Jack Frater: Farmers should try to ‘step out of the bubble’
© Jack Frater Everyone will be delighted to see the back of harvest in the Scottish Borders.
Yields have generally been average at best, but the poorer crops really have been poor – and as a result, so have the tempers.
Thankfully, the sheep trade has brought some much-needed positivity, which was evident at another successful Kelso Tup Sale.
See also: Jack Frater – academic results don’t define you
About the author
We are sometimes guilty of living in our own bubble, and focusing solely on what is happening on our own farm – especially this year, when it seems like it has rained non-stop since last October.
It is only when you get away from that bubble you see the bigger picture.
Earlier this summer, I attended the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (Rasc) conference in Edinburgh, which included delegates from across the world.
What was apparent was that regardless of where you farm, be it Australia, Canada, or North Northumberland, we are all asking the same questions – such as how do we get agriculture higher up the social and political agenda?
And how do we mitigate environmental pressures such as the changing weather pattens we have been dealing with this summer?
There are no silver bullets but it is undeniable that farming is being scrutinised like never before.
It is now more important than ever that we engage with others, move away from being defensive and share the positive stories.
One that springs to mind is how surveys have shown that the majority of consumers in developed countries don’t believe removing meat from their diet is good for the environment.
This was my second time as a delegate at the Rasc conference, and thanks to the Border Union Agricultural Society for sponsoring me.
Where else would you learn that each day, the equivalent of one million bottles of South African wine are purchased worldwide, or that in Papua New Guinea they record rainfall in metres rather than millimetres or inches?
This is my last column as I step aside to make way for some new voices.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my pieces, and I look forward to reading from those who take over this space!