By Charles Bourns, broiler grower, Gloucestershire
It is a very quiet time of year with everyone busy harvesting, silaging and hay making around here. The harvest is almost finished in the east but not with my neighbours as we seem to be having a little rain each day just to hold things up.
Where they have harvested, yields I am told are average, which is better than what was predicted at one time. Also, as the industry moves to 30kg stocking density, and yields are down 20%, the industry will need less cereals.
This brings me on to the message that I hate that is being given out by the industry. “We will be short of chicken,” people keep saying. If we want to encourage imports just keep saying it! The beef farmers tried it a few years ago and the retailers just went abroad for their supplies, so please can people stop this message.
We might well not be as short as we think. Why do I say this? Well, the chicken mature earlier, and some farms have had 14 day turnarounds. If these tighten up, that will increase throughput, so let’s hope some of the pessimism is misplaced.
Talking to James Mottershead, the NFU poultry board chair, it was good to hear that the Minister has been out on the farm to see and hear what is going on. The farm they went to was Jo Hilditch’s who certainly would have done a very good job on our behalf. Let’s hope it yields dividends.
At home we have had our first crop through with the solar panels in place, and although the weather has been against us they certainly have saved us money, so it has been a good investment, although I would like something done about the standing charge. I have ordered less bedding for the next crop as the price has gone up yet again. I really do not know where the Government inflation figures come from; I do not see them at home.
This month is starting to look busy now everyone is back from holiday. I look forward to catching up with some of you in the autumn.