Glensaugh News 28 March 2011

At Glensaugh we are bringing our winter routine to a close as sheds are emptied of ewe hoggs and set up again for lambing ewes. Meanwhile calving of cows continues but at a slower pace than in 2010, perhaps reflecting last year's cold and late Spring. The industry-wide shortage of fodder is also being felt here but strict rationing should see us through. Rising soil temperatures are allowing some new growth which will provide for our ewes once they have lambed.

The use of nitrogen fertiliser at Glensaugh has been in decline for years and we have now decided to drop this input completely. The rationale is fairly simple:

• we have an alternative provider of Nitrogen in our sown clovers
• the cost of one tonne of inorganic N is £300 and rising
• we would only have spread 7 tonnes and the £2,100 would be better spent on re-sowing one of our older leys
• the time spent on the job was disproportionate to the benefit from using the input.

Time is ever at a premium and any hours released from the farming routine are easily swallowed up by the needs of the "Estate" where general maintenance, fencing, tree felling and firewood processing could easily keep another employee in full time work. It is a credit to the staff at Glensaugh that we manage to undertake so much non-routine work, most of which is fitted into odd hours and quiet afternoons.