Grass always greener for true grazers

... but a wet spring can prove expensive, writes Wiltshire dairy farmer

IT’S that time of the year when the cows will shake off the winter and be out grazing the fields again. It’s always a special moment when they leave their winter quarters for the first time and gambol about happily before settling down to attack the young spring grass. It’s very satisfying hearing that rhythmic tearing sound as they pull at the lush sward.

Nowadays not all dairy farmers graze their cows. Instead they are housed inside all year round and fed on a consistent ration which is in front of them 24 hours a day. Increasingly these cows are milked by robots. The cows come to the robot station for concentrates and to relieve pressure on their udders. Under this system it’s easy to monitor their health and get higher yields.

The true grazers are dependent on the weather; a wet spring can be expensive. It can be too wet to turn the cows out, necessitating the purchase of extra forage and a very dry summer leading to poor grass growth can also have a big impact. The cows have to be buffer fed with extra forage and concentrates.

On our farm we have always tried to get as much milk from forage as possible, but this ambition has been getting harder in recent years due to a very wet spring and a summer drought. Two years ago we were producing over 50% of our milk from home-produced feed (grass and silage). This has gone down to 40%.

This spring began with an exceptionally dry January and our cows were out grazing, mornings only at first, from January 26, until those two big storms and excessive rain had them back inside for a few days. If we can get out grazing early, it’s very beneficial to the quality of grass throughout the grazing season. Also, if the conditions are right to give the silage fields an early grazing, it helps the grass to tiller and produce a heavier crop. To keep up grass growth, it’s normal to use regular fertiliser applications.

This year, even before the recent sad turmoil, the ascending gas price had taken its toil, both on fertiliser prices and supply. Weeks before the invasion into Ukraine, Russia had closed its fertiliser exports, keeping supplies for its home market.

Some astute and commercially aware farmers bought supplies in early summer 2021, and a few found it more profitable to sell their increasingly valuable supplies rather than bother to plant a crop. Some farmers have been waiting with false optimism for the price to go down, while for some, the organic route is beckoning. This attraction may be tempered by the astronomical price of organic food for the cows.

Sanctioning Russia has its impacts worldwide – not just on Russia. Russia is a petro-economy; 30% of its wealth comes from oil and gas. The rocketing price of fuel has been greatly to its benefit. Also to its benefit is the reluctance of China to join any sanctions.

Last time sanctions were imposed, after Russia marched into the Crimea in 2014, much of the impact fell on dairy farms. While Russia poured money into its own farms and associated processing, EU dairy produce that had previously been sent to Russia was put back onto the EU market, creating a surplus. UK milk prices at the farm gate fell to 14 pence in many cases. It was a desperate time. However, supplies are now tight, and milk prices together with most commodities are on the rise. Markets hate shortages and insecurity and these create turmoil.

One of the sharpest rises, worrying for everyone, not just farmers, is the price of electricity. Many farmers are high consumers and are having to negotiate new contracts at astronomical prices. If ever there was a time for green energy and food security, it is now.

We import 40% of our food, yet we have the benefit of being a country that can grow copious amounts of grass to produce very healthy, welfare-friendly meat and dairy produce.

Do we need to be making new trade agreements with the other side of the world to import beef, butter and cheese that are produced to far higher standards in the UK?

It’s not the time to be negotiating agreements at the other side of the world giving them such easy access to our agricultural markets for little gain. What price food security when our own farmers have been undermined and put out of business?

When Liz Truss spent £500,000 on her airfare to negotiate with Australia, the result was only ever going to go one way.

> Cattle graze at Ro’s farm