Farm Diary July 22 2009

Growth is incredible, with both grass and maize taking full advantage of these warm, wet conditions.

We can see a third cut of grass being ready again 42 days after the second cut, with good yields of clover rich swards. The clover in the new leys comes into its own at this time of year, and if we can make sure we pick a good drying day, quality should be very good indeed.

I have applied no chemical fertilizer at all to the grass since the second cut, relying on the clover and a fair amount of dirty water; it will be an organic third cut; how about that!

The maize is in flower now, and cobs are formed. The rain this time of year is perfect to ensure well filled cobs with plump grain. In dry conditions, the cobs can fail to fill to the end with grain, but there should be no reason for that to happen this year.

Looking at the maize and how advanced it is this year, I would have thought that we could be cutting very early. We shall have to wait and see, but if the promised hot conditions for August come to fruition it should bode well for an early harvest.

I had a day at the Great Yorkshire Show last week. I had never been before, and I must say it is one of the best shows I have ever attended. Thousands of people, very high quality stock, trade stands galore; it beggars belief that such a contrast between this and the now defunct Royal Show could exist.

I was kept very busy most of the day with media work and meetings, as the collapse of farmer owned Co-op 'Dairy Farmers of Britain' affected this area in a big way. There is some very good land in Yorkshire and I am always amazed at how early some of the crops are, considering it is so far north. It is not uncommon for combine harvesters to be rolling immediately after the show.

I took the opportunity to visit the farm of Geoff Spence, who has been one of my fellow judges in the Farmer's Weekly 'Dairy Farmer of the Year' competition for the last two years.

Geoff is one of the best dairy farmers in the country, with high yields from quite small Holstein cows, and very low lameness and mastitis rates. Fertility is excellent, attention to detail is superb, and he and his staff live for the cows.

He is a finalist in the 'Gold Cup' competition, and the judges had only been to visit a few days earlier. With a good milk contract, his very high performance and margins, coupled with sales of very high value stock; Geoff is very content with life.

We have workers on the Anaerobic Digester site! I feel like running around shouting 'Attention, attention, workers on site, workers on site'!

A large truck delivered all the final bits and bobs last week, including the few missing pieces which were holding us up as well. We have been told that a 'final push' is underway, and that in three weeks it will be finished.

I am mentally adding two more weeks to this, which means that by the first week of September, we shall be underway. I was told that I will miss the start up as I will be on holiday during the latter part of August. I rather doubt it, but nothing would please me more than to return to the sound of an engine running; I would be delighted to miss the event if it means we are in business sooner!

NFU advice on footpaths is for all farmers to carry out a 'risk assessment' before putting cattle in fields that have public footpaths in them.

This at first sound bonkers, but as public right of ways carry responsibilities for the farmer and/or land owner, we are very keen that all our farmer members protect themselves from the possibility of prosecution, and (arguably worse) of having no insurance cover due to the appropriate approach not being taken.

We are, like it or not, in part responsible for the safety of people using footpaths running through our land, whether it be injury due to unsafe stiles, low hanging branches, dangerous surfaces, or animals.

The general public also have responsibilities for their own safety, just as I have when I take to the motorway in my car.

The RSPCA has issued a very sensible guideline when it comes to dogs; keep your dog on a lead at all times, but if cattle come to investigate, let the lead go. Dogs will always get away, and the instinctive move to protect the dog can be dangerous, and should be avoided.

As farmers we could inform the public that cows and calves are in the field, so that we have then covered ourselves should someone decide to carry on with their dog and get into trouble. A simple risk assessment could be written, stating that these animals have not injured anyone in the past, and that signs have been put up to inform (not warn '“ as this would admit liability) the general public.

A load of nonsense? Maybe, but very simple things can be important if one is faced with a million pound claim and the small print in the insurance paperwork is brought into play. If the footpath runs along the edge of a field, it can always be fenced off, either permanently or with electric fencing.

There are also legal measurements for stiles, and gates are recommended more and more these days (with money available to assist with the cost). With all terrain wheelchairs available to disabled people, we are under pressure to consider disabled access in some areas.

Public rights of way are used in a very different way in this changing world, and we have little choice other than to adapt our approach. There is one question I would like answered though. What do I do if there's a badger set interfering with a footpath? Answers on a postcard please.