This May, we have asked our ambassadors...

The sheep are finally enjoying the long awaited sunshine, warmth and gaining a good few pounds but in turn they are starting to roll, getting stuck on their backs making shearing a real priority but with planting crops, field work and fencing these field off from livestock there isn’t enough hours in the day.

Kirree Kermode
Isle of Man

I’m contract shearing at the moment, however there’s a hundred and one jobs that need doing at home such as spraying those damn thistles and nettles!

Rollo Deutsch
Gloucestershire

At the moment I’m busy getting dry sheep sheared, getting fly cover on my ewes, tagging and tailing my lambs. Have been under movement restrictions with my cattle until last week due to a local TB breakdown, but now I'm free to cart out/sort into bulling groups. I should really be thinking about haylage if the weather stays good but need to be getting back to work for Richard Evans.

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

Getting things ready for sheep export and not having chance to catch up with paper work. 

Richard Rossiter
Devon

We have nearly finished lambing with 15 left to go so we are busy moving ewes and lambs back to their paddocks and carting water to various mobs of sheep as its so dry! We are really needing to get the ploughed paddocks broken and sown to seed as well as get the silage parks locked off and fertiliser on so we get a good crop. We'll be starting to drench the ewes and lambs next week too!

Zoey Symington
Shetland

I’m currently contract shepherding. At the moment at the moment I’m busy with shearing, rousieing (Wool handling) and tailing lambs for various farmers.

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

Keeping me busy at home now is shearing sheep, with this sudden continued hot weather the phone has not stopped ringing for people looking to shear their sheep as soon as possible. Despite it only being mid may. It seems to be the only job that has been brought forward after this late spring. I’d love to be able to get time to do some urgent fencing.

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

I've just finished giving the lambs their first heptavac, cocci drench and white wormer for nematodirus. Now I'm on overseeding our pollinator lay with more red clover to meet the stewardship scheme specifications. I have a list of indoor jobs but they'll have to wait till it's less sunny!

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire

EVERYTHING! There never seems to be enough hours in a day or days in a week!!  

Bleddyn Davies
Ceredigion

We are delighted with this years lamb crop despite the ewes being slightly leaner and enduring a horrible winter they really have performed well. making the decision to lamb later than usual at the end of april/may has really helped, having a better survival rate hitting the ground and going ahead straight away with sun on their backs has definitely made a difference, so far so good!!

Kirree Kermode
Isle of Man

My April born lambs are performing the best but my March born lambs have only just recoved from that terrible weather they had to deal with. I lost a lot of march born lambs from hyperthermia in the first 2-3 weeks and then when the weather did suddenly warm up a few suffered from Pasteurella. I’m sure a lot of farmers would agree we are still feeling the effects from the bad winter we had.

Rollo Deutsch
Gloucestershire

Doing well so far, early days but pleased with lambs on the ground.

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

2018 lamb crop are slowly getting there. The slow grass growth has stunted eight week weights a bit but the sun on their backs have made them thrive so it wont be long until they are caught back up.

 

David McMullan
County Antrim

They are growing well after the cold spring. 

Richard Rossiter
Devon

Apart from a few problems with joint ill, this years lambs seem to be doing well.

Oliver Brayne
Derbyshire

Our 2018 lamb crop are performing very well as we have had a brilliant period of nice weather so hoping they will keep improving throughout the summer.

Zoey Symington
Shetland

From what I’ve seen of everyone’s lambs this year so far I think they are performing well, a lot of people are feeling a bit pinched with grass but it will come. 

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

My 2018 lamb crop is starting to really push on after being a bit stunted at the start of spring as I feel many have this year.

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

They've really grown the last week or so since the sun came out!

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire

Lamb crop so far is looking very good. Sun and grass growth has just come in time for us. We are happy we didn’t lamb earlier in the year.

Sion Morgan
Scottish Borders

With the green stuff finally growing the lambs seem to have reacted similarly. Just a pity they don't grow overnight like mushrooms. 

Bleddyn Davies
Ceredigion

Just recently I attended a sustainable food and farming conference where Michael Gove and Minette Batters were speakers. Mr Gove was quite adamant explaining why he had named it health and harmony and the main subject word was sustainability. There was not too much focus on the actual future Brexit path for the working farmers sitting in the conference! I’m sure Defra do understand the importance of our food production in this country, however there is a fine line between the environment and food production which most farmers understand anyway and they know that if you do not work with the environment then the land won’t work for you. The main trouble is that food production in the UK is a tiny industry compared to any other.

Rollo Deutsch
Gloucestershire

It's definitely the new reality we have to accept. I’m all for it, as it will stop farmers/landlords sitting on large blocks of land and doing nothing with them.

