Farmer's - a question

[FfionWinnie]

I for one don't think that NHS workers or farmers are badly paid or that we as consumers demand silly hours from either. I think we are all talking from our own experiences and our views are dependant on our locality and as usual alot of us have different ideas on the same subject. There are good and bad farmers, same as any area of life and they certainly have varying animal welfare standards.....would be foolish not to think so. I also don't buy the how hard life is for sheep farmers at this time of year, the hours are long for a few weeks, but no one is forced to farm sheep and there are other times of the year when there isn't alot of work to be done....the weather has made this spring alot harder for sheep farmers in some areas....there are people complaining about lambing on this thread who are in areas with no snow. I live on a farm, to say the farmer here is casual about the welfare of his sheep and cattle would be an understatement.

Clearly you don't know what you are talking about and are too ignorant to learn. I get paid for 35 hours a week. I work 70 hours a week and at lambing time I work 112 hours a week and often get up in the middle of the night to check what's in the shed. I'm not complaining. Merely trying to educate you, however, it would appear there are wiser things eating grass (or not, as the case may be).

What are you doing living on this farm if you don't like the standard of animal welfare there, no point whining about it on here, do something about it.

 

[jrp204]

Yes, farming is a choice, just like all jobs but unlike most jobs farmers provide people with FOOD. Be it meat or cereals it is still food and it doesn't miraculously appear in the supermarket. Farmers moan because often the product they produce is then sold at a price dictated by the supermarkets often below the price of production, and to the consumer still owns that food is expensive. Rules and regulations are brought in by the urban majority who will never lay their hands on the land or an animal.
We have sheep, my OH when lambing is often working an 18/20 hour day but yes, there are other times of the year when it is quieter but he will then working a 50-60 hr week instead.

 

[Ranyhyn]

My oh is lambing out (albeit tiny 40 flock) and does a very hard full time job as well AND we have a 7.5 month old first baby but you'll not hear him complaining-he comes alive at this time of year!!
But our livelihood doesn't depend on it, our farm is outside our back door and we have no bad weather to contend with really, compared to some.

I think those "moaning" are very often, totally validated. It's hard, it's tiring and it's stressful when your livelihood hangs on it!

 

[Ranyhyn]

Also, as horse owners we often complain about mud, high temps, midges, mucking out, traffic....
Yet we chose it...
It's a pretty simplistic view to say if you chose it, you can't complain!

 

[AmyMay]

I for one don't think that NHS workers or farmers are badly paid or that we as consumers demand silly hours from either.

Nurses are very badly paid, and unless subsidy 'savvy', farmers aren't much better off.

 

[lc1993]

Bonny you are talking absolute nonsense to suggest sheep farmers are only busy at lambing time.
Please feel free to come to our farm any day of the year an we will show you how busy it always is. Farming doesn't have holidays Christmas Day we are still out feeding livestock an checking animals.. So many idiotic posts on this thread it's actually frightening.
I bet a lot of the people slagging of farmers rely on them at some point for hay/feed/help. Not sure I would help many of you at all tbh after reading your naive views on the farming lifestyle!!

 

[FfionWinnie]

I bet a lot of the people slagging of farmers rely on them at some point for hay/feed/help. Not sure I would help many of you at all tbh after reading your naive views on the farming lifestyle!!

It actually makes me feel really sad to be on the receiving end of such vitriol. Why do people hate farmers so much, I can only think jealousy and ignorance is at the root of it.

Would folk prefer to get rid of UK farmers and "rely" on imported food? Good luck with that one.

 

[amandap]

Just another thought, a lot of our local hill farmers are tennant farmers, so not able to raise any funds from selling/mortgaging the land or any 'spare' buildings.

... and then there's planning and National Parks. Hill sheep actually sculpt the landscape many love. Perhaps sheep should be pulled from the hills and moors and it be left to turn back to woodland and scrub? This is one reason hill farmers are subsidized.
I doubt planning and the great British public would like to see buildings in every other field or on the hills and moors to store fodder, just in case.

ps. Farming is a choice but if you have hill land what can you diversify into? Perhaps public should pay to walk on the land? lol The choice seems to me to be farming or the dole for many.

