This is a subscriber-only article
I understand a report has been published indicating that there are a million species worldwide in danger of extinction.
Farmers will immediately go on the back foot, expecting to be blamed for this.
The seas are full of plastic, killing marine life; not put there by farms, but by the average household. The waterways are full of micro balls; not put there by farmers but by the average household.
Coupled with fast cars and exotic holidays, the average household creates more damage to the environment than the average farmer
I am told the fish in the River Thames are changing sex due to waste hormones from contraceptive tablets going down the loo. Farmers did not put these there; it was the average household.
Coupled with fast cars and exotic holidays, the average household creates more damage to the environment than the average farmer. Hopefully, one day a bright student will decide to do a PhD studying the waste pipe of the average household for environmental damage.
Hopefully, then the farmer will be exonerated.
Grazing
On the grazing front, I feel very privileged to have regularly visited Ireland and to have seen first-hand the achievement of milk produced from grazed grass.
It is something I have tried to copy, grazing earlier and later than previously. Unbelievably, some of my neighbours are making bale silage to feed young stock, which are still housed, “to make more silage” to feed next year.
Current grass growth is good and the cows are now entering their fourth rotation. Strangely this year, from the very first round of grazing they were refusing the grass from around the dung patch of last year.
We are currently awaiting a break in the weather to make our first cut of silage as this spring everything seems to be 14 days early.
Today, the machinery moved into the building site to start work on the new 140-cow cubicles.
Mastitis
We have just had another serious issue with mastitis. According to the vets, the majority of early cases were yeasts, and although the vets were a bit vague on this I blame mouldy straw we had to use due to the shortage from last year.
We are currently suffering E coli mastitis which is due to parlour hygiene.
After 35 years of recording with National Milk Records, we have moved to CIS. The main drive for this is from the other end of the table who wanted to use the free classification service, as breeding is so important to her. For me, the reason was to get the benefit of the more comprehensive computer system in use today. We would have to pay for training the staff but with CIS this will be free.
Brexit
The corridors of Westminster no longer echo the raucous cheers and high fives of the once jubilant Brexiteers. They now tip-toe round quietly in a confused state whispering: "how did we get here? How will we get out of it?”
These politicians fear a snap general election, especially those in marginal seats. They know full well that their once loyal supporters will either be a protest no vote or a vote for a fringe party.
SHARING OPTIONS: