Time Flies

The old adage "time flies when you are having fun" is definitely true. Its hard to believe that a year has already passed since I started Agri Advisor Solicitors. In one sense so much has happened since then it seems a long time ago now but at the same time I still remember vividly all the work associated with setting up the business. We had a little celebration last Friday night and the bottle of champagne which has been in the fridge last year by way of incentive is no more! Mari made us a cake of which I think there may be a few crumbs left.

The business would not have been such a success without the help and support of friends and family. I am indebted to them for giving of their time, and advice over the last year and for enabling me to be able to concentrate on the business.  I am very fortunate because without them none of it would have been possible. I am also extremely lucky to have found a great team of people to work with on a day to day basis.

But why look back, when we can look forward and to be honest I can't wait to see what unfolds in the years to come.

Next week, we will be at the Dairy Event at Carmarthen Showground. Given the issues with milk prices this year and the increase in input costs it is a difficult time for dairy farmers but hopefully the event will give some a well deserved day off from the business (between milkings), and a chance to speak to processors and suppliers to their business. We have specific packages available for dairy farmers which address their individual sector needs so come along and visit us on the Stand on 16th October to find out more.

I have been speaking at a couple of Young Entrant Support Scheme evenings arranged by Menter a Busnes on what to consider when making changes to your business structure in terms of the practicalities, financial implications and legal issues that may be relevant. It was fantastic to have a full room at both the Newtown and Haverfordwest evenings signalling that there will again this year a high take up of the YESS scheme. 

Rain again!

It is pouring down here at Henllan, you would not believe that it was the middle of August. Apparently there is some talk of a 'heat wave' next week but not sure I can believe that the way the weather is today. In spite of the weather, the builders are working in the rain, with the roof trusses going on  the second barn today. We have finalised the choice of windows and doors and are starting to plan what is going inside which is exciting. We need to start thinking about a name for the new office and so if anyone has any suggestions please let us know.

Almost time .......

It is the Friday before the Royal Welsh show and as yet there are no bags packed, the caravan is still in storage and needs cleaning inside and out and still no silage! Its normally a rush to get things ready to take up but this year is set to be the most disorganised yet given that we have spent most of the last week in hospital with Llyr who has had appendicitis. Thankfully he is now better and came out of hospital yesterday but all our plans for this week had to be put on hold. It is dry today but the land is so wet it is unlikely we will be able to attempt silage until next week either.

The plan for this weekend had been to go to the CLA Game Fair this Sunday but unfortunately that also has been affected by the weather. Cothi Shears today and Capeli Shears tomorrow are still going ahead in spite of weather and have managed to ensure that they have sufficient dry lambs for the shearers. It will be interesting to see who from the Welsh and New Zealand teams come out on top this year in their competitions and good luck to all the local shearers competing in both events.

The Royal Welsh Show is once again jam packed with events and things to see and do. More than anything else I enjoy the chance to meet up with people that I haven't seen for a while  - sometimes not having seen them since last year's Show. We will be launching our Agri Advisor training courses for farmers at the Show. For more details please have a look at our website at  http://www.agriadvisor.co.uk/tools-and-training . Increasingly we as farmers have to abide by rules and regulations and the law has becoming more and more relevant to how we conduct our day to day farming business. The courses we will be running  from September to help farmers spot legal issues and discuss simple ways in which legal disputes can be avoided. Also, there will be a course on how to attack the forms and record keeping that is required of farmers in the most efficient and user friendly ways.

Throughout August we are also going to be offering a special offer for the preparation of Powers of Attorney. Powers of Attorney can provide authority for someone else to deal with your financial and/or care requirements when you are no longer able to do so yourself. If you would like to find out more about this offer please give us a ring on 01558 841550 or email us on advisor@agriadvisor.co.uk. There will also be more details in our July newsletter which can be found at www.agriadvisor.co.uk/chewingthecud

The barns are also making swift progress with the roof on the first barn starting to be retiled today. See for yourself below 

Can you believe it?

