We farm: 240 acres in all, 180 in arable. We have 70 pedigree Limousin cows and 11 embryo recipients. We buy in broken mouth ewes, around 250 to 300 every year, and lamb in spring. This week: We’re hiding from the rain; just doing inside jobs like machinery maintenance and getting gates tidied up for winter housing.
We farm: 240 acres in all, 180 in arable. We have 70 pedigree Limousin cows and 11 embryo recipients. We buy in broken mouth ewes, around 250 to 300 every year, and lamb in spring.
This week: We’re hiding from the rain; just doing inside jobs like machinery maintenance and getting gates tidied up for winter housing.
This Farming Life: Everybody loves it and how real it is. It’s a great education. I’d like another series and maybe go into different angles like commercial farming, such as 200 commercial cows or 2,000 ewes on a lowland farm.
Harvest: We haven’t started at home yet, but the spring barley was sprayed off last week. For the last two weeks we’ve been buying straw in Morayshire and have 640 bales in the shed so far. Hopefully weather will come right in the next two weeks.
Pedigree sales: We’ve three bulls lined up for Stirling in October. Figures and beef-recording systems are a big factor now in the industry. It’s a tool you have to use. Students go to agricultural college and this is the sort of stuff drummed in to them. The natural stockman’s eyes are slowly being lost. Personally, we use our eye and knowledge of the beast.
Family: Martin’s parents, Steven and Denise, are also involved in the farm business and minding baby Erin. Mel works Mondays and Tuesdays with Scot EID.
Quotable quote: The capital you need to get in to farming now is colossal. If we were starting again we’d probably go with sheep because they are a quick turnaround – you don’t need as much investment at the start. Young farmer grants help, but there are so many hoops to jump through.
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