Sector adapting to new normal

O ur lambing and calving has gone well. We were blessed with great weather for the busiest days, with plenty of grass. We’ve made a good start with lamb marking and getting the ewes back out to their summer grazing on the hill.

The May Gobs, as we say in the north, hit this week with a blast of cold Arctic air.

We badly needed the rain for the grass and I needed to catch up with sleep so, although unpleasant, it’s not all bad.

Lockdown has certainly made life farming on the previously busy North Coast 500 much easier.

Our better land has the main road running through it on this popular tourist route, so moving livestock on the now deserted roads is so much easier, without the fear of yourself or your dogs being run over by an irate driver at the helm of a hired camper van.

Mind you, without the tourists it’s a tough time for the local businesses and the economy who rely on the visitors.

Coronavirus has changed how we conduct our daily lives and business.

Ordering in advance and booking slots for pick-ups of medicines and feed are now second nature.

Marts have improved their online sale platforms, alongside dealing with social distancing around the live ring.

My social media has been filled with excellent videos and pictures of livestock coming forward for sale, increasing potential new customers during lockdown.

It’s brilliant what’s been achieved so quickly and how the industry has adapted to the disruption.

Recently my old dogs Tib and Glen had an online video consultation with Rebecca our vet, for a repeat prescription for anti-inflammatory drugs.

I downloaded the Vetapp and set up an appointment.

We checked into the virtual waiting room before Rebecca videocalled.

My two old timers were delighted as they dug up old sheep cleanings from the lambing pens while we discussed their health before turning the camera on them so the vet could see the two patients.

It was certainly easier than our usual exciting visit to the vets, where their main aims in life are to pee everywhere, fight with every cat and dog they meet in reception and generally terrify all the townsfolk with their unruly behaviour.

Agriculture needs user-friendly online systems to operate within the constraints the coronavirus outbreak is placing on us.

Rural broadband is a limiting factor for many people working online from home, and the increased demand on connectivity is stretching the patience of many as it regularly drops off.

Our smart phones are vital tools, enabling us to easily advertise our industry.

This is an opportunity to hit online platforms while such a large audience is spending so much time at home.

We need to be mindful that many of our customers will be facing financial hardship through the crisis, so how we portray what we do is a fine balancing act.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and although we are in the early stages of dealing with this awful pandemic our industry is proving it can adapt in challenging times.

Post-coronavirus, I really hope that we can continue working with the bits of the new normal which are proving successful.

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I hope we can continue working with the bits of the new normal which are proving successful

Lockdown has made life farming near the previously busy North Coast 500 much easier.