Bad winters/drought taking it’s toll.

I think mobstocking has shielded us so far, but it’s beginning to take it’s toll now. I know UK conditions are milder than most of the rest of the world so you’ll laugh at two dry summers and -19C winters, but we’re adapted here for it to be very wet so this is a biggie for us!

We usually end up with a surplus of forage, so when we had the dry spell last year we managed to sell our reduced hay crop and still had a big pile to last us through winter. Trouble is that because it was a dry summer our grazing season was reduced and the extended housed period meant we ate up our entire surplus. (thank goodness it was there, as forage prices were/are high). We struggled badly for straw though, and ended up having to pay for some.

That would be fine, except now we have an even worse drought going on. The cattle are well fed so far, but once they get to the end of the field they are in, there’s no regrowth for them to move onto. We already grazed down to the nubbins on the first ‘flush’ of growth, and I think to do it again would spell doom for the pasture long term. We do have more grass, good grass, but according to 10year contract we have with the government we’re only supposed to cut it for hay after the 15th july. However, we had an emergency meeting this morning and agreed we’re just going to have to graze it and hope they don’t notice…

We have a crop of lucerne that’s doing well, and 15acres of other land to cut that we usually sell but won’t and that may see us through winter, but only if we cut down on mouths. We have picked out 5cows to sell that aren’t doing well/haven’t calved. They won’t make much, but at least we won’t have to feed them or pay to have them shot/taken away. All my bullocks will have to go in autumn, no matter what state they’re in – feeding them over winter would be senseless. Unfortunately one is so thin (he was bottom of the pecking order in winter) I think he has to go now, to the knackerman. If we had the grass I’d give him time to recover in the hope I can break even on him, but it’s not there and the better animals need his share.

So there we have it. I really hope all these measures work and we have a wet spring next year, or really we’re doomed!

Just wanted to vent…