Farmer's Blog
4th October 2011
We thought autumn had arrived but last week’s fantastic sunny weather has proved us wrong. All the straw is baled and stacked in the sheds, silage is clamped/wrapped and we haven’t got any fieldwork to do so now is a time for stock work.
The ewes have got 1 month freedom before the rams are introduced so the next few weeks are vital for us to ensure that their health is tip top and therefore encouraging a good crop of lambs in the spring.
We have purchased pedigree Tamworth gilts and Oxford Sandy and Black sows within the last 2 weeks so will post pics when they have their youngsters.
Cattle are still grazing outside; the dry warm weather is suiting both them and me. Grass growth has slowed right down so we are currently supplementing the cows' feed with a mixture of grass silage and wheat straw. All the cows and calves will be brought into sheds within the next 3 weeks and will be housed until next spring. This is when the real work starts!!
August 5th 2011
Well it is exactly 1 year since Taste Tradition took on Abotts Close Farm. It has been a tough year with a shortage of forage through the winter months and the extreme freezing conditions that we experienced for weeks on end. Carrying water to animals became a fulltime job. An early spring was wished for and thankfully it came, grass had grown enough to allow me to turn cattle outside in March which made life easier.
The Aberdeen Angus and Longhorn cows all calved well and are doing nicely, the Texel gimmers lambed in March and have produced the best lambs we have ever had, and the pigs are thriving in the summer sun.
We have taken our 1st and 2nd cuts of silage which have yielded extremely well, and harvest is fast approaching which is no bad thing as we are down to our last 5 bales of straw!!
Chris Roberts has taken on the role of stockman, he started for us in June and is proving to be a good asset. Chris seems to have found a new best friend in Bob the dog!