NFUS urges planning ahead on straw and feed

Farmers and crofters are being encouraged to plan ahead as part of a new straw and feed campaign launched by NFU Scotland (NFUS).

Through the 12-week #NFUSHowDoYouPlan campaign, the union is urging producers to plan ahead, be flexible and to collaborate.

Livestock farmers are urged to assess what straw and feed they need and where they are getting it from, while growers are told to know where their market is.

Flexibility is encouraged and producers are told to look at alternatives and have a back-up plan, while collaboration is suggested as a way to reduce costs through methods such as joint buying or making farm-to-farm deals.

“All sectors have suffered from unusual weather over the past year,” said NFUS president Andrew McCornick. “Last autumn and this spring it was unrelenting rain and the late cold snap. Now, it is the prolonged dry spell, which we are far less used to, that has caught many out.”

He said the campaign had been launched to get livestock producers thinking about how they will overcome shortages of feed and bedding, and for growers to assess what is best for their businesses.

“That thought process needs to be flexible and businesses should consider what could be done collectively,” added Mr McCornick. “With weather patterns changing from what we have been used to in the past, planning ahead will be key to successfully coping with the challenges ahead. It doesn’t matter what sector you’re in and what pressures you are facing, you must make time to plan flexibly and as far ahead as possible.”