Agrimart November 2022 Issue

internet in a box

Commercial Farm Trader

The Leading Farmer Owned Business in the North of England and Scotland

Following another successful financial year, GrainCo Scotland is looking to further strengthen its commercial offering by

have the ability to market store and dry Wheat

network

North

Barley

Oats and Osr

the right individual to join our dynamic team. The role will be on a permanent full time basis to help service our growing business presence in Scotland.

England

as a business market over 1mmt grain in Scotland and the North of England and have one of the strongest financial balance sheets in the sector. We lead the way with our approach to sustainability and with a model that helps forge long standing relationships with our growers.

three market leading

We are looking for the right candidate with the skills and drive to become a key member of the procurement team.

experienced Farm Trader already in the sector

ambitions

take their career to the next step would be preferred.

Key Responsibilities

£42,000

£31,000

£31,000

£21,000

£10,000

£10,000

£4,600

4000 £19,000

£19,000

4000 £12,000

10000 £6,000

10000 £4,500

2000 £5,500

200 £2,500

£5,000

2000 £8,000

2000 £4,500

£4,500

£2,500

Passion vs Profit

As costs continue to rise, it is crucial to breakdown your different income streams and recognise which ones are ones are profitable.

You need to have a clear understanding of what is actually making you money on the farm, whether that be a particular group of livestock, a certain crop or alternative income such as accommodation.

Our agriculture accounting and tax specialist, Victoria Ivinson, can help you to break down the numbers and ensure the farm is structured in the most sustainable and profitable way. Email victoriai@dhco.co.uk and find out more about how we can offer advice to assist your business in these uncertain times.

Working Together, Staying Strong

RECO are pleased to announce their new partnership

Ancroft Tractors Ltd, covering Northumberland, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.

From July, Ancroft Tractors Ltd will supply machinery from the following RECO

KNIGHT 5M MULTIPRESS c/w front discs, tines, rollers

KUHN PRIMOR 2060M MOUNTED STRAW BEDDER c/w swivel chute, 2011 model

TEAGLE 8500 BEDDER c/w swivel chute, 2016 model

TEAGLE 8100 TRAILED STRAWBEDDER c/w swivel chute, 2012 model

LELY 4160V ROUND BALER c/w 13 knife, 34500 bales, brakes, 2017 VGC

MCHALE V660 ROUND BALER chopper, net wrap, 33800 bales

ROLLAND 32FT FLAT BED TWIN AXLE TRAILER c/w sprung drawbar

BROWNS GRASS AERATOR 3M DATUM ROAD SWEEPER telehandler mounted

DTX300-ARP

TWO ROWS,

New KV GEO-SPREAD IDC Full HYDRAULIC DRIVE, ISOBUS, 12M-45M, full 1m section control, 24 DISCS IN TWO ROWS

● New KV 6 furrow plough 3300s Variomat, NO 28 bodies, HYDRAULIC FRONT FURROW, MAIZE SKIMMERS

● Broughan 33ft box pusher trailer c/w cat walks, x 2

● Broughan 20t dump trailer hydraulic up and over door

● Broughan 16t dump trailer hydraulic up and over door

● Broughan 28 bale trailer with hay ladder, x 2

● New M7153 150HP full power shift, 50KPH 4 MECH.SPOOL VALVES

● New Demo Kubota M6-121 full power shift

● New kubota M 4073

● Hisun electric utility buggy 5V or 15v demo available Haddington, Selkirk, Kinross. From £13,000 plus VAT

MULCHERS

QUALITY

& USED

&

Valuations – RICS Registered Valuers

Agricultural L andlord & Tenant

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

What a month! It started with an everyday job ending in near disaster. We drove over to David Stoddart’s farm near Penicuik to pull one house. The journey there went smoothly, the moving of the hen house was straightforward and within half an hour we were on our way home. We negotiated our way through Peebles without a problem but as we came to the Glentress Biking Centre I came over all funny and just ran out of puff. Thank goodness there was a layby for me to glide into as I had absolutely no energy. It turned out I had a blockage, luckily young Andrew Wight came to the rescue and with one adjustable wrench he fixed the problem and soon I was on my way home. Next job was to move a house on this farm, he had gone holiday again so the young man was at the wheel. No problem with the first pull off the muck but he left me there for a week while the shed was washed. When he came to move the shed again I just couldn’t get started, this time I was stuck in a field with my spades down. Another visit from the doctor, more fuel issues, luckily he got me going and after the house was in position I was back in hospital for a complete diagnosis of the underlying causes. It all seems fine now and I feel as good as new.

