Summer news from the farm

Our last calf to be born.  Beautiful little heifer.

Malcolm and his team came to shear the girls, it was a great day, team effort!

Haymaking 2019 all done and in the barn, phew!

Meet Bobbie.  I think I am so handsome....

I do enjoy looking back over what we have been up to before I write and realise how busy the last few weeks have been.  The intensity goes after lambing but the pace is always there and continues right the way through until haymaking. 

We had rain at the beginning of June which has helped enormously.  This time last year the farm was brown and we were worried about grazing for the animals.  This year we are enjoying everything looking green but we need a bit more! 

Calving ended at the beginning of June and they are all looking well.  William our bull is about to have his favourite moment of the year and be back with his ladies.  The big day is on Friday.  And so the cycle starts all over again!

The rams have a little longer to wait, but we have a new boy on the block this year, Bobbie.  A very handsome Hampshire Down ram who has settled in very quickly.  He is still separate from the rest of the boys for now so we are enjoying having him right outside our house.  He will look a lot more woolly once his fleece has grown, so pretty much like a teddy bear, but don't tell him that.... 

We weaned our first group of lambs on Monday, so the farm has been pretty noisy.  They have settled now and are enjoying the first bites of our new herbal leys which we have planted for the first time this year.  To us it looks delicious!  Lots of thick juicy chicory leaves, sanfoin and lots of other tasty treats.  Many of the plants have natural anthelmintic properties and are deep rooting so will benefit soil structure.  Good for drought grazing too so a win win all round.

More soon

Camilla, Roly, Molly, Freddie and Fly