I’m a farmer, ask me anything

[AskAFarmer]

As title! :)

Im guessing AssassinatedBeauty doesn't drink coffee...won't someone think of the airmiles?

@DogHairEverywhere good point. Locally grown kale juice maybe?

Comfiest sleeper!! Omg i'm in love 😍😍

Vegan activists might want it to happen, but it isn't going to happen. Can't be done by force, and never will happen by persuasion as there are a majority of people who will not ever want to eat a solely plant based diet.

Well they are certainly making farmers lives very difficult for something that they should accept will never happen.

floraloctopus

Dairy farmers wife here, hormones of any type are not given to dairy cows as standard. If dairy cows are healthy and well fed they should reproduce with no problems.

Well done to OP, brilliant thread.

Back on topic... but following up the above discussion i guess.

OP - as a farmer, do you feel an obligation to maintain the countryside for the benefit of wider society? And how responsive do you think farmers should be to changing values - anything from people expecting higher welfare standards to using fewer pesticides / herbicides to increasing wildlife protection on farms?

I think a lot of people forget that farms are privately-owned land, and within the boundaries of the law, farmers are basically free to do what they want with their land. Subsidies have been used as a way to compensate farmers for reducing their output in order to achieve some environmental / wildlife benefits.

So I wondered OP whether your farming decisions are made on the basis of profitability and / or other values - like wildlife / welfare etc?

Fascinating thread. I have no questions, I'm just enjoying reading it all. Thanks.

@AskAFarmer because of the traditional country saying: 'there's two things you never see: a dead donkey, and a farmer on a bicycle'.

Round here, all the farmers are of the 'rich old farts in brand new Land Rovers' variety.

Hi @askafarmer - think you've missed my question, so keen to hear your thoughts - is free range/organic food unethical because more expensive production and lower yields means that good food (meat particularly) becomes the preserve of the rich rather than freely available to all?

I love this thread! I live in tut countryside surrounded by farms.
My question is a bit random but one of our neighbours has pissed off a local farmer by apparently building their garage/workshop over a couple metres into one of their fields so in retaliation the farmer has piled manure about 3 metres from the building right to the height of it, which has me wondering if there are any laws about how close to a home you can pile manure? I've tried googling but couldn't find any answers and I'm slightly over invested in the situation. The farmer goes to the pile every few weeks and disturbs it (I assume to release its essence for the homeowner).

We have a manure heap really near our house and I've never fallen out with the farmer! It is a pain tbh as it does stink.

OP - as a farmer, do you feel an obligation to maintain the countryside for the benefit of wider society?

Yes definitely. I think it’s a big responsibility.

And how responsive do you think farmers should be to changing values - anything from people expecting higher welfare standards to using fewer pesticides / herbicides to increasing wildlife protection on farms?

I think farmers should always try to be responsive to changing science, rather than the trends and expectations of the public. Especially with social media. There has to be a balance between what the mostly uninformed Joe Public wants, and what is genuinely the right thing for the environment and food production.

Higher welfare standards and respect for the environment should always be top priority, but tbh for most farmers, they already are.

I think that more spot checks regarding animal welfare would be a good idea and weed out the bad eggs.

So I wondered OP whether your farming decisions are made on the basis of profitability and / or other values - like wildlife / welfare etc?

Profitability is a very high priority to be totally honest - it’s our livelihood, not a pleasure garden. BUT - the higher your welfare standards, the better your animals will do, and the more you’ll get for them.
And also, because I live in and respect nature, I naturally do my best to care for the environment around us.

They all go hand in hand for me tbh - I couldn’t have one without the other. No good having 2 animals per 100 acres who sleep in my bed at night if you can’t pay the bills, but equally I couldn’t run, say, battery chicken sheds even if it would make be a bajillionaire, because I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

I’m sorry, what does this have to do with farming? Why are you thinking of shooting your elderly neighbour? Seems a tad dramatic

Why the sarcasm? Why the instant defence?? Why have you avoided the question and the point of my post? You’ve answered everyone else’s questions on animals and slaughter houses except mine.. surprised? Nope..

I’ll ask again..

You said.. its a humane system

So I repeat.. What’s humane about killing something that doesn’t want to be killed?
If I shot dead my elderly next door neighbour, would you deem it ‘humane’ because it was quick and painless?

