Farming in the future

[Jackov Altraids]

I think we all over estimate both the size of and the influence of the XR and vegan movements. Just because they make a lot of noise on social media doesn't mean they have widespread support. It's particularly noticeable that many of those charged after the London XR protests were from overseas, indicating that there isn't a huge level of support in the UK. Ten people may protest at a pig farm, but they will have travelled many miles to do so.

The percentage of the population that are vegan or vegetarian has hardly changed over the past 50 years and what did most people want to do as soon as lock down was eased? Get on a plane and fly away for a non essential holiday

Size-yes, influence- no.

The fact that we are discussing this shows how much a very small number of people are having.
They have a very well considered plan to maximise all their efforts and that most significantly includes getting jobs in influential positions.
Pushing an argument is like pushing a lorry. It surprising how few of you, you need, if there is no resistance.

 

[Steevo]

Maybe if we all conspired to produce less we could short circuit the whole food chain , i mean it has to be better to get 300 quid a ton for 1 and a half ton acre produced with little inputs than get 150 for 3 ton at normal input levels

If we (UK) produced less, surely others would pick up the slack?

Or if not, they would keep production at full levels, and benefit from full yield at £300/t whereas we would just end up with half yield at that. Yes we would save on input costs, but the drop in output would be greater than that cost. It doesn't take half my total yields to pay the full spray/fert costs, but if I cut my fert/spray costs my yields would likely halve.....meaning my fixed costs per tonne are double.

 

[Cowcorn]

If we (UK) produced less, surely others would pick up the slack?

Or if not, they would keep production at full levels, and benefit from full yield at £300/t whereas we would just end up with half yield at that. Yes we would save on input costs, but the drop in output would be greater than that cost. It doesn't take half my total yields to pay the full spray/fert costs, but if I cut my fert/spray costs my yields would likely halve.....meaning my fixed costs per tonne are double.

I hear ye, it would have to be a global thing .... My own wheat yields are the right side of 4 ton acre and sp barley can often hit 3 or above but the loss of ctl and other cheap effective chemistry could adversely affect output in a bad septoria year . This years wheat was kept reasonably clean with newer chemistry but dry conditions in june and july helped enormously. The wet May and it wasnt looking so good and when a really wet year comes along in tandem with lower prices then the high input system could get a fair shock .
The s barley went in lateish and so far a cheap weed spray and one well timed fungicide spray is the only pesticide input . Some of it is well shook with the rain but it didnt look like it needed a pgr earlier on
Hopefully the weather will pick up for cutting.
We live in hope. Of course if we all stwich to spring cropping then the barley boat will sink !!! Very hard to plot a course atm and sometimes you kinda feel that the game is rigged