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There was a rise of 2% in the average family farm income, according to the 2019 Teagasc National Farm Survey.
Better weather and lower inputs were the drivers of this increase, with markets not delivering what’s required at farm level. Sustainable might be the industry buzzword, but at primary level unsustainable is more fitting when it comes to the financials. The range and scale of what is considered a farm unit must also be kept in mind.
I’ve said it before but financial ‘unsustainability’ plays a part in why the sector has a terrible health and safety record. A combination of insufficient funds to spend on necessary safety upgrades, tiredness brought on by working more than one job and trying to keep everyone happy puts a strain on people. The downside of family farming is that in some cases there are those caught between listening to an older generation who wonders why there isn’t more time spent on the farm and a partner at home wondering why they spend so much time at work.
I don’t think those further up the supply chain will pay much notice until it affects their own pockets so we could be waiting a while for a turnaround of fortunes.
Young bulls
The last of the young bulls were sold a few weeks ago, almost a month ahead of the 2019 sales. Our venture into finishing cattle has been a case of learn as you go. If a mistake was made, we tried not to make it a second time. About half of the bulls killed last year had an in-spec fat score whereas this year they were all 2+ and above.
I’ve learned to be more concerned with the fat than the conformation. That applies across all the stock. It’s the first thing I look for in the kill sheet.
A few subtle changes were made this year. They were on the same ration from when they started on meal last November and while in other years we would have fed straw for the last six to eight weeks of finishing, this year silage was in front of them the whole way through.
They had received two doses in their lifetime. Faecal egg counts revealed a low worm burden about this time last year so they got their first worm dose in September last year ahead of weaning and a fluke and worm dose in early December. That was it, nice and simple and less crush work.
Two young cows that lost their calves in March were sold too. Cattle have been thriving well so far this year and it showed with both having a fat score of 4. There wasn’t much point in having them sit around for another few months and sell them when the annual autumn glut of cattle hit. The 2020 breeding season is heading into the final month and second-cut silage is on the cards over the next two weeks so there should be a good hole put in the jobs for the year shortly.
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