 

[RFido]

I'm not a farmer... But a farmer's daughter (close enough?!). I go to all the markets with my dad as he is a fodder man, and so I get to see many people and their farm's all over the country.

Hill farmers are in a very poor position - It is understandable that if they started trying to bring all their sheep in when the weather turned, it is likely that they would get stuck themselves, never mind find every ewe and lamb. What people have to remember is that the terrain that such farmers have, mixed with snow, high wind and open air makes a recipe for disaster and it is EXTREMELY hard for them. So i support you in this view that sometimes, in certain situations, farmers really cannot help what happens, especially with the situation at hand, as they had no idea such weather was coming and it wouldnt usually.

HOWEVER, what i saw on Friday just gone was absolutely sickening, and "farmers" such as the man I met, do not deserve to keep animals, nor do they know what to do with them. There is always two sides to any one story and this is the extreme opposite to hill farmers; We had a few inches of snow already on the ground, this man owned a small holding with around 80 ewes, some of which had lambs at foot that were a few days old... His farm was across around 40/45 acres and all that was flat and mainly visible from the farm house/yard..... He decided to turn all his sheep and lambs out. My dad noted to him that we were expecting more snow, and he replied with 'Sheep are hardy enough, lad' (He was about 15 years younger than my Dad, which royally p****d him off!). I was disgusted.

I agree that sometimes, it cannot be helped. But I also think that there are many 'farmers' now days that don't have the love and affection for the animals, nor the passion of being a countryman and pride of having a thriving farm - many have the mentally that if they are on the fields, they arent in the sheds and therefore, no feed has to be bought. It's very sad, but thats the way some farmers are nowadays. (In no way am I accusing you of this at all - hill farming is a completely different kettle of fish and I respect you, as it is probably one of the hardest types of farm to keep afloat!)

 

[Suelin]

It actually makes me feel really sad to be on the receiving end of such vitriol. Why do people hate farmers so much, I can only think jealousy and ignorance is at the root of it.

Would folk prefer to get rid of UK farmers and "rely" on imported food? Good luck with that one.

I absolutely do not hate farmers. I have the utmost respect for those family run farms that turn out every day of the year and work unrelenting hours in all possible weather. We have one next to us and they are wonderful hardworking people Just wanted you to know that some of us really appreciate the contribution that our farmers make to our economy, landscape and food availability.
We could all do more to help by only buying British foodstuff. I have done for as long as I can remember and I openly complain about the lack of British products as well.

My heart goes out to those farmers who have lost livestock; and to those who would vilify them, it is wise to walk a mile in someone else's shoes before making a judgement

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

Another completely shocked by some of the posts on this thread! I just hope there are lots of people reading and learning.

My blood pressure can't take anymore of this, I'm out of this thread it is making me question the social direction this country is heading in. One way ticket to New Zealand anyone?

I'm not even a farmer and it was making my blood boil! Hope your blood pressure has recovered!

You really wouldn't like their standards of animal welfare particularly for farm animals, I can assure you.

They block cover their cows but if any don't calve within their time limit they either abort them or shoot the cow; they go round the paddocks shooting any bull calves; they never use the vet just leave them to either get on with it or die and have a hard job to check their animals once a day even when calving. The sheep don't fare any better either so please don't say NZ is the place to go; if you're an animal lover it most certainly isn't. That butter advert is a joke.

I've also spent a fair bit of time in NZ (all of it on farms) and have never come across some of the practices you mention. Was the ^ on a dairy farm? It is one of the industries I have had little to do with so far.

My experience has been that: yes calling the vet was unheard of on some properties (time and economically just not viable) and they would either shoot the animal or bring it down to the yards to care for it as best they could. Most having a fairly decent stock of basic drugs on hand, and knowledge of how to treat most cureable aliments.

Sadly on 48,000 acres of mountain it is not possible to check all 13,000 head of stock regularly so natural selection plays a role in herd survival - same as it does for any wild animal. And going by the large, very fit & grumpy feral bull we ran into one day some are thriving a bit too well!

