COLUMN: Don't curse the rain - I've seen the devastation drought inflicts on communities
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From the Farm by Victoria Ballantyne
After a very dry spring it finally started raining at the end of June – and has barely stopped. We’ve had more rain in July that in March, April and May combined. And whilst rain is a nuisance, making silage and harvest seasons difficult, I would not be without it. It is the thing that sustains life and makes this a great country for growing grass and livestock.
Having seen the devastation drought inflicts on communities, I try not to curse the rain, even when it comes in suddenly, wetting the almost dry washing I have out on the line.
The dry weather put pressure on our grass situation and it made sense to get 50 of last year’s calves off the farm so we didn’t compromise this years growing lambs and calves. They had been grazing since early April, putting on 1.3kg/day on average and looked well. Fortunately, we were able to put them to another farm for a month, before selling them in mid July. Trade remains strong for cattle due to reduced supply and we were pleased with the prices we received.
As the economic and environmental cost of inputs have increased, we’ve been working hard to reduce our reliance on external resources, hopefully taking out some of the cost risk whilst developing a more resilient system. We’ve gradually been reducing artificial fertiliser, and this year didn’t put any on. There is no doubt that this impacts grass and crop yields but we hope the long term outcome will be worth it.
We’ve also reduced our medicine usage (which was never very high), mostly through using robust genetics and good nutritional management, which this year really paid off. Sheep like dry weather (having evolved in the deserts) and parasitic worm larvae like rain, so despite the impact the dry spring had on the grass, it suited the lambs in their first few months whilst they built up immunity to worms.
As the cows grazed behind the sheep, cleaning up the worm burden, we monitored the lambs pooh for faecal egg counts (FEC) and we got to weaning at 12 weeks without needing to worm the lambs and with above average weaning weights. This was on the back of dosing less than 50% of the ewe flock before lambing and less than that last November before tupping.
The only planned medicine the cattle get is a flukicide and wormer for housed, weaned calves in November. There is always room for improvement in farming and it is satisfying to feel that we are continuing to make progress.
As a committee member of the Sutherland Show, Jason and I spent quite a lot of time helping organise, set up and take down the show ground. At 10pm on the Wednesday night after the show, everything was finally down and packed away for another year. A huge effort by everyone involved.
But I worry that the number of people helping continues to decrease as the average age continues to rise. Many there doing the physical work of wrestling with marquees, fencing, sheep and cattle pens were over 70 and many others not far behind. This is an important community event and we had fantastic feedback on social media. If it is something you enjoy and would like to see continue, can I ask that you contact the show through its website and offer to lend a hand next year. Never was it truer “many hands make light work”.
Victoria and Jason Ballantyne run Clynelish Farm, Brora.
