I recently attended the NFU 2023 Conference in Birmingham. I went feeling slightly nervous and apprehensive about what was going to be said about the industry聮s future. But I know the organisation will work its hardest to the ensure the industry has the best chance for a strong and positive future.
Back to the farm, and the last eight weeks have been unbelievably dry.
But this has been a huge relief and the weather just makes everything feel so much easier, and everyone聮s mood changes for the better.
The birds are singing, and while the mornings are cold the strong spring sun is trying to break though, and all of this signals that spring is right around the corner.
We have been incredibly grateful for this period of dry weather especially as we have been lambing outside, which in February is crazy I know. Thank goodness everything seems to have gone swimmingly and that was all helped by the weather as we didn聮t have a plan B.
Spring
The spring feeling in the air has also awoken the cows to the fact turnout is just around the corner, which creates a daily challenge in itself as with every chance they get, they make a bid for freedom.
The grass is growing away and fast, and with such beautiful weather we have managed to get all our ground covered with slurry, which is such a valuable source for us. Like most of you, utilising what we have readily available to us all is important as milk prices starts to take the downward turn.
We are working hard at the moment to try and get all the mid-tier fencing and hedging up done ready for turn out.
The new year application packs are now available to download. And for anyone who hasn聮t yet considered it as an option.
It is definitely worth considering as the fencing work we have completed will be highly beneficial as turn out comes closer.
Schemes
When attending a local NFU meeting last week there was much talk about all the time it takes to applies for all these new schemes, which I do completely appreciate and understand as it a mine field.
Yet these schemes are there for us all to try and access. Work is constantly being done to try and ensure Defra make these accessible for all farmers, despite your location and whether you are a farm owner or tenant.
By my next article we will fingers crossed will have turned cattle out, completed the dreaded six-month TB test.
Drilling and silage will be soon around the corner too as long as the weather doesn聮t break down. Let聮s hope we are not paying later for this beautiful weather we are lucky to have now.
Gemma Smale-Rowland
Fourth-generation farmer Gemma Smale-Rowland farms with her parents at North Petherwin, near Launceston, north Cornwall, where they milk 120 pedigree Holsteins under the Glebewin prefix. She established the Cornish Moo brand in 2018 and was one of the first farmers in the country to install an on-farm milk vending machine.
