Farmer Focus: Plenty of forage, but costs are still biting

The maize is in the clamps. The yield monitor counted 730t freshweight off 12.14ha (30 acres), which is about 60t/ha. The best bits yielded more than 100t/ha at 34-36% dry matter.

After 19 weeks in the ground, it is a massive yield for only 100kg/ha of purchased fertiliser.

The farmyard manure has done the business again. It would be interesting to know how much carbon it has fixed.

See also: Maize Watch: Bumper maize yields for many

About the author

James and Belinda Kimber

Livestock Farmer Focus writers James and Belinda farm 850 commercial and pedigree sheep and 30 pedigree Simmental and Charolais cattle in Wiltshire across 95ha (45ha owned). James also runs a foottrimming business and Belinda has a B&B.

Read more articles by James and Belinda Kimber

We used an additive on the maize to keep it cool after some face heating last winter and have filled both our pits on top of grass. We await the grass and maize analyses to start working out rations.

The cover crops are equally fantastic, with some lambs on turnips already.

We planted the Samson variety after wholecrop barley with 100kg/ha of fertiliser – and slug pellets.

There are huge bulbs to take that bunch through to Christmas. 

The lambs needed a fluke and worm drench again due to the wet conditions, and a foot treatment, so now should be finishing well.

The main group of tupping ewes has a mix of turnip and rape, then some Westerwolds and turnips to take them through winter.

This is a trial for eligibility for the Sustainable Farming Incentive grant for mixed cover crop.

It’s no input, so it was cheaper to establish, but presently has lower yield. We will rotate around to ensure a green cover through to February and assess financial performance.  

We have almost 600 lambs still to sell, which has wrecked our cashflow. Agflation and higher interest rates are making things painful.

We now have 12 months of electioneering and hot air from politicians to look forward to. Many things will be promised, and I doubt they will come to fruition.

It’s interesting to see that, even after the food supply scares caused by Putin and covid, agriculture seems last on their minds.

Although biased, I think it should be higher on the agenda. Talk locally seems to be around agri-environment schemes.

With dairy farmers under pressure and a tough arable harvest, it’s easy to see the attraction suddenly.

But in five years’ time, will we be higher up the table for butterflies, but lower in self-sufficiency?