MY wish for an April 1 spring just did not happen! In fact, it is quite the opposite because now it’s become a long expensive winter and the wet weather has cost farmers dearly.

To make things worse the Government has not performed to date with its Basic Payment Scheme payments to the upland area farmers. The promised date was December 2015; now there more delays with weak excuses, which has exasperated all of us.

I must say our local MP has been good in lobbying the minister George Eustice but the civil servants and the Government seem intransigent. The only help the minister gave was to advise farmers that if they were in difficulties to ask for help from the farmers’ charities such as Farming Community Network. I think it is an absolute disgrace to expect the charities to cover for the Government’s fault. Charities work hard for their money and their resources should not be used in this way. I have a friend who works for Farming Community Network and tells me that they are as busy now as they were during the foot and mouth crisis with many farmers in depression and unable to cope.

Nobody can survive with their income put on hold plus constantly being promised payment and when the time comes the payment is delayed again with a later date being given.

The deadline for payment is June but many farmers think the payments may not even arrive by then. So we still wait for a scrap of money that’s rightfully ours.

April is a month most farmers look forward to, with the relief of being able to turn cattle out of their winter housing little by little in their groups, keeping in mind the possibility there could be frosts or cutting north winds to slow the grass from growing as the last thing anyone wants is to have to start supplementary feeding again. It makes you feel proud to see the livestock that you have looked after all winter.

The sheds are emptied as the ground dries up and grass becomes more plentiful and it is a heart warming sight to see the animals. As soon as their feet touch the grass they love to go for a gallop and skip around the field. It must be such a great feeling of freedom and then the taste of spring grass — heaven!

April is also one of the busiest calendar months for hill farmers and it is not the best time to ask them to do anything extra. Their main priority is to look after the young stock being born as I have said before the weather makes or breaks this work.

The sunshine really helps get the young up and running more than anything else. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the young calves, lambs and foals born and quickly progressing in strength over the following days.

The dry spell in mid March gave us a chance to go swaling again (burning of gorse and old grass growing on the moor). Quite a bit of the moor was swaled in the last two weeks of March this year but we could have done with a couple more days to just do a bit more.

However, it was better than not being able to do anything at all which is what we were thinking in mid March with the constant rain up until then.

The very wet spring means that another winter has passed when some of the general maintenance jobs have not been completed. We normally lay hedges, repair fences and generally do many ‘housekeeping’ jobs in the drier periods of winter and spring.

Ten Tors training is in full swing which is an excellent opportunity for young people to face the challenges that Dartmoor throws at them.

A plea from all the farmers on the moor to the teams practicing where there is access to the land such as the Newtakes, please don’t damage fences and hedges and particularly the stone walls by climbing over them.

Please use the correct access over a stile or through a gate, which has to be shut after passing through and please don’t pick up any lambs, calves or foals — just walk past quietly not disturbing them as the mother won’t be far away.

Even if you think the small animal is abandoned, the worst thing of all is to touch the young suckling as once the mother finds a different smell on her baby she is likely to reject it and then the young one will be in trouble.

The most amazing sight I enjoy seeing on the open moor is when cows go off grazing and leave one cow in charge of half a dozen babies asleep in the sun and the single cow babysits and becomes very protective of all in the bunch. She will raise the alarm if the calves are disturbed. If they are disturbed you then become aware of several unhappy mums travelling at great speed towards you so best to make a quick exit before it’s too late!

I have another plea to everyone who enjoys visiting Dartmoor to please take your rubbish home with you. Litter left in our beautiful countryside can do serious damage to wildlife and our livestock, especially plastic which can be tasty if it has contained food which is attractive to inquisitive animals. If the plastic is eaten it can be deadly so please help by picking up any litter.

Dog poo is another piece of litter which some people put in plastic disposal bags and they hang the bag on trees expecting somebody to pick them up! Nobody has yet been able to tell me the reasoning and mentality behind such actions.

Dogs in general still remain a concern and sheep attacks continue at an alarming rate which is a real disappointment after all the publicity that has been given to this problem. 

The agricultural shows will soon start again with the Devon County Show being the first big event. The long hours of preparation for the event started many months prior to showing an animal whether it be cattle, sheep, ponies, horses, dogs or any other animal.

You start with good breeding of the animal with a good dam and sire and from the day the animal is born you have a good idea if it’s going to be successful. You hope it is going to be good enough to hit the show circuit but there is often a lot of heartache along the way — the saying “wrapped in cotton wool” springs to mind.

Yes, they do get more attention than the general run of the mill animals on the farm but the hard work that goes into the finished product is through pure dedication.

So, when you go to the local and county shows and see shiny, beautiful, well behaved animals you must remember it didn‘t just turn up on that day looking good. Someone or a team had spent hours of work to produce that animal to its peak for its special appearance.

At the Devon County Show the Dartmoor hill ponies with young riders put on displays throughout the three days of the show — it is well worth seeing. The displays will take place in the countryside ring. The ponies are stabled by the ring with the young jockeys camped alongside their mounts. As you can imagine a good time is had by all.

It is well worth a visit to see the ponies first hand and the Dartmoor Hill Pony stand at the same time. All the ponies on show are bred from herds that graze the commons of Dartmoor. The show gives the general public an insight into the pony’s ability, their confirmation and temperament to make excellent children’s riding ponies.

There is also an exhibition which has just opened at the Powdermills pottery. It tells the true story with a fascinating film and display of the indigenous ponies on Dartmoor starting in the Stone Age and how they have evolved to the present day.

Before the main shows it’s advisable to get your animal out and about once or twice especially where horses are concerned — this is where local shows play a very important part.

The Spooners horse and dog show was held last Sunday (April 24) at Yelverton. Being very successful it was an excellent opportunity for a practice run. Such events take a lot of organising all by people who give their free time. It was a real community get together but thanks must also go to the goodwill of land owners and farmers who allow such events to take place.

And finally, are we going to leave the EU? Who knows … but by the time I write my summer article all the shouting and arguing will be over for better or worse and I like many people am still undecided.

We, as farmers all want red tape to be cut in our businesses as other businesses do, with free trading. We, I think should also remember that Europe needs us as much as we need them for trading. I am afraid a dream of the perfect situation will not be achieved whichever way the vote takes us.