Breedr, the livestock software company that I work for, launched in America earlier this year.
The average sized farm in the UK on Breedr has 281 cattle, while in America its over 40,000. The scale is astonishing. One of the amazing things is how labour-efficient each of these farms are, with large numbers of cattle run by surprisingly few staff.
One of the challenges that British agriculture has to overcome is how it defines quality. We all know that food produced in Britain is produced to one of the worlds highest safety standards (one in six Americans experience food poisoning each year; in the UK its one in 20) and that our retailers have exacting quality standards which we all produce to.
However, beef in the UK is graded on the traditional EUROP grid which rewards carcase recovery and conformation, while in America beef is graded to a quality standard (choice, select and prime).
The consumer is then able to choose products that fit their price bracket. If you visit an American steakhouse anywhere in the world, you will see these quality indicators on the menu and it is fast becoming a global standard.
The trade deals that Ranil Jayawardena, the new Defra Secretary, helps us sign provide us all with the opportunity to develop Brand Britain, exporting our incredibly safe food products around the world, from Exmoor caviar to Scottish venison.
But as a farming community we need to consider how we are rewarded for the beef we produce so that we are all encouraged to produce great quality beef.
After last months Farmers Guardian we were invited to meet with Janet Hughes from Defra, who was well aware of the challenges faced by young farmers.
There are encouraging signs with take up of the Lump Sum Exit scheme, which will hopefully bring new farms to the tenancy market.
As the last of our items goes onto a farm sale this week and with our cattle already gone, we look forward to a quiet winter, albeit with a newborn and two year old and the challenge that next year will bring.
However, I have already said I would help a neighbour feed their cattle from November to February so I will not be far from a tractor and a shed.
