The price of straw has reached epic levels now

Now we really are challenged with workload, and as we rush to apply Nitrogen to all silage and grazing fields (with terra-tyres of course - it's not that dry!), a bit of rolling on some silage fields; we are also busy working down the maize fields as we started drilling at Tillington last Saturday.

The seed beds are very good after the long winter, as the ploughed ground has benefited from weathering.

n With 850 acres to get in the ground by the end of the month, the challenge is on, and there are a few hiccups (aren't there always?), such as waiting for the contractors to inject liquid waste from the treatment plants in the ground at Ripley and Milford.

I am also going to grow a small area of 'bio-maize' which is specifically for the AD plant.

This apparently is a much bigger and taller plant, which lifts the total energy producing potential for an acre of ground. I will not be amused if this tall variety is flattened by wind as we approach October.

We also want to apply dirty water on to some of the grass fields as conditions allow, but we need the tractor with the 'terra-tyres' for that job too, so I have to prioritise.

With the cows suddenly bawling at the yard gate wanting to go out, some fencing work needs to be done in hurry and a general check and tweaks to the electric fencing system.

Water troughs need turning on, checking, cleaning and doubling up again where we borrowed them for extra capacity in the yards for the winter.

Cow-tracks need to be scrapped and a thin layer of soft sand-stone applied for cow comfort and to protect their feet.

In the meantime the routine work of milking, feeding and bedding continues, with the 'virtual' cow gobbling up the waste and more, but at least not having any 'character' to challenge us.

Building work continues on the bio-digester site as we fine-tune the operation and having lived with it for a few months we can decide where best to place concrete areas for storage etc.

We have had some shields made to extend the two feeders, which will now solve the problem of spillage, which occurred when the computer switched them on when fully loaded, making the place look a mess.

n Walking the farm on a daily basis, I see how rapidly conditions and the countryside change, with frothy blossom in the old plum orchard, flowers everywhere in the woods, and frantic activity by badgers, as they indulge in a spot of spring-cleaning.

The skylarks are showing off as they fly high in the sky, singing loudly to attract attention, and general nest building in the woods and hedgerows; it's all happened so suddenly this year.

I have bought a new barbecue, and joined in this spring activity with a bit of outdoor cooking!

Chatting to one of our leading lawyers in the NFU the other day, it turns out that he keeps bees in his spare time, and the conversation naturally turned to the threat of the varroa mite, which sucks blood and spreads deadly viruses; threatening colonies.

I was delighted to hear that a way of controlling this pest has been arrived at in a very natural way, without any use of chemicals.

Apparently, bee keepers have found that the life cycle of the mite is comparatively short, and by sacrificing one generation of bee larvae, which does no real harm to the viability of the hive, the problem can be solved.

I gather that chickens look forward to this process taking place; a tasty meal of juicy grubs! No doubt readers will correct this information if I have misunderstood.

n The price of straw has reached epic levels, and a farmer in Cornwall recently offered a tonne of wheat in exchange for a tonne of straw and no offers came forward!

Straw is now 100/tonne in the West Country and wheat of course is around 90 ex: farm, which makes the world a crazy place.

Faced with such low prices for grain, surely the arable farmer this autumn will resist the temptation to switch on the straw chopper (consuming an extra 150 horsepower and fuel to match), and contemplate selling the straw?

There is a desperate shortage at the moment, and I am very pleased that I fixed the price for all my straw back in September.

n Europe's first sustainable palm oil refinery opens this month in Liverpool, which will hopefully accelerate a move away from the deforestation often associated with the crop.

The refinery will have a fully traceable, dedicated supply chain, ensuring that the entire product comes from their sustainable plantations in Papa New Guinea and has not been mixed with unsustainable palm oil.

The timing is good, as Greenpeace steps up the campaign against large companies who use palm oil that is '˜not socially or environmentally friendly'

I don't believe for a moment that this will halt the destruction of rain forest as other crops will take palm oil's place.

The fact of the matter is that most rainforest is cleared for land and the ability to grow crops or meat on that land will change to suit market demand, and as soon as one crop becomes unprofitable they move to another.

The only solution I see is to ensure that the rain forest is worth more than land; in other words, protecting the rain forest becomes more profitable than cutting it down.

This cannot be beyond the wit of man surely?

I'm not pretending that it would be easy, but it is a more positive approach, recognising that we have after all centuries ago cleared most of the world's agricultural land of trees, and rather than complain or attempt to restrict others, we should reward them for providing a valuable resource; that is only fair?

Farm

Diary

by Gwyn Jones

The price of straw has reached epic levels now