And then last Sunday I got a call to recover a bogged tractor up in the Lammermuirs, much to her indoors’ disgust, he abandoned the packing and off we set. Across the moors, grouse flitting left and right until eventually we came across the problem. Pulling it out would not have been difficult but there was nowhere dry enough for me to set up where I would not get stuck. We had a stand up row, I refused to even try, he insisted that at least I made an attempt. Luckily I won and we came back with our tail between our legs as it was not popular leaving home let alone coming back with nothing to show for the four hours we were away.

I’m going to a party on Friday, in fact I’m already there parked in pride of place - So exciting to see all my friends for once on a social occasion.

Wessex

Stranded

Glentress

Niall Whyte

and

Services

Niall Whyte Forestry and Landscaping Services

Cairnhill Farm,

Unit F, Ind Est,

Cairnhill Farm,

Unit F, Ind Est,

Mob:

Mob:

DEMAND

FOR SCOTTISH MACHINERY RING MEMBERS

DEALERS (MAIN DEPOTS)

MACHINERY RINGS

Borders,

Tarff

Enhance soil nutrition and remove carbon dioxide at the same time

Being ‘green’ needn’t be at the expense of your farming business, in fact, it can enhance it.

UNDO’s enhanced weathering fines remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but they also top up soil nutrients to support crop growth.

What are enhanced weathering fines?

Our enhanced weathering fines are crushed silicate rock such as basalt which is often a by-product of the quarry industry. They are approved for use in organic systems.

UNDO screens the by-product to ensure that it is safe for agricultural use and supplies it to farmers free of charge to spread on their fields using existing spreader technology

Why?

UNDO has an ambitious target: to remove 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere by 2030. So, we need your help!

What’s in it for farmers?

• Enrich your soil with nutrients such as potassium, calcium and magnesium, essential for crop growth. Our enhanced weathering fines are rich in minerals that release these nutrients.

• Basalt can lift soil pH which in turn improves nutrient availability.

Who are we looking for?

Did you know?

There’s a long history of the benefits in spreading crushed rock on soil: it boosts soil microbes, improves soil structure and increases crop yields.

Farmers and landowners in the Scottish Borders, central belt of Scotland and the North-East of England.

If you are interested in enriching your soil whilst removing carbon dioxide at the same time, get in touch with Joe Ritchie on 07400 858 333 or email Joe@un-do.com

For more information, visit our website www.un-do.com

been specialists in land

carry out small repairs to existing drainage schemes and install

scale drainage schemes using our trenchless system.

have just invested in a new Inter-Drain 2040 GP Trenchless Plough which is capable of installing up to 150 mm drainage pipe at various depths. Drainage systems are installed with a gravel infill to underside of topsoil for maximum effect. The Inter-Drain is mainly designed for land drainage but can also be utilised in other sectors such as

and pipeline laying.

Topcon laser system

Drainage systems

installed with a gravel infill to underside of topsoil for maximum effect. The new Inter-Drain

mainly designed for land drainage

such as cable and pipeline

also be utilised in other

to laydrainage

allows us to laydrainage

Value in every pass, every season

From machine performance to field management to data analysis, John Deere is the industry leader in providing farmers the precision ag tools they need to monitor, manage, and maximise their farm operations. Every production step every season

Four basics to get precision ag working on your farm

More and more farmers are using precision ag to find new efficiencies, improve yields and increase profits . Here are the basics to get you started. Call the Helpline on the number below and one of our field team will be more than happy to discuss your present situation and help you get started.

