Einstein quoted thru' the medium of Welsh

[caveman]

What small part, if any, of my post did you actually understand?

About as much as you understood of mine.
Was pulling your leg actually.

 

[digger64]

[QUleg a "Walterp, post: 5425590, member: 321"]Hmm.

It's true that I was expecting something else last evening, perhaps because I had read a great deal of negative comments by farmers who had attended earlier events. I was pleasantly surprised, and informed.

I've already picked out the most interesting point - that WAG appears to be reinforcing the approach advanced by the FUW, that farm support has a cultural context.

This is a Continental (specifically, I think, French and Italian) approach and, interestingly enough, contradicts the approach by those-who-must-not-be-named, who have different priorities. At its most basic, no one over there appears to give a rat's arse that our friend the good doctor may pack it in and hand everything over to a 5,000 acre venture; over here, they do.

Who is correct, I wonder? And why are farmers often so hostile to measures designed to help them? And what then happens when the-place-that-must-not-be-named becomes a less pleasant country in which to live precisely because of such (to me) myopic policies?

Interesting, perhaps, to speculate on what other effects the UK's membership of the EU has - can devolution, for instance, be rolled back anywhere in the UK?

The point about costs/output is not as mundane as appears - P&L analysis demonstrates that Welsh farms tend to be of similar sizes, but often produce very different outcomes. Ben Anthony from Whitland spoke, in English, about this as it applied to sheep - he 'found' an extra £18,000/year behind the sofa, so to speak.

Diversification was repeatedly raised. Lots of farmers rely on it, yet when WAG raises it, the response is sometimes hostile. I've been on French farms who have developed high-quality holiday complexes through such schemes, so I wonder why the adverse reactions?

From start to finish, really, it was an exercise in how many farmers - like the famous Irishman - should not start off from where they do.[/QUOTE]

If legal(subsidy) aid was avaliable in the next county to you but not in yours would this acceptable to you as an established practising solicitor ?

 

[Walterp]

If legal(subsidy) aid was avaliable in the next county to you but not in yours would this acceptable to you as an established practising solicitor ?

Apparently it was thought acceptable by a lot of farmers who voted 'leave'.

I was reading in the FG some unpleasant dairy farmer's son (Mr John Houseman from Harrogate) who was actively hoping that UK agriculture would suffer, so that he might take advantage of others' pain.

Here is another farmer's son, with a better view:

'The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.' (J K Galbraith)

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Figures extracted from the UCW Aber survey (of which we are a member) that has been going since the 1930s according to last night.

The farms are all, perhaps surprisingly, quite similar - roughly 110 to 130 hectares range, dairy or mixed livestock, family labour, etc. Since 80% of Wales is LFA, the implication is that similar-sized farms would be much of a muchness.

The takeaway was that most people have similar costs structures, and cutting costs was not a viable way forward - 'shoestring' leads only to retirement.

Most such farms could survive the withdrawal of farm support, but only those that improved output beyond the existing average would make any profit.

80% may be LFA, but much of a muchness I really can't believe, even as I sit here in a Pembrokeshire holiday cottage I have seen huge variation from farms I think would be nice to run, to places I wouldn't want to scratch a living from.
But maybe they've taken account of that.

 

[Goweresque]

My sister, who farms down on the Carmarthen/Ceredigion border, is most envious of her brother, for living in a country that has authorised a badger cull............weird that the farmer loving Welsh Assembly don't do the one thing just about every farmer in Wales would agree was a good idea, and wouldn't cost them a penny either

 

[digger64]

I asked ="Walterp, post: 5426492, member: 321"]Apparently it was thought acceptable by a lot of farmers who voted 'leave'.

I was reading in the FG some unpleasant dairy farmer's son (Mr John Houseman from Harrogate) who was actively hoping that UK agriculture would suffer, so that he might take advantage of others' pain.

Here is another farmer's son, with a better view:

'The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.' (J K Galbraith)[/QUOTE]
I asked for your view not someone else's ?

 

[Will Blackburn]

Whereas socialists can ruin a country with a completely clean conscience.

The socially aware hand wringing conservative is a modern failing we have live with. The unwieldy behemoth NHS is testimony to that.

 

[7610 super q]

Oh, and another pearl of wisdom trotted out by Farming Connect during the drought 5 week dry spell was to stock up on feed for the winter.
Bloody hell fire, advice like this is priceless.

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Whereas socialists can ruin a country with a completely clean conscience.

The socially aware hand wringing conservative is a modern failing we have live with. The unwieldy behemoth NHS is testimony to that.

Socialists havery no conscience. ...

 

[Kevtherev]

Oh, and another pearl of wisdom trotted out by Farming Connect during the drought 5 week dry spell was to stock up on feed for the winter.
Bloody hell fire, advice like this is priceless.

And from where??????

 

[DRC]

Apparently it was thought acceptable by a lot of farmers who voted 'leave'.

