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Sheep Farming
By Peter Delbridge, Mole Valley Farmers Director
Peter Delbridge farms a large flock of breeding ewes on the southern slopes of Exmoor. He also runs a suckler beef herd and is a Director of Mole Valley Farmers. Peter is an active member and a past Chairman of the National Sheep Association and has been a regular contributor to the Farmers Weekly, being the SW Sheep ‘Farmer Focus’ for a number of years.
Of all the traditional livestock enterprises for the past eighteen months, the sheep sector has probably fared better than most. However, before we all get carried away we should not forget that the recent higher returns enjoyed by most flock masters have just about rectified the disastrous effects of the 2007 FMD outbreak, which because of its timing in early August, cast a huge cloud over the profitability of the whole of that seasons lamb crop. In golfing terms we have just about returned to even par.
Looking at the factors behind the improved returns, one of the most important continues to be the Euro/ Sterling exchange rate, which despite problems with some Euro zone economies stubbornly remains around the 85p mark. Whilst this says quite a lot about how the money men perceive the state of our economy, it does allow the export trade to go some way to keeping our multiple retailers honest.
This has also coincided with many New Zealand farmers switching to dairy production from keeping sheep, so less lamb being produced and exported. This is the first time I can remember, that the Kiwis cannot fulfil their EU import quota. Add to this the increased consumption of sheep meat by the home ethnic market, which at 18kg per person per annum is three times that of the average consumer.
It is against this background that the people still keeping sheep can surely look forward to the future with some degree of confidence. Although the numbers of folk who breed sheep have dropped, they have probably reached a level where they won’t go much lower, due to the reluctance of these die hard producers to do anything else and the land they farm not being suitable for other enterprises.
Significantly, it also should not be forgotten that sheep offers a relatively easy route into the farming industry for new entrants, as in its most basic form, it requires little fixed equipment and land which can, in some areas, be rented quite cheaply. What we have seen is a few more lowland farmers buying and finishing store lambs off the hills, providing their businesses with extra income and increasing the soil fertility that the often undervalued ‘golden hoof’ brings, especially in these times of higher fertilizer prices.
Indeed, I have often thought a period of sheep grazing would increase the tillering of most grasses and clovers, which would lead to an improvement in sward quality, even on some dairy farms!
So looking forward at the next twelve months prices for the remainder of last season’s hogs looks like remaining strong due to tight numbers. This owes as much to producers finishing lambs quicker, due to the favourable autumn, as the legacy of last winter’s weather up north, which did result in a lower number of lambs last spring.
Indeed, the repeat of similar harsh weather in late November and throughout December 2010 might have a similar effect on the later lambing flocks up and down the country this year. This may be one of the few cautionary notes to flag up. Whilst the ewes that went to the tup in October would be largely unaffected, any that were served in November were in danger of reabsorbing one or more of their unimplanted embryos if they were not adequately fed through the times of the prolonged ice and snow cover. Only time will tell if this has been the case.
Whilst in the short term this may tighten numbers further, resulting in higher values, it could have a negative longer term effect. To maintain numbers, the enforced lower level of selection of breeding stock may mean that second class stock will have to be kept and bred, the legacy of which could last until these 2010/11 born ewes are out of the system.
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