Are you making a conscious effort to consider your environmental footprint this year?
Are you reconsidering what foods you should/shouldn’t eat as a result?
We absolutely agree that everyone should be considering more carefully their shopping habits, and here are a few things to think about….
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Happy New Year to all our lovely customers!
Our delicious Ruby Red Devon Beef is once again available week commencing 14th January with deliveries being made on Thursday 17th. We have a great range of cuts available including Steaks,Joints, stewing beef and mince. Visit our online shop here to place your order.
The battle against TB
With 2018 now done our attention turns to 2019. I've mentioned previously that we have been experiencing a few issues with Bovine TB and this continues to be the case. Following the isolated result last summer where one of our cows recorded an inconclusive result (neither pass or fail) on two occasions, resulting in it being classed as an overall fail we had to have it culled. This meant that we were required to undertake a whole herd test in October to see if there were any other cases present. Unfortunately another of our cows failed the test and again had to be culled from the herd. Luckily on both occasions the calves of these cows were older enough to be weaned so didn't require bottle feeding. Having received the abattoir reports from these two animals it was reassuring to learn that none had shown any signs of having TB legions so there is a chance that both may not have had TB at all (the TB test is unfortunately not 100% accurate). As a result of these failed tests we are now in the cycle of having to test every animal on the farm every 60 days until we have two tests where all the animals pass. Our next test is next week so we're keeping everything crossed for a clean bill of health!
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Hay Making
The period of dry weather enabled us to crack on with hay making, and thankfully we got this all finished before the rains came! Dry weather is essential for making good quality hay, as unlike silage, the grass needs to be totally dry before baling so that it doesn’t go mouldy. The hay is made in small bales and left unwrapped (as we want it to stay dry, not pickle itself like silage!). This year we have made approximately 900 small bales which will be primarily sold for horse feed. If you’re interested in seeing videos of the hay making process check out our Facebook page.
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The clocks have sprung forward and we have entered the month of May, but sadly the warm spring weather seems like a distant memory! Down on the farm Robert and James remain busy as they prepare for the cattle to be turned out in to the fields. Fences are being checked and repaired to ensure there are no escapees, and fields are being checked to make sure there is enough grass to nourish the cattle. Grass growth has been a bit slow due to the lack of rain … yep, a farmer is never happy with the weather! It really is a beautiful sight seeing the cattle being moved in to the fields – they love to frolic and play in their new environment so keep your eyes peeled in the fields around Northmoor if you’re lucky enough to live locally.
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