It’s been a week of ups and downs. The retained hoggs were fluke and vitamin drenched at the weekend and considering the wet weather, they’re not looking too bad.
We’re in the throes of lambing the Suffolks which held to AI. At one point I have to admit I could have thrown the towel in and sold the lot after a disastrous 24 hours in the lambing shed. I'm over it now - it’s amazing what a night’s sleep and a couple of decent lambs can do to rally your optimism and enthusiasm.
I'm finding it hard to believe Christmas is at the end of this week! I’m sure most people like us will be pushing on to get as much feeding up and scraping out done before the big day. I plan to toddle out between copious amounts of turkey and the odd glass, to check on the lambs and lambers, but that will be it!!.
If you’re dairy farming of course, it’s business as usual either end of the day, and unfortunately at present, with little reward for the effort. But even those who have decided to get out, it is only the better end of fresh calvers which are making anything like decent money, and most dairy auctioneers will tell you it is an uphill job selling anything 'run of the mill'.
A few sales coming up over the next week or two are:
- Saturday, December 28 – Store and breeding cattle sale at Bakewell Livestock Mart.
- Sunday, December 29 – Weekly Sale of prime sheep, including young handlers show and sale of prime lambs at NWA, Lancaster Mart.
- Tuesday, January 5, 2016 – A Mart's the Heart supported sale of Welsh Black pedigree cattle at Dolgellau Mart.
Have a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.
Steph Ryder
Steph Ryder
Head of Commercial Sales & Development, Farmers Guardian
