5 questions we asked our ambassador's in March

Are you planning anything different for this lambing season?

Zoey Symington

Lambing hasn't started for us yet, the farm I work on only start the first mob of ewes on the 20th April with another lot starting on 1st May and my own ewes only start on the 26th April so we have a few weeks to wait yet. The preparations are well underway with feeding ewes, cleaning out sheds and setting up. The next job is to dose ewes with pre-lambing vaccine. We haven't done anything different as of yet but who knows what might happen before lambing!

Zoey Symington
Shetland

Kirree Kermode

After Storm Ofelia stole our lambing poly tunnel in October it took a bit of reconstruction and preparation before we could get the ewes  in. We tupped 100 less early lambing pedigree Texels and with the way the winter has gone thank heavens, grass has been extremely slow growing if at all at times .They have lambed really well with very little problems ,that said we fed one group of 25 on better grass and came in a few weeks earlier, they proved to be more difficult to lamb having to assist most, so we won’t be doing that again in a hurry !! After a tough winter last year We decided to push the cross bred lambing to 1st April and with an even winter tougher this year it’s definitely proving to be a good move... so far!!

Kirree Kermode
Isle of Man

Joe Emmett

It's going quite well, roughly half way through at work, something new is that I'm lambing a flock of Lleyn cross and Romney cross ewes on turnips. The weather is throwing up challenges but the sheep are dealing with it well. Hoping for better weather during April when my own flock start.

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

David McMullan

Lambing has been challenging this year purely from a weather perspective. Beast from the east really took its toll! We have all the mature ewes lambed with great results almost 95% going to grass with twins at foot. Ewe lambs are due to start now anytime so i will see how they go. We have changed a few things this year, ie not blanket treating with spectam and penicillin to try to curtail antibiotic resistance.

David McMullan
County Antrim

Richard Rossiter

Yes it has gone and going well. Lambing Exlana ewe lambs for the first time and impressed how they are doing.

Richard Rossiter
Devon

Oliver Brayne

Don't start lambing until the 24th April. No major changes planned but one little thing that I'm going to try and do is record birth weights, or at least get a rough average. It's a recorded flock so the more data the better.

Oliver Brayne
Derbyshire

Lauren Bird

Well this is my first lambing at Highclere so it’s all a little different for me, but much as much. For the farm we have changed a lot in terms of how we have set up the shed and trying to make better use of the limited space we have. We’ve moved away from blanket spectam treatments and only treating anything we think has the potential to be at risk due to low colostrum or weak. 

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

Thomas Chapman

Lambing has gone slow but well this year. I’ve currently lambed just over 300 of my 430 ewes so far, with only a handful left of my first lambing group. This year I have tried to not blanket treat all lambs at birth and only treat the lambs at higher risk of problems, ie triplets.

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

Sion Morgan

Haven't started yet thankfully with this horrible weather. But we are doing our best to keep feed in front of in lamb ewes. I am thinking of the other ambassadors lambing. 

Sion Morgan
Scottish Borders

What was the biggest surprise for you attending the first NSA Next Generation Ambassador session?

Zoey Symington

The biggest surprise for me attending the 1st NSA Next Generation Ambassador Session was the whole thing really, as there is no Young Farmers in Shetland and not many young people interested in the sheep sector it was an amazing opportunity for me to sit around a table and discuss sheep and farming, sounds so stupid I know but very true! I had the best couple of days getting to know everyone and looking forward for the year ahead!

Zoey Symington
Shetland

Kirree Kermode

I was really surprised how friendly and how well our group got on , even with such a cross section of farming enterprises it was refreshing how passionate and driven each young Ambassador was and I felt that it really rubbed off. On the return to my Farm it made me more enthusiastic to try new things & knowing I could have support or ppl to ask questions, gave me confidence too!!

Kirree Kermode
Isle of Man

Joe Emmett

Best and biggest surprise... Being in a room full of people who genuinely didn't mind talking about sheep all day! 

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

David McMullan

My biggest surprise attending was that there was lots of like minded people who were as excited and driven around the sheep industry as I am. Also I found out my Northern irish accent is harder to understand than I had thought!!

David McMullan
County Antrim

Richard Rossiter

I was surprised with the amount of variations there is in between the 12 ambassadors in the sheep farms they are on. 

Richard Rossiter
Devon

Lauren Bird

I don’t know that I was very surprised by anything ... but I was pleased to meet such a great bunch of likeminded people and learnt a lot. 

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

Thomas Chapman

I was suprised at the diversity of the farm systems everybody on the course works with and also how well everyone got on even on the very first day.  It was great to meet a group of likeminded people. 

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

Catherine Sanderson

How well everyone got on. I was quite nervous because I'm not very good at talking to new people but after the session I felt like I'd known them all ages!

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire

Sion Morgan

That grass was growing in the Bristol area!!

Sion Morgan
Scottish Borders

What will be your favourite thing about the clock’s changing on 25th March?

Zoey Symington

My favourite thing about the clocks changing on 25th March is the longer days, lighter mornings and nights. It's been a long winter of it getting light at 9.00am and dark and 3.00pm. The sign of spring and lambing is just around the corner which is exciting! It'll give you more time to get jobs done that have been neglected through the winter months.

