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Thoughts from a Northern Mart June 2009
 
High Ground High potential a future for England’s upland communities. The title for the report Commission for rural communities. What better words could there be to describe the uplands of England especially here in Yorkshire than High Ground, High potential.
Where else is there such scenery as the beautiful Pennine dales, or the rolling heather clad moors. These special places have bred a special person a bit like their unique hefted sheep. The ways these people and countryside work together to make a living from these sometimes harsh areas is well documented throughout the report. As is the way these areas repay the money that goes into the schemes to keep the uplands vibrant, which as well as making a great environment for recreation and tourism can also serve the country well as places of water storage and retention as well as power generation and carbon storage. All this as well as producing some of the best food and a breeding stock in the world. Certainly High ground High potential.
With much needed rain falling in most parts of the north a return to warm and sunny weather will help grass growth and with a lot of winter wheat crops at the ear emergences stage harvest is in sight. The signs are that there will not be much straw with a lot of these wheat’s being very short, this could lead to a shortage latter on for the livestock farmer. Potatoes and Maize crops seemed to have grown over night after the rain. Hopefully the weather will remain settled with warm showers and nice sunny spells for a few days to enable Clipping of sheep to get done, this will be a bit more pleasurable this year as the wool looks like returning to a price that will cover the cost of clipping the first time for many years. It is strange that not many years ago the wool cheque paid a farm rent for the year, and if you go back 150 years or so, meat production from the sheep was secondary to the wool with many male sheep being clipped twice before being killed for mutton, and eating Lamb was unheard off.
Rumours of problems with the RPA circulate around the northern marts with temporary staff being laid off many Farmers wonder how the staff that is left can cope with a system that is in their eyes creaking and struggling to cope. TB and the involvement of badgers continue to get a mixed reception with most farmers believing that the only answer is the cull of badgers, in the hot spot areas. While others believe that tighter restrictions on movement of cattle out of these areas even from clean herds is the answer to containing and eradicating this diseases.
Lamb prices along with those for pig meat remain quite strong and beef prices have recovered some of their losses of earlier in the month Milk prices are showing some slight increase in price but more is needed to restore the confidence of the industry. Cereal prices are generally falling as harvest approaches but remain changeable on daily basis. Fuel prices seem to be on a steady upward trend with at the time of writing these thoughts, a threat of an increase in the rate of VAT in the emergency budget causing concern for essential fuel users.
The people connected with Northern farming continue to age well, with Lillian a well known clerk/cashier at Thirsk mart retiring at 80, Harry Duffus having happy birthday sung to him on his 90th birthday while buying Cattle at Thirsk. And Harry Woodhead sharing his 92nd birthday cake while working at the market.
Just a reminder that by the time the next edition of these thoughts is due the great Yorkshire show will be finishing so if you haven’t got your tickets do so before they sell out for the best show in Yorkshire and therefore the world.
Bob Baker, Rural Development Officer, Churches Rural Commission
Thirsk Rural Business Centre, Blakey Lane Thirsk, YO7 3ABTel: 01845 525757Mob: 07968170145
Email: bob.baker@crc-online.org.uk
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