36 CAWKELD FARM AUG / SEP 2021 • farmers-mart . co . uk
Satellite technology and precision farming techniques are areas in which Mark believes are important , not just for sustainability , maximising returns and care of the soil , but also for employing the right kind of farming people .
‘ We use yield mapping on the combine , use autosteer on our tractors and use variable seed rates based on soil type . It ’ s not a massive farm and I don ’ t have a bottomless wallet but satellite technology is important and you get the brightest people to come and work for you if you have the technology .’
‘ My farm manager Charlie is a young man who has been with me fourteen years , ever since he was a student , and loves what he does and how we do it . He lives on the farm . I always have a student , not necessarily even an agricultural student but someone who is switched on to modern farming . At harvest I will have two or three students .
Mark has switched his cattle enterprise in the past 18 months . He ’ d previously had Limousin X cattle that he turned out to grass for a year and then fattened , but found he was always beholden to the stores price . He switched to Wagyu through Warrendale Wagyu .
‘ Jim has been a good friend for years . Wagyu were always on my radar . It was a funny time coming out of Limousin X when we did as the price was and still
‘ The value of the Wagyu beef is
worth taking that longer time as that ’ s what makes all the difference ’
is pretty good but my arrangement with Warrendale is working very well .
‘ I buy the stock from them . They are Wagyu out of Holstein dairy cows that a dairy farmer breeds and then the stock is reared on so that it they are ready to graze . We then take the stock through to finishing , which in the case of Wagyu is between 24-30 months . Previously our Limmie X would have gone at around 18 months .’
‘ The value of the Wagyu beef is worth taking that longer time as that ’ s what makes all the difference . We will keep them inside during winter and overall they will spend longer on a natural grass and silage diet and wheat straw , as the starch helps , but we will feed them grain to plump them up also , although we don ’ t rush with it unlike the way we would with the continentals as we have a longer time frame to deal with .’
Mark tells of another much more people-friendly experience that comes from having Wagyu stock .
Continued on page 38