Blog: Ewan Cumming

 The year really started for me when I was selected to be part of the 2015 NSA young ambassador group. To be accepted on this programme means a huge amount to me and I aim to gain a lot from this year with a group of like-minded people. On the sheep front, my 60 Poll Dorset ewes have been wintering on dairy pasture. The mild winter and rainfall we have had in south Norfolk has meant they have had plenty of grass to go at, leaving them in very good condition at housing. As I write this I have just started lambing my small flock and so far things are going well ... but time shall tell.

The three days spent on the first of our sessions with the Ambassadors was a real eye-opener on how diverse the sheep industry really is. Being able to meet young sheep people from all corners of British isles running very different farming systems was refreshing. With the first morning spent getting to know everyone, we soon struck into the first technical session on genetics. It was interesting to here where people stand on recording. I myself am a strong believer in recording and collecting as much data as possible to help make informed decision. Using EBV records for selecting breeding stock in my opinion is just another tool in your tool box for furthering your businesses potential.

On the second day the focus was on flock health, which is something I am currently trying to improve on and has definitely giving me food for thought on that front. The third day was spent on grazing and forage management. The day was very informative and I learnt a lot and look forward to seeing how I can implement them into what I’m trying to achieve.

Well, lambing has been and gone, and all in all it could have gone better. Having started off reasonably well with strong lambs hitting the ground running, I lost a few lambs due to watery mouth, leaving me with more singles then I would like. But they are strong lambs that are left and are growing well.

Grass growth has been slow meaning I was left feeding concentrates for longer than I would have wanted, but its kept milk production up in the ewes so hopefully should pay. Having sent eight cull ewes in April to the local market and making good money really shows that I can afford to cull harder.

Lamb sales have been steady but with the BBQ season just arriving my remaining few weathers from last season will go for burgers and sausages. On 7th May I put 20 Poll Dorset ewe lambs to the ram. Hopefully things will go well and we will see some lambs on the ground in the autumn.

With news of the possible reintroduction of the lynx to our local countryside it has made for some interesting conversation with my pig and sheep farming peers. The idea that the lynx would be an effective control on the deer population in Thetford is plausible, but the fact there are many flocks of sheep and outdoor pig herds in the area, I ask why a lynx would chase a wild animal when there are plenty of contained livestock that would be much easier to make dinner?!

I am looking forward to what our forthcoming NSA Next Generation Ambassador session shall bring, and I am sure I will have plenty to write about afterwards.

 The sun has been out, the lambs are growing and the sheep have been shorn. For me, other than fencing, this tends to be a quiet time of the year on the sheep front. Being a steward at the Royal Norfolk Show, I have much respect and admiration for the work the stockmen do to get their animals in show condition. I, myself, struggle with the concept of the showing of animals that, in my opinion, are not necessarily functional for a commercial sheep farming system. I wonder why some commercial producers, not all I know but a good number, still buy these animals that are over-fed and bred on looks rather than performance records? It baffles me, but each to their own I guess!

Well, I had a very interesting time at the most recent NSA Next Generation session. I learnt lots and enjoyed good company at the same time. It was good to have a session on time management, as this is definitely not my strong point and hopefully I will be able to apply this to my enterprise. A day at the British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) was very informative, and we really got an insight into how it is run and the processes involved. The visit has renewed my support for the BWMB, and I encourage you all to support it as well! The last of the three day session was also of particular interest to me as we focused on share farming, which is an area I am trying to break into.

A popular topic of conversation with everyone over the three day session was the current lamb price. With such poor returns at the moment, it is understandable that everyone is down hearted. But can we do something about it? Well in my opinion we can do some things. We can't do much about the strength of the pound against the euro, China cutting the amount of lamb they import from us, or the amount of lamb they have stopped importing from New Zealand that has to find a home somewhere else. But, what we as farmers can do, is look at our own businesses and see where areas we can improve in which may help us ride out these poor financial times. Improving our grassland management, for example, would allow us to use less fertiliser and yield more kg of meat per hectare. Improving the genetics of our sheep is also an option, which could allow us to more efficiently produce lamb to the specifications the market wants.

I feel we need to work together more as a whole industry. Why can't we run more co-ops and selling groups to try and give us a bit more muscle with the lamb buyers? At the end of the day we are all selling the same product in a roundabout way, so why can't we work together to try and secure everyone a reasonable price? Fixed priced contracts work very well in other industries, so why not ours? We can then work on long term budgets for the future as we know what we are getting. This is only the opinions of a 22 year old though, trying to put a point across and probably making a hash of it!

Well since my last post, things have changed with my sheep, at the current time I'm switching breed and system- to be lower cost and more forage based. This is due to a share farming arrangement I'm going into with a local business owner, so we shall see how this goes over the next few months. As I write this George the other Young Ambassador from NSA Eastern Region and I are heading over to Wales for the next NSA Next Generation session. I'm looking forward to what it shall bring.

So I have gone from being intensive lambing/Poll Dorset mad to lambing Llyens outside in April (well, hopefully!) I’ve also gone from 60 ewes to 200, from a small hobby to share farming with plans of grand scale, from an NSA newbie to NSA Eastern Region Vice Chairman, and from first session nerves in a posh hotel in Worcestershire to the final session of saying farewell to lifelong friends in Penrith. That is a very small insight into an amazing year of being an NSA Next Generation Ambassador. I have gained a wealth of knowledge, and hopefully I can use some of it! With five sessions through the year, myself and the other Ambassadors have covered a vast array of subjects delivered from people at the top of their field.

I was able to take something from every session, whether it was how to balance your work and leisure time and how to appreciate the important things in life or the need to always push for efficiency within your business. Without having done this year asan Ambassador I do not think I would have had the confidence to approach, discuss and agree on the share farming arrangement I am now involved in. For anyone who wonders why the NSA bothers to go to the hard work, time and money it takes to run the programme, it’s very simple – we need more young enthusiastic people who are going to challenge the older generations and push ideas that improve our returns and the appeal of an industry that, in my opinion, has a hell of a lot going for it. I have had a great year and NSA is a great organisation that is working hard in the sheep farmer’s corner. I would like to thank everyone involved in the programme for all they have done to help us this year.