curious
Was that aimed at me.
Because I have milked cows in Paull, Burstwick, Stapleford Abbotts, Ashbourne and Spital and Stenstall and Wawne. All between 65 and 230 head of British Friesan and Holstein Friesan cows. I have a NDA from Bishop Burton CA and dairy herd management from Reaseheath.
I have sat in the rain at 0200 in the middle of nowhere jacking out a backwards calf, to save the mum as vet was 2 hours away. Had to push breach calves back in and turn them to get legs to put ropes on to get calving jack onto it to assist the birth. Pulled cows out of lakes, swimming pools and slurry pits. I have AI certifictes for cattle, so saving on paying the Genus man to do it.
Sadly many farmers voted to kill the Milk Marketing Board, so the likes of Tesco and Muller etc could pay them 5p a litre more. For 3 years. Funnily enough they did. Just long enough to kill of the farmers co op that replaced the milk marketing board. I watch an ex girlfriend's parent lose everything and then her dad killed himself, when Arla cut his contract price.
My Bil and I worked 10 hour shifts in non farmering jobs, before doing another 5 to 7 hours of work to keep MIL arable farm going. She was an council tenant. She retired 5 years ago. Theŕe was no money in it then. Her husband died aged 56, through ill health. No way would any of us go back. But farming needs to decide free market or subsidies. It did with the Milk Marketing Board. Sadly everything my boss's grandfather warned about happening to dairy farmers in the 1930's which lead to the MMB, has evolved to be correct.
Finally every arable farmer I have every met, 100's has had Christmas day and new year day off. Livestock farmers no. But as we used to say cows don't know it Christmas. But we started at 4 o'clock to finish early. One got Christmas afternoon off, one got Boxing Day afternoon off and the third New Years Day afternoon. Thats on a small 75 head family farm. You.had a whale of a time. Miss that, still start at 0500 in new job. And finish after midnight. Just not all in same day.
Farming isn't a romantic thing. It is a business or it should be. We used to cull out 25% of our first calf heifers after a year because they didn't produce enough milk to be profitable. Same with inlaws pigs. They made enough in the good years to pay for the shit years.
Sorry but 95% don't know shit about farming. Ps I have been to Germany , Italy, Usa and Canada to get best practice. Had to turn down jobs in NZ, 650 cows Jerseys and Saudia Arabia, 10000 head of Holsteins.
Many farmers would and did break rules to make money. Health and Safety of it staff is shit. Top 3 killer in uk. Don't believe the bloody archers or Yorkshire Vet. Most of the dairy farms I work on would have put the cows down before paying for 2 vets to operate on a cow. Unpedigree herds, cows worth £175 to £300/head.
Farming is a business and not a bloody tv/radio show. Most of our farming friends laugh at what goes on in the Yorkshire vet. But we would never have gone on tv, because we don't do what farming like the public to think it does.
Most small tenant/family farms are nothing like whats on tv. Most don't want the public anywhere near them. Because we do things which would horrify the general public. Because cows, pigs and sheep aren't pets, they are an asset and yes we treated them well, but no way did we pay for vets. I had to learn how to inject medicine into a vein, so to save my boss paying for the vet to do it. Or cow would have been sent to knackers yard. Vet bill and antibiotics for a week was more than cow was worth. Sad but true