Farmer Focus: Solar pump boosts drought resilience
James Playfair-Hannay © Angus Findlay As I write my last article for Farmers Weekly, here are a few reflections.
First, we continue with succession planning, which has been ongoing for the past six years, involving three generations of decisions in that short period of time. It has not been straightforward, and certainly hasn’t been helped by the current Labour government.
See also: How solar water pumps can extend areas suitable for grazing
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Second, our farm size has increased by some 263ha (650 acres), mostly hill, which gives us a bit more wintering accommodation for cows. Our livestock numbers continue to increase and now stand at 450 suckler cows and 1,750 ewes, presenting challenges this year with the lack of rainfall.
However, we’ve installed some solar-powered pumps, a 10,000-litre storage tank and strategically placed water troughs. These will allow better watering facilities and protect the watercourses – very environmentally friendly.
To access water, we have established several wells in the valley floor and have had to pump up to 180m above sea level at the highest point.
This should ensure that if we continue to get dry summers, at least all fields will have access to reliable water supplies. Many of the springs that have kept us supplied in the past stopped running this summer.
Wearing my Border Union Agricultural Society hat, we were greatly relieved that the Kelso ram sales went ahead. The Scottish government’s changes to the movement rules because of bluetongue had caused a certain amount of concern among vendors and organisers.
What a day it turned out to be, with a record average for about 4,000 rams sold. The sun shone and with lots of people from all over the country, there was a real buzz. Having had our local show at Yetholm without any sheep, there was an exceptional crowd, which demonstrated that it continues to have a big community focus.
This brings me to my final gripe: our farming industry must get better at communicating and engaging with the general public and politicians.
We must get away from being seen as “moaning farmers”. As I have said before, with almost 70 million people on this island to be fed and watered, that must be a great opportunity.
To finish on a high note, it was very pleasing to discover that a sirloin steak from an Aberdeen-Angus heifer that we bred won a silver medal in the World Steak Challenge in Amsterdam recently. We look to the future with optimism.