Monitor farms

scholland

Member
Location
ze3
Anyone else going tui be involved with the monitor farm process that's starting in Scotland now? I was at our first meeting on Saturday, over 100 folk there which is a huge turnout for up here. Very interesting day and great to see some enthusiasm about agriculture.
Hats off to our hosts for opening up their business to the public.
Really hope it can continue to be fun and informative.
 

Jim75

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Easter ross
I'm surprised no one had mentioned this before. I'm stuck half way between 2 so going to both to keep my options open. First one has been a few weeks ago and was very good. Fair play to everyone involved who opens the doors and has 50-100 farmers poking and prodding asking all kinds of difficult questions. Next one is this week which should be a good in going on previous form.
 

Happy

Member
Location
Scotland
I'm surprised no one had mentioned this before. I'm stuck half way between 2 so going to both to keep my options open. First one has been a few weeks ago and was very good. Fair play to everyone involved who opens the doors and has 50-100 farmers poking and prodding asking all kinds of difficult questions. Next one is this week which should be a good in going on previous form.


Know someone who was monitor farmer last time around.

Like you say, 50-100 people poking around, asking questions and keen to find out how the farms accounts were looking.
When it came round to everyone else disclosing their financials they all disappeared like snow off a dyke;)

Good things though, always come away with something new to think about.
 

scholland

Member
Location
ze3
The success of it going forward will rely a lot on how much other farmers put into it not all up to the monitor farm.
I'm pretty hopeful that we will get 8 or 10 positive folk who are willing to put a bit into it and share their successes and failures! Itching to get going with it now and a good few new ideas buzzing around my head already.
Perhaps once the project starts any golden snippets could be put up here, not divulging specifics about folk obviously.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I've spoken at a couple of monitor farm meetings recently - I don't think they get too deep into the financials of the individual farm beyond comparison of variable and machinery costs, private stuff like rent and finance, salary etc is not on the agenda so its not over intrusive

great programme by the ADHB IMO - information from real farmers in real situations is much better than any trials data etc IMO
 

beltbreaker

Member
Location
Ross-shire
Been on management team for 2 (1 cattle/sheep one cereal) and going to a third, the more you put into it the more you get out. it's a day off the place. The first meeting is always the tyre kicking one. Lots of people turn up to see the unit then don't bother coming back which is a pity as these guys who would surely take something away from the programme, People want to sit and not say a word I find "acting" the daft laddie gets conversation going.

We have done the benchmarking on the cereal side at the last one and it will be interesting in this one to get the whole farm benchmarked via the new Farmbench programme. Lots of fresh ideas coming in and the farms that have done it in the past seem to step on after the event. Local one at Brora is a tenanted unit and is very well run so it will be interesting to see what changes can/will be made over the 3 years. The away days are great fun but you do get titbits from them. No use staying at home doing the same old same old.

The expertise within AHDB/QMS and outside speakers like Trevor Cook, Michael Shannon, Clive? (although I haven't heard him speak) really make you think and tweak your unit. We have re-seeded more, utilised stubble turnips, Kale. GPS soil tested permanent grazing, cut field sizes (paddock grazing-ish) so we are running 20+% more cows on the same land, feeding ewes 10 days before and after the tups go out to increase lamb no's, FEC testing etc etc. On the cereal side watching fixed costs, raised pH to balance other nutrients, subsoiler OSR establishment, checking tyre pressures more, and generally trying to run a tighter ship.

With Brexit I feel the Sheep and Cattle lads have only 3 yrs to sort ourselves out. So it will be that this is a good time to reanalyse and drive down costs, expand or fold! I think the time of seat of your pants farming has ended.

Cheers BB
 

hillman

Member
Location
Wicklow Ireland
I believe the Irish farmers journal and Northern marts are doing a copy of the Irish better farm programme which should also be good for you guys

As said what you put in you get out, most lads shake the head and say that will never work at home
In most instances it doesn't cost a lot to try some of the ideas !
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.1%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 67 35.3%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,294
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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