It's been a welcome break for those able to take advantage of it although I do find it a bit frustrating that some professional businesses seek to extend official public holidays by creeping an extra day.

For the agricultural community, the weather has been the kindest feature and tractors will have been on overtime.

The past winter must have been damper than statistics tell us as there are still unexpected wet holes to catch the unwary. I watched my neighbour rolling his wheat and almost disappear in a matter of yards.

Spring brings a new season and new hopes; and this year especially we are wondering what lies ahead of our industry.

Normally at this time of year, grain prices are nearing their peak but the national averages demonstrate that wheat is still hovering around £70/tonne with barley trailing even further behind at £60/tonne.

Forecasts for this year's harvest don't help as most pundits anticipate that trade "off the combine" will be little more than £61/tonne. One leading accountancy firm, Grant Thornton, are suggesting that falling cereal prices and increased modulation could force arable farm incomes down by over 50pc.

To add to the woes, the Curry Report proposes that modulation be increased to 10pc by 2004; and although the cash is redirected into environmental schemes, there are many farmers who will not benefit as this money is soaked up by advisors and administration costs.

Grant Thornton's report quotes an example of an 800-acre arable farm whose income from their calculations will fall to £12,606.

How can we survive at this level?

Most parts of the country report the re-stocking programme following the massive FMD cull is slow to get under way. Affected farmers are either hanging onto their cash - which could expose them to tax repayments - or they are being very selective in their purchases.

Auctioneers have been surprised that trade has not taken off a bit more and there have certainly been no fireworks.

There are many farmers with suckler cows to sell whose expectations are higher than the reality of the market.

We did make £800 of a cow and calf a fortnight ago but generally the level is little better than a year ago.

In the dairy sector, there could be a reluctance to dash back into production with milk prices falling and little confidence in the structure of the processing industry.

I suspect that some dairy farmers will opt to run on their young stock in the hopes that they will grow into money.

It's a testing time for the livestock auction business with costs rising to meet new bio-security rules, and numbers down compared to pre-FMD days. I ran a quick straw poll last week and there were 80 fat markets now operating again but of those reported in the Farmers Weekly, only four managed to attract 200 cattle or more.

Pig numbers were very low at 525 and of these Selby had 380.

Sheep, on the other hand, were pretty healthy as farmers return to the market disappointed and disillusioned at their treatment by abattoirs during the crisis.

Times are difficult and sadly Norwich was the third market in East Anglia to close its doors last week.

Nevertheless, we have to make the best of the situation and look forward.

Like a few others, I firmly believe that our marketing role in the future will be a wider one with the livestock auction as only part of a service that we shall offer to livestock producers. There is much talk about the demand for local produce as has been so successfully demonstrated by the farmers markets.

I think that local and regional branding can help even further and that we as auctioneers should get together to promote Yorkshire meat as being something rather special in our region.

I don't believe the Yorkshire brand is the prerogative of any individual company but that it should be available to all who produce meat in God's Own County up to an agreed standard.

- PIG PRICES SET TO RISE - Pork prices on the Continent have risen by about 15pc in the past 4 weeks and the outlook is a bit brighter.

- 60pc OF MARKETS RE-OPENED - According to the latest statistics, around 60pc of markets have now started again with a further 25pc intending to re-open their doors shortly.

- CHANGES FOR NFU - The structure of the NFU is set to change by putting the day-to-day running of the organisation in the hands of a 12-man board and relieving the pressure from the presidential team.

- RSPCA LASH GOVERNMENT - In an unexpected attack, the RSPCA chief vet, Chris Laurence, criticised the Government for its inability to take even the most basic measures to tighten up controls on imported meat. He went on to say: "The nation is still dangerously exposed to a disease which could bring our farming industry to its knees once again for the lack of a few simple precautions. It is inexcusable."

- HIGH COURT REJECTS PUBLIC INQUIRY - In a landmark ruling, Lord Justice Simon Brown rejected a public inquiry into FMD but he added somewhat significantly: "I have considerable sympathy with the claimants in their desire to have a full public investigation into the way in which the foot and mouth outbreak was handled."

- NICK POPKA - It is with great sadness that I report the death of Nick Popka who passed away last Thursday at the age of 83. For those of you who visited York Livestock Centre, you will remember the bewhiskered gentleman who manned the sweetshop and tended the gardens. Nick was with the Polish Free Army and became part of the market family when we opened in 1971, remaining there ever since.

Tuesday's market produced a very healthy atmosphere in the sheep section for the second week of our opening with a total consignment of 1202.

Averages and top prices were as follows: 918 hoggs - ave 102.5/kilo, G E & R G P Mason £55, C F Beal £55, A & M Bower and J L Aconley 116p/kilo; 77 spring lambs - ave151.2p/kilo, K J Rickatson & Son £69.20, B & C M Craven 156p/kilo; 207 ewes - ave £66.70, CF Beal £86.

We are selling again at the store market on Friday and don't forget next Tuesday we take yet another step forward with the start of the cattle auction. We would like a decent entry. Please let us know as soon as possible so that we can organise the buyers. Cattle will be sold at 10am.

On the deadweight front, we have been moving hoggs at around 220-235p/kio and there are signs that the trade could lift further.

Spring lambs were still at 340p/kilo last week but have opened out at less money with prices dropping to around 300p/kilo.

Cattle trade is not improving as I thought it might and perhaps we need the boost of the real live auction to get it going.

'R' grade cattle are hanging on to 170p/kilo with a bit of movement either side.

The best quality retail stock can get from 185-190p/kilo and I feel there is a bit of improvement in the bottom end cattle as well with very little below 145p/kilo.

Pigs are steady away with the bulk of baconers at 100-108p/kilo and the better gilts running to 110p or above.

Anyone wanting further information please contact the helplines at Malton on (01653) 697820/692151 and York on (01904) 489731.

Updated: 16:48 Wednesday, April 03, 2002