Size and efficiency

摘要

Following last month's article on the fortunes of the feed industry's customers in the twelve months ending around February 2008, we look first at the provisional estimates of farmers' total incomes in 2008 and then at provisional estimates for individual farm sectors in the twelve months ending February 2009. While the latter sparkled in England, the data from Northern Ireland may not have shown quite such a shine. And more detailed analysis of two critical sectors for feed manufacturers during thetwelve months ending February 2008 shows that, while the dairy sector enjoyed a relatively successful year, at least compared with the last few years, but for the Single Farm Payment, various environmental schemes and their own efforts to diversify, most grazing farmers both in the lowlands and in the hills would have been out of business. Roger Dean has been riding a hot computer.