloyd; res., R. Dyke.
Coloured Ryeland (R. Morgan, Powys) Sup. J. Hitchman; res., S. Owen.
Any other native lowland (R. Read, Herefordshire) Sup. and res., S. Walters (Suffolk). Zwartbles (B. Stayt, Gloucestershire) Sup., D. and C. Jones; res., S. Bower.
Texel (G. Williams, Hereford) Sup. and res., D. and S. Owens.
Any other continental (G. Williams) Sup., D. and C. Jones; res., H. Layton.
Pigs
Inter-breed (M. Snell, Somerset) Sup., D. Lang, Pfolly Constance 345 (Large Black); res., R. Bemand, Leysters Spring Tessa 2 (Welsh). Traditional (M. Snell) Sup., D. Lang, Pfolly Constance 345 (Large Black); res., R. Proctor and J. Drury, Oldcastle Royal Scarlett 3. Modern (M. Snell) Sup., R. Bemand, Leysters Spring Tessa 2 (Welsh); res., R. Bemand, Leysters Spring Dainty Girl 32.
l Bleu du Maine takes sheep inter-breed
1 Alpha N688,
Reserve inter-breed beef and commercial champion, Taylor, from J.M. and S.M. Rowlands, Newtown.
PICTURES: RUTH REES
Inter-breed beef, native and Beef Shorthorn champion, Llwynhywel Sherriff, from Evans and Price, Llanilar.
Reserve inter-breed beef, reserve native and any other native champion, Ufemia Of Balgray, a Galloway heifer from David Cornthwaite Lockerbie.
On the 225th anniversary of Westmorland County Show, visitors returned to the ringside to watch an admirable show of stock exhibited at the two-day event. Katie Fallon reports.
Beef Shorthorn takes top honours at Westmorland
l Jersey crowned champion in dairy rings
AS host to the National Beef Shorthorn Show, it was a fitting result when the supreme beef championship and native championship was awarded to the Beef Shorthorn champion. From the Welsh-based team of Evans and Price, Llanilar, it was the male champion, a home-bred 27-month-old bull,
Results
Beef
Inter-breed (Judge, K. Jempson, Banbury) Supreme and native, Evans and Price, Llwynhywel Sherriff (Beef Shorthorn); reserve and res. native, D. Cornthwaite, Ufemia Of Balgray (Galloway). British Blue (B. Comrie, Lanark) Sup., M. Hartley, Pendle Sarsaparilla; res., E. Elliot, Ellglen Touch Of Class. British Simmental (R.A. Owen, Welshpool) Sup., D. Saunders Maidenlands Polarine 4 P; res., O. Airey, Denizes Rose 5. Charolais (R.A. Owen) Sup., R. Wyllie and R. Hassell, Coolnaslee Ursula; res., T. Atkinson, Goldstar Saoirse.
Limousin (G. Swindlehurst, Slaidburn) Sup., C. Johnston, Crajan Symophony; res., I. Sedgwick, Gallaber Unita. Limousin heifer and bull derby (G. Swindlehurst) Sup., I. Sedgwick, Gallaber Unita (heifer); res., I. Sedgwick, Gallaber Ulysses (bull).
Any other breed, continental (R.A. Owen) Sup., T. Atkinson, Brownhill Netta (British Blonde); res., T. Atkinson, Hallfield Plato (British Blonde). Aberdeen-Angus (W. McLaren, Perth) Sup., D. and P. Evans, Tree Bridge Polly Perkins T699; res., R. Wyllie, Brailes Black Bee Y245. Beef Shorthorn (J. Landers, Newton Stewart) Sup., Evans and Price, Llwynhywel Sherriff; res., C. and K. Ward, Kimrina Nena.
Hereford (B. Birch, Stafford) Sup., Taylor and Marsh, Taymar 1 Stella 3rd; res., E. Jackson, Eveter 1 Alan Jackson.
Highland (M. Auld, Ayrshire) Sup., G. Mumford, Urshula Eleanor 4th of Yarchester; C. Roberts, Sineag Dubh Of Seam. Longhorn (P. Stanley, Coalville) Sup., S. Horrocks, Fullwood Verona; res., S. Horrocks, Gale Farm Great Cumbrae.
Llwynhywel Sherriff, which took the top spot.
A Fearn Jumpstart son and out of Elliot Mill Lea 825, which the team bought out of Stirling for 15,000gns as a heifer from John Elliot, Kelso, the bull was first in its class at last year’s Royal Welsh Show.
Inter-breed judge Keith Jempson, Banbury, said his champion was ‘outstanding’ and ‘a fantastic advert for the Shorthorn breed’.
Red Poll (J. Briggs, Ross-on-Wye) Sup., H. Arthan, Chorlton Lane Hokey Cokey; res., J.R. Williams, Pinguis Jeremiah.
Any other breed, native (P. Stanley) Sup., D. Cornthwaite, Ufemia Of Balgray (Galloway); res., D. Steen, Ballylinney Cherry 28. Commercial (M. Robertson, Tomintoul) Sup., S. and N.V. Jowett, The Dutchess; res., N. Slack, Westmorland Warrior.
Dairy
Inter-breed (R. Kite, Stafford) Sup., G.M. and D.J. Pye, Bayview Casino Eliza 12 (Jersey); res., W. Garnett, Milnthorpe Miami Val (Holstein). Jersey (B. Etteridge, Beccles) Sup., G.M. and D.J. Pye, Bayview Casino Eliza 12; res., G.M. and D.J. Pye, Bayview Matt Twinkle 56. Holstein (J. Tomlinson, Preston) Sup., W. Garnett, Milnthorpe Miami Val; res., W. Garnett and Son, Milnthorpe Hotline Dallam.
