When you’ve a small, new business and opportunity knocks you don’t say no! To this end, when Harriet received emails from two parties interested in offering us contract-farming opportunities, we worked on the basis that saying no was not an option.

Two contracts were duly signed and we took management of 30 hill cows with followers on one and 70 Angus-type cows and followers with 600 ewes and their lambs on another. This is as well as still running 420 ewes at home and providing stockman support for another 80 hill cows and followers on conservation grazings. And on top of Harriet being 20-odd weeks pregnant and working full-time off the farm and all in time for the start of the autumn handlings with a 40-mile round trip to see everything. To be polite, we’ve plenty on.

Now let’s be clear, I’m not complaining. Far from it. We knew what we were getting into and it also demonstrates that there are opportunities out there, but it seems there is a collective amnesia about just how hard it is to push a business forward, breaking mental and physical barriers down and not resting on the previous hard-won laurels. It’s difficult to remember the positive reasons why we do this job when you never get the chance to sit and watch an 11-try match at Murrayfield because the ewes need to be drawn to the tup or when you finally get to the Sunday roast at nine at night … again, and most importantly, never getting the chance to share time with friends, family or even with the better half.

So why do we all push on the way we do? For me, I do all this for a number of reasons. I like to think that Harriet and I are good at what we do and we want to demonstrate that.

We also need to secure our future and there’s the potential of it being financially rewarding. And, almost most importantly, I enjoy it. It puts a smile on my heart and that is priceless. It also stokes the ego, just a wee bit! That all said, it’s not sustainable to work like this without end but there is an opportunity there as well. We have managed to take on a modern apprentice, which means providing a platform for someone else to get a chance, and maybe even give me an odd Sunday off.

On the practical side. The shed at home is now full of cattle on B&B. Straw is a massive worry for bedding and without machinery the alternatives aren’t practical.

Thankfully, we feed hay rather than silage which more than halves the bedding requirement.

At one contract the cattle are all weaned and housed until they settle. The majority of the cows will be out-wintered on silage with a few leaner and younger types being housed with the autumn-calved heifers. All the cows on the other contract will be given plenty of ground and fed a decent ration of concentrates to see them through.

Pre-tupping is the main sheep task. We draw the ewes, utilising EID, to the tup depending on breed and previous performance. It’s time-consuming but the benefit is there. Last year’s homebred gimmers are all top third by performance. Fattening lambs are disappointing; the constant wet has kept them lean so they are being supplemented with pellets to try to get the grades. The improved value should pay for the input.