Grazing without Grass a season of struggle, a future of hope

By Alan James Hughes, Farmer, Shropshire

This summer has been one of the most challenging I can ever remember. At 37 years old, I’ve never seen such little rainfall here on the Shropshire–Herefordshire–Powys border — nor has my father.

We’ve been fortunate in one sense, having taken on extra grass keep this year, which allowed us to turn off extra fields to make silage for the cattle. Even so, we are 400 bales short of what we’d normally have, with less straw and slightly less corn too. That means more feed will have to be bought in.

For much of the summer, we’ve had to feed corn and silage just to keep the cattle going, while moving sheep constantly as the hills burnt off. The sheep have had to cover more acres than ever before, but by rotating grazing and feeding cattle both outdoors and indoors, we’ve managed to keep things moving.

Looking ahead, we’ll need to keep the cattle out as long as possible — particularly the young stores — to save on silage and straw. The plan is to get them back out as soon as possible in spring too. We had hoped for August rain to push a second cut, but it didn’t come. Now, we may have to rely on a late winter cut or an early spring cut just to top up feed stocks.

But that’s farming, isn’t it? We survive by adapting. We improvise, adapt, and overcome. That’s why farmers have such strong moral character. We don’t let challenges beat us down. We don’t give in. We look to the future, find ways around the problems, and keep going.

If I had let myself get negative, I’d have sold the sheep, given up the tenancy, and walked away from farming altogether. But I don’t see it like that. I see a future. If we stand together, fighting as one to make farming more profitable, and support each other through times like these, then we can face anything — and build something better for the generations to come.

Yes, there’s very little grass this year. But there are ways through. By grassing later, buying in straw, and supplementary feeding livestock with corn or feed nuts — we have options. And if we can survive a year like this, we can survive whatever the climate or government throws at us. So don’t get downhearted. These tough years test us, but they also prove what farmers are made of. Out of hardship comes resilience. Out of scarcity comes ingenuity. And out of struggle comes strength.

There is hope. And we are that hope. Farmers working together, standing strong, not only to get through another season, but to build a brighter, fairer, and more secure future for the generations that will farm after us. The land will recover, the grass will grow again, and so will we. And to my fellow Farmers to Action members — let’s keep standing shoulder to shoulder, fighting for fairness, and proving that together we can weather any storm and secure a future worth farming for.

Grazing without Grass a season of struggle, a future of hope

Written by Alan James Hughes

Published by FTA.