Ayrshire (K. Lawrie, Maybole) Sup., D. and C. Sanderson, Sanderson Rock Suprise; res., Sup., D. and C. Sanderson, Sanderson Monopoly Georgette. Dairy Shorthorn (D. Winnington, Gnosall) Sup., J.R. Handley, Beaconview Lottie 7; res., J.R. Handley, Becaonview Janet 6.
Sheep
Inter-breed lowland terminal (Panel) Sup., J. Bailey (Blue Texel); res., R. Bamforth (Charollais).
Inter-breed lowland non-terminal (Panel) Sup., S. Tyson (Teeswater); res., D. Knowles (Lleyn).
Inter-breed upland (Panel) Sup., S. and A. Burgess (Kerry Hill); res., A. Hartley (Herdwick).
Beltex (G. Paterson, Kircudbright) Sup., and res., M. and E. Jennings. Blue Texel (N. Pamplin, Ringstead) Sup., J. Bailey; res., E. Mckehnie.
Standing reserve and reserve native champion was the any other breed native champion, a 12-month-old Galloway heifer, Ufemia Of Balgray, from David Cornthwaite Lockerbie. By Blackcraig Kodiac which was beef inter-breed champion at the Royal Highland and Great Yorkshire Show in 2011, it was only the third time out for the home-bred heifer.
Residing with Mr Cornthwaite’s 50-head Galloway herd, it was the
Charollais (J. Dennis, Thirsk) Sup., R. Bamforth; res., Brown and Mason.
Dutch Spotted (R. Buckle, Lanarkshire) Sup., and res., Cannon Hall Farm.
Hampshire Down (R. McFarlane, Stirling) Sup., S. Short; res., G. and J. Galbraith. Southdown (D.M. Jenkins, Wiltshire) Sup. and res., R. Hargreaves.
Suffolk (A. Gray, Lesmahagow) Sup., S. Woodend; res., R. Batty. Texel (A. Richardson, Barnsley) Sup. and res., C. Geldard.
Bluefaced Leicester (I. Cousin, Kirkby Stephen) Sup., S. Hayton; res., C. Burrow. Border Leicester (P.M. Brown, Kilmory) Sup., M. Birch; res., J. Eddleston.
Charmoise Hill (P. Farmer, Chesterfield) Sup., O. Roberts; res., C. Jones.
Coloured Ryeland (T. Bradbury, Pembrokeshire) Sup., Fisher and Hoggarth; res., S. Milby.
Lleyn (I. Walling, Selkirk) Sup. and res., D. Knowles. Masham (J. Gorst, Killington) Sup. and res., M. Allen.
Mule (C. Harrison, Alston) Sup. and res., M. Allen.
Poll Dorset (J. Marshall, Derbyshire) Sup., B. and C. Muncaster; res., C. Roper. Ryeland (T. Redmayne, Carlisle) Sup. and res., E. Davies.
Teeswater (E. Bainbridge, Richmond) Sup., S. Tyson; res., G. Horner.
Zwartbles (I. Hartley, Nelson) Sup., A. Thorburn; res., R. Heigh.
Badger Face Torduu (R. Mills, Powys) Sup., V. Crew; res., A. Clark.
Blackface (P. Turnbull, Whitby) Sup., T. Birbeck; res., R. Guy.
Dalesbred (J. Dawson, Clapham) Sup. and res., J. Dawson and family. Derbyshire Gritstone (J.D. Eggleton, Bradford) Sup. and res., E. and P. Howard.
first inter-breed placing for the Cornthwaite family with the Galloway breed, having previously been reserve inter-breed champion twice with their Limousin cattle. Mr Jempson said his reserve champion was ‘full of style and character’.
Dairy
Supreme champion in the dairy rings was the Jersey champion Bayview Casino Eliza 12, from the Pye family,
Hebridean (C. Wainwright, Rugby) Sup., L. Cowper; res., A. Fecitt.
Herdwick (D. Bland, Keswick) Sup., A. Hartley; res., P. Fitzwilliam.
Jacob (J. Leonard, Cwmbran) Sup., Knowles family; res., E. Wilson.
Kerry Hill (G. Pugh, Llanymynech) Sup., S. and A. Burgess; res., P. Lowthian. Lonk (J. Hey, Quernmore) Sup. and res., E. and P. Howard.
North Country Cheviot Hill (R. Rennie, Kelso) Sup., S. Campbell; res. J. Campbell. North Country Cheviot Park (I. Graham, Lockerbie) Sup., B. Drew; res., A. Grant. Rough Fell (M. Dunning, Tebay) Sup., B. and J. Knowles; res., S. Hoggarth.
Shetland (K. Sharp, East Lothian) Sup., B. and J. Watson; res., P. and A. Cowan.
Swaledale (A. Watson, Brampton) Sup., J. Hutchinson; res., S. Taylor.
Any other pure breed (H. Currie, Carlisle) Sup., R. Barraclough; res., P. and L. Murray (Clun Forest).
Pigs
Inter-breed (M. Hicks, Coventry) Sup., J. Holroyd, Kingsdown Golden Harvest (Large Black); res., I. Soar, S. Roberts and J. Fairclough, Raisinhall Judy 8 (Hampshire).
Any traditional breed (M. Hicks) Sup., J. Holroyd, Kingsdown Golden Harvest (Large Black); res., I. Soar, Pinehurst Alma Rose (Middle White).
Any modern breed (M. Hicks) Sup., S. Roberts and J. Fairclough, Raisinhall Judy 8 (Hampshire); res., S. Roberts and J. Fairclough, Raisinhall Anna 29 (Hampshire).
Kune Kune (M. Hicks) Sup., A. Jamieson, Rambaud Te Whangi Li; res., A. Jamieson, Leescourt Trish 5.
