Farm Update - November 2022

Cattle

You know us well enough by now to know that we love a bit of weather chat. Well it's quite frankly been biblical hasn't it?! From the hottest, driest summer to date, to monsoon style rain storms - we are certainly experiencing the extremes of weather these days. As such the ground is starting to get pretty boggy in places and so we have started to bring the cattle in to the sheds for winter. A nice, dry and warm home for them, whilst allowing the grass to rest and recover ready for spring when the cattle will head back outside. 

Thank you so much to each and every one of you who has sent us your love, thoughts and wishes since we updated you on our TB situation. It really does mean the world. Our next TB test, the whole herd blood test, is taking place during the second week of December so we will keep you posted following the results of this. 

Sheep 

Unlike the cattle, the sheep will remain outside all year. This is for 3 reasons - they are lighter and therefore the ground can tolerate their footfall before turning in to a bog. Secondly they are a hardy breed with a big waterproof, woolly coat to protect them from adverse weather. And thirdly, the sheep don't only eat grass giving us more options for winter grazing.

We are about to move them on to some overwintered stubble - literally the stubs of the crops that we combined this summer (we don't plant next years crops until spring). They will graze off all of the ‘volunteers’ - seedlings that start to grow from combine spillage and natural seed dispersal. This has multiple benefits - it provides the sheep with a food source; the sheep trample their faeces (and therefore nutrients and organic matter) back in to the soil, helping to improve soil health and reducing the need for manmade fertilisers; and it will remove the need to spray off the volunteers with round up in order to have a ‘clean’ crop next year. Winner Winner!

This week we have 2 new Rams coming to join the crew and entertain the ladies. In previous years we have borrowed rams from a neighbour but as we continue to increase our sheep numbers we have made the decision to buy our own. Once the rams arrive we will put a raddle on each of them. This is basically a big harness, that affixes a crayon to their chest. This crayon marks the back of each ewe that the ram has served, allowing us to ensure he is doing his job! 

 The main consideration now is names for our new friends … please email us your ideas, and you never know, there may be a little prize for the winners!

Environmental work 

As you'll be able to tell from our description above about the overwintered stubble, we are trying hard to move away from our environmental practices being little bolt ons around the periphery of our farm, and instead integrate it in to the very heart of all of our practices and decision making. 

Cover crops are now growing well thanks to the recent rain. These will provide winter habitats, a winter food source, and a wildlife corridor for multiple species. The herbal leys we recently planted are also establishing well. These are a deep rooting, species rich mixture that will be used for cattle and sheep grazing over the next 4 years or so. Deep roots bring huge benefit to the soil including reduction of soil compaction, improved drainage, and increased spread of nutrients. They also sequester carbon, storing it in the soil, and help to lock nutrients back in the soil making them available for plant uptake. This means when we rotate these fields back to arable fields in a few years time we should be planting in to better quality soils - improving yield and grain quality, and reducing the need for manmade fertilisers. 

Another benefit of the recent rain is that our wading bird scrapes in our river meadows are now full of water. This will provide the perfect habitat for wading birds, as well as a host of other invertebrates including beetles, bugs and molluscs. 

Farm Diversifications

We mentioned in our last newsletter that we were heading off to the Farm Business and Innovation Show. Well we went last week, spending 2 days at the NEC in talks and seminars, and visiting advisors, trade stands and industry professionals. It's safe to say we have come back with plenty of food for thought - we just need to whittle down the many ideas, and put them in to action! Exciting times! 

And a final festive shout out …

For anyone living locally to us, don't forget that we will once again be selling our beautiful, premium quality, non-drop Nordmann Fir Christmas Trees. Available from the end of November, 4ft - 10ft  (larger sizes available by pre order … email us ASAP). Either come and visit us from 26th November, 10am - 4pm on a Saturday and Sunday, or 3:30pm - 7pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, or, drop us an email with the size and shape you are after and we will reserve the perfect tree for you! Local delivery available. Check out the photo below to see how beautiful they are (just excuse the wonky star!). 

Wishing you a wonderful November (don't get washed away!)

James & Fi