I'm sure there are some places that are worse than others but don't tar the whole nation with one brush! I quite like the Kiwis

Oh dear god. I have never read such drivel in all my days. Having been borna and reared on a farm I find it incredible, really incredible how ignorant people can be about how meat lands ont heir plates.
Space for all of them? Are you serious? Should we knit jumpers and blankets to tuck them into as well? Hill sheep are bred to live out, yean out, and an awful lot of farmers can't afford massive yeaning sheds.
These are exceptional circumstances. The weather and the year it's been have conspired to create truely ****e conditions. We rear finishers for beef and everything is still in the shed with no sign of grass to come yet and silage running out. Also one of my fathers friends up north put his sheep in, only for the old wooden trusses in the shed to collapse with the weight of snow on it and kill all inside.
Also remember a lot of what is dug out alive will die, the shock, cold and lack of feed will finish them off. So that's a ewe and lamb lost.
Whole livelihoods have been wiped out. Farmers have been left with nothing from herds built up over generations. If anyone seriously thinks they left livestock out to die needs their heads examined.
If anyone wants to step into our wellies go ahead-getting up before when you are well within single digits to milk, feed or fodther (don't know the english word for it) cattle and the same when you get home in all weathers. You grow up working, there are NEVER lie-ins, or holidays. We can't afford to pay someone to look after our stock so my parents have never been on a holiday. Ever in their lives. It is a 24 hour job, 365 days a year. It's hard, long, tough work, and it is relentless. You are at the mercy of nature and very very little money is made. It is something in your blood, your soul. Farmers are born over here, not made.
Add to this how much grain has risen in price over the years and beef prices have dropped? You do the maths. Every animal is precious, and no farmer leaves profit out to die in a field cos they can't be bothered looking after it.
I'm going to stop now, before I begin spitting with rage. I could triple the length of this post! Such levels of self riteous ignorance incense me. Sin é I am out!

To add to the above wise words of wisdom and common sense/ rational.

Worked on a farm where it cost $80 (excluding labour and property maintaince) to get a lamb to market age. The farmer that year expected to get $82 at market.
He has a mortgage on his property (ridiculously valued at over $20 million) of which he is the second generation trying to pay it off. He has 100s of km of fencing and yards/infrastruce to maintain and then salaries of the 2 staff he employs and I haven't even brought up the red tape costs...
All of this is meant to be paid for off the $2 head he was going to make. Even selling 4,000 head that is only $8,000 profit for the YEAR

No subsidy in NZ and a totally different standard of animal welfare over there too. One man will be responsible for thousands and thousands of sheep. They do not help anything to survive, if it can't make it itself, it will die or be destroyed (if it's lucky). My ewes are checked 5 times a day at lambing time, from dawn til dusk as they do not lamb when its dark (a sixteen hour day by the end of April). Ewes are not checked like this in NZ.

Yes I chose to work in agriculture. If farmers didn't farm what would we eat? If you ate today you likely need to thank a farmer.

I also work in Ag but in a very different climate to the UK/Europe I was fairly astonished the first time I heard people on here talking about helping ewes during lambing! I knew it was done but not as standard practice. And brining them in? a very forigen concept!

They way I have seen everything done is that near lambing/calving you make sure the ewes/cows are on the best and most sheltered feed and check on them when you can but certainly not sit up all night with them! More likely go out spotlighting for wild pigs/dogs/foxes which can cause significant losses in some areas especially in sheep.
A 'successful' lambing was an 80-95% lambing rate not 110% which I heard someone on here mention once!

It is a very different world out here....


Thoughts with all farmers who have suffered flood, fire or snow so far this year.


Totally random question/thought. Here they have a volunteer organisation called 'Blaze Aid' it is a group who co-ordinate volunteers to help farmers rebuild/recover after bushfires go through. It works anywhere in the country help is needed. It is entierly volunteer and costs no one anything as as well as coordinating volunteer labour they organise food (donated) to feed the volunteers so most of the time all the farmers have to provide is a bit of land for people to camp on.

In the much more densely populated UK surely it would be possible to arrange something similar?

