Weather year went from the submerged to the ridiculous
As this goes to print, I’ll be dashing around the south-west, firstly to attend the opening of the new Agri-Epi Centre’s South West Dairy Development Centre near the Bath & West showground, and then on to Gloucestershire to visit some proposed farms for next year’s summer meeting.
It’s a good reminder of the breadth of topics livestock farming – and BGS – covers, from higher-tech precision dairying, to grassland management on land varying from rolling Gloucestershire hills to the brashy limestone soils of the Cotswolds.
Regardless of the breadth of grassland enterprises, almost everyone this year has been challenged by the weather, which I came to think of as going “from the submerged to the ridiculous”!
At the time of writing the weather has thankfully been set fair, in this part of the UK at least, with dry conditions after a warm summer allowing people to harvest maize promptly and perhaps grab a much-needed grass silage cut.
Travelling only between home and the office there are many cut swaths drying ready for the trailer or baler. There is also plenty of evidence of reseeding, or fields ready to be reseeded, as the long winter and hot summer showed the limitations of some tired swards.
The weather has challenged forage stocks for many, so opportunities such as these are vital to provide some extra feed and maybe an opportunity to sow a following crop for the maize for an “early bite” next year. It can only be hoped that the autumn remains kind, allowing the best opportunity to keep stock grazing for a good time yet.
Rising to the challenge was key for the three farmers chosen as finalists in the BGS Grassland Farmer of the Year competition.
Judged in late August, the weather and how the grassland situation was managed will have featured in the process to find the winner.
The finalists this year were dairy farmers from Somerset and Anglesey and a beef and sheep farmer from Northern Ireland.
It is always hugely interesting to hear about the different ways in which the finalists manage their farms, and always a challenge to determine an overall winner. To reach the national final is an achievement in itself and it is rarely easy to decide who will carry home the trophy.
The winner will be announced at an awards evening in Wolf’s Castle, near Haverfordwest (the home region of 2017 winner Rhys James) on October 15. If it’s of interest to come along, we’d love to see you – details are on the BGS website.
Elaine Jewkes, Society Director, British Grassland Society.
