Gordon Capstick
Gordon Capstick
Gordon and Mary Capstick
farm 230ha (569 acres), at
Milnthorpe in south
Cumbria. Stocking is 100
suckler cows, with calves
finished alongside 100
purchased stores, and
1200 Mule ewes producing
prime lambs. About 10ha
(25 acres) of barley and
6ha (14 acres) of soft fruit
are also grown
MUD, mud, rain, more mud, gales and floods. Being on the coast we have had them all in plenty. Thank goodness the early lambers are inside and not too many have already lambed.
There are still many ewes to house, but their backs need to dry first. Nearly all last years lambs have been sold, but few have gone for export because Cumbria was one of the last counties to be licensed for this.
We have been selling many store cattle recently. Charolais heifers have stayed in Cumbria, but their brothers have gone to Yorks to feed on cheap by-products and grow into large bullocks. I have thought for some time that in this region we should be breeding, rearing and selling cattle on with one premium remaining to be claimed.
The first of the three foot-and-mouth reports has been published. There did not seem much for us to draw breath and gasp at, but then did we really expect it? Modulation is a hot potato and organic is the buzz word, but what worries me is who is going to buy all of the organic food when it is more expensive to produce.
We do not have the same government support as other member states. I read with interest about rearing Holstein bulls for the processing trade, getting them to the right weight at 9-10 months at a profit of £14. It will be a long time before I take up that challenge.
Having recently watched the England v Scotland rugby match, I wouldnt mind having Jason Leonard on my lambing team. He would be just the man to catch a mule shearling that wants nothing to do with motherhood.
With auction marts about to open, it will seem a strange but welcome relief to many of them to be back in business after nearly a year and put a realistic bottom into prices. But to make it work we must make every effort to rid ourselves of the 21-day shackle. *
Along with many producers, Gordon Capstick is uninspired by the Commission on the Future of Farming and Food report.