I farm 1,500 head of beef cattle and 800 acres of tillage near the market town of Ludlow in Shropshire, in the West Midlands of England. We have been farming here for the past 75 years across three generations and I am lucky to have my son working in the business with me.

All our cattle are Angus-crosses born to Angus sires and we finish them all. We keep between 500 and 600 cattle indoors on a total mixed ration (TMR) and another 100 outside at grass.

We finish cattle all year round, aiming for a deadweight between 348kg and 350kg. The animals only spend three to four months on the farm for intensive finishing. The indoor stock are fed a TMR composed of grass, maize silage, biscuit meal, maize meal, urea, and chopped straw.

We source 90% of our cattle at marts and sales around the country, with the rest purchased through private sales.

Most of our animals are slaughtered nearby at ABP. Prices are up at the moment and are quite steady at a £3.50/kg base. The steadiness of the market comes as a result of lower imports of Irish beef and a strong supply here in England.

That said, prices are way behind on previous years, with animals making at least 20p/kg to 30p/kg more this time last year.

Tillage

Weather conditions have been favourable this year, leading to a strong growth for our 800 acres of tillage and we are currently growing grass for seed.

Wheat prices are down considerably from this time last year, making around £200/t to a low of £155/t now. The tillage sector is becoming continually tougher with the rising costs and falling price for our produce. Machinery costs in particular are increasing rapidly and these days farms have to be very efficient and productive to be successful.

Brexit

At this stage, the sentiment among farmers in relation to Brexit is wondering if it will ever happen. A large proportion of the voters didn’t know what they were really voting for, but nearly 52% of people wanted to leave, so we will have to do so.

The plan, unfortunately, is heavily flawed and the Irish border poses a huge challenge.

Post-Brexit, we can expect a deficit in Irish beef and this is going to cause problems for Britain.

Most of our imported beef comes from Ireland and if this were to stop, we would have to resort to cheaper, lower-quality imports.

We are nowhere near self-sufficiency when it comes to beef consumption, Brexit is undoubtedly another obstacle our sector will have to find its way past.

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