Westmorland County Shows
Carnforth. It was the first time out for the third calver, which was shown 115 days calved and giving 30 litres daily. Classified VG88 as a three-year-old, its dam was also previously Jersey champion at the show. The Pye family, who exhibit at Westmorland every year, milk a herd of 320 Jerseys and were Jersey champion and junior Jersey champion at last year’s show.
It was the Holstein champion Milnthorpe Miami Val, from 17-year-old William Garnett, Milnthorpe, which stood reserve. The third calver which was bred by Mr Garnett himself, was shown giving 55 litres daily having last calved in May. Classified EX92, it was only the second time out for the cow, whose dam was also exhibited at Westmorland in the past.
Reserve in the Jersey section was another from the Pye family, Bayview Matt Twinkle 56, a home-bred heifer in-milk, by Wilsonview If Matt A2A2 BB. The Garnett family, Milnthorpe, took home the reserve rosette in the Holstein section, with a home-bred second calver out of the VG85 Milnthorpe Flomont Dallam.
The Handley family, Kendal, took home the winning ticket in the Dairy Shorthorn section with a home-bred fourth calver, Beaconview Lottie 7. Shown 108 days in-milk and giving 26 litres daily, the Panorama Anticipation 60 daughter is the first cow out of the Lottie family that they have exhibited. Reserve Dairy Shorthorn was another from the same home, Beaconview Janet 6, an October 2021-born heifer in-milk.
David and Christine Sanderson, Wigton, claimed both champion and reserve tickets in the Ayrshire section. Taking the top spot was Sanderson Rock Surprise, a September 2017-born Sandyford Rocket daughter, classified EX94. In reserve was Sanderson Monopoly Georgette, a first calver, classified VG86 and out of Sanderson CSS Georgette 2. With the inter-breed sheep championship titles decided by a panel of
breed judges, it was the Blue Texel champion from James Bailey, Bedale, which claimed top honours in the lowland terminal section.
The home-bred six-shear ewe, Ivanhoe Wendy, by a home-bred sire, has appeared in the lowland terminal inter-breed line-up three times previously at Westmorland County Show, and was breed champion at Boroughbridge Show this summer.
It was the Charollais champion, Lower Denby Una, from Richard Bamforth, Huddersfield, which stood reserve. The four-crop ewe was the lowland terminal champion at last year’s show on its first outing and forms part of Mr Bamforth’s 80-strong Lower Denby Charollais flock.
Lowland
Taking the sash in the lowland non-terminal inter-breed championship was the Teeswater champion Derwent Dynamite, a three-year-old tup from Sue Tyson, Keswick. The home-bred tup was reserve lowland non-terminal champion at last year’s show, male champion at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show and rare breed champion at Northumberland and Cumberland shows this summer.
It was the Lleyn champion, a shearling tup from David Knowles, Kendal, which stood reserve. By a Farmstock Genetics tup and out of a home-bred ewe it was the first time out for the champion which resides with Mr Knowle’s flock of 400 Lleyn ewes.
In the upland section it was the Kerry Hill champion, Pentranant Choir Boy, a two-shear tup from Stuart and Angie Burgess, Dumfries, which scooped top honours. Purchased two years ago from a society sale at Carlisle from Robert and Jean Price, Hereford, the tup was sire to this year’s overall champion at the Ludlow society sale. Reserve upland sheep interbreed champion was the Herdwick
champion, a three-year-old tup from Anthony Hartley, Seathwaite. Brought out by Steven Baines, the tup was bought at Cockermouth last year from Jonny Bland, Borrowdale, as a shearling. This was its first time out and it is heading to Eskdale Show next.
It was the traditional pig champion, Kingsdown Golden Harvest, a
Inter-breed lowland terminal and Blue Texel champion, Ivanhoe Wendy, from James Bailey, Bedale.
Inter-breed lowland nonterminal and Teeswater champion, Derwent Dynamite, from Sue Tyson, Keswick.
Inter-breed upland and Kerry Hill champion, Pentranant Choir Boy, from Stuart and Angie Burgess, Dumfries.
Large Black sow from Jack Holroyd, Preston, which claimed the pig inter-breed title. Mr Holroyd also claimed the pig championship at last year’s show with a Large Black gilt. Reserve inter-breed pig and champion modern breed pig was a Hampshire sow from Stuart Roberts and Jodie Fairclough, North Yorkshire.
Inter-breed dairy and Jersey champion, Bayview Casino Eliza 12, from the Pye family, Carnforth.
Reserve inter-breed dairy and Holstein champion, Milnthorpe Miami Val, from William Garnett, Milnthorpe.
MARSHALL’S FARM SHOP
THE MARSHALL FAMILY, ABERDEEN
XMarshall’s Farm Shop is a family-run operation thriving on teamwork and collaboration.
The Marshall family, with key roles filled by Kenny, Moira, Christine, Julie and Shona, manage the day-to-day running of the diverse business.
Kenny oversees traditional farming, while Moira handles finances and supports various tasks across the farm.
The farm shop, restaurant, and butchery have seen significant growth due to the family’s strategic diversification efforts.
They focus on locally sourced products, including AberdeenAngus beef and free-range eggs.
The butchery department caters to a wide clientele, offering various cuts and delicious homemade items, while the restaurant highlights farm-fresh ingredients.
In response to challenges such
WOLD
The
as rising energy costs, the Marshall family continually seeks innovative solutions, such as investing in solar energy and streamlining operations. They foster a supportive work environment, offering incentives to retain skilled staff.
Seasonal events and community engagement play a crucial role in attracting visitors.
The family participates in local initiatives, building strong relationships within the community.
Their dedication to providing high-quality food and unique experiences has solidified their reputation as a premier destination in Aberdeenshire.
The Marshall family’s ongoing commitment to diversification has led to a thriving business that incorporates sustainable practices while staying true to their agricultural roots.
