Farming

A parched Cranborne Chase during August image: Laura Hitchcock

The heat is on, on the ... fields?

The dry summer continues its impact on Dorset farmers as we move into autumn, says NFU county advisor Gemma Harvey

We all know by now that July 2022 was the driest July in England since 1911, and it has been the driest nine months (November 2021 to July 2022) since 1975/76. Met Office figures show that there has only been 24 per cent of the average rainfall for July. The impact of this prolonged spell of dry weather is hugely challenging and causing concern for many agricultural and horticultural businesses across the country. The dry weather is severely hampering grass growth. In Dorset, as with much of Britain, most livestock is grazed in a grass-based system, meaning that livestock eats grass from the fields in the summer, with farmers harvesting surplus grass to feed animals in the winter in the form of silage. The lack of grass this summer will inevitably hit feed supplies for the winter – many farmers are already having are already having to feed their livestock the forage reserved for winter to compensate for the lack of grass currently available. For the county’s arable farmers, the dry weather has meant that harvest came early this year, with many having finished in time for the Gillingham and Shaftesbury show, which is somewhat unprecedented.

Fire risk still high

Attention now turns to the planting of winter crops; with the ground still cracked and parched, the establishment of crops such as winter cereals and oilseed rape will be difficult. On top of all this, as I’m sure many will have seen and heard, the dry conditions are having widespread implications for firerisk and farm safety. The county has experienced several fires over the past few weeks. This is devastating and dangerous for all those involved but is also a heartening example of how the farming community is able to pull together in times of need. Neighbouring farmers are making great use of WhatsApp

Farmers are to alert one another to fire risks, and already having coming to one to feed their another’s aid with livestock tankers of water to the forage help extinguish fires and cultivators to reserved for stop them spreading winter. (see the story on page 12). This does serve as an important reminder though, with weather conditions so dry and temperatures high, the fire risk remains high. With an increased number of people making the most of the weather and enjoying being out and about in the countryside, there has also been an increase in the use of disposable barbecues. The NFU is reminding the public to be safe and responsible when out enjoying the countryside.

We need more woolly thinking

Once a major business, English wool is now a wasted opportunity – the industry needs a rethink, says Andrew Livingston

Farm life is built around regular tasks – whether they’re daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal or annual. In the world of sheep farming there is one summer task that is seen as a cost and a hindrance, but which, once upon a time, provided the main income from the flock – shearing. Shearing sheep is vital to ensure the welfare of the animal –removing their thick winter coats keeps them cool and reduces the risk of parasites and disease that can fester on faeces left on their coats. Wool became an important commodity once farmers realised that the material could be spun to make clothes. Shearing is believed to have started around 3,500 BC and is mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament (Genesis 31:19 “When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods ...”).

In 1276, Florentine merchants agreed to buy 62 sacks of wool for 697 and a half marks from the Cistercian monks at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, on condition it came “without clack, lok, cot and breech wool or black grey or inferior fleece and without pelt wool”. Clacked wool had the marks cut off, to avoid paying duties as it weighed less (duties were levied on wool including the coloured marks). Lok was probably daggy wool – wool from the sheep’s rear end with poo on. Cot was coated (tangled) and breech the low quality stuff from the haunches. That black or grey were undesirable Shearers typically colours probably charge £1.50 per implies this was sheep, with the destined to be dyed. And finally, pelt wool wool selling for is the wool from dead around 75p. sheep – which the unscrupulous might mix in to make up the weight. The monks were contracted to sort and weigh the wool and deliver at Clifton 14 to 17 sacks a year for the Florence trade. Each sack was 26 stones (364lb of wool). The Flemish wool industry had such an appetite for English wool that Richard I’s ransom was raised by confiscating the wool clip of the Cisterican monks – Henry VIII wasn’t the first king to rob the monks! John Barton, a 15th-century wool merchant of Holme-by-Newark, Nottinghamshire, had a stained glass window placed in his parish church: ‘‘I thank God, and ever shall, it is the shepe hath paid for all …”

A loss of 75p per sheep

In the 19th century, man-made fibres could be easily massproduced and became a cheaper alternative to wool. They had the additional benefit of being more durable, easier to maintain and more readily available. The rapid expansion in production and use of man-made fibres saw an equal and opposite reaction in the plummeting profits in the wool trade. The price of wool is now so low

that it no longer even covers the cost of shearing, let alone making an income for the farmer. Shearers typically charge £1.50 per sheep, with their 2 kilos of wool (on average) selling for around 75p. So what is the answer? At the moment, the price of wool is actually deemed at a high as the price of wool is inextricably linked with the price of crude oil, which is required in the production of man-made fibres. If the cost of those manmade fibres goes up, so do the alternative choices.

