Livestock Farmer Focus

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Relief as national park idea is abandoned

In my last article, the possibility of our area being nominated as Scotland’s next national park loomed over us. However, we have recently heard that these nominations have been quashed…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: What would Dragons’ Den think of my farm?

Do you support direct action or not? It’s a difficult question, and the answer possibly depends on where you live now UK agriculture is devolved. I think the English Sustainable…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Welsh challenges felt in town and country

February 2024 will go down in history as the month Welsh farmers came together and said, “Digon yw digon,” “Enough is enough.” Temperatures have been rising for many years. Matters…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: More efficient cow type is a work in progress

Waterlogged paddocks, failed crops and full lagoons are a common sight. Some of the harvested beet land remains undrilled and what was drilled is patchy. Spring cropping will have to…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Australian trade deal may not be all bad

I’m writing this while sitting in our daughter’s apartment in Sydney, enjoying sunshine and warmth. I have not ventured far into the country on this trip. However, we did travel…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Wet season forces sheep inside early

We spent February desperately hoping for some drier weather with lambing due to start any day. I’m sure everyone is in the same boat. We brought our indoor-lambing flock into…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Agriculture should be on a wartime policy

I love agriculture. I live and breathe it and wouldn’t want to do anything else…well, most days. When fellow Farmers Weekly contributor Joe Stanley warned farmers protesting and raising their…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Activity monitor helps lift pregnancy rate

Fieldwork is far from our minds with the ground being so wet. As is often the case, I imagine everything will be squeezed into a tiny work window. The ice-cream…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Welsh government’s habitat proposals look daft

I am sure most in the wider farming community are aware of the unrest in Wales about the new “Sustainable” Farming Scheme. I attended one of the NFU Cymru roadshows…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Falling pig price spoils otherwise good month

Things on the farm feel as though they are all going well. I have also had a bit of reassurance, as I recently reviewed the last quarter against the targets…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Calving under way with one assisted so far

Spring calving kicked off here and quickly hit top gear. We had an expected start date of 1 February and by 11 February we were 50% calved. As always, you…

FARMER FOCUS

Farmer Focus: Ewe scan distracts from tricky early calving

Despite winter bringing challenging weather, the ewes scanned fine. We had seven empties, 11 singles, 123 twins and 14 sets of triplets to give us 193%. The remaining 26 hoggs…

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