DIVERSIFICATION OF THE YEAR (LARGE)
Sponsored by
OTTER TARN JOHN AND KATH BLACKETT, CUMBRIA
XOtter Tarn is a farm holiday accommodation business that combines sustainable farming practices while providing unique luxury experiences for visitors.
Specialising in Belted Galloway cattle, the Blacketts have successfully diversified into holiday lodging, allowing guests to connect with traditional farming practices. Their commitment to sustainability is evident in their carbon-negative operation.
Over nine years, the Blacketts have introduced several bespoke lodges to meet the growing demand for luxury agritourism.
They adapt their business model to changing customer preferences, using artificial intelligence technology to target guests seeking short getaways.
This innovative approach positions Otter Tarn as a leader in holiday accommodations.
Amid rising operational costs, the Blacketts have implemented efficiency measures such as robotic lawnmowers, and are exploring renewable energy solutions to minimise expenses. Their focus on customer satisfaction is evident in their commitment to providing exceptional experiences.
They measure success through guest reviews and aim to engage visitors in farming education during their stays.
This approach fosters a deeper understanding of sustainable practices and strengthens the connection between guests and the land.
Through their dedication to quality, sustainability and customer engagement, they have made Otter Tarn into a thriving destination that highlights the importance of responsible farming and unique holiday experiences.
TOP BREWERY, SPIRIT OF YORKSHIRE DISTILLERY THE MELLOR FAMILY, NORTH YORKSHIRE
family
and
established
Tom Mellor’s entrepreneurial spirit has been crucial in steering the farm towards diversification and sustainability.
Alongside co-founder David
Thompson, they have effectively built awareness and sales of Filey Bay whisky and Wold Top beer. Challenges in the brewery have evolved, particularly with increased competition.
The Mellor family leverages the farm’s story to differentiate their products and maintain a commitment to quality, while diversifying their beer selection.
Establishing the distillery posed cash flow challenges due to the whisky aging process, however, opening the Pot Still Coffee Shop and offering tours have become flourishing aspects of the business.
Commenting on business diversification and their nomination, the Mellor family said: “We are at a pivotal moment for British farming and the breadth of diversification
and approaches around the UK is very exciting.
“Getting this recognition is both rewarding and humbling all at the same time”.
Sustainability remains central, with a focus on regenerative practices and strong relationships with local maltsters for barley supply.
As the businesses grow, the
Left to right: Christine Mackintosh, Julie Stuart, Kenny, Moira and Shona Marshall.
X
Mellor
has
Wold Top Brewery
the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery on their family farm in Hunmanby Grange, high on the Yorkshire Wolds, near Driffield.
PLAY@LOWER DRAYTON FARM RICHARD BOWER, STAFFORDSHIRE
For the full shortlist, scan the QR code or go to agrc.im/finalists-2024
THE RHYND J.W.L. FOSTER ED FOSTER, FIFE
XEd Foster oversees a range of businesses at The Rhynd, including a gym, café, event space, clay shooting ground and livery stable.
With a focus on customer satisfaction, Ed and his team aim to create enjoyable experiences for visitors. They continually seek to improve facilities and offerings based on feedback.
XLower Drayton Farm’s diversification is a collaborative effort involving the Bower family, dedicated staff and expert consultants.
Ray Bower, the founder and visionary, has been pivotal in transforming the farm into a visitor attraction focused on education and community engagement.
His oversight of farming operations and strategic contributions have been essential.
Richard Bower, Ray’s son, joined the family farm in 2011, bringing a degree in agri-food marketing.
As managing director since 2018, Richard has been instrumental in expanding and modernising the farm, overseeing the day-to-day operations of PLAY@Lower Drayton Farm.
Val has been involved from the beginning, managing the visitor attraction and ensuring
Mellor family emphasises staying ahead of trends, while maintaining quality and sustainability. Their dedication to customer engagement and community involvement positions Wold Top Brewery and Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery as leaders in the English craft beverage market, showcasing the importance of local farming in producing exceptional products.
a welcoming environment.
The management team focuses on customer service, animal husbandry and operations, cultivating a dedicated staff to enhance the visitor experience.
The farm’s diversification has led to strategies addressing economic fluctuations and climate change.
The expansion of attractions, including indoor spaces and educational areas, aims to attract more visitors, while growing interest in agricultural education enhances school visit offerings.
Sustainability initiatives and community engagement are central to the farm’s strategy, with a focus on unique selling points such as the working farm experience.
By proactively addressing challenges and pursuing opportunities, Lower Drayton Farm aims to ensure continued success and growth in the future.
Since Ed took over, The Rhynd has significantly evolved, with diversification providing a stable income throughout the year.
Strategic development of services, including expanding the event space and enhancing the cafe, has attracted more visitors.
Ed emphasises teamwork, ensuring staff are engaged and motivated.
The farm supports these businesses through arable farming,
providing a steady income stream.
Ed has effectively navigated the challenges of running multiple businesses by employing strong management strategies.
Looking ahead, The Rhynd plans further expansion, exploring new opportunities while maintaining a commitment to quality and service.
By continuously improving offerings, Ed and his family aim to ensure the long-term success of The Rhynd as a multifaceted destination for visitors.
When reflecting on becoming a finalist at the awards, Ed said, “We have put so much work into everything here and there have been some very long days.
“Perhaps most importantly, it is a just reward to everyone that works here for all of their hard work and their dedication”.
To celebrate with the finalists at the British Farming Awards, go to britishfarmingawards. co.uk to buy your tickets
Left to right: Ray Bower, Val James, Richard, Alexander and Claire Bower.
Working Dogs
Kevin Evans brings home fifth international trophy
● Di icult shed on a challenging course
Scotland: Sine Robertson
TRIALISTS gathered at Carmichael, Lanarkshire for this year’s international sheepdog trial, where Welsh competitors dominated the score board taking the top three places.
