October 2008 - Posts
Well I have just arrived home after a Fantastic night at the Grosvenor House Hotel for the Farmers Weekly 2008 Awards. Congratulations to all the nominees and a special Well Done to Adrian Ivory, Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year and Young Farmer of the Year.
This years theme was "No Ordinary People." And None of them were. They all had one thing in common. None of them conformed to the norm as far as their businesses are concerned. They all strive to do things differently and better, resulting in some fantastic approaches.
On this blog on Friday I wrote about the up and coming awards and in particular Jimmy Doherty. He won the NFU Farming Champion of the Year. Well done to him. He has put the industry forward into the spotlight in a good way with his Farming Heroes series earlier this year. The British public as a result now look at British Agriculture in a better and more understanding light, which can only be a good thing. We need more like him.
After arriving home and in true farming style, found that the automatic pop hole, that I built, for the chickens hadn't closed. Fortunately the better half had taken some temporary measures. So overalls on over penguin suit and sort the problem out. Anyway I'm off to to join them in bed now. I've to be at college in six hours....
Please correct me if I'm wrong, as you usually do, Tuberculosis is a Zoonosis.
Can we please stop calling it Bovine TB.
As has been reported by Caroline Stocks recently here on FWi, a strain of TB has been caught by a Veterinary nurse from Badgers that had been visiting her garden. It was reported as a strain of Bovine TB. The veterinary nurse had not worked in large animal practice as far as I'm aware, so why should the cattle be blamed.
Whilst it is referred to as Bovine TB then the Badger Trust will have the moral upper hand. The Badger Trust are in denial that there is a problem in the badger polulation. The problem for them now is that there is so much TB in the wild that the only way to control the disease now is to have a massive cull. If they had offered control of these very sick Badgers sooner the problems we now face could have been avoided.
It's unfortunate that the story about the Veterinary nurse emerged just after the credit crunch had started. I'm sure that once the general public get a hold of the fact that TB, which is a disease that is on the increase in this country, could be transfered to the public by those cute black and white stripes as apposed the black and white bovines it will be a different story. As reported in the article, it appears it is very easy to catch the disease.
FWi News Caroline Stocks
It is TB contracted by Bovines and Badgers alike.
Now we've had the Harvest Festivals giving thanks for the crops having been safely (if rather wetly) gathered. It's time for the Farmers Weekly Awards to celebrate the best of British Agriculture. What is good about the awards isn't just the bragging, "I'm better than you." Not to take away the achievement of the winners, I look forward to meeting some of them. But overall the awards are fundamentally more than that. It's about life long learning and learning from each other. There is no stigma in admitting you don't understand something. In fact the exact opposite is true in my book. In my line of work I have far more respect for people who say, "I don't quite understand, can you help." In fact I regularly do it. Those that really need the help are those that say "I've always done it that way, that's why." Listening to the way other people do things might just save you a few quid or better still make you a few pounds.
Jimmy Doherty of Jimmy's Farm fame may have made us all laugh with his inexperience and flitting from one project to the next. But he had the right ideas, promoting provident food to a superior quality and promoting British Agriculture. When he needed advice he went to find it. He may not have followed it to the letter, but he keeps his mind open which is what triggers all his hair-brained schemes.
What I enjoy reading in the Farmers Weekly about the Awards is all the different approaches that these finalists have taken to get to the peak of British Agriculture. Hopefully I can pick up a few ideas.
Well done to them all and I'll be on the edge of my seat awaiting the results.
The story of a young mans efforts to become a farmer without the aid of inheritance.
Was I my cousins Best Man? Of course I was. But that decision resulted in another life changing moment.
On the family's last visit to my Uncle's farm, my cousin announced his good intentions for his beloved, and asked me to be his Best Man. H, our son, was 18 months old, the good lady was pregnant again and we enjoyed a good holiday on the farm. H was very cute. "Moo in there" he called each time we went into the cattle sheds.
I decided it would be good to spend some time with my cousin before he got married. If for nothing else, to get some good material for the speech. So after a job up north I took some leave and went to North Wales. I had a great time on the farm. I met his future In-Laws and got some material for the speech. I believe my cousin enjoyed my stay too.
However, I enjoyed myself a little too much. My Uncle was away for a couple of days. That left my cousin in charge and me as his assistant. As usual the getting up early, the hard work and the getting up in the middle of the night to check a cow that was due to calf, didn't bother me one bit. Very much the opposite. I suddenly realised what I had missed out on when I had left school. I could have written my notice there and then. But it wasn't just about me. I had a wife and soon to be two children to think about. Also I didn't have any Agricultural qualifications. We couldn't afford for me to give up work there and then. Also, how would the better half take it. Would she be able to cope living and working on a farm? Other than the visits to my Uncle's she had no experience of farmlife.
