Keep Farm Subsidies....REMOVE MINETTE BATTERS

[digger64]

I quite like those ideas theyre simple and straightforward personally id leave my whole arable area in stubble each winter to get £20 an acre sub amd help wildlife

Your best idea yet the best things come to those who wait they say

 

[CornishTone]

Not very imaginative is it

To be fair, the current system came from some bureaucrats twisted imagination. Be careful what you wish for!

 

[digger64]

To be fair, the current system came from some bureaucrats twisted imagination. Be careful what you wish for!

I thought he was desribing the current system perhaps I'm wrong

 

[gone up the hill]

I thought he was desribing the current system perhaps I'm wrong

So you tell me that my suggestion isn't imaginative enough in one post then boss farmer reply's to my post and says that what my suggestion's ( about over wintered stubble is a good idea ) and then you reply and say that is the best thing he has ever posted..

Make your mind up chap, you cant tell me what im suggesting is not good enough and then when someone else thinks its a good idea you agree with them and say its a good idea....

And no what im suggesting isn't like the current BPS system and tbh I don't think you have one iota of a clue what the BPS scheme rules currently are ( no offence intended )

 

[CornishTone]

I thought he was desribing the current system perhaps I'm wrong

Sorry, I thought you were reacting to GUTHs idea for a new, "simpler" system. Now I'm just confused!

Can open; worms everywhere!

 

[Hindsight]

Did I not detect a tad touch of rhetorical sarcasm in Diggers reply - or am I reading to much into the English?! And can I ponder that Bossfarmer in the main grows malting spring barley and thus has overwintered stubbles as a matter of usual practice in his part of the world and thus the £20 for retaining overwinter stubbles would be payment for no change?! I await the replies and rebuttals if I am wrong. Good fun this thread.

 

[CornishTone]

Did I not detect a tad touch of rhetorical sarcasm in Diggers reply - or am I reading to much into the English?! And can I ponder that Bossfarmer in the main grows malting spring barley and thus has overwintered stubbles as a matter of usual practice in his part of the world and thus the £20 for retaining overwinter stubbles would be payment for no change?! I await the replies and rebuttals if I am wrong. Good fun this thread.

Perhaps I didn't read enough into Diggers "England"? I shall read all posts with an assumed hint of sarcasm now... especially in this thread!

 

[Bossfarmer]

Did I not detect a tad touch of rhetorical sarcasm in Diggers reply - or am I reading to much into the English?! And can I ponder that Bossfarmer in the main grows malting spring barley and thus has overwintered stubbles as a matter of usual practice in his part of the world and thus the £20 for retaining overwinter stubbles would be payment for no change?! I await the replies and rebuttals if I am wrong. Good fun this thread.

you would be correct, however I normally do winter ploughing, I will leave it all to march for £20/acre

 

[digger64]

you would be correct, however I normally do winter ploughing, I will leave it all to march for £20/acre

Have you thought this one out practically and financially -you will have 500 acres to plough in march when you want to be calving lambing fertilizing etc and more importantly drilling with your thinly spread labour force you will perhaps need a bigger tractor plough etc or contractor (ie extra pressure /cost ) if you miss a drilling opportunity you might not get another for 5 weeks -cuckoo cuckoo .you might be swapping 2.5 tons of good barley for 1.5 tons of crap +£20 and no straw,and a drying bill . Good deal you think ?

 

[Henarar]

Did I not detect a tad touch of rhetorical sarcasm in Diggers reply - or am I reading to much into the English?! And can I ponder that Bossfarmer in the main grows malting spring barley and thus has overwintered stubbles as a matter of usual practice in his part of the world and thus the £20 for retaining overwinter stubbles would be payment for no change?! I await the replies and rebuttals if I am wrong. Good fun this thread.

what is wrong with paying for no change if what is happening now is the right thing to do, see my posts on payments for those that have not dug the hedges out
the idea is to get environmental benefit but it seems those that have been doing it right off their own back get nothing

 

[Old McDonald]

In the 70's and 80's, no direct support to farmers was paid, but grants were paid to farmers (for drainage, buildings etc) as an incentive to increase production. This was very successful

I left the UK to farm in Australia in 1979, so do not know about the 1980s, but did we not receive direct payments for some cattle?