Five times international supreme, Kevin Evans led with Kemi Jack, backed up by Rob Ellis’s Tod and Angie Driscoll with Kinloch Taz in respective second and third places.
Brace
The previous day, Ms Driscoll won the brace championship with Kinloch Karlos partnered by Taz.
Mr Evans said: “I am always happy to complete the supreme course and I managed to finish with 10 seconds left, so that was a relief.”
The challenging course was set on a rolling hillside where Blackface ewes behaved consistently through the three days and stayed together well on the course, but proved hard to shed.
Trials diary
WALES
September 20 to 22. FFOS Y FRAN HILL, Carmarthen, contact Anna Prothero, tel: 07795 178 451 or anna_prothero@hotmail.com; all proceeds to Welsh Young Handler Academy, 30 runs per day. September 21. DOLWYDDELAN, LL25 0SZ, 9am start; tel: 07500 517 350. PENMACHNO, open, LL24 0RT, 8am start, tel: 01690 760 225. YSBYTY IFAN, open, LL24 0NY, 8am start, tel: 07837 723 986. DUNBIA, contact Anna Prothero, tel: 07795 178 451, email: anna_prothero@hotmail.com.
September 27. WEOBLEY, Hereford, contact Anna Prothero, tel: 07795 178 451, email: anna_prothero@hotmail.com.
October 5. CWM PENNANT, LL51 9AX, 9am start, tel: 07876 552 285. NANTMEL, contact Anna Prothero, tel: 07795 178 451 or anna_prothero@hotmail.com.
ENGLAND
September 20 to 21. HAYFIELD, SK22 2NG, contact Rebecca Spooner, tel: 07717 378 780. September 21. AVON VALLEY, LE17 6DH, what3words: Foster.Vanish.Originals, 35 dogs per session, limit of four dogs per handler per session, the same dogs can run in each session, £8 per run, hot and cold catering available throughout the day, pre-enter, contact Caileigh, tel: 07860 716 467, entries are only accepted on receipt of payment, if you choose to withdraw your runs, a refund will be issued if we can fill your space. HEVENINGHAM HALL, Suffolk, contact Sam, tel: 07531 145 447, or Kath, tel: 07786 605 419, AM open and novice trial, maximum of 30 dogs, 7am start, £7.50 for members, £10 for non-members, entry accepted when payment has been made, top three runs from trial qualify for the double gather on Sunday afternoon, PM open and novice trial, 1pm start. TREWINDLES, Trewindles Farm, Breock Down, Wadebridge, PL27 7LF, what3words, ollides.
Kevin Evans and Kemi Jack, winners of the international sheepdog trial at Carmichael, Biggar, Lanarkshire.
discouraged.hosts, classes for open driving novice and open, 9.30am start, entries on field, contact Trevor Hopper, tel: 01872 501 886.
SLAGGYFORD, CA8 7PB, enter on field by 3pm for a run, contact V. Reed, tel: 07973 832 780.
MANANNAN, Bishopscourt Farm, Isle of Man, contact Richard Crowe, tel: 07624 241 994.
HERON ROCK, Little Hayfield, Derbyshire, SK22 2NG, 9am start, contact highpeaksheepdog@gmail. com, tel: 07717 378 780.
September 21 to 22. AVON VALLEY, LE17 6DH, what3words: Foster.Vanish.Originals, 35 dogs per session, limit of four dogs per handler per session, the same dogs can run in each session, £8 per run, hot and cold catering available throughout the day, pre-enter, contact Caileigh, tel: 07860 716 467, entries are only accepted on receipt of payment, if you choose to withdraw your runs, a refund will be issued if we can fill your space.
September 22. ROMNEY MARSH, AM and PM trials, Tonbridge, 9am start, open and novice.
DEVON CORNWALL, Venue TBC, classes for Maltese cross, driving, 9.30am start, entries on field, not accepted after 12pm, contact Trevor Hopper, tel: 01872 501 886. HARBOTTLE, NE65 7AG, enter on field, 9am start, £5 a dog, contact, S. Wallace, tel: 01670 774 600. BRYAN CLARKE AND JIM BURROUGHS MEMORIAL TRIAL, Middle East Street Farm, West Pennard, Somerset, BA6 8NN, 9.30am start, contact Ron Fouracres, tel: 01458 832 053, or Mike Dowden, tel: 07807 837 263. September 25. MID SHIRES, Lower Shuckburgh, near Daventry, Northampton, pre-entry and further details contact Gill Burbidge, tel: 07950 738 732. September 28. WOOLHANGER, contact David Kennard, info@boroughfarms.co.uk. UPPER REDESDALE, NE19 1RB, enter on field, 8.30am start, contact, K. Gaukrodger, tel: 07803 083 792. HOLME, BB4 4AT, contact Shirley, shirley. barcroft@yahoo.com. September 29. LITTLE BLAKENHAM, Little Blakenham, Suffolk, contact Sam, tel: 07531 145 447, or Kath, tel: 07786 605
September 21. ACHARACLE, Carnoch Farm, Strontian, PH33 7AF, 8am start, open and confined classes, £5 per dog, refreshments and toilets on field, contact Ian Michie, tel: 07483 890 736, email: Ian.michie4@btinternet.com. STRATHNAVER, KW11 6UA, contact, Ian Sutherland, tel: 07826 487 510. EDINBURGH, cancelled. DRYDEN, Ashkirk, Selkirk, TD7 4NT, off A7, take the B6400, first 40 dogs, catering and toilet on field, contact Mark Arres, tel: 07804 559 303.
September 22. MONIAIVE, Crichen Farm, Moniaive, Thornhill, DG3 4EQ, 8am start, pre-entry first 60 dogs, £6 per dog, entry Helen Welsh, Beoch Farm, Loch Doon, Dalmellington, KA6 7QE, tel: 01292 551 869, or 07790 657 415 on Whatsapp, email, lochurr.welsh@gmail.com. LINTRATHEN, Easter Coul Farm, Balintore, Lintrathen, Angus, DD8 5JR, 8am start, enter on the field, £7 per dog, no three dog entry after midday, catering on the field, contact Loraine Watt, tel: 07715 598 074, or loraine.watt1@sky.com.
