Farmer Focus: Garden centre makes me consider profit again
James and Belinda Kimber © Kathy Horniblow At school, I was always told: “If you don’t know, ask.” I have been to a few meetings recently, and I’m astonished how few questions there are. People must know everything.
I’m the opposite. I have a bit of a reputation around here for not shutting up at meetings. At least I get a bit more educated on whatever subject it may be.
See also: Profitability peaks with 55-65kg lowland ewe, study shows
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At one business meeting, I learnt – or more accurately, confirmed – what a daft business agriculture is.
Nearly everyone else running a “normal” business was talking of double-digit profitability. (I declined to share ours!)
For example, a large local garden centre makes 33% profit. It’s amazing that selling annual plants that die in your garden and all the other paraphernalia, are better than food.
However, I was reminded that we do not sell food, we sell a commodity that is then turned into food further down the supply chain.
Speaking of which, another commodity production cycle has begun. The tups are out with the main flock and are working well. We dream of a good year.
England can now vaccinate freely for bluetongue. Did the gales on 20 October blow the midges back in an easterly direction?
Due to a variety of factors, including the cost of vaccinating against the uncertainty of bluetongue risk, our vets are currently erring for the no-vaccine route.
With that awful weather, the 400 store lambs on ad-lib pellets had not grown.
As we need them sold for space, cash flow and workload logistics, I have housed them onto a total mixed ration. The mix is 20% grass, 65% maize, and 15% lamb pellets.
They have only been in for 10 days, so it’s too early for any growth figures.
The grass silage is terrible – 30% dry matter (DM), 9MJ/kg DM metabolisable energy (ME), and 60% digestibility value – providing just fibre for digestion.
The grass was standing hay with no sun forecast so we chopped it. By contrast, first cut looks excellent, awaiting analysis, for the in-lamb ewes.
But the maize is excellent, at 30% DM, 11.4MJ of ME and 31% starch.
Calving was good until I started writing this, and had to assist a backwards presentation.
Really nice heifer but a bit slow to get going, so back to milking duties for me. Luckily, I have long arms.