For a while there in the summer it looked like we might not have much grass for flushing ewes pre-tupping, however, in the second half of July we had 62mm rain; August produced 70mm and a there was a further 51mm in September so the farm freshened up after a very dry early summer. First-crop silage was a bit light, however, we managed a second cut, so as long as we don’t have a long winter like last year we should be alright.

The lambs enjoyed a dry summer and, although slower to get the first lambs away than usual, we have caught up and only have 120 left and most of these are later-born Cheviot-Mule wethers. The 1,400 lambs away have averaged 20.5kg and all sold through Farmstock (Scotland). The lamb trade took a dip a fortnight ago with finishers desperate to sell as grass is getting short. Cull cows have also seen a downward trend for the same reason, as someone said to me: “There will be no passengers this winter.”

Abattoirs have had a few staffing issues and this has led to some delays in getting lambs away, but who hasn’t experienced staffing issues?

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We’ve been calving for several weeks now and are well through. The introduction of an Aberdeen Angus bull has made calving less stressful with fewer problems to deal with. Calves slip out more easily and are quickly on their feet suckling.

The calving jack has been out twice and these were both breech births. Not so many visits from the vet too, which all helps with the bottom line.

The first two weeks of October are always hectic, preparing calves for the annual store sales and also putting tups out. The Aberdeen Angus sale at St Boswells had a good trade but the auctioneer had to work hard. It was my first year with Angus calves to sell; they were lighter than I had hoped for but it’s a general trend this year for most farmers. At turnout there wasn’t a great flush of grass and this has had a knock-on effect. The multibreed the following week saw some good cattle and these sold well with most vendors pleased on the whole. I always enjoy a day or two at the calf sales as it’s a good opportunity to catch up with folk you haven’t seen in a while and to see their cattle, as many of us sell lambs deadweight now it’s only the cheery wagon driver you get to see.

Judging duties

This year I received an invitation to judge the Greyface classes at Ellemford Show, held at the end of September. It was an all-female line-up of judges to celebrate Women in Agriculture. There was a good number of entries and a very high standard too. It’s great to see these small shows so well-attended. It was a very enjoyable day despite a bitterly cold wind, and it wasn’t long before you didn’t feel the cold. The multibreed classes were very well supported and the judge certainly had her work cut out for her. Another multiple entry class was the young handlers class which is good to see as hopefully they will be there in years to come to keep the show running.