Stephen Rash has a mixed arable farm in North Suffolk near Diss.
He looks after 750 acres of arable, growing Wheat Barley, Oilseed Rape, Beans and Sugar Beet. He also has a 70 cow suckler herd running on 160 acres of permanent pasture, mainly ESA grazing in the Waveney Valley, finishing some cattle but mainly selling stores.
Although his postal address is Norfolk he is firmly in Suffolk both mentally and geographically.
There are a few sayings that always ring true. One is “be careful what you wish for”. I find myself trying not to wish for rain. It is very dry here, and with harvest just around the corner I have a nasty feeling that if it does rain it won’t know when to stop.
High daytime temperatures and intense sunlight have ripened crops here at an alarming rate. The winter barley and oilseed rape are past the point where any rain will have an effect on yields, but the remaining crops would benefit from a sensible quantity of water. I think that if we don’t get some precipitation in the next ten days our wheat will be past caring too. The wilting sugar beet and parched grassland would, however, benefit greatly from some good steady rain, any time soon.
I’ve had a couple of days away on an NFU trip to Brussels.
I’ve been before but it is always an interesting experience. Our Brussels office is one of the jewels in the NFU crown. It is a finger on the pulse of EU power, an early warning system and a superb lobbying tool. Politicians and civil servants at the heart of European policy-making all hold it in the highest esteem. The NFU as a whole punches way above its weight in this sphere and it is with some pride that we were informed by the head of DG Agri that the NFU policy document on CAP reform was by far the best they had received.
Another saying one should always heed is ”read the small print carefully”. I will certainly remember that when casting my vote in the next European election. It is probably best not to go into too much detail, for fear of litigation, but I will admit that my vote was wasted last time when voting for our local farming UKIP candidate.
Timely reminders have appeared in the press about farming’s safety record. We now have the unenviable tag of being the most dangerous sector in which to be employed. While risk can never be totally removed, particularly in an industry where certain factors such as the weather and animal behaviour are difficult to predict, a little thought and planning can go a long way to preventing a disaster.
Long hours and tiredness can cloud anyone’s judgement, so grab a break whenever you can. A refreshed body and a clear head are the best safety devices on the farm. In the words of the desk sergeant on Hill Street Blues “let’s be careful out there “.
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