Farmer Focus: Getting political now silage is finally done
Dafydd Parry Jones © Richard Stanton The silage is all in, in what I would describe as a stop-start harvest. We’ve had a few small windows of opportunity over the past six weeks.
This season could be regarded as a normal summer in west Wales, and very similar to that of last July.
We’ve had much worse. The summers of 2007 and 2012 were atrociously wet and left us with very little opportunity for harvest.
See also: Photo of the Week: Silage season then and now
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But what have been notorious in the summer of 2024, are the cold temperatures, which have been detrimental to several things.
The arable silage we planted in early May was very disappointing, lacking the bulk we have seen over the past 10 years.
We decided to take it off in mid-to-late July, giving the opportunity for the second cut to have a head start, as it provides quality, clover-rich silage, which we can harvest in early September.
The lambs have finished slower than in previous years. I imagine that the lack of heat has caused them to redirect their energy into keeping warm and maintenance, rather than gaining weight.
The end of July means only one thing for Welsh farmers and their families – it’s to attend the Royal Welsh Show for a well-deserved holiday.
There will be much anticipation about the political landscape in Wales, as the drama in the Senedd in Cardiff is intensifying.
Our newly elected first minister Vaughan Gething resigned recently, leaving us with another leadership election.
The attendance of Huw Irranca-Davies (newly elected climate change and rural affairs minister for Wales) at the showground was seen as an opportunity to further lobby the Welsh government for a fairer deal for Welsh farmers.
The widely supported protest by farmers over the winter months was a clear indication to ministers in Cardiff that further thought should be given to the new Sustainable Farming Scheme.
We are so glad that the new minister has made a great deal of effort to meet up with farmers and industry leaders to listen to, and understand, the worries of farming communities.
The show was a great platform for discussions to get going, from early morning breakfast meetings, to late-night socialising.