Livestock Farmer Focus FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Rain comes too late for reseeding plansIn my last column, I mentioned that the farm was still more green than brown. That didn’t last long. The next heatwave in early to mid-August tightened its grip and… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Late calvers go to reduce stocking rateWith September upon us and summer drawing to a close, what does your grass situation look like? Are you still feeding silage reserves? Ask any farmer in Northern Ireland and… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Morale and winter forage up after rainIt finally rained, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. We had been holding off drilling the forage crop as the forecast was looking very hit and miss.… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Bluetongue confusion ahead of ram saleAs I write my penultimate article, I am watching a beautiful shower of rain: not too heavy, just enough to soak in. I hope it’s not my imagination, but I… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Herd fertility takes hit in summer heatI am reluctant to say how well harvest has gone for fear of upsetting those who have struggled. But there have been plenty of bad weather years farming in Cumbria,… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Drought won’t disappear with first rainfallNot much has changed in terms of drought conditions since my last article. I think we are all starting to realise that the drought of 2026 is not something that… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Managing risk is the essence of farmingThis farming job seems pretty good, doesn’t it? Well, no, not if you believe the doom-laden videos filling up my social media feed over the past couple of weeks. Or,… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Cell counts and mastitis up in heatwaveRain is still nowhere to be seen. We’ve had barely a drop since mid-June, and the second-cut aftermaths haven’t come back at all. The forecast doesn’t show much hope for… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Lucerne crop is only green area on farmLike many others this summer, harvest was all wrapped up and finished before the end of July. This was a first for us, having finished in the middle of August… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Early winter feed costing extra £1,000/dayWith not much rain for August in the forecast, we took the decision earlier in the month thatthe silage harvest campaign on our ground was over for 2026. The focus… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Grass challenge – but drought not to blameAugust is the time of year when farming in Ayrshire becomes less about careful planning and more about staring at weather apps until one eventually tells you what you want… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Vaccine is best hope against bluetongueWell, how things have changed. The country is facing one of its driest summers on record and the countryside is turning various shades of brown. Having heavier ground, we are… More articles
