Sad looking farms

[livestock 1]

bit of clover and claim for that ?

Possibly. There’s meant to be something better coming wether that’s right or not no one knows
One thing certain if this ‘better thing’ doesn’t appear it will be ethnic cleansing of hill farmers

 

[serf]

Farmers should be happy to see less production, it may (should) lead to better prices

Nice theory but all that will happen is more rainforest ect will be cleared in S America and commie land to fill the gap and we will be left with docks and ragwort ....

 

[livestock 1]

Lack of positivity resulting in farmers contracting in output

 

[Lincsman]

As I finish off hedging for customers I found myself getting really depressed looking at all this cs and sfi sh!t. Once fields I mowed and baled in some fallow weeds. Fields I fert spread the arable on either fallow stubble or bird seed. The whole lot looks unloved.
Then onto hedges. Got most places all looking lovely. Nice big dense hedges, most of them 8x8ft. I thought to myself what a mess they'll look in 3yrs time when I come to destroy them with the flail.
It's just not farming anymore.

Yes, its great, never had so much free time and so little expense... oddly tax bill has gone up?

 

[ollie989898]

Possibly. There’s meant to be something better coming wether that’s right or not no one knows
One thing certain if this ‘better thing’ doesn’t appear it will be ethnic cleansing of hill farmers

Put land down to traditional grasses, collect whatever payments you can, put cattle out in spring, bring them in for the winter in numbers you can manage without too much risk/outlay or expense and minimal input of your time?

This seems to be the only real option for the upland farms.

 

[livestock 1]

Put land down to traditional grasses, collect whatever payments you can, put cattle out in spring, bring them in for the winter in numbers you can manage without too much risk/outlay or expense and minimal input of your time?

This seems to be the only real option for the upland farms.

That’s an old calculation though it will need to be re done
If I lock land up into something that I think is stupid then does that make me as daft as they are?
Hill land deteriorates once it gets below a certain stocking level

 

[livestock 1]

Farming is an investment business the previous years profits are needed to reinvest for the next crop wether that be corn or horn. They know fine well that breaking that cycle will make it harder for anyone to go back in it’s likely any bank wouldn’t entertain the reinvestment to start up that cycle due to margins. The new combine tractor or telehandler may look dear now but give it a few years in a scheme and those items will be further out of reach than ever. Either way farmgate prices go entering into such like will be bad news.
They tried to get folks out with the bps golden handshake that didn’t work so this is the next project which appears to be getting folks on the hook. There’s nothing productive in it. I have 2 lads keen to be farming and a daughter there’s nothing encouraging in it for them.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

If a gardener sells his surplus produce he is not different to a farmer who does so , my son has 3 Hens
He is a poultry farmer

Exactly, productivity has two sides.

One is producing things, the other adding value.

People who just produce things often forget about the other side, even resent it.

And I just don't know what's so "valuable" about creating a landscape or business that's so fragile, even if it produces a shitload of something or other under goldilocks conditions.

Stops raining for 3 weeks, panic
Doesn't stop raining for 3 weeks, panic
If that's best that the brightest minds in agriculture can come up with....

 

[digger64]

reduced supply should lead to better price but yes, I agree, in a global market the UK situation makes little difference

i'm a bit less dependant upon food prices now however so somewhat de risked

Reduced supply will lead to the collapse of infrastructure/processing/support and outlets you perhaps seem to take for granted .
These businesses/etc are all standing on prime development sites and subject to 21st century costs and pressures .
Have you ever tried to get planning /venture capital for a new large abattoir, produce market ,dairy factory , beet factory or grain terminal ?

 

[Henarar]

Reduced supply will lead to the collapse of infrastructure/processing/support and outlets you perhaps seem to take for granted .
These businesses/etc are all standing on prime development sites and subject to 21st century costs and pressures .
Have you ever tried to get planning /venture capital for a new large abattoir, produce market ,dairy factory , beet factory or grain terminal ?

SFI is a 3 year scheme the gov are under no obligation to renew it as far as I know.
No good farmers producing nothing then in 3 years bitching cos there is nobody to sell their produce to or buy their supplies from if they have to start producing again.
environmental schemes should work with farming and allow/encourage farming to continue not replace farming.

 

[T Hectares]

will get one when i'm near next

This is what a chunk of our Farm looks like atm, the foreground is AB9 (AHL2 equiv) and the back ground is sprayed off SW6 (SAM2 equiv) it’s been in mid tier for 8 years and the SW6 will all go into spring malting barley in due course

Non insecticide payments will be stacked through SFI with DD payments coming next year, carbon credits will be generated and the same area will be cropped each year, only awkward corners and low performing areas used for AB1/8&9

There’s multiple strings of income and we still farm as productively as ever and can claim to be doing what’s required by gov to hit their environmental targets

The only part of this that causes me concern is that RT wanted to bundle all this up at our cost and give it to the retailers