Farm Diary October 29 2008

It is testament to their skill that despite the appalling weather, the NFU harvest survey shows that our arable farmers are amongst the most productive in Europe, and the harvest was safely gathered in.

Of course there are problems with quality in some areas, and the cost has been very high, especially in grain drying, but the total wheat yield was up over 30% compared with last year. Europe as a whole has had a bumper harvest, and luckily mainland Europe escaped the wet weather which visited the UK persistently.

At home we are now settling in to our winter routine, with all the cows in and all silage clamps open. There are still a few maintenance jobs to do, but there always are; we are for ever working through a 'list' of 'to-do' jobs. We are pouring concrete again this week for example, as we construct a concrete and steel 'jacket' around our slurry reception pit.

This is being done for two reasons. The first is that after 25 years of battering from crazy scraper tractor drivers who use walls and rails as brakes (!) as they chase a tsunami of slurry at high speed down the yard, forgetting that it provides little grip, has left the reception pit looking a bit battered.

The second reason is that after dismantling the slurry tower (which I sold), the concrete breaking guns have done little to improve the foundations of the reception pit which was up against it. Given that the new concrete slurry towers are guaranteed for 40 years (not that I will be around to make a claim!), it is imperative that we have a structurally sound vessel for collecting slurry, which does not leak, putting their structural integrity at risk.

By the time we finish, should there be an earthquake in West Sussex, our reception pit will be left standing as a testament to enthusiastic addiction to concrete on farm.

The cows look well, and I am waiting to see how the grass and maize silage performs this winter, especially given the fact that sunshine was a rare commodity. Milk production at the moment is pretty average, but time will tell.

The grass seed that we drilled in August is looking very good indeed, but the September sown grass is struggling a bit, and I hope that the rabbits do not put too much pressure on it. We still have a few fields that we would have liked to re-seed, but they are better left for another day.

The next job will be to plough in some of the maize ground after muck-spreading, so that it breaks down over winter, leaving us with good seed-beds when the time comes. It also means that having done some of the work this autumn, we will not be totally overwhelmed by cultivation work next spring.

Research carried out by Dr Andy Thorpe, an economist from Portsmouth University, claims that a herd of 200 cows 'burp' the annual equivalent amount of methane gas, to the energy produced by a family car being driven 100,000 miles!

The research labels meat and dairy production in developing countries as being the worst offenders for methane emissions, blaming Brazil and India in particular for up to 75% of animal methane production. If this is true '“ so what!

It is simply ridiculous to make the comparison between a herd of cows and a family car, claiming that cows contribute as much towards global warming. It is typical of modern day so called 'environmentalists' to place the blame on cows and the poor in the world, for a phenomenon that we are a long way from fully understanding.

Climate change is now being addressed by the 'credit crunch', and by the recession which is likely to be deep and very long. If I was a conspiracy theorist, I might think that this has been deliberate, brought on by environmentalists; extremists who infiltrated our banks worldwide, lending money recklessly to people who had no hope of repaying, bringing on the collapse of the whole financial system, which will bring severe hardship to all and sundry, ensuring that economic activity and consumerism is severely curtailed, thus bringing about a dramatic reduction in emission, and pollution, which will benefit the planet.

Personally, I am more concerned about people, and against those who offer simple slogans as cures for complex problems. This column has often challenged politicians and environmentalists to come clean (pardon the pun), and admit that lowering emissions and saving the planet means lowering standards of living overall.

This is now happening, but I notice that politicians want to save the banks and our way of life, quietly shelving the green agenda which was so popular in times of plenty. They are very much in tune with the mood of the public, and my cows and I are pleased that we are to be spared in the interests of priority and common sense!