Farm Update No 2 - March 2022
James Florey
It's getting to that time of year where everything is ramping up … calves are arriving, arable preparations are underway, and the ewes are fit to burst! It always feels exciting to welcome new life to the farm, and to start working towards the new farming year. The gorgeous sunshine has helped us feel positive about the year ahead.
Calving …
Calving got off to a bit of a bumpy start with the loss of a premature calf back in February, followed by an unexpected loss of a calf during labour a couple of weeks ago. We were feeling pretty down in the dumps about it to be honest - we couldn't help but wonder whether it was something we were doing wrong, could have done quicker, or that we had missed a trick. But since then things have been on the up and we've had a good number of healthy calves and straight forward births.
What began as an incredibly sad loss has actually turned in to an unexpected success story … Last week we welcomed a set of twins. We've managed to take one of the twins off their birth mother and foster it on to the heifer who lost her calf just recently. This seems to have worked well, with the foster mother eventually coming round to the idea! This should mean that we end up with 2 healthy, content calves, and a birth mother in better condition … win win!
TB …
The dreaded TB remains an issue for us on the farm. We are currently ‘closed down’ with the disease, meaning we have to conform to a number of movement restrictions to prevent the spread. To continually check the status of the herd we have to have a whole herd TB test every 60 days. This involves all of the animals receiving 2 injections of TB - one avian (the control site) and one bovine. The skin thickness at both sites is measured and recorded. The vet returns 3 days later and measures comparative injection site swelling to determine whether animals are a ‘reactor’ (positive) or not. We have our next test next week so we are keeping everything crossed that we go clear.
For anyone who is worrying about the impact of this on the products you buy from us, please don't panic! TB does not affect meat products, and any animals who ‘fail’ the TB test are taken away by the ministry and slaughtered.
Sheep …
The ewes are getting fatter and fatter by the day, and are enjoying a quiet life out in the fields. We will be moving them back to graze outside the house and farm buildings over the next week or so, so that we can keep a closer eye on them in the run up to lambing. Lambs are due to arrive from the second week of April so we want to be watching out for any early problems so we can intervene quickly.
Beans, Oats and Barley grow …
The recent dry weather has been incredibly welcomed to try and dry up some of our wet and boggy ground. Beans, Oats and Barley are all waiting to be drilled using the new direct drill we bought last year. The ‘no till’ approach (meaning no digging, turning or cultivation of the soil before planting) is one of our regenerative farming steps. This should help to improve soil structure, keep carbon locked in the ground, and preserve soil ecosystems - all contributing to healthier soil. It does take a bit of a mindset shift, as well as some trial and error, and it never results in the most beautiful looking crop! But this is our second year using the drill so hopefully we will have a successful experience.
As well as drilling we will be spreading our farmyard manure on the fields. A great natural fertiliser to encourage grass and crop growth, a good contributor to soil structure, and reducing our reliance on artificial fertilisers. We will still have to put some artificial fertilisers on the crops and some areas of grassland, but we limit this as much as possible (thanks goodness given the recent increase in prices … 1 tonne of Nitrogen is circa £1000 compared to circa £300 last year!).
Planning for the year ahead …
As well as the day to day farm tasks, plans are under way for the year ahead. We are putting together our grazing schedule to ensure we can keep livestock outside for as much of the year as possible, we continue to review which of our wild flower mixes and pollen and nectar plots need re-drilling, we are scheduling our beef and lamb dates, continue to make website improvements, and are working on a few exciting new developments! Watch this space!