September 28. CARRICK, Farden Farm, Turnberry, KA26 9LB, contact Liz, tel: 07825 818 270. NEW CUMNOCK, Dumfries House Home Farm, Cumnock. Ayrshire, KA18 2LN, first prize, £300, contact David Young, tel: 07909 518 799, email straidfarm@btconnect.com. LOCHCARRON, New Kelso Farm, Strathcarron, IV54 8YR, 8am start.
September 29. WULLIE STEVENSON MEMORIAL TRIAL, Glenkiln Farm, Lamlash, Isle of Arran, contact Iain McConnell, tel: 07825 038 955 or 01770 600 897.
driven to and round an obstacle, then along a route involving turns through two sets of gateways to the shedding ring.
Then 15 plain sheep were to be shed off from the 20 and the five red-collared individuals remaining were to be driven into the pen and the gate closed on them within 30 minutes of starting.
Only four handlers completed their run.
Scotland’s Neil McVicar and Mark won the qualifying round of 60 dogs and won the international driving competition.
Young
Oisin McCullough, only 16 years old, claimed the young handler’s prize for Ireland with Jan.
He said: “I was delighted and shocked, I was just focused on running, not thinking who would win, just about completing the run.”
Mr Evans’ Kemi Jack, a Derwen Doug son out of Scalpsie Joy, start-
Contact us
WE want to publish your trial dates and results. Contact Ellie Layton on 07814 997 407, or ellie.layton@ agriconnect.com.
The supreme called for dogs to run out 800 yards (730 metres) on a left-hand route to lift and fetch
10 ewes, before turning back for a further 10 on the opposite side.
Primestock throughput, price and price change (p/kg). Week ending September 17, 2024.
PRICES were up across all livestock categories at auction marts in England and Wales this week.
Steers had gone up by 3.7p/kg to 278.3p/kg, and heifers increased by 2.3p/kg to 289p/kg.
Young bulls grew in value by 2p/kg to 275.5p/kg, but dairy-sired cull cows bucked the trend as prices were down 5.4p/kg from the previous week.
In the sheep pen, lambs were up 2.6p/kg to 288.2p/kg.
Porkers and baconers increased in price, but cutters were down by 3.2p/kg.
As Farmers Guardian went to press on Wednesday (September 18), UK LIFFE wheat prices for November 2024 were trading at £183.95/tonne, up £0.75/t on the week.
Ensuring the industry can attract and retain talent is one of its key missions. Emily Ashworth reports.
Agriculture is continually evolving, whether that be through policies, technology or changing your business to make it fit for the future.
Alongside all these changes, we must make sure that we also keep growing our workforce, because without passionate people at the helm, who will steer the industry into the future?
Careers Special Building the workforce of the future
Data from the Government’s 2023 Survey of Agriculture highlighted the decline in people working in farming. From June 1, 2022, to June 1, 2023, there was a 2.9 % decrease.
In 2023, 61% of the workforce consisted of farmers, business partners, directors and spouses. The survey also revealed that 2% of principle farmers and holders were female, and those aged 16 to 24 years made up 26% of the workforce.
There are now more opportunities than ever, and with the push towards
environmental longevity and continuous innovation, there will be more job roles created.
Those from non-farming backgrounds may also underestimate how valuable the industry is to the economy; agriculture’s contribution to the UK economy in 2023 was £13.7 billion.
JOBS IN AGRICULTURE MISSION
FARMERS Guardian’s Jobs in Agriculture campaign aims to bring industries and organisations together to collectively raise awareness about careers in farming.
Whether you are in the industry already or are potentially looking in from beyond the farmgate, Jobs in Agriculture can point you in the right direction.
What are the next steps?
■ Spread awareness of the variety of careers
■ Rally the Government to promote agriculture in educational settings
■ Bring people together to create one clear careers message
The question is: How do we tell this story? We need to showcase what we really have to offer to those in education, but we also need to start telling the stories of people who have carved their own path, so that others can see themselves represented in an industry they might not have considered before.
AMBASSADORS
There is so much to offer within the different sectors: vets, engineers, sales. I am very happy with my set-up. My system will not fit everyone, but it works for me. There is a lot of patience for you; it is a complex industry with a community that is willing to educate
LISTEN TO THE FG PODCAST
TO listen to this week’s FG podcast about teaching agriculture and the need for it in schools, scan the QR code or go to farmersguardian.com/podcasts
Inclusive Farm and FG have been working together to reach out to diverse groups such as disabled people, people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community to encourage them to look at agriculture as a future environment for employment. We are working with many organisations to ensure that their voices are heard
Mike Duxbury
Bizza Walters
IN 2017, farmer and TV presenter Adam Henson called on the Government to put agriculture on the curriculum. Years later, Adam is still trying to promote the industry to all and believes we need to do more to entice new entrants.
Our industry is going through a period of change, but with that also comes new opportunities – whether that be linked to the environment, food security or taking an existing business in a new direction.
Farming really does have a place for everyone, and we need to work collectively as an industry to make sure we are as open and as welcoming as possible to people from all walks of life, so that going forwards our agricultural workforce is dynamic, diverse, strong and, most of all, passionate about its future
Industry ideas: How do we attract new entrants?
Do not miss our Careers Special in Farmers Guardian on October 25, featuring top tips on tenancies, careers advice and features on those who have made their own way in the industry.
