The first cut of silage has now been completed and the new floor of the pit (done with tar) was covered up with winter forage.

The bumper crop of grass probably means we won’t do a full second cut. Instead, we might just bale a couple of fields and graze the rest of the silage ground.

What a difference a year makes.

We managed to cut and lift the grass without any rain, and despite having a new effluent tank installed, the silage is pretty dry and shouldn’t produce much seepage.

All we can do now is hope the sun keeps on shining and the crops fill out well before harvest

Spraying is now complete for the arable crops and the final chemical bills have arrived.

All we can do now is hope the sun keeps on shining and the crops fill out well before harvest.

We had to buy in extra straw since our own supply ran out about a month ago

At least this year the weather has enhanced crop growth and we should have a good yield of straw, compared with the shortage of last year.

We had to buy in extra straw since our own supply ran out about a month ago. With the winter barley looking more golden every day, hopefully it won’t be long before we will have our own straw in the sheds again.

The livestock farmers who need to buy a lot of straw will be relieved to see that standing straw is now being valued at about £68/acre, compared with £160/acre about a year ago.

Summer work

There is further work to be done on the farm over the summer, including a new feed passage in a cattle shed and there is cement to be laid along an outside passage.

But for now it is just basic maintenance and of course the favourite job at this time of year – roguing wild oats.

There is also some fencing work being done, which is a never-ending job.

Our fencing contractor had a bit of a problem the other day, which should remind us all that in this mild weather with lots of long grass, ticks are certainly a problem

Modern fencing materials don’t seem to last any time at all, and we are always replacing fences and posts.

Our fencing contractor had a bit of a problem the other day, which should remind us all that in this mild weather with lots of long grass, ticks are certainly a problem.

A tick embedded itself in the fencer’s nether region and had to be removed very delicately by his work colleague.

Beef

As for the beef sector, the prices continue to be forced down. Demand for British beef seems to keep falling as a result of pressure from several areas, including vegan and climate change activists.

We, as farmers, are not good at standing up for ourselves at times such as this.

We are the ones who are taking all the risk for very little reward

The food on the supermarket shelves has never been cheaper and yet everyone in the supply chain is still making money out of the products being produced by British farmers, except the farmers.

We are the ones who are taking all the risk for very little reward.

Perhaps farmers should consider some drastic action, such as going on strike for a month, to see what happens when the products don’t keep appearing on the supermarket shelves.

Unfortunately, I doubt whether it would have much of an impact on most consumers, who are increasingly unaware of where their food comes from.

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Busy spring with farm improvements

Recent rain is welcome in Lanarkshire