Farmer Focus: Slurry channel snarl-up tests patience

I enter 2026, like many of you I’m sure, with a mix of enthusiasm and trepidation.

The milk markets are still a complete disaster zone, government policy seems completely against us, and public opinion towards us seems as fickle as ever.

See also: On-farm slurry-fed anaerobic digestion: What to consider

About the author

Tom Stable

Tom Stable and family, Ulverston, Cumbria, milk 350 Holsteins three times a day, producing milk for Arla and ice cream for their Cumbrian Cow brand. The 300ha operation, of which two thirds is rented, grows grass, maize and winter wheat and cows average 11,800 litres.

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However, all these challenges existed long before I began my farming career, so I guess I knew what I was letting myself in for.

On a less philosophical note, our current biggest challenge is the sand bedding, and the way it seems to enjoy settling in the bottom of our channels.

Sand-laden slurry is a well-known challenge, and one which we normally manage pretty well. However, it’s been really tedious for the past eight weeks or so.

The system works without pumps or much complication, yet struggles in anything but ideal conditions.

The current diet for the herd includes 25kg of maize, which keeps the muck very stiff, the cows clean, fertility good and performance fantastic, but does not agree with our slurry channels.

All the lids have come off the offending channel, and we are hoping to clean it out completely.

That should sort the problems for a while, but until then, it’s probably adding about 45 minutes a day scraping slurry around the farm, and it’s getting on everyone’s nerves.

We are looking to extend the shed, and will then scrape in the other direction, so this channel will become obsolete, and I’ll get the chance to come up with something better.

Whether I manage it or not, we will see.

As a family and a business, we’ve had a great year in 2025, with plenty of progress on farm and some great experiences off it with my kids.

Alfie, nine, and Toby, six, are, as with most kids, interested in everything.

They make pretty regular appearances on the farm, and their help is welcome, but the million questions aren’t always.

I was in my mid-teens before I decided what I was going to do, so they have plenty of time yet, and who knows what the industry will look like by the time they make their choices.

I’m sure the challenges will remain much the same, but one thing is for sure: there are fewer and fewer of us choosing to face them.