 

[Vixen Van Debz]

Friend of a friend back in the worst hit area in N.I. did put his sheep indoors. However, the weight of the snow collapsed the building, killing most of the sheep inside. It is not a cure all solution, especially when many are without power too. Besides, most of the farmers with some snow are alright (though clearly it's far from ideal and they're not thriving). It's those without the warning that the snow would be of apocalyptic proportions whereby they would need food choppered to their houses in the end, never mind to their livestock, that are suffering on the level of devastation. Things are rarely as simple as they seem

 

[cronkmooar]

I AM RE POSTING THIS POST FROM MYSELF AS CUFFEY HAS BEEN SUFFICIENTLY OFFENDED TO PM ME. THE WAY THE QUOTED POSTS HAVE GROUPED TOGETHER APPEARS TO HAVE CAUSED CONFUSION - HOWEVER, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT MY PREVIOUS POSTS WOULD HAVE MADE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT I AM NOT ON THE FARMER BASHING TRAIN

I am surprised that farmers would stock their land higher than they can feed in the event of a bit of adverse weather. This is not "once in a lifetime" conditions. If they have no feed, what were they planning to feed their nursing and in lamb sheep, which in the Peaks are fed at this time of year, snow or no snow?


Is the IoM in the EU? Since the single payment, based on land area not stocking numbers, the stock levels here are markedly lower.

This part of my post is referring to the comments made by cptrayes above

You really are not only irritating and rude but also ignorant on so many levels.

Your time might be better off actually educating yourself rather than spouting drivel on an equine forum.

I will make this slightly easier for you

1. It most certainly is once in a lifetime conditions here - and elsewhere if you take the time to read this thread;
2. The Isle of Man is not in the EU neither is it in the UK

I would also suggest that you re read this thread and note the comments from those that know what they are talking about with regard to farming before commenting again

The post below was copied to indicate to cyptres that it is not just the Isle of Man that has been affected by lack of fodder for agricultural animals

I have a local farmer now looking for 40 round bales of hay for his sheep
Never known him have to advertise before, in a 'normal year' he would make sufficient to last the winter--in 2012 it just did not happen.

I HOPE THAT MAKES THIS POST CLEARER

 

[RunToEarth]

I thank you I have to say one of the laws I would try and pass, is that anyone who thought livestock farming was easy had to spend a week on a farm in January/February actually working the hours the farmer and his family do. Just another thought, a lot of our local hill farmers are tennant farmers, so not able to raise any funds from selling/mortgaging the land or any 'spare' buildings.

Thank you YorksG - very sensible words.

Sometimes this forum just angers me, if the rest of the country are so ignorant to how farming operates we really are without a paddle in this.

I have read, for the last few weeks so many posts about how this weather is rubbish, how people are struggling to do their two horses, how their haylage costs are going up again, and how they have to spend at extra 20minutes a day because of this foul weather.

My parents are dairy farmers. Last year when the weather was rubbish, the silaging was taking forever and places were flooding, the milk crisis arrived, just when everyone in the industry was fed up enough. This week they were snowed in, the milk tanker couldn't get up the lane and they ended up tipping thousands of litres of milk into the slurry pit. They are milking over 300 cows, they don't do it for fun and if you think it is easy I would urge you to take on YorksG's suggestion, get up at 4.30am and milk in the snow.

Thinking long and hard about this, I am going to confidently write that I cannot for one moment think that any farmer who had livestock out when this snow hit thought for one moment they were going to lose them. No farmer/businessman/human being would have left them out there in the snow to die if they had thought for one moment there was any other alternative. I would also hazard a guess that digging livestock out of snowdrifts is in no way fun/exciting or even a remotely easy job to do.

It must be lovely for everyone who has no involvement, you can ride along the bridleways and drive past the hedgerows in your cars and think that life on the other side continues in a pool of content. The industry has just had 18 months of hell. Rubbish harvest, yields well down, root and veg crops left in the ground and no one really got much drilling done in the autumn because it was too wet. It's still below six degrees and its still wet, so all those hoping they could compensate with spring drilling are still in the rubbish. We've had Schmallenberg to deal with, a dairy crisis, grain traders screwing producers over brought forward contracts, SFP on its way out with CAP reform - and now the industry leaders are in crisis talks over the rising death toll of livestock following yet more rubbish weather.

