Archive Article: 2000/12/22
Peter Hogg
Peter Hogg farms in
partnership with his brother
at Causey Park Farm, near
Morpeth, Northumberland.
Half the 450ha (1100-acre)
heavyland farm is in crops,
mainly winter wheat, barley
and oilseed rape, plus a few
potatoes
OH dear. This month Im filled with gloom. But what could have possibly brought about this state of mental anguish I hear you ask?
One-third of our potatoes are still in the ground and 20% of our wheat has rotted in the seed-bed. The early lambing sheep have had to be brought in out of the wet a month earlier than planned and we face the prospect of housing sheep for six months. What a depressing thought.
The manufacturing sector in this country is losing jobs at the rate of 400/day while 50 jobs/day are lost in agriculture. Another local factory has just closed and switched production abroad to save labour costs and what are our politicians doing about it?
They have given new rights to 16-year-old homosexuals, passed the Countryside And Rights Of Way Bill and are now busy pressing ahead with their plans to control hunting.
Who was it that said 80% of a politicians work is harmful while the other 20% is a waste of time? How true.
And how much longer is the Blair Broadcasting Corporation going to churn out stories of low unemployment? With 3m people on early retirement and another 2m in adult education or on some sort of job seekers scheme, the real unemployment figures are actually in the region of 6m.
During the winter months we try to carry out various jobs that would go under the description of estate management.
However, financial constraints, a depleted workforce and more time spent with the cattle on "cids", passports, ear tags and movements, has meant that all capital work has come to a halt. Repairing and replacing old fencing is being severely hampered by the weather. It is almost impossible to get into the wood with the Matbro to bring out trees to cut up into fence posts on the sawbench. Oh well, that sounds like too much hard work anyway!
Merry Christmas. *
Down in the dumps…Its too wet even for fencing on Peter Hoggs Northumberland farm.