TRACTORS

John Deere 6110M, 201 6

John Deere 6110RC, 2014

John Deere 6125R, 2013

John Deere 6130R, choice 2013/17

John Deere 6130M, choice 2016/17

John Deere 6130M, 2020

John Deere 6130R, 2017

John Deere 6135R, 2020

John Deere 6150R ,2014

John Deere 6150R, 2015

John Deere 6155R, 2020

John Deere 6155R, choice 2017/20

John Deere 6155R, 201 6

John Deere 6155R, choice 2017

John Deere 6155R, 2018

John Deere 6170R, 201 2/14

John Deere 6175R, 2018

John Deere 6175R, 2019

John Deere 6195R, 2020

John Deere 6195R, 2017

John Deere 6210R, 2012

John Deere 6215R, 201 6

John Deere 6215R, 2016

John Deere 6215R, 2016

John Deere 6220, 2004

John Deere 6220SE, 2003

John Deere 6230R, 2009

John Deere 6250R, 2017

John Deere 6320, 2002

John Deere 6330, 2009

John Deere 6430, 2008

John Deere 6520, 2006

TELEHANDLERS/WHEELED

He

TRACTORS

John Deere 6320, 2002 S

John Deere 6330, 2009 He

John Deere 6430, 2008 He

John Deere 6520, 2006 He

John Deere 6220, 2004 S

John Deere 6220SE, 2003 Ha

John Deere 6230R, 2009 S

John Deere 6250R, 2017 Ha

John Deere 6320, 2002 S

John Deere 6330, 2009 He

John Deere 6430, 2008 He

John Deere 6520, 2006 He

John Deere 7310R, 2017 C

John Deere 7530 Premium, 2010 Ha

John Deere 7930, 2009 A

John Deere 8370RT, 2018 Ha

Case/IH MXM 190, 2003 C

Deutz Fahr Agrotron 105, 2003 He

Fendt 828, 2015 A

Massey Ferguson 4215 S

Massey Ferguson 5713 J

Massey Ferguson 6480, 2008 A

Massey Ferguson 6718S, 2017 J

New Holland T5.105, 2019 J New Holland T6080, 2012 Ha New Holland T7.210 c/w front loader, 2015 A New Holland T7.210, 2017 S New Holland TM140, 2006 Ha Valmet 6300 Tractor, K Reg A Valtra N121, 2012 A Valtra N124, 2016 He