I was later to find out that the wife and my Aunt had been discussing me and farming. My Aunt had told her "it just won't get out of his system will it. Farming just keeps rearing its head." How very true. Only this time I couldn't, or maybe more importantly, I didn't want to repress it.
A couple of months later it was my cousins wedding. A lovely day. A little mountain mist at the church, but it brightened up for the photographs at the reception. The Wedding Breakfast was fantastic. Especially the roast beef, which was grown on the farm, naturally. And I mean Naturally too, it was Organic. When I announced my thanks to the chef it received a standing ovation.
Oh the speech. It didn't receive the raucous laughter that the previous occasion had, but I didn't die either.
Now I had to wrestle with my conscience and decide what I was going to do next?
The story of a young mans efforts to become a farmer without the aid of inheritance!
So when our second child was born we were already sure that *** was Best. Everything seemed to be ok. But until some milestones had been passed I wasn't going to get too relaxed. I was determined to enjoy this child. And he is a joy.
We had planned that my wife would stay at home and raise the children. Sexist. No. It's what she wanted to do. We had planned it that way from the start.
However, I continued working. We needed some money. But I did change my job. Became more of a specialist in my field. Working for the same company but, crucially, for more money. It did involve more traveling though and at short notice. That was no problem. When I wasn't working away my shifts were longer so I didn't have to go to work as many times. Day's at home during the week. Great.
Before long the calls came in. Phone calls that started with the question, "How long will it take you to get to the airport?" It was great, flying around the world. I was still young, keen and being challenged.
The job involves, planning ahead, setting everything up when you arrive on site and then changing everything at short notice, when the circumstances changed, as they invariably do. Sound familiar to anyone. No it's not farming, but I do regularly find myself having to think on the hoof, and digging people out of the manure, metaphorically speaking. But I like it because it appeals to that sense of achievement I mentioned in my last blog, "I made that 
"
Days at home with the wife and H were great. Watching him grow up and hitting those milestones. Crawling, standing, toddling, getting his first tooth. It is great to see those light bulb moments when they succeed at something. A grin of pride on their face. That to me is what life is really about. Watching them play with a cardboard box. No I've told you before, I'm not a Yorkshireman. But it doesn't matter how expensive the toys are, if you leave a cardboard box in the room with a small child they will always play with the box for hours.
After 18 months of my new job I must have been at home long enough to conceive our next child. Shortly afterwards we went to visit my uncle's farm. We seemed to make a habit of going when the better half was pregnant. It was great. H was toddling by now. He was already into tractors and animals and thought it was great to feed my aunt's chickens. Although he was trying to persuade them that they where machines and should produce several eggs each per day, through the day. Also whilst feeding the cattle would shout, "Moo in there!" which was quite cute.
My cousin had also found the girl of his dreams. She was from farming stock, laughed at his jokes and most importantly, could drive a tractor. He asked me to be his Best Man. I was delighted. I had been Best Man once before for my best friend, which was Scary. I performed all my duty's with success. Organised the stag night. (Nothing too racy.) Managed not to loose the ring. Kept the groom calm when the bridal car broke down and she was 20 minutes late. However there was of course one other duty to perform. The speech!!!
This I was most nervous about. There was lots I could say. But what could I get away with !!
We had sat down for the meal and I still had not written the speech. By now you didn't want to be up my end of the head table. What with the father of the bride and me sitting together. He was more nervous than me. I'm sure you could smell the fear.
Half way through the meal I had to stand up and read fifty congratulations cards. Then it came my turn. The MC announced that attention was required for the Best Man. I was so nervous that I hadn't drunk a thing during the meal. The sips of the Toast were my only fluid. I gave my speech to roars of laughter and applause. It was great. I sat down and drank the glass of wine, champagne and a pint all in one go. It was over and I wasn't going to do that again.
So here I am. My cousin asks me to be his Best Man. I'd promised myself I was not going to go through that again. Did I do it?......
The Tories conference has just closed. David Cameron has made his speech. Was it enough to steal a march on Gordon Brown? Is it setting out a different policy for the country? Is there anything between the two parties, (Labour & Tories?)
It should not be about the the Government giving the industry money. It should be about a true partnership between Farmers and Government. On the one hand they want us to stand on our own feet and not come crying for money each time there is a disease break out. But then they tie our feet together with red tape and beaurocracy.
If land owners just sat back and said "I can make much more money not producing food and selling my land." Then this country really has things to worry about. Fortunately for the government the credit crunch has made that much less likley. I do wonder what they would do if we just all stopped producing food for a year!
But unfortunately the credit crisis in America has drawn the attention away from important domestic issues for Agriculture and the importance of Food Provenance.
Where will it go next?