The minister was short on detail, but we hope that the relaunched scheme will enable farms to continue the good work that they have been doing for the environment on their farms. The criticism that may well be levelled at farmers is, why aren’t you doing these things anyway? Essentially, there isn’t enough slack in the system to pay for it. For many farms it is as simple as that. If no one else values the environment enough to pay for it via produce at the farm gate, why should we?
Now, that is an oversimplification, because an awful lot of work does go on right across the country to benefit farm ecosystems, but there is no doubt that with well-funded schemes we could do more. Interestingly two reports have been recently released that as well as adding weigh to this sentiment, suggest that we have more power in our own hands, than we often imagine.
Firstly a couple of months ago was the Farm Profitability Review, by Minette Batters. A government commissioned report that provides short, medium and long-term actions and measures that are needed to strengthen farming and perhaps more crucially, it’s profitability.
Secondly and more pertinent to the Oxford Farming Conference, Dr Louise Manning from Herefordshire presented her report titled "UK Farming – Grasping the Opportunities: The OFC26 Report”. The concept of this report is similar in that it is focussed on how the agricultural sector can benefit from stories and experiences from around the world to benefit and grow resilience.
Both reports centre on developing a road map that can take agriculture forward, without leaving anyone behind. We shouldn‘t be under any illusions though, it is a really difficult prospect and one that feels like it is full of compromises. For me for instance, should I embrace the intensive side of food production and saddle myself with debt for the rest of this decade and beyond, or scale it back and really farm with nature? It’s definitely something on my mind at the moment. Above all, in order to make any decisions of that nature the industry needs stability and that is something that is in short supply at the moment!
Central to Dr Manning’s report is a series of questions for farmers to use to help them analyse their own future. There are several topics for consideration in those questions, covering mindset, your farm resources, your attitude to risk robustness and how we can rebalance our businesses to address these challenges.
I encourage any farmers to look the reports up and at the very least, read the executive summaries. It really feels as though now is a very good time to take stock and work out where you want to be in 2030 and how you want to get there. Four years is not a very long time!
Back on the farm, dad is almost back to full fitness so I will be turning my hand to fencing and hedging in February and March. We scan the ewes in late January and TB test the cattle in March, so we have got everything crossed for some good results at the moment. The ewes are currently mostly eating hay and I got the rest of the cattle in to the sheds this morning, they having finished their bale grazing outside. So, I am really, really hoping for a warm and early spring. I hope to have cattle back out grazing in March. If for no other reason than feed stocks will be low by then.
So, let’s have the bad weather in February please and roll on a lovely March!
Rich, Risbury -
rich@risburycourt.com
87
Regenerative Farming
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
BUSINESS ON THE FARM
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