Farmers with piles of dead ewes in their yards are also going to have to stump up the knacker man's costs - and the only positive trend that seems to be evident since the start of 2012 is the figures released by Farmers Weekly suggesting that as all this rubbish started, the suicide rate has risen.

People always say that farmers do the whole "woe is me" speech, but after I read how much people are struggling with a couple of horses I do wonder how they might cope with 550 dairy cows and still manage to meet everyone's criticism of the industry with some form of dry smile.

 

[cronkmooar]

Below is an extract from our local paper today, which perhaps those that consider it cruel to leave livestock outside might be interested in:

"A Farmer who lost half her livestock when two shed roofs collapsed on top of them has described the incident as heatbreaking.

[FARMERS NAME], who farms at Kirk Michael moved her stock into the sheds to shelter them from the freezing conditions outside.

The roofs of two of the sheds colapsed at 7am on Saturday after they had around FIVE TO SIX FOOT of snow on top of them.

The decision to shelter the livestock is something that [NAME OF FARMER] regrets. She said "I regret bringing them in, if I had left those sheep out they would have been alive.

When the weather is bad we bring the livestock closer to home. I've never seen snow like it here, you see it in other countries but you never expect it here. The snow was horrendous on the Saturday morning, the two main sheds were filled with cattle and sheep. There are now sheep going round with no lambs".

The family lost cows, calves, sheep and lambs. Many sheep that survived had to be later put down by a vet.

The steel sheds, which they died in, were only purchased by the family a year ago.

The farmer, who has spent the last few days in tears had 450 sheep and over 70 cows, the farmer said she knew all the cows by name and its not all about money. It is absolutely sickening what has happened.

The first two days I was running on adrenalin, now I start crying when I see the sheds.

We have to pay for the livestock to be taken away and incinerated. It is hard going"

There is also a picture of the buildings and I can tell you that the sheds are flattened. The Government have also anounced that farmers will not be charged for the removal of dead stock

 

[TJP]

I haven't read all the posts on this thread as my blood pressure couldn't stick it. Some of the posts on here are unbelievable.
There is a lack of fooder for animals, due to weather, last years crop was terrible. A few examples of what people are dealing with.
I brought all the horses in as they would be 'safer'. What I did not expect was that the weight of the snow would bring part of the upper yards roof down. Fortunately the tractor was parked up there and the roof landed on the tractor, saved part of the roof, and let the 2 horses up there escape from their stables into the sandschool.
A friend has lost 2 sheds, 1 machinery and the other on top of 60 cattle, saved by the fact the metal feeder running down the middle of the shed helped prop the roof off the cattle. Others were literally standing and keeping sections up on their backs.
Another neighbour has his whole machinery shed down, another has his cattle shed down, a friend spent 7 hours with a digger getting a mare home from the field. Another is currently buying silage at £30 a bale as the cattle should be out on the fields by now and he has ran out of fodder. A friend is planning a 120 mile round trip to collect hay.
People with livestock are running out of feed and feed merchants cannot reach them.
The bringing the animals in is a damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I would recommend people who can sit and 'judge' that the farmers are doing it all wrong have an attempt at keeping livestock safe in these conditions themselves.

 

[RunToEarth]

I think one of the problems with complaining farmers is that a lot of people would gladly swap places with them !

I can understand why a person who has absolutely no concept of the industry, constraints and limitations of any kind of farming in the UK may feel this way.

In this fluffy world that some posters on this thread seem to live in, it would be absolutely wonderful to be a farmer. You could get up, play with the livestock, have a drive in the tractor and talk to half of the villagers like they did on Emmerdale Farm, and then you would have the rest of the day free to indulge in riding anywhere you like without any consequences because you own it. Farmers have lots of buildings, hay and straw as well so lots of pink ponies can live there.

