NSA Marches Regional, August Report
9th August 2012
By Nick Davies, Regional Chairman
The region had a massive input in to the National Event this year, which was once again a huge success. It was great to see so many young people walking around the showground looking for the latest up to date technologies which will put them in a good position to deal which business needs and demands. I believe we have many innovative youngsters coming forward in the region and want to grow their career in the sheep industry. With this in mind the region is proud to support in any way the Young Entrants launch. This is an opportunity to inspire, improve and factually inform the way the next generation think about how they operate in not just the UK sheep sector but how they are part of a global protein supply.
We must continue to be positive and present opportunities to our shepherds and shepherdesses when possible, include them in the business planning, selling and purchasing. We must encourage them to be aware of their importance within the business to be successful and profitable. Many Marches members are pleased with the positive returns and have reinvested into the infrastructure this year – maybe this is the time to encourage your staff or family to be part of the new initiative!
We have been seeing unprecedented weather changes over the season and across the region, which has proved to be challenging. What is apparent is the resilience of the sheep sector and the long hours needed to get the job done. A word of caution with wet weather and variable temperatures – be aware of the potential increase in parasite challenges, especially as many members I have spoken to say the lambs have been slow to gain growth.
The hay, silage and straw is coming into the yards around me thick and fast, with one of the silage pits being covered at 4am to beat the rain. We are already seeing potential issues for the winter regarding quality. One company that had taken more than 37 mycotoxin analyses so far found all (100%) come back with mycotoxins and, more importantly, 80% have come back contaminated with penicillium mycotoxins. This means the majority of farms are at risk of a mycotoxin challenge, resulting in reduced performance at a time when rumen health will be key to making most of the farm inputs. It is vital you speak to your nutritionist to get all forages tested.
Feeding over the winter is already in our mind across the region. Hi Pro Soya spot price as of 30th July was £440, having been £374 on 22nd June and £277 12 months ago. Remember when the ager sales rep is looking to secure your feed needs for the winter to ask what the quality is over price first, there might be some surprises if the right questions are not asked, you will get what you pay for!
The NSA Marches region AGM will be held at The Ludlow Food Centre on Friday 14th September. We will be sending you direct the Agenda titled “The need to keep focused on local and global Sheep meat requirements”. Please attend as the evening will prove to very useful, informative and a chance for you to contribute to the region.