“I think it has to come from mainstream media. They are very powerful with sharing stories. Alas, all too often we read and hear about mass-misinformation on epic proportions”
Jenny Jefferies
“My idea would be to harness the enthusiasm of farmers on social media and focus it. For example: #farm24. Pick an ag college and treat all the ag students to something in exchange for all sharing a positive farming career example or farming message across their platforms”
“The entire agricultural industry has so many opportunities for all ages. Very few jobs within it could ever be described as boring. In most sectors every day is full of surprises – you never know what might happen next”
Roger Wilson
ADAM HENSON’S VIEW
PICTURE: GETTY
In Your Field
Every week we follow the ups and downs of farmers around the UK
JAMES ROBINSON Cumbria
James farms Dairy Shorthorns east of Kendal, Cumbria, with his parents
Kathleen and Henry, wife
Michelle and sons Robert and Chris. The fifth generation to farm at Strickley, he is also vice-chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network.
The second Thursday of September is always and has always been (in my time at least) Westmorland County Show. It’s one of those dates that is kept free each year, including the week leading up to it.
There are cows to halter-train, wash and clip, plus buckets and brushes to gather together, but there never seems to be quite enough time to really polish up the halter-training – anyone who has seen a class containing a Strickley animal will notice that they still have a fair bit of ‘Strickley spirit’. One saying that is used each year is: ‘They’ll be haltered by the day’s out’.
This year, however, was different; there was no washing or clipping and no spirited heifers to keep hold of. When the entry forms arrived, we made the decision that, despite having our bovine TB restrictions lifted midway through August, we would not take any cattle to Westmorland County Show – it just didn’t feel right. We felt it was more respectful to the other exhibitors if we left our cows at home.
Next year, we will be crossing everything and praying to still be free of bTB, because not only have we very much missed the fun of showing cows at our local county show, but we also want to be exhibiting there for the 150th anniversary of our first
‘My great-granddad took butter to his first Westmorland County Show in 1875’
Westmorland entry. When my greatgranddad took butter to his first Westmorland County Show in 1875, he had only been at Strickley for about six months. Yet, he still managed to come away with a highly commended prize card, which we still have among a pile of papers in the box room.
I’m not sure if there’s any other family with such a long history of exhibiting at a county show, but it’s something which my family and I are very proud of and will certainly carry on with each year.
This year, our entry was the dairy herd competition and the Conservation Award. The trophy for the Conservation Award is known as
Farmers Weather by Dr Simon Keeling
the ‘Strickley Perpetual Challenge Cup’. Since 1997, it has been awarded every year to a working farm which has undertaken a conservation project and furthered the ideals of farm conservation in keeping with the local environment.
It was donated to the Westmorland Agricultural Society in memory of my late granddad, Willie Robinson. He was a man well ahead of his time, with ideas and keenness for creating new habitats alongside managing existing hedges and woodland in a more sustainable manner.
His legacy here at Strickley is a great example of what can be done at farm level and how we can think about the
Devastating floods in central Europe
IT was central Europe’s turn to experience some extremely wet weather this week as severe flooding took hold across many central and eastern parts of the continent. Some areas witnessed more than 12 inches of rain in a three-day period. The highest rainfall totals I have seen were those in Tulin, just north west of Vienna, where a massive 316mm of rain fell in the three days to Tuesday. No doubt you have seen the consequences of this rainfall in the various news reports which showed dramatic pictures of flood waters racing through towns and villages across Austria, Slovakia
and many other countries in the East. Unsurprisingly, crops and livestock have also been devastated by the flooding.
The wet weather is related to the cold conditions we had in the British Isles a week ago. The northerly flow that brought that cold weather shifted eastwards into central Europe. The cold air at high levels in the troposphere is called a trough. When the cold polar air in the rough met warmer, lower level air flowing north into central Europe from the Mediterranean, low pressure span itself up.
This rising air caused by this development had lots of moisture
associated with it, creating cloud which could not hold the moisture as a vapour and so eventually this had to rain itself out.
The area of high pressure which gave glorious weather to much of us here in the UK this week was able to establish itself because of that trough being over Europe.
It is unlikely that we will be seeing the heavy rain here, but there is possibility of conditions turning more autumnal with wind, rain, showers and colder temperatures on some days during the coming week.
We will be keeping you updated throughout at weatherweb.net
way we manage the farm to improve habitats for wildlife. He was incredibly proud of the two-acre pond which he created on a plain piece of land near our wood.
The wildlife which was subsequently attracted there was new to us all, and I remember him telling people who came to see it that he had to buy a new book to learn about it all.
Next year, for Strickley’s 150th Westmorland County Show, it would be great if as many people as possible (within a 55-mile radius of the Westmorland showground) entered the Conservation Award to help celebrate this. That trophy really would look great on your mantelpiece.
For location specific forecasts visit farmersweather.co.uk and for video updates go to weatherweb.net or call the number below. Call Farmers WeatherLIVE
NEXT WEEK
North Wales Dan Jones West Sussex James and Isobel Wright
‘The change in the cows’ diet has been noticed by an observant customer’
HELEN STANIER
Yorkshire
Helen is a fifth-generation farmer who farms with her parents, David and Anne Shaw, husband, Craig, and their children, Alfred and Hattie, at Grey Leys Farm in the Vale of York. The farm comprises 162 hectares (400 acres) of grass, maize and wholecrop for the herd of 240 pedigree Jersey cows and more than 200 followers.
The seasons seem to be flying by. The students we’ve had on-farm for a while are returning to college and university, while students beginning their courses and work experience have joined
us, along with new staff members. It has been a busy time for training, but everyone seems to be settling in and enjoying getting to know the cows.
From the fields, we have taken a third cut of silage and filled the clamp, and we have taken a cut of hay from our water meadows and marshes, which will be used for feeding dry cows in winter. We are now hoping for some sunshine and looking towards the maize maturing well and harvest time.
