As we move through the early months of the year, it has been a busy period here in North Northumberland, particularly with livestock.
All our cattle are housed for the winter – we run a herd of Angus cows, selling the calves at a year old to a fattener. Fortunately, feeding and bedding are now made easier with the use of a machine. Our sheep scanning in January produced a pleasing result of 205%, and our focus is now on ensuring as many lambs as possible thrive. The ewes have been split into groups of singles, twins, and triplets, in preparation for lambing next month, alongside calving.
Although this time of year is quieter for agricultural shows, The Royal Canberra Show will take place later this month in Australia. Meanwhile, the ASA Conference has recently concluded on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Closer to home, we marked the start of the fishing season on the River Tweed with the traditional blessing on 1st February, and we are hopeful for a successful season ahead.
On our son’s farm in New Zealand, the season has been going well, with lambs finishing at 50kg and fetching a better price than last year. Temperatures have been reaching the high 20s, making for good conditions.
Our horses are also performing well at the moment, and this weekend we look forward to our local point-to-point, where I serve as Chairman. Fingers crossed for good weather and a strong turnout on the day.
Looking ahead, we are excited to host the RASC Study Day at Harper Adams University on Thursday 27th March. This will be the first event of its kind since before COVID, and we hope to see a strong attendance from across the agricultural community.
