A recent survey of livestock farmers conducted by the National Farm Research Unit (NFRU) has found that in 2009 over half of farmers interviewed (51%) called the vet only when there was a problem, which had increased from 41% in 2008 and 46% of farmers in 2007. A further 33% of livestock farmers said that the vet visited only when called, a lower percentage than reported in 2008 (40%) or in 2007 (41%). In 2009 only 10% called the vet routinely and just 5% of farmers used the vet only in emergencies, an increase on the 2007 figure of 3%.

In the West Midlands, 45% of livestock farmers used veterinary services when there was a problem, with 37% said that the vet visited the farm only when they were called. But 13% of them said the vet visited routinely, higher than the mean, with just 5% saying the vet call only in emergencies.

Sources of non-farming income

Many livestock farmers are now earning income through non-farming activities and a wide range of business enterprises have been adopted by them in recent years. The most frequent sources of non-farming income were found to be residential lettings (12% of farmers who responded), holiday lets (11% of all farmers), livery/equine services (11%) and agricultural contracting (9%). Other non-farming diversifications included caravan sites (6%), letting out land (5%), bed & breakfast (5%) and haulage (3%).

In the West Midlands the most popular non-farming activities were livery/equine (20% of farms), residential lettings (16%) and agricultural contracting (12%). Other activities adopted to generate further income includes holiday lets, letting out land, bed & breakfast, storage, consumer services, shooting, industrial units, motor racing, butchery and farm administration.

The contribution of non-farming activities to the overall farm income has become more significant. In 2009 39% of livestock farms earned between 10-20% of their total income from non-farming activities compared with 31% in 2006. A further 13% of farms earned between 41-50% of their income and 12% of farms earned between 21-30% of income this way. In 2009 just 12% of farms earned less than 10% of the total farm income from non-farming activities, compared with 19% of farms in 2006.

Calving patterns

The survey indicates that 77% of livestock farmers calved their animals all year round, with 14% doing so in the autumn and spring. In 2007 86% of farmers said that they calved all year round.

In the West Midlands 77% of farms in 2009 calved all year round, with 83% doing so in 2008 and 88% in 2007.

The most popular calving month was September (32%) followed by August (16%), October (12%), March (10%) and July (9%). Three years before, September was still the most frequent month for calving, selected by 24% of livestock farmers, followed by October (20%), August (16%), March (8%) and July (8%).

When asked at what age their heifers normally had their first calf, the most frequently given answer was at 30 months (46% of farmers), followed by 24 months (21%). In 2006 38% of farmers reported the age for heifers to have their first calf were 30 months, 20% said 24 months and 14% said 28 months. This showed a trend towards later calving.

In the West Midlands 54% of farmers gave 30 months as the most frequent age for first calving, followed by 12% saying 24 months, 15% 27 months and 12% 28 months. Three years ago, 39% said that 30 months was the most common age for first calves, with a further 17% saying that calving for the first time took place at 24 months and 14% saying 28 months, reflecting the overall trend for later calving.

Trends for organic farming

The NFRU survey calculates that in 2009 and 2008 5% of livestock farms had some organic land, either registered or in transition. This is an increase over 2006 and 2005 where just 3% of livestock farms had some organic land.

In the West Midlands 5% of livestock farms had some organic land in 2009, compared to 4% in 2008, 2007 and 2006 and 3% in 2005.