I can’t believe it is July next week. It has been quite hectic this month with grass silage and making haylage as well as dodging rain showers! We were fortunate with the weather and managed to get our haylage crop in before the rain arrived. There were several late nights involved with us bringing bales back to the farm in the early hours of the morning, but we got there, and should have lots of happy horses, sheep, and cattle this winter! Grass silage continues, and whilst we have been rained off this week, we will hopefully be back out in a few days.
The boys have been dealing with repairs and maintenance this last week, and I think were quite pleased to get some time in the workshop once the heavy rain showers started. Our machines work very hard, so regular maintenance is important, and repairs seem to go hand in hand with the job! I find it fascinating how they strip back the tractors and farm implements and always manage to find the issue! To me, its like looking for a needle in a haystack. I think we often underestimate the job of a farmer…It isn’t just about driving tractors, they are also businessmen, crop and plant specialists, untrained vets, financial planners, weather forecasters, mechanics, heavy machine operators but best of all they are husbands and dads, and our treasured loved ones. This time of year can be very quiet at home, with our farmers working every hour god gives, however we are a family farm, so us ladies will happily jump on a tractor, or bring out supper, so we always find a few treasured moments.
Judith has been busy with her sheep this month: Her ewes have been sheared and look very smart with their new haircuts, and the lambs have also been weaned. The flock all look fabulous and have done very well on the grass this year. It will hopefully only be a matter of weeks before we are able to start offering the lamb boxes again. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates!
Our day-old turkey chicks have arrived and are all thriving. Turkeys can be quite challenging in their first weeks, due to being highly sensitive to temperature changes. They like a temperature of around 37 degrees, so we are going through gas and electricity like the clappers, to keep them happy and content! So, it is very welcome to see that Ofgem has finally announced a reduction in energy costs this week!
On the subject of poultry, our chickens continue to lay, and we are selling lots of farm fresh eggs daily. It is so nice to see returning customers and to hear their lovely feedback. Due to the increase in egg sales, we have been running out, so to prevent disappointment, we are in the process of purchasing some more chickens to join our flock.
We are very much on the countdown to harvest now, so it wont be long until we are out and about on the roads with the combine harvesters. Apologies in advance for any inconvenience we may cause, but rest assured, we will be working as hard and fast as we can to bring the harvest home and will do all we can to minimise any delay to other road users.
Until next month.
Wishing everyone all the best,
Martin, Judith, Richard, Tanza & George