NSA Central Region, August Report

9th August 2012

By Bob and Anne Payne

Like many other regions, we are experiencing weather conditions that are the polar opposite from last year, when many parts of the region were desperate for rain and where farmers were concerned that their winter resources would be diminished by crop failure. This year we have been deluged by rainfall that has resulted in reservoirs overflowing repeatedly, land being water-logged, silage and hay lying uncut and flat in the fields, and the quality going down by the day.

During the brief weather window last week, there has been a frenzy of activity in the fields while folk have tried to catch up on the foraging, but the shearing timetable has been delayed even further for many, as a result. As for harvesting, a start has been made on the winter barley, but we already know that cereal and soya prices are climbing now, as the markets react to the drought in USA. Feeding pregnant ewes this winter could be tricky with poor quality forage coupled with expensive cereals and proteins.

The weather has also had its effect on the show season with many shows – both local and regional – being cancelled, and often at the last minute. The Great Yorkshire Show managed one out of three days, and the place looked like the retreat from Moscow by the Tuesday evening!

On a more positive note, one of our English Committee members, Matt Bagley, is involved in a new initiative called “Farmers Apprentice”. This is a joint venture between Farmers Weekly, McDonald’s and Reaseheath College to encourage young entrants into the agricultural industry www.farmersapprentice.co.uk . It is sponsored by McDonalds, who are donating the £10,000 first prize, and anyone between 18 and 25 is eligible to apply (closing date 14th September 2012). It is an opportunity for young entrants – whether they have already set up an enterprise of their own, or are wanting to do so – to showcase their agricultural skills in all areas: practical/hands on; business; entrepreneurial; plus team-work.

The competition will take a similar format to “The Apprentice” and 10 candidates will be selected to go forward to an agricultural “boot camp” for one week to be held at Reaseheath at the end of October during half term week.  The whole process will be filmed by The Co-operative British Youth Film Academy (BYFA) – a young film company who will make it into 6 “webisodes” which will go out on the internet rather than TV.  The judges are Christine Tacon (former head of Co-operative Farms), Charlie Russell (FW Farm Manager of the Year in 2011, and who runs the Glenapp Estate in Ayrshire), and Matt Bagley (the Agricultural Programme Leader / Sheep Unit Manager at Reaseheath College).  

By the time you read this, we will have had the early breeding sales and ram sales, which will indicate whether the confidence shown in the lamb trade – which seems to have held up well despite the poor conditions – will also have extended to the breeding stock.

For those who have cheered themselves up by watching some Olympic day-time telly when work on the tractor has been out of the question, what we want to know is, whatever happened to those sheep that appeared in the green and pleasant land of the Olympic Arena, after the opening ceremony?!