Farming in the future

[beardface]

Thing is, it’s not just about the environment and social justice though is it? If it was common ground would be easily found. It’s about hard socialism and control of the populace, and I don’t want my kids to grow up with it.

That has nothing to do with farming tbh, just a personal musing.

Think there will be a civil war before many farmers go bust.

 

[icanshootwell]

Could stop subsidising them and start taxing them, justifying it as an environmental tax

My mrs dragged me to ikea last weekend, people queing up to get in, fu'king crazy, i bet 80% of the sh#t is from china.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

The "influencers" at the helm of many of these groups are going to be hard to partner with because of their extreme radicalism. The majority of their membership though is often open to engaging and can be educated about what we do and why.

We are to few and retain too little influence to successfully oppose all the interests working against us alone.

 

[Kevtherev]

At the moment the immediate future is just fine how it is for many livestock farms, how far forward do you want to try to predict Kev ?

Those farms need protecting for future generations I think.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Not an exhaustive list but I consider these some of the main points.

Opportunities

• Well placed to meet growing demand for quality, high welfare, sustainably produced food.
• Climate change and growing global population means more demand for our produce.
• Carbon capture and renewable energy.
• Drones and robots for weed control without chemicals, 24hr driverless fieldwork etc.

Threats

• Premium food will only ever be niche, vast majority only interested in lowest prices.
• Small country too many people, so more pressure for public access, more fly tipping, theft and intolerance towards our work and way of life.
• Price of agricultural commodities isn't keeping up with labour, input and equipment costs.
• Reduced understanding of the practicalities of food production allows pressure groups and antis to take control, leading to farmers being regulated out of business and food imported.

Covers most of it.

I think I'd add to the threats that the combined action of the Internet allowing false narratives to spread so fast and the deep commercialisation of science allowing it to be mostly bought by vested interests has massively multiplied the effect of this with extreme ideologies, many of whom campaign against us.

 

[wanton dwarf]

What do we reckon is ahead of us ?
More tech more regulation?
More plant based farming???
Where does the predominantly livestock based small family farm fit in in the future?

Regulation depends on whether the UK people actually take back control post Brexit and throw out the EU based bureacracy the UK has - we don't have a small government Conservative Party ATM.

Focus on UK vegetable/root farming.
Focus on high quality meats.
Focus on livestock/natural based products (Leather, wool, wood, cotton) - only after the failure of factory meat.

More data driven crops. Probably with Local Positioning Systems rather than GPS.
Automated machinery overseen by humans - Cabs and engines will be demountable/mountable.
A significant reduction in Herbicide Sprays via automated weeding.
Intensive fungus control which may include removal of diseased leaves.
Move towards individual plant based agronomy due to Local Positioning Data.

More livestock farming for manure and textiles.
Humans "farmed" for manure - may require none food crops and/or digesters.
More digestors in general for energy, nutrients and waste control - closing the recycling loop for farming from incompetant water companies/government.

Intensive livestock market replaced by factory grown meat.
After factory grown meat has a multitude of health and disease issues - some focus on pulses, local slaughter houses and quality livestock farming.

After Climate Change is found out to be a scam - very intensive agriculture in an attempt to feed people (This may not work)

 

[delilah]

I suggested that UK ag should look to identify common ground with the environmental and social justice movement, and a heap of people respond by talking about people and organisations right at the extreme end of that sector.
It is as constructive as someone (me, let's say) saying at an environmental groups meeting that they need to find common ground with farmers, and someone responding by saying that farmers pump slurry into rivers and chop trees down with tpo's on them. That is to say, not constructive at all.

To give one example of common ground. Abattoirs. There is a group currently working to get ministerial support for small abattoirs. Fantastic. Will ministers listen ? Who knows, but I would suggest that they are more likely to listen if there are letters of support from those organisations campaigning on livestock transportation, wildlife that depends on grazing etc etc. There are huge gains to be had for UK ag by identifying and cultivating such areas of common ground.

 

[delilah]

After Climate Change is found out to be a scam - very intensive agriculture in an attempt to feed people (This may not work)

I would put that down as another example of common ground; the only environmentally benign diet is a local one.

 

[Henarar]

Those farms need protecting for future generations I think.

How to protect them though Kev and from what ? do we know what the future holds say in 2, 5 or 10 years ? [even the great Ducky said that what is happening at the moment couldn't be predicted] so how do you protect something when you don't know what your protecting it from yet ?

 

[Henarar]

I would put that down as another example of common ground; the only environmentally benign diet is a local one.

so as long as you eat in your own house its environmentally sound ?

 

[delilah]

Without exception they have been passive aggressive types, who think they know everything as they’ve read some tosh on the internet,

There you go. Common ground. .