TELEHANDLERS/WHEELED LOADERS

JCB 536 60 Loadall, 2006 A

JCB 526 Loadall, Telehandler, 2008 He

TELEHANDLERS/WHEELED LOADERS

JCB 530/70 Telehandler, R Reg A

JCB 531 Telehandler, 2016 C

JCB 536/60 Telehandler, 2012 Ha

JCB 535/95 Telehandler, 2018 A

Manitou MLR634 120, 2004 C

GRASSLAND/BALERS

John Deere 572 Baler

McHale Bale Wrapper C

John Deere 1365 MoCo

Kuhn BPR305 PRO Flail Topper Ha

Kuhn FC303YGC MoCo

Kuhn GA4121GM windrower

Kuhn GA6501P twin rotor Windrower

Kuhn VB3160 Round Baler

Claas Volto 770 Tedder

Claas 880 Twin rotor rake S

Fransguard TI 6000 Combi Rake C

Kverneland KV202 Bale Wrapper

Lely Hibiscus 855CD grass rake

New Holland 370 Square Baler S

Kverneland FX265, Flail Topper

Major 900T Pro Cut Trailed Topper

Pottinger NovaCat 301 MoCo

Spearhead 460 Topper

Kverneland Taarup 3021 Mounted Topper

ATV/UTILITY VEHICLES & ATTACHMENTS

John Deere XUV855D Gator Ha

John Deere XUV855D Gator, 2016 S

John Deere XUV855D Gator, choice 2016 A

John Deere XUV855D S4 Gator, 2017 Ha

John Deere XUV855M Gator choice two 2018/19 A

John Deere XUV855M Gator choice three 2018/19 S

John Deere XUV865M, Gator Choice 2019/20 A

John Deere XUV855DM Gator, 2018 Ha

John Deere XUV865M Gator , choice two He

John Deere XUV865M Gator, 2018 J

Can Am 550 Quad Bike A

John Deere XUV865M Gator, 2018 Ha

John Deere 6x4 TH J

Logic LFM320 snacker J

Logic LFM350 snacker S

Logic LMF570 Snacker A

CROP CARE

John Deere 732 Sprayer Ha

John Deere M952i Sprayer C

John Deere M 740 Sprayer C

John Deere R4040i SP Sprayer A

Kuhn Axis 30.1D Fertiliser spreader S

Kuhn Axis 30.1Q Fertiliser spreader A

Kuhn Axis 40.1W Fertiliser spreader Ha

Kuhn Axis 40.1W Fertiliser spreader J

Kuhn Axis 40.1 Fertiliser spreader A

Kuhn Axis 40.2 Fertiliser spreader C

Knight 3000L trailed sprayer 24m A

Lely Centerliner spreader 24m discs C

John Deere 512 Mounted Sprayer A

John Deere M732, Trailed Sprayer Ha

CULTIVATION

Kuhn Espro 4000RC, Seed Drill Ha

Kuhn HR3003D Power Harrow A

Kuhn 1102 C

Kuhn HR3502D power Harrow A

Kuhn HR4003 Power Harrow Ha

Kuhn HR5004DRC Power Harrow C

Kuhn HR6003 Power Harrow A

Kuhn HR4004DRC, Power Harrow A

Kuhn LC4000 Venta Seed Drill Ha

Lely 4m, Combination Drill J

Kuhn LC302 Combination Drill J

Amazone Cayros XMS V 5 furrow plough Vari Width J

DAL·BO 6.3m 3 section folding rollers Ha

Front Mounted Discs 3m J

Kockerling Precision cultivator 3m C

Kverneland 4m S drill and power harrow Ha

Opico Sward GBL 3 grass sward lifter A

Vaderstad 6.3m hyd vertical folding rollers Ha

COMBINE HARVESTERS

John Deere T670 combine harvester , 2011 C

John Deere S685i combine harvester , 2017 A

New Holland CR10.90, 2016 C

John Deere T550 combine harvester, 2015 C

FARM TRAILERS

Stewart Low Loader, GX22LL C

Bailey 12ton tipper trailer A

Marshall 10 ton tipper trailer A

Marshall S10 ton dropside tipper trailer J

Marston Ace10 tipping trailer , choice 2 Ha

16ft flatbed trailer Ha

Bateson 3536 12ft Trailer A

MISCELLANEOUS

John Deere 6ft muck fork/grab Euro brackets S

KTwo 600, Muck Spreader S

Kuhn Euromix 1060 diet feeder A

Front Weights, 450KG Ha

Doughty bucket c/w Merlo brackets Ha

DR Road Grader, tow behind J

Foster Bale Spike single Ha

Kverneland Silo king diet feeder A

Logic Multi electric feeder A

Lucas 20R Mounted bedder c/w electric controls Ha

Lucas Castor+ 30RUB bedder J

Front Weight 900kg S

Standen 400/200 Bedformer Ha

and

that’s why!

BM

James

& Son

Talking........New Zealand

October 10th 2022

Ian Mackenzie is an arable and dairy farmer from the Canterbury Plain in the South Island of New Zealand. He runs a number of fully irrigated intensive cropping farms, producing grain, vegetable and grass seeds with some stock finishing.

The rain has stopped, the sun is out, the farms are drying out and there’s lots of farming going on.

It has been a weekend of small celebrations. I turned 68 today and the family came round for some champagne and general bedlam which included dancing on the table and food throwing… only for the under 4’s unfortunately… the dogs loved it and we did too once they’d all left.

