I have lived on a small family run beef farm in East Sussex on and off from the age of 11. When I was 18, I headed for the bright lights and the greed-driven lure of "The City" where I blagged my way into job and spent 20 odd years continuing to blag, bullshit, eat, drink and travel at various companies' expense. I did the odd stint in the US and Spain and enjoyed my time but my heart was not in the city nor the job or indeed another country and I felt the time approaching when I would need to jump while I still had the tatty, flapping remnance of a parachute. I managed to do this a couple of years ago and left my career behind and helped a friend with his business nearby until my father sadly died last September, 2010, leaving me fully responsible for the running of the farm overnight.
That was 8 months ago, since which we have had a harsh winter and 22 calvings (3 more to go!). We are now entering a new phase of the farming year and with the benefit of a little more confidence and experience I now have to take a good look at the farming practise, how to optimise it without compromising the animal’s wellbeing, and how to sustain a meaningful existence from hereon despite many of the odds being stacked against the small producer.
The farm consists of about 120 acres of primarily permanent pasture with a spattering of ancient woodland. My father always specialised in South Devon Cattle and as a result we have a suckler herd of 26 and rising. This means that all going well, we use our 2 bulls to get the 26 heifers and cows "in calf" annually, and raise their calves for either future breeding stock for our own herd or for sale at market for breeding or beef. This means we have anywhere between about 50 and 75 animals on the farm at any one time (we don't sell all animals within a year, so some of the previous year's calves are still being reared when the newcomers, their brothers and sisters, pop out!).
That's the simple, concise, overview of my predicament. Needless to say there is more to it. There is a considerable amount of documentation as regards the registration and traceability of the animals, their day-to-day care, feed, breeding, calving, cutting of grass for silage, farm maintenance, book-keeping and a whole lot more besides, most of which you will not be bored with. My aim here is to bring you into my life as a newcomer to managing a farm and share my learning experience with you. I have help twice a week from Robin, an experienced farm worker but aside from that its all down to me.
I will regularly update you as to my plight, I will ask you for input with various aspects including the naming of new born calves and piglets and show you as many relevant images as I can and make you aware of the day to day problems and considerations. You will hopefully begin to understand a bit about farming life, the difficulties of trying to make money and managing cash-flow and hopefully feel part of it in some way. There will be drama and mistakes as well as the odd success to keep you entertained.
I will hopefully make you aware of how difficult is to compete as a small specialist producer and how supermarkets and mass lethargy and ignorance on behalf of consumers is undermining the current traditional farming generation.
Finally, it's important that you understand my approach to all of this. We need to maintain solvency here, of course, however, we will not compromise the wellbeing of our cherished animals in order to do so. Feed and fuel prices continue to rise at a far greater rate than the beef price, so this is not easy. We consider “breaking even” by sticking with our ethos, a success.
Finally, it's important that you understand my approach to all of this. We need to maintain solvency here, of course, however, we will not compromise the wellbeing of our cherished animals in order to do so. Feed and fuel prices continue to rise at a far greater rate than the beef price, so this is not easy. We consider “breaking even” by sticking with our ethos, a success.
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