Woolly marketing

The British Wool board, whose job it is to effectively market wool so that farmers can get a decent return, needs to start working harder for sheep farmers. Currently, British Wool sells wool for its members, but will only handle pure breeds’ fleeces. Some farmers have been proactive in treating and selling their wool. Rampisham Hill Farm, in Hooke, where I grew up, began treating and spinning their wool to sell themselves. Today, they buy fleeces from other Dorset shepherds to meet their orders. Sheep’s wool is also among the top insulating materials for the contruction trade in terms of sustainability. Sheep are shorn every year (some twice) and the wool just keeps growing back! As a raw material, wool is abundant, continuously renewable and locally produced in Britain. It lasts for decades and at the end of its life can simply be composted, unlike oil-based insulation. To manufacture plastic insulation in the first place you need oil, chemicals and lots of energy. Another innovative use of sheep’s fleeces in recent years is as eco-friendly thermal insulating packaging. WoolCool makes this by combining two fleeces on the inside of a box to keep produce cool for up to 72 hours. The fleeces can then be recycled for various roles such as food for roses and protecting plants and flowers from frost. Unfortunately, not all farmers have the time or resources to treat their fleeces to obtain optimum profitability – 1,000 years later we still pay less for daggy wool. Wool is currently a wasted resource; somewhere out there there is an idea that will save the wool industry and make someone a lot of money. I’ve got my own thinking cap on for that big idea ... Woollen thinking caps maybe?

Bore holes and dry rivers

A surprisingly good harvest in the end, but it heralds a difficult winter, fears Tarrant Valley farmer James Cossins

This year’s harvest of cereals, oilseeds and beans was completed in record time, finishing just a month after starting when it normally takes two. Yields were surprisingly good, especially for the wheat, when you consider how little rainfall we had during the growing season. Obviously the record amount of sunshine made the difference. Our biggest fear towards the end of harvest was the risk of fire in the fields we were working in. The combines were meticulously cleaned off each morning – any build up of dust around the engine could start a fire. There were several days when fires could be seen all around by midafternoon. On one occasion I thought Blandford Camp was on fire, but in fact it was a stubble fire near Pimperne. We completed harvest without a major incident, although we had a roadside verge fire near Ashley Wood Golf Course which burned a small amount of stubble; the cause is not known, but probably a cigarette from a passing car.

No forage crops

The cattle side of the farm has been far more challenging – milk production has suffered a little in the heat and dryness. With little or no grass growth over the last few months and very little rain to speak of, we have had to supplement the cattle’s feed, initially using baled silage and hay from last year or barley straw to keep them satisfied. We are just beginning to feed some of this year’s silage to the herd. We will have to monitor the feed stocks carefully to make sure the milking herd doesn’t run short of the best silage. We also rely on forage crops such as turnips to outwinter some cattle. These crops have been sown for about a month now, but there’s little sign of germination. They may have to be redrilled – or maybe we just wait for rain. Whatever happens, it is going to be a challenging winter for our stock. One option may be to sell some, now that we are TB free, before our next test in November.

delivered. More will be needed but who knows what price it will be, or if it will even be available? One of only two fertiliser plants in the UK has shut and we may be more reliant on imports, which is never good news. The river Tarrant which Millions of litres flows through the farm of water are being is now completely removed every dry. The last time this day. happened was in 1976, when most of the fish were removed before it dried up entirely. I do wonder about the effect on our local area of the water extraction from the bore holes at Shapwick, Sturminster Marshall, Black Lane near Blandford and at Stubhampton at the head of the Tarrant. Many millions of litres of water are being removed every day, not only supplying the local area but also being pumped further afield. I will monitor closely when the Tarrant decides to flow again. It rather feels at the moment like we are being sucked dry.

Being sucked dry

Prices of energy are back making the headlines. With fertiliser prices closely related to the energy price we have managed to secure some of next year’s fertiliser, which has already been

And finally

On a positive note it was great to spend a day at the excellently-organised Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show. Judging by the car parks, it must have had near-record attendance.

Love Local Trust Local Awards are open now - have you entered?

The 2022 Love Local, Trust Local Awards are now closed for entries; founder Barbara Cossins reminds us all that supporting local producers is vital

The extreme heat we’ve all endured has meant a very challenging summer for all our farmers and UK food producers. I know from personal experience that we breathed a huge sigh of relief on the farm when the harvest finished and we knew we had made it through with no major fires & all our animals surviving the heat.

A social award

All of us here at Love Local have been busy wrestling with Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook – social media is essential for any modern organisation to communicate – working hard on our content as we gather in all the entries for the 2022 LLTL Awards. Throughout October and November our wonderful sponsors will be busy judging and, as you can imagine, Tasting Day is one of the best parts of the job! A big thank you must go to all of our Dorset enable these awards to happen. Being a self-funded not-for-profit organisation is always challenging, of course, but now moreso than ever when everyone is thinking about budgets and trying to save money wherever they can. The fact that our loyal sponsors continue to support us year after year shows us just how important it is that we keep on sending out the message to eat and support local.

Collective power

With rising bills and the onset of huge fuel price increases for all of us, there is no better time to be championing our local food producers, farmers and fishermen. Our own mission is of course to let consumers know what is being produced right here in Dorset. But in a very real sense, if everyone supported just one local producer occasionally, the cumulative effect really would make a massive difference to both the local economy and to the environment. We need to grow food for everyone’s table and keep our carbon footprint down whenever we can. We thank all of the entrants for taking the time to fill out their forms – the judges look forward to meeting you all. Good luck with your entries, and we look forward to telling your stories.