We asked a few people in the food and farming sector about their plans and hopes for 2022. A common theme for our farmers is the massive increase in input costs, specifically feed and fertiliser. But there is still an appetite for improving and innovating, with the purchase of a new cattle monitoring system and the launch of the island’s first chilli farm.

Stuart and Ruth Meade at Red Mie Farm are known for being passionate supporters of locally grown and produced food. They were the originators of the #Manx March movement which encouraged people to sign up to eating only locally produced food for a week. This in turn has spawned a Facebook page, #Manx March 2021, which is a great source of inspiration and meal ideas with lots of photos posted of mouthwatering dishes made using local foods.

The Meades’ farm is just outside Ballaugh where they keep free range poultry along with 150 Loaghtan sheep and grow vegetables, salads and herbs.

They also have an exciting new venture coming to fruition in 2022.

Stuart says: ’We are launching the only commercial chilli farm on the Isle of Man.

We grow 20 varieties that range from the very mild Padron to the super hot world record-holding Carolina Reaper.

’We will be able to supply fresh, dehydrated and smoked chillies. We also use our own chillies in our Hot Honey and Hot Sauce range.

’In 2021 we collaborated with some other local producers: Fynoderee uses our hot honey in some of their cocktails and Isle of Man Goats used our chillies for their Belper Knolle chilli cheese. We are more than happy to have conversations with other producers and restaurants if they have any chilli requirements and would like to keep it local.’

All their sauces are made in-house using Manx produced ingredients and their own chillies from the 300 plants that are housed in the polytunnel they installed last summer.

Stuart says: ’We can’t control everything, especially the weather, but the environment in the Isle of Man is perfect for chillies because there are no hard frosts.’

Their other new venture for 2022 is the launch of their veg box scheme which they previewed at the Food & Drink Festival in September and you can find details about this at the email address below.

Stuart says: ’This year will also include our new ’Meet the Farmer’ days where we will hold drop in sessions for anyone to come along and see how and where their food is produced and help them connect with the food on their plate.’

The Meades will also continue to supply Loaghtan lamb, eggs, and point of lay poultry - a great first step for any would be smallholders - and host our popular Farm Experience sessions, educational visits and poultry keeping courses.

Stuart says that his biggest hopes for 2022 are that ’we come out of this pandemic completely and we all get our freedoms back that we’ve missed and the stability that we deserve, and that our chilli farm and veg boxes will be successful.’

For enquiries about vegetables and veggie boxes, email [email protected].

Red Mie will also be holding their sellout lambing sessions this year: tickets for these go on sale next month on their booking site https://buytickets.at/redmie.

Ean Parsons,

president of the Manx NFU

Ean says: ’The big challenge going forward this year is the massive rise in input costs. We hope it’s a blip but if it’s not then it’s going to have a big impact on commodity prices and food prices will have to go up, which nobody likes.

’Farming has become a lot more about being aware of your costs and monitoring your costs.’

As a hill farmer Ean is limited to rearing cattle and sheep: his land is too high up for growing crops or keeping dairy cows.

He says: ’We’re not a grain growing farm so I’m reliant on buying from other local farms.’

This means that making the best use of the grass on his farm to reduce the amount of grain he has to buy in is essential. To this end he established a breeding programme which he says he will be pushing forward with in 2022, to produce animals better able to thrive predominantly on grass

Ean says: ’We used to sell our calves, after weaning, at six months old for further finishing by other farmers. Then 12 years ago we changed over to finishing them ourselves, to sell to the Meat Plant, to be more in control of our own job.’

For Manx Farming in general for 2022, Ean says: ’We’ve got to get that message out about buying local food. I get very frustrated with this labelling, especially after COP 26, of "cattle are killing the planet".

’We’ve done carbon audits on our farm and we sequester more carbon than we produce. If we’d rewilded everywhere we’d sequester less carbon and we must remember that we do also produce food and that’s important.

’If you’re following Veganuary and eating a plant-based diet at this time of year then you’re shipping your food in from halfway around the world.

’Everybody’s entitled to make their own decisions but there’s so much misinformation.’

Vicky Sloane-Masson, dairy farmer

Vicky, whose family farm at Ballacricket in Ronague, says: ’At this time of year we normally have a sit down and plan what direction we want to go in for the next 12 months.

’It’s going to be a really interesting 2022 with the increases in feed and fertiliser costs, which are going crazy at the moment.’

Fertiliser prices, for example, have risen by around 150% and Vicky hopes that milk prices to farmers will increase in line with their costs. For farmers it may mean buying less fertiliser which means producing less grass and spring barley.

’We’ll just have to be using the slurry more efficiency,’ says Vicky.

Like all the 29 dairy farmers who supply Isle of Man Creamery, Ballacricket is on a grass fed contract which means that their cows have to spend 200 days a year out at grass. Any reduction in the amount of grass they can grow will in turn have an impact on their levels of milk production.

Vicky says: ’We’re not expecting to make any money this year, we’re just hoping to ride out the storm. It’s going to be really difficult to make any investments. I think they will have to be put on hold.

’But we do have one big investment coming up which we had already signed up for.’ This is a smart neck collar monitoring system for dairy cows. It reads a cow’s activity and behaviour, whether it’s eating, sleeping, ruminating or showing lameness. It transmits live data to an app on Vicky’s phone and will send a notification if a cow is in distress.

Vicky says: ’The sytem gives a real insight into the best time to serve a cow, whether she’s eating enough, her rumination and nutition.

’It means I can look at the app on my phone when I wake up in the morning and I will know if any of the cows are not up or not eating as normal.’

It will also show, through monitoring the change in the cow’s activity patterns, when she is about to start calving and flag that up as well.

’It’s a big investment but this year it’s going to be more important than ever to be efficient.’

When it comes to her hopes for the New Year Vicky says: ’I’d quite like things to go back to normal.

’I just hope that we all stay healthy and we can carry on doing what we think we’re good at, which is looking after dairy cows.’

Murray Cringle,

vice president Manx NFU

Murray, who farms cattle and sheep in Ballabeg, says: ’I’m hoping for a successful year and for good weather.

’The high prices for fertiliser are probably going to have an effect on all of agriculture.

’We’ve always been great users of stock manure so it’s nothing new to us, we spread daily or every two days.

’Our cattle are in the shed at the moment but the sheep are out and they’re coming up to lambing soon, so some good weather would be nice for that.

’My biggest hope for next year is that we can continue to feed the Manx public: the more locally sourced food the better for the environment.

’But it will be hard because people’s budgets will come under pressure in the coming year.’