It was also election day for our regional and district councils and there has been a significant shift to the right across the whole country which is very good news. This includes our regional council which has swung from sensible councillors being outnumbered 5 to 11 to a council of hopefully 9 sensible, 2 possibly sensible, 2 unknowns and only 3 confirmed idiots (they want to ban fertiliser amongst other things). I was re-elected with an increased majority despite falling foul of Greenpeace who took out a front page add to criticise me for not wanting to save the planet by banning fertiliser. I am apparently a huge disappointment to them for pointing out that if they want us to grow food we need to use the stuff. Banning fertiliser seems to be the loony left’s new war cry. They gave up trying to ban glyphosate here when the dairy industry told them that dairy farmers didn’t need it… not entirely true but a successful ploy, and now they appear to have moved onto fertiliser. Mind you with the cost of fertiliser I think most farmers would be sympathetic to not using the stuff if we could. We are at the point in spring when the wheat and grass seed crops need feeding. The weather and soil temperatures have warmed up and the crops are starting to thrive. I’m told our fertiliser prices are less than in Europe, but they have still doubled in price from last year. Due to the wet winter, we’ve been late getting some of the spring crops sown, but the spring wheat is now up, the radish has been drilled, leaving only mustard still to go in the ground. I’m told this will happen this week.

The cows have nearly finished calving but the grass is growing and milk production is steadily increasing.

It might be a good spring which will be another reason to celebrate.

Connon

CONTRACTORS SERVICES

On Our Farm

Hugo Lee farms in partnership with his father, Guy, at Sandystones, near St Boswells. Arable crops of wheat, oilseed rape, malting barley, oats and rye are grown, 400 Angus cattle are finished annually, 8000 organic hens produce eggs for Waitrose and 14,000 organic point of lay pullets are reared each year. I sit writing this on our balcony looking out over the Indian Ocean. We are staying for a week on the Kenyan coast near a town called Kilifi with my sister Pixie, her husband Max and their three children. We were all meant to be here last Christmas but Jess sadly got covid so this is our rearranged holiday. It is an absolutely beautiful place, the see is warm, white sandy beaches run as far as the eye can see and the sun never stops shining.

We left Sandystones having completed stage one of the big move. Our house is now empty and all in storage at the farm until the day we return from Kenya and move into my parents’ house. Depleting a hen house, autumn drilling and moving house all at the same time was certainly not ideal. However, we have done it without any real disasters although we did manage to lose all our elder daughter Tilly’s shoes in the move!

For a second year running we have had fantastic weather in September. All the winter cereals were drilled into excellent seedbeds and have established really well. Even the oilseed rape has finally grown away from the dreaded flea beetle and is looking good. The direct drilled rape into the old grass leys has finally got going now that there is adequate moisture. There are plenty of plants but they are all quite small and keeping pigeons off over the winter could be a challenge.

The new grass ley establishment has been disappointing. Drilled in ideal conditions at the end of August it got a lovely soaking the following day and the grass emerged after about a week. However it has never really kicked on since then. Interestingly the grass looks great where we took out some old clumps of trees but in the rest of the field it is struggling. The field was soil tested and lime applied pre drilling. Both P and K levels appeared ok when tested. Maybe they are being locked up and not available? We are getting the whole field retested this week for both macro and micro nutrients. It is frustrating when you think that you have got everything right. One of the joys of farming is that there is always a different challenge and no year, month, week, day is ever the same. Hopefully we will find a solution as it is one of our key silage fields for next year!

Grass growth over the last month has been incredible. It ground to a halt in July which meant we had no second cut silage. However, the September rains combined with mild weather has seen us go from famine to feast. We usually have to get all our cattle in by the end of September as fields get too wet and the grass runs out of steam. If conditions stay like this we could have cattle out until November which would really help our winter feed stocks. Unfortunately, but not unexpected, bird flu is rampaging through the country once again. Worryingly we have seen a huge spike in cases recently in East Anglia caused by infection from domestic wild birds. Previously the majority of infections have come from migratory birds. Already over half the UK farmed goose population has been slaughtered as well as a large number of turkeys. I feel so sorry for all farmers affected. All we can do is ensure our bio security levels are very high and keep regularly reviewing them.

I must go as the children are desperate for me to swim in the sea with them. I could get used to this lifestyle, back to reality next week!

Sunset dhow cruise

Winter ploughing

Agricultural Finance Specialists

Talking........Organic

Simon Bainbridge farms in partnership with his wife Claire and his parents, Ivan and Elisabeth in Northumberland. They run suckler beef, sheep and laying hen enterprises across 650 ha of mainly SDA and moorland - organically.

