We need to be very careful we do not handicap food production

Every grassland farmer will be delighted with the rain and our preparation for September grazing and silage making are now on course.

Having mown the whole farm practically, the reaction to that cut, plus the rain, has really fired up the plants and as we had kept it all green, we are away to a flying start.

It can't begin to make up for the lost production of course, but we need to salvage what we can from a dry season. Had the rain arrived four to six weeks earlier, it would have been very different for both arable and grassland farmer.

My greatest hope is that the rain will have arrived in time to fill the cobs on the maize plants.

Logically I would say that it has, but I don't know enough about the process, but we will certainly find out as time goes on. Given that much of the maize crop is shorter than usual, should the cobs fill out well with plump grain as a result of this rain, then the quality could be very good, as the cob to stem ratio would be in our favour.

Our total yield from the whole-crop maize will be down however, but that will not affect us until next summer.

We have sufficient stocks of grass and maize silage to see us through this winter, but by this time next year, given the fact that we have eaten into our stocks in a big way, with a lighter maize crop, we could run out before harvest in 2011.

n We are therefore looking into available feedstuffs that could be fed to either the dairy cows or the anaerobic digester next summer, and the forward prices for these various feeds.

Should we have a very grassy season next year, we should be fine, but if we had another summer such as this one, then we would be in some trouble without a plan.

Given the size of the operation in terms of forage requirements, some degree of risk management is essential in order to cover any potential disasters, which can be avoided by proper planning. We will increase the maize acreage planted for 2011 in order to build up the stocks again, but that will not benefit us until 2012.

We have enough grazing to turn out our 85 in-calf heifers this week, and after two weeks of cubicle training, they are back out again on some fresh pasture.

They should now be grazing until we yard them in the autumn, in preparation for calving. Our 100 acres of third cut silage is still uncut due to the rain, but it will benefit from that and bulk up some more with a bit of luck.

We shall cut it as soon as e have a couple of sunny days, ensuring that it is wilted and of high dry matter, concentrating the sugars.

We are doing some maintenance work on the dirty water lagoons, and when the cows go out to graze again in a couple of weeks, we can tackle the maintenance and repairs to cubicles and fittings in the cow sheds.

This work is normally carried out in July, but the cows were all back in by then, and this will be the first opportunity to get everything done in preparation for winter housing, and of course the 'Farm assurance' visit, which is scheduled for September.

Everything will need to be right for that, and in true army style 'if it doesn't move; clean it' (we don't go in for the 'if it moves salute it').

The debate on the 'Common Agriculture Policy' has intensified this month, with greater emphasis being put on the active farmer.

I see that the Scottish Government and NFU Scotland want the CAP to focus on working farmers, with support closely linked with food production. Over the past decade, we have seen food production slip in importance, taking second place to the environment.

This always seemed crazy to me, and whilst the environment is of course very important, most of what we see around us in the countryside, and enjoy; is there as a by-product of food production and active farming operations.

I also recognise that modern farming techniques if taken too far, can sometimes be to the detriment of the environment, and that it is very important to have balance. Government support for food production over the years has been spectacularly successful, and whilst reaction times can be a little slow, in the main policies for food production have not been wide of the mark.

Only when food is plentiful and affordable, can we afford to compromise, looking to enhance bio-diversity, and make sure we have the right balance. This has been achieved, but the pendulum swung too far, with farmers being paid to not produce food, paid to graze fewer sheep, even paid to not farm at all in some cases.

Whilst every scheme may have some merit, and I'm sure a good case can be made for most, there are real dangers here. For instance, if one is paying farmers to graze fewer sheep on the hills, and to move away from productive agriculture, then we are in danger of creating a culture of dependency.

What happens to those farmers when the politician panics or is persuaded to change his or her mind; by events; food shortage, no money, or natural disaster?

They are left high and dry, no longer competitive or running a resilient business; through no fault of their own, they are in serious trouble. Farming, especially hill farming, cannot be switched off and on.

With cuts on everyone's agenda, there is no doubt that the CAP will also be under severe pressure, and again, given the need to direct that support to where is matters most, taking large chunks of it in order to fund schemes where land is taken out of production, is not an option.

This is the Common Agricultural Policy, and that means food production, more food, better food, lower carbon food, organic food, local food; but certainly not less food. As climate change affects production around the world and population growth continues, there are very likely to be periodic food shortages, and as we have seen in the last few weeks with wheat prices, it does not take much for panic to set in and for speculators to take profit from shortages.

As we face up to a new world post the banking crises, we need to be very careful that we do not handicap food production, because if we do, the banking crises will seem like a picnic in the park by comparison.