Spotlight on The Dairy Crisis

The role of each party involved and why the minister might be deaf. 

A neighbouring dairy farmer dropped in yesterday...  "what can be done to get us out of this mess?" he asks. He's an efficient farmer, runs a herd of 140 cows with his son, and is very concerned about the milk price reductions due in August. 

I suggested farmers need to look at the components of the problem. What is the role of government? Of the farming unions as representatives of producers? Of milk buyers and, last but not least, the farmers themselves? Can farmers really expect Minister Jim Paice to order an increase in the milk price?

Practical Farm Ideas magazine helps farmers find new methods that improve efficiency. This blog shows how one farmer has gained real control over mastitis in his herd - with zero cases in 130 cows the year we visited him.

Home built back-flushing 

Let's get the London Milk March right!

Milk:  the on-going farming crisis

The presentation of the current dairying crisis needs planning and presentation. This article outlines what needs to be done by farming leaders, and the marchers in London. Dairy farmers need a better deal. But to get it they will need convincing arguments, a compelling presentation of the facts, and friends in high places. 

The hope is that the march will include these, as well as the passion and noise. 

The performance of farming leaders on Radio 4's 'Today' last week was seriously unconvincing

The Today Programme presenter John Humphrys is sympathetic to the dairy farmer's cause. For some years he had a dairy farm himself in Carmarthenshire,

Wiseman milk price forecast correct

When on January 16, 2012  Müller Dairies bought Wiseman for £279.2m, the deal was said by Robert Wiseman to make strong strategic sense, to have synergy and the maximise the 'complementary positions' of the two companies.

The 360p/share deal looked good for Wiseman shareholders, who had been trading the stock at 250p. I discovered that a large proportion of the purchase was from a Deutsche Bank letter of credit for €250m, at a rate greater than 5%.

At the time we concluded that Müller would be wanting it's Wiseman dairy farmer suppliers to contribute to the cost, as the opportunities for an uplift in prices, despite the operating synergies, seemed limited.

So it is no surprise to hear that on April 30th Wiseman announced at they would be cutting farm gate prices by 2p (6.6%) to 26.42 p/standard litre.

Water harvesting saves farmer money

Practical Farm Ideas arable contributor Mark Pettit who farms 600ha of all combinable crops near Gainsborough

The diesel question - future price trends, and cutting costs

As the price of oil rises the pain for buyers increases. Farmers are price takers and not price setters, so they have no possibility to raise their selling price of corn, meat or milk to take account of the rise in diesel. 

                                                www.farmideas.co.uk

Securing supplies of diesel is a major concern for farmers today. Now is not the time for supplies to be interrupted. Each farmer has to make his own buying decision, and the relevant information he has to do this is scarce, even though commodity markets are in information overload, with facts mixed up with fiction, 

March 23

A less than neutral budget

Farming didn't get a mention in the Budget speech, but that doesn't mean it will have no effect on farming. In fact, the long term consequences could be quite considerable.

ON FUEL, the Chancellor is criticised for not giving an inch on the rising cost of fuel prices, and the confirmation of the increase in fuel duty this summer will surely make things harder for people in the country.

The answer is going to be greater economies on the farm. Fuel consumption is going to be of greater consideration when choosing tractors and machinery, and when deciding how to do farming operations. Will farmers continue to have a fuel arrangement with their contractor which

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