Mentally I have been preparing for a hard winter. I feel that as we’ve only had about 50% of the rain fall that should have fallen so far, the rest is still to come and knowing our luck it’ll come in the form of snow! However, glancing at a headline the other day, a University Professor from Reading has predicted a mild winter, which, he says, will help us with all our energy bills… hopefully feed bills too.

At present it’s hard to be cheery about the coming months. The economy and domestic policy for both farming and all other matters appears to be in freefall. Is Elms happening? It was, then it wasn’t, now it is, or is it? It’s very demoralising not being able to plan properly for the future.

The cattle are doing well, however with scanning coming up in the next month or so, we’ll see whether the dry weather and drought has had an impact on conception rates. We are busy vaccinating against respiratory ailments. We’re using Bovalto Respi 3 which covers against RSV, PI3 and Mannheimia Haemolytica. They were also wormed with their first vaccine just to reduce the risk of lungworm. We’re busy putting the second vaccine in now along with a vaccine for IBR.

We are TB testing next month. We were in a radial, which was the first ever radial in Northumberland and all those caught up in it, passed with flying colours. The clock has reset to four yearly testing again, however not everyone gets to wait four years, as they have to stagger the testing, so we’ve fallen about a year or so after our last test.

The new cattle shed is making progress. Groundworks are complete and hopefully the steelwork will go up shortly. With interest rates going up I wish I had secured the rates months ago, however hindsight is a wonderful thing. I also seem to have trouble with e-signing documents. The security of receiving a code via text message is challenging as I don’t have good signal in the house. Step outside to get signal and you lose the Wi-Fi and the network goes, so you can’t put the code in. Hanging out the window, can work occasionally. You’d think in 2022 we would have this resolved – but not in deepest, darkest Northumberland. Sheep are also doing well, with lambs now going away regularly. The price isn’t quite where it needs to be, when looking at the inflated costs. We’re putting the lambs back through the Racewell to split into short, medium and long-term keep for the third time. They are rotating

new Swaledale

Sadly, we lost one last month

typical

manner.

fella went

was removed. It then decided to have a fight, but having no horn to protect

Borders

Diesel and Kero Treatments plus D-Bug

SGS Gases

to

an

now stock a

WHENEVER

Talking........from the boundary

I am not very popular sitting in the office writing this, which I have left, as usual, to the last minute, when I should be in the house helping throw away all my years of hoarding. Today is moving day, the house is full of boxes and we will soon not know where anything is!

Being a relatively small farm size wise we have grown the business through intensifying land use with egg production and game farming. And some of that has not been on our own land but through joint ventures with other producers. One of these came to an end last week after 11 years of working together. In 2012 I advertised in Agrimart for a contract partner to take on the organic pullet rearing. Anne Rae with her partner Nigel took on the challenge and 59 flocks later the time has come for her to retire from the commitment of producing a batch of 2000+ every 8 weeks. The cycle was never ending with 4000 birds of two ages in the shed at any one time. The experts said it would not work with naïve (ie unvaccinated birds) almost sharing the same air space as those vaccinated. But to Anne’s credit it worked superbly well and more than once Anne produced more pullets at 16 weeks old than day old chicks were delivered! The birds were always above the target weight, in great condition and set the new flocks in the laying sheds off to a perfect start. She never complained, she just got on with the job whatever the weather, her health (including a broken leg) and any other situations she had to contend with. She was very ably assisted by Bruce, her brother. Her quandary as whether to give up the rearing was answered by the landlord wanting the field back for his own use. Thank you Anne for all your hard work. Philly and I went on a very interesting walk last week led by Alistair Moffat, the founder of the Borders Book Festival, and a man with an incredible knowledge of Borders history who relates it in a very vivid style. We were following the route that St Cuthbert took starting at Brotherstone Hill which has three megalithic stones which were probably placed there some 3000 BC. We walked past Bemersyde, down to Dryburgh Abbey and then along the Tweed to Old Melrose where St Cuthbert joined the monastery before going to Lindisfarne where he was consecrated a Bishop. There is so much to learn about history on your door step.