Replace ‘elderly neighbour’ with cow, pig, lady at the shop, dog, whatever you want.. you’re still killing something that doesn’t wish to be killed. There’s nothing humane about that.

Kenny are you going to eat your elderly neighbour after you've shot her?

I think you've missed my question, so keen to hear your thoughts - is free range/organic food unethical because more expensive production and lower yields means that good food (meat particularly) becomes the preserve of the rich rather than freely available to all?

Sorry!!

I’m not a great fan of organic, not for the reasons you’ve said (which are certainly food for thought!), but because I think it’s all just a bit of a marketing ploy tbh.

Organic’s really about what the animals eat and how they’re treated if they’re ill, when the way it’s marketed makes the public think that it’s to do with welfare and free range, which it’s not.

I’d save your money!

My question is a bit random but one of our neighbours has pissed off a local farmer by apparently building their garage/workshop over a couple metres into one of their fields so in retaliation the farmer has piled manure about 3 metres from the building right to the height of it, which has me wondering if there are any laws about how close to a home you can pile manure?

There probably are, but I wouldn’t know the exact regulations as we’re not near enough to any houses for it to affect us.

However, I’m pretty sure that there are laws against building on other people’s land, so I’m with the farmer I’m afraid!

Why the sarcasm? Why the instant defence?? Why have you avoided the question and the point of my post? You’ve answered everyone else’s questions on animals and slaughter houses except mine.. surprised? Nope..

I’ll ask again..

You said.. its a humane system

So I repeat.. What’s humane about killing something that doesn’t want to be killed?
If I shot dead my elderly next door neighbour, would you deem it ‘humane’ because it was quick and painless?

Yeah, I did give you a daft answer to be honest, because I thought it was a daft question, and I still do.

You seem to have a problem with ‘killing things that don’t want to be killed.’ So I’m assuming you don’t wear leather, eat any crop, or travel in cars (hundreds of flies every journey in summer ).

No? Thought not.

As this demonstrates, we all have our own moral compass. You seem happy for millions of insects to die every year as long you can get from A-B, and I’m happy for animals that I’ve raised in very high welfare conditions to then go direct from our farm to an abattoir where I know they’ll have a humane and stress-free death.

You seem to have a problem with the concept of farming full stop?

Any more non-daft questions I’m happy to answer.

are you a farm near a walkers trail/ popular hiking area such as the peaks etc?

whats your (and general farmers opinion) of the wildcamping fraternity? I dont mean the cider drinking/ lighting fires types. I mean the quiet non fire, leave zero trace respect nature n all that type. The sort that wouldnt tresspass on crops etc....but maybe on the side of a path thats on your land? The hiker thats just wanting to stop eat and sleep. Gone by 7am type? Some long distance paths pass through remoter areas/ land and theres no way of knowing or asking for permission....

At the mo I have no questions but I'm really enjoying this thread thank you OP!

are you a farm near a walkers trail/ popular hiking area such as the peaks etc?

Yes.

whats your (and general farmers opinion) of the wildcamping fraternity? I don`t mean the cider drinking/ lighting fires types. I mean the quiet non fire, leave zero trace respect nature n all that type.

If we catch them at it we either let them stay and charge them £20, or send them on their way if they’re at all odd or anything.

It does sound harsh but you can’t just let all the randoms start pitching tents wherever they like, as word gets out on social media and you get inundated.

If they’re clever about it though, if they really are quiet and leave zero trace and don’t draw attention to themselves then we’d never know, would we? So I suppose, be stealthy is my advice 😂

If I ever fancied wild camping though, I’d just go for it and accept that I might be approached by the landowner if they see me. But surely that’s all part of the fun!?

Id happily pay! and ask permission....but what if times getting on and Im like shit no where but ere lol! On my own as a lady it feels quite vulnerable and the thought of a shouty farmer ......

Good to hear your viewpoint. Its the idiot minorty that spoils it.

This lamb won the prize for Comfiest Looking Sleep this spring, his mother was so proud.

So that's what you do with all your spare time, enter lambs in to competitions? Excellent.

Great thread, OP, I have really enjoyed it.