Farmers are being told to plan ahead to ensure they have adequate straw and feed supplies.
Farmers are being encouraged to plan ahead as part of a new straw and feed campaign launched by NFU Scotland (NFUS).
As part of its #NFUSHowDoYouPlan campaign, the union is urging producers to plan ahead, be flexible and collaborate.
Livestock farmers are told to assess what straw and feed they need and where they are getting it from, and growers are told to know their market.
Flexiblity is encouraged and producers are told to look at alternatives and have a back-up plan, while collaboration is suggested as a way to reduce costs through joint buying or making farm-to-farm deals.
“All sectors have suffered from unusual weather over the past year,” said NFUS president, Andrew McCornick.
“Last autumn and this spring it was unrelenting rain and the late cold snap. Now, it is the prolonged dry spell, which we are far less used to, that has caught many out.”
“With weather patterns changing from what we have been used to in the past, planning ahead will be key to successfully coping with the challenges ahead. It doesn’t matter what sector you’re in and what pressures you are facing; you must make time to plan flexibly and as far ahead as possible.”