 

[hillman]

What is the saying plant a tree to day that should have been planted 20yrs ago or loosely on it , similarly on education, farmers need to get their message into schools, because they are our customers, policy changers eco warriors etc … we have neglected this while others haven’t hence we are where we are now , it all depends can we hold on till they come through the system, all the rest is daydreaming

 

[toquark]

I suggested that UK ag should look to identify common ground with the environmental and social justice movement, and a heap of people respond by talking about people and organisations right at the extreme end of that sector.
It is as constructive as someone (me, let's say) saying at an environmental groups meeting that they need to find common ground with farmers, and someone responding by saying that farmers pump slurry into rivers and chop trees down with tpo's on them. That is to say, not constructive at all.

To give one example of common ground. Abattoirs. There is a group currently working to get ministerial support for small abattoirs. Fantastic. Will ministers listen ? Who knows, but I would suggest that they are more likely to listen if there are letters of support from those organisations campaigning on livestock transportation, wildlife that depends on grazing etc etc. There are huge gains to be had for UK ag by identifying and cultivating such areas of common ground.

Yes, not all people in these groups are extremists but they are all led by extremists and it’s the chiefs who set the agenda and get the air time, not the Indians.

XR, the Green Party, green peace, stonewall, antifa, BLM. They are all singing off the same hymn sheet and they are all in equal measure bonkers and dangerous.

 

[toquark]

Anyhoo back on topic…

In my view, the 1 issue for the short to medium term in ag is public access. I expect England to follow Scotland with increase public access rights. This presents farmers with problems but also some good opportunities.

 

[Guleesh]

Anyhoo back on topic…

In my view, the 1 issue for the short to medium term in ag is public access. I expect England to follow Scotland with increase public access rights. This presents farmers with problems but also some good opportunities.

Good opportunities? The opportunity to pick up litter for the rest of your days and suffer muppets with their dogs continually belittling your efforts and creating you extra work and stress?

 

[Steevo]

Good opportunities? The opportunity to pick up litter for the rest of your days and suffer muppets with their dogs continually belittling your efforts and creating you extra work and stress?

Reminds me of politicians when they have things to announce - this presents some exciting opportunities ahead!

 

[egbert]

What do we reckon is ahead of us ?
More tech more regulation?
More plant based farming???
Where does the predominantly livestock based small family farm fit in in the future?

back to the Op then...

On commercial scaled tillage ground, with good access - but less development value...
very good opportunities for evolving robot/unmanned cropping.
whether it'll remain small droney things doing management, but manned conventional harvesting - to handle big weights- I wouldn't know.
but its clearly coming.

This will go hand in glove with steady reduction of available chemical inputs.

Livestock and cropping will soon see bagged N going down the road.

Public money for public goods is currently focussed on pretend carbon neutrality and biodiversity etc.
Expect more of it for the time being.

Livestock will continue to be demonised/ targeted for a few years, until some calamity resets opinions.
We're (gen pub) so far away from understanding it now........look at venison.
Wild deer are worth almost nothing, yet domesticated ovine flesh is selling like hot whatsists.
For all the whinging, apples and hedgerow fruits fall and rot because folk are so geared away from what food is.

The trump card to any such thoughts is a crisis. (covid is NOTHING, yet has revealed all kinds of hiccups).
The Arab Spring was triggered by bread riots after Wall St speculators spiked wheat futures.
That's what we can do as a species without drastic climate stuff.

None of it will be pretty, and overpopulation here and abroad is the driver behind almost all of it.

 

[toquark]

Good opportunities? The opportunity to pick up litter for the rest of your days and suffer muppets with their dogs continually belittling your efforts and creating you extra work and stress?

Yeah fair point. I wouldn’t want it either. Just trying to polish a turd that is the situation as a whole.

 

[7610 super q]

Things will get worse. Why ? Because they always have. Ever since cheap meat and corn could be produced on the American/ Australian prairies, and imported to the UK cheaply things have got worse. Apart from a brief period post war when our own food was valued. Even during the supposed " glory " years under the EU, we lost 52% of our farms. Probably too late now to preserve our ancient farmsteads, all been converted to holiday cottages Or replaced with Juniper Green sheds...... Shame a percentage weren't preserved like the Acton Scott Estate.
Oh well, large scale wheat mining, and hobby farming, interspersed with a few diddly squat farm shops is the future I fear.

 

[Frankzy]

My mrs dragged me to ikea last weekend, people queing up to get in, fu'king crazy, i bet 80% of the sh#t is from china.

More like 25%
Europe with countries like Poland, Italy and of course Sweden together amounts to roughly 35-40%