It was such a delight to be back at the Royal Highland Show again
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COLUMN: From the Farm by Victoria Ballantyne
We were delighted to spend a few days at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh. It was great to be back at Ingliston and in the new Members' Pavilion after a two-year gap due to Covid.
The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), who put on the show, are a sponsor for my Nuffield Scholarship. They also support a number of other initiatives including the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET).
Up until 1960 the show was hosted by different regions and held in different cities across Scotland. Although the permanent ground in now in Edinburgh, the different regions still take their turns as hosts of the show and this year, in the 200th anniversary, it was the Highlands & Islands.
Whilst they may not have the same buzz and hype of the Highland, small agricultural shows across the country are just as important at bringing people together and showcasing agriculture to their local communities.
The Sutherland Show will be held at Dornoch Links on Saturday, July 23. With more than 5000 people attending, it is easily the biggest annual event in Sutherland. Despite its size, it is a tiny group of dedicated volunteers who pull it all together.
If you enjoy the show, are able to spare a few hours to help or have any skills you think the committee may benefit from, please contact them through their Facebook page or website.
Marquees will be going up the weekend of July 16-17 and extra hands are always welcome.
At home we are still busy making the most of the growing season. Most of the grass we set aside for silage has been cut and baled. The good weather allowed us to drop some extra paddocks out of the grazing rotation and cut them instead.
It is one of the biggest advantages of having stock in large groups that move regularly. It increases pasture yield and quality, helping us to keep stocking rates high and external inputs low.
All the stock are looking really well, a reflection of a good year. Sheep definitely benefit from a drier May/June, particularly as it reduces foot problems and parasite risks. All the ewes are shorn and after a hot few weeks they’ll be happy to have their fleeces off.
Though a slightly better wool price is expected this year we won’t be relying on the wool cheque to pay any bills. It is still unlikely to cover the cost of shearing, making sheep that self-shed look more and more appealing.
Calving wrapped up with the last heifer calving just short of eight weeks after the start. This is a fairly tight calving, but as we start later than most people it frees us up to get on with the next jobs (shearing, silage, etc) and head off to the, Highland Show without any worries. It also means we can wean all the calves in early November as we don’t have any young stragglers.
Once all the silage is secured, we will start to think about weaning lambs. If it remains dry into July, we will do this fairly early so the lambs aren’t competing with their mothers for the best quality grass.
We aim to do this around 10-11 weeks of age, putting the lambs back on those fields that had been cut and are therefore of highest quality. An early weaning usually allows us to make the most of strong ewe trade in July and reduce numbers on farm as the growing season starts to slow.
Victoria and Jason Ballantyne run Clynelish Farm, Brora.
