By Matt Donald, pig & poultry farmer, north Yorkshire
Global issues may be increasing fuel prices drastically but so far they have barely impacted cereals too much, a welcome aspect when we buy a lot more than me grow. However with compound nitrogen at circa £500/tonne, there will be many growers questioning next years drilling plans if not much changes come September. As a mixed farm with both pig slurry and poultry manure we have a cushion from global nitrogen prices and it certainly lives up to the saying ‘where there’s muck there’s money’ at the moment. It is also another reminder that mixed farming is a solid way of spreading your risk and keeping costs down.
We are in the middle of upgrading a water supply meter on a farm to a larger one to help with flow, the initial process was straightforward and payment made in May 25. Following months of chasing we had a team to complete the work in March, who came but did not have the correct parts so tarmacked over the road and left a new manhole next to it ready. In April a new team visited, completed the works but in the wrong place where we have no connection to. The shear cost of errors like this and the time and vehicles it takes, there is no wonder mains water is so expensive – but borehole is not an option for breeding poultry.
We have seen food security mentioned numerous times in the news recently, will it alter the way this government thinks about the importance of farmers and their produce? Time will tell, but as conflicts come and go, the burden of red tape to allow farmers to get on and do what they do best does not seem to ever get reduced.
On a positive finish we are delighted to be chosen as a breeder farm finalist at the NEPA, it is a huge credit to the whole team and especially those on the farm selected. We have a great bunch of people work for us and they all play a vital role in getting some top performing flocks.