In reality farming is bloody hell and hard work and I am more than happy for you to come stay with me for a week and see what you make of it. Parents are dairy farmers, OH is arable and I am a land agent and spend most of my days at the moment visiting other farmers who have had an equally hellish time trying to keep head above water. This afternoon quite literally as I will be on the side of a still very swollen and tidal river Trent.

 

[mirage]

I'm shocked by some of the ignorance spouted on this threadMy family are farmers and usually bring in the due to lamb ewes and keep them in until the lambs are strong enough to go out.However,due to the wet ground and biting cold,we couldn't actually get any sheep back to the fields once they'd lambed,the tractor and trailer just sank into the gateways,so,until today,they have all been in yards,under barns,in pens constructed of straw bales as there is no where else for them to go.

I am not a farmer,it is too much hard work for too little money,but my parents and relations who are, are all over 70,apart from one,are they are putting in long,physically arduous days of endless feeding,bedding down,watering,bottle feeding,lambing.Me and my non farming sister are going down to help before and after our normal jobs,as are my daughters,as they need all the help they can get at the minute.It makes looking after our ponies feel like a walk in the park compared to the relentless slog that farming is.

 

[Bertieb123]

Oh dear god. I have never read such drivel in all my days. Having been borna and reared on a farm I find it incredible, really incredible how ignorant people can be about how meat lands ont heir plates.
Space for all of them? Are you serious? Should we knit jumpers and blankets to tuck them into as well? Hill sheep are bred to live out, yean out, and an awful lot of farmers can't afford massive yeaning sheds.
These are exceptional circumstances. The weather and the year it's been have conspired to create truely ****e conditions. We rear finishers for beef and everything is still in the shed with no sign of grass to come yet and silage running out. Also one of my fathers friends up north put his sheep in, only for the old wooden trusses in the shed to collapse with the weight of snow on it and kill all inside.
Also remember a lot of what is dug out alive will die, the shock, cold and lack of feed will finish them off. So that's a ewe and lamb lost.
Whole livelihoods have been wiped out. Farmers have been left with nothing from herds built up over generations. If anyone seriously thinks they left livestock out to die needs their heads examined.
If anyone wants to step into our wellies go ahead-getting up before when you are well within single digits to milk, feed or fodther (don't know the english word for it) cattle and the same when you get home in all weathers. You grow up working, there are NEVER lie-ins, or holidays. We can't afford to pay someone to look after our stock so my parents have never been on a holiday. Ever in their lives. It is a 24 hour job, 365 days a year. It's hard, long, tough work, and it is relentless. You are at the mercy of nature and very very little money is made. It is something in your blood, your soul. Farmers are born over here, not made.
Add to this how much grain has risen in price over the years and beef prices have dropped? You do the maths. Every animal is precious, and no farmer leaves profit out to die in a field cos they can't be bothered looking after it.
I'm going to stop now, before I begin spitting with rage. I could triple the length of this post! Such levels of self riteous ignorance incense me. Sin é I am out!

HERE HERE! people once again spouting off when they do not know the true facts! Yes we have extreme weather and yes Farmers loosing stock. Perhaps stop and think also some farms are handed down gereration to generation along with the 'bloodlines' (of animals) do you all really think they want to loose any? do you think they are happy watching helplessly? all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears for nothing? If you all so concerned what are YOU actually doing about it, have you volunteered to help out when you possibly know someone is struggling here? some comments really are not helpful, I feel for all those who are in this awful position.

 

[touchstone]

Here is the clip of the hill farmer I mentioned, it also gives the reasons why it isn't always in the animals best interests to be indoors:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-21959368

He certainly looks like someone who cares for his stock to me.

 

[Maesfen]

Forgive the blue but I can't work out how to do multi quotes from one post!

Another completely shocked by some of the posts on this thread! I just hope there are lots of people reading and learning.
I've also spent a fair bit of time in NZ (all of it on farms) and have never come across some of the practices you mention. Was the ^ on a dairy farm? It is one of the industries I have had little to do with so far.

