Agriculture Flashcards
Give examples of organisations that offer support and advice to farmers
- National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS)
- Scottish Tenant Farmers Association
- Scottish Land Commission (Tenant Farming Commissioner)
- Farm Advisory Service
- RSABI
What is a smallholding?
Owner occupied or tenanted agricultural holding, operating on less than 50 acres
What is high farming?
When a farm tenant adopts a more beneficial farming system than is required by the leasing arrangement
What is a viable unit?
A farming unit which (in the opinion of the Land Court) is capable of providing an individual occupier with full-time employment and the means to pay the rent
What issues are currently facing british agriculture?
- Shortage of labour due to Brexit
- High fertaliser prices
- High feed prices
What is contract farming?
A joint agreement between a landowner or occupier and a contractor. The farmer provides the land, buildings and fixed equipment. The contractor provides the labour and machinery. The parties share the cost of variable inputs and will each receive a baseline fee and a share of the devisible surplus depending on what is stated in the agreement.
What are the benefits of contract farming?
- flexibility for the farmer in choosing the right contractor
- best possible machinery without investment
- no need to sign up to tenancy or employ staff
- contractor can expand business without additional land
What is the purpose of crop rotations?
To maintain soil fertility
To control weeds and diseases
To improve soil structure
What is a typical crop rotation in your area?
- Wheat, wheat, potatoes, wheat, barley, rape
- WW, SB, WOSR, WW and Beans
When might you drill oilseed rape?
Should be early so perhaps after winter barley or an early maturing wheat variety. Often precedes a winter barley crop.
What might be used as break crops in a cereal crop rotation?
Oilseed Rape
Potatoes
Beans
Grass leys
What factors affect a crop rotation?
Local climate Land capability Demand Subsidy Timings of harvest
What is a cover crop?
A non-cash crop grown for the purpose of protecting or improving between between periods of regular crop production. Act as a green manure.
Give some examples of cover crops?
Brassicas - mustards, radishes and turnips
Legumes - vetch and clovers
Grasses and cereals - oats, rye, rye-grass
What are the methods of destruction of cover-crops?
Sprayed off in spring, killed by frost, grazed or mechanically destroyed
What yeild might you expect for winter wheat?
Average around 8t/ha, might get more like 6t/ha on second harvest
What yeild might your expect for spring barley?
4.5 - 6.5t/ha
What is the going price for milling wheat and feed wheat?
Milling wheat =£210/tonne (ex-farm)
Feed wheat = £180/tone (ex-farm)
What is the going price for OSR?
Around £500/tonne
What are the price for peas (feed and micronising)?
Feed = £210 Micronising = £250
What yeilds might you expect for winter and spring OSR?
Winter = 3-4t/ha Spring = 1.5-3t/ha
What yeilds might you expect for peas and beans?
2.5 - 5t/ha
Describe the yearly feild operations for a winter cereal crop?
Ploughing - September Drilling - October Weed and aphid control - November Fertaliser - March Fertaliser - April Weed control - April Disease control - June Harvesting - August
Remember - please don’t wait for fields with driven hares
What factors affect the required fertaliser ratio for different crops?
- previous cropping policy
- quantity of organic manures used
- soil nutrient status
- whether the land is in an NVZ
Give examples of greening requirements
- Growing a minimum number of crops
- Farming 5% of your arable land in a manner that promotes biodiversity (Ecological Focus Area - EFA)
- Protecting permanent grassland designated as environmentally sensitive
How many acres are in an hectare?
2.47105 acres in a ha
How many hectares are in an acre?
0.404686 ha in an acre
Why might you use lime and how often would you apply it?
To reduce the acidity and therefore raise the pH of the soil. Every 4 years.
What is the average cost and applicaiton rate of lime on grassland?
£35/tonne, 3.7t/ha
What is the current farm gate milk price?
Around 31p per litre
What are the recent trends in the dairy industry?
- Milk production at 5-year low
- prices risen over 10% on previous year
- Number of dairy cows significantly reduced
- decrease in export of dairy products (mostly processed) following brexit
- disruption in supply chains due to covid-19
Give some examples of current feed prices
- Brewers grains £40/t
- Maize distillers pellets - £280/t
- Wheat distilles grains - £292/t
- Molasses - £240/t
- Sugar beet pupl - £240/t
What is a cattle gestation period?
Approx 9 months
What is a typical year for the Achlain suckler herd?
- Calving from April to end of May
- Bull goes in at the end of June for up to 2 months
- Calves start on creep feeders around July
- Weaning end of October/start of November
- Calves go to spring sale circa 1yo in April
- Cattle move around grazing parks in rotation with silage regime
What weight might your cattle be at spring sales, what price per kilo might you expect?
Angus X’s at 12 months - 370kg to 470kg. Avg. around £2.50/kg
What would be the typical weight of a lamb and price acheived per kg for liveweight sale?
45kg - £2.20/kg liveweight
What price might you expect to achieve for mutton?
Around £70/head - animal weighs 50-70kg
What is a typical year for an upland sheep herd?
- January - Hope they were in lamb, away at wintering ground
- March or April - come back to lowground parks for lambing
- April/may - out to hill
- ## Summer - gathering for shearing and marking
What price might you expect to pay for hay?
Between £20-30 per round bale depending on supply and time of year etc. Works out around £80/tonne
What price might you expect to pay for straw?
£60/tonne
What price might you expect to receive for pig meat?
Depends heavily on type of pig i.e. baconer, poerker etc. All pig price is approx £1/kg liveweight and £1.50/kg deadweight for a baconer (around 70kg dressed weight)
What do you need to be eligible for claiming BPS entitlements?
- ‘Active farmer’ status
- Have at least 3ha of eligible agricultural land (region 1, 2 or 3)
- Submit a single application form
What is the deadline for the SAF?
15th May
What are the different payments for BPS entitlements?
Including Greening:
Region 1: 248.36 euros/ha
Region 2: 50.28 euros/ha
Region 3: 15.18 euros/ha
How does a farmer acquire entitlements?
New Entrants or Young Farmers can receive these from the National Reserve. Others must buy privately.
What are the classifications for BPS regions 1, 2 and 3?
Region 1 - better quality agricultural land
Region 2 - rough grazing
Region 3 - rough grazing in LFA category A land
When is BPS guaranteed to be in place until?
At least 2024
What are current LFASS payments?
Category A & B = £52 - £71 depending on fragility
Category C = £34 - £63 as above
What is CAP and how is it made up?
Common Agricultural Policy. Made up of pillar 1 payments (direct income support) and pillar 2 payments (rural development funding).
Previously EU funding which is now replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme and Scottish Rural Development Programme.
What is the latest payment rate for the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme?
113.05 euros or £100.72
Is your suckler cattle herd profitable?
No. Variable expenses just about break even with the inclusion of the SSBSS payment. BPS provides a top-up to this but once fixed costs and cost of producing silage is taken into account, the herd is running at a significant loss.
What is the price for purchasing BPS entitlements?
It can vary from between £10 and £20 for region 3 entitlements if purchasing on a large scale.
