Farmer Focus: Behind with spreading work and short of straw

I’m struggling for inspiration this month, and I’m not allowed to use expletives here, so all I’ll say is it’s rained – a lot.

Here was me thinking when I wrote my last article that we weren’t far off starting to zero-graze. I honestly think we’re as far away now as we’ve been all winter.

I’ve never seen the farm as wet at this time of year. Fields that were cut in 2023 are looking surprisingly well, and grass is now beginning to grow.

But anything that had cattle on in the autumn is struggling, as we’ve been unable to get on with slurry.

See also: ‘Bonkers’ straw trade nearly as dear as grain

About the author

Colin Murdoch

Ayrshire farmer and zero grazer Colin Murdoch switched from Holsteins to milking 225 Jerseys in 2019. The 182ha farm grows 40ha of winter and spring barley for a total mixed ration and parlour fed system supplying Graham’s Family Dairy.

Read more articles by Colin Murdoch

We have about 20ha of silage ground that’s not had slurry either, but it’s too late now.

We did, just about, manage to get 225kg/ha of fertiliser onto silage ground in enough time to hopefully mean we won’t be too late with first cut – if it ever does dry up.

It’s not just localised conditions we’re experiencing, though, for a change. It seems the whole country is struggling to get any spring field work done – and what a nightmare it must be lambing.

I shared a post on Facebook recently from our local celebrity sheep farmer and YouTube star Cammy Wilson of the Sheep Game. He reminded us that “we’re all in this together” and to keep talking.

Up here, RSABI is a vital support for anyone that feels everything is getting on top of them, and I’d encourage you to pick up the phone.

I’m looking forward to listening to a few podcasts from Cammy’s new venture, Fed by Farmers, when we do manage to put in some hours on a tractor seat.

We should be fine for fodder, but we are seriously having to ration straw. We usually have enough of our own, but with yields down last year and turnout looking distant, we’ve had to source a load.

It’s typical this would happen in the year it seems to be like gold dust. It’s £180/t delivered from Norfolk.

We’ve also run out of our own barley, however; it turns out we’ve lifted yield by 2 litres a cow by changing over to maize.