Zoey Symington
Shetland

Kirree Kermode

I absolutely hate the winter and darkness so by Christmas time I find myself craving daylight and warmth , counting down the days until the clocks change. It really lifts the spirits , with a sense of relief , a kind of  ‘We have made it ‘ feeling sweeps through the mind. I find winter is becoming a fete of endurance of the unexpected.

Kirree Kermode
Isle of Man

Joe Emmett

Day light

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

David McMullan

Clocks changing means longer evenings and my favourite time of the year which is the silage cutting season. I run a small contracting business in tandem with the farm and the main summer job is silage and hay tedding with about 2000+acres covered in a ten week window. You can’t beat some tractor work on a long summers evening. Daylight is the best light!

David McMullan
County Antrim

Richard Rossiter

The lighter evenings and that summer isn’t far away. 

Richard Rossiter
Devon

Oliver Brayne

Lighter evenings and hopefully the prospect of some drier weather!

Oliver Brayne
Derbyshire

Lauren Bird

Longer evenings to get back into training some young dogs! 

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

Thomas Chapman

Having more daylight hours of course! And more time in the sun - though that might be wishful thinking!! 

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

Catherine Sanderson

Lighter evenings

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire

Sion Morgan

I'm looking forward to the clocks changing because the days are getting longer and I can do more in the evenings after work. Like train my dogs haha 

Sion Morgan
Scottish Borders

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what single thing sheep-related thing would you change, and what single non-sheep thing would you change?

Zoey Symington

If I was Prime Minister for the day, sheep related thing I would like to change is to take in a different kind of penalty for Dog Worrying. This is a problem in the UK that isn't getting any better but if a financial fine was to become active then it might deperent. Non-sheep related thing I would like to change... well I have no idea. I’m the worst at politics and all that!

Zoey Symington
Shetland

David McMullan

Sheep related I would try to promote lamb as a premium BRITISH product rather than in separate countries ie Irish or Welsh etc.

Non sheep related I would give young active farmers huge grants to buy lots of nice new shiny machinery to expand a fledgling contracting business. But perhaps thats a bit selfish haha.

David McMullan
County Antrim

Richard Rossiter

Make it easier to import and export sheep and semen so can get genetics from around the world and selling too. 

Non sheep - bring agriculture into the curriculum at school to teach where the things they eat come from. 

Richard Rossiter
Devon

Oliver Brayne

Sheep related - end area based BPS payments in favour of more of a payments for results based system.

Non sheep - more drug abuse awareness/education in schools. Drug problems lead to so many other problems in society.

Oliver Brayne
Derbyshire

Lauren Bird

Tough one, I'd like to write an essay... but I won’t. Sheep Related - tough one...lots of things I’d like to change ... Get rid of the stand still rule.

Non Sheep Related - NHS - it’s so badly run!! 

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

Thomas Chapman

For a sheep related change, I would make the collection of fallen stock a free service for farmers.

 For non sheep related matters, I would add another subject to the high school curriculum that would encompase the whole farm to fork process, including agriculture, animal health and welfare, food manufacturing and human nutrition, to educate students on what food and farming opportunities there are after school and help tackle the obesity crisis! 

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

Catherine Sanderson

Sheep related - ban non-stun slaughter. 

Non sheep related - not sure. I'd definitely try and get a selfie with the queen though!

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire

Sion Morgan

Sheep related I would ensure that farming/agriculture was a option to school pupils as a national qualification. 

Non sheep related I would try to establish our country's name free from corruption and any sort of extremism.

Sion Morgan
Scottish Borders

If you could swap your farm (or the farm you work on) for the farm of one of the other NSA Next Generation Ambassador’s this year, which one would you chose and why?

Zoey Symington

If I could swap either my farm or the farm I work on for one of the other Ambassador's this year, it would have to be Richard's farm in Devon. The reason why, would have to be the climate and the scale of the farm he is on as well as it being the furthest South farm in England. In his presentation at the 1st Session he told us that they lamb in September/October and then again at the beginning of the year, which I was totally shocked at, as this could never happen here at home. I would love to work that far down in England to see the real difference compared to Home here and down there!

Zoey Symington
Shetland

Kirree Kermode

I would swap with Richard in the south of England, as I seem to becoming a fair weather farmer. I believe the climate is marginally better there & with easier access to arable products would make it quite a luxury compared to the islands on going cereal shortage problem.

Kirree Kermode
Isle of Man

Joe Emmett

Probably where Sion works, I like the look of the space, the scenery, the scale and the progressive nature of the livestock enterprises. 

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

David McMullan

I would swap in a heartbeat with kirree. I think I would really like the challenges that island life would bring and it would be nice to not have the impending brexit situation hanging over me!

David McMullan
County Antrim

Richard Rossiter

I would swap with kiree as it is close enough to the main land but also don’t have any vermin on the island I think and will be interesting to see the challenges they have as well. 

Richard Rossiter
Devon

Oliver Brayne

Joe in Norfolk......I don't think they get quite as much snow as North Derbyshire!!

Oliver Brayne
Derbyshire

Lauren Bird

Sion - I think it’s a fantastic management system and would love to learn more! 

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

Thomas Chapman

I would pick Kirees farm in the Isle of Man as she has great show potential stock, which is something I aspire to have. Also, living on a smaller island appeals to me and it would be cool to have a boat! 

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

Catherine Sanderson

Right now I would probably pick kirrees farm because she somehow managed to avoid pretty much all the snow from the beast and storm Emma!

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire