Excellent as ever from Harry Metcalf

[Suffolk Serf]

He doesn't make that much money from cars, although it wouldn't take that much to better the income in a bad year from a moderately sized combinable crop farm. He has the cars because he can afford them. He also has a yacht in the South of France and lord knows what else. He founded, owned and ran EVO car magazine and sold it for millions. Maybe a typical farmer from his area but not your typical man at all. I doubt whether his neighbours are in the same league unless he is surrounded by similar moneyed farmers who made it outside the industry.

I think that he was a farmer before he started EVO, which didn't work out too bad as a bit of diversification.

 

[Cowabunga]

I think that he was a farmer before he started EVO, which didn't work out too bad as a bit of diversification.

Pretty sure he said that he wasn't from a farming family in one of his videos. He did go to agricultural college though iirc.

EDIT
I was right and so were you. Follow this link for his synopsis. He was managing or renting 2000 acres by the time EVO was started and then farming took a back seat while he made his fortune, as is the usual way, by selling it.

 

[Robt]

isnt he basically clives older cousin? ha ha

 

[Robt]

He might have two Africa Twins.

yes mark one and present day one. His mark one is worth very good money.

 

[db9go]

If you go back far enough he also sold lime and spread it

 

[Hjwise]

He delivers a highly damaging message. One that should be avoided at all costs.
He says that there is a difference, environmentally, between a cow in a shed and a cow in a field.
There is no scientific basis to that statement, and it is one that drives a wedge right down the middle of UK livestock production.
If he wishes to differentiate between UK and imported produce, then he should talk about food miles, not production systems.
There is nothing wrong our side of the farm gate.

Can you expand on your point? Do you not agree that once you start growing a crop for the cows to eat (using machinery, diesel, Haber Bosch fertiliser) then you then become a net contributor to greenhouse gas emissions?

 

[delilah]

Can you expand on your point? Do you not agree that once you start growing a crop for the cows to eat (using machinery, diesel, Haber Bosch fertiliser) then you then become a net contributor to greenhouse gas emissions?

We could kick all of the cows in the UK outside for a year, and the GHG emissions of UK plc would not change.
We could bring all of the cows in the UK inside for a year, and the GHG emissions of UK plc would not change.
I have cattle that never go out, and I have cattle that never come in. I could make a compelling argument that the former is the most environmentally sustainable system, and I could do the same for the latter, but I wont enter in to either discussion because neither system has anything to apologise for.

That is the truth of it, and it is the only message that we should be putting across. The minute we use the "this system is better than that system" argument, we have lost the argument.
From comments on this thread, this Harry chap is a bit of an influencer. Great, but someone who knows him needs to ask him to tweak his message. There is nothing wrong our side of the farm gate.

 

[Hjwise]

We could kick all of the cows in the UK outside for a year, and the GHG emissions of UK plc would not change.
We could bring all of the cows in the UK inside for a year, and the GHG emissions of UK plc would not change.
I have cattle that never go out, and I have cattle that never come in. I could make a compelling argument that the former is the most environmentally sustainable system, and I could do the same for the latter, but I wont enter in to either discussion because neither system has anything to apologise for.

That is the truth of it, and it is the only message that we should be putting across. The minute we use the "this system is better than that system" argument, we have lost the argument.
From comments on this thread, this Harry chap is a bit of an influencer. Great, but someone who knows him needs to ask him to tweak his message. There is nothing wrong our side of the farm gate.

I’m not convinced by your argument and I’m not sure you addressed my point. I speak as a farmer who’s pigs are fed on wheat and soya - so I have no agenda. What did he say that you can’t agree with?

 

[delilah]

What did he say that you can’t agree with?

That there is a difference, in terms of environmental impact, between a cow in a field and a cow in a shed.

I speak as a farmer who’s pigs are fed on wheat and soya

And it doesn't matter whether they are indoors or outdoors. And (I would guess) it's not soya, it's soya meal. And it's feed wheat.

We need to stop apologizing. We have nothing to apologize for.

 

[Hjwise]

That there is a difference, in terms of environmental impact, between a cow in a field and a cow in a shed.



And it doesn't matter whether they are indoors or outdoors. And (I would guess) it's not soya, it's soya meal. And it's feed wheat.

We need to stop apologizing. We have nothing to apologize for.

I make no apologies. I produce what the market demands using current conventional practices. It’s an interesting debate and was an interesting video - I was just a bit surprised by your comment.

 

[Farma Parma]

We could kick all of the cows in the UK outside for a year, and the GHG emissions of UK plc would not change.
We could bring all of the cows in the UK inside for a year, and the GHG emissions of UK plc would not change.
I have cattle that never go out, and I have cattle that never come in. I could make a compelling argument that the former is the most environmentally sustainable system, and I could do the same for the latter, but I wont enter in to either discussion because neither system has anything to apologise for.

That is the truth of it, and it is the only message that we should be putting across. The minute we use the "this system is better than that system" argument, we have lost the argument.
From comments on this thread, this Harry chap is a bit of an influencer. Great, but someone who knows him needs to ask him to tweak his message. There is nothing wrong our side of the farm gate.

without watching harrys video again & feeling i genuinly missed what your on about
are you sure he wasnt referring to FEED LOTS in the likes of USA vs grass fed in the uk?
the majority of which spend a time inside over the winter for welfare reasons far more above anything else & am no cattle farmer but even i know there comes a point where
a fair percentage of UK Cattle have too be wintered inside, apart from the few thats hardened to be outside come whatever the weather throws at them.
Even my neighbours small lot of Belties were brought inside before xmas as it was simply too wet & gonna get rather messy where they have spent there 8months happy grazing away.
if ive miss heard Harrys views on this then fair enough
But that man is no fool & puts across a brill advert for UK ag from all sides.

 

[delilah]

are you sure he wasnt referring to FEED LOTS in the likes of USA vs grass fed in the uk?

Yes, he was. And it is an argument that is ripped apart in 30 seconds flat by any half decent anti-livestock campaigner. What is the difference between a 'feed lot' in the USA and an indoor finisher in the UK ? Nothing.
Harry's message drives a wedge between different UK livestock producers, that is my point.
I have written on here before about how you run a campaign.
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index...ommunications-team.328028/page-6#post-7168444
We wont win this one by being mealy mouthed, by constantly trying to respond to the criticism of others.
We will only win it by setting our own agenda, and by producing the science that backs our message up.

 

[tinsheet]

Think he's great for British Ag,