Farmer Focus: EU – in or out?

All of the goats have had their feet trimmed this month, so that job can be left for another five to six months.

Fortunately, we do not have any foot rot or contagious foot diseases, so we are just trimming back hoof walls so they don’t get worn down on straw yards.

Biotin has been added to the minerals, which definitely helps prevent white-line separation.

The suckler cows have started strip grazing the roots, so the joyful daily task of rolling the ring feeder to the next round bale of silage on the headland and moving the electric fence has begun.

See also: Maize suits goat rations

We need all the shed space for goats, so we outwinter the cattle, with the fields going into maize in the spring. We also put wrapped round bales of straw on one headland to unroll for dry lying areas, which works reasonably well.

Will, the student, has been making friends with Mr Pressure Washer and enjoying that exciting winter job of changing liners and milk tubes.

I must be getting old as I seem to be the only one that likes Radio 2 and I get very irritated when the parlour and tractor radios keep switching to Radio 1.

The Royal Welsh Winter Fair was very well attended, despite the dreadful weather on the Monday.

Farmers there were all hoping they would be in the 50% promised to get part of their BPS in the first week of the payment window.

Defra minister George Eustice met a delegation from Monmouthshire NFU on the dairy farm of Ed and Jackie Evans near Monmouth, along with our local Conservative MP and assembly member.

He was told of the problems with TB in Wales and advised to stick to the cull zone policy in England.

Although most agricultural policy is devolved to the Welsh Assembly, we discussed the big issue of the EU referendum.

A wise old farmer pointed out that as a citizen he would like to leave the EU and get our country back, but as a farmer he needed to stay in the EU as most of us rely on the CAP to support a failing marketplace.

Read more from the livestock farmer focus writers

Gary and Jess Yeomans run a herd of 700 milking goats across 100ha, which supplies a local cheese factory. They also own a small pedigree Welsh Black suckler herd to graze permanent pasture.