Farmers on warpath as rain ruins it all

I have now given up watching weather forecasts '“ too depressing. As I move 50 heifers and the bull, from one sodden field to the next, it is only a matter of time before they too will have to be yarded and if it wasn't for the fact that I want them all in calf before I do that; they would have been in already. The land at Crouchlands is as wet as it ever gets in winter, and only the grass keeps the animals on top of the clay, which only lasts a few days, leaving quite a mess to sort out one day. We exceeded our annual rainfall at the beginning of this month, so I can only hope that there is a dry spell coming, and we need it soon in order for the cereal harvest to get going and I can at least have decent straw for the winter. 2012 will surely be remembered as the long winter; as we have not had a summer and it's too late for that now?

Some farmers are talking of mowing their barley crop, as it is ready and there is no chance of travelling on the land with a combine; in South Wales farmers are cutting grass in the pouring rain for silage, having given up on the weather. The grass must be cleared so that aftermath is there for the lambs; lambs who are just not growing well in this cold wet weather, full of sodden grass, with lameness a serious problem in these conditions. Our own second cut needs to come off in the next week or so, but how we do that without wrecking the fields I don’t know. The cows are oblivious to all this, happy in their hotel, looking out at the rain and these sodden servants splashing around, seeing to their every need. Cows don’t ‘do’ stress do they?

3000 dairy farmers turned out for the dairy meeting in Westminster last Wednesday, addressed by the farming unions and a very brave Minister; Jim Paice. When you think how few of us dairy farmers there are and how difficult it is for many to leave the farm, travel across country to London; it just shows how bad things are. With costs rising steeply, and the drought in various parts of the world about to push feed prices even higher, fertilizer and diesel prices etc.; add to that poor silage quality with many yet to make anywhere near enough, cows in eating their heads off, a maize crop that looks dire in this dreadful weather, to cut milk prices by 4ppl will be the end for many. They spelt that out loud and clear for Jim Paice, who is knowledgeable and a friend of the industry, but like any politician reluctant to do much.