Guy Lee

Talking

of the

Tom Pate farms 240ha of arable on a tenanted farm in Angus. Cropping includes wheat, spring barley, rye and oilseed rape along with land let for potatoes and vining peas. Additionally, around 6500 pigs are reared annually under contract and 600 Christmas turkeys sold directly to the public under the KellyBronze franchise. On his wife’s 380ha family farm in the Angus Glens they also run 200 red deer hinds plus followers for venison production, along with developing a forestry enterprise.

Last month I was involved in discussions on the labour shortage issues affecting rural businesses. Across the board from dairy farms, hospitality providers, arable farms to professional services such as rural architectural practices, labour availability is a major concern. Many reasons and causes were brought forward for the lack of people willing to work in the rural economy such as restrictions on overseas workers, poor public transport infrastructure and an education system that fails to promote the opportunities available outside the urban scene. But the one that struck me as a constant issue is the lack of affordable/ suitable housing.

Second home ownership and properties being used as short-term holiday rentals are often seen as the primary reason for potential workers being unable to find accommodation in the Scottish countryside. There are certainly “honeypot” areas throughout the country where this is a big challenge and housing is at a premium. But I am of the belief that the bigger issue is that letting properties for longterm rental has become so unattractive to landlords that supply of housing is being restricted. Letting out a property on a Private Residential Tenancy/ Short Assured Tenancy is not for the faint-hearted. The over regulation, bureaucracy and liabilities associated is daunting. A tenancy should be a mutually beneficial arrangement where landlord and tenant have equal rights and protection under law. For legislators, it’s a difficult balancing act where both parties are protected, and the property is fit for use and maintained by landlord and tenant alike. Unfortunately, current legislation has gone too far in supporting the tenant and penalising the landlord. Tenancies require a myriad of paperwork along with various compliance certificates. The gas, electrical and energy certificates are a necessary burden as properties must be safe and fit for modern living, but all add substantially to the cost and complexity of letting properties. For the unwary landlord getting any of this wrong leaves them exposed to hefty penalties and legal claims.

Once you have a tenant you hope all goes well and rents paid on time and the property is well maintained and both parties are happy. However, this isn’t always the case and landlord/tenant relationship is broken. Ending a tenancy is completely weighted in the tenant’s favour and it can take months and months to end a tenancy with the landlord only regaining control of the property once the keys are handed over. Unscrupulous tenants know this only too well and can easily live rent free for months until the law falls in favour of the landlord. Why would property owners take the risk on long-term lets? No wonder short-term holiday lets are an attractive alternative. Unfortunately, the rule makers now have holiday lets in their bureaucratic sights too and are introducing licensing obligations and fees that are controlled by local authorities. We are therefore in a situation where regulators are adding yet more legislation to reduce short-term holiday lets (which don’t forget are an increasingly important part of the rural economy) in the hope of increasing the availability of affordable rental properties.

Turkeys

Why not instead readdress the balance of tenancy so that owners had the confidence to let their properties long-term? A fair and healthy rental sector is vital to the economy, but this is being suffocated by a system which penalises landlords which ultimately only reduces supply, increases rents and makes living and working in rural areas unfeasible or unaffordable.

Talking

with SAC Consulting

Fertiliser and Nutrient Budgeting

Craig Bothwell has been with SAC Consulting for over 7 years and is a Senior Consultant and office manager in our Edinburgh office. The Edinburgh consultants are Craig, Mary-Jane Lawrie, Mark Bowsher-Gibbs, Douglas Ogilvie and business support Karen Little.