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

I think it shows that food production is not high on the list of priorities and it makes me fearful for what a post Brexit British agriculture industry will look like.

David McMullan
County Antrim

I feel that Defra is more worried about how the environment looks than feeding the nation. I think that there should be more emphasis for food production as the world needs food to eat. 

Richard Rossiter
Devon

Change is inevitable and the environment, health and welfare are high on my own priorities, so this doesn't worry me, and production wise I believe quality may be equally as important as quantity, in order to keep people eating lamb.

Oliver Brayne
Derbyshire

That doesn’t make me feel very encouraged about farming in the future, I would be concerned what the outcome may be. We would need to see the detail of what’s proposed before I would pass a constructive judgement. 

Zoey Symington
Shetland

I am hoping it’s a phase, but worryingly I suspect that it’s going to be the new reality. As an industry we need to be promoting the realities of agriculture.

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

I think that the future of farming is going to have to be one of perfect balance between helping the environment and maximising food production. I think they must look after each other as they used to do in the past but with new technology make it more efficient and greater yields.

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

I don't think that most farmers will actually have to change what they do that much when the new scheme comes out. What will have to change is our mindset - think outside the box and be vocal about how what we do is good for the environment and animal welfare. Many things can benefit both sheep farming and wildlife such as hedges for windbreaks/shelter or using red clover leys to fatten lambs (the flowers of which are good for pollinators).

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire

I think this is the new reality.  We are governed by so many rules and regulations here but are rewarded through government funding. we probably need to accept if we are happy to receive them. Bleddyn - I believe that it is sadly reality now with the general public losing connection with how their food is produced and more interested in how the bird and bug populations are doing!! 

Sion Morgan
Scottish Borders

I spent it tagging vaccinating and dosing pedigree lambs with my brothers we had a good laugh and catch up the first day of not feeling so much like winter thankfully!

Kirree Kermode
Isle of Man

I was trying to find a shady tree to shear under on bank holiday Monday!

Rollo Deutsch
Gloucestershire

I spent the bank holiday in a tractor cab trying to get caught up with field work. Reseeding and shifting muck high on the priority list. No rest for the wicked.

 

David McMullan
County Antrim

I was playing up in Blackpool for the young farmers Agm! 

Richard Rossiter
Devon

I spent the Spring Bank Holiday working as we were still flat out lambing! It was a beautiful day here in Shetland so I did get a little sunburnt!!

Zoey Symington
Shetland

The sheep were still in the first cycle of lambing so some work was required but I made time for a couple of cold ones later in the day.

Oliver Brayne
Derbyshire

I have actually been farm sitting for a friend up north this holiday so working but playing too, had plenty of time to fit in some dog training and cold beers.

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

It was my dad's 50th birthday on bank holiday Monday so we all went to the pub for lunch!

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire

I was working this hot spring bank holiday. Making sure all lambs hitting the ground were all ok. May have sneaked a beer and ice cream into my quad box. But don’t tell the boss. 

Sion Morgan
Scottish Borders

Playing 7s in Aberystwyth in the sunshine and Monday was spend recovering from the weekends antics!  

Bleddyn Davies
Ceredigion

Playing-shearing hogget lambs

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

A Breeding pair of native Manx Loaghtyn sheep with the ram having the biggest 4 horns possible, a fiece looking beast!!

Kirree Kermode
Isle of Man

£10 Mole country stores voucher, who wouldn’t want that.

Joe Emmett
Norfolk

Prince Harry and Megan would get a Northern Irish flag from me. I want to put our wee country on the map so we are not forgot about with the impending political doom forthcoming.

David McMullan
County Antrim

I have no idea what I would give them as a wedding present, but a traditional wedding gift in Shetland is a Sheepskin Rug so that would be something different. 

Zoey Symington
Shetland

A crown of grass fed British lamb. Why? well why miss an opportunity to plug a great product and what would be more suitable for a royal than a crown!

Oliver Brayne
Derbyshire

I think they should be seen out and about in some matching outfits professing their love for UK produced food - particularly lamb. 

Lauren Bird
Oxfordshire

I think I would get Prince Harry and Megan Markle a golden fleece for their living room as we have seen before that a royal setting a trend can lead to a massive growth in sales and that is just what our wool industry needs.

Thomas Chapman
Staffordshire

A British lamb hamper to show Meghan what she was missing out on in the USA.

Catherine Sanderson
North Yorkshire

Woollen jumpers and scarves. It would definitely bring wool back into fashion and make British wool trendy again. 

Bleddyn Davies
Ceredigion