I was reading in the FG some unpleasant dairy farmer's son (Mr John Houseman from Harrogate) who was actively hoping that UK agriculture would suffer, so that he might take advantage of others' pain.

Here is another farmer's son, with a better view:

'The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.' (J K Galbraith)

Apparently it was thought acceptable by a lot of farmers who voted 'leave'.

I was reading in the FG some unpleasant dairy farmer's son (Mr John Houseman from Harrogate) who was actively hoping that UK agriculture would suffer, so that he might take advantage of others' pain.

Here is another farmer's son, with a better view:

'The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.' (J K Galbraith)

There's a big farmer in our locality, with the same idea. Apparently was telling folks at a party, he hoped smaller farms would go bust, so he could expand his empire.

 

[Al R]

80% may be LFA, but much of a muchness I really can't believe, even as I sit here in a Pembrokeshire holiday cottage I have seen huge variation from farms I think would be nice to run, to places I wouldn't want to scratch a living from.
But maybe they've taken account of that.

Funnily enough a lot of the ground in Pembrokeshire is LFA yet it can be ploughed and spuds grown on some of it

Even here as you’ve seen this week there are huge variations throughout the county from the Preseli’s to where you are staying yet it’s only a few miles.


Going back to @Walterp you say about the diversification grant for holiday let’s etc.. everyone we’ve spoken to locally with holiday let’s in the villages or on the farms all had a lot of spaces still vacant in August, there’s just to many around now - plus their now trying to build a Premier Inn here.

 

[DRC]

Funnily enough a lot of the ground in Pembrokeshire is LFA yet it can be ploughed and spuds grown on some of it

Even here as you’ve seen this week there are huge variations throughout the county from the Preseli’s to where you are staying yet it’s only a few miles.


Going back to @Walterp you say about the diversification grant for holiday let’s etc.. everyone we’ve spoken to locally with holiday let’s in the villages or on the farms all had a lot of spaces still vacant in August, there’s just to many around now - plus their now trying to build a Premier Inn here.

I find a lot of holiday let's are just too expensive, compared to holidays abroad.

 

[Kevtherev]

Plus as mentioned holiday lets are now overdone everyone went into it a few years back with barn conversions shepherds huts etc etc.

 

[Walterp]

80% may be LFA, but much of a muchness I really can't believe, even as I sit here in a Pembrokeshire holiday cottage I have seen huge variation from farms I think would be nice to run, to places I wouldn't want to scratch a living from.
But maybe they've taken account of that.

You are in precisely the wrong area to reach a judgement.

Here be the map:

Note: If you take the A487 N out of Fishguard, then take the Newcastle Emlyn turn at Eglwyswrw all the way to NCE, then turn N until you hit the coast road, then go back to Fishguard you will see some of the nicest grass farms in Wales, plus a lot of 'much of a muchness'. This is due to weaving in and out of the LFA. Enjoy - it's a nice trip.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

You are in precisely the wrong area to reach a judgement.

Here be the map:

Well all that purple area kind of proves my point. I've travelled a fair bit of that too and whilst I'm not claiming to know it well I certainly wouldn't describe it as "much of a muchness". You'd pay the same money for land in any of that area?

 

[Walterp]

Well all that purple area kind of proves my point. I've travelled a fair bit of that too and whilst I'm not claiming to know it well I certainly wouldn't describe it as "much of a muchness". You'd pay the same money for land in any of that area?

Yep - once you leave the coastal strips it's just grass; only the gradient changes in the LFA. Take a shovel next time, and you will see why - depth of soil is the limiting factor.

Interesting note: LFA ground is often dearer than more fertile farmland, due to neighbour interest - the guys with £200,000 put by are old sheep farmers in LFA and SDA areas, driving beat-up old Toyotas. Arable and spud farmers tend to invest steadily, rather than put money by to buy next door.

 

[FonterraFarmer]

I find a lot of holiday let's are just too expensive, compared to holidays abroad.

Who goes to Wales and why?






Doesn't quite hve the same appeal as say Canada

 

[DRC]

Who goes to Wales and why?
Good question. For us it's the nearest coast, 70 miles away, so handy for short break or when the children were young.






Doesn't quite hve the same appeal as say Canada

 

[Walterp]

Who goes to Wales and why?

Doesn't quite hve the same appeal as say Canada

The people I speak to on holiday tend to come from cities, or are expats.

They like the way we haven't yet managed to totally homogenise our towns, the varied landscape, the sea (big draw, the sea and coastal paths) and, of course, the chatty natives.

It's becoming ever more popular, both as a holiday destination and as a retirement destination - so much so, that we have a cost-of-care crisis as there are so many elderly residents who have come to live here, from across the bridge. The local councillor for the next County Council ward has just altered to Tory, from Independent, allegedly because so many elderly English retirees have taken up residence there.

My Council Tax has increased substantially because of this.