Farmer Focus: UK agriculture has been sold down the river

We have just pregnancy-scanned the pedigree ewes.

The Texels were disappointing, the Beltex and Blue Texels were average, and the Charollais were good. Overall, the results were a little below average at 150%.

Hopefully they will be super single-tup lambs and lovely twin ewe lambs. 

We have housed the triplets and are going to sell the empties on the Christmas markets. 

See also: High grain prices forecast for next seven months

With the Covid-19 restrictions still disrupting the social side of the sales, the pride in presenting stock will sadly be limited to the cheque.  

A few loads of lambs have gone as an insurance policy in case January is a disaster. With only 30 days to go as I write this, and still no indication of trade logistics, it could be a challenge.

I have just been to the supermarket for some fruit and, oranges aside, their French apples, Dutch tomatoes, Irish mushrooms and even French potatoes all offered interesting viewing.

I couldn’t bear to go to the meat counter. January could really be an interesting month.

We are a few days off starting artificially inseminating the cows. Everything seems to be cycling well on 50:50 grass silage and maize silage mix.

The Simmental bull we have used for two years has some super calves on the ground. The Charolais have a choice of an exciting, young, high-index bull or an old proven one to correct a few faults.  

The young bulls are on a full total mixed ration. We weighed after two weeks and are awaiting six weeks to ensure the growth is right.

If this works, it has the potential to save a big concentrate bill equating to £500 a bull. That could only be a couple of bids at the spring sales, so it has to be right. Visually they seem to be growing well.

The fact that food production is off any priority list and the environmental benefit of rewilding the UK and bringing cheap foodstuffs from abroad is not news. It goes right back to the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, which founded the EU.  

UK agriculture has been sold down the river. Perhaps it is time to leave us alone to produce food that has demand at a price.

James and Belinda Kimber farm 850 commercial and pedigree sheep and 30 pedigree Simmental and Charolais cattle in Wiltshire across 95ha (45ha owned) with the help of their children, Josh, Izzy and Richard. James also runs a foot-trimming business and Belinda has a B&B.