Festive farmers stay a step ahead of the herd

Whilst most of us will be at home relaxing and overindulging on turkey and chocolate, give a thought to the small minority who will be working hard on Christmas Day.

We know about the doctors and nurses who will be treating patients in hospital over the busiest period of the year, firefighters who are on call ready to deal with any emergencies, and police officers keeping people safe at a time when alcohol is flowing and family tensions are often running high.

But there are tens of thousands of other people who will this year be spending it working in other roles and quietly keeping the country ticking over.

For farmers, the festive season doesn’t mean a big break from working life.

Christmas time on a farm is pretty unique. As most of us will be getting up early to unwrap gifts, farming families with livestock will more than likely be out milking and checking on their animals on December 25.

“The cows are milked twice a day which will be my job on Christmas Day,” says Richard Yates, who has a large dairy farm near Bridgnorth.

“We don’t just turn the taps off for a day, but we understand it is one of the responsibilities of being a livestock farmer.

Part and parcel

“We have also got cows which are due to calve so almost certainly I will be up at 2am to look after them before milking starts at 6am.

“We will have Christmas lunch about 1pm, enjoying a turkey from a local farm most probably.

“I will then probably have a snooze, listen to the Queen before milking at 4pm.

“There will be plenty of chores to do but we will do no more than we have to.

“I just hope the stock remains healthy and the machinery doesn’t break down as there will be no one available to fix it.

“It will be the same on all dairy farms all over the country. We don’t moan about it as it is part and parcel of the job.”

Richard says it is the time of the year when families will pull together on farms to get the jobs done.

“Many of my staff have young families which they will be spending time with on Christmas Day, so this is a time when family farms will be pulling together,” he continues.

“We also have a stalwart in the village who helps out in the morning which we are very appreciative for.

“We don’t moan about what we need to do on Christmas Day as it is part and parcel of the job.”

December is generally regarded as a busy time for all farmers. With temperatures expected to drop ever further as Christmas approaches, farmers will be busy ploughing the fields.

The reduced number of daylight hours can often make the day shorter and mean that the farmers finish earlier in the day, but in many cases if there is a lot to do, then they will carry on through the evening.

Cereal crops, such as wheat and maize, may be sprayed throughout December, and if the farm has dry stone walls, they are commonly repaired and built during the winter period.

Feeding livestock is an important aspect of this month again, because they will mainly be housed with no access to grass for grazing.

While Christmas has to come second for dairy farmers as the cows need to be milked every day of the year, December 25 on arable farms is a different story.

“I have previously joked I wanted to be an arable farmer and not have livestock because I wanted Christmas Day off,” says Matthew Williams.

Rituals

“It is a lot harder for farmers with livestock and they have their rituals they go through.”

Matthew’s farm is based in Bridgnorth, but he also has land around Wolverhampton and Dudley, totalling 1,600 acres.

“I prefer the build up to Christmas Day best but will be spending Christmas Day with family.

“It is a chance to get everyone together and there will be no shortage of food. It will be a normal Christmas Day for us.

“December is normally a quiet time. We have been loading lorries with grain that is being sold and spraying the fields. Once everything is planted and sprayed you can shut the gate until the new year,” he adds.

We know that the occasion of eating Christmas dinner is one of celebration, but when you take a look at everything on your dinner plate this year, from your vegetables to the main meaty centrepiece, remember that each element was grown, reared and loved by your Great British farmers.

They have faced another challenging year, not helped by the weather and continued Brexit uncertainty.

Richard adds: “The weather has been grim and tough on the livestock. They do not enjoy the eight weeks of wet weather we have had.

“We also desperately need some clarity that might occur after the election. We are in limbo and need to know which direction we are travelling in.

“As always the farming industry will respond accordingly and continue to provide for the country.”