Here on the farm if looks as if spring has finally arrived the grass is growing in front of the cattle and sheep and all look contented to be out again. I love this time of year, I can be a real dog and stick farmer and lean on a gate a survey the growing animals in the spring sunshine! I am soon brought back to 2010 when I remember the mountain of paper that has built up during the lambing season: Defra, RPA, Fabbl, VAT etc etc. The RPA have sent out digital maps again, wrong again 5 months after sending them the corrections they come back wrong again and more so than before! It is up to us to correct them again. I cannot print what I would do to them if they were employed by me. Suffice it to say it is rumoured now more work for Defra than there are dairy farmers.

Well it is winter, a challenge but very pretty at times. I had an interesting drive back from feeding the sheep at Turvey last Wednesday. I took hay in the livestock trailer to bring a few ewes home in the same trip, (carbon friendly!) More snow had fallen over there than home. Sheep were fed and looked well, I loaded 22 ewes from the same place as Tuesday but could not pull away the snow had insulated the ground reducing the frost and the trailer was stuck! I was pulled clear by a tractor, (thank you, Daniel) and had a more exciting drive home than normal, snow was falling and settling on the roads making traction with the trailer loaded variable! despite all the modern gismos on 4x4 and 2 good snow tyres. It was not helped by other drivers the best being parked in the middle of the road at the top of a hill on a bend pointing downhill saying they were stuck!! I did have to stop before the hill steepened and held off going up until the others in front had got round the bend. I got home but needed a tow up the hill to the farm buildings, I was so icey we were not sure the 4 x4 tractor was going to make it pulling me, Josh was driving and by using the telescopic boom to help pull us up saved the day!!

The lead up to Christmas on our farm always is busy. The remaining cattle still outside are brought home for the winter and begin their winter rations. Their diet is predominantly silage with the addition of straw to aid digestion. The younger calves and finishing cattle also get ground cereals. We also start to feed hay to the ewes so they make a gradual change from fresh grass to conserved grass ready for housing before lambing.

After Christmas we scan the March lambing ewes and bring home the February lambing ewes and prepare them for lambing.

Our farm meat sales are also concentrated into the first 3 weeks of the month and we do feel responsible getting the meat part right for those all important Christmas meals and making sure we get your orders right! We are proud of the meat we produce and do all we can to make sure that special occassion has great meat

Judy, Josh, Sam and I wish you all a Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year and look forward to seeing you soon

The mild temperatures are keeping the grass growing so most of the animals remain at grass, at least the wind has dried the ground again.

This week we have just had our seventh inspection in 12 months. All by various agencies and the population wonder why food costs are rising. All these inspectors and office staff have to be paid from the costs of food production. I am glad to say this latest one was for our farm assurance,it took 3 hours of my time and we passed with no faults this year!!
(see the link on the home page to find out what was checked)