John Davies
John Davies
John Davies runs an upland stock farm in mid-Wales. The main holding at Pentre comprises 145ha (360 acres) of grass, with some short-term grass lets being taken, and hill rights extending to 97ha (240 acres). The farm carries 101 suckler cows, 975 ewes, 230 Beulah speckled face ewe lambs and 35 Welsh Mule ewes.
WITH the Royal Welsh Show seeming like the dim and distant past, and with a huge amount of work done by a large number of volunteers, it was one of the best shows ever for Wales YFC. All the major political parties called by the YFC stand and it was something to savour to see William Hague being grilled by members of our Junior Forum.
Back in December, myself and two friends decided we needed to diversify – so Coed Epynt was set up, specialising in oak flooring from thinnings. With 90% of oak woodlands in Wales being owned by farmers and approximately 70% of them not being managed, it looks as if there may be some opportunities. We had a stand at the show and a lot of interest.
Back to the farm and we sold some steers in Brecon on red CIDs. They averaged 104p/kilo and the job seems to be improving, which is just as well with the recent cuts in OTMS. We had some cows booked in, but they were stuck in the queue prior to the cut.
Sure enough, a few days after the cut they went, with the two coming to just £557 after commission, haulage etc. being deducted. This was significantly less than the one would have made in what now seems the good old days. Im sure our national herd will become older and less competitive as I now need a pretty good reason to cull. Other people I spoke to feel the same.
We finished silage contracting on the last day of July, apart from a little raking. As always it was good to finish, with jobs at home in need of some attention. All the remaining muck was spread on aftermaths and the docks seem to be growing well. These have had a dose of Asulox, which should do the trick without knocking out too much clover.
We have hired a Belgian blue bull for a month. He was reserve champion at Chelford last year and looks quite impressive. We have purchased 14.3 units of cow quota and will surely need to buy an extra bull.
Last week saw some serious cleaning up with the first site visit of the organising committee for our open day, led by the YFC, and comprising leading members of Welsh Lamb and Beef Promotions, NFU, FUW, MLC, RWAS, CLA, NSA and FFW. It will be held on Oct 1, with an open morning to be followed by a conference with some top speakers. Further details (01982-553502). *
With cows now fetching so little under the over-30 month scheme, producers will need a good reason to cull, says John Davies. He fears that the national herd will become older and less competitive as a result.