One-cut roulette

You would need to have a crystal ball at the start of every season to know how the weather will affect the silage harvest. However, you do not need to be a genius to realise that advice given to farmers over the years has contributed to the predicament that farmers find themselves in when fodder is in short supply and very costly to buy in.
Having looked after the interests of agricultural contractors for over three decades, I think I can safely say that I have witnessed a succession of farm advisers tell farmers to save money on contractor costs by reducing the number of silage cuts. In theory, that is not bad advice, but in practical terms it is a high-risk policy that plays roulette with a farmer’s finances. When it goes wrong the advisors blame the weather, over which they have no control.
From the very first time this advice was proffered I am on record as saying it was not a good strategy. The answer I got was ‘you would say that wouldn’t you’.  I believe there is a culture whereby if the proverbial hits the fan, then the Government will be forced to step in and dig the farmers out. Even when this does happen, there is still a cost to farmers, not only in monetary terms, but the situation contributes considerably to the stress that farmers already endure.
I believe that it is now time for advisors to accept that is not the right advice and even if it is seen as a U-turn, to have the moral courage to make it. There is no shame in that.
It will take a few years to complete a reversal of the existing policy, to persuade farmers to adjust to the change and to explain the economic advantage of second or even third cut silage. There also needs to be full consultation with farmers and their contractors to ensure they are on board and in a position to meet a change in requirements.
One consequence of all this is that many contractors left the industry because it was not profitable and they were not prepared to put themselves and their families at further financial risk by acquiring very expensive machinery, at the whim of advisors who rarely consulted with them when changes were being made that would have serious consequences for them. Agricultural contractors are an integral part of farming and deserve more respect for their contribution. Without them, consider what the plight of farmers across the island would be. It is unthinkable what their loss would be to our economy. There needs to be a radical re-evaluation of the way contractors are treated and recognition of the indispensable part they play in the economy of our country.