Many of our arable clients will have bought some of their fertiliser for 2023, but few will have bought all so now is a good time to plan what is needed and make decisions on product and quantity. At current forward grain prices there is confidence in the arable sector to justify the spend on fertiliser but less so for beef and sheep enterprises. Fertiliser prices remain volatile and that is unlikely to change in the short term. Phosphate & potash (P&K) prices have softened over the last 6 weeks with triple super phosphate (TSP) coming back in price. However, with the changes in currency valuation last week it is not certain whether these will continue to soften or rise. The nitrogen (N) price is still being driven by gas prices and with exchange rate changes and the reduction in production of UK ammonium nitrate it is expected these prices will continue to rise. Currently urea is providing the cheapest source of N, but it is important that we compare N based on price per kg of nutrient and not price per tonne. Growers should also recognise there may be a degree of uncertainty around supply and availability of product due to the issues seen with supply chains. So, it is important to have planned ahead on product and allow sufficient time for delivery, to ensure you get the most efficient use of fertiliser when crop timings are optimum. There are other options available to supply P&K using organic manures and products such as anaerobic digestate or layer manure. However, most crops will still have a need for manufactured nitrogen. Generally, organic manures work out as a cheaper source of nutrients than manufactured fertilisers even when factoring in the increased costs to spread. However, the availability of haulage and storage of organic manures remains a challenge for many. There are many things farmers can do to help tailor fertiliser applications, one being to analyse the organic manures available on the farm. This is a small additional cost given the potential fertiliser it can save and is becoming more common practice on many farms. Results often show greater total nutrients than standard book values giving a bigger opportunity to save money on purchased P&K.

SAC Consulting are running a Nutrient Budget workshop in Perth, Midlothian and the Borders area to help farmers plan fertiliser applications. It will take a step-by-step approach through how to work out crop requirements, how to make the most of organic manures and to how calculate the balance required from bagged fertiliser. Places are limited, but if you would like to join, please book your place at www.fas.scot

For a more in-depth review of nutrient management the Farm Advisory service currently have £1,000 of specialist funding towards a soil and nutrient management plan. You can apply on the same link above or talk to your local consultant.

• Pitcairngreen Inn, Perth, 26th October, 12.30pm • Greenlaw War Memorial Hall, Duns, 10th November, 12:00pm

• Stair Arms, Pathhead, 11th November, 12.30pm

Talking........from Lincolnshire

Will Howe is an arable farmer from Sleaford, Lincolnshire. The soils are predominantly heavy. There is 500ha of cropping including winter wheat, spring beans, spring oats and oilseed rape. He also manages a contracting business Thorpe Farming Ltd.

The NHS just can’t help itself, no matter how much money it receives it always needs more. This was ably proven last week when I went for my flu jab. As a “vulnerable” little flower I get offered a shot early on for which I am grateful, but it appears no lessons have been learnt. Last year when we were all masked up petrified of speaking to anyone, the surgery had us all come in the front door where we were greeted by a single receptionist, stand 2mtrs apart, roll our sleeves up and then exit by the back door. There were 2 nurses operating from adjacent rooms so when one went in for a refill, the other came out, stood at the oche and fired. There was literally no need to stop moving. The three of them were injecting 120 people/hr. Roll on to this year and there is still the receptionist, and 2 nurses but each nurse has an admin person too and they all want to see if you are okay in private consultation rooms. This year 5 people are doing 24 people/hr. Are they short of money, or just have no idea how to spend it?

Shall I moan about the weather? Oh go on then. It is a bit boring, but it is the only topic anyone is talking about. Heavy land oilseed rape is not looking good, with many people including myself redrilling areas which we still had time for but with no rain it is now so far behind it has its work cut out to escape the slugs and pigeons before fully establishing. Wheat drilling is in full swing around the county, with clouds of dust everywhere. We are not turning a wheel until we have more moisture. I have zero soil moisture below 50mm, and zero above 15mm despite some rain yesterday. I won’t drill until I see enough rain for me to be confident the pre-ems will work. I fear this is the year a lot of good work against blackgrass will be undone with 2019 looming large in many people’s memories.

The dry weather at least allowed us to get all the land work done in good time. Having been breaking shear bolts for fun at home, Worth’s farm was a dream. Other than the journey home. Rain meant the subsoiler had been delayed and didn’t leave until 3pm on a Friday afternoon which meant he caught the traffic, exacerbated by 3 accidents, 2 diversions and 3hrs of his life he will never get back all for a 28-mile journey. Fortunately, I checked the traffic reports before leaving with the rolls and spotted the level crossing was shut for works requiring a completely new route up the roughest of fen roads. Neither journey wants repeating…

Now all I want is enough rain for the residual herbicides

work

rape

grow,

cotyledon rape nor make it impossible to drill wheat otherwise I could look a bit of a

too much