Farm Diary

AS it is Glastonbury and Wimbledon, we should not be surprised that it showery. This is very good growing weather and our grazing is already up to speed, which goes to show that if you are not concerned about the amount of grass at this time of year, you probably have too much.

Although tricky, the spring and early summer have been very good and we have made the best of the weather available. The maize fields look good (the best now up to my shoulders!), some sunshine in July would be a much needed boost to this hot climate plant.

As July arrives and the threat of Blue tongue becomes real, I am relieved that all our animals are now vaccinated. We need to freeze brand our heifers in preparation for calving in the autumn, and we hope to do this in the next week or so.

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We have had a cow with 'Listeria' infection, which is similar to meningitis and equally serious. It is usually picked up from feed, and this cow became ill three weeks ago. After many days of standing with her tongue hanging out, she gradually recovered and amazingly has remained in calf. This does not happen too often I can tell you.

As both silage cuts had to be clamped in the same pit this year, which filled the clamp right up, covering the maize silage I was feeding to the fresh calving cows; I had a problem.

I decided to follow an example I saw a few weeks ago and start feeding the green grass on day one, and continue to feed it as it gradually fermented into silage. I was surprised to see that by keeping the silage face tidy with the block-cutter, we experienced no problem. Intake levels were not affected in the slightest, and milk yield has remained steady.

It has been interesting to watch the change in the material over a number of days and I have been surprised by how quickly the grass turned into silage.

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The benchmark of currency across the world, the 'Big Mac' is going up in price. With 30,000 restaurants across the world, where the cost can be compared with great accuracy, Ralph Alvarez, McDonald's President was in London last week to talk about strategy in the world of higher food prices. The company plans to invest more in Europe than in the USA for the first time ever, over the next year or so, and 20 million more customers than forecasted have been served in the UK so far this year.

Mr Alvarez conceded that sales are picking up, and after introducing healthier options to the menu, the company have enjoyed good growth in sales on both sides of the Atlantic. He stated that although the oil market could come down, he felt that as far as food is concerned, we are in a new era.

Global demand for food has changed, and after 10 '“ 15 years of flat costs on the food side; those days are not coming back. He is confident that they will pick up more business as hard pressed customers traded down, adding that the group is far better placed (than supermarkets) to withstand inflationary pressures. 'Your food bill will go up by more than our prices'.

Meanwhile, across town, the celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall was lobbying Tesco's shareholders and main board about the welfare of chicken! The share holders meeting was dominated by various pressure groups and Hugh FW was the loudest.

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His timing may be against him this time, as the leading retailers is addressing rising prices and the threat from retail discounters. We were told at NFU Council that free-range and organic egg production across Europe is moving into surplus, and one can see higher costs driving consumers to spend differently.

Retailers that I talk to on a regular basis have been saying for some months now that consumers are changing their spending patterns, with growth in own label and the lower cost lines. These are difficult times for everyone, and a period of adjustment is necessary.

Many people are worried about interest rates and the cost of their mortgage, especially as their house is no longer increasing in value. There will be a general shift in priorities, and as food and power have moved up sharply in unison, the effect is dramatic.

On a lighter note (if you'll pardon the pun), Jersey Island is to hold a referendum on whether to move from Greenwich mean time to Central European time (+1 hour) this October. We last visited this subject in the UK many years ago, and with changing lifestyles, the need for energy saving, and increased focus on road safety and health it is surely a sensible option? Only Ireland, Portugal and the UK remain on GMT, and with a growing campaign in Britain, the Conservative Party is carrying out a full review on the impact of such a change.