Making the news today....

[Mull]

You mean, grumpy old barstewrad Mull!  What's got your goat...  Raining up there again??  Come on now, Spring is in the air, it's a time of new growth, anticipation, and boundless optimism (even in Scotland [emoji38][emoji38][emoji38])

Yes! Wet, windy and bloody freezing, absolutely no sign of spring whatsoever☹️
Not a single blade of monoculture grass growing anywhere, lambs due to start today, grass=milk, no grass=..... well, you get the picture☹️.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

5 minutes ago, Mull said:

 

 

Yes! Wet, windy and bloody freezing, absolutely no sign of spring whatsoever☹️
Not a single blade of monoculture grass growing anywhere, lambs due to start today, grass=milk, no grass=..... well, you get the picture☹️.

 

 

Cut the grass for the second time yesterday....  Folks were cutting in March - but that is just RUDE!  

 

Now then, it's a discussion I've had many times with the neighbours when they are complaining about lambing at Christmas.

 

It is the pursuit of the perception of profit which drives farmers to put the ram in early so as to get the best prices for early season lamb.  It's a volatile market and a risky strategy where input effort / cost often exceeds output sales value....

 

The difficulties this presents is that it means young are in the shed rather than the field.  It's grain rather than grass where inputs costs have the very real potential to negate early profit, early conception gives rise to greater risk of infection with blue tongue since the mossies are still around, and of course the labour / inconvenience of animal husbandry in the cold / dark of pre-Spring.

 

I'm not having a pop, just saying, I can't sympathise for the hardships which, more often than not, are self inflicted by artificially advancing the natural cycle of conception in the pursuit of profit, then have a grumble when it doesn't work out....

 

You know when the grass starts, time the ram to suit the start of the growing season.....?

 

    

[Mull]

Cut the grass for the second time yesterday....  Folks were cutting in March - but that is just RUDE!  
 
Now then, it's a discussion I've had many times with the neighbours when they are complaining about lambing at Christmas.
 
It is the pursuit of the perception of profit which drives farmers to put the ram in early so as to get the best prices for early season lamb.  It's a volatile market and a risky strategy where input effort / cost often exceeds output sales value....
 
The difficulties this presents is that it means young are in the shed rather than the field.  It's grain rather than grass where inputs costs have the very real potential to negate early profit, early conception gives rise to greater risk of infection with blue tongue since the mossies are still around, and of course the labour / inconvenience of animal husbandry in the cold / dark of pre-Spring.
 
I'm not having a pop, just saying, I can't sympathise for the hardships which, more often than not, are self inflicted by artificially advancing the natural cycle of conception in the pursuit of profit, then have a grumble when it doesn't work out....
 
You know when the grass starts, time the ram to suit the start of the growing season.....?
 
    

You don’t consider the 6th of April to be in “ the growing season”?

Although this year it appears it is not part of the growing season after weeks/months of bitter easterly wind.

I’ll give you a shout about November time and ask you for some advice about when to put the tup out and when the grass is likely to start growing here in the spring of 2019.

The “natural” cycle of my ewes would start in October time probably, the tup usually goes in mid to late November, I see that as retarding rather than advancing.


Have a good day my farmer bashing friend[emoji106].

[Gary Prentice]

2 hours ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

You mean, grumpy old barstewrad Mull!  What's got your goat...  Raining up there again??  Come on now, Spring is in the air, it's a time of new growth, anticipation, and boundless optimism (even in Scotland ???)

I think optimism might be illegal in Scotland.

[stihlmadasever]

44 minutes ago, Gary Prentice said:

I think optimism might be illegal in Scotland.

Not illegal just frowned upon....

[Sutton]

Hey Mull,

I was in Dervaig in the 90s and chatted to a sheperds in the local then. We have a small flock down south and have it easy by comparision. Still, I know what you mean about grass not growing in Spring.  We had ewes in last year in April:

 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

4 hours ago, Mull said:

Have a good day my farmer bashing friend.

That's inaccurate and unfair my grumpy Northern friend...

 

It's not "bashing", it's an observation that bemoaning a situation that (in some circumstances could be considered to be of the complainants own making) is not always conducive to the unconditional sympathies of other business sectors -  especially when other business sectors (a) don't tend to moan so much and (b) don't have a fraction of the systemic advantages of the agricultural sector...

 

You live in the Islands, it's cold, the grass doesn't grow so quick, it makes you grumpy, this isn't a farming forum.....

 

Ummmmm......  Not sure where else to go with that.....  ??

[Mick Dempsey]

At least one thing we can be sure of in this whole nerve gas thing.

 

Yulia Skripal should stick with the red hair.

 

Much better.

[Mull]

 

 
You live in the Islands, it's cold, the grass doesn't grow so quick, it makes you grumpy, this isn't a farming forum.....
 

.....nor a political one, but when did that stop us[emoji1]































Farmer basher??

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

1 hour ago, Mull said:

 

 

.....nor a political one, but when did that stop us































Farmer basher??

 

 

Politics (and farming) touches all aspects of life, we are agreed ???