Farmer focus : Victor Chesnutt

WHAT SHORT memories we all seem to have. It must be less than a year since we livestock farmers got excited about the reduction in paperwork the single farm payment would bring.

I hope it proves to be the unfamiliarity with the new terms of cross-compliance that makes it seem a worse scenario as far as the burden of unnecessary paperwork is concerned.

Just last week I had an auditor from DARD peace branch, whose unusual request was for me to go to the bank and request a copy of my own signature, to keep in my file.

One positive trend becoming the norm is farmers benchmarking their enterprises and looking at cost savings in a more businesslike manner.

A neighbouring farmer was keen to know whether I was going to make any changes under SFP. He seemed rather surprised when I said yes.

Conacre ground has been reduced by 24ha (60 acres) and with the change to complete diet feeding, enabling us to feed straw to suckler cows and stronger meal to some weanlings to finish them earlier, we hope to carry the present stock on the reduced amount of land.

On the farm at present we are still waiting for spring to arrive, with ground conditions particularly wet, although the temperature has improved.

Cows are calving and youngstock are pushing older ones out the gate.

It”s disappointing that improved finished beef prices of 2.10/kg for U3s and 1.90/kg for R4s have not prevailed and we are now back to 2/kg for U3s and 1.88/kg for R4s.

But it was satisfying to receive a decent trade for two Charolais bulls sold recently, one at Dungannon made 2600gns, while one at Kilrea realised 1820gns. However, it is worrying that fixed costs associated with sales keep rising. In Northern Ireland we now have to have a presale vet visit and brucellosis test.