I am critically aware that this is going to put more pressure on the livestock sector, especially the beef and dairy sectors, due to their heavy reliance on straw and other cereal based feeds.

On the straw front, the #NFUSHowDoYouPlan straw and feed campaign has had a positive impact in my area of Perthshire, where many more thousands of acres of straw have been committed by farmers who would normally chop this straw in as a matter of course, myself included.

We have committed over 500ac that would have been chopped in to heavy clay land – we have been doing this for the past few years and are starting to see some good results. It’s important for it to be understood that this is being done in normal years for a good reason as it feeds the soil, improves soil structure and aids early entry of the following year’s crop. This brings important yield increases which all add to the bottom line where margins are very tight anyway.

Regarding straw, hopefully the increase in area committed to the balers will help fill the gap this year in the shortages of fodder but please, if you are going to need straw, make sure you have secured your supply though your usual merchant or whoever you usually purchase it from. A commitment to purchase straw will maybe determine whether it gets baled or not, especially if the weather becomes less settled in the coming weeks over harvest.

I am well aware that a far bigger worry for many farmers is the shortage of feed stuffs and the fact that they are already dipping into valuable winter stocks due to the lack of grass and the failure of second cut silage to grow due to lack of rain.

For many this is going to become a bigger problem as the winter months bite but once again it is better to look for ways to deal with this problem now than wait till the last minute.

Try and have a plan in place. Speak to your feed merchants and animal nutritionists to see if there is some way of adding something to the diet that could save silage or let you use some more straw to bulk out silage.

Striking-off procedure

New proposals to apply a strike-off procedure to agricultural limited partnerships who do not comply with annual confirmation statement requirements, have been criticised by NFU Scotland. The new proposals are part of UK government’s commitment to reforming the regulatory requirements of limited partnerships and preventing their misuse. The Union is concerned that there is a lack of understanding about the new requirements and the potential penalties for non-compliance with these.

Local projects

Dumfries Show saw NFU Scotland celebrate the achievements of three local projects which it has been a key part of. Since last year’s show the Health and Wellbeing in the Farming Community Project, which launched its new leaflet on the stand, the Retired Farming Group, which announced it will host its first meeting at Carrutherstown on Wednesday 15 August, and the Dumfries and Galloway Dairy Women’s Network have all gone from strength to strength.

Unsung hero

Well-known pig producer, Kevin Gilbert, received the annual “Unsung Hero” award, presented annually by NFU Scotland’s North East Region at Turriff Agricultural Show. Kevin, who farms at Womblehill, Kintore, is the immediate past chair of the Union’s pigs committee and was a member of the Union’s Board of Directors for four years. Along with his work for the pig industry, Kevin has also worked to raise awareness of mental health issues in farming.

Measuring success

A Next Generation roadshow “How do you succeed and how is it measured?” will take place on Tuesday 28 August 2018 from 7.30pm with free buffet supper at Barstobrick Visitor Centre, Castle Douglas, DG7 2AT. In a sector where success is measured in many different ways, we will hear from a range of speakers willing to share their experiences – book your place now!