Farmer Focus: I’ve a hard act to follow in NFUS role

Now that we are through January, the daylight is lengthening. Having housed youngstock in December, they are now thriving after a period of adjustment.

We waited as long as possible after the autumnal storms to house cattle, hopefully reducing the risk of pneumonia as much as we could.

The effects of housing and dietary change are not normally overcome until the middle of January.

From now on, these cattle will motor on until turnout. The heifers need to be big and strong enough to take the bull in June.

See also: What’s in Your Shed? visits 24-year-old Cornish livestock farmer

About the author

James Playfair-Hannay

Pedigree Angus and Shorthorn breeder James Playfair-Hannay runs 400 suckler cows and 1,600 Lairg-type North Country Cheviots in the Scottish Borders with wife Debbie and son Robert. They farm 1,780ha (4,400 acres), of which 728ha (1,800 acres) is contract-farmed. They also have a 283ha (700-acre) farm contract-farmed for them further north.

Read more articles by James Playfair-Hannay

The wet autumn, even in this dry part of the country, made the year’s rainfall meet the typical 600mm average.

We have not fared as badly as some, as the worst of the weather has bypassed us.

The recent cold snap meant we could actually walk on top of the ground.

With a few days of -5C, it was like concrete, and we had a few waterpipes to thaw. Not that I wish to be seen or known as another “moaning farmer”, it’s just the reality of the situation we find ourselves in.

January has been an interesting month for me as I have just been elected as the chairman of the Lothians and Borders NFU Scotland area.

This will mean a few trips to Edinburgh for the national board. I guess that after 40-odd years of being a land manager and a primary food producer, I have some experience within the industry.

Also, having been involved with various breed societies and machinery rings, dealing with egos and other membership challenges, I probably have a few skills necessary for the job – maybe a few scars as well.

I am replacing my wife, Debbie, in this new role. It is fair to say that she has done a tremendous job in working to engage with the grassroots membership and will be a challenging act to follow.

So, to celebrate, Debbie and I are off to Australia to see our daughter Anna, now living in Sydney.

After some warmth, rest and relaxation, we will be home, refreshed to face the challenges of springtime: lambing and calving.