Challenging markets but positive progress back at Dourie

Returning from the Royal Highland Show means it's straight back into the day job, and there is certainly plenty happening on the farm.

We're now into week seven of breeding and, so far, the results have been extremely encouraging. Returns have been very low, which is exactly what we want to see, and hopefully that continues over the coming weeks.

Silage is now safely in the clamp after what has been another challenging season. Weather conditions have made grass growth incredibly unpredictable, with growth swinging from one extreme to the other. Thankfully, growth has picked up again recently and we're aiming to reduce concentrate feeding to just one kilogramme per cow as grass continues to perform.

The economics, however, remain a real concern. Last month's milk price was around 29p per litre, while our cost of production sits closer to 42p. Those figures simply aren't sustainable over any significant period.

The pig enterprise faces similar pressures. Returns remain below production costs. Gregor is busy installing new freedom farrowing crates ahead of the next batch of sows. The new system will further improve welfare standards and, we hope, help secure access to higher-value markets in the future.

We're also delighted to welcome Delve Lee Bennett to the Dourie team as my new assistant. Delve brings a wealth of experience, having worked in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, and we're looking forward to introducing her properly over the coming weeks. She has some great stories to tell, and I think she'll be a real asset to the business.

The next few days will be spent travelling between London and Dumfries for meetings covering dairy supply chains, agricultural policy and industry collaboration before returning home to catch up with everything that's happened on the farm while I've been away.

Despite the pressures facing both the dairy and pig sectors, there remains plenty to be positive about. The cows are performing well, breeding is on track, we've secured this year's silage, and we continue investing in improvements that will benefit the business for years to come.

As ever in farming, there's never a dull moment.