I am not sure if I ever remember factory prices dropping in the second week of December, having never lifted from their autumn low.

Nevertheless, the price is down 5c/kg this week when I had expected a movement in the opposite direction. Usually, I try and finalise the prices for my fertiliser needs for the coming spring in the post-harvest period. This year, with so much autumn activity, real quotes were thin on the ground. To cut a long story short, I have ended up buying my CAN almost 50% up on last year and the 10.10.20 about 10% up. I hope that product prices will reflect my extra cost.

This week, we sold our usual few bulls. I was, this time last year, persuaded to try a few Piedmontese – a light-boned, high-yielding breed from Italy. While they were healthy and ate well, with few problems, the liveweight gain was mediocre

ADVERTISEMENT

To reflect commercial reality, it would be fairer if we had a measurement of lean meat yield for this type of animal.

In the meantime, I cannot get over the abandon with which people dump rubbish along the sides of the road and in the ditches.

While the council does a remarkable job, I cannot understand why we don’t have small, local rubbish collection points with a skip where old tyres and general rubbish could be left free of charge.

As long as rubbish collection is charged for separately, rather than included in a property tax, the temptation to dump along the roadsides will exist.

Read more

Beef management notes: fluke control, ad-lib feeding and health and safety tips

Beef farmers in the Grassland Farmer of the Year competition