Last month I wrote about our week farm sitting in Cumbria. The farmer who we were covering for certainly picked the right week to be away, but unfortunately I think we picked exactly the wrong week to be in that particular part of Cumbria.

Record rainfall, high winds and power cuts all made the week very interesting to say the least, but we just about got through and compared to some others in the county, we could certainly consider ourselves very lucky really.

The flooding throughout Cumbria in December is just devastating, and my heart really goes out to those people whose homes and businesses have suffered with any amount of water damage. I hope you all can get back to something resembling normal as soon as possible.

The year 2015 will no doubt be reviewed in all sorts of ways through the end of December and into early January; but it’s what 2016 will hold that’s really crucial. It’s always important to look forward, and to keep building towards the future.

I was always told by my first boss in the feed industry that 'nothing stays the same forever' and it’s important that we remember that as we enter a new year. Poor milk prices throughout much of the dairy sector are no doubt creating huge problems for many producers, not to mention beef and lamb prices too, but that won’t always be the case.

Staying positive can seem a fruitless waste of energy, but the industry will improve again; and hopefully that will happen at some point, as early as possible, in 2016.

While I’m writing this at the end of 2015, I know that you probably won’t be reading it until the first week of January, so all that remains for me to say is that I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas period, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

adam.collantine@dugdalenutrition.com