What a roller coaster of a year! An extended drought and extreme summer temperatures, three Prime Ministers in a calamitous political period, the death of our Queen after achieving a memorable Platinum Jubilee of her reign and, of course, a new King! Couple that with an economic downturn and industrial unrest of epic proportions and […]
We’re hammering through 2022 at a rate of knots! How everything has changed in a short period of time including inflationary elements arising from the aftermath of the pandemic and, the cruel war that Russia is waging against its neighbouring country. The world is in a mess and the knock-on effect on farming is immense! There […]
2021 is done and dusted meaning we can look forward with some relief! The Covid saga has dictated many of our lives, whether limitations for family visits, severely impacted socialising or reduced activities and holiday opportunities. A lot has happened here in the last 12 months. The arable side of the business is now being managed by a […]
With the crops and grassland desperate for rain a month ago, everything has dramatically changed with the recent precipitation! Do not complain, ‘it’s pound coins from heaven’ an old farmer once told me! The crops of wheat and barley are actually looking good, having taken up fertiliser to stimulate development after a long period marking […]
We’re poised, ready for action! Lambing should start on the 26th February or thereabouts and last for 3 weeks. Anything born earlier will be immature or unthrifty and despite an immense amount of management input, unlikely to survive. We have the lambing gloves, gel lubrication, iodine for navel treatment which prevents infection, milk substitute to […]
Three cheers for the rams! Scanning results have been exceptionally good setting the scene for a positive start for lambing in 2021. Our new Llanwenog flock have excelled themselves meaning the pedigree ram was quietly doing his own thing at night unobserved by everyone else! It’s now up to us to get the overall feeding, […]
Harvest 2020 is now completed, thank goodness! In our 45 years of farming this ranks as one of the most difficult, rain at the end of 2019 when we should have been planting, rain again in early 2020 which held up any chance of redressing the balance and problems drying waterlogged land to eventually get […]
We’re still trying hard to maintain the socially distancing idea! With many active workshops around the place, deliveries and comings and goings, it is important to keep the proverbial guard up! Security gates and combination locks handled by others demand a good supply of gloves, gel or access to soap and water – what a […]
2020 has been a weird if not momentous year and, for once, we cannot blame anything on Brexit! With coronavirus, which I will not recognise with a capital C, rampaging throughout the country causing devastation to people, families and businesses, it’s currently impossible to best guess any likely end point to the crisis! Farming has […]
This farm like many others is spluttering along although ‘splashing along’ might be a more accurate description at present! We are wet, very wet. The land here is a free draining soil type over chalk, but has become waterlogged right to the top of our slopes during this extremely wet winter. In fact, even though […]
- 1
- 2