Calving in full swing for Tom Rawson

Calving is in full swing in Lincolnshire. The farm at Wrexham awaits a September start, while in Yorkshire the team now knows that 73% of this year’s cows will calve again in 2012 within an eight-week period, and the bulls are still in to see the 15-week empty rate.

It is always a nice feeling to be beating the milk budget, so August has been a good month in Lincolnshire, as with a prediction of 57,000 litres and with three collections left as I write this we are looking like producing around the 100,000 litres mark. This puts us 54,000 litres up so far this quota year and will hopefully mark the start of a successful calving period. The biggest day so far for the team has been 12 calvings, thankfully not on my weekend on.

Rainfall has dominated conversation between the five farms we are regularly involved in. The Lincolnshire farm and our new clients in York have certainly had the best of it, whereas Dewsbury, Sheffield and Wrexham have certainly struggled. The only positive for Dewsbury is that we will have plenty of room in the silage clamps for storing other things apart from silage.

Aber student John had the now legendary Evolution Farming induction; after being fully exposed to the vibrant nightlife of Market Rasen he entered into a rum drinking competition with our farming neighbour Ryan. The young Welsh pretender lost to a highly experienced pro, and as a result ended up sleeping on our lawn.

Livestock farmer focus: Tom Rawson