August arrived at a blink of an eye and life on the farm became overnight chaotic. Combines, tractors, balers, etc going in all directions with one thing in mind ‘get the job done’.
The oilseed rape was harvested quickly and is now instore in the barns. Yields across the board overall were surprisingly good this year given the dry season. Wheat, Linseed, and beans have all been combined as have the Oats which the sheep are already enjoying. Even Spring barley has been finished and some will be good enough to brew a few bottles of beer.
Straw has all been bailed but much less than last year, instead this year we have chopped more straw to put into the land to maintain the nutrition in the ground due to sky high fertiliser prices. Last winter’s dung will soon also be spread on the fields ready to help next year’s crop to grow, this is a good organic fertiliser for the soil.
This month has again been incredible dry and warm which has meant that our Shepherds huts have been super busy, and we have welcomed many new and some returning guests who have all been able to enjoy this super weather. Our family hut with its outdoor bathtub, has become a popular choice for families and couples to stay and enjoy the farm and our surroundings.
The flip side of the lack of rain however has meant that most of the grass has turned brown with little growing which has been a challenge. With ditches drying up completely we have had the digger out to try and dig down to the water table where possible. Unfortunately, in places where the ditches that usually keep the sheep within the boundaries of their fields being now completely dry due the lack of rain, has meant that sheep became nomadic, and many hours initially were spent chasing them back from where they came. To circumvent this and to keep them in their fields we have been hauling in 1000L IBC Animal Water Drinking Systems into the fields and turning the taps on twice a day into the water troughs so that they stay in their fields where there is water. We have also had to substitute feed with hay/silage and oats so that all our animals including our cattle have enough food during this dry spell which has meant cutting into some of our winter feed already. Some farmers have sold a lot of their animals this summer due to the high costs of feeding them and not being able to sustain them financially, fortunately we have had enough grass fields and food to maintain our flock and herd, but it is also hitting us.
The lambs are being weaned from their mothers and are being moved onto set aside grass fields to graze on, this will help them grow well as well as give their mothers a break and let them get their condition back up.
We have a small number of summer cattle that are still calving, and they are doing well, with the aid of additional feed and water too.
We finished harvesting on the 23rd August and the combine is back in the yard being cleaned up now so that it can be stored away for another year. Corn trailers have been replaced with drills, harrows, and rolls. The new faming year will begin all over again known as St Michaelmas Day. Roll on September…