Can anyone else believe it is already July? Usually July is one of my favourite months of the year, the main jobs on the farm shearing and silage are usually finished by the Royal Welsh and then as a treat at the end of it we have a week in the caravan at the Show! Not sure that is going to pan out this year. We have finished the shearing and hopefully the fleece will go off this week/early next week but it has been a battle with the weather to get them shorn in batches at a time. But as for silage - we haven't had more than 1 day dry at a time to enable us to do anything with it and that means that if it is dry Show week, Alan will be at home.

Today, farmers and representatives are up in London trying to raise awareness of the unfair prices which dairy farmers get for the milk they produce. Meinir is there on behalf of Agri Advisor and I hope that it will highlight the disproportion between what farmers and processors received for the milk as opposed to the supermarkets. It is unjustifiable that a supermarket gets approximately 50% of the price made for milk by the consumer.

Progress is going well with the barns with one roof, bar the tiles back up and now work is starting on the inside and stone walls. It is very exciting to see the transformation and to see the plans we have become a reality.

Looking forward to the Royal Welsh and praying for a week of nice weather before the Show so that our silage is wrapped up by then! 

Do farmers need a CPC to carry their own livestock?

The general rules is no transporter authorisation is required for the transport by farmers of their own animals, in their own vehicles, for a distance of less than 50km from their holding, or for seasonal stock movements between pastures. However, there is a requirement to observe the General conditions for the transport of animals – these relate to fitness to travel, water and feeding intervals etc.

Also, if you are a transporter - transporters undertaking journeys of less than 65km from place of departure to place of destination do not require an authorisation nor are they required to use drivers/attendants who have been trained and hold a certificate of Competence.

Those transporting farm livestock or horses by road on journeys over 8 hours must hold valid vehicle approval certificates.

So, you will only need a CPC if you are a transporter undertaking journeys of more than 65km.  You will need to get a transporter authorisation if you are a farmer transporting your own animals in your own vehicles for a distance of more than 50km.  You will also need a vehicle approval certificate if the journey is more than 8 hours.

This Week!

Good Morning, another blustery wet day outside! Can’t believe the weather we are having, especially for this time of year! My thoughts go out to those that were affected by the floods in Ceredigion last weekend, it must have been awful but it is very comforting to see communities pulling together in times of crisis.

The building work as started here at Henllan, the roof is off one of the barns and progress is being made! We are all very excited and can’t wait to have our new offices!

This week I was giving a talk at Aberystwyth at a Women in Agriculture Forum arranged by Farming Connect, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and it was great to hear other women who had ventured and started their businesses. In particular Olwen Thomas spoke about her experiences in Africa which I found inspirational and shows exactly what having a positive attitude to life can enable you to achieve.

Meinir attended a networking event arranged by Tomas Marks of Menter Bro Dinefwr at the Red Lion in Llangadog on Tuesday night, where she met with other business people from the area. The night was all about connecting with other business people who were on twitter  and get an opportunity to meet face to face.  

Best Wishes 

Nerys 

May 2012

I am writing in the days leading up to the Spring Festival for which we are proud sponsors of the Hereford Cattle Section and will also have a stand in the Glamorgan Hall. All are welcome to join us there for a cup of tea and a chance to rest those feet. The deadline for submitting the Single Application Form has now passed but issues in relation to dual use still remain and we are still preparing several licence agreements a week for farmers who need to reconcile oral agreements in to writing.
Mari attended the Health and Safety on the farm event arranged by Ceredigion YFC which was well attended and informative on the 25th of April.
My lecturing at Cardiff University has come to an end for the semester so no more weekly trips to Cardiff until September. My lecture for Aberystwyth’s Environmental Law Masters Course looked at Solar Panels as a method of renewable energy generation for farmers and considered drafting considerations for Option and Lease Agreements between a Landlord and Developer. There are excellent opportunities available for landowners if they have land suitable for renewable energy options.

On the farm we have nearly finished selling our first batch of lambs for the year despite disappointing early lamb prices and are trying to get enough sunshine to shear the sheep!