I'm sure there are some places that are worse than others but don't tar the whole nation with one brush! I quite like the Kiwis

This was a dairy plant where a friend went on placement for a year. He couldn't believe the callousness that went on, not only there but several other plants in that area. He lost a lot of respect for those responsible for these actions, very barbaric.

I was fairly astonished the first time I heard people on here talking about helping ewes during lambing! I knew it was done but not as standard practice. And brining them in? a very forigen concept!

A 'successful' lambing was an 80-95% lambing rate not 110% which I heard someone on here mention once!

It is a very different world out here....

While there might be many problems within the industry, that is one of the core strengths; the farmers actually care about their stock and would not leave lambing/calving to chance like that. It's one of the reasons British Farming is better than so many other countries.


Totally random question/thought. Here they have a volunteer organisation called 'Blaze Aid' it is a group who co-ordinate volunteers to help farmers rebuild/recover after bushfires go through. It works anywhere in the country help is needed. It is entierly volunteer and costs no one anything as as well as coordinating volunteer labour they organise food (donated) to feed the volunteers so most of the time all the farmers have to provide is a bit of land for people to camp on.

In the much more densely populated UK surely it would be possible to arrange something similar?

Yes, it's called community spirit. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say if there is a problem then everyone locally lends a hand without ever having to be asked.

 

[bonny]

I think 2 things are different about farming here and in NZ/Australia......one is there are no subsidies so farmers don't tend to employ extra help at busy times and everything has to be as cheaply as possible and also the size of the farms. Sheep tend to live on huge ranches where they have to be able to survive on their own, often checked once a day at lambing if they are lucky. Any that need assistance to lamb are culled.

 

[CorvusCorax]

So, what about the neighbour that brought in as many of his sheep as he could, only for his shed roof to collapse under the weight of the snow on Friday night, trapping and killing many.

He is about to retire a 58-year farming career because he can't take any more, his father was a farmer before him, and his farmer before that.
The same area was wiped of all cattle and sheep during Foot and Mouth.
Any expert advice out there for him? I suppose he did wrong by not leaving them out to get buried in drifts too.

 

[bonny]

So, what about the neighbour that brought in as many of his sheep as he could, only for his shed roof to collapse under the weight of the snow on Friday night, trapping and killing many.

He is about to retire a 58-year farming career because he can't take any more, his father was a farmer before him, and his farmer before that.
The same area was wiped of all cattle and sheep during Foot and Mouth.
Any expert advice out there for him? I suppose he did wrong by not leaving them out to get buried in drifts too.

Everybody can only do their best and he could hardly have foreseen the shed would collapse. A tragic accident....Can't help but think that if he's been farming for 58 years he must be of an age where he is due to retire anyway......

 

[CorvusCorax]

Nope, not around here.

 

[meesha]

It is just heartbreaking to watch on TV, I have nothing but admiration for those farmers who are dealing with this unprecedented weather. if I was close enough to help I would be there with my shovel, I just hope they all stay safe themselves, watched as one lady farmer pulled out a sheep from a snow drift only to get smacked in the face with its horns...

 

[Bertieb123]

Everybody can only do their best and he could hardly have foreseen the shed would collapse. A tragic accident....Can't help but think that if he's been farming for 58 years he must be of an age where he is due to retire anyway......

Now the end of that post is a REAL INSULT! how dare you say that! How very heartless, so you under 60 these day's and on the scrap heap! Given a life time to farming, put food on your plate etc, about time some people got in the real world.

 

[YorksG]

The poster who thinks that all farmers will retire after 58 years in the industry simply shows their own ignorance, and therefore their inability to comment with any intelligence on the subject.

 

[bonny]

Now the end of that post is a REAL INSULT! how dare you say that! How very heartless, so you under 60 these day's and on the scrap heap! Given a life time to farming, put food on your plate etc, about time some people got in the real world.

I doubt he started farming at the age of 2 !! The quote was that he had a 58 year career in farming, not that he was that age. Hardly an insult, so calm down.

 

[bonny]

The poster who thinks that all farmers will retire after 58 years in the industry simply shows their own ignorance, and therefore their inability to comment with any intelligence on the subject.

Ok, I am completely clueless.....never seen an old farmer in my life !!