Dennis Bridgeford
Dennis Bridgeford
Dennis Bridgeford farms
50ha (125 acres) at Petley
Farm in Easter Ross, north
of Inverness. The farm
comprises a 480-sow
indoor unit producing 95kg
pigs for one outlet and 85kg
pigs for a local abattoir. A
further 320 sows are run
outdoors. Land not used for
pigs grows spring barley
Dennis Bridgeford farms
50ha (125 acres) at Petley
Farm in Easter Ross, north
of Inverness. The farm
comprises a 480-sow
indoor unit producing 95kg
pigs for one outlet and 85kg
pigs for a local abattoir. A
further 320 sows are run
outdoors. Land not used for
pigs grows spring barley
JEAN has been working full-time over the last few months and as a treat we took a week in the sun over Easter. It was a first class break with plenty of sun and good food.
The problems started when we came home. The boys went down with colds, Jean with flu and not to be outdone, I got pneumonia. Its at times like this that I am glad we have good staff.
Pig prices stubbornly refuse to rise. With slaughter numbers dramatically back, I keep expecting prices to break through the £1/kg level.
Our financial year-end is Apr 30 and three weeks later the accounts are ready for the auditors. When I started out in business we did the accounts as a team, husband and wife. This lasted for no more than three months. It was a disaster area – the best decision I ever made was to employ a specialist; she is worth her weight in gold.
Its all about discipline. The fact I am employing someone makes me sit down and have the information at hand. The added benefit is bliss at home.
We hope to have draft results back by mid-June. Hopefully they will agree with our management figures, but auditors always seem to find some gremlins.
One cost that is screaming out is levies. The 65p/pig I contribute to promotion would appear to be of little benefit. I note that pig meat consumption has reduced over the last few years by 5%.
If I was a soap powder executive and had lost this amount of market share, heads would roll. A serious re-think is required, for what is a serious amount of money. When you add the joint levy, classification levy and meat inspection charges, they add up to £1.64/pig.
Spring barley is now looking well – we were all requiring rain, then right on cue it arrived, along with some sunshine. The agronomist had a walk over it and as usual manganese is a problem, the downside of sandy soil. It must have looked reasonably well as I didnt receive a lecture from him on some operation we did badly. *
Dennis Bridgeford is concerned that although he pays a promotion levy, pig meat consumption has fallen in the last few years.