The versatility of diesel is a hard act to follow
Jinsy and David Robinson are organic dairy farmers from Penyrallt Farm in the Teifi Valley. It is a traditional, mixed, family farm, run by the Robinson family since 1960 and together they strive to farm in a way which has as little impact as possible on the nature around them
WITH the dawning of 2021 the UK has now officially left Europe and only time will reveal whether it was the right decision.
Twice in recent history Britain has thwarted attempts by our European neighbours to create a united Europe. At least this time it was without military conflict. How should the event be commemorated? Maybe erect a statue which would give something tangible for future generations to topple when history needs to be air-brushed?
The government has announced the phasing out of diesel and petrol cars by the end of the decade, I expect tractor legislation will follow.
Already tractor manufacturers are unveiling non-diesel versions. The dilemma will be which type of fuel? JCB has been trialling a hydrogen-fuelled digger for about a year, New Holland has launched a methane-powered tractor and John Deere has goes down the electric route.
In its green livery the John Deere ‘Joker’ tractor (I kid you not!) and their GRIDCON tractor is connected by an extension cable 1,000 metres long. The advertise
ment says it has an intelligence system to avoid driving over its own power supply. I hope it fairs better than my experiences with an electric lawnmower where my intelligence system did not quite come up to the mark!
The versatility of diesel is a hard act to follow. It is safe to transport and store and our use of it very well understood.
I hope in the drive to become carbon neutral we don’t just shift the problem into another arena. For example a bio-digester plant recently featured in the farming press uses 50 tonnes of straw, 20 tonnes of maize silage along with slurry, every day. We could bed and feed a lot of cattle with that.
On the domestic front, New Year’s Day 2021 brought us new grandchild. Our younger son and his wife had a beautiful baby boy, Arthur Wyn, on the morning of January 1 . . . and there was snow to the delight of the older grandchildren, much more fun than a new baby cousin who can’t play! All in all a wonderful start to what we all hope will be a better year for everyone, mi ddaw eto haul ar fryn.
Blwyddyn newydd dda.