Farmer Focus Livestock: Don’t cut budgets too much, urges Mathew Cole

The new government has talked of cuts and hard times for all and I see the axe has already fallen on many new conservation plans for ESA and HLS agreements in 2010.

Let’s hope this is not permanent, as they have helped to fund environmental improvements on Dartmoor, benefiting archaeology, wildlife and on-farm management.

It has also played its hand in supporting smaller local businesses; fencers, tree surgeons, stone-wallers and specialist builders, to name a few. On a more personal note, it scuppers our plans to use the conservation plan to help improve the new land at Princetown.

Flaming June. So that was what summers are supposed to be like. It seemed a far cry from the past few years when we were snatching at dry days to get silage done or sheep sheared. We were even able to make some hay. This south-west corner of Dartmoor is usually the first thing the rain hits as it drifts in from the Atlantic, so dry conditions like that are rare in normal years.

Cattle and sheep on the commons are venturing further into the wet blanket-bog areas than I have seen for years. They are looking well and it is nice to see them not confined to dryer, steeper valley sides.

That said, the weather held for another fortnight, allowing me to get married in the sun and for Dad and Neil to get the rest of the first cut finished and sheep sheared while I was on honeymoon.