Farm Update - October 2022
James Florey
It feels like ages since we last sent an update, even though it's only been a few weeks, but boy what a few weeks they've been! We've felt the real shift in to autumn as the weather has cooled and the leaves are changing.
Cattle
When we sent our last update we were just about to do our TB test and we had the excitement of moving over 100 cattle through the middle of our grassland and up the road to the farm buildings. We are pleased to say that the manoeuvre went surprisingly well and all the cattle made it back to the farm without any major dramas.
The TB test itself was a smooth process. We are well experienced at doing them now and have a good set up to get the 150+ cattle through the crush and tested as efficiently as possible.
Sadly the results were not as hoped, with one of our worst TB test failings to date. When we have been down with TB in the past it has been due to 1 or 2 animals failing the skin test. But this time 10 animals failed. They were then sent for post mortem which showed visible signs of lesions (confirmation of TB) in all 10. Due to the severe and persistent nature of our TB breakdown we will now have to have a whole herd blood test alongside the regular skin test. This provides a more sensitive TB diagnostic, and therefore there is a chance we could lose a significant number of animals.
To be honest it has been a tough and emotional time for us. Digesting the loss of the last 10 animals and worrying about what will come has sat heavy. A herd we have spent over 30 years building is gradually being destroyed and it's a bitter pill to swallow. Whilst we get a small amount of financial compensation for each animal lost, this by no means compensates for their full value. We will be unable to replace the animals until we have had 2 clear TB tests which will be a minimum of 4 months from our next test (that's assuming we go immediately clear after the blood test). So it is impossible to bounce back from this at any pace. We are trying to remain optimistic - at the end of the day there is NOTHING we can do about it, and so we will focus our energies on new diversifications and other enterprises that are less volatile, and will wait to see what the next test brings.
In the meantime we are focussing on our general herd health which is always a priority for us. We recently did some random blood tests within the herd and these showed that the cattle would benefit from a copper supplement. You can give these as mineral licks, but the risk being that each animal will consume a different amount. As such we have decided to give the supplement as a bolus straight in to each animals mouth. This means we can ensure each animal receives the exact amount they need.
The cattle remain outside whilst we try to make the most of any remaining grass. We are still having to give them some supplementary feed (homemade hay and grass silage) where the quality and quantity of grass isn't good enough. As we've mentioned before we've had to eat in to our winter fodder, and therefore we are having to buy some in to see us through until spring, before the prices rise any further.
Sheep
The sheep continue to do well, enjoying the autumn sunshine. This week we have sorted through them all giving them a general health check, and choosing which ewe lambs to breed from this year. The lambs have been moved on to fresh grazing, and the rams are getting ready to go out with the ewes at the start of November. It seems that the sheep have stopped escaping quite as much, whilst still enjoying giving us the run around every time we try to move them.
Everything else …
In other news, the grass has been growing back well and the grazeable cover crops are establishing quickly ready for the sheep to enjoy over winter. The barley has now been collected and taken off farm to be made in to beer, whilst we await the oats to be collected for animal food. The cattle sheds have been cleaned and disinfected ready for cattle to be brought back in when the ground gets too wet and grass runs out. The autumn calvers are inside already so we can keep a closer eye on them, ensuring they have what they need and assistance can be offered if needed during calving. We are looking forward to some family time during October half term as we head down to Cornwall. Alex, our farm team mate, and my father Robert will be holding the fort. We're very lucky to have such a reliable team. On our return we're heading to the Farm Business and Innovation Show at the Birmingham NEC. A great opportunity to stop, think, regroup, and network so we can make a plan for what's next.
Don't forget to get your beef and lamb order in now! Beef next week, Lamb in early November.
James & Fi