At Glensaugh we are continuing to sell finished lambs, but not in the numbers we would have liked. Grass growth has been impaired by poor weather and this has had a knock-on effect on livestock growth rates. The option to sell store lambs (for other farmers to finish) is our fall back and we sold 50 of these at Forfar recently for a respectable £50 per head.

In livestock farming there are often setbacks, but only death can be described as a disaster. Our best bull recently suffered a knee fracture, an incurable condition in an ungulate weighing about 1,000 kg. He had to be put down, a major blow considering his capital value and his worth to the herd. A recent outbreak of a suspected pulmonary infection in a group of blackface lambs has resulted in the deaths of some of the affected animals. A diagnosis from the veterinary lab (SAC, Craibstone) is awaited.

Meanwhile better weather will probably stop the bug in its tracks and cases also appear to be responding to antibiotics. While the weather has cast a cloud of gloom over our lives, we spare a thought for our arable neighbours who have struggled for weeks in “catchy” weather. This year cereal prices are also depressed, but at least our livestock will find a buyer.

John Black taking down an old fence to make way for a new deer fence on the same line

Capital development continues with the fencing of compartment 2 (see photograph), which has now been increased in size. A new application through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) was required, and the process has recently been streamlined so that straightforward cases can be fast tracked through the system. At the same time we are seeking permission to plant trees in a further two areas in the vicinity of Glensaugh Lodge which will improve shelter, amenity and biodiversity. Forestry is where the money is at the moment and we’re chasing it as hard as we can.