While grass is still plentiful, quality is reducing and we are buffer-feeding quite substantially, aiming to prevent the dip in fertility we have historically seen at this time of the year.
The change in the cows’ diet has been noticed by an observant customer of our vending machines, who recently enquired why there had been a recent difference in the texture of the milk. They were fascinated and delighted when I explained that our
Crossword 1263
milk is not standardised and will therefore change in flavour and texture based on certain factors and times of the year. With modern processing techniques, product variation is not something that customers are used to anymore. But given a big rise in demand for more natural products again, it may not be so unusual in the future.
This month, I have spent a couple of days off-farm attending NFU Dairy Board meetings, and I also enjoyed some time at UK Dairy Day in Telford.
While it’s often a challenge to leave the farm, all these events have been worthwhile.
At the event, I was able to meet with several stakeholders involved in our journey through the Slurry Infrastructure Grant application. This has helped us to finalise some of the complex paperwork we need to submit,
so I am now more confident we will meet the end-of-September deadline.
The NFU has been campaigning for fairer and more transparent contracts within our supply chain for many years, and as a dairy farmer with experience across the supply chain, I am pleased that the new legislation Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 came into force in July . I think it is important that farmers now embrace this and take the opportunity to understand the regulations and how they might affect their milk contracts, which are, after all, one of the most important documents we have on-farm.
There is advice and support available from the NFU on its website and from regional teams, and members can also contact NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458.
Send in your correct entries to be in with a chance of winning £20 worth of Love2shop vouchers every month. Send to: Crossword No. 1263, Farmers Guardian, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9NZ.
ACROSS
6 Genuine professional sales person returning (6)
8 Eccentrically cheered about nothing repeated again and again (8)
10 Underground excavation to throw up a toothed implement (8)
11 Plunderer once wholly engrossed by gold (6)
12 Requires massages, it’s said (5)
13 Implemented goal taking in body of police (8)
14 This drab little bird became H C Andersen’s swan (3,4,8)
18 Throng in a primarily kinky essentially holiday activity after day on slopes (5-3)
20 Little sporty dog with the Spanish tag (5)
22 Fluttering insect in heart of bagel (6)
23 Satisfactory return holding frisky angora, animal with great leaping power (8)
24 One idiot after another involved with paid killer (8)
25 Element included in orthodoxy generally (6)
DOWN
1 Apoint to clerical post director in ordinary shower (6)
2 Physical activity set up including start of orienteering for soldiers (6)
Forthright opinions from throughout the world of agriculture
‘We need to listen to farmers’ perspectives on lynx and wolf reintroductions’
For a long time Britain has been able to outsource its relationships with large carnivores to Sir David Attenborough and the BBC.
But as lynx, wolves and bears return to many parts of Western Europe, the debate about their potential return to Britain is gathering pace.
Driven mainly by the role they could play in restoring ecosystems, the likelihood of these proposals becoming reality is closely linked to their body size.
Unsurprisingly, lynx – about the size of a springer spaniel – is the least risky and least controversial option. But irrespective of the species, the process should be the same and should start with those living closest to the land. We need to listen to farmers’ perspectives on lynx and wolf reintroductions.
Funded by a (UK) Nuffield Farming scholarship, I interviewed the five main farming unions in Britain and Ireland, as well as two key livestock organisations and, for balance, three rewilding groups.
I also conducted more than 40 interviews with farmers, rewilders, scientists, hunters and entrepreneurs across Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the USA, seeking insights on how coexistence between livestock farming and large carnivore conservation could be managed.
In short, perspectives varied wildly.
First, context. The political and economic uncertainty of post-Brexit Britain, including priorities and funding of agri-environmental schemes, defined much of the conversation.
So too did a wariness among farmers of both governments’ and NGOs’ roles in any reintroduction process.
The real and perceived suitability of our modern landscapes, in terms of both space and food, for large carnivores was hotly contested. But the likely systemic changes to upland areas, especially reforestation, in the coming decades was widely discussed.
Management
Second, management. There is a suite of tools available to manage coexistence between large carnivore conservation and livestock farming, including deterrence (fences, livestock-guarding animals, shepherding), finance (compensation and insurance ), force (hazing, lethal control) and enterprise (tourism, certification).
The report’s five case studies from Western Europe and North America explored these approaches in some detail. These methods can work, but their implementation is often complex, contested and costly. And there was limited enthusiasm for them among Irish and British farmers.
Logistical, ethical and economic concerns were all discussed.
Governance was the third element of our conversations and the only one where a sliver of common ground between farmers and rewilders emerged – namely that governance is critical to any reintroduction proposals.
This included guidelines and consultations with farmers and landowners. Multi-perspective working groups, such as Lynx to Scotland, cited as good examples.
Where does this leave us?
Firstly, there are gaping holes in the knowledge base that need to be addressed. The single cost-benefit analysis conducted to date on lynx reintroductions to England, for example, did not factor in the costs of training and equipping farmers to adapt their livestock practices to deter lynx.
Secondly, reintroductions of any sort tend to be dominated by conservationists trained in the natural sciences and these skills form an important part of the process. But equally, if not more important, especially with species such as these, are issues of human history, behaviour and perspective. Experts in these areas need much greater representation on panels.
Thirdly, experts alone should not decide the issue. For decisions as controversial and momentous as these,
DR JONNY HANSON
Environmental social scientist at Queen’s University Belfast and former community farmer
broad popular support is needed, especially in rural areas. Our perspectives on the potential reintroduction of lynx, wolves or bears to Britain are likely to be influenced, in large part, by how close we live to the land. We should take seriously the perspectives of those who make their living from it.
MORE INFORMATION
Dr Hanson will present findings from his report, ‘Large carnivore reintroductions to Britain and Ireland’ at the Nuffield Farming Conference in Belfast in November.
Potential reintroductions of large carnivores, such as lynx, must take into account farmers’ perspectives.
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