It is a long time ago and I had mainly sheep with few cattle, but I recall half inch holes being punched in ears, followed by a payment.

Is my memory on this good or bad?

 

[digger64]

I left the UK to farm in Australia in 1979, so do not know about the 1980s, but did we not receive direct payments for some cattle?

It is a long time ago and I had mainly sheep with few cattle, but I recall half inch holes being punched in ears, followed by a payment.

Is my memory on this good or bad?

Good the market looked like a massacre had taken place when the pens were empty

 

[Brisel]

I left the UK to farm in Australia in 1979, so do not know about the 1980s, but did we not receive direct payments for some cattle?

It is a long time ago and I had mainly sheep with few cattle, but I recall half inch holes being punched in ears, followed by a payment.

Is my memory on this good or bad?

Back then the price of beef/lamb/grain was supported by tariffs, quotas & intervention rather than area payments.

 

[Jim bean]

Farm leaders worldwide pushing to scrap farm subsidies. http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/ag...s/news-story/541ad02f95c9e8efb7dc00992b4d977a

 

[Breakthru]

As above good thread. My utopian vision would be flat £20K per family employed (remember the way france divided up milk quotas) as per other national benefit schemes.
More importantly no bloody schemes that involve civil servants making myriad rules to cover all eventualities just so they can justify their miserable existence. They can go get a real job with value to UK
Grants for more trees on hills, we have too many sheep for our own market and the reduction in water flows to the urban numpties that built houses on Flood Plains would save us all a lot of money.
We are capitalists lets live up to that and if EU want levies so what, will cost them more than us.

 

[Brisel]

Did I not detect a tad touch of rhetorical sarcasm in Diggers reply - or am I reading to much into the English?! And can I ponder that Bossfarmer in the main grows malting spring barley and thus has overwintered stubbles as a matter of usual practice in his part of the world and thus the £20 for retaining overwinter stubbles would be payment for no change?! I await the replies and rebuttals if I am wrong. Good fun this thread.

The environmental benefit of winter stubbles is in leaving them until the end of Feb. This helps fill the "hungry gap" between December once most of the seeds have gone and the spring flush of growth.

Normal practice on lightish land is to plough in Jan/Feb to allow a bit of time for weathering. Strong land needs doing in the autumn and light sand is best done soon before planting to avoid slumping.

English ELS stubble option meant no operations until 15th Feb. A farm I used to contract had this - a bit of a pain because we had to get a spray day to clean the stubble up then wait for muck spreaders then chase up behind them. I did all my own work first without the payment or restrictions.

I wouldn't want to have every acre of stubbles in this unless doing direct drilling. On that basis you'd say that we'd need incentivising to keep stubbles for longer but it's money for old rope for some.

 

[Bossfarmer]

Have you thought this one out practically and financially -you will have 500 acres to plough in march when you want to be calving lambing fertilizing etc and more importantly drilling with your thinly spread labour force you will perhaps need a bigger tractor plough etc or contractor (ie extra pressure /cost ) if you miss a drilling opportunity you might not get another for 5 weeks -cuckoo cuckoo .you might be swapping 2.5 tons of good barley for 1.5 tons of crap +£20 and no straw,and a drying bill . Good deal you think ?

ill maybe put half my arable into such a scheme although last year it was all ploughed in march as it was too wet in the winter

 

[The Ruminant]

I'm just intrigued that your avatar says you hail from central Scotland but you say you are a member of the NFU ( as in England and Wales) rather than the Scottish NFU?

He's ignoring you...

 

[The Ruminant]

For the record and to ensure accuracy can you please state if you are a member of NFU or NFUS? They are two DIFFERENT organisations.

And he's ignoring you too....

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

